Westward Ho! tribute to Kipling

A NEW memorial plaque to Rudyard Kipling has been erected by the Westward Ho! History Group in the centre of what is now Kipling Terrace. The building was once the United Services College, where Kipling went to school. A previous plaque was erected there

A NEW memorial plaque to Rudyard Kipling has been erected by the Westward Ho! History Group in the centre of what is now Kipling Terrace.

The building was once the United Services College, where Kipling went to school.

A previous plaque was erected there in 1953 and Kipling's daughter attended the ceremony. But that had become overgrown and few people knew it was there.

The new plaque was made and erected with the help of a grant from Northam Town Council and among those attending its unveiling were the Mayor of Northam and Lorraine Bowsher, granddaughter of Cormell Price, the famous first headmaster of the former college.

It was Ms Bowsher who first planted the seed of the idea when she turned up unexpectedly on one of the history walks through the village put on by the history group.

The history group also left two flowering planters under the plaque in memory of all the old pupils.

The majority were from military families, many serving in India - and an amazing five of them went on to win the Victoria Cross!

But group members were saddened to see that by the next day the planters had disappeared.