A Special Bulletin from:

The Bell Rings Out

Proudly misprinted every third Thursday since 1914

For Immediate Release (Despite No Authority Granting It)

Though this report falls outside our customary publication schedule (and indeed outside Matron’s good graces), the Editorial Committee has resolved, unanimously and with much thumping of fountain pens, to issue this special edition.

We are compelled to interrupt our regular editorial schedule to bring you this hastily penned, but no less vital, communique, one that has left even the most senior prefects momentarily lost for words (a rare occasion indeed), upset our (admittedly non-existent) posting plans, played havoc with our study schedules, and caused considerable disruption to our indexing of tuck boxes and biscuit crumbs, this paper is pleased — nay, obliged — to issue an unscheduled dispatch.

The circumstance are further news to report on the mysterious gymslip featured in yesterday’s #DailyUniform communiqué (Twitter and BlueSky editions both). Though I wore the gymslip, complete with crest and motto, I didn’t know what school the uniform came from, an embarrassing fact for this reporter. Was it a boarding school? Coed or girls only? Was the  school even still open? Thanks to our loyal readers and their strange encyclopedic knowledge of school uniforms and girl’s boarding schools, the truth is now known!

Word arrived at precisely 3:47 p.m. — carried not by pigeon, but by Trevor Bell  whose dashing entrance through the common room window has already entered local legend. Breathless and biscuit-crumbed, he delivered a parcel of information so curious, so delightfully unplanned, that it demanded immediate attention.

#dailyuniform
navy gymslip – Daniel Neal (vintage)
navy knickers – old stock
white shirt – John Lewis
white kneesocks – Amazon
black docs
grey and green tie – Albert Prendergast
grey hat – Ridgemont Make (vintage) pic.twitter.com/ixwMkWaSC9

— Mija (@eltercerojo) June 19, 2025

The following dispatch has been transcribed with minimal editing (save for replacing the word “crikey” with “confidential”) and are hereby presented to you, dear reader, in the spirit of adventure, discovery, and a unhealthy fascination with the colour “bottle green.”

Based on his reporting, the uniform in question, previously classified as “unidentified but jolly smart,” and “perfect in its simplicity,” has now been further traced to its school of origin thanks to the keen observations of Mr. Trevor Bell (Form V) — field investigator, occasional Latin enthusiast, and founding member of the Society for Obscure Academic Stitching.

After close inspection of the crest embroidered upon the breast pocket (and no small amount of triumphant squinting), Bell reports with certainty that the garment hails from Dr. Williams’ School, in Dolgellau — an institution that, by all accounts, produced generations of formidable young ladies with firm handshakes and even firmer Latin. The distinguished Welsh institution opened its doors in 1878 until its tragic closure in 1975. .¹Note: This was further confirmed by Fifth-Form Uniform Inspector Mr. Remus Crisp.

Mr. Bell based his careful identification on features that included:

The school’s Latin motto, “Ardua Semper” (“Always Work Hard”), rendered in proud embroidery beneath a crest of academic gravitas.²It has been further noted that Google’s translation of it as “Always Hard” is unlikely the version taught at the girls’ school.

The uniform was made in cut and colour scheme consistent with Welsh girls’ boarding attire of the post-WWII period — and, we note, ideal for both field hockey and uphill running.

This report, relayed by Mr. Bell via a folded note slipped under the editor’s dorm room door (unasked for, yet always welcome), is hereby published in full confidence, with due reverence for both uniform history and the excellent needlework of unknown alumnae.

“Unknown Uniform? Not Anymore!” says  Bell, brandishing his Chambers Murray Latin-English Dictionary.”

The whole ensemble, from embroidered crest to slightly scuffed shoes, was a triumph of institutional design — a symphony in navy and green, with just the whispered suggestion of bottle-green knickers beneath, unseen but somehow deeply implied, like the third verse of the school song no one ever sings.

In conclusion: mystery solved, Bell triumphant, and the entire affair a salutary reminder that one should never underestimate a well-sewn pocket. Further inquiries or spirited debates may be addressed to the History Master, or shouted across the quad at an acceptable volume.

LATE BREAKING letter confirms our reporter:

Former Head Girl, Dr. Williams’ School (1943–44)
Posted from: Somewhere in the Cotswolds, likely under a cat

To Whom It May Concern,

I write, in something of a flurry, having just finished your excellent bulletin (and a second scone). I can confirm to your editors  the uniform in question is indeed one from Dr. Williams.’ I recognised it instantly by the length of the gymslip and the faint air of defiance in the hat ribbon.

We were taught to wear it just so, particularly during Geography and any encounter with boys from Llan–College. One can also, of course, assume the regulation bottle-green knickers worn beneath — those stalwart garments of wool and fortitude.

We were assured they built character along with the rashes.

Please convey my commendation to young Mr. Bell. Were he female he would have done splendidly on our Form VI Motto Interpretation Panel.

Yours in green, grey, and tradition,
Honoria P-B

P.S. The hat ribbon was often adjusted according to mood. Mine leaned left during French verbs and revolutionary thought.

Editorial message: We salute Dr. Williams’ School and those “old girls” who wore the crest of “Ardua Semper” with pride, posture, and precisely measured skirt hems. May their legacy endure — and may Mr. T Bell and Mr. R Crisp each never lose their magnifying glass.

• 1
  Note: This was further confirmed by Fifth-Form Uniform Inspector Mr. Remus Crisp.
• 2
  It has been further noted that Google’s translation of it as “Always Hard” is unlikely the version taught at the girls’ school.