AldenhAmiAnA iSSUe 44 October 2016 News from the OA Society Centenary of the new Fives courts News from the School Letters from OAs Battle of the Somme Centenary Obituaries and tributes from the editor Welcome to your OA Review. This year, the Centenary of the Battle of Aldenhamiana the Somme, which lasted 141 days from No.44 October 2016 1st July to 18th November 1916 and saw Published by The Old Aldenhamian Society 1.3 million casualties, a group of OAs Aldenham School, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3AJ UK travelled to the Somme to see the Email:
[email protected] effects of war and to lay a wreath at the Web: www.oldaldenhamian.org Thiepval Memorial in memory of those OAs and members Tel: +44 (0)1923 858 122 of the teaching staff whose names are commemorated at various cemeteries throughout the region. I’m sure you have family members who fought in the Great War and indeed gave their lives for our tomorrow. During the tour, we visited The Lochnagar Crater, 67m in diameter, the largest man-made mine crater created in Contents the First World War on the Western Front. The mine was exploded two minutes before 07.30am Zero Hour at the launch of the British offensive against the German lines 2 From the OA Society on the morning of 1st July 1916. The phrase, ‘Going over the top’ came into being on the same day. 2 From the President’s Desk It is also 100 years since the building of the new Five Courts (see pps. 17-20), thanks to the generosity of Edgar H 4 OA Day Mariette (SH1879-85 and CR1889-1914) and 350 years 8 Annual OA Dinner 2015 since the Brewers’ Hall was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.