Bruce Dowding Index card

The student's basic information on entry and exit from the school, including their academic and sporting achievements were recorded on cards during the 1920s and '30s.

Bruce Dowding was a student at Wesley, and returned as a teacher in the Junior classes. He went to France in 1938 to improve his language skills, but on the outbreak of war he signed up. His bravery cost him his life. He was captured, escaped, fought with the French Resistance helping people escape, was betrayed and executed by the Gestapo. A book written about him was published in 2023: 'Secret Agent, Unsung Hero' by his nephew Peter Dowding with Ken Spillman.