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On Monday, the 20th September 1909, King's School (as it then was) "opened its doors to the public and in the presence of its first 10 scholars the Director gave an opening address. Next day His Excellency Sir Walter Egerton formally visited the School."1

The School building which was errected and furnished at a cost of £10,001 consisted of "a hall to accomodate 300 students, 8 lecture rooms and a chemical laboratory, and an office."

History has it that amongst the first students were J. C. Vaughan, I. L. Oluwole, Frank Macaulay, Herbert Mills (from the Gold Coast), 0. A. Omololu (Oluwole as he then was, alias "Lojiji") and Moses King. I. L. Oluwole was the first senior Prefect of the School.

Among the 1910 set were Solomon A. Williams and his elder brother, Moses Williams, Ben Oluwole, Felix 0. Lucas. Daniel Ade Onojobi. Ernest Ikoli, Gabriel Oni, J. A. Ojo, E. J. Newland, Daniel Esin^Jameson Pearce, S. Ayo Williams, Alvan Williams, Percy Holms, Eyo Nkune. Johnny Marsh. J. Adebayo (later Omololu and D. Jackson Davies).

Admission to the College was definitely not by entrance examination; this came in several years later. There was no school uniform or school badge; it was enough for students in those early days simply to be well dressed.

The sporting life centred on cricket and football, and except for C.M.S. Grammar School in cricket, the opposing teams were British, mostly from the Secretariat or the Intelligence Service.2

The object, the philosophy, of King's School was "to provide for the youth of the Colony a higher general education than that supplied by the existing schools, to prepare them for the Matriculation Examination of the University of London, and to give a useful course of study to those who intend to qualify for professional life or to enter Government or mercantile service.

According to the original scheme, the College comprises three(3) departments, namely, a sub-secondary, a secondary, and a post secondary. Students whose attainments on admission are below the standard of the Cambridge Preliminary Local Examination are placed in the sub-secondary department; those in the secondary department work up to the standard of either the Cambridge Senior Local or the London

University Matriculation Examination. The fees range from £6 to £12 per annum from the lowest to the highest forms of these departments. It has not yet been possible to inaugurate the post-secondary department which was originally intended to consist of students taking special courses of study in the theory and practice of teaching, engineering, science, commercial subjects etc.

"Evening classes are held in the College for teachers preparing for the Certificate Examination under the new Education Code, and young men and women who desire to improve their general education for clerks requiring instruction in book-keeping and shorthand, and for apprentices in the engineering workshops of the Marine and Public Works Department of the Government.

"The Staff of the College consists of 3 Europeans, namely a Principal who gives instruction in the English Language and Literature and in Latin, a Mathematical and Science Master,3 and a General Master,4 together with two (African) assistant teachers. Some of the other members of the Education Department are also engaged as lecturers of the evening classes.

*1' Founders' Day Report. The Mermaid' No. 20 of Dec., 1923.

*2 Interview on 3rd Jan. 1985 with Mr. Solomon Williams, (1910 — 1914) born 3rd October 1894. Sole Surviving student of the 1910 set- Mr. Williams played cricket and football for the College.

*3 Mr. de Gaye
"Mr.D.L.Kerr