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About the Rossallian Club

The Rossallian Club was formed on Friday, June 22nd. 1894. and the Reverend T.W.Sharpe was elected as the first President. Sharpe had been the first Head Boy of the school.

The most successful O.R. activity of those days was the London Football Club, which had been running since 1891. In 1897, T.A.Higson, later a test selector, got the cricket tour going on a regular basis and half a dozen hockey matches were played in the Manchester district. The O.Rs shot at Bisley for the Veterans' Cup and much later Golf and Tennis secretaries were added. Teams were entered for the Halford Hewitt Public Schools' golf competition.

From the beginning one of the Club's prominent activities was holding dinners; Manchester being particularly to the fore in this respect. The Manchester branch was the first properly constituted branch of the Club to be formed.

Between 1924 and 1930 the Birmingham, the Scottish, the Sheffield and Yorkshire branches were formed.

Dinners were also held in India, Ceylon, Australia and many other parts of the world.

An alternative O.R. blazer - a plain blue blazer with a crest and special buttons was adopted in 1928; the first year in which the O.R. golf meeting was held.

The great benefactor, Colonel Porritt became President in 1931.To mark Mr.Clarke's first term as Headmaster, the O.Rs gave the Common Room a grandfather clock, which still resides there.

1933 saw the resignation of Mr. Furness after 13 years as Secretary. Mr. M.A.Graham succeeded him. In this same year the Liveerpool Branch got going and the fifth annual dinner was held in New South Wales. An inaugural dinner was held in Dublin in 1935 and in the same year, in Delhi, the Chief Commissioner, J.N.G.Johnson gave a dinner to a group of Rossallians; in the P.S.Lawn Tennis Tournament in Simla, Rossall reached the semi-finals.

In 1937, Brigadier J.D.Boyd, succeeded W.L.Rind as President of the Club. At the Triennial Dinner of that year a film of the school was shown to the delight of the 300 O.Rs present.

The most unusual OR dinner was held in Changai Jail, Singapore on the 1st. of October 1944. Nine Rossallian inmates sat down to a meager meal to celebrate the Centenary of the founding of the school.

The Rossallian Masonic Lodge was founded in 1928; the main instigator being W.Bro Walter Hind. The Lodge was consecrated in the Masonic Temple, London on October 8th.1928. Soon after the consecration the Lodge was elected a member of the Public School Lodges Council. Membership of the Lodge is open to all Old Rossallians and Rossall masters, past and present and its aim is to bring all Rossallians into closer touch with each other and with the school. Since its inception, the Rossall has contributed gifts to Rossall, notably an annual bursary.

Much of the Lodge furniture is made from old desks removed many years ago from Big School,

Bearing the initials and names of many Rossall worthies.

The aims of the Rossallian Club remain the same as at its inception - to continue the links between Rossallians and school - to continue the friendships forged and to contribute to the welfare and facilities of the school.

The Rossallian Club has initiated several funds for the benefit of the school and its pupils; individual Rossallians, notably of late, Jackson and Leigh Trapnell have been very generous benefactors.

Floreat Rossallia.

The Old Rossallian Lodge has produced a web site. Click here to visit now.