The adventures of the chapel bell at St John’s College The chapel bell, still in use at St John’s College, was formed from two cracked and disused church bells sent to England to be reforged into one. One of these was the original bell from when the College was established… Read More »The Chapel Bell at St John’s College
St John’s Theological College was closed for the War With the outbreak of World War One in 1914, the student population at St John’s College steadily declined with students leaving overseas to serve in the war. From this College photograph from 1915; Walter Averill, Charles Smith, Harry Reynolds and Arthur… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs: Closure of the College
St John’s Collegiate School art lessons taught by Wilhelm Dittmer While working on a research request we came across this advertisement for drawing, painting, and sketching lessons at St John’s College to be taught by Wilhelm Dittmer. This piece of ephemera is held in our ‘St John’s School and King’s… Read More »“Entirely from Nature”: Art Lessons at St John’s Collegiate School
Honey bees are our friends, and William Cotton knew it. Much of the human food supply relies on honey bee pollinating services. Aotearoa/New Zealand has 28 native bee species, but none of these have the crop pollinating abilities of honey bees, so essential to our present diet. Records show… Read More »William Cotton, the Bee Master of St John’s College
Springbok Tour Cross In 2010 we wrote about the Springbok Tour cross; a simple wooden cross carried by St John’s College students during the 1981 Springbok Tour protests that was rediscovered here at the College amongst some discarded timber. Students from the College traveled from Auckland to the test match… Read More »1981 Springbok Tour Cross on display at Te Papa
Remembering Neale Fitzgerald Eager of St John’s College Born: 6th November 1887. Died: 1920 in Suez, Egypt. Died of exposure, aged 32. Buried: Unknown. Originally, very little was known about Neale (spelt ‘Neil’ on the memorial in the college chapel) Fitzgerald Eager, even being noted as ‘missing’ by the St.… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs from St John’s College: Neale Fitzgerald Eager
Remembering Paul Graham Clark of St John’s College Born: 9th February 1897 in Leicester, England. Died: 26th August 1918 in Bapaume, France. Killed in action, aged 21. Buried: Archiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas-de-Calais, France. Paul Graham Clark was an Auckland University College studying medicine who was also enrolled at St… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs from St John’s College: Paul Graham Clark
Remembering James Dalton Dinneen of St John’s College Born: 16th July 1883 in Cambridge, Waikato. Died: 1st October 1916. Died of wounds, aged 32. Buried: Heilly Station, Mericourt-l’Abbe, Somme. James Dalton Dinneen was enrolled as a student at St. John’s College between 1902 and 1904 and gained a B.A. at… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs from St John’s College: James Dalton Dinneen
Remembering Edward Oliver Ruddock of St John’s College Born: Unknown Died: 11th May 1915 in Egypt. Died of disease, aged 23. Buried: Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Edward Oliver Ruddock was the son of Archdeacon David Ruddock of Hawke’s Bay. He studied at St John’s College… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs from St John’s College: Edward Oliver Ruddock
Remembering Eric Hardwick Tayler Born: Unknown date in Auckland, New Zealand. Died: 9th Febuary 1915 Hazebrouck, France. Died of sickness, aged 22. Buried: Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery, Nord, France. Eric Hardwick Tayler was born in Auckland and attended Auckland Grammar School from 1907. He was enrolled as a student at St.… Read More »Remembering the ANZACs from St John’s College: Eric Hardwick Tayler
