Every month, our Archivist, Librarian and Clerk to the Governors, George receives new donations to the archives, as well as requests for research into our ODs. In this update, George shares what has been added to the archives throughout May, along with some of the fascinating conversations he's had with families and researchers exploring the history of past pupils.

"The Durham School archives are a constantly expanding and evolving resource, and we are pleased to say that every month we are contacted by researchers to uncover more information about the lives of the many students who attended the School. 

The Hugh Walpole Society has just published Vol. 6 No. 1 of The Hugh Walpole Review, which contains an excellent article by Chairman Nicholas Redman on 'Hugh Walpole at Durham School'. The article is impeccably written and researched, offering a deeper insight into one of our finest literary alumni. Walpole's schooldays were sadly unhappy, with his solitary, creative nature being at odds with the sports-focused 'Muscular Christianity' of Durham School, but Redman's article is able to get inside Walpole's head through the use of several rare autobiographical works that Walpole wrote. Those interested in the author, or curious about what life was like in turn-of-the century Durham, would very much benefit from perusing a copy of the latest Review. The Hugh Walpole Society is also set to visit the school this month, to gain further insight into Hugh Walpole's life from 1898 to 1903. 

We have been surprised to learn of an OD who died during the Second World War who we had not been previously aware of. An individual looking into his family tree contacted the school about Renny Christian Mure FitzHugh (1911-1944), who died during the Battle of Villers-Bocage on the 13th June 1944. FitzHugh only attended Durham School from September to December 1926, and from that point the school lost contact with him, as further details of his career do not appear in any of the school registers. It is still surprising to find further alumni who died during World War II, even eighty years on.

We were also recently contacted by Anne Young, who was researching two members of her family tree. Frederick and Henry Champion de Crespigny were brothers who entered the school in 1896. While Frederick went into the Royal Navy a Commander, Henry joined the Army to become captain of the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force). He was also something of an explorer; an account of his 1911 ascent of Kamet, a particularly immense mountain in India that had not hitherto been climbed, was recently found. Anne Young's excellent research on the subject is collated in her family history blog at H is for Henry | Anne's Family History".