I have been asked to write a note on my work in Sanawar. I am very pleased to do so, as during my twenty five years I saw many developments which must have benefited hundreds of boys in many ways. On resigning a mastership in Bishop Cotton School, Simla, I was appointed Headmaster of Sanawar on December 1st., 1902 - the Rev. A.H Hildesley being Principal. In my previous schools there was a qualified master for each class. In Sanawar I found that I had to try to educate 250 boys with the assistance of only three masters - a formidable job! All schools inspected or given grants-in-aid by Government were divided into three Departments :- HIGH (ex VII, roughly corresponding to Matric). MIDDLE (Stds. VII, VI, V). PRIMARY (Stds. IV, Ill, II, I). Promotion from the Primary to the Middle Department and from the Middle to High, depended on passing written examinations conducted by the Education Department. Scholarships were granted on the results of these examinations and the names of successful Sanawar candidates were placed on the School Honour Boards. I found that there was no High Department in Sanawar in 1902, so I determined to have one, as Higher Education was necessary for our boys if they were to compete successfully in civil or military life. I staffed Stds. VII, VI, V, IV with masters and Stds. Ill, II, I were taught successfully by Pupil Teachers. I selected six promising boys from Std. VII for this purpose. They received lessons in teaching and tuition for the High School Examination from me out of school hours and some studied and passed the qualifying examination into the Survey of India Department. These Pupil Teachers, who took their responsibilities very seriously, were rewarded for their extra work by concessions of various kinds. Technical instruction took place during school hours, thus liberating the services of Masters for work in the High Department after it was formed. Military Instructors took Band practice, gymnastics and carpentry. A Telegraph Class was instructed by a Post Office official and Printing and Bookbinding by an Indian Master of the Staff in the old Printing Shop near the Stores. This class was a farce and gave a lot of trouble. I was continually being sent for to read the "Riot Act". The Instructor did not mind boys going to sleep or getting into a corner to read a novel, but he objected to type being thrown about and other forms of rowdyism. The Band, under Mr. Ricketts, was excellent and, on several occasions, the Viceroy's Bandmaster came down to Sanawar to choose boys for his Band. In my early days. our Band attracted the most promising boys and many of these were lusty fellows. I remember one, who played the Bombardon, telling me that when the Band marched up to Church on Sunday mornings, he blew his instrument so forcibly that the weathercock on the Church tower turned round and round.

Between the years 1903-1906, the High Department grew into a fairly large class. In 1903, a radical improvement was made by the Education Department. Pupil teachers and unqualified Assistants were no longer to be employed in Schools and all teachers were to be trained. To implement this order, a Training College for Teachers was opened in Sanawar in the former Government Training Class building, on the site of the present Birdwood School. Many of our boys, after passing the High School Examination, proceeded to the Training College, became qualified teachers and joined the School as Masters. In addition to my School and Pupil Teacher work. Mr. Hildesley asked me to organise games. I asked him to show me the sports gear. He took me to a small room behind the Barracks, where I saw a few broken hockey sticks. When I murmured at the inadequacy of the material, I was then told that the sum of Rs.200/- a year could be spent on sports gear. This was not liberal for 250 boys, so games were restricted. The first thing necessary was a suitable ground and coolies were put on to enlarge the present parade ground, (Barne's Field, ed.) and make it a suitable shape. A corrugated iron pavilion to house the sports gear was provided. I formed sets for the senior boys to play hockey, football and cricket in their seasons. As our ability to play these games improved, we were able to challenge teams from the neighbouring cantonments and had many enjoyable matches. After the Rev. G.D. Barne became Principal, organised games for the whole school became possible.

As the Chapel Organist, it was my duty to select boys for the Choir. There were few volunteers, mostly conscripts. Their work in Chapel was not arduous as the Principal (Mr. Hildesley) and the Organ provided the music with the Choir rendering a modern obligato. If singing in the Choir was not popular, the annual Choir Picnic was. The day was usually spent at Barogh, travelling there by train in the morning and returning in the evening. A good midday dinner in the Refreshment Room was much appreciated - a change from the usual school diet.

"Home Day" for the Christmas holidays was the most popular day in the school year. Before the opening of the Kalka-Simla Railway, the Wards had to make their way to Kalka to entrain, either by pony, tonga, rickshaw or on foot. In the early morning a concourse of horses, tongas and rickshaws were packed at the Kasauli entrance and senior boys in funds made for the ponies (tats) and in the morning exhibitions in horsemanship, both elegant and otherwise, were given to the not so fortunate on the road below my house. After dinner the exodus to Kalka took place. What a happy crowd! Riders and pedestrians proceeded via Kasauli and the tongas along the tonga road. I often enjoyed the walk to Kalka but always rode back. In those days the holidays only lasted three weeks.

In 1912, Mr. Hildesley resigned his post as Principal. There were not many amenities in the Barracks. Life was hard and discipline strict, but this training made the boys manly, fit to tackle any emergency and, as the Americans would put it, "tough guys". The Reverend G.D.Barne was appointed Principal to succeed Mr. Hildesley. Improvements were speedily made in every department of the school, a full teaching staff better qualified and better paid, better conditions in the barracks, improved clothing, properly organised games and money for adequate equipment. As now I had a fully qualified staff, I was able to give more attention to supervision than I had in my early years, but I always reserved to myself the teaching of Scripture in the Upper Classes. I have dwelt mainly in these notes on my early days in Sanawar, not on the latter as these will be better known. The greatest educational development before I left.Sanawar, was the affiliation of the School to London University up to the Intermediate B.Sc. examination. Two graduates in Science were brought out from England and laboratories were equipped in the old Band Room. I only saw the beginning of this experiment, but I am sure wonderful progress will be made in the new School building Birdwood, where I am told all equipment is first class and up to date. I hope all boys at present in the school will take full advantage of these educational opportunities.

I shall never forget my loving and happy service in Sanawar and the hearty co-operation I received from staff and boys alike.

William Gaskell, M.Sc., B.A.
September 1946