Moving tribute for DHS Old Boys
Remembrance Day was commemorated at Durban High School with a special assembly to pay tribute to the Old Boys who died in war.
ARMISTICE Day or Remembrance Day is commemorated annually at Durban High School with a special Remembrance assembly to pay tribute to Old Boys who died while in service during the Anglo Boer War, World War 1 and World War 2, the Korean Campaign and the Border Wars.
This year, on Monday, 11 November the school’s grade 11s as well as staff and invited guests wore the familiar emblem- a red poppy – to show their gratitude. The entire ceremony of Armistice Day has been a tradition since the first DHS Remembrance Day was held in 1926, when the first wall memorial was opened.
Headmaster, Leon Erasmus began the ceremony by addressing the guests and naming each man who gave his life in service. He left them with a message before the wreaths laying ceremony got underway, saying, “these brave men who gave their lives will always be remembered by DHS and their legacy will be kept alive year on year, in the hearts, minds and walls of the school.”
To end the ceremony, wreaths were laid at the memorial dome by Lt Col Greg de Ricquebourg (DLI), Lt Col Pat Titlestad (UMR) and LGR Rick Andrie’s (Chairman of SA Legion Durban Branch) which were then carried to the large memorial wall in the DHS courtyard by the 2014 head prefect, MJ Du Plessis, deputy head prefects, Cameron Coleman and Sisanda Ndebele and prefect, David Palframan, to pay tribute to the Old Boys whose names are listed there.
A stalwart old boy of Glenwood Prep (formerly Bulwer Park School) and DHS who is a proud survivor of the Second World War, 91-year-old, Jack Spencer expressed gratitude for the school’s service to commemorate the lost soldiers. “I was very touched by the whole service especially because many of my friends passed on in the war.”
Two near death experiences in his spitfire plane did not deter the former pilot.
“I was a spitfire pilot in WWII and baled out twice from my plane. I recall flying on Christmas day 1943 when I had a leaking gluco tank and the engine overheated and I baled out into the surf. Some SA engineers on the beach just saw a dot disappear into the waves the plane went down that fast. My chute opened in the nick of time just before I hit the water!” he chuckled.
Spencer said they didn’t expect him to be alive but sent out a rescue “duck” (small boat). “The duck sank and we all landed in the water! A second one was sent to get us out. It was freezing and they gave me a stiff shot of brandy, luckily I survived.” Nearly six months later Spencer had another incident. “I came down on the 27 June 1944 just before the Great Escape and was captured by the Germans. All I lost was my flying boot when I baled that time. They were losing the war so were quite good to me, and gave me a pair of Italian boots from a partisan who had been killed.” he added.
