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.
1970
Vol. XII No.1 July 1970
'Editorial' comment – Recent events appear to herald a decade of dictatorship by the minority.
1971
Vol.XII No.2 July 1971
'Editorial' comment – The Dramatic Society proved itself supreme before an audience which still talks about the success.
1972
Vol.XII No.3 July 1972
'Editorial' comment – When we are reminded of the violence in London schools and elsewhere, it is then that we realise how well off we are in Eastbourne.
1973
Vol.XII Mo.4 July 1973
'Editorial' comment – This year has been strangely unspectacular, providing little to comment on.
1974
Vol.XII No.5 July 1974
'Editorial' comment – This last term has been one of sponsorship forms and reply slips
1975
Vol.XII No.6 July 1975
'Editorial' comment – At the end of this school year we shall unfortunately lose "Mr. Grammar School" himself: Mr. Dyer is to retire after 55 years' association with the school.
1976
Vol.XII No.7 July 1976
'Editorial' comment – On a more domestic note, discipline within the school has been maintained despite the efforts of the customary hostile minority.
1977
Vol.XII No.8 July 1977
'Editorial' comment – As this is the last year of Eastbourne Grammar School as we have known it, one would wish it to be a memorable one and, happily, this has been the case.
1977-78
Eastbourne Grammar and High School
From 'Headmaster's Notes' – Two fires, one of them very serious; two closures for lack of fuel oil; builders on both sites of the school for three quarters of the year; and a shortage of accommodation, even before the School Hall in King's Drive was destroyed.
1978-79
Eastbourne Grammar and High School
From 'Headmaster's Preface' – It will be the last issue which can be called by this name, since we shall become the Sixth Form College as from September, 1979.
