Vernon Gillbard attended UCS from 1910 – 1911 and was a member of the London Rifle Brigade. He was reported missing of the 1st day of the Somme in July 1916. Gillbard’s family hoped he was not killed in battle and asked for his name not to be included in the original UCS war memorial.
Over 1,500 Old Gowers served in the First World War and 250 former pupils and 7 staff lost their lives. A total of 315 awards for gallantry, including 111 Military crosses were awarded to Old Gowers. The names of the fallen were inscribed on a memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens (architect of the Cenotaph and the Thiepval Memorial in the Somme) and installed in the Great Hall after the war. This original UCS memorial was destroyed in the fire of 1978. A new memorial was created and combined with the names from the Second World War in 1980.
The Gower 2011
Frognal - May 2012