Diocesan Boys' School Hong Kong: Encyclopedia II - Diocesan Boys' School Hong Kong - History

Diocesan Boys' School Hong Kong - History

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DBS has a long history and a rich tradition. The history of DBS dates back to March 15, 1860, when the Honorary Lady Robinson, a patroness, sat together with eight others and decided to establish a girls' school known as the "Diocesan Native Female Training School".

The objective of this institute, according to the constitution was: "to introduce the blessing of religious teaching among a somewhat superior class of native females". The intended students of this school were foreign girls and the aim was to provide them with a somewhat Victorian education which was unavailable in Hong Kong at that time.

After months of sweat and effort, a total sum of $1420.24 of donations was collected and a subscription of $155.00 was established from the nine members.

Immediately following, Mrs. R. Eaton was elected as the Superintendent of the institution with a salary of $69 per month. She then employed a Chinese teacher with a monthly payment of $10. That sum was considered as the best salary among the Hong Kong educationists in that era.

With the donations, the Committee bought a school in Bonham Road. It was a small concrete house built on a paddi field. It accommodated teaching, boarding and all the activities. At the same time, another lump-sum was collected to renovate this humble house "to look like a school".

It was not until 6:00 p.m., 14th July, 1863 that a formal opening ceremony of the school was held. During the same occasion, Eaton ordered that English language be used in the school in order to provide an English school environment.

School fees at that time was $10 per month and the total enrollment was less than twenty. As a result, only the richest people in the colony could afford to receive this education. The government also granted a $2 per month to subsidy the students whose fathers were soldiers with two children.

The school soon got into financial trouble and was on the verge of closing down. In 1867, the problem was taken on by Bishop Alford and Canon Beach who took charge of the management of the school. Under their management, the school first accepted boys and had some of its practices altered. The school objective was subsequently revised: To receive children of both sexes, be they European, Chinese or half-cast, to board, and learn with a view to gain industrial life and Christian Faith according to the Church of England. The school was the only English school at that time.

The baton of patronage was passed onto Governor MacDonnell, while Sir R.Walker, the founder of John D. Hutchison & Co Ltd., became the secretary of the Committee.

The school finally became firmly established in July 1869 and had its name changed to 'Diocesan Home and Orphanage' (DHO). The enrollment consisted of 23 boys and girls. They were taught by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur, a Chinese teacher and an elder who studied in the Home.

The school was then placed in the Grant-in Aid Scheme by the Education Department in 1877, a scheme in which the government issued grants based on the academic performance of the school. Students obtained an impressive result of 26 passes out of 30, which was high above the norm and therefore a cash prize of $169.80 was awarded to the school.

In 1877, Mr. Arthur announced his retirement due to poor health. He was still residing in the D.H.O., when Mr. G. Piercy was appointed as the headmaster under the condition that he should get married in six months. He succeeded in finding a mate in six days and the condition was fulfilled in March 1878.

When Mrs. Piercy took up the post of Matron of the school, it was decided that no more girls were to be admitted. The girls were therefore put into a separate institution, the present Diocesan Girls' School.

Mr. Piercy decided not to offer reduced fees to students because he believed that Englishmen were rich enough to afford the school fees in full.

Mr. Piercy was able to maintain the school in good and clean condition during his leadership. An epidemic broke out in Hong Kong in 1886, but fortunately no deaths were reported in D.H.O. Nevertheless, the Bishop visited the school later on and was rather disappointed with the old and worn-out school building. He then wrote to the Education Department demanding a renovation to the school premises, writing... either this proposal is accepted or else a proposal to sell the present building should be made.

When Mr. G. Piercy was headmaster, he put much effort on the academic side of the school. As a result, the school gained a good reputation in the Cambridge and Oxford Local Examination scholarships. Thus, he also contributed a lot to the treasury of the school. In 1891, the school changed its name to 'Diocesan School and Orphanage' (DSO). The school committee agreed on the erection of a new wing of the school.

The school then had one hall, two large classrooms, one covered playground, a large dormitory, a library and a sickroom (it was called a 'hospital' by the students).

The school first participated in out-of-school activities in 1894. It was registered as a participant of the Belilos Medals, a movement which later was called the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Apart from that, the school remained rather inert because Hong Kong was suffering from a plague of that time.

Music at the school can be traced back to 1896 when its first music organization came into existence as a Drum Fife Band.

The beginning of the last century marked a tremendous increase in Chinese students in the enrolment. In 1870, all students were foreigners while in 1902, 85% were Chinese. With the tremendous increase in the number of student, space became insufficient, and a new wing was therefore brought into consideration. However, Piercy suggested to build a larger school. To satisfy the demands, a kitchen was installed in 1900, and Mrs. Piercy was also finally freed from being the chef of the school.

Sports were popular at that time. Inter-school competitions were organized with Queen's College, St. Joseph's College, and St. Stephen's College in football, athletics, tennis, table tennis, hygiene, and rowing / yachting. The school had always been good in football and was the holder of the Junior League Cup. In 1903, the school captured its first sports prize: the Championship of the Victoria Regatta.

Mr. H. Skyes came to DSO in 1911 and acted as the House Master. Being a stern and strict teacher, he was largely responsible for the excellent Oxford Local examination results obtained by the students in the early part of the century. It was also through his discussion with Mr. Piercy that a science laboratory was built. With the laboratory being built in the playing field, the students had to go to West Point Park for sports and during break.

The 1903 Annual Report stated that DSO was the most successful school in the Hong Kong at that time. This was attested to by the outstanding achievements gained by the scholars in various diversified fields.

The name Diocesan Boys' School was first used by the School Committee in 1913 when no more girls studied in the school.

War broke out in China in 1938, and at once, DBS showed its support towards the Nationalist Party. This was also the year when Mr. G. A. Goodban came to DBS and acted as the headmaster. Goodban provided support in many different ways. He hoisted three flags on the Northern wing of the building; the Union Jack, the D.B.S. flag and the flag of Guomindang. These flags were also placed inside the Hall. Moreover, a Shoe-shining Club was organized to raise funds for the Guomindang. Boys went to schools around Hong Kong, polishing shoes for both teachers and students. They charged them $0.10 each time. As a result, $277.06 was raised.

Anti-Japanese sentiment started in the following years. In 1939, it even led to a school strike when a Japanese student was appointed as Head Prefect.

The school was occupied by the Japanese in the year 1941. Most of the personnel (including Mr. Goodban and the staff) at school were jailed and made to dig an underground chamber to store the ammunition of the Japanese. The building itself was transformed into a military hospital (Kempi Tai to serve the Japanese soldiers). It was also rumoured that the school also served as an execution site for Hong Kong captives.

When the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, the school was still under the control of Kempi Tai. It was not until November that all the Japanese soldiers were captured. Rumours were heard every day about apparitions of the innocent dead.

On 21st March, 1946, Mr. J.L. Youngsaye, together with 4 boys, took over the school which had been vacated, after it was inspected by the army commander. The next day, Bishop Hall inspected the school and asked Mr. Youngsaye to act as the Headmaster. However, he declined the offer because he had taken up the offer of Mathematics teaching from DGS. Then, Mr. O. V. Cheung took up the post temporarily. Boy scouts were instructed to act as night guards as it was discovered that many looters came to the school to steal the ammunition left there by the Japanese. Meanwhile, advertisements were published in South China Morning Post and Wah Kiu Yat Po for recruitment and 245 students were admitted.

The new academic year commenced on 11th September with Mr. Monks, the acting Headmaster, addressing the school in the same DBS tradition as before. However, everything was still in a mess until Mr. Goodban arrived from England on 19th November. He immediately started the restorations as he resumed his headmastership. Repairs started during the Christmas holidays. Also, benches were made in the Hall so that every student was given a seat during Assembly. Previously only the senior boys had seats. On 30th March, the remains of the Japanese corpses on the west side of the field were exhumed and removed by the Sanitary Department. In the same year, summer holidays were introduced.

The tuckshop was opened in 1948 while the chapel was moved from the central east wing on the first floor to the present Form 3 corridor. The new House system, named after the former Headmasters, was introduced in 1949 together with the Piercy Challenge Shield. The school yearbook "Steps" was also published in the same year.

In the 1950s, great construction plans including a gymnasium, a Carnegie Hall (the present Art Room) and a science wing were proposed.

In 1953, Mr. Goodban announced his resignation while Mr. George She was appointed as the next Headmaster, with Mr. B. Randall being the acting headmaster during the transition. In the academic rink, it was proposed to drop the primary classes because it was discovered that there was not enough space. Finally it was decided that a completely new Diocesan Preparatory School was to be built. Yet, it was not until 1969 that the resolution was affirmed.

Extra-curricular activities were proposed during this period and the school captured the Senior Choir and the School Orchestra trophies. The idea of starting the School Fete came up in 1956.

The school became a major force in athletics when Mr. Lowcock was appointed as the Headmaster in 1961. With his previous experience in D.B.S., he structured the administration to improve efficiency and more teachers were being appointed to posts with designated responsibilities.

The year leading to the centenary year was a period of recuperation. Typhoon Wanda struck Hong Kong in 1963 and did considerate damage to the school. Later on, a drought followed. Moreover, all of the above took place while the two New Wings, the barbecue pits, the Swimming Pool were being constructed.

The School Centenary was officiated on 27th January 1969 and a celebration was held together with the introduction of a new blazer badge, which was intended to cut down costs. A Tea-Party was held in which old boys, parents and past staff members were invited to witness the release of one hundred pigeons and the illumination of a 5 x 40 feet neon sign saying 'DBS-100' on top the main building. In 1973, the April Strike took place throughout Hong Kong, including DBS.

In 1983, Mr. Lowcock announced his resignation due to his poor health. Mr. J. Lai. became his successor. Under his efforts, orators, scholars, athletes and musicians of the school achieved outstanding results in various competitions. Many trophies were brought back to the school as a result.

During his headmastership, renovation and modernization such as the building of the language laboratory, demonstration room, the rewiring of the school, the installation of gas pipes, intercom system and new firm alarm system, the repainting of the school walls, the computerization of the school, and the setup of the computer rooms were performed throughout the school.

Mr. J. Lai retired in August 2000. Mr. Terence Chang, an old boy, gave up his headmastership at another school, the Jockey Club Ti-I College, to take over the reins at the start of the new term in September.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki