EOGA Archive


The Executive of EOGA recognises a particular responsibility to preserve information and documentation on the history of the Eastbourne Grammar School (EGS) and its predecessor, the Eastbourne Municipal Secondary School for Boys (EMSSB). The EMSSB was established in 1899 by the local authority and holds the unique position of being the first in the country to offer free secondary education up to the age of sixteen in a newly founded school.

To capture the history of the two schools the Executive Committee initiated a project to collect and digitise EMSSB and EGS school magazines and other documents for an online archive. Fred Reeve, then Hon Secretary /Administrator of EOGA 2008-2021, accepted the challenge and continued the project as the EOGA Archivist until his unexpected death in March 2023. The President announced at the Annual Lunch on 5th November 2022 that the Archive would be named “The Fred Reeve Archive” in recognition of Fred’s service as the Hon Secretary and Archivist. To complete the project an “Archive Completion Team (ACT)” was set up and accomplished the digitization of the school magazines during 2024.

The main EMSSB/EOGA archive contains a near complete collection of School Magazines including:

  • EMSSB magazines from Christmas 1909 to July 1928 missing only the issues for Summer 1910, Summer and Christmas 1914 and July 1922
  • A full run of EGS Magazines from December 1928 to July 1977

The magazine was published three times each year from 1910, then annually (in July) from 1940; publication was suspended during World War 1 from 1915-1919 but continued through World War 2.

The Archive also holds:

  • A partial run of Eastbourne Grammar & High School and Eastbourne Sixth Form College magazines donated by the late John Morris, who was the last Headmaster of the Grammar School, Head of the short-lived Grammar & High School and then Principal of the Sixth Form College throughout its existence.
  • Various other documents, photographs and other artefacts / items of School memorabilia, details of which will be posted on the website in due course.

The ACT will be glad to hear – via the Hon Secretary – from any Old Grammarian who has School memorabilia that they believe would be suitable for inclusion in the Archive.


Reflecting the School’s position in the history of municipal secondary education in England the Executive will seek to ensure that relevant hard copy holdings in the EOGA Archive are deposited in the Sussex Record Office (the Keep at Falmer) or another location that offers public access.

As part of the celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of the EMSS/EGS the archive went live in September 2024 on the EOGA Website with all captured magazines available as “searchable PDFs”.

Each scanned magazine is held as a PDF, and the magazines are arranged by decade of publication. Once an individual PDF has been downloaded, it can be searched for specified names or words. For those unfamiliar with searching in a PDF, download the magazine, then launch the Find function by pressing the CTRL+F keys; then enter the words or names to be searched in the text box which opens near the top of your screen and view the results.

1960

Vol.10 No.15 July 1960

'Editorial' comment – If, in this magazine, academic work appears to be relegated to a secondary position, it is not because it is unimportant, but because it is not all-important.
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1960 Venture

Volume 3 July 1960

From 'Survey' compiled by M. J. Terry – It should be noted that 73% of those boys with television sets do their homework in a separate room.
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1961

Vol.10 No.16 July 1961

'Editorial' comment – Although many suspected that with the physical division of the School many extra-curriculum activities would cease, the pessimists have been confounded.
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1961 Venture

Volume 4 September 1961

From 'Form Notes' – As with other years, the Second Forms have gained the reputation of being the most lazy, unruly, and worst second formers the school has known.
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1962

Vol.11 No.1 July 1962

'Editorial' comment – The past year has witnessed events unique in the history of the School - particularly the official opening of the new buildings at King's Drive.
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1963

Vol.11 No.2 July 1963

'School Notes' comment – For the first time we have endured in the new buildings the rigours of a year of the English climate.
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1964

Vol.11 No.3 July 1964

'School Notes' comment – Those who take Saturday employment and then use it as an excuse not to represent school sides in games against other schools are both unethical and unwise.
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1965

Vol.11 No.4 July 1965

'Editorial' comment – Sport has played its full part in the School calendar during the year, both in its official and non-official roles.
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1966

Vol.11 No.5 July 1966

'School Notes' comment – The quality of the dramatic productions is equal to that of all but a very few schools and better than most.
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1967

Vol.11 No.6 July 1967

'School Notes' comment – Were it not for the slowly approaching but insistent beating of the wings of change we might permit ourselves some slight self-congratulation.
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