Early memories of the school

I think our first Grand Day was 1911, when we had the real Trooping of the Colours, as the Guards do each year. On this occasion the boys pitched tents and one of the first boys in the school, Johnny Mcllroy had a marquee fall on him and he was carried up to the quarters on a stretcher but was all right and was on the Grand Day Parade next day.

One of the next occasions I remember was the visit and inspection of the school and boys. King George V took the salute at the main door of the school. We were given the remainder of the day as a holiday. Later, we enjoyed different affairs. The 9th Royal Scots (Dandy Ninth) came to the school specially for a sham fight which took place from the top wood and down to the wood adjoining the school playing field. We put up a very good show under Colour Sgt. Martin, C Coy., Billy Ouf as he was known by the boys, on account of his shouting: Ouf, Ight, Ouf' when trying to keep the boys in step.

During the summer break all the boys who did not go home went to Barry Camp, but after filling our palliasses with straw and beginning to settle in, we got order to empty the straw, to pack up everything and returned to the school the same day we left. The day war broke out. During the war the bigger boys had to take turns of telephone duty in the School Porter's office. Also the waking of the Orderly Bugler to blow Reveille. We had practices of clearing the school when a mock air raid was put on. We went down to the back of the swimming pool beside the wood and burn. Sunday mornings were usually special. Boys marching down to their different church services. Two boys usually had to take milk from Kippendavie Farm, also the Sunday papers up to Landrick House where the Commandant, Col. Wilkinson had his abode.

We had a second sham fight with the Dandy Ninth and also the whole school took part in a Paper Chase of Hares and Hounds where the Hares were given a start of about 10 minutes over a four mile course, scattering some paper every so often and the hounds followed the paper. This was partly over Kippencross and Sheriffmuir. At this time I was in C Coy's team at football and cricket at which I got my cap, taking 3 wickets and 3 catches in one match against D Coy. Later I went on to be Captain of 2nd fifteen at Rugby. I also won the Bell medal for miniature Range Shooting which I still have.

While in isolation on a Saturday afternoon, I went round by Barbush and down part of the Ramoyle where my mother was then living as my father was away from home with the National Reserve and took my brother's bicycle out and with my feet between the crossbars, went down the Braeport and crashed into the wall at Dargai Terrace and was taken up to the school unconscious. I wasn't punished at the school, though with my bruises and injuries I had been punished enough. The sergeant major of the Scottish Horse saw this happen and raised the alarm. Before the Gymnasium was built, the central hall was used for all parades, for meals etc. and for concerts and boxing and demonstrations of Highland Dancing. During weekends we used to get out of school for walks on Saturdays and on Sunday afternoons. The adjutant, Captain Mather, often took a walk through the lower corridors and any boys caught beside the radiators were duly taken to the front hall and I was one of them. My father as the Hall Porter was on duty and was ordered to give us all two of the strap, my two seemed to be heavier than the others and I did not speak to my father for two weeks, but all came well again. My .younger brother also came to the school after I left and went onto the Boys' Technical College at Chepstowe. I left the school in November 1917 and went to the Black Watch in Perth and on to Germany and India before coming home, and in 1931 the Commandant sent for me about a vacancy as a Gardener Guardsman, so I came back to the school and was the first old boy to come back and work in the school - for nine years.

George is now 86 years old and still lives in Dunblane with his wife Alice. The couple are due to celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary in September.

MY father was appointed to the staff of the QV School when he retired from the Cameronians Scottish Rifles after 21 years service. The family moved to the QVS in 1907 before the school was opened in 1908. My father became the first hall porter night watchman. The road to the married quarter wasn't finished and only three of the M.Q. were finished, the remainder in course of construction. These gradually filled up with new members of the staff until the big day came for the opening of the school by King Edward VII, also the laying of the foundation stone for the chapel. For this occasion our family were seated with others on the square next to the south end of the main building and watched the procession moving towards where the School Chapel would be -this was then called King Edward's Walk.

The first boys began to arrive and as the hospital was not built then, the hospital became for the time being the small dormitory top flat on the south end of the school, until the hospital was completed and opened.

At this time there was quite a gale and I was coming home from school in Dunblane, I was literally lifted off my feet and carried about 30 yards. At the same time one of the workmen on the hospital was blown off the structure and was killed. This to my belief was the first casualty: I joined the school at the end of 1912. The 12 married quarters were completed and staffed. The staff at this time decided to have a bar to save having to go to the hotels and as the road up to the school was quite dark, they were to have to take turns to have a hurricane lamp above one of the doors. So my pal Victor Fennessey and I got a ladder and put the lamp above another door and we heard quite a commotion when the men went home at night.

I had another experience that year just as I joined the school I was invited with other Roman Catholic children to a Christmas party in Doune. It snowed all the way there and on the way home we ran into snow drifts at the Hills of Row Road, so we had to get out of the coach and help push it for about 40 yards. This was a coach and horses we were in. When we joined the school we had name plates above each bed called 'nomination' plates. I was given Lynedoch after Lord Lynedoch's Cameronians. We then started in earnest.

The young boys coming into the school had to go into the sewing room roughly for 6 months to learn to darn, sew and patch. This helped me as I still do my own darning and sewing on of buttons. After this you had a chance of picking your own trade -piper, drummer, military band, tailor's shop, shoemaker's shop and later, woodwork. I chose the military band.

When the swimming pool was to be opened, my father had to first clean it out and I noticed a large coin or medal at the bottom of the bath, so, after pulling it down to the shallows. I was made to undress and after a while got it out. It turned out to be a Coronation Medal. I had been the first boy in the swimming pool. During this time the hospital was inside the school we had different diseases cropped up, and the the top dormitory adjacent to the hospital was used for isolation. During the evenings, the main gates were closed and our hospital sergeant forgot about them being closed and ran straight into them on his bicycle, the cycle was ruined and he was knocked unconscious - nothing really serious.