St. Edward's
origins began with St. Edward's Primary School which
was established in 1865 by a French Roman Catholic
priest, Rev. Father Edward Blanchet. In 1921, the
board of directors which consisted of a group of
priests from Italy, France and Ireland decided to
start a secondary school for the students. On
February 6, 1922, the new secondary school opened
its doors to seven St. Edward's Primary School
graduates: Anthony Tucker, Sylvester Tucker, James
Massallay, Edward Farrah, William Luke, Joseph Luke
and Albert M. Margai - future prime minister of
Sierra Leone. At that time, the secondary school was
located at the same address as the primary school at
Howe Street in Freetown. St. Edward's is the third
oldest secondary school in Sierra Leone.
The first head
master of St. Edward's was Father Michael O'Connor,
but six months after the school opened, Father
O'Connor retired due to illness and was replaced by
Father Mulcahy. Under the stewardship of Father
Mulcahy, St. Edward's Secondary School became a
first rate academic institution which followed a
strict, old-fashioned British curriculum and
enforced discipline by means of corporal punishment.
The sports programs at St. Edward's became a source
of general admiration.
