To Orwell Today,

Dear Orwell fans,

In 2002 The Chronicle, Eton's boy run official magazine/newspaper, did a survey of the school to figure out the Greatest Old Etonian, copying the popular BBC tv series The Greatest Briton. They narrowed it down to a short list of 32 men and Orwell, aka Eric Blair, came in second! The 1st Duke of Wellington took the top spot; Ian Fleming was third.

I have scanned on the two bits written about Orwell by two beaks (teachers) that appeared in the Chronicle. Mike Grenier (MAG) is an English beak and a housemaster. The other author, Jeffery Branch (JJB) no longer teaches at Eton.

Kind regards,
Tamara Rosenberg

Greetings Tamara,

Thank you for sending those attachments which I have transcribed so they can be shared with Orwell Today readers. I notice that the essay by JJB is in a gold frame on a wall somewhere and the one by MAG seems to be from a display of some sort as well. Perhaps they are hanging in the Chronicle's office? I didn't see them displayed in the Museum when I was LOOKING FOR ORWELL AT ETON last summer, 2004.

It was my opinion at the time that Orwell must be the GREATEST Etonian because his framed photo was on the top left-hand corner of four rows of framed photographs of Old Etonians:

It's great to receive your news that a survey was done and Orwell came second overall. That's quite an amazing accomplishment and it is well expressed by the two essays written by the Eton teachers:

ORWELL TRULY A GLOBAL FIGURE and ORWELL GREATEST ETONIAN OF ALL

Thank you again for sending them.

All the best,
Jackie Jura