Old Cottonians Association
The OCA was officially started on 13th May 1910 when 17 Old Cottonians assembled in the Freemason’s Hall in Simla. However, it is interesting to note that the first gathering of OC’s was in 1878 when 28 old Cottonians attended the First Founder’s Day function ever to be celebrated. This was held on the 27th of July as 28th fell on a Sunday. These OC’s sat at the High Table for the meal that followed the function.
| NAME | YEARS AT BCS |
| E.O. Wilsey | 1863 – 1867 |
| W.J.Crayden | 1863 – 1866 |
| W.Cotton | 1876 – 1884 |
| T.Archibald Brooks | 1876 – 1877 |
| S.A.Blaker | 1881 – 1883 |
| W.G. Dollman | 1882 – 1890 |
| C.Davis | 1882 – 1886 |
| Felix von Goldstein | 1884 – 1892 |
| C.W.Kirkpatrick | 1884 – 1888 |
| E.A.Reid | 1887 – 1891 |
| W.I.Tilden | 1887 – 1891 |
| D.A.Clarke | 1891 – 1896 |
| Frank I.Tellery | 1893 – 1895 |
| A.D.Grindal | 1895 – 1899 |
| G.T.Wright | 1898 – 1900 |
| G.A.Heron | 1902 – 1903 |
| A.Farrar Brooks | 1908 – 1910 |
E.O. Wisley, the senior-most, had organised the meeting and was the first to sign the Roll of Association. With these seventeen acting as the core, the task was now to find and communicate with the numerous old boys who lay scattered across the world – England, Canada, Japan, China, New Guinea and of course, India. In under a year, the Seventeen had become 73. By 1 May 1913, there were eighty-four members and this rose to 101 by October that year.
The objectives of the Association were set out in its rules. First, it was sought to ‘establish a bond of union among Old Boys and present boys to meet each other and for this purpose annual dinners and dances at the School’ were instituted. Second, the Association wanted to put an end to the stigma the bureaucratic circle attached with an Indian education. Third, the Association promised, “ Should anything arise to occasion a demand for the active services of its Old Boys the School has the satisfaction of knowing a number of them are to hand, not only willing but pledged, to assist by every means in their power.”
Almost as if giving visible expression to their pledge, the Old Boys presented the School’s Chapel with the stained glass window depicting the Good Shepherd. This was installed on 19 October 1915.
The Old Cottonians Association completes 100 years in 2010.