The Mystery of

The Missing Plaque

Foundation stones literally come in all shapes and sizes. Some are inscribed with the details of the building that is to be erected above and around them. A good example would be the foundation stone of the present VI, which was laid amid great pomp and ceremony on 21st September, 1927. Other foundation stones are, however, pristine, the relevant details of their purpose being inscribed instead on a separate metal plaque affixed on the stone itself, or next to it. Such was the case with the old V.I. in High Street (Jalan Tun H.S. Lee today). Its foundation stone with accompanying plaque was laid by Mrs William Hood Treacher, wife of the British Resident, on Monday, August 14th 1893. From the plaque, one learns that this was done in the distinguished presence of the then Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Abdul Samat and, presumably, all the members of the V.I. Board of Trustees, as well as the building's architect and engineer. Sadly, the High Street building was burned down in a 1999 fire. Of course, by that time the V.I. was no longer housed in those premises. But whether that 1893 foundation stone itself survived the fire and whether it is still incorporated in the rebuilt building which now accommodates the Pusat Seni Budaya is not known. But the original plaque from that historic laying of the foundation stone on 14th August 1893, has survived to this day. If this plaque could talk, what a story it would tell! The V.I. Foundation Stone and its accompanying plaque began their lives as part of the north-eastern façade of the old VI. Above them, on the gable, was the royal crest sandwiched between the digits of that historic year "1893". (That same gable would, sadly, be destroyed by fire 106 years later.) Facing the school field for 36 years, the stone and plaque would have witnessed football and cricket matches played on it. Countless numbers of VI boys would have posed for group photos in front of these artefacts. When the present V.I. building opened in 1929, all removables at the High Street premises would obviously have been transferred to the new place including the foundation plaque. (The foundation stone itself could obviously not be moved as it was an integral part of the original structure.) 1929: Where ? Where the plaque was mounted in the new VI premises, if it ever was, is not recorded. An obvious location, of course, would be at the side of the porch mirroring that of the 1927 foundation stone. Unfortunately, no photos exist showing the plaque there. Yet it is an interesting question when one is reminded of the fact that the Japanese authorities occupied the V.I. building from early 1942 to September 1945 Mr F. Daniel was the prewar Senior Science Master and the postwar Headmaster from 1946 to 1949. In a letter to his ex-pupil, Mr Harry Lau, who later became a V.I. teacher, Mr Daniel described what had happened to two V.I. artefacts during the Japanese occupation of the V.I. The royal crest which had been presented by Queen Victoria to the Old VI had been stolen, while the 1929 V.I. Foundation stone beside the porch had been plastered over. Fortunately, the plaster was easily chipped off the foundation stone without any damage, and Mr Daniel, through his extensive connections was somehow able to get a replacement royal crest which is still mounted at the base of the V.I. clock tower. One wonders what would have happened to the 1893 plaque if it had been mounted outside the porch. Would the Japanese have pried it off and disposed of it? So maybe the plaque had not been installed at the porch in the 1920s and 1930s, but had been kept somewhere in storage. Almost as a confirmation, a photo from the 1947 ceremony for the presentation of the HMS Malaya Bell to the school shows that the plate is not yet present in the position next to the porch. And yet, by 1950, the plaque had made its reappearance! A photo of Mr Daniel's successor, Mr E.M.F. Payne, welcoming the Sultan of Selangor to the V.I. sports shows the missing foundation plaque installed beside the porch. Where it had come from nobody is around today to tell. But the point was that the 1893 plaque had somehow survived the war! In the 1951 photo (below) of the office bearers of the V.I. Literary and Debating Society, one can recognise many notables including future Judge Mahadev Shankar and Civil Servant Wan Mahmood bin Pawan Teh, gathered around Mr Payne. The foundation plaque is clearly visible on the left background Interestingly, there appears to be a smaller plate below it, which was not present in photos of the Old V.I. Maybe it is a descriptor of the 1893 artefact for the new generation of Victorians now occupying an entirely different building. The 1893 plaque and its companion descriptor plate appear again in a traditional class photo usually taken only of examination classes. Below is that of a class of which Mr Harry Lau was the class teacher. In the group one can pick out noted sportsman Yeoh Cheang Swi (beside Mr Lau), who would be sitting his School Certificate examination at the end of 1952, which in turn helps confirm the vintage of the photograph. Mr Payne's term as V.I. Headmaster ended in early May, 1952, amid much acclaim and appreciation for his service. It is not recorded officially but some time before that happened, a terrible incident marred his record - the historic 1893 plaque had disappeared from its location, presumably stolen! V. Chakaravarthy, the future acclaimed Headmaster who would tame the gangsters of High School Setapak, was then a Form One pupil, his classroom located at the end of the front block. According to him, he was "aware of the hue and cry when the plate went missing". There apparently was a discussion of the matter among the staff, who were unable to pinpoint the culprit and tried to keep it quiet. No announcement or police report was made. Despite that, according to Chakara, "the students knew that the plate was missing." But not all though, as the writer has questioned many pupils from that era, who said they knew nothing of that incident. The school authorities were likely embarrassed over losing a historic relic. 1953 - 1958: MISSING With the passage of time, though, as headmasters and teachers came and went, and new batches of Victorians passed annually through the system, the dwindling 1952 staff who remained probably kept their secret. Year after year, school staff, scouts and cadets, prefects and sports teams continued to have their photographs taken at the school porch, with many photographs showing a mysterious empty slot in the left background. But no one thought to wonder. Sometime in 1958, at the height of the qualifying rounds, with events held just about every afternoon, thirsty V.I. boys scrambling from the sports field to the tuckshop to quench their thirst suddenly noticed something strange and new occupying the hitherto empty space beside the porch. It was the 1893 Foundation plaque! It had come back! 1958: BACK ! Except the descriptor plate was not there. But then no one at that time knew. The 1893 plaque's appearance was puzzling enough. There was no announcement about this by the Headmaster, Dr. G.E.D. Lewis in the school assembly nor in the school newspaper, nor even in A Short History of the V.I., a 1962 publication by Old Boy Dr R. Suntharalingam that was commissioned by Dr Lewis. Over time the plaque was accepted as part and parcel of the school and, as in old times, began reappearing in the the background of group photographs taken at the school porch. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * So how did the 1893 plaque, lost for six years, find its way back to the school? Dr. Lewis had helmed the school from late 1955 to 1962. After his retirement, he penned his memoirs, which were published in 1991 as Out East in the Malay Peninsula. Dr Lewis wrote about his childhood in Wales, of his posting to prewar Malaya as a teacher, and of his imprisonment in a POW camp in Thailand during the Pacific War. In his last chapter, the former Headmaster wrote about his final posting, to the V.I. There, he described in detail the many innovations he introduced to the V.I. that helped make it the premier school in the country at that time. One particular paragraph stands out in that chapter: So that solved the 1958 mystery of where that historic plaque had come back from - a lowly scrap yard somewhere in Kuala Lumpur - and how it was rescued in the nick of time by Dr. Lewis! However, whoever stole it and what was done to it, must forever remain unknown. After a few decades at the porch location, the plaque was moved in 1989 to be displayed at the newly established V.I. Museum, housed in the former Scout Den at the downstairs corner room next to the science wing. In 1993, the V.I.'s Centennial Year, the much larger present museum was declared open and the plaque was transferred to its new home. It did not stay there long because, in 1995, it was decided that the artefact be remounted at its original site beside the porch! This was done in a formal ceremony officiated by ex-VIOBA President, Mr S. Robert. Some two decades later, in the 2000s, the plaque was on the move once again - away from the elements, but not indoors, and not too far from its previous position - this time to the wall beside the grill gates of the foyer. There it continues to grace the backdrop of group photos of a new generation of Victorians. May this much-travelled historic relic, 130 years old this year, always remain safe! TODAY < < < < > > > >

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