Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School (General)
by HarryBrook 
, Friday, November 16, 2012, 19:47 (4385 days ago)
When Alderman Richard Ernest Westaway, O.B.E., J.P., of Belle Vue Road, Cinderford died on 22 September 1950 he directed in his will that "a silver medal should be provided for the most meritorious scholar at Drybrook School as long as the present school is open and only during the life of my son Edward Victor Westaway." The medal was presented annually to the most meritorious pupil leaving at the end of the school year at age 11.
Edward Victor Westaway died in Cheltenham in 1971 Q2. Therefore it would appear to follow that the medal was presented from 1951 to 1970 inclusive.
I have sufficient Westaway family history but wish to establish a roll of the winners of the Westaway Medal for Merit. I am aware of the 1956 and 1957 winners.
There are no catalogued records for Drybrook Primary School, at Gloucestershire Archives, for the relevant years; and there are no reports of a school prize giving in the Dean Forest Mercury for the early 1950's.
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
Hello
My name is Heather Harvey and I received the Westaway medal in 1961.
My name then was Heather Marfell
Regards
Heather
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
by HarryBrook , Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 12:28 (4381 days ago) @ unknown
Heather thanks. I was the winner in 1957 - Eric Nicholls. I also know the 1956 winner - so only about another 16 or 17 to find!
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
by Lefram , Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 14:25 (4381 days ago) @ HarryBrook
Julie Wilkes won it in 1959
Patricia Marfell won it in 1958
Westaway Award Prizes were also given and I have a book presented to me in 1959 which states, in Mr Yeatman, the headmaster, handwriting "A Westaway Award prize presented to Susan Marfell at Drybrook School July 1959". About six prizes were given each year but it is believed the funds for these came from the school coffers.
It is also believed that the Westaway Medal winners were listed in the School logbooks which are probably now in the Gloucestershire Archives.
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
by HarryBrook , Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 15:57 (4381 days ago) @ Lefram
Susan,thanks for that information. That's 5 now - getting there! I have checked the Gloucestershire Archives online catalogue and there appear to be no Drybrook School records lodged there for the years I am interested in. I did ask the school but they had not even heard of the Westaway Medal. I will keep checking.
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
I am Graham Giles and I won this medal in 1947
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
by HarryBrook , Friday, December 07, 2012, 20:16 (4364 days ago) @ unknown
Graham,
Thanks for your reply.
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
Hello Harry. I know this thread is a few years old now, and don't know if you are still interested in the Westaway Medal. I am a teacher at Drybrook school and am spending my summer holidays researching the history of the school. I found a couple of log books in amongst some old resources one day and got hooked! It is in these log books that the Westaway Medal is first recorded in 1944. There is also a notebook in school which I think lists all the winners. I will try and remember to take some photos and send to you in September when I can next get access to it. I was reading an earlier log book in the archives last week that mentions a William Westaway as a Pupil Teacher (who did very well and went on to become a school inspector) and I thought he was the Westaway of medal fame, and have done some research online today and found out it is actually his brother Richard who started the award.
I hope this is of some interest to you.
Best wishes
Karen
Westaway Medal for Merit, Drybrook School
by HarryBrook , Friday, August 14, 2015, 12:07 (3384 days ago) @ khassall
Hello Karen,
Thanks for your interest. I did manage to get a full list of the winners some time after my original posting (the first was in 1944 and the last in 1971), and I did do some research into Richard Westaway but have not yet written up anything on it.
I would be very interested in any documents the school has on the subject, thank you. You can message me through this forum and I can then let you have my email address.
Eric