In June (2023), we were pleased to hear about the 100th birthday of Jack Dixon, who attended Hymers College before the Second World War, from 1934 until 1939. So, we were delighted to welcome him back to the school for a visit with his son Carl.

While showing Jack around the Main Hall, which has hardly changed over the decades, Jack was able to reminisce about his time at the school, under the leadership of the second Hymers' headmaster, William Cavill.

During his time visiting the Memorial Hall, he looked at the names of those who had lost their lives in the Second World War.  While the Memorial Hall had been built in the years before Jack was at Hymers College, the names relating to WW2 had not been added to it.  One particular name stood out for Jack, that of Edward (Ted) Adderley, OH 1933-41, who was in the same school form as Jack.

During World War 2, while I had been awaiting the return of the HMS Sunflower, I had the great pleasure of meeting a school friend by the name of Ted Adderley. We had been in the same form at Hymers College. He had been drafted to join the Destroyer HMS Firedrake. She was leader of the flotilla of escort ships of which the Sunflower was one. I applied for a transfer to be with Ted but was told that it would not be possible at this late stage.

Sadly, on 16 December 1942, Firedrake was torpedoed and broken in two; the bow section sank immediately. The Corvette Sunflower picked up 26 survivors, but the rest of her crew of 140 men were lost.  Jack witnessed this and helped with the rescue efforts.

Sadly, my friend Ted Adderley was not among the 26 survivors; he was such a gentle young man.

During Jack's time at the school, there were fewer buildings. However, he remembered the gymnasium, now named Gore, and told stories of how they used to climb up the ropes, with the hooks still in the beams today.

Hymers College was still being used as a boarding school in Jack's time and he was able to point out roughly where the students were housed, in the site where the Sports Hall now stands.

It was a pleasure to welcome Jack back to Hymers College.

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Happy 100th Birthday Jack