Penang Free School, whose history spans over two centuries, was founded in 1816 just after Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. At that time, the Prince of Wales’ Island, later called Penang, was under the East India Company.
Under the British colonial administration subsequently, as part of the Straits Settlements, the school went through two World Wars. It later continued as a bastion of education in independent Malaysia. While times and circumstances have changed, Free School continues to live up to many of its ideals. Below are 10 episodes of its past that anyone interested in the school should know.
The picture featured in this section is the school building at Green Lane (now Jalan Masjid Negeri) when it was in pristine condition in 1928.
Thirty years after Prince of Wales Island was established as a trading post for the British, Penang Free School became the first English school in the Far East. The founder of the school was Reverend Robert Sparke Hutchings who was then the Colonial Chaplain of the British settlement.
In January 1816, Hutchings convinced the Governor that a school to teach reading, writing, arithmetic and trade skills to the native children was essential or otherwise they would be brought up in idleness and vice. Great care would be taken to avoid violating their religious beliefs.
On 21st October 1816, Free School opened its doors to 25 boys at temporary premises, before it moved to its own buildings in Church Square in January 1821. It rose later to become the premier school in the country. Many prominent members of society – including captains of industry, professionals, civil servants and politicians – passed through the corridors of Penang Free School.
Free School's temporary premises (circled) at Love Lane, 1816
From the beginning, Free School deployed the Madras System of Teaching where only one or two teachers were needed to control and impart knowledge to the whole school. The focus of the early teachers was on teaching the boys useful trade skills like carpentry, book-binding, shoe-making, et cetera.
But often, many of these early teachers were unqualified and they held down multiple jobs at the same time. William Cox, for example, was a newspaper publisher. George Porter was a part-time botanist and parish clerk. Others like David Churcher and John Colson Smith were non-commissioned army officers.
Although emphasis changed later when better-qualified Headmasters in John Clark and George Griffin were employed, they were still unable to bring academic honours to the school. Winning a Queen’s Scholarship was beyond the capability of a Free School boy unless he chose to continue his education in Singapore. Nevertheless, by the 1860s, Free School was well on its way to become the premier school on the island.
Free School’s fortune changed after William Hargreaves became the Headmaster in 1891. Hargreaves was a full-time educator – he held a Master of Arts from the University of Dublin – and he concentrated on his boys achieving academic success.
The race with the Raffles Institution was on and the coveted prize was the Queen’s Scholarship. Within five years, the school was transformed into the foremost educational institution in the British colonies of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. Between 1891 and 1904, no fewer than 11 Queen’s Scholarships were won by Penang Free School students.
In 1897, the school re-located from Church Square to new double-storey premises in Farquhar Street. Soon later in 1902, there was a government attempt to take over the school. This was met with resistance from the people and also Penang’s representatives in the Legislative Council. The government backed down. Despite this setback, the government bought land in Farquhar Street in 1903 for the school’s expansion.
Further progress in education was attained by Free School from 1904 till 1925. Ralph Pinhorn, who took over as Headmaster in 1904, had two very able assistants in William Hamilton and Harold Cheeseman. Hamilton later succeeded Pinhorn as Headmaster. While Cheeseman was never Headmaster of Penang Free School, he attained great success, climbing up the ranks to become Director of Education, Malaya. Under the collective care of Pinhorn, Hamilton and Cheeseman, Free School boys excelled both in and out of their classrooms.
During Pinhorn’s time, the Free School expansion plan in Farquhar Street saw fruition. Construction began two years after the land was purchased in 1903. In July 1906 the school started to occupy their new classrooms.
In 1916, Free School celebrated its Centenary. Four years later, the school was taken over by the government. Unlike the earlier takeover attempt in 1902 which was resisted by the School Committee, this time around it was the committee that invited the government to take control of the school. Shortly after the takeover in January 1920, the government announced that a 30-acre piece of land in Green Lane had been purchased. Subsequently, Free School re-located to its new premises there in January 1928.
Even as World War One raged in Europe, Penang Free School celebrated its 100th anniversary on 21st October 1916. Despite a muted Centenary celebration, Free School students and Old Boys were still able to put on a grand show over two days to impress the local community.
On the eve of the Centenary, the boys entertained a packed house of students from other local schools in the Town Hall. A memorable part of the night was a scene from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Later, the Malay boys gave an admirable wayang performance. On Centenary day, the entertainment at the Town Hall was repeated, this time for the whole school. Then from late afternoon onwards, there was a series of sporting events that lasted until 10pm. Throughout the two days, the school building was gaily decorated and brightly illuminated.
It was in October 1919 that the first hint came that Free School could be relocated because the present premises in Farquhar Street were badly overcrowded. There was a suggestion that the older half of the school be relocated to the new buildings on the outskirts of town while the downtown building would be retained for the younger boys.
In May 1920 came the news that the government had purchased a 30-acre piece of land in Green Lane at a cost of about $148,000 (Straits Settlements dollars). The first construction in 1924 was to build quarters for the British masters. Work on the school’s main building block began in mid-1925, and the servants’ quarters and the sports pavilion were added in 1927. After the top forms had moved into the new premises in January 1928, the quarters for the local masters were built in 1929 and 1930. The downtown premises of Free School were renamed as Hutchings School.
The weeks leading to World War Two were a nervous time. In Penang, people were making futile preparations to face an impending operation from the Japanese military. But when the invasion finally arrived in December 1941, all the preparations came to nought and Penang was bombed severely. Together with the rest of the European community on the island, the British masters of the Free School fled south. Many were unable to escape in time and were interned in Changi Prison in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the victorious Japanese military took over Penang Free School and handed it over to their allies, the Indian National Army, who was fighting for Indian independence from the British. The school grounds were turned into their regional base and training camp. In particular, the quarters for the British masters became their centre for espionage training. When the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, the victorious British army re-occupied Penang and the school was re-opened in October 1945.
Photo: ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The Grand Old Free, Tunku Abdul Rahman, declaring the nation's Independence in 1957
Recovery from the ravages of World War Two was difficult but the one great asset that Free School possessed was the army of dedicated local teachers who returned to the school and tried to continue from where they had last left off. Through the teachers’ perseverance, Free School reclaimed its premier position at the forefront of education excellence.
In 1949, the first post-School Certificate classes were opened in Free School. These classes were the precursor for the new Form Six classes in the school. Two years later in 1951, girls were admitted into these Form Six classes.
Despite Malaya attaining independence in 1957, Penang Free School only achieved complete assimilation into the Malaysian education system in 1963 with the appointment of the first Asian Headmaster. By 1966, the year that the Free School celebrated its 150th year, the last vestiges of British presence in the school were finally removed. For the first time in the school’s history, the teaching staff now comprised all Malaysians.
Penang Free School’s 150th anniversary on 21st October 1966 was an occasion well celebrated by Old Frees around the country. It was a celebration of significance because this was the school’s first big celebration since Malaysia gained her Independence.
Of all the VIP guests that attended the celebration, none was prouder than Tunku Abdul Rahman. He had entered Free School in 1916 and left in 1919. He had been a schoolboy during the school’s Centenary celebrations and 50 years on, here he was again in his alma mater but as the first Prime Minister of Malaysia.
For this special occasion, various activities were planned. First, there were the commemorative stamps and first day covers that the Post Office issued. Then there were also an historical pageant that the students organised, a reunion week filled with games between Old Frees and Present Frees, the staging of a school drama and the holding of a grand science and mathematics exhibition. The lasting legacy of the Sesquicentenary celebrations was the adoption of a stirring “school rally” that has rung out through the decades as a clarion call to all Old Frees worldwide.
The Raja of Perlis launching Let the Aisles Proclaim by Quah Seng Sun, a well-researched book tracing the school’s long history. Picture: Alpha Moments Photography
On 21st October 2016, about 5,000 Old Frees from around the world returned to Penang to celebrate the 200th anniversary of their old school. The celebrations had been long in preparation. As early as 2012, the Penang Free School Foundation, the three Old Frees’ Associations in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and together with the school had met and agreed on a framework for the celebrations.
Special events were spaced out over four years. There were dinners and golf tournaments graced by the Raja of Perlis, himself an Old Free, exhibitions and public talks. The Free School Band gave a performance in the Botanical Gardens to curious onlookers, which was a throwback to a time when municipal bands gave public displays in the gardens some 60 to 80 years ago.
A round-the-island motorcycle tour and a bicycle heritage tour were organised. The most ambitious project was a three-month overland drive from George Town to Dittisham in England, which was organised by a group of enthusiastic Old Frees. Dittisham was the home village of Robert Sparke Hutchings, the founder of Penang Free School.
All these events culminated on a high note in the morning of 21st October with the Bicentenary Speech Day, the sale of special commemorative stamps and the launch of a time capsule embedded in the Ascension of Knowledge monument in the school. During the celebratory Bicentenary dinner in the evening, the Raja of Perlis launched Let the Aisles Proclaim, a well-researched book tracing the school’s long history. It was the perfect gift of knowledge to end a memorable occasion.
