For decades, a collection of photographs documenting life at King's School had been carefully preserved in a tin box in a family loft. Taken in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the photographs belonged to James Derek Breakey (OE 1928–1931), whose affection for King's endured long after his schooldays came to an unexpectedly early end.

On Saturday 24 October, James's sons, Jim and Chris, travelled from Sheffield to Ely to donate their father's treasured photographs to the School, taking the opportunity to walk in his footsteps and rediscover the places he had known nearly a century earlier.

A schoolboy's memories

James arrived at King's in 1928, aged just 13, becoming a boarder in Hereward House. His time at the School was sadly cut short following the death of his father in April 1931, when James was just 16.

The School offered to find a bursary to support the remainder of his education, provided the fees could be paid until the end of the academic year. Unfortunately, his stepmother was unable to raise the necessary funds, and James returned to Sheffield to begin working.

Despite these difficult circumstances, James retained very positive memories of his time at King's. Alongside his photographs, he left behind a wonderfully entertaining account entitled Random Recollections of a Fairly Old Elean, offering a fascinating glimpse into a school that was both remarkably different from, and occasionally reassuringly familiar to, the King's we know today.

James recalled a time when electricity was supplied by a small generator and a series of batteries. When the demand for power became too great, the boys found themselves completing their prep by candlelight.

School life was certainly more regimented. Visits into Ely were strictly controlled, Sunday letters home could be inspected, and the boys attended both Matins and Evensong in the Cathedral.

Yet there was humour amongst the rules and routines. James remembered the head prefect issuing the seemingly contradictory instruction to "hurry up down" as the boys made their way towards the dining room, and a particularly memorable fire drill in which a chamber pot, rather than a schoolboy, emerged from the dormitory's emergency escape chute.

These small moments, recalled with such warmth and amusement, offer a wonderful insight into the friendships, traditions and everyday experiences of a King's schoolboy nearly a century ago.

Returning to familiar places

During their visit, Jim and Chris explored several locations that would have been familiar to their father.

A brief visit to Ely Cathedral recalled the regular services that had formed such an important part of James's schooldays, while a walk through the Porta and Monastic Barn brought them back amongst some of the School's most historic buildings.

Perhaps most interesting was their visit to Old Hereward, the building in which James had once boarded. Standing in what had been his former dormitory, now transformed into biology laboratories, the brothers could see how the School had evolved while retaining so much of its past.

However, one of the most memorable moments of the day came entirely by chance.

Among the photographs James had preserved was an image of the School cricket team, taken outside the pavilion. James, who had a particular talent for mathematics, had served as the team's scorer and can be seen standing at the far right of the photograph.

Recognising the location, we made an unplanned detour to the cricket field, where Jim and Chris were able to stand in the very same spot as their father almost a century earlier.

There was something particularly special about discovering that the pavilion was still standing and the cricket field remained such a well-loved part of school life. Generations have come and gone, and today both boys and girls enjoy cricket on the same ground, but the connection between past and present was unmistakable.

A lasting home for treasured memories

Following James's death in 2003, his photographs remained within the family, carefully stored away in Chris's loft.

For Jim and Chris, the collection held considerable personal significance. Yet they also recognised that, as generations passed, the faces and places captured in those photographs might become less familiar to their descendants.

By donating them to King's, the brothers hoped the images could find a lasting home, where their historical significance would continue to be recognised and appreciated.

Their generosity has given the School a remarkable glimpse into its past, from informal photographs of friendships between pupils to images of sporting teams and everyday life at King's nearly a century ago.

More importantly, their visit was a reminder that the connection between King's and its Old Eleans can endure long beyond the years spent at School.

James Derek Breakey's education at King's may have ended earlier than he had hoped, but the memories he carried with him lasted a lifetime. Now, thanks to his sons, those memories have returned to the place where they began.

We are enormously grateful to Jim and Chris for sharing their father's story and entrusting his photographs to the School.

Do you have photographs, memorabilia or memories from your own time at King's? We would love to hear from Old Eleans and their families who may have pieces of the School's history tucked away at home. Every photograph and recollection helps us preserve and share the stories of generations of King's pupils.