Fred Ward, as he is remembered by those who were taught by him, became the school’s fifth Headmaster in 1930 following the retirement of Mr Bayly (himself an old scholar). It was to Ward that the difficult task of guiding our School through the Great Depression of the 1930s and WWII fell.
Ward, who was equal dux of the School with the future Professor J.R. Wilton, completed a Master of Arts from Adelaide University and returned to Princes as a junior master. Later, he established Thornburgh College in North Queensland and was the first Headmaster of Wesley College, Perth, from 1923 to 1930.
Remembered for his fiery temper, Ward was widely respected for his intellectual capacity and knowledge of the classics. Following his retirement in 1948, Ward wrote Prince Alfred College, The Story of the First Eighty Years 1867 to 1948, which was published in 1951.