ARCHIVES
A SMALL DONATION FILLS BIG GAPS
Three items add a lot to Scotch ’ s historical record
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1 . DETAIL OF 1902 SCOTCH HATBAND . 2 . 12 FEBRUARY 1903 REFERENCE BY ALEXANDER MORRISON . 3 . JOHN ORR BROWN . 4 . JOHN ORR BROWN AT SUEZ , 1918 .
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John Orr Brown attended Scotch from 22 July 1902 to 16 December 1902 . He was very proud of that , as shown by the three items he kept extremely well preserved . They were donated to the Scotch Archives by his daughter , Beth Orr Brown , on 14 July 2020 .
Contrary to a common misconception , Scotch did not keep copies of handwritten reports and reference letters . It relies on such donations for examples of them . John ’ s 1902 third term examination card is unique . The small card provides a lot of information , including how he compared against the class average . The reference letter by Principal Alexander Morrison was written only three months before Morrison ’ s death .
The real gem is the Scotch hatband , which was worn on ( or intended for ) a boater . Now 118 years old , it is in perfect condition . At that time , Scotch ’ s only uniform items were a Scotch cap , or a boater with a Scotch hatband . There was no other uniform . The school colours were cardinal and blue . The clumsily-sewn motto is difficult to read , and in the intertwined SC within the buckled belt the ‘ C ’ dominates the ‘ S ’. When William Still Littlejohn became Principal in 1904 , he introduced metal cap badges as a remedy .
Beth loaned an incredible photo collection . John was born on 18 December 1886 , and a photo taken with his mother and brother may have been taken at about Scotch age . His brother , Alan Duncan Gibson Brown ( born 12 July 1889 , died 27 September 1964 ) attended Scotch from 1903 to 1904 .
John was a warehouseman and a commercial traveller . He enlisted in the AIF in 1916 and was demobilised as a lieutenant in 1920 . Embarking on 22 December 1917 , he was overseas until 1920 , and , with his photos , captured what he saw in a way historians usually only dream of seeing . Not only are the photos generally well-composed and captured , but they are invariably named and dated . John married Laura Elizabeth Gladys Cruickshank on 19 December 1931 at Wesley Church , Lonsdale Street , Melbourne , and died on 17 August 1948 .
Scotch is grateful for his careful curatorship of his Scotch memories , and for his daughter ’ s donation of his legacy .
80 Great Scot Issue 160 – September 2020