Bangor Grammarians are delighted to announce that no fewer than three seemingly lost swimming trophies have now been restored to the BGS Archives thanks to the online appeal that appeared in these notes around a month ago.
The accompanying photographs show former pupil Steven McQuillan – whose attention was drawn by a friend to the appeal, prompting him to make contact with Grammarian magazine editor Terence Bowman – and a close-up of the Sir Walter Smiles Cup, which was first awarded back in 1950.
Steven and his brothers Mark and Peter, all top swimmers, brought considerable honour to the school during the 1990s and early years of the 21st Century. The trio of recovered trophies – the Sir Walter Smiles Cup (for the top individual swimmer at the annual BGS Gala), the Intermediate Victor Ludorum Cup (presented by Mrs M. Lampe in 1973) and the Open Individual Medley Cup (presented by Hugo Simpson in 1980) – were won by one or other of the brothers in the late 1990s. Even they can’t be sure which and there are no reports in The Gryphon or The County Down Spectator to help confirm the winners’ identity.
The School Gala, which had moved from Pickie Pool to the Indoor Leisure Centre at Castle Park in the early 1970s, was discontinued before the turn of the Millennium and the school did not seek the return of the trophies, which joined a small mountain of other awards gained at that time by the sporting McQuillan brothers.
Two of the three trophies were not, in fact, among those listed with photographs in the previous post. Interestingly, both the Lampe Cup and the Simpson Cup were presented to the school by a parent of a previous Sir Walter Smiles Cup winner (Paul Lampe and Conrad Simpson).
Given the success of the appeal and the likelihood that other cup winners from that period might not have been aware of it, Bangor Grammarians are hoping more past pupils might still come forward. Six trophies in all, five cups and the Inter-House Shield, are still outstanding. The pictures can be seen in the earlier post. Your help in bringing about their return will be greatly appreciated.
Don’t hesitate to contact Terence Bowman via terencehbowman@gmail.com or call him on 0795 1843604.
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