Durham Johnston in 2011 raised funds to re-site and rededicate the school war memorial, which names 107 men. The majority were members of the Durham Light Infantry, although they served in both wars and in a variety of services and regiments. The memorial was first suggested in a speech by Mr Whalley, the school's Headmaster, in 1920. He referred to the death of Captain C.N. Crawshaw, a teacher at the school who had volunteered when the war broke out in 1914. Mr Whalley proposed a memorial in honour of the 34 former students and one teacher who had died during the Great War. A meeting was held on Wednesday 24 March 1920 for former and current students and £160 was raised towards the cost of the memorial. The original panels of the war memorial were unveiled at 6 p.m. on Saturday 22nd [month?] 1921 by the Bishop of Durham. It was located on the stage of the school, when the school was located in South Street. It acted as a memorial for the 35 ex-Johnstonians who had died during the Great War. In addition to the former students, one member of staff, Mr Crawshaw, had died in action. Two teachers returned to the school after the war, Mr Hutchinson and Mr Dent, and a third, Mr Cousins, returned, but retired, due to war related stress, in 1921. The unveiling of the memorial was recorded by the Durham Advertiser: :''The memorial has been erected by subscriptions from parents, staff past and present and pupils of the school. It consists of a mural panelling in light oak, of classic design, together with a memorial desk and chairs of a similar character. On the memorial desk is a brass inscription plate on which is engraved: ‘A tribute from the boys of 1918–1920 to the Johnstonians who served and fell in the war, 1914–1918.' The design and erection of the memorial have been ably carried out by the North of England School Furnishing Company. In addition to the brass inscription plate there is an engraving which states 'Nothing is here for tears, nothing but fair and well, and what may quiet us in a death so noble.' The motto for the memorial is taken from Milton’s
Samson Agonistes. The memorial has been erected in the school assembly hall, and will daily remind the boys of the patriotism and self sacrifices of Johnstonians during the dark days of the war.'' A large number of former Johnstonians were involved in
World War II with a significant number losing their lives. Two new panels were commissioned for the war memorial and money was, again, raised from contributions. The two panels were dedicated in June 1948 with a ceremony, performed by the Reverend R.F. Morgan – a former student at the school – at
St Margaret's Church. A significant amount of money was raised from subscriptions. After the new panels had been paid for the residue of the money was used for a War Memorial prize, which was awarded annually to a high achieving student at the school. A tradition was established after 1948 that fresh flowers would always be put next to the memorial during term time and that a British Legion wreath of Flanders poppies would be placed next to the memorial on Remembrance Day. In July 1954 the school moved from its South Street site to new buildings in Crossgate Moor. The memorial was removed in July 1954 and placed upon the left wall in the new school hall. It remained in place until the spring term of 2009, when it was removed and stored in preparation to be rededicated in the new Durham Johnston school hall. It was reinstalled in the third building and dedicated in March 2011 in recognition of the 90th anniversary of the original unveiling, with students and members of the local community raising the money for the initial memorial. A new plaque has been installed with a quotation from the Proverbs to acknowledge money raised by the current students. Local companies, particularly Harrison and Harrison Organ Builders, helped to support this project. Notable on the war memorial is Captain Isidore Newman, an old boy of the school and linguist who was attached to the SOE during the second world war. He was eventually captured and murdered at Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Because of this, the rededication of the memorial in 2011 was attended by representatives of AJEX, the
Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and the Rabbi to the Army performed a blessing in the school, as well as the local Anglican Vicar. • Traditions The school is named after
James Finlay Weir Johnston, a professor of Chemistry at
Durham University. He was an autodidact polymath committed to free secular education. Its motto is
Sapere Aude, meaning "Dare to be wise".
History and Names in the New Johnston Durham Johnston has a long history – a great school on a vital historical site. The new building is large, so to make the different areas more memorable the school named some of them after parts of its history.
Johnstonian Names Some areas in the new building are named after James Finlay Weir Johnston (1796–1855) who bequeathed money to set up a school for girls and boys, teaching science and the arts to ordinary young people of Durham, rich or poor. The main street on the ground floor is James Street, on the first floor is Finlay Street, on the top floor Weir Street. The assembly hall is therefore the James Hall. The quotation outside the door is the name of JFW Johnston's most successful book – an 800-page 2-volume work called ‘The Chemistry of Common Life’. The Library is called Lydia, for Lydia Pearson. She was the first pupil to enter Johnston's first new building in South Street in 1901.
Battlefield Names Some of the areas are named after the great battle of Neville's Cross which was fought on the site in 1346. It was between the English and the Scots: the English won. The ground floor of the 2-storey block is David Street, named after the defeated Scottish king. The ground floor of the 3-storey block is Edward Street, named after the victorious English king, though he was not at the battle. The PE corridor is called Neville Street after one of the English commanders. He was described in the Lanercost Chronicle as "strong, truthful, cautious and brave". The music and drama corridor is Zouche Street, named after the Archbishop of York, another English military commander. The top floor of the 2-storey block is Douglas Street, named after one of the Scottish commanders. The staff room corridor is called Beaurepaire, the French name for the monastery which then became Bearpark. The Learning Support and Sixth Form corridor is Rokeby Street, named after another English commander. The first floor of the 3-storey block is Mowbray Street, another English commander. The top floor of the 3-storey block is Auld Alliance. That describes the link between the Scots and France, united in attacking England. The single pod venue is Philippa. She was the English queen, much more involved in the battle than Edward. • Academic performance In 2010 student Lauren Mincher won the international Saatchi Art prize. Johnston was inspected by OFSTED in February 2015 and judged 'outstanding'. ==Notable former pupils==