Glenwood High School (Durban)

In 1915 South Africa sent one brigade of Infantry to support the Allied war effort on the Western Front. The 1st South African Infantry Brigade comprised four battalions with the 2nd Battalion being known as the Natal & OFS Battalion, containing many men from Durban and Pietermaritzburg.[2] In 1915, there were only 120 boys at the school,[3] of which (from the Class of 1914 and earlier) twenty five ex-Glenwood pupils lost their lives as part of this Battalion during World War I[4] Of those killed, four were killed during the Battle of Delville Wood, in The Somme region of France. (Refer External Links section below for World War I Roll of Honour).

Glenwood High School crest in Delville Wood Memorial commemorating the death of Glenwood old boys in the 1916 Battle of Delville Wood (2009)

In 1939, at the start of World War II there were 490[3] pupils in the school and during the six years of war, 457 Old Boys served in East Africa, the Western Desert and Italy. Of these, 109 were in the South African or Royal Airforce.[3] Out of the 457 who served, 120 old-boys lost their lives during this war. There is a very poignant picture of the school's 1st Rugby Team of 1935 where at least 15 of the 18 boys in the photograph volunteered for service in the war and six of those in the photograph were killed. These included Clement (Neville) McGarr, who was one of the prisoners of war to escape from Stalag Luft III as part of the "Great Escape".[4][5]

The following eulogy was added to the Glenwood Roll of Honour in December 1945:

The war has come very close to this school, as indeed, it has come to almost every part of the world. The tragedy is apparent to us when we look at the long list of those Old Boys of Glenwood who gave their lives for the cause which finally triumphed after 6 dark years. When we think of those names in terms of the people they represent, that each name means a gap in the life of a home, the loss of a father or a son – it is then we realize that the tragedy of war is not represented by a picture of a bomb-shattered building. A home to which a son or husband has not returned from battle is a true picture of war's tragedy. If the full significance of the sacrifices in human life were to impress itself upon all men and women, and especially upon the leaders of the nations, perhaps we could look forward to a world of peace.

There is a very real link between this school and every name on the Roll of Honour. All of them were boys here. They played cricket and rugby, swotted for examinations and cheered at swimming galas.

We honour the memory of all these gallant men.
CWGC Website