The history of Godalming County Grammar School

from its foundation in 1930 to its evolution into a Sixth Form College in 1978.

The book is drawn from contemporary accounts in historical documents, together with many images and the personal recollections of its alumni and teachers.

 Comedian, actor and writer, Ben Elton, a pupil at the School in the 70s, and Louis De Bernières, author of the best-selling novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, have contributed to the Book.

Ben Elton recalls the titular Holloway Hill, “The mountain we all had to climb. Every flipping morning. …We bussed, we walked and we all struggled up Holloway Hill in a long chain from the bus stop by the old cinema.”

Louis De Bernières writes about Godalming High Street in the 60s and recollects “suddenly looking up, to behold the fabulous antiquity and beauty of the architecture for the first time in my life. I was stunned.  I had never before perceived how beautiful it was.”

• A chapter on the years of the Second World War details the journey of more than 400 pupils from Sir Walter St John’s Grammar School, Battersea – the Sinjuns – who were billeted in various places around Godalming and shared school facilities with GCGS and Charterhouse School. Ex-pupil, Rod Weale, has written a piece about the GCGS alumni who were killed in the Second World War.

• Contributions from ex-pupils add a personal view of their time at School. Arthur Durrant, who left School in 1966 to join HM Customs and Excise says, “Although GGS didn’t suggest the career path that I chose, I was very much encouraged and supported in my efforts to join the Civil Service, and I know that the excellent and broad education that I received was highly influential in the success that I enjoyed.”

• Many people have been involved in the preparation of this book. Special thanks go to Annette Ettorre for her extensive research and assembly of the text and images, to Hazel Freeston for scanning a large number of copies of The Godhelmian magazine, to Marta Riddle for local research, to Jane Jopson for compiling a list of staff and information on clubs and societies and to Shirley Coleman and Eleanor Andrews who worked on the editing and, together with Annette, developed the idea and curated it to completion. Thanks also to Godalming College for providing material from the College archive and to Ann Eatwell for undertaking interviews and researching educational records.

The book (ISBN: 978-1-3999-4732-9) will be available from October 2023, price £20.00 plus postage and packing £5.00. If you are interested, please contact the OGA at [email protected]  The book complements the website of the Old Godhelmian Association:  https://www.theoga.org