Stratford School Academy restores War Memorial ready for Remembrance Day
Whole School
110 years after the outbreak of World War One, and in time for Remembrance Day, Stratford School Academy has restored a previously damaged War Memorial. The War Memorial was commissioned in 1920 to remember sixty students of West Ham Municipal Secondary School who died in the armed forces during World War One.
When war broke out in July 1918 over a million men volunteered to join the British army. However, due to high death and injury rates from trench warfare, the Military Service Act of 1916 enlisted most men aged 18 to 41 into the British armed forces. This included young men from local colleges and sixth forms and recent-school leavers.
The words “We died for England – We bid you live for her” introduce the names of those who died, and are explained in words the school magazine of 1920 (which is also now on display) – “All can live for England if they remember that the nation is but the sum of the individuals who compose it, and that if each one of us practices love and tolerance to his neighbour, truth and honesty in word and deed, and diligence and earnestness in his [or her] life-work, then he [or she] will be living for England and maintaining at a high level her old traditions of liberty, justice, honesty and diligence”.
The World War One Memorial was put into storage when Stratford School Academy was rebuilt between 2012 and 2014, during which time it suffered water damage. 12 years later, Head Teacher, Craig Hewitt decided it needed to be restored and put back on public display:
“Our students know that they are part of much more than a new, modern, building full of people. They are part of a community with a rich history that has contributed to our local area since the creation of West Ham Municipal Central Secondary School in 1906. Putting this history on display, alongside working with alumni and outside speakers shows our students the contributions and sacrifices their predecessors made, thus adding to their understanding and appreciation of the past.”
The school is currently working on a creating an exhibition of the school’s history and would like to expand its alumni network. This includes the histories of West Ham Municipal Central Secondary School (1906-1945), Stratford Grammar School (1945-1972), Stratford School (1972-2011), and Stratford School Academy (2011-Present). 
