A BRASS plaque has been returned to Lawrence of Arabia’s old Oxford school, 74 years after it was first unveiled by Sir Winston Churchill.
The plaque was removed when Oxford High School closed in George Street in 1966, with the building now occupied by Oxford University’s Faculty of History.
The plaque was moved to the then newly-created Oxford School, but its poor condition meant it was sent to the county council museum services store in Standlake for conservation work.
Former pupils, who formed the City of Oxford School Association in 2004, called for the plaque to be returned to its original home in George Street.
They raised £2,400 towards the repair costs and to have the memorial fitted into a wall near the bottom of the main staircase.
The plaque was unveiled yesterday – the 75th anniversary of Lawrence’s death – by Robert Gildea, Oxford University’s professor of modern history.
Winston Churchill’s great-grand-daughter Marina Brounger attended the ceremony, along with Peter Leney, the chairman of the TE Lawrence Society, and five old boys who were at the school in 1936.
Lawrence’s family lived in Polstead Road, North Oxford, and he attended the City of Oxford High School from 1896 to 1907.
He went on to study history at Jesus College before going on to win his own place in history during the First World War.
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