Wellington College
schoolpublic school, boarding school
| Wellington College link () | |
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| File:Wellington College crest.png | |
| Motto | Virtutis Fortuna Comes ('Fortune favours the bold') |
| Formation | 1859 |
| Founder | Queen Victoria |
| Headquarters | Berkshire, UK |
| Type | public school, boarding school |
| Staff | 175 |
| UK public school with military ties. | |
Wellington College is a co-educational public school for boarding and day pupils in the village of Crowthorne, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom.
History
The college was built as a national monument to the military victory against Napoleon, and the political career of British Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, in whose honour it is named. It was established by Royal Charter in 1853. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone in 1856, and inaugurated the school's public opening on 29 January 1859.[1]
Many former Wellington pupils fought in the First World War, with a large number volunteering for the military immediately after leaving school.[2] In all, 707 Wellington old boys lost their lives in the conflict; and according to its website, due to its strong connection with military families, a total of more than 1200 former pupils were killed in action in the two world wars.[3]
Sexual abuse
In 2012, Bruce Roth, who taught maths at £30,000-a-year Wellington college until he was arrested, was convicted for having groomed and performed sex acts on three boys at the boarding school and two at King's school in Rochester, Kent, where he taught previously. Roth was housemaster at King's school between 1987 and 1994, where two complaints were made against him. But the accusations were dropped – the second time following an internal investigation. He left the school and went to Wellington, where he taught until 2010.[4] R