One of the treasures of the Leighton Park Archives is the collection of Travel Scholarships, dating back to 1926. One could get lost for hours poring over these lovingly crafted record, containing hand drawn maps, stuck-in photos or post-cards, beautiful illustrations and painstaking hand-writing. In 2022, new Awards Boards have been created for Peckover, to celebrate this very special honour.
Following his experience in the trenches of World War 1. Headmaster Charles Evans believed that the ability of people to get along with those of different nationalities and cultures was essential for harmonious international relations. This was the root of the Travel Scholarship Award, absolutely pioneering for its time; the boys were encouraged to travel independently and adventurously. A snapshot of social history, the documents detail the complexity of travel across hige distances with the princely sum of £50.
Reading like a “Boys Own” magazine, some reports detail sleeping on the deck of cargo ships, cadging lifts on the back of trucks or wandering inadvertently in to a local civil skirmish. Renowned wildlife artist Robert Gillmor and his travel companion recalled literally being snowed in to a remote cabin, when they were on the trail of a special goose. John Heap, who went on to become a pioneering advocate for protection of glaciers, travelled across Canada in the winter, with a tent: his early passion for the arctic led to a career as a Polar Scientist, culminating in heading the Polar section at the Foriegn and Commonwealth Office, his leadership and vision made a fundamental difference to the governance of the Antarctic and its conservation for future generations.
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