Edsential's Conway Centres are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty touched the lives of millions of children, young people and adults. The Queen’s devotion to public service has been admirable.
During her 70 year reign, Queen Elizabeth II lead us through many education milestones including the raise of the school leaving age, the introduction of the apprenticeship schemes and the beginning of the National Curriculum, which ensured that all pupils were given the same standard of education.
Queen Elizabeth II was also a part of the history of Edsential’s Conway Centres.
After the demand had grown for Merchant Navy officers, in 1859 the HMS Conway school ship opened in Merseyside which trained young people to become navy officers, ready for their time at sea. During its time on the Mersey, HMS Conway and the cadets won various royal awards. This included The Queen’s Gold Medal award where Queen Victoria acknowledged HMS Conway’s achievements and announced her intention to grant £50 annually, to be distributed in prizes to ‘Conway boys’.
During World War II, HMS Conway moved to Anglesey. In 1962, the HMS Conway ship headed back to Merseyside for restorative maintenance and a camp was set up on Plas Newydd.
The cadet training camp (now known as Conway Centres: Anglesey) officially opened in 1964. The Queen’s Gold Medal award continued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, where 5 cadets were awarded every year for their ‘fearless devotion to duty’. This continued until the cadet training camp closed in 1974.
Photo source: hmsconway.org
We would like to thank all of our teachers and staff for supporting children and young people during this difficult time. Edsential expresses their deepest sympathy to the Royal Family and will join the nation in mourning.
Photo source: https://www.royal.uk/
