St Ninian's Preparatory School was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

preparatory school for boys in

Moffat Moffat is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire. Part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland, it lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. Moffat is arou ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

History

St Ninian's Preparatory School for boys was founded in 1879 by Arthur John Caswall Dowding and Reverend William Henry Churchill. Dowding had previously been an Assistant Master for three years at

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational private boarding and day school in Craigleith, Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

E. W. Hornung Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 – 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; a ...

was one of the nine boys with which the school opened at Easter 1879. In 1887, the Reverend John William Rundall, who was Assistant Master at St Ninian's from 1882-1887, became the new owner and headmaster of the school, until his death in 1903. Following the death of Rundall, aged 44, ownership of the school passed to his widow Constance Ethel Pearse. Her brother, the Reverend Francis Wingate (or Wyngate) ‘Frank’ Pearse (1862-c.1943) became headmaster in 1906, having been headmaster at Harlington Preparatory School, later Penrallt Preparatory School, Llanbedr, Merionethshire, Wales. In 1910, Constance Pearse died, bequeathing the school to another brother, Hugh (an assistant master at the school), who conveyed ownership to his brother Francis. In August 1934 the Reverend Mr Pearse sold the school to Mr D A Gregory and retired. In 1973 Mr Peter G Spencer purchased the school which he sold in 1979.

Hugh Dowding Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, (24 April 1882 – 15 February 1970) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He was Air Officer Commanding RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is gene ...

, son of the founder, was born at the school in 1882 and educated there. In 1987, to honour the contribution made by Lord Dowding during the Second World War, the RAF Association in conjunction with the

RAF Benevolent Fund The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fundis the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity. It supports current and former members of the RAF, their partners and families, providing practical, emotional and financial support, whenever it is needed. The F ...

, purchased St Ninian's School, his birthplace. The building was renamed Dowding House and restored to provide sheltered housing for former members of the Royal Air Force or their dependents.RAFA Sheltered Housing
/ref> The driving force behind this project was Irene 'Sandy' Park, a former

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force during the World War II, Second World War. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 181,000 at its peak ...

officer, and native of Moffat. A stained-glass window (by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lychg ...

) from the demolished school chapel, commemorating former St Ninian's pupils who died during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, can be found in the west window of St John's Church (Episcopal) in Moffat. There is a plaque in the church with the names and details of the ten fallen, among them Captain David Younger, VC.

Notable alumni

* Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding (1882-1970),

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer; Commander

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

. * George Findlay (1889-1967),

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. * William Gairdner (1873-1928), Christian missionary in Egypt. *

(1866-1921), author and poet. * George Hunt (1916-2011),

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer; submarine ace. * Hector MacLean (1913-2007), Royal Air Force officer; Battle of Britain fighter pilot. * Donald Mackintosh (1896-1917), British Army officer, recipient of the Victoria Cross. * David Younger (1871-1900), British Army officer, recipient of the Victoria Cross.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ninian's School, Moffat Educational institutions established in 1879 Defunct private schools in Scotland Defunct preparatory schools in Scotland Defunct boarding schools in Scotland Defunct schools in Dumfries and Galloway Defunct boys' schools in Scotland 1879 establishments in Scotland Moffat