Durham Johnston in 2011 raised funds to re-site and rededicate the school war memorial, which names 107 men. The majority were members of the Durham Light Infantry, although they served in both wars and in a variety of services and regiments. The memorial was first suggested in a speech by Mr Whalley, the school's Headmaster, in 1920. He referred to the death of Captain C.N. Crawshaw, a teacher at the school who had volunteered when the war broke out in 1914. Mr Whalley proposed a memorial in honour of the 34 former students and one teacher who had died during the Great War. A meeting was held on Wednesday 24 March 1920 for former and current students and £160 was raised towards the cost of the memorial. The original panels of the war memorial were unveiled at 6 p.m. on Saturday 22nd [month?] 1921 by the Bishop of Durham. It was located on the stage of the school, when the school was located in South Street. It acted as a memorial for the 35 ex-Johnstonians who had died during the Great War. In addition to the former students, one member of staff, Mr Crawshaw, had died in action. Two teachers returned to the school after the war, Mr Hutchinson and Mr Dent, and a third, Mr Cousins, returned, but retired, due to war related stress, in 1921.