Fred Oliver was the 265th boy to be admitted when the Ilford County High School welcomed its first students in July 1901. Born on 13th September 1887, he was already almost 14 years old and thus only stayed at the school a little over a year. At the end of the autumn term, on 19th December 1902, he left in order to go into ‘business.’ Previously, he had attended Tyne Hall School (on the corner of Ley Street and Hainault Street, Ilford).
Fred was one of Richard and Amelia Oliver’s four children. He had two older brothers, Joseph and Walter, and a sister, Millie. His father was a perfumer’s assistant. The family lived in Bedford Gardens in 1901.
He served as a Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade (Service number 812). He was killed on 1st September 1916 and was buried in the London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval (Grave 9. B. 4).
Research by Andrew Emeny, History Teacher at ICHS
Sources:
Ancestry.com
ICHS school records and magazines
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Note
Ilford County High School started life as the Park Higher Grade School in 1901 in Balfour Road, Ilford. It was renamed Ilford County High School (or initially County High School, Ilford) in the years after the school’s management was transferred from Ilford School Board to Essex Education Committee in 1904.