In this year when nothing has been able to be celebrated as might have been planned, Bromsgrove School had hoped to come together with the town of Llanwrtyd Wells to celebrate their combined history, 80 years on. At the start of the Second World War the Senior School was evacuated to this small welsh town and on September 20th 1940, Bromsgrove Junior School opened its doors with just 16 pupils. From these small foundations the Junior School flourished and it now has over 500 pupils. Sadly the celebrations that were planned have had to be postponed, but some of the School’s intrepid staff decided to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of Bromsgrove Prep School in their own way.
Organised by Gareth Jones, the Prep School’s Head of Boys PE, 14 cyclists, all members of school staff, took on the challenge of riding from Llanwrtyd Wells to Bromsgrove, with four riders even completing a round trip of 180 miles.
Gareth Jones commented: “Sunday 27th September is a day that will stay long in the memory for so many reasons. To cycle from where we were based in Llanwrtyd Wells back to Bromsgrove was a symbolic thing to do and I first thought about the idea during lockdown as it was reported that 1.3 million people bought bikes and it also coincided with the founding of the Prep School in Wales, my home country.
“Four staff managed to cycle both ways, a staggering 180 miles, which is quite a feat but the majority of the fourteen riders rode on a glorious sunny day from Llanwrtyd to Bromsgrove. Cycling through the countryside either side of the border was beautiful and this certainly helped to ensure that the day ran smoothly. There were a couple of stops on route, firstly at the picturesque town of Hay on Way on the border and secondly at Bishop’s Froome which preceded the highest and longest climb of the day. Once we arrived back at Worcester we knew that we were within touching distance of home….A great day was had by all cyclists and staff who drove the minibus as back up vehicles and carry the bikes over to Wales.”
More detail of the School’s evacuation to Wales follows:
81 years ago Bromsgrove School moved to Llanwrtyd Wells after the School buildings were requisitioned by the Ministry of War on 7th September 1939. The Headmaster David Walters had received notification this was a possibility in April of 1939 and had made an arrangement with a hotel owner in Llanwrtyd Wells to provide a home for the School should the necessity arise.
From 9th September 1939, sixty Pickford Vans loaded with pianos, goal posts, bedding and blackboards transferred the School to Wales. By 30th September, after the “Herculean labours” of School staff the whole School, 240 boys (only 35 less than were on the register) was in its temporary home. Hotels became dormitories and the Abernant Lake Hotel at Llanwrtyd Wells became Bromsgrove School’s main home for four years during World War Two.
As the War intensified and the threat of invasion grew, parents of younger boys asked for their sons to be taken under Bromsgrove School care. Bombing raids on major towns and cities across the country led Headmaster Walters to believe that a Prep School was needed to accommodate the growing need.
On September 20th 1940, Bromsgrove Junior School opened its doors with just 16 pupils, housed at Llanwrtyd Hall, Station Road. The sight of a ‘crocodile’ of 16 boys, aged 6 to 12 walking two by two through Llanwrtyd Wells earned them the nickname of ‘The Zoo’, a name that stuck and was adopted fondly by the Old Bromsgrovians who were the original boys of the Prep School.