This post continues from Part 2, and is part of a series for Explore Your Archive week.
Returning to the article about Oliver Bernard Ellis by one of his contemporaries in the November 1976 ‘Bootham’ magazine, it seems that one of his notable exploits whilst at school was to climb the N.E.R. (railway company) offices in York, and paint his initials on the roof. On reading the copy of his diary, it turns out he did this in the early hours of July 7th, 1915, and that someone had dared him to do it. It seems that the railway company were concerned about who might have done the painting, and eventually Oliver had to own up to the Headmaster, Arthur Rowntree, and have a very uncomfortable interview with someone from the solicitor’s office.
The series continues tomorrow with an article about the war in ‘The Observer’ magazine.