ALFRED ERNEST BENDALL, second son of Mr F A Bendall of Bilston, who was killed on the first day of the great Somme battle July 1st 1916, came to the school in April 1904, and left at the end of the summer term of 1912.  For two seasons he was a valuable member of the 1st XI in football and for three years extremely useful both in bowling and batting to the 1st XI in cricket, his best bowling being specially good.  Early in September 1914, he volunteered for service abroad and was accepted for the South Staffordshire Regiment.  Being transferred to the 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, he received his training at Grimsby and was later sent to France.  He took part in much of the desperate fighting on the British front and spent his twenty-first birthday in resisting a heavy bombardment.  On July 1st he was sent on some special signalling duty and was reported missing.  Subsequently it was known that he had been killed in action.