Former pupils of the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover are being invited to report to the school again this weekend, for a reunion.

The event is part of the celebrations to mark the school's 209th anniver sary.

On Sunday, ex-pupils spanning the decades will gather to hear speeches by Lt Gen Gary Coward, CB, OBE, Director of Materiel (Land) and Quartermaster-General to the Forces, and Simon Daglish, co-founder the Walking with the Wounded charity whose patron is Prince Harry.

They will open a Then and Now exhibition of former pupil’s personal memories and memorabilia that have been sent in from all over the globe before unveiling architectural designs for the school’s £25million new building plans.

The exhibition charts the school's development from being the country's first state boarding school for the orphan girls and boys of soldiers in the 1800s, and its evacuation during two world wars.

It includes photos and memories from the Rt Revd James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, who was a prefect at the school in the 1960s, as well as people like Kent-man Major Peter Harrington MBE who went on to have a prestigious career in the Armed Forces before becoming a head teacher.

Headmaster Charles Johnson said: "We've been overwhelmed and moved by the stories and photos that have been sent in by ex-pupils. Some of them are in the 80s now so we feel honoured to have captured this living history.

"We tried to contact as many of our past pupils as possible through the internet and word of mouth but many have scattered to the far corners of the world and even those living closer to home in the South East, especially the older ones, have been hard to reach. It would be wonderful if we could bring them back to the school for a reunion to celebrate our history as a military school and look forward to our future now as a modern academy."

Former pupils are asked to contact Amanda Baker at the school on 01304 245082 or sign up using this link http://www.doyrms.com/then-and-now-event-25-march2.html