Coal Hill School

Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School.

Bedford School is a public school for boys in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England and one of five run by the Harpur Trust.

Bedford School comprises the Preparatory School (ages 7 to 13) and the Upper School (ages 13 to 18) and has average of 1,200 pupils, both day-boys and boarders. A range of subjects is taught at GCSE and at A-level; the school also teaches the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The current headmaster as of 1 September 2008 is Mr. John Moule, the previous Vice Master.

According to the Good Schools Guide the "School [is] much-respected by those in the know". However, the Guide also states that the school is "Something of a well-kept secret."

History
A church school was founded before the Domesday Book on the site which Bedford School occupied until the late 19th century. A grant of letters patent by King Edward VI in 1552 to the school was much aided by the actions of Sir William Harpur. In 1979 the school suffered a devastating arson attack during the night, and the main building was gutted by fire. The fire was fought into the early morning of Sunday 4 March. Over 90% of the building was destroyed, with thirty classrooms lost. Almost all pupil records were saved, but books, furniture and the large collection of portraits were destroyed. The school re-opened the next week in temporary classrooms. Two new buildings have been built in the last five years: a £1 million library and a £3 million music school.



In 2005 Bedford school was one of fifty of the country's leading private schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.

Year groups
The first year at Bedford (for 13 to 14 year olds) is called the Fourth Form and is equivalent to Year 9 in the state system. After that is the Remove and the Fifth Form. The next two years are the Lower Sixth and the Upper Sixth. Bedford School also caters for the lower years (from year 3 to year 8) in Bedford Prep School this is on the same campus as the main school and many facilities are shared.

Songs
A Bedford School tradition is singing songs and inter-house singing competitions. In the vein of the Eton Boating Song, many were written by teachers in the latter half of the 19th century. The official school song, "Domus Pater", was written by Henry Le Mesurier in 1861.

Domus Pater Harperiae    [Translation] In Harper's House, O Father, may Honus Tuus sit incola;                  Thine honour aye indwelling stay Tu porticus caelestibus                 May ever round its portals be Praesidiis circumsede. The guardian angels placed by thee.

Impubes usque tu manus             The bands of youths look down and see Huc ventitantes respice;                Restoring here continuously; Et inter mundi Semitas                  And safely on thro' life's rough way Pedes securos dirige. Direct their footsteps day by day.

Infirma verbo pectora                 Strengthen the frail ones with thy word Rectoque cultu robora;                 And guiding discipline, O Lord. Cibum caelestem porrige            Hold forth thy heavenly food, we pray, Et mala procul abige. And drive all evil things away.

Ut omni mane gratiam                      May they each morn the day begin Tuam precentur cum fide                 With prayer sincere thy grace to win Et corde grato vesperi                       With grateful hearts at fall of even Laudes tuas concelebrent. May they exalt thy praise to heaven.

Deo Patri sit gloria                            To God the Father and his Son, Eiusque soli Filio,                              And God the Spirit, Holy One. Sanctissimo cum Spiritu,                 May greatest glory henceforth be Et nunc et in perpetuum. Both now and thro' eternity.

Monitors and Heads of Houses
Monitors are chosen from the top year group of the school (Upper 6th); these pupils are deemed to have the best qualities of leadership and achievement in their year group. In addition there are the separate roles of heads of boarding and school houses, although a monitor may occasionally be chosen to fulfill this role as well.

On a school-wide level the 'best' monitor is made Head Boy, and a deputy is appointed to assist him. Monitors can wear coloured waistcoats and brown shoes along with brass buttons on their blazers. Since 2004 monitors have been chosen by application and a selection committee.

The Heads of House are appointed directly by the Housemaster who also selects a Deputy and House Options except for Burnaby the 6th form Boarding House, where the students elect their Head and Deputy

Sports
Bedford School has a different major sport for each term. The Christmas term is rugby union-orientated, the Easter term hockey, and Summer is cricket season. Rowing takes place throughout the year.

Other sports at the school include, athletics, football, swimming, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cross-country running, fencing, fives, golf, rifle shooting, sailing, squash, tennis, volleyball, weights, table-tennis and water polo.

The school has produced many sportsmen, such as cricketer Alastair Cook, who went on to play Test cricket for England - whose coach was then sports master and ex-England all-rounder Derek Randall. Others include England rugby players, Martin Bayfield and Andy Gomarsall, and 1924 Olympic 100 yd gold medalist, Harold Abrahams.

Bedford School won the Daily Mail Under 15 2006 Schools' Cup for the second time with a 16-3 victory over a fancied QEGS Wakefield side at Twickenham (the first time being in 1994 when they shared the cup after drawing 3-3). The current 1st XV (2008-9) was named Team of the Month by Rugby World Magazine in November, having won all its fixtures up until the first half of term. On the rugby field Bedford School regularly competes against Oundle School, Oakham School, Radley College, Uppingham School, Haileybury, Dulwich College, Rugby School and Harrow School. Bedford has also entertained Mill Hill School and St Paul's School among others in the past.

Combined Cadet Force
One of the most popular extracurricular activities at Bedford School is the Combined Cadet Force. This differs from other Corps in that it draws members from three schools and that it is voluntary. Despite its voluntary status it is the largest CCF contingent of any school.

Bedford School is the third largest contributor to the armed forces of any school (behind Eton and Harrow). Unusually, over 20% of service personnel from Bedford served in the medical wing of one of the three uniformed services.

The Charles Piazzi Smyth Observatory and the Wolfson Planetarium
The Piazzi Smyth Observatory and Wolfson Planetarium were opened in May 2002 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Situated on the Bedford School estate, the facility is operated by the school's Astronomer in conjunction with members of the Bedford Astronomical Society. The observatory was named after an Old Bedfordian who went on to become the Astronomer Royal for Scotland. It features a specially made GRP dome and a computer controlled twelve-inch (305 mm) telescope. The telescope also has a hydrogen alpha filter, enabling one to see the magnetic plasma flow around the Sun. The adjacent Planetarium was named after the Wolfson Foundation.

Music
Bedford School has one of the largest school music departments in the UK.

Annually, there is a full programme of music concerts, culminating in a series of summer concerts at the end of the academic year. There are a number of senior music groups, including the School First (Symphony) Orchestra, School Band, Choral Society, Chapel Choir, and a large number of chamber groups. In addition, there is a Second Orchestra, a Chamber Orchestra, Dance Band, and jazz and rock groups. There is a Composer-in-Residence at the School, called the Eileen Norris Fellow.

Prominent Old Bedfordian musicians

 * Peter Freyhan (1950–1957); principal cellist BBC Symphony Orchestra (retd).
 * Ian Fox (1956–1964); Director of Music of The King's School, Gloucester (retd).
 * Richard Kerr (1958–1962); songwriter, for Elkie Brooks, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra, and Andy Williams.
 * Michael Freyhan (1951–1958); pianist and harpsichordist.
 * Alisdair MacRae Birch (1967–1976); jazz guitarist, bassist, and arranger.
 * Alec Dankworth (1968–1977); jazz bassist.
 * Andrew Manze (1975–1982); violinist and Musical Director of The English Concert.
 * Philip Stopford (1990–1995); Director of Music at Belfast Cathedral.
 * Dave Vitty; Lead Nose-Flautist of popular BBC Radio One band Folk Face

Notable Old Bedfordians

 * James Dennis (1815–1861), palaeontologist and natural historian
 * Henry Hawkins, Baron Brampton (1817–1907), barrister and Judge of the High Court of Justice, 1876–1898
 * Henry Corbet (1820–1878), agricultural writer and editor
 * Sir Wyndham Dunstan (1861–1949), chemist and Director, Imperial Institute, 1903–1924
 * John Platts (1830–1904), Indian and Persian language expert
 * Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (1842-1885), British Army Officer, adventurer, balloonist, author and Times correspondent
 * Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918), occultist
 * Hubert Murray Burge (1862–1925), Headmaster of Winchester College, 1901–1910, Bishop of Southwark, 1910–1919, and Bishop of Oxford, 1919–1925
 * Sir Walter Langdon-Brown (1870–1946), Regius Professor of Physic, University of Cambridge, 1932–1935
 * H. H. Munro (Saki) (1870–1916), short story writer
 * Paget Wilkes (1871–1934), missionary in Japan
 * Sir Lynden Macassey (1876–1963), engineer and barrister
 * Gilbert Campion, Baron Campion (1882–1958), Clerk of the House of Commons, 1937–1948
 * Sir Bernard Reilly (1882–1966), Resident/Chief Commissioner/Governor of Aden, 1931–1940
 * Charles Meek (1885–1965), anthropologist
 * Marshal of the RAF Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall (1886–1963), Air Member for Supply and Organisation, 1935–1937, Chief of the Air Staff, 1937–1940, and Governor-General of New Zealand, 1940–1946
 * Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Blacker (1887–1964), soldier, adventurer, and weapons designer
 * Admiral Sir Robert Burnett (1887–1959), Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic, 1944–1946, and Flag Officer Plymouth, 1946–1950
 * William Rowan (1891–1957), ornithologist
 * Air Vice-Marshal Sir Paul Maltby (1892–1971), Air Officer Commanding Java, 1942, and Black Rod, 1946–1962
 * John Dudley North (1893–1968), aircraft designer
 * Sir Percivale Liesching (1895–1973), Permanent Under-Secretary, Ministry of Food, 1946–1948, Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, 1949–1955, and High Commissioner in South Africa, 1955–1958
 * Sir Karl Parker (1895–1992), art historian and Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, 1945–1962
 * Harold Abrahams (1899–1978), sprinter, long jumper, barrister and civil servant
 * Jack Beresford (1899–1977), oarsman and coach
 * John Desmond Bernal (1901–1971), physicist
 * Rex Alston (1901–1994) was a master at the school, 1924–1941, before becoming a cricket, rugby and athletics commentator for BBC Radio.
 * Vice-Admiral John Hughes-Hallett (1901–1972), naval officer, amphibious warfare expert and politician
 * Sir Bob Dixon (1904–1965), Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, 1943–1948, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 1954–1960, and Ambassador to France, 1960–1965
 * Torin Thatcher (1905–1981), actor
 * Archer John Porter Martin (1910-2002) Nobel prize winner, 1952
 * Charles Dent (1911–1976), physician and biochemist
 * Richard D'Aeth (1912–2008), educationalist and President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge
 * Joseph Godber, Baron Godber of Willington (1914–1980), Minister of Labour, 1963–1964, and Secretary of State for Agriculture, 1972–1974
 * Joe Chamberlin (1919–1978), architect and town planner
 * Sir Bernard Feilden (1919-2008), conservation architect, work included cathedrals, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal
 * Leo Oakley (1925–1981), England rugby player
 * Sir Peter Parker (1924–2002), chairman of British Rail, 1976–1983
 * John Fowles (1926–2005), author
 * Frank Adams (1930–1989), Fielden Professor of Mathematics, University of Manchester, 1964–1970, and Lowndean Professor of Astronomy and Geometry, University of Cambridge, 1970–1989
 * Budge Rogers (born 1933), England rugby player
 * Michael De-la-Noy (1934–2002), author, journalist and gay-rights activist
 * Michael Morris, Baron Naseby (born 1936), politician
 * Anthony Page, Surg-col (born 1937), Doctor and soldier
 * Quentin Skinner (born 1940), Regius Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, 1996–2008
 * Paddy Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon (born 1941), leader of the Liberal Democrats, 1988–1999
 * Sir Gerry Neale (born 1941), politician
 * John Carlisle (born 1942), politician
 * Bob Clay (born 1946), politician
 * Malcolm Harbour (born 1947), politician
 * Shoo Rayner (born 1956), children's book author and illustrator
 * Desmond Swayne (born 1956), Conservative MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Cameron
 * Lucien Jenkins (born 1957), writer and editor
 * Jeff Hilson (born 1966), poet
 * Martin Bayfield (born 1966), England rugby player
 * Caspar von Winterfeldt, (born 1968), investment banker turned film producer. Known for cameos in his films such as Played
 * Al Murray (born 1968), comedian
 * Joel Beckett (born 1973), actor
 * Andy Gomarsall (born 1974), England rugby player
 * David Lloyd Vitty (born 1974), Radio 1 presenter
 * Dan Wheldon (born 1978), racing driver, Indianapolis 500 winner in 2005
 * Will Smith, cricketer
 * David Callam (born 1983), Scotland rugby player
 * Alastair Cook (born 1984), cricketer
 * Steven Elms (born 1987), Rapper 'Silver Daydot'

Military

 * General Sir Walter Braithwaite (1865–1945), Adjutant-General to the Forces, 1927–1931
 * Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell (1874–1947), Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1936–1937
 * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Le Fanu (1913–1970), Director-General, Naval Weapons, 1958–1960, Controller of the Navy, 1961–1965, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, 1965–1968, and First Sea Lord, 1968–1970
 * Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker (1877–1930), Director-General of Civil Aviation, 1922–1930, and victim of R101 disaster
 * Major-General Sir Hubert Huddleston (1880–1950), Commandant, Sudan Defence Force and General Officer Commanding Sudan, 1925–1930, and Governor-General of the Sudan, 1940–1947
 * Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett (1882–1945), Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq, 1932–1935, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Royal Air Force Training Command, 1936–1939, and Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Australian Air Force, 1939–1942
 * General Sir Sidney Kirkman (1895–1982), General Officer Commanding, 50th (Northumbrian) Division, 1942–1944, and XIII Corps, 1944–1945, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1945–1947, and Quartermaster-General to the Forces, 1947–1950
 * Marshal of the RAF Sir Thomas Pike (1906–1983), Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, 1953–1956, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Fighter Command, 1956–1959, Chief of the Air Staff, 1960–1964, and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 1964–1967

Victoria Cross and George Cross Holders
Four Old Bedfordians have won the Victoria Cross and one the George Cross:


 * Victoria Cross
 * First World War
 * Arthur Walderne St. Clair Tisdall VC
 * Major George Campbell Wheeler VC. He later achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
 * Second Lieutenant Montague Shadworth Seymour Moore VC.He later achieved the rank of Major.
 * Second World War
 * Major General Henry Robert Bowreman Foote VC CB DSO
 * George Cross
 * Commander Richard Frank Jolly (at Bedford from 1907 to 1914) - Commander Jolly was posthumously awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal which was later converted into a George Cross.