A CENTURY of school memories has been collected into a special book. We Were There…Memories of Hitchin Boys Grammar School and Hitchin Boys School is a record of the last 100 years at the school to coincide with the centenary of its old boys association

A CENTURY of school memories has been collected into a special book.

We Were There...Memories of Hitchin Boys Grammar School and Hitchin Boys School is a record of the last 100 years at the school to coincide with the centenary of its old boys' association.

Five years in the making, it is a collection of reminiscences from former pupils and masters as well as source material from the school.

These include accounts of the school population doubling during the Second World War when pupils from Eastbourne Grammar were evacuated to Hitchin, of teachers who inspired (and terrified) and upheavals in the education system.

"We wanted to come up with something lasting rather than just a reunion," editor Stuart Halsey said. "We tried to get people to say what they really felt about their particular time there.

"It's interesting from the point of view of how things have changed over the years and there are some interesting people and personalities.

"We had boxes full of papers, old scribblings and old school minutes - it's been a fascinating trawl and brought back a lot of memories."

The book will be available from April 22 on a print run of 300 copies, but be quick as 115 have already been sold. To order a copy, call the joint editor David Stancombe on 01366 328153.