Book returned to school library after 113 years
A book that was borrowed from an English school library before World War I has been finally returned after over 100 years.
BBC reported that Poetry of Byron has been handed back to St. Bees School, located near Whitehaven town in Cumbria county in England, after a man found it in a couple's collection in Carmarthenshire county in Wales.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, wanted to ensure the book was returned to its rightful owner.
The book has the inscription bearing the name "Leonard Ewbank," the location "School House, St. Bees," and the date "25 September 1911." This suggests the book has been 113 years overdue.
Ewbank, who was born in 1893, was a pupil at the school between 1902 and 1911 before moving to Queen's College in Oxford, according to BBC.
He was part of the school's honor roll and was described as "an Englishman, brave, honest and loyal."
According to its research, the school said that Ewbank, despite having poor eyesight, had been commissioned into the 15th Border Regiment in 1915.
On Feb. 23, 1916, he was killed by a bullet to the head during World War I. He was buried at the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground in Ypres, Belgium.
Headmaster Andrew Keep said the school was honored to have the book back as a tribute to Ewbank.
"It's incredible to think that a piece of St Bees' history has found its way back to us after all these years," Keep said, adding that Ewbank's story was "an inspiration" to students.
The 430-year-old St. Bees School is an independent day and boarding school. Students pay between £16,000 and £40,000 (P1.19 million to P2.99 million) annually for their education.
The book features the work of Lord Byron, an English poet from the Romantic movement who is regarded as among the greatest poets in his country. Byron's best works include Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Don Juan, and She Walks in Beauty.
