Brecon
The Boys' County/Grammar School 5
by Clifford Carr

Aneurin Rees
Headmaster 1954-1971
Mr Aneurin ReesToward a new era
By 1954 Jacob Morgan was due to retire. His successor was to be Mr Aneurin Rees who was born in Loughor, Swansea and educated at Gowerton Grammar School and University College, Swansea where he obtained his M.Sc. In 1943 he became an A. Inst. P. Before the war he had taught at Bridgend where he was Senior Physics Master. During the conflict he worked at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, at Farnborough before being seconded to the R.A.F.
Mr Rees was a keen sportsmen, having excelled in rugby and cricket. He decided to introduce rugby at Brecon, which had in the past always been a soccer school. He was also a fluent Welsh speaker. He did not "rock the boat" and continued very much in Jacob's footsteps, carrying on with the school magazine and being an excellent supporter of the Old Boys Association.

School prefects in 1954 

school prefects in 1954
A new identity
The pupil numbers continued to increase and it was evident that a larger school had to be made available. A suitable site was found at Penlan and both the Boys and Girls Grammar Schools moved to new accommodation there in 1958. The new school had every modern facility and a large sports field.
  With the change to comprehensive education in 1971 it was possible, with additional buildings, to accommodate the larger increase in pupil numbers on the Penlan site. Aneurin Rees became the Headmaster at the new combined school. 
 
  On the centenary of secondary education in Brecon, Mr T. Glyn Powell, a former pupil of the Grammar School and later a teacher at the Comprehensive School, wrote a very interesting history of those hundred years in booklet form. Copies are still available at the Gigh School at Penlan for £3 - a real bargain!
  There are 5 pages on the County/Grammar school in Brecon. Use the box links below to view the other pages