In 1914, 345 old boys from Maitland High School enlisted to serve in World War I.
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Sixty of those men, one in five, never returned.
The names of those brave young soldiers were hand stitched into an Australian flag created by the young women at the-then Maitland Girls High School, in a show of support.
Some of the names have faded over time and the flag has deteriorated, but it will be brought back to its former glory at the capable hands of specialist Duncan Harty at his Morpeth Conservation Studio.
Maitland High School is proud of its history and courageous students and will place the restored flag on permanent display, principal Tim Weston said.
“The flag, in recognition of the war time service of the school’s old boys, was unfurled during a ceremony at St Peter’s Anglican Church, East Maitland, on August 1, 1915,” Mr Weston said.
“The girls did the sewing and the boys did the shooting.
“No other school in Maitland made such a contribution to the war effort.”
Maitland High School captains Daynah Elford and Mark Winter are proud to be leading the school at a time when its history is being recognised and restored.
The Mercury was there to record every detail of the unfurling service and a story was published on August 7, 1915.
Mrs Elizabeth Proctor of West Maitland was given the honour because four of her sons were old boys who had enlisted.
At that time, her son Charles had been killed in action.
Another son was also killed during his service.
The Mercury wrote: “Rev T E Pierce (Mercury editor at the time) said the old boys of Maitland High School had put up a splendid record in all departments of life and it had a roll of honour in connection with World War I.
“The present pupils of the school should be filled with commendable pride to know that some of their school mates had taken their part in that memorable charge.”
The list of old boys who enlisted included:
Lt JM Arnott, Major R Scobie, Lt Frank Boland, Major Chas A Lee, Sgt William A Thompson, Arthur Lanagan, Capt John Alcorn, James Byrne, Lt Basil B Capper, Cliff Geddes, John Stuart Haydon, Corp Frank Mattocks, Lt Reg B Carr, Lance-Corporal George Killworth, Airlie Warden, James O’Brien, Roy D Mulvey, Richard Proctor, George Gordon Haydon, Corporal Norman Rushforth, Rupert Cradick, Major Richard G Waddy, Sgt HM Markwell, Colin Warden, Capt Charles K Parkinson, Lt Douglas Herbert, Reg Humble, Sgt Guy Haydon, Lt Sidney E Pierce, Lt David Heugh, Harry Fitz-Patrick, Lt H Leslie Nash, Capt Robert Alcorn, Frank Fry, Maurice Sussman, Charles H Proctor, Ronald B Hinder, William G Foster, Eric Mulvey, Alfred B Sheldon, George S Lamble, Frederick Morton, Bruce Doyle, Capt Alfred Alcorn, Lt Alan Pearse, Alfred Roy Taylor, Vernon Taylor, James Proctor, Lt Noel Stretch, Sidney S Borwn, George Williams, Reginald Solling, Norman Macpherson, Roy T McCurley, Alan Fitz-Patrick, William George Pullen, Wilfird Nickson, Lance Corporal John Godfrey, Sgt Jack Walker, Colin Bleazard, Robert Smythe, Harold Cunningham, Chalres Reginald Morley, Ralph Norman, Leslie Clift Foster, Charles J Vyner, John Power, Roy O Keene, Pierce P Morrissey, Harry Trenerry, William L Crane, Malcolm Crane, Edward Cole, Frederick T PIerce, Col-Sgt James Wyllie, Archie Wilson, James F Somerville, Sgt harold G Kerr, Corporal Robert A Kerr, Lt Edward R Sparke, Sidney Fry, Corp Jack Markwell, Eric Dark, Sgt Major Malcolm Cotton, Alex J Mackie, Walter W Mackie, Richard Lewis, Bladnford Heugh, James White, Lt Thomas Cadell, Lt Warwick Anderson, William Keene, Herbert T Harris, Col-Sgt John Ridley, Lt H K Meek, Howard Fletcher and Maitland High School teachers WJ Mulholland, FD Harrison and AA Brown.
