Formed in 1912 by former pupils.
The Old Carolians Association was formed in 1912 by former pupils of King Charles I Grammar School for Boys, Kidderminster. Informal beginnings started in December 1899 with a dinner in the School Hall at Woodfield. Mr G W Grosvenor was the first President, a position subsequently held by many illustrious former pupils, including Sir George Eddy.
The following was written by John Booth, a long-standing Association member who died in 2015:
The name of the Association derives from the Latin for Charles, 'Carolus'. Before 1912, former pupils had been referred to as Old Kidderminsterarians, or 'OK's for short.
Present membership numbers about 520 and new members are always very welcome. A determined effort was begun in 1998 to increase membership, particularly in the younger age groups and from women; so far, the response has been encouraging.
Over many years, the Old Carolians were well known in the Midlands for their sporting activities, mainly in rugby and cricket. During the 1950s and 60s, rugby really flourished, with the Club's having provided several County players; furthermore, Martin Underwood, after moving to Senior rugby, gained several caps for England in 1962.
There are no longer any sports sections, as the rugby club merged with Kidderminster RFC in 1969 to become Kidderminster Carolians RFC. The cricket club joined Kidderminster Carolians Cricket Club in 1995 as a result of ground problems and a fall in player numbers.
The merger in 1977 of King Charles I Grammar School with the Kidderminster High School for Girls and the Queen Elizabeth I Grammar School, Hartlebury produced a comprehensive school of some 1000 pupils; fortunately, the name of King Charles I was retained.
It has taken some time for the Association to come to terms with the world of information technology, but our initial website was launched in February 2000, with the present version's having been released in January 2010.