The Bedford School community, joined by invited guests and families, gathered on Wednesday 18 March 2026 to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The visit centred on the Annual General Inspection of the Combined Cadet Force contingents from Bedford School, Bedford Girls’ School, Bedford Modern School and Bedford Greenacre Independent School.
Following the inspection, Her Royal Highness made her way to the Memorial Hall to unveil a newly carved Memorial Board honouring 21 Old Bedfordians who died during the First World War. These names were uncovered following more than two decades of research by Gina Worboys, whose work has been made possible by the digitisation of military records and advances in online archival tools.
The new board now stands alongside the existing memorials that bear the names of 756 Old Bedfordians lost across both World Wars. Its unveiling is particularly timely as the Memorial Hall itself marks its centenary year.
A frequently asked question is why Gina has been able to identify these new names. In recent years, the digitisation of war records and improvements to online research applications such as Ancestry.com have enabled us to identify them.
Relatives of the newly honoured OBs attended the ceremony, bringing an important personal connection to the occasion. Their presence reflected the Club’s commitment to ensuring that every life lost continues to be recognised with dignity and respect.
It was a pleasure to meet the relatives who attended, some of whom had travelled a great distance to be at the school for this unique occasion. The room was full of conversation and stories being shared between new and old acquaintances.
For many, it was their first visit to the school, and they were honoured to be invited to be part of the day. One relative said:
“It’s surreal to think that over 100 years ago our relatives were stood out there on the same patch of grass not knowing what horrors lay ahead of them”
Another said:
“It’s clear so much hard work has gone into not only finding the names of the Old Bedfordians who have been honoured today, but to go the extra mile and trace living relatives so that we could be here today. It’s such an honour to be here at Bedford School and we are extremely impressed with everything we have seen today.”
After the unveiling of the new Memorial Board, relatives were invited to have lunch in the Great Hall, followed by tours of the school.
Reflecting on the moment, Gina said:
“It has been a fantastic day. After working on this project for several years, it was wonderful to meet the families of the Old Bedfordians we are commemorating – some of whom I have been in contact with for a long time. Seeing the new board carved so beautifully, and so in keeping with the original memorials, has been incredibly rewarding.”
Hugh Maltby, Director of the OB Club, commented:
“Today was about commemorating those Old Bedfordians who died in service to their country, and showing their families – one hundred and eight years after the guns fell silent – that we continue to recognise their ultimate sacrifice. It was a privilege to welcome them into the Memorial Hall, which remains such a poignant reminder of all they gave.”
Guests received a commemorative booklet detailing the history of the Memorial Hall and the OBs named on the new board.
You can read it in the link below.
Later in the year, as part of the Remembrance Sunday events, we will be commemorating the opening of the Memorial Hall, which took place in 1926, when His Royal Highness Prince Henry, the future Duke of Gloucester, opened the building in front of a large crowd drawn from the school and the Old Bedfordians community.
