THE
VIGORNIAN
DECEMBER 1951
RUGBY FOOTBALL, 1st XV, 1951-52.
Standing: P. L. C. Langford, T. M. Cosgrove, M. J. C. Scoular, D. R. P. Bushby, R. G. Wrigley, I. Van Ryssen. Sitting: P. R. Lowes, P. K. Birbeck, G. S. W. Thomas, K. J. Beard (Captain), H. F. Bennett, M. A. Beckett, J. R. Hopkin (Hon. Sec.). On Ground : P. C. Sheppy, P. Marshall. RUGBY FOOTBALL, 1951.
1st XV in play against Ellesmere College.
C.C.F. CONTINGENT.
Church Parade March Past, Pirbright, 1951.
C.C.F. DRILL SQUAD.
Winners of Drill Competition, Pirbright, 1951.
THE
VIGORNIAN
THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KING'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE TA MEN AIAAKTA MAN8ANO, TA A'ETPETA ZHTft, TA A'ETKTA IIAPA 6EON HITHSAMHN.
DECEMBER, 1951.
Vol. XIII. CONTENTS Editorial School Officers School Calendar School Notes O.V. News O.V. Cricket Club Obituary ... Oxford Letter New Zealand Letter Letter from Cockaigne Carol Service Entertainment ... ... ... House Notes Rugby Football Notes ... Fixtures and Results Football Characters Cricket Prospects and Fixtures ... Rowing Prospects ... ... ... Fives Prospects Athletics Prospects • Hockey Prospects Pass Ball Boxing Notes C.C.F. Notes Shooting Notes Red Cross Music Society Literary Society Art Circle
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Debating Society Chess Notes Libraries VI Form Club Dancing Notes Lectures Valete Contributions Printing Works Un Tour de France Clandestine Marriage Tamburlaine ... Correspondence ...
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EDITORIAL. Whether the past term has been " of use or of uselessness " is a difficult question to answer. Academically, we always appear to achieve little in a term whose true value we will only ascertain at the end of the School-Year. One thing we may boast however and that is the addition of an Oxford Letter to our columns, a letter which has unfortunately been absent for all too long a period. On our part there has been a renewed interest in the possibility of going to the University despite the convincing oratory of various people who have been advocating Industry as a possible career. The subject of future careers has been causing many members of the school concern, since they appear to be finding the task of settling this important problem increasingly difficult. The fact, however, that the
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School has. become a member of the Public Schools Appointments Bureau, supplemented by various other careers activities, has done much to alleviate these anxieties. Many boys are now beginning to realize that one can enter upon a career with a maximum amount of success without the aid of 4 years at the University although, of course, a University education would prove an extremely valuable asset in any career. As was emphasised last term, there are excellent opportunities for advancement in industry, and the innumerable spheres of activity open to ex-public school boys afford, so we are informed, excellent and remunerative prospects. The formation of a Chess Club will, we hope, further exercise the intellectual abilities of members of the school, which are often, unfortunately, inclined to remain dormant for much too long. The growing size of the libraries too is already an invaluable asset. On other spheres of school activity, we can safely report that the school has prospered, despite the hectic preparations for the usual Christmas activities; and while we view with dismay the heavy task of salvaging what we can from the wreckage of those annual events, we look hopefully forward to a term of comparative peace undisturbed by the approach of yet another Festival Season. SCHOOL OFFICERS. Head of the School K. J. Beard School Monitors :—K. J. Beard, D. R. P. Bushby, J. R. W. English, T. A. Brown, H. J. Davies, D. R. Leonard, R. G. L. Griffiths, D. A. Prothero, E. B. James, D. T. Tudge, P. K. Birbeck, G. S. W. Thomas, W. Yates. Heads of Houses :— - H. J. Davies School House - K. J. Beard Castle House J. R. W. English The Hostel - T. A. Brown Tredennyke - E. B. James Chappel House D. A. Prothero Creighton House - K. J. Beard Captain of Football - J. R. Hopkin Secretary of Football - K. J. Beard Captain of Boats D. R. P. Bushby Secretary of Boats - T. A. Brown Captain of Cricket G. S. W. Thomas Secretary of Cricket G. S. W. Thomas Captain of Fives - K. J. Beard Captain of Athletics - J. R. Hopkin Secretary of Atheletics - H. J. Davies Captain of Boxing R. G. Wrigley Captain of Shooting M. R. B. H. Foott Secretary of Shooting - M. A. Beckett Secretary of Swimming - R. G. L. Griffiths Editor of The Vigomian Assistant Editors :—K. J. Beard, J. B. W. Robins, J. E. Rowley, D. T. Tudge, G. Matthews. Librarians - D. T. Tudge, J. B. W. Robins - K. J. Beard Secretary of Art Society Secretary of Literary Society - R. G. L. Griffiths Secretary of Music Society - R. G. L. Griffiths President of Debating Society P. Marshall Secretary of Debating Society - M. J. C. Scoular
December, 1951 SCHOOL CALENDAR.
September 24 Beginning of Term. 30 Music Society. October
13 14 16 20 21 22 23 26 28 29
November 3 4 9 10 11 18 19 24 25 December
Art Circle. Debating Society. Literary Society. Careers Talk by Mr. Young. 1st Industry Report. Music Society. Lecture by Canon Armstrong. Lecture by Mr. Gerald Moore. Careers Talk by Mr. Lyon. Art Circle. Lecture by Mr. Lewis. Debating Society. Literary Society. Field Day. 2nd Industry Report. Music Society. Art Circle. Lecture by Captain Jopp. Debating Society. Literary Society.
1 3rd Industry Report. 2 Music Society. 9 Art Circle. 13 Certificate ' A.' 14 Certificate ' A.' 16 Carol Service. 18 School Dance. 19 Entertainment by Vernon Lee. 20 School Entertainment. End of Term. 21 Boarders Return Home.
SCHOOL NOTES. At the end of last summer term Mr. Harmar left the school. He can, however, rest assured that his services to the school bo{h in the classroom and on the football field have been much appreciated. In the place of Mr. Harmar we welcome Mr. Davidson who has already settled down with us, and we hope, happily. His interest in the school football has already manifested itself and we hope that he will remain with us for many seasons to come. We are very glad to be able to report the recovery of the Chairman of the Governors, the Very Rev. W. E. Beck, from his serious illness of last summer. We sincerely hope that his recovery will be permanent. Following the example of many other schools we have this year joined the Public Schools Advice Bureau. We are certain that this will be of great assistance in the future to those boys who find it difficult to decide their careers. This involves two visits annually, the first of which we had last term from the Director, Mr. Lyon.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
We also announce that Mr. Cash has been appointed Careers Master. He has already been of great assistance to many members of the school, and we are very grateful to him for taking on this difficult task. Because of the vastly increased numbers in the school the two houses, Chappel Junior and Creighton Junior have been abolished in all but name. In their places has been substituted a system whereby all forms below Lower Remove ' A * are completely under the supervision of their Form Masters, aided by a House Monitor.
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a report of this lecture together with the other lectures which we had during the Christmas term will be found elsewhere. On October 17th, members of the Sixth Form visited the Assizes during the morning. The cases during this visit were mainly civil, and the visit proved very interesting and educative. On Thursday October 18th, members of the school were invited to attend a poetry reading under the auspices of Mrs. Kittermaster. The poetry which was read was of a very interesting and varied nature and an enjoyable evening was spent by all present.
Largely owing to the exertions of W. Yates, that much respected magazine The Commentator has been successfully revived under the new nomenclature The Spectator. The magazine which appears in weekly editions in the Reading Room has during the term dealt with an infinite variety of subjects ranging from politics to philately.
On October 23rd, heating in the classrooms was officially put on because of the premature coldness of the weather. It is to be hoped that the coal supply will prove adequate this year, since last year lessons came to a temporary standstill owing to lack of coal.
For his successful efforts in re-establishing AngloGerman relations in sport, the German Amateur Athletic Association have bestowed on Mr. Natan their highest award of honour. At the same time the Senate of Berlin conferred upon him a special ' plaque of honour.' All members of the school will, we feel sure, wish to join in congratulating Mr. Natan on this distinction.
On Monday also a lantern lecture was given by Canon W. Armstrong, who is a member of the school governing board, on the subject of Greek Art between 800 B.C. and 200 B.C. This lecture was much appreciated and was extremely interesting, and we are grateful to Canon Armstrong for taking the trouble to present the slides to us.
Mrs. Kittermaster very kindly purchased six season tickets for the series of concerts which were held in the Public Hall during the Christmas term. The first of these concerts took place on Wednesday, October 10th when Greta Scherzer, the eminent Austrian pianist, played a selection of pieces which included a Toccata by Bach, a Sonata by Schubert and also a Prelude by Prokofiev. Those who attended the concert enjoyed it very much and we are indebted to Mrs. Kittermaster for obtaining the tickets. On Saturday, October 13th., the Debating Society staged a mock election which took place in the Reading Room, five parties being represented. A report of this " Election Campaign " will be found elsewhere, but the meeting was notable for the record attendance of 108. On the following day, His Majesty's Judge of Assize attended service in the Cathedral during the morning and on Monday the fifteenth, the Head Boy, accompanied by his Second in command and the senior King's Scholar, following the traditional custom, petitioned the Judge in a special audience, for a half holiday which request was granted accordingly. The half-day took place on Thursday, October 19th. On October 16th, Mr. Young gave a lecture to the senior school on the subject of " Careers." His talk dealt mainly with industry as a possible future career;
On October 23rd, Mr. Gerald Moor gave a very interesting lecture on piano accompaniment. A full account of this lecture is to be found elsewhere. On Monday October 29th, films were shown by Mr. Lewis on the New Guinea Mission. The films were excellent and they were very much appreciated. The lecture was given twice; the Junior School saw the films in the morning, while the Senior School saw the same films supplemented by a third, in the afternoon. In the evening of October 29th, a party from the school visited Stratford-on-Avon in order to see " Tamburlaine the Great;" an appreciation is given below. On the afternoon of November 7th the editors of The Vigomian paid a profitable visit to the printing works of Messrs. Littlebury & Co., a report of which will be found elsewhere. On the following Friday the termly field day took place. Owing to the abominable weather conditions, the day was completed earlier than is customary. On Remembrance Sunday a contingent from the C:C.F. attended a service in the Cathedral.
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On Saturday, November 17th, members of the school attended the Alice Ottley Dance. We are grateful to Miss Roden for the kind invitations and the Dance was much enjoyed. * z * On Sunday, November 18th a rather unusual occurrence took place: representatives from the school attended a Fisherman's Service in St. John's Church. H. J. Davies was chosen to read one of the lessons. On Monday, the nineteenth, in the afternoon Captain Jopp gave his lecture, entitled ' High Adventure ' and in the evening a visit to Malvern Festival Theatre took place when senior boys saw the Old Vic Company perform ' The Clandestine Marriage.' On Thursday, November 22nd, members of the various school football teams went to Oxford to see Stanley's Match. This match was much enjoyed and we are pleased to see that the visit has become an annual event. On the next day, Friday, fifteen senior members of the school attended a party given by the Dean, the Very Rev. W. E. Beck. May we use this opportunity of again thanking the Dean for this very enjoyable party. On Wednesday November 28th, through the kind efforts of Mr. H. A. Natan, twenty-one members of the Sixth Form were conducted round the Cathedral Library by Sir Ivor Atkins. There were some extremely interesting volumes in this immense library, some being of amazing antiquity. We sincerely hope that this visit will be repeated in the near future. Saturday, December 8th, marked the commencement of O.V. week-end. A large number of O.V.'s arrived in time for the match but unfortunately for them they witnessed the defeat of their side. On Tuesday, December llth, seventy-five members of the school attended the Grammar School's performance of' Macbeth." * * * On Saturday, December 15th, the House Matches were played, School House beating Tredennyke. They had originally been arranged for the previous Wednesday, but were postponed on account of the inclement weather. On December 16th, School Holy Communion was celebrated in the Cathedral; and in the evening the School Carol service took place. On Tuesday, December 18th, the School Dance was held in the College Hall. We are as usual indebted to the many people who were responsible for its organisation and once more we can report its complete success.
December, 1951
On Wednesday, December 19th, Mr. Vernon Lee entertained the School during the afternoon in College Hall. On Thursday, the customary hectic activities associated with the end of the Christmas term took place. These included the Reading Competition in the Morning, lists in the afternoon, and the School Entertainment in the evening. * * * All members of the school, past or present, will be glad to hear that Miss Campbell and Mr Pedder, both of whom underwent serious operations at the end of last term, are now up and about again though still convalescing. We feel sure all will join us in wishing them a full and speedy return to health. For the benefit largely of old boys, we hope, in the next issue of the Vigornian to record some impressions of the recent changes that have taken place in two of the Boarding Houses. Suffice it to say now that the personnel of Choir House have moved under Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to a property in Diglis and known as St. Albans, which name they have now adopted ; and that Tredennyke have left Barbourne and taken over both the buildings and name of Choir House.
O.V. NEWS. J. H. COLES (Castle House, 1937-41), obtained second class Honours in the November 1949 Solicitors' Final Examination (no First class Honours were awarded), and passed out top of the whole county. He is now a partner with Messrs. William Walker of Bradford. J. H. FOLEY (Castle House, 1933-39, is with Messrs. Norris & Gillett solicitors, West Southborne, Bournemouth, as assistant solicitor. His claims to fame are County Tennis colours for, firstly, South Wales and now Dorset, and also Glamorgan County colours for squash. * * * J. R. A. EMBLING, D.S.O., (The Hostel, 1926-31), is now a Group Captain in charge of the Plans' Branch of the Land Tactical Air Force in Germany. He finds it an interesting job since it means travelling to many interesting places. He has recently had a nasty fall from a horse but is now well again. G. S. CLINCH (School House, 1926-31), has joined the Colonial Service and is now Organizing Commissioner for the Scout Movement in Tanganyika Territory. His present address is P.O. Box 945, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika. * * * J. O. C. CHAMPION (The Hostel, 1941-45), was recently ordained in Worcester Cathedral as Deacon of St. Martin's, Worcester.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
637
P. H. B. WOODHOUSE (School House, 1918-26), is now a Housemaster at Peter Symonds School, Winchester.
J. D. FARMER (School House, 1946-51), is now at Mons Officer Cadet School at Aldershot.
A. H. McKENZiE (Castle House, 1939-44), and R. S. MARTINDALE (The Hostel, 1944-47), both play for the same rugger club in Surrey.
A. G. JACKSON (School House 1946-51) is with the Royal West Kents and is hoping to try for a commission. A. GREEN (Creighton House 1948-51) is in the Worcester Regiment, and is stationed at Lichfield.
H. T. R. LOCK (Day Boy, 1926-32), has passed the Final Examination of the Association of International Accountants held in June last. He was awarded the Association's Second Prize and has now been elected an Associate Member. He is engaged upon audit work in the gas industry. * * *
H. M. P. DAVIES (School House 1943-50) is hoping to be posted to Germany shortly.
B. J. SHOVELTON (The Hostel, 1943-46), who went straight from school to Birmingham University, has obtained his B.D.S. in Dentistry.
M. J. MORTON (School House 1943-50) is doing his National Service, and is now stationed in Egypt in a camp half-way between Port Said and Ismailia. Heh as risen to the rank of Corporal.
W. G. MARKS (School House, 1941-44), and J. ZUCK (Creighton House, 1940-46) are both studying Dentistry at Birmingham University, the former being in his fourth year and the latter in his fifth. J. A. CHAKLISH (Day Boy, 1937-42), gave up playing rugger in 1944 as he had a cracked spine, but taking it up again in 1949, he now plays regularly for Wrexham and has had a trial for North Wales. G. C. BRADLEY (School House, and Tredennyke, 1944-48), is now a Pilot Officer in the R.A.F. and training as a Navigator in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Apart from his normal flying duties, he has been fortunate enough to visit New York, Ottawa, and Niagra Falls. P. H. FEUER (Castle House, 1941-45), passed his Finals for an external B.Sc. degree of London University last July and is now engaged as a Production Engineer in a factory at Norton Canes, Nr. Birmingham. J. M. BRUSHFIELD (School House, 1947-49), is now working with a firm of Brokers in London (near Lloyds), and is experiencing some difficulty with ' Rush Hours.' He plays cricket for his local team. J. D. L. GRIFFITHS (School House, 194 -49), has now done a year of his National Service in the R.A.V.C. and is due for ' demob.' on September 9th. A. HAMBLING (School House, 1943-48), is teaching History, English, Geography, and Navigation in H.M.S. Ganges in Sussex. He has played football very successfully for the establishment and has scored a large number of tries. He now commands a regular place in the team.
M. S. LEWIS (Hostel 1944-50) is Camp Librarian at Blandford Camp in Dorset. G. HARTLEY (Chappel House 1943-50) is awaiting transfer to the Intelligence Corps in Italy. D. CARSTAIRS (Dayboy 1933-39) and his wife are to have a holiday this year, which they will not easily forget. They are to leave shortly on a millionaires trip through " Darkest Africa." They have won a Metro-GoldwynMeyer competion in connection with the film of " King Solomon's Mines," the prize for which is an African sight-seeing tour estimated to cost £1,200. G. V. and M. V. THORNE (Chappel, 1944-49) are now in the R.A.P.C. doing their National Service at Waller Baracks, Devizes. They are enjoying army life and find living conditions are of a high standard. K. EVANS (Chappel 1938-45) is teaching at Raine's Foundation Grammar School, London, E.I.
OLD VIGORNIANS' CRICKET CLUB. At the close of our fourth year the Club can look back on a most successful season, not only in the actual results of the matches but also in the enthusiasm and form shown by the players. We have been recognised at last as an " up-and-coming " club in cricketing circles in Worcester and the surrounding districts and this has enabled us to improve our fixture list considerably on previous years. Our fixture list for next season compares favourably with that of any other club in the vicinity and includes such clubs as Cheltenham Harlequins, Droitwich Spa, Malvern, Marie Hill, Pershore, and the Old Elizabethans. A number of matches have also been arranged for the 2nd XI.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Arrangements have been made for members to attend a weekly practice at the Worcestershire C.C.C. Indoor Cricket School in the New Year. The Annual Dance was held again this year at The Cadena on Friday December 7th when we were pleased to welcome our President, Mr. F. R. Kittermaster and his wife, Mr. J. B. Cavenagh, President of the Old Vigornian Club, and his wife, and a large gathering of O.V.s and their friends. The financial position of the Club was further improved by the result of the Christmas Draw, such activities being necessary because our subscriptions are insufficient to cover the heavy expenditure in running the Club. In conclusion we should like to express our appreciation of the efforts of our Ladies' Catering Committee, the Groundsman, our Umpire Mr. P. Stiles, and all those others who have helped us during the last season.
December, 1951
O.V. MARRIAGES. P. G. GWYNN-JONES (Chappel House 1942-45) to Miss Josie^5t. Clair, of Cheyney Walk, London. W. P. PATTERSON (Castle House 1935-39) B.A., D.F.C. at Vancouver, B.C., on the 30th June to Jean Betty Harris, an English girl. O.V. BIRTHS. J. H. FOLLEY (Castle House 1933-39)—to his wife, Anne (nee Hayward Davis) a daughter, Rosemary Anne Hayward. * * * J. H. COLES (Castle 1937-41)—in May 1951, to his wife, Carmel (nee Mather) a daughter (Sarah Shannon). R. B. W. WATERHOUSE (School House 1934-37)—on December 1st, at Borella, Colombo, Ceylon—to his wife, a son (Kenneth Anthony).
SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 1st XI 2nd XI
Played Won Lost Tied Drawn Abandoned . 22 11 4 0 2 5 . 9 2 4 1 0 2 LEADING AVERAGES.
BATTING. Not Innings. Out. Runs. Highest. Average. 384 15 70* 48.00 Burgess, T. H. 174 14 38 17.40 Pirnley, J. P. ... 19 264 16.50 62» Mannion, A. K. 16 232 15.46 48 O'Neill, G. ... 268 12.18 40 Jones, W. F. ... 23 109 9.08 14 28* Smith, N. J. ... * Indicates Not Out.
Jones, W. F. ... Davies, J. W. T. Burgess T. H. Mannion, A. K. Bailey, L. M.... O'Neill, G. ...
BOWLING. Overs Mdns. Runs. 55 19.2 168 27 79.4 1 170 35.5 474 114.4 11 157 57 12 129 396 23
Wkts. Av. 3.93 14 30 5.60 8.50 20 9.12 52 13.08 12 13.20 30
NEW MEMBERS are asked to contact Mr. L. M. Bailey or any other member of the Committee.
O.V. ENGAGEMENTS. H. J. WATSON (Dayboy 1941-48) to Sally Susan Mary Thurgood of King's College Hospital London, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Thurgood of Upton Lovel, Wiltshire.
C. R. MEDLEY (Castle and Dayboy 1944) to Pamela M. Wagstaff.
OBITUARY. FRANK HORATIO REX JACKSON (Day Boy 1914-16) died suddenly on September 3rd, 1951, in Canada at the age of 49. He was a Forest Engineer with the Department of Resources and Development. He leaves a wife and one son. * * * GERALD LANSBURY GORDON NAPIER (The Hostel, 1934-36) died suddenly on 29th October 1951. Napier played for the 1st XI at Cricket and for the 2nd XV at Rugby. To his father, Lt.-Col. T. D. Napier and other members of his family we offer our sincere sympathies.
OXFORD LETTER. To the Editors of " The Vigornian." DEAR SIRS, It is with both satisfaction and regret that we are able to dispense with the apology, now almost inevitable in this column, for not having written an Oxford letter for so long : satisfaction that our predecessors—nay, our senior (contemporaries—did not fail in their duty, regret that by their diligence we are left with but a single term of which to tell. In spite of the fact that the number of O.V's. here has now reached heights unprecedented since the war, we must disappoint those who expect a correspondingly interesting report of our activities. The chance contacts of seven undergraduates, at seven different colleges, reading seven different subjects, are very few, and we are consequently unable to provide those illuminating details and engaging anecdotes which traditionally make up the Oxford letter. Such news as we can give must necessarily be very scanty. Ralph Williams, for instance, who entertained us on two occasions in his rooms at Hertford, declares without any apparent sense of the impropriety of his confession, that he has devoted the term to work. Michael Barker (Oriel) spends not a
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
little time singing, making music generally, and playing rugger for his College; he is thought to read Geography between whiles. Of Richard Rayson (Trinity) we know still less. Following his dramatic successes, reported in the last edition of The Vigornian, it is rumoured that he has taken part in the Experimental Theatre Club's revue. And we know nothing at all of Bernard Mallett (St. Cath's), except that, according to the University List, he is still in residence and that one of us thought he descried him from afar in the turmoil of the Cornmarket. Our three freshmen are Kenneth Laflin (St. Edmund Hall), Brian Nicholas (Worcester) and Michael Adlington, who left the school in 1946 and is now reading Law at Keble; it would appear that a singularly litigious landlady is already giving him practical experience in the career he intends to follow, though he is for the most part the defendant. He has all but spoken in the Union, and should certainly gain a hearing next term. Laflin was seen early in the term struggling round the crosscountry Course; this he found a trifle muddy, and he is now a zealous squash-player. Nicholas finds that walking back from distant parts of Oxford with the remnants of his now proverbial bicycle affords sufficient exercise and removes the necessity of his venturing into the field of competitive sport. A notable event of the term was the visit of Mr. Natan, for which we assembled at Worcester. We imagine it would be superfluous to give an account of this meeting, as our guest no doubt gave members of the school a vivid, (though, we are certain, a strictly accurate) report of the proceedings. Sufficient to say that his visit was very enjoyable. Though not strictly a member of the University, we cannot omit reference to John Arthurs, who is at Culham Training College, a few miles from Oxford. The infrequency of his visits may not be altogether unrelated to the strenuous physical training which he undergoes there. The University as a whole has been subdued throughout the term. Even November 5th passed with comparative calm, largely on account of the weather which made the Proctors buy their victims dearly. We succumbed to the contagious election fever, and party strife waxed fierce. As part of the plan to improve our admittedly inadequate rowing we launched the sixteen-oared 'Leviathan,' heedless of derisive comments from the other place, (jealous, no doubt, of our originality). To the best of our knowledge, four O.V's. are coming up next year, three of whom—Burns, Whitehead and Martin Davies—have visited us during the term. We look forward to their permanent sojourn, and invite any O.V's. who find themselves in or near Oxford to seek us out. With best wishes for the school, and especially for those who will shortly be joining the battle for places here. Yours, OXON.
639
THE NEW ZEALAND LETTER. DEAR SIR, I have noticed with pleasure in recent editions of The Vigornian the re-birth-of those erudite letters from various places of learning whither Old Vigornians go to win further glory in the field of sport and examination. I thought therefore that the pages of your magazine might well contain a letter from a rather unexpected source—a place not of further education in its purely scholastic sense, but rather of further experience in the large and rather terrifying world which awaits us when we leave school. Thus it is with the hope it may prove of some interest to your readers that I pen this first New Zealand letter. I have been out in this country for just three months now, having landed, with 900 emigrants, on June 4th. Having been to an agricultural college, I naturally applied for a post in agriculture and I am working now as a Herd Improvement Officer with the Auckland Herd Improvement Association. The six weeks' voyage out was very pleasant, although an emigrant ship is by no means luxurious. By a strange coincidence, I was in the same cabin as another O.V., M. Thomas of Chappel House, who was going out to fill a similar post. We spent long and pleasant hours discussing the activities of our school-days, especially those on the notorious Malvern train ! We landed on June 4th and after spending six weeks of acclimatisation on farms, the 35 Englishmen who had come out as Herd Improvement Officers, having done their training, were then posted to their areas all over the North Island. I imagine readers would like to know a little about this country and its people, and its climate and prospects of settlement, so I will endeavour to summarize the multitude of impressions which I have gained during these first three months, if only as a help to those members of the Removes and Fifth Forms who are endeavouring, via Mr. Strong, to assimilate a sufficient knowledge of World Geography. This is a very young country—a little over 100 years old—and thus the intending immigrant must be prepared for changes, notably in the density of population and the development of those everyday amenities to which one is accustomed in England. Towns are on the whole small—Auckland, the largest, has a population of only 320,000—and somehow reminiscent of those midwestern American towns familiarised by the cowboy film with wooden shops and covered sidewalks. But the largest cities are well planned, beautiful and spacious. In the country, some areas are thickly populated, but also there are others which are as yet undeveloped. New Zealand is a country rich in natural resources, rich in a variety of scenery, from snow capped mountains to steaming geysers, and with a climate that is (nearly always) equable—warmer and a little drier than in England. The new immigrant will find the people very friendly, and very willing to help him to settle in quickly to his new way of life. The New Zealanders pride themselves on being the most loyal of the Colonials, and this is only natural, for there are few people here who
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December, 1951
As every reader of the fairy tales of Grimm and Anderdid not either come out from England themselves or are more than two generations removed from people who did. sen knows, the way into Cockaigne is paved with oband tribulations of various endurance. Our This is a country with boundless opportunities for the stacles Channel crossing happened on a day which seemed to enterprising, skilled and hard working settler. The have the worst for many years. Gales were blowing natural resources have only just begun to be developed, with been unaccustomed ferocity, a freak thunderstorm was and there is plenty of room for others to follow the example followed a downpour of hail while our boat was of the earlier settlers, who by dint of hard work have tossing thebyforbidding waves like the proverbial nutshell. built for themselves a very prosperous livelihood. Not a single boy was sea-sick and we all braved the storm Ther is no place for those settlers who hope to find an on the upper deck partly because the vista below deck easy time with high wages and little work, and those who reminded the spectator vividly of some of the more come out here are rapidly disillusioned. Wages here ghoulish visions of William Blake's illustrations to are high, and one has to put in a reasonable day's work to Dante's Inferno. earn them. Mighty proud of ourselves we entered the French I have not been able to see much of the country as yet, dining car as conquering heroes to partake of the delights though I intend to travel round as soon as possible. of French cooking. It came as a revelation to watch New Zealanders, especially the young ones, are very Guy Harvey finishing half a bottle of Graves Supe'rieur conscious of the beauties of their country, and make a all by himself and making simultaneously polite conpoint of travelling as much as possible. A five-day week, versation to a stranger of the female variety. Since boys ample annual holidays and a very efficient Government are not only always boys but sometimes aspire to be Tourist Bureau, all help to encourage sightseeing tours. mistaken for men before their time it was amusing to After having seen as much as they want of their own watch the self-assured grandezza of Malcolm Joyner . country, many go on holidays or working tours to ordering some ' fine ' which for those who do not enjoy Australia, Great Britain and Europe; yet another indica- the benefit of H. Fe's. culinary lessons means cognac or tion of the wealth that is to be found everywhere in this brandy. In fact Joyner found ' fine ' so fine that I had country where the standard of living is amongst the to engage a mountain eagle to deviate his attentions to highest in the world. more airy pursuits. But, despite the advantages of this country, there is Since we had junior boys with us for the first time still Home—the Old Country—spoken of with love nobody could stop Brian Jones and Peter Grieves from and reverence by Colonial and immigrant alike. Thus installing themselves in the racks for the night which I shall eagerly await future copies of this magazine, they thought ' simply lush," an adjective which seems bringing news of familiar places, even though the in- to be the fashion in describing everything ravishing on habitants may be new. this year's trip. I could fill several pages with information about this As usual we spent a morning in Chur before termingreat little country, but I feel I have already taken up ating our journey at Bivio. I sometimes wish all parents sufficient of your valuable space. May I hope that this, who facilitate our trips could see the sheer rapture of in the best tradition of boys' magazines, may be con- their boys when discovering slot machines containing tinued in the next issue. 50 different varieties, when sampling whipped cream, or Thus with apologies to those students of Latin who studying the shop windows of confectioners and toy manufacturers. Then Switzerland really becomes were more successful than I, Cockaigne for the residents of the ' Meatless Isles.' I remain, Though snow conditions were rather disappointing yours sincerely, after the surfeit of last winter our boys began their course with tremendous gusto while those who had been out " NOVAE KIWI." (Michael J. Blake, previously justified their claims to be called ' advanced." It is also not surprising that the younger boys proved Creighton House, 1942-45.) far more adaptable to ski-ing than those hardened members of the upper school who might be advanced in spirit but rather stiff and less supple in the hips and A LETTER FROM COCKAIGNE. joints. I think it is rather unfair of any editor residing in the Though we have not yet completed our first week ' Meatless Isles ' to request a report on conditions in some of us have already visited St. Moritz but were the fairyland of Swiss Cockaigne. It is, however, disappointed since the famous Cresta Run race as well positively cruel to have this account written on New as an advertised Anglo-Swiss Ski race had to be Years Day, but the conscientiousness of a foreign abandoned for lack of snow and cold. But we discovered correspondent of The Vigarnian knows even how to move at this amazing mountain resort very attractive caps with mountains of inertia. glaring tassles which we have christened our ' ski-ing This year an expedition of 18 boys went on snow- colours ' and which are bound to become the envy of the safari to explore not only the delights of ski-ing but also cricket, rugger and rowing bloods. the material marvels Switzerland's to offer, a country The New Year was heralded in in the accustomed which has not seen any real war since 1802 but an ever- riotous mood. To while away the time between a increasing prosperity. Worcester Corporation and the gorgeous dinner and the chiming of midnight, a pontoon various maternal institutes were superbly represented by bank was opened while the, junior boys were catching up Mr. and Mrs. Grieves who proved a very great help in some sleep. They were roused after llp.m. to share the smooth management of boys from the age of 12 to in meringues and sweet Italian champagne. When the 18. clock struck the great hour we all sang' Auld Lang Syne"
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
thought of our families and our friends and wished them all a very happy New Year. At this moment the little band of King's felt a strong bond of community. Then we went out into the night to listen to the chimes of the little churches in the valley and to marvel at a magnificient starry sky. When the smaller boys had retired to bed we joined the local youth in wine and sing-songs while Michael Lampitt and Victor Coxhill whisked away to the next hotel to enjoy the company of two friends whose acquaintance they had made while tumbling over the nursery slopes. Here the chronicle comes to an end. But I can assure your readers that we are all having a grand time invigorating body and mind to enable us to face the tribulations of another term. H.A.N.
THE CAROL SERVICE. College Hall was filled almost to capacity for the School Carol Service, which took place on Sunday, December 16. It was an interesting occasion, as it marked the first performance of the school choir under its new musical director, Mr. West. For ten years it has been the custom to augment the choir with a few adult voices, especially contraltos; the problem of finding boys who can sing adequatly in this register is a notorious one among those who organize school choirs. Mr. West is to be congratulated on his boldness in deciding to select the choir entirely from the school, two or three members of the staff were the only additions. On the whole, the effect was very satisfying, and the choir blended well. The trebles showed a slight lack of precision when singing top and above; the altos, though weak, managed to hold their own. The programme consisted of carols sung by the choir, hymns sung by the whole assembly, and a group of carols by the madrigal group, led by Dr. Sinclair Logan. The choir's contribution was a pleasing blend of the familiar and the less known : such perrenials as ' Good Christian Men Rejoice,' ' A Virgin Unspotted ' and ' A Child This Day is Bom' were combined with Vaughan Williams' ' Snow in the Street," Sidney Nicholson's vigorous setting of ' Welcome Yule,' and a 17th century carol ' Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sang.' The Madrigal Group sang with exquisite refinement of quality and timing. Dr. Logan had arranged the oft-abused ' Silent Night' into a truly attractive carol.
641
END OF TERM ENTERTAINMENT, 1951. This year, the entertainment consisted of five short sketches of the usual farcical nature which one always associates with this end of term function. From the freely-given applause it may be assumed that everybody, from the Governors at the front to the junior members of the school at the back, enjoyed the entertainment thoroughly. Those taking part must be congratulated on the good standard of diction and general finish displayed throughout. The sketches, in brief outline, were as follows :— In the " Night Porter," we were shown the romantic adventures of handsome Tom Marshall with the alluring Miss Beckmann, the whole being suitably commented upon by Mr. Wilson as the night porter. The second sketch was an old favourite " Mrs. Hamblett records her Vote," showing convincingly the trials of the polling officials who have to deal with people like the Headmaster as Mrs. Hamblett and Miss L. D. Forward as Gertie, her faithful daughter. In " Q," the third sketch we learn how George Gnoof, played with suitable naivety by H. J. Davies is swindled out of £100 by Jack Annerley (J. E. Rowley). The only emotion this seemed to arouse was pity for George. Sketch number four, entitled " Waiting for the Train," deals with the abortive attempts of a typical cross section of the community, found in a station waiting room, to remove a pot from the head of a certain young Tommy. This proved entertaining after all attempts to discover the origins of the dialects perpetrated by the various members of the cast had been abandoned. The last sketch " A Collection will be Made0' was obviously the ptice de resistance and proved a fitting conclusion to the evening's proceedings. The headmaster's portrayal of a simple English country Vicar on the Riviera was magnificent. The audience gave special applause to Miss Forward as Mrs. Anstruther, and the rest of the cast acquitted themselves well, Messrs. Wilson and Ferrar making a convincing pair of rogues, and Mr. Knight as Colonel Anstruther an excellent retired Colonel. In conclusion, all who came to be entertained did not go away disapointed. E.B.J.
HOUSE NOTES. The large congregation joined readily and heartily in the singing of five or six of the best known Christmas hymns. The choir sang some highly effective descants to these, though one felt they would have been distinctly more impressive had they been confined to one or two verses only of each hymn. The Headmaster read the first lesson and conducted the prayers, and the Head boy, K. J. Beard, read the second lesson. The whole service was a most enjoyable occasion, and the choir and Mr. West are to be congratulated on their performance. We look forward eagerly to his handling of a large-scale work. K.W.L.
SCHOOL HOUSE. MONITORS : H. J. Davies, R. G. L. Griffiths, G. S. W. Thomas, J. E. Rowley, J. B. W. Robins, R. G. Wrigley, H. F. Bennett, P. Marshall. Since the purpose of these notes is that they should be distinctive it would probably be an affront to other houses to claim hard work as a virtue unique to ourselves. This term is not one which grants immediate rewards for industry, but we hope that by the time this magazine is issued people will have been satisfied by the comments on their reports. One main triumph has been on the football field. For the statistically minded we had at one time during the term nine members of the house playing for the 1st.
642
THE VIGORNIAN.
December, 1951
XV; seven of them were eventually awarded their colours, and of these, two achieved the exclusive honour of being awarded caps. That our football experts have been recognised solely for their proficiency is demonstrated by their victory in the house rugger* competition, when they engaged in two deadly combats without the captain, Thomas.
House by two points and in the latter to School House by three points. In the senior section we were third. Mention must be made of the fine performance of Hopkin in the Middle section. He obtained four School records, which was a great achievement and well worthy of congratulation. Beard won the mile and therefore put another cup on our shelf.
In C.C.F. activities the house has once more shown its military aptitude. We boast a substantial supply of N.C.O's. of various ranks and ability. A new adjutant from Norton Barracks did not prevent our Certificate ' A ' candidates from showing a 100% record of success.
As newboys this term we welcome Bray, Jones, Parsons, and Howie, while Ingham, Boroughs, and Pierson joined us from Choir House.
Of the societies, the Debating Society has proved easily the most popular thanks to Marshall and Scoular our energetic President and Secretary. They have presented several outstanding attractions which have drawn record gates to the Reading Room. On. Friday evenings also the healthy sprinkling of School House talent has helped to rejuvenate the Sixth Form Club. As the festive season drew ominously nearer, the house took to energetic forms of decorating. Besides the usual mass of multi-coloured paper slung across the ceilings, the washing of walls and the polishing of floors was attempted with vigour. Although water and greasy polish can no doubt easily arouse the animal instincts of the junior members, this spring clean should do much to answer the dayboys' criticism that the boarders live like barbarians. Two loyal members with long service behind them, in Marshall and Bowen, will have left us at the end of the term; the latter has taken up farming whilst the former has won an Open Scholarship to Dartmouth, and our especial good wishes for the future therefore go with him. Our Christmas greetings would seem misplaced at the time of issue and we will therefore hope that they have been communicated by other means than through this magazine. # * # CASTLE HOUSE. MONITORS : K. J. Beard, D. R. P. Bushby, D. R. Leonard, P. C. Sheppy, J. R. Hopkin, G. M. Y. Powell. May we begin by congratulating Beard and Bushby on being appointed Captain and vice-Captain, respectively, of the School, also Hopkin and Powell on being appointed House Monitors. We are well represented in the rugger XV's. Beard, Bushby, Hopkin, and Sheppy are all regular members of the 1st XV. and have their colours. Ingamells represents us in the 2nd XV while we have eight members of the junior XV's. In the house matches we reached the semi-final, then losing to School House who were the eventual winners. In the Summer Term we kept up the House rowing tradition by winning the Senior IV's cup again and Beard won the Senior sculling cup for us. In the Athletic sports we were very unfortunate in both the Middle and Junior sections. In the former we came second to Chappel
It is encouraging to notice that Castle House now has the three senior N.C.O's. in the C.C.F. As a result of Certificate ' A ' Hopkin, Powell, Ingamells, and Gleave passed Part II while four other members of the House passed Part I. In conclusion we would like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Sheppard and Matron for all they have done for the House this term and may we wish them a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
THE HOSTEL. MONITORS : J. R. W. English, E. R. Vines, M. B. Sykes, P. F. W. Hargrave, D. R. Mills, W. E. Coxhill. We congratulate D. R. Mills and W. E. Coxhill on their appointment as House Monitors. This term we have increased our numbers to 32, which is the highest they have ever been in the history of the House. We warmly welcome our new-boys. Thomas came from Choir House and Bridgstock, Henderson-Nichol, Hayden, Lowson, and Jones were complete newcomers who have settled down and displayed their abilities in work and sport very well. The latter two are also King's Scholars. It is with reluctance that we say good-bye to J. P. Grainger who is to continue his education at Southampton Technical College. Congratulations to D. R. Mills on being awarded his 2nd XV Rugger colours. Besides him we have two other members of the 2nd XV and also five members of the Colts XV's. Our candidates for the General Certificate Examinations were very successful and we wish similar good luck to those that have taken it this term. Our Certificate ' A ' candidates have achieved great success and for the second consecutive time we have had no failures in these examinations. The illness of Mr. Peddar has caused us much anxiety butjve are now relieved to hear that he is making satisfactory progress. Once more Mr. Carlyle has readily undertaken the duties of Housemaster. Everyone will be very glad to see Mr. Peddar back with us fully restored to health in the near future. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking Matron for her work in maintaining the good health of the House throughout the term. All that remains for us to do is to wish Mr. & Mrs. Peddar, Mr. Carlyle, and all members of the House a very happy Christmas.
December, 1951
643
THE VIGORNIAN.
TREDENNYKE. MONITORS : T. A. Brown, J. R. D. Pringle, J. Verity. We congratulate J. Verity on his appointment as a House Monitor. The new-boys whom we welcomed to the house this term included D. H. Slack and D. A. Pickering from Dayboy Houses and A. J. Bufton and T. R. Potter from Choir House. We also welcomed A. J. Moody, N. J. Wood, and J. D. Schute all of whom were new to the school. As far as football is concerned we can pride ourselves on having had representatives in all five XV's. J. R. G. Pringle must be congratulated on getting his 2nd XV colours. In the House matches we deserved credit for getting into the final where we were beaten by the worthy cup winners, School House. Our seven successful candidates for Certificate ' A ' Parts I & II must be congratulated and we now have hopes of seeing several N.C.O's. from the House in the near future. With the advent of our leaving our present lodgings in Barbourne for Choir House this seems a good opportunity to express our hitherto silenced opinions in this magazine. Though the House is of comparatively new birth we feel that a certain amount of sentiment has struck deep into its roots which we hope will spread further when we become an integral part of the life of College Green. Over the past four years of our existence there has been a fivefold increase of our numbers which originally stood at seven and we are now credited with eleven O.V's. There are, of course, many things that we shall miss as the result of the move notably the neighbouring swimming pool and playing field but on the other hand there are many obvious advantages. We welcome Mrs. Wright, our new Matron, at the beginning of what has been for her an unusually busy term in the way of injuries and illness and we are all deeply grateful for the sympathy and kindness she has shown. It is usual at the end of the Christmas term notes to wish. everyone an enjoyable Christmas but taking this for granted we would finally like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Wright for the watchful eye they have kept over the industry, catering, and health of the House.
CREIGHTON HOUSE. MONITORS : D. A. Prothero, M. J. Senter, M. E. J. Stokes, E. O. Bishop, N. E. Bolton, J: M. Yarnold, D. C. H. Spink, J. S. Rippier. We returned at the beginning of the Winter Term to discover that we had a new House Master. We deeply regret the loss of so admirable and conscientious a House Master as Mr. Cash, for though he had been with us only a year we had grown to appreciate his untiring efforts on behalf of the House. May we here and now thank him and hope that we did not cause him too much trouble. However despite this serious loss we were fortunate in gaining a worthy successor to him in Mr. Ferrar who has already been of great assistance to us in many ways.
This term there were only S3 members of the house considerably less than usual since we have had no influx from our junior counterpart. This is very satisfactory since the house is more compact and gives us a larger proportion of senior boys. We should like to congratulate Bolton and Langford on being awarded their 1st XV colours, and Joyner and Colman their 2nd XV colours. In the House Matches we were drawn to play Castle House. During the first half the game was very equal, both teams gaining three points but in the second half, J. D. Jones suffered an injury to his ankle and was carried off the field. After this setback the Castle House team with their substitute managed to score and convert against our depleted side, thus winning eight points to three. We would have liked to wish our House Master and all members of the House a merry Christmas, but since this edition of the magazine does not appear until a highly problematical date in the Spring Term our efforts although commendable would be rather belated. So we will restrict ourselves and merely try to remember to make the seasonal greetings in the Summer Term.
CHAPPEL HOUSE. MONITORS : E. B. James, D. T. Tudge, P. K. Birbeck, W. Yates, G. Matthews, M. A. Beckett, C. Rigg. The beginning of the term was marked by a change of house master Mr. R. D. Knight succeeding Mr. N. E. Dilks. In this small space it is impossible to pay sufficient tribute to Mr. Dilks. To most of us, at least those still at school, he is the only house master we remember. His qualities are firmly imprinted on our minds and more appreciated in our estimation. His patient, unassuming manner towards repentant delinquents or stupid seekers of advice is well-known. At the first house-meeting we were surprised not to see Mr. Dilks appear. But, straightway, Mr. Knight gave us confidence in the " new management." He has a mathetician's keen, caustic and facetious humour and a delightful insight into our hidden foibles. No ex-Chappellian may be concerned about our future progress. But to descend the pyramid of the house. As House Captain we have E. B. James; as Vice-Captain D. T. Tudge. Both, with P. K. Birbeck, and W. Yates have been appointed school monitors M. A. Beckett and C. Rigg are now senior monitors; G. Matthews remains steadfast at that much respected grade. In examination results we have done no less than other houses, though the unsurpassed industry of the House is still envied by rival savants. On the rugger field we have surrendered one of our cups, but only after a spirited fight against bad health and our much boosted opponents. K. J. Smith, an excellent full-back, was unable to play. P. K. Birbeck and M. A. Beckett were troubled with heavy colds. Sometimes a defeat is more glorious than a victory. This was never more true on Saturday, December ISth.
644
THE VIGORNIAN.
On the same day, (or rather night) the senior section of the House assembled for an end-of-term party. The Reading Room had been decorated with remarkable success by those in charge of dtcor; the food collected and arranged with artistic symmetry. We began by playing a few games after which food and drink soon renewed our expended energy. The bar-tenders saw that no more than a decent amount of cider was drunk by the non-teetotalers. They also supplied orange squash for the modest to consume surreptitiously. The party ended with a selection of popular songs. We must thank Mr. Knight for making it a success and dealing so ably with the difficulties which arose. In conclusion we apologise to those discontented with our meagre information and wish them together with all our other readers a traditional Christmas.
RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES. When one read the prospects for the Rugby Football season in the last edition of The Vigomian the impression one gained was that this year, with such promising material available, the school would almost certainly produce a really good fifteen. This prospectus was as exact an account of the material available as one could wish for in any circumstances. This year we had a fifteen which contained some of the best Rugby material the school has produced for some time, and it still remains a mystery to many concerned why this material could not be blended into a polished team. The Rugby Characters give one an ample view of the intricacies of the various players. These Characters themselves show that there is material of good calibre in a side that does not do its players justice. When good players and hard practice are balanced against the list of losses it becomes obvious that one or two aspects of the game are not perfected enough by the team as a whole to enable them to really settle down to a hard game in which they could allow team-work to find the " touch-downs " and to produce the attractive play, that should be expected from a school such as ours. One of the main troubles with the side this year was that we had no outstanding wing-forwards to combat the weighty fast centres that opposed them. Linked with this grave fault was the inability to find a good full-back who with positioning and speed could have saved the side time and time again. Another sign of the inferior defence in the centre was the slow-mindedness and slow breaking of the forwards, some of whom were completely lost and uncomfortable in the open. Corner-flagging •was good but the sense of urgency in the forwards often did not exist and caused the team many more difficulties than were necessary. Although tackling was determined it was not hard enough for a really good defence. This inability was largely responsible for the losses against Dean Close and Trinity College, Oxford. In attack, line-out work was often very good, but some of the forwards must learn to time their jumps correctly. Forward rushes were often impressive, but on too many
December, 1951
occasions the side defeated its own ends in this respect by slow thinking. Many a try was missed through a forward passing towards touch rather than into the centre. The scrummaging was frankly rather bad especially in the tight. The school gained perhaps eighty per cent of the strikes but invariably lost the ball through clumsy feet or held it up making the work of the scrum half distinctly uncomfortable. As we have no natural scrumhalf in any of the school teams except perhaps the Under 14's, this was especially noticable in the fifteen when the scrum-half was unable to make up for the bad heeling of the forwards. The school this year had a really excellent stand-off half and it was a pity that neither he nor his proficient comrades outside him were able to play as they might had they received the ball quicker through and from the During the season the XV have played some very good football and it is encouraging to note that the fight was as hard when the last whistle blows as at the beginning The team this year was in perfect training, not on any occasion meeting its match in fitness though on too many occasions our opponents were better players man for man, being faster and more polished. We look forward with interest to the developments next term. In the past the best football invariably is produced in the Easter term. KJ.B. SEASON 1951—52. The following were awarded their caps for the season :—• Thomas, G. S. W. Bennett, H. F. The following were re-awarded their colours for the season :—• Lowes, P. R. Beckett, M. A. Birbeck, P. K. The following were awarded their colours for the season :— Hopkin, J. R. Cosgrove, T. M. Scoular, M. J. C. Sheppy, P. C. Bolton, N. E. Langford, P. L. C. Wrigley, R. G. Van Ryssen, I. Bushby, D. R. P. Marshall, P.
LOST LOST 5—22
10th Magdalen Col. Sch.
3—6 Bloxham
LOST
15th House Matches won by School House.
WON 6—3
Sat.
H
...
3—3 W.R.G.S. 3—8
DRAW
LOST H 0—20
A
8th Old Vigornians
...
DECEMBER Wed. 5th Hereford
Bromsgrove LOST A 0—20 Hereford ...
Cancelled
WON 13—3 Bromsgrove
Sat.
...
24th. W.R.G.S. ...
Sat.
Wed. 28th. Bloxham
17th Trinity College
Sat.
Wed. 14th
Sat.
LOST
... H 6—11
27th Cheltenham College Cancelled
...
NOVEMBER Sat. 3rd Bromsgrove Col. Sch.
Sat.
Wed. 24th Ellesmere
20th Dean Close ...
Sat. ...H
Dean Close
13th.
Sat.
2nd XV 'A A ' XV XV versus Belmont Abbey
1st XV
Wed. 10th
OCTOBER
LOST
Dean Close H
3—8
LOST
21—5 Sebright ...
WON
0—6
H 14—3
WON
LOST
WON
Bloxham ...
LOST
6—9
LOST
0—6
LOST
0—29
LOST
LOST 9—8
Bloxham
19—3 W.R.G.S.
WON
WON
DRAW 0—0
LOST H 0—24
11—3 Down's School A 0—8
WON
... H 35—0 W.R.G.S. . . . A
A
3—0 Down's School H
WON»
Magdalen ... Cancelled
41—3 Bromsgrove
WON
LOST
Under 14 Bromsgrove ...A
Belmont Abbey A 16—3
0—3 Hereford ... H
LOST
Colts
Dean Close A 0—14 Hereford
Cancelled Bloxham... Cancelled Sebright
A
3rd XV
LOST LOST 3—28 Bromsgrove A 12—13
RESULTS.
s
§
I—I
O o
w
VO Cn
646
THE VIGORNIAN.
CHARACTERS OF THE XV. Captain : BEARD, K. J. (Forward), a good big forward who played really well once he had grown used to the responsibility of captaincy; leads the forwards more easily by example then by voice. BENNETT, H. F. (Forward), played some very good games, notably against the W.R.G.S. A sound forward in the loose, sensible in the open, and good in the liner out. BECKETT, M. A. (Forward), hooked well throughout the season but did not receive enough support in the set scrums for this to prove effective. LANGFORD, P. L. (Forward), played better as the season advanced becoming a solid scrummager; lasts well and has a good tackle. SCOULAH, M. J. C. (Forward), a bustling forward with considerable dash but slow and sometimes heedless in the open. BUSHBY, D. R. P., (Forward), a good front row forward with a powerful physique, unfortunately prevented from playing at the busiest part of the season. COSGROVE, T. M. (Forward), had an uncomfortable time at first when he returned to the scrum after a season outside but has now settled down and should become a valuable member of next year's side. WRIGLEY, R. G., (Forward), had a varied career, originally being chosen as a centre three-quarter, he did not settle down in this position but latterly played some really good games as a wing-forward. BIRBECK, P. K., (Scrum Half), had a good season at scrum half where the bad heeling left him continually over-run. He is a courageous player but tends to pass inaccurately. THOMAS, G. S. W., (Stand-off), an able stand-off half but most unfortunate throughout the season in seldom being in a position to show his ability as the slow heeling prevented this; a powerful kicker. HOPKIN, J. R. (Right Wing), a wing threequarter of considerable thrust and good in defence; should be invaluable next year if he can improve his handling. BOLTON, N. E. (Right-centre), a promising centrethree quarter with a noticeable turn of speed, his weakness lies in clumsy handling; his defence improved enormously during the season. LOWES, P. R. (Left-centre), a talented centre-threequarter with a quick appreciation. He has a good cut-through, but frequently nullifies its value by holding on too long; a good place-kicker. SHEPPY, P. C. (Left wing), came into the side late in the season and played some very courageous games; his falling and tackling were continually sound though he lacks pace for a wing threequarter. MARSHALL, P. (Full-back), has played consistently through the season but as a full-back lacks speed and positional sense; has tackled well at times always falls bravely and has a good kick.
December, 1951
CRICKET PROSPECTS. As we look out towards the school playing fields and see nothing but a muddy expanse of flood water or a series of small lakes dismal reminders of recent heavy rains, the prospects of playing any kind of game receed deeply into the background and cricket becomes quite a thing of the past. So it is with some difficulty and almost indifference that we ask ourselves " Well, are there any cricket prospects ?" We begin to think; and slowly but inevitably (for strong is the spirit of cricket) visions of white flannels, sunny days, and sixes into the County Ground come trickling back until the trickle becomes a flood and we are back again with the cricket season. We wax optimistic, and decide that after all we may play cricket again some day. We delve into last season's record and decide that the prospects are certainly good— we should, once again, win practically every match ! We notice for instance, that there will be at least six old colours to call upon; we observe, with satisfaction, that at least half of last year's 2nd XI is still there and we finally remind ourselves that the Colts were a most promising body of cricketers. Yes, it all comes back, we can even remember that the field was not too good, and gently remind ourselves that we must certainly put that right. And of course the length of the. . . . But there we must stop. We do not wish to recapitulate last season's editorial on the subject of ' Our Shortcomings and " Ifs".' Let us ponder instead on the pleasures and enjoyment cricket can give. L.M.B. ROWING PROSPECTS. It looks as though we will not suffer the usual penalty for last year's good season, as only two from each IV have left and we shall have ten still who have represented the school. There are many more who performed at the school regatta, which was run entirely and extremely well by K. J. Beard, who remains as Captain. There is, in fact, an increasing number of boys who evidently enjoy the river, enough not to begrudge the time spent there; and so we can be hopeful for the coming season. As a boy, after my first year rowing, I burst forth naively with an article on the unimportance of racing— it was soon apparent that such a view was heterodox; but now I think I can repeat it without fear of being misunderstood for I am more and more convinced that our aim on the river should be first, second and third, good and pleasurable rowing for its own sake and that racing is but the spice added to bring out the flavour— omit it and the meal is flat and dull—overdo it and expect a bad taste in the mouth. As long as we pursue such a course, success will come of its own and in a generous measure. R.H.F.C. FIVES' PROSPECTS. Prospects for the next Fives' season, Spring term 1952, are reasonably good as we have three members of the four left. Unfortunately we have lost our last season's captain, A. G. Jackson, whose familiar voice could be heard some distance away from the courts, gently chiding us for standing against the wall or for not watching the ball.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
Nevertheless we hope that we have remembered his advice, and also that when the time comes, we will be able to put it'into effect. Last season we started playing with slightly different rules which we will continue to use this confing season, and it is to be hoped that boys using the Fives' courts will discover these minor changes. Perhaps the most important of these new rules is that the person who is down is allowed to throw up the ball for himself, thus ensuring that the ball bounces suitably for the striker. The fixture list will be the same as last year with the addition of a fixture with the London Jester Club. G.S.W.T. ATHLETIC PROSPECTS. The athletic activities now take place in the summer term owing to the regular havoc wrought by the floods on the playing fields in the Easter term. This move caused the triangular fixture with the W.R.G.S. and the Crypt School to be cancelled; consequently we now have to look further afield for schools with which to compete. If a suitable opponent is found we should be able to produce a very formidable team, for there is not a single event, with the possible exception of the long jump and the hurdles, in which we cannot produce a very capable entry both in the senior and junior teams. K.J.B. HOCKEY PROSPECTS. Once again Hockey is to be played in the Easter term. Until Football finishes on March 1st there will be only one active group consisting of boys who either have not got a game of rugger or do not play it at all. However, when the Football season finishes, three hockey groups will be formed. By the interest shown throughout the school, we should be able to look forward to some very enjoyable games. A» an added advantage this year, Mr. Curie has obtained the assistance of two other members of the staff, so that boys will be sure of both games and coaching. D.H.S. PASSBALL. The lack of suitable apparatus and the continuous interruptions from other spheres of sporting activity, curtail, in no small degree, the playing of passball in the Christmas term. There was however no lack of interest or keeness in the few games which did take place under the auspices of C.S.M. Barratt. Unfortunately this keeness developed a rather disconcerting tendency towards rough play which must be discouraged. For passball is essentially a game demanding skill in inter-passing and positioning, rather than the use of weight and size. In order that passball should be enjoyed by all its participants, it is essential to bear in mind the fact that the ball should be played and not the man. We hope that this will be borne in mind next term, when it is hoped that an inter-house competition will take place and that there will be fixtures with other schools.
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BOXING NOTES. The successive " solid foundations " laid down over the last few years do not appear to have been extended to higher parts of the school. We know that this is due partly to the importance of other games, but there are opportunities to box in the evenings if necessary, and I am inclined to believe the lack of response is due to a dislike of being hurt. Nobody will deny that boxing was originally a means to an end, to knock out your opponent, but other aspects of the sport can and should be emphasised. Finally it is quite futile to think of having contests with other schools until the heavier boys show some interest. At the moment the heaviest boxer is between nine and ten stone. We have two or three dozen smaller boys but none of them weigh more than seven stone. If we are to ask other schools for contests it is essential that we have at least half a dozen boys weighing between nine and eleven stone. H.J.D. C.C.F. NOTES. The annual camp this year was held at Pirbright, Surrey, which is in the Eastern Command. Every five years the various contingents are given the choice either of staying in their own area or going to another and it was decided this year that the corps should go to the Guards' Depot. The school sent the largest contingent at the camp consisting of 150 cadets and because of our numbers we were fortunate in being quartered in huts, not only because of the pleasanter living conditions but also because the tents of several other contingents were washed away in a downpour of rain. The training areas were also within easy marching distance so that no one suffered unduly from sore feet. The ranges were also situated near the camp as a great deal of our training was in shooting .303. The N.C.O's. and Senior Cadets also had an opportunity of firing a Bren Gun. This is the first time that any cadet has been able to fire this L.M.G. for a long time and everyone who used it was suprised to find what an easy weapon it is to fire. A Drill Competition was organised and sincere congratulations must be accorded to our representative platoon who achieved the honour of winning it. We must also congratulate C.S.M. Barratt on his success in training the squad, and C.S.M. Bulrnan on drilling it. The Guards provided many excellent infantry displays in the field and at the end of the last day the Scots Guards' Pipe Band marched on to the square in their full regimentals. The camp next year is being held at Penrhos, N. Wales from July 29th—August 6th. Field Day, this term, was on November 9th which was fine, but unfortunately the preceding day had been extremely wet, consequently the ground was so muddy that we were unable to carry out the usual scheme of attack and defence. Instead, the various platoons were given that extra practical work which is necessarily absent from the Saturday parades. A party of thirty-three cadets were present for the Remembrance Parade on Sunday November llth and in spite of Field Day two days before the turn-out was of a high standard.
THE VIGORNIAN.
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The following promotions were made at the beginning of the term :— Sgt. Bushby to A/C.S.M. Cpl. Brown to Sgt. L/Cpls. to Cpls. English Wrigley Smith, K. J. Tudge Secular Griffiths Sykes Prothero Rigg, B. Sheppy Beckett Davies Birbeck James, F. W. Scurfield Cadets to A/L/Cpls. Cox, J. B. D. Hargrave Yarnold Marshall Rowley We congratulate the following cadets on passing Certificate ' A ' Part I. Andrews, M. S. Baker Bills Chadwick Clarke, C. Evans, V. G. Glynne-Jones Hartley Hill, P. E. Hughes, .C. P. Hunt King, A. R. King, J. R. Masters Mills Parry Rippier, E. Robinson Rowley, R. L. Scriven Shouler Slinn Thomas, G. S. W. Stephens Trigg Vincent and the following cadets on passing Part II :— Beckman Bishop, E. O. Colman Cook Gleave Gorin Hopkin, J. R. Ingamells Joyner Jones, J. D. Langford Lampitt Lloyd Pringle Powell Stokes Padden Vines Verity Williams, E. F. In the Part I examination all but three candidates passed and in Part II 21 out of 31 were successful. D.R.P.B.
SHOOTING. The results speak for themselves. This term has been the best for the Shooting VIII on record. When the term started we had only one member, left to us from the last year's VIII, so a new team had to be built. After about two weeks of trials the eight most outstanding members were selected as the ' new-look ' team. We had now a week left for practice, before the rather exhausting match season started. Our first match was with Sebright School. This being the first serious test of the team, the whole team
December, 1951
was rather anxious as to our strength, but the score of 741 was far more than we had dared to hope for, and served to incite us to ' greater things." (This score was the highest on record at the time, but it was even beaten no less than four times during the remainder of the term. The record now stands at 756 against Rugby School.) After we had got over our nerves, we went ahead, the scores increasing as the season progressed. The success of the VIII is due to two reasons, firstly constant practice and intelligent coaching, secondly, team spirit. In shooting the best shot is the man who learns the fundamental rules, and then finds his own most natural and comfortable position for firing. Team spirit, on the other hand, is obtained by everybody working together with one aim in view, to win, but frequently a joke on the range, immediately before a match, is more valuable than a conference. Conferences should be held in a classroom, not on the field of action ! Of the team themselves, Beard, Bushby, and Sheppy from Castle House shot very well, 96's, 97's, 98's, being obtained at will, or so it seemed. Their poorer scores were due to ' hurrying ' : shoot one match before you go off to make another. J. S. Rippier and M. J. Keating, the dayboy representatives, could always be relied on for their fair share of points., with Rippier's individual score in the Staniforth being the grand finale to an excellent season. From School House the captain and secretary shot a good quarter of the match results, both showing up well in the total match averages. To finish with the characters, we come to Sykes of the Hostel. His shooting generally was good, but if erratic at times he kept up the team's morale with some wellchosen remarks. I think we should give a word of explanation as to our failure in the Staniforth Cup, pur former scores being much higher, one actually beating the winner's total of 754. The match was shot on a dull misty day with a sprinkling of rain, not very helpful to shooting. This was most unfortunate, as the next day, on which we could have shot, was sunny. However it was just' one of those things.' The .303 prospects for the summer are most encouraging, firstly we have the whole team left except for Fifield, secondly, there are at least ten members who could get into the team with a little luck, being nearly up to the standard of the VIII. Thirdly Lt.-Col. Sheppard and C.S.M. Barratt have procured about twelve first class rifles with Paker-Hale Competition sights. And finally shooting will be an alternative to cricket or rowing for a limited number of boys. Our .22 fixtures for next term are very attractive, including such teams as Eton, Harrow and R.N.C. Dartmouth. If the same spirit prevails as that of this term we could win all these matches. Finally the whole VIII would like to thank Lt.-Col. Sheppard and C.S.M. Barratt for their advice and coaching, without which we could not have done so well. Also Lieutenants Bailey, Thomas and Cash for witnessing our matches : a most uninteresting job.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
Captain :— R. G. Wrigley. Secretary :— M. R. B. H. Foott. The VIII :— R. G. Wrigley M. R. B. H. Foott K. J. Beard D. R. P. Bushby J. S. Rippier M. B. Sykes M. S. Keating P. C. Sheppy Also shot:— Van Ryssen Richards, D. G. Stevens, K. B. Results for the term :— Shot Won Drawn Lost 12 11 0 1 N.S.R.A. (Small Tin Hat targets). Opponents For Against Result 717 Won Sebright 741 719 Won Wolverhampton Grammar School 721 683 Won Monkton Coombe 750 740 Won Rugby School 756 720 Won King Edward's School, Birmingham 740 713 Malvern College 750 Won 692 Won Dean Close 750 In the Staniforth Cup we were placed 17 out of 70 with 732. J. S. Rippier came fifth in the Individual Competition. Country Life Competitions. Opponents For Against Result Cranleigh 603 574 Won Shrewsbury'. 645 615 Won Bloxham 626 642 Lost Oundel 644 594 Won Button Vallence 674 631 Won Averages :— R. G. Wrigley... M. R. B. H. Foott Rippier Bushby Beard Sykes Keating. Sheppy Richards Stevens Van Ryssen
Country Life N.S.R.A. . 87.17 96.15 . 77.19 92.33 83.67 95.15 81.13 92.75 80.33 93.75 79.33 90.0 78.6 92.25 76.8 92.75 92.0 76.25 80.0 — 89.0
RED CROSS. This term has shown an increase of six in members all of whom are juniors, and will we hope carry on the running of the detachment when the present seniors leave. Although, on account of his job, Mr. Cook is still unfortunately kept from giving us lectures, the senior members have ably taken his place, and the cadets have shown an increasing interest and efficiency for which they deserve congratulations. Only one of our members was able to take the Society exams in October which he passed with a mark of 93% This lack of entries was due to the inability of other members to attend the medical lectures which are held at the Presbyterian Church Hall.
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We finish these notes by reminding our new members that they will only get as much out of being a member of the Society as they put into it and we hope that they will take this to heart. J.C.
MUSIC SOCIETY. During the Christmas Term the Society was fortunate in being able to hold four meetings and the attendance at all these meetings showed that the popularity of the Society is in no way dimished. At the beginning of term, D. H. Slack very kindly presented the Society with some records for which we are very grateful and which will be a valuable asset to those we already have. On account of the fact that the first meeting of the term had been arranged for the corresponding Sunday, it was found impossible to formulate a programme at such short notice with the result that our first meeting was in the nature of a " record " evening during which members of the society selected records which were then played. Much discrimination took place during the selection, and the evening was spent very profitably and enjoyably. At our next meeting, our Director of Music, Mr. West, gave a very interesting musical lecture with particular reference to Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor. After the lecture the first movement of the concerto was played on records provided by Mr. West. At the third gathering of the term, Mr. West again took upon himself the task of entertaining us and he gave us an educative lecture on the origin of the nocturne which apparently sprang from John Field and was made famous by Chopin. After these explanations, he played nocturnes by both Field and Chopin and completed the programme with one of Mendelssohn's " Songs Without Words." At our last meeting, we found ourselves firmly ensconsed in the recesses of the Cathedral Nave listening to a very expert organ recital by Mr. West which included works by Corelli, Handel and Bach. This unique form of entertainment for the society was very much appreciated by the Society and we hope that it will be often repeated in the future. On completing these notes, we must express our gratitude to Mr. West for so ably providing the means for the term's meetings, and also to Mrs. Kittermaster not only for her generosity in providing the post-meeting refreshments, but more especially for her continued and unfailing interest in our musical activities. R.G.L.G.
LITERARY SOCIETY. This term, since there were a large number of new members of the Society, we resorted to plays which had been read by our predecessors at intervals during the last 4 or 5 years. All these plays came from the Headmaster's private library and we are very grateful to him for allowing, us to make use of his books.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Following the usual custom, our first meeting did not take place until comparatively late in the term, and at this meeting we read " The Devil's Disciple " by Bernard Shaw. The play was very much enjoyed by all who attended, but owing to the rather small dramatis personae, the parts were mainly taken by veterans of the society, the new-comers being content to listen. This, however, was remedied at the second meeting of the term, when there was such a large demand for parts that it was possible to read two plays, the seniors reading " She Stoops to Conquer " while the juniors read yet another of Shaw's plays—" Androcles and the Lion." The former was much appreciated, while in " Androcles and the Lion " a wealth of new talent was discovered which we hope will be developed and augurs well for the future. Our final meeting which took place in the last week of December, was perhaps the most entertaining of all the meetings. For Ian Hay's comedy 'The Sport of Kings ' provided us with entertainment which could only be described as hilarious. Those who had parts in this play, acted with spontaneous gusto, and succeeded in making it extremely realistic for those who were merely listening. We close these notes by expressing our gratitude to Mr and Mrs. Kittermaster for maintaining their customary interest in the Society, as well as providing welcome refreshment to those who, by the end of the evening, have rather parched throats, after their prodigious efforts. R.G.L.G.
ART CIRCLE NOTES. The Society held a meeting on four occasions this term. The meetings were of great interest and were not only educational but entertaining in nature. As is always the practice in the Christmas term a members' night was held for the final meeting. It was noticeable that the younger and not the senior boys supported this meeting; the latter seemingly avoiding the issue. Some of these boys spoke extremely well and the Modernist Movement came under much harsh criticism. The three other meetings brought before us three completely different aspects of art, namely sculpture, photography, and painting. Mr. Dudenay opened the meetings this term with a most interesting talk on sculpture. We were taken very quickly into the intricacies of making a bronze bust. Amusing sketches of portraits appeared on the blackboard from time to time and the materials and implements that were used at the various stages in the creation were passed round the room. His subject was ' The Sculptor at Work.' Mr. Ferrar speaking on ' The Art of Photography ' explained many of the basic principles to us. Among these were arrangement, surface, and light and shade; he showed how every day objects such as nails and pliers, could make an interesting photograph if carefully treated. His illustrations bore out his points well, and his lecture opened up yet another type of art to us.
December, 1951
We were very fortunate in having a memorable visit from so great an artist as Mr. Bell-Foster. We had a very interesting talk on the theoretical and practical side of his type of water colour painting. Mr. BellFoster produced three very apt pictures during his lecture and this alone was enough to convince us of his ability. Although little was said the actions of our speaker paved the way for an interesting and amusing evening. We all sincerely hope that Mr. Bell-Foster will be able to pay us another visit in the near future. We look forward to having Miss Campbell amongst us again next term. She unfortunately had to miss our last two meetings this term owing to illness. We all sincerely wish her a speedy recovery to health and energy, which is so characteristic of her life in the school. KJ.B. DEBATING SOCIETY. The departure of the President J. D. Farmer and the resignation of the Secretary R. G. L. Griffiths necessitated the election of new officers this term. P. Marshall and M. J. C. Scoular were elected president and secretary respectively. The business meeting of the Society was used for the election of these officers and also for the election of a committee, one representative from each house. For the first meeting of the term a mock election was held five candidates stood for election—D. L. Cummings, Labour, D. H. Slack, Conservative; H. J. Davies, Communist; R. G. L. Griffiths, Liberal and J. B. W. Robins, Independent. All the speakers were convincing with Cummings outstanding. A vote by ballot was taken and D. H. Slack the Conservative candidate was elected by a large majority of 37 from Cummings with 19 votes. The attendance of 112 was a record for the society. The motion before the house at the next meeting was ' that it is better to know a little about everything than a great deal about one thing.' The motion was proposed by K. J. Beard and J. E. Rowley and opposed by A. R. King and G. Mathews. The main speeches were good but response from the house was disappointing. The motion was carried by 28 votes to 13. Our final meeting of the term was held in conjunction with the Alice Ottley School Debating Society who were our guests for the evening. The motion before the house was ' that this house views with alarm the increasing influence of wireless and television.' Mr. Ferrar took the chair. The motion was proposed by J. B. W. Robins and Miss J. Ondaatje and opposed by Miss J. Price and P. Marshall. Again the main speeches were good, but as time was short only a few speeches could be made from the house; these were very interesting but it was obvious that there was a great number of would-be speakers in the house, had time permitted. The motion was defeated by 78 votes to 16. Again the attendance record was broken, 114 people being present. This meeting concluded a highly successful term for the Society. It now remains for me on behalf of the Society to thank Mr. Ferrar for his continued interest in our affairs and his guidance without which the Society would not be enjoying its present popularity. P.M.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
CHESS NOTES. The Chess Club has been refounded and meetings were held during this term. Although members joined with great enthusiasm and with all the good intention to carry the idea through to a firm working club, the lack of convenient times at which senior members could attend presented a singular difficulty. Therefore unfortunately fewer meetings were held during the term than was at first anticipated. The future however holds promise. The main difficulty of the senior boys being unable to attend because they are playing in an away Rugby Football fixture will be almost completely removed and the Chess Competition will be held next term. The Chess Cup, as in previous years, will become the subject of the skill, patience, endurance and scheming of all boys who understand and play chess next term. This fact above all should swell the ranks of the already well-supported Chess Club and increase our number of proficient players two-fold. It is the hope of all members that some fixtures can be arranged and that a sufficiently interested master can be persuaded to take an interest in the club. K.J.B.
THE SIXTH FORM LIBRARY. There is situated in the College Green a dark brown door with the letter ' A ' printed upon it. What lies behind this door ? Once it was the stables which were for the use of the Cathedral canons, but now it is a seat of learning. Behind this door lies the Sixth Form library. Yet it belies its name for this, the alleged sanctum of the Sixth Form is also used by the Upper Fifth. This seems only just since the numbers of the Sixth Form, both Arts and Science, are very small and it would be unfair to reserve this valuable library for the priveleged few. A very large number of books is taken out and the works of reference in the library are frequently used. Senior dayboys are forced to use the Sixth Form library for their private reading periods and they very much envy the lucky boarders who possess cosy studies. However this library in its calm surroundings is the scene of more serious tasks for it is used by the school monitors for punitive assemblies. Thus it happens that a small boy in the junior school has cause to regret ever having crossed the threshold of this fatal room. The sombre appearance of the room is certainly in keeping with its serious connections. The dark wood which prevails is set off by the blue chairs which, though at first caused concern over their colour, are now accepted quite happily. Another feature of the room is the clock which now mended, works quite well and the days when it has been known to strike for over one hundred times are passed. A new ornament which has been but recently added is the globe which resides by the shelves containing the books which comprise the geography section of the library. This is, besides being very decorative, highly utilitarian. There are some features of the library which leave much to be desired. The first cause of concern was (and still is) the roof. As this is rather old there are
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many places where tiles have slipped and left small chinks through which water may permeate. In the first week of November there was almost a tragedy for rainwater was discovered dripping slowly through on to the cases which held the files. This was quickly taken in hand and repairs were made. Henceforth there has not been anything else worthy of report. All the windows were repaired at the beginning of the school year and owing to the fact that wire-netting has been placed over the Fives' courts no more breakages are likely to occur. I have left till last the most important feature of the library—the books. During the last year many new books have been purchased for the library but still there are many gaps on the shelves which economic reasons prevent from being filled. It is regrettable but during the year six books have been lost and in spite of great research and inquires they are still missing. It would be fitting to end this article on the library by quoting from the school motto for it is to be hoped that all will " LEARN WHAT MAY BE TAUGHT, AND SEEK WHAT MAY BE SOUGHT."
D.T.T.
THE SCHOOL FICTION LIBRARY. Last term the school fiction library was considerably reorganized and again opened to the school. The results were, to say the least, rather apathetic and, since 'this mood seems to have prevailed during the Christmas term we must assume that there is something radically wrong with the whole organization. The school adopts two main lines of defence in meeting the question ' Why don't you take books out ?" The first that they have not the time to read fiction, we seem to have heard somewhere before. The second is that the youth of 1951 has decidedly different views to those of his predecessors as to what constitutes good fiction. The books might be newer, they might be a little less dusty, and they might be a little less mutilated. To meet this one replies that one can hardly tell what they are like if they have never even dipped into them. The old tag about outward appearances being deceptive seems in this case to be more than applicable. The Library is only open on Sunday and Monday mornings because of the difficulties of supervision. If the librarian is not there, books are liable to wander from their shelves without anyone having the slightest notion as to their whereabouts. The library may not be all that it might be, but the librarians cannot justifiably order new books, if they are uncertain as to whether they will ever be used. The school, however, will probably argue that they will not use the library until AFTER these new books have arrived. In such a state of deadlock the only alternative seems to be to have a plebiscite. If the school vote against having a fiction library they might like to send the books up to Messrs. Foyles and divide the proceeds. Personally I should be sorry to lose Friar Tuck's First'Term or even the completed works of Mrs. Henry Wood. J.B.W.R.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
SIXTH FORM CLUB NOTES. Representatives : D. R. BUSHBY, T. A. BROWN. It was with regret that the club had to accept the resignation, as President, of K. J. Beard who, owing to his appointment as Captain of the School, thought that he would not be able to attend to both duties successfully. The new President is M. S. Helliwell, a member of the Royal Grammar School. With the resignation of Beard from the committee T. A. Brown was elected the new representative for the school. On October 10th we were given a lecture by the Dean on " Inverted Commas." Included in this extremely interesting talk were passages from his common phrase book, which added no small amount of humour to the evening. In this book which he has compiled are witticisms and grammatical howlers that he, himself, has heard on various occasions. As an example of one, " An egoist is a man who will insist upon talking about himself while you are trying to tell him about yourself." This, he told us, came from his page of definitions. It is unfortunate that he was unable to speak to us for long, however we shall look forward to another of his interesting talks. In the middle of the term the club held a debate on the subject that " This house regrets that the British are becoming a nation of spectators." The motion was defeated by a large majority of about forty. Youth Magazine was on November 23rd and members of the school began with a short drunken comedy. Those taking part were M. Sykes, D. R. Mills, R. G. Wrigley and P. F. B. Hargrave. They were followed by classical music, popular songs and short sketches performed by members of the other schools. The evening was concluded by a part of Noel Coward's " Stately Homes of England." F. James, P. F. B. Hargrave, J. S. Rippier and M. E. J. Stokes sang to the accompaniment of E. B. James, and they must be congratulated on their very fine effort. A dance was held on December 7th and it very successfully rounded off this term's meetings. D.R.P.B.
DANCING CLASS 1951. In times gone by, dancing was considered to be an essential part of a young man's education. Since those days, the belief has died, and today there are many who have never appreciated the pleasure, and profit to general health which all forms of dancing can give. In recent years however, in keeping with the greater general interest in social functions shown by members of the King's School, the dancing class has come into its own. The number of boys taking lessons has increased from a few wise souls to a capacity crowd. Miss Glazzard must once more be congratulated on her unflagging efforts to reduce these potential menaces to the dancing community to dancers of a reasonable standard, though it must be admitted that the movement of some member's feet invite comparison with certain respected members of Bertram Mill's circus rather than Fred Astaire. This year, as usual, the class has been split up into two groups, beginners and second year members respectively. All members appreciate the fact that Modern
December, 1951
Dancing is not the aimless shuffle which some (nondancing) members of the community would have us believe, and we all realise that the way to becoming a good dancer is long and arduous. In conclusion, we hope that the genuine interest shown by all members and the resulting knowledge which has been acquired will bring them confidence and pleasure throughout their later careers. E.B.J. LECTURES. "GREEK ART." On October the 22nd Cannon Armstrong very kindly gave up some of his valuable time to show the school some lantern-slides he had obtained, illustrating Greek Art from its earliest stages to its zenith. The first slides showed how the Greeks gradually began to put expression into the faces of their statues, and to convey the idea of motion in the statue of Nike (victory) from Delos, one leg is raised as if the goddess was running, and she has a classic smile on her face. Two further slides showed a pair of gold cups found at Vaphio depicting the capture of oxen. They belong to the same period as the statue of victory, but their workmanship is far in advance of the period. Canon Armstrong then went on to the Greek vases, with their amazing black glaze, which retains its lustre after more than 3,000 years. He showed how the Greeks first put the figures on the red vases in black, and later glazed all the vase,s black, leaving the figures red, and adding details in black. Returning to the statues he showed the Discobolos of Myron, remarkable for the lifelike way in which it portrays the position which the thrower's body holds for a mere split-second. He then turned to Pheidias, and said that the two most important Greek sculptors were Phideias and Praxiteles; unfortunately much of Phideias' work has been lost, but one slide showed a copy of his statue of-Athena, which stood in the Parthenon and from it one can form an idea of what the original must have- been like. Phideias also carved the friezes, metopes and pediments in the Parthenon. A further slide showed the Hermes of Praxiteles, which is unfortunately slightly damaged. In connection with temple sculptor Canon Armstrong showed several slides illustrating pediments, including one portraying the Three Graces, whose drapery is particularly beautiful. The next slide showed the Aphrodite of Melos. The Artist who produced this work is unknown, but it is regarded by many as being the most beautiful statue in existence. Canon Armstrong closed his lecture with some slides of Greek coins. He pointed out the craftsmanship they showed in spite of their small size, and said that many of the best of them came from small and otherwise unimportant towns. The lecture embraced a very extensive subject, but in spite of this, all the members of the school who attended it obtained a consecutive idea of Greek Art from its earliest beginnings, to Phideias and Praxiteles and afterwards which they will not forget.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
" THE ACCOMPANIST SPEAKS." There are many necessary occupations, which, although they demand a great deal of skill, tend to remain unnoticed by ordinary people. Many of these cannot claim to deserve much interest, but the art of the accompanist, although most people know nothing about it, is at least as important as the singing or playing it accompanies. Gerald Moore started his lecture by pointing out how wrong the ideas most people had about his art were He gave examples of picture-building in accompaniments, as in the " Erlkonig," by Schubert, where one can hear the galloping of the horse, and the moaning of the wind. He played it as some accompanists do, without any expression, and it was easy to see how a good piece of music could be entirely spoilt in this way. of concentration." He then showed how many different characters the same piece of music could assume, as in the " Vain Serenade," also by Schubert. This is a dialogue between a man and a woman, and the need for variation is obvious. He played it as it should be played, so that the notes took on now a wheedling, now a sulky, now an angry tone, and it showed how much action could be conveyed by a piece of music. Lastly he described the difficulty in balancing the piano with the singer so that both could be heard and neither was drowned, for if the two did not blend in the right propostions the piece would lose its effect. He said " that this was where a famous pianist might fail and produce a worse result than a little known accompanist who knew his art." It would have been easy for Mr. Moore to give a lecture which many members of the school would have failed to appreciate. That this was not so was shown by the ' encore ' which the school gave him. He finished his lecture, which contrived to be amusing as well as instructive, by saying that he thought young musicans should not aim at playing something extraordinarily difficult, but rather at playing something simple extraordinarily well.
On October 29th Mr. Lewis showed the school 3 films, 2 of which were concerned with the hospital work the Papuans did in the war, and the last with the growth of Christianity in the island. The first film was preceeded by two newsreels about the eruption of Mt. Lamington, which blasted away the whole of one side of the mountain and devasted many villages. The first film was the story of a young American Airman who was shot down by some Japanese over New Guinea. He was wounded, but a Papuan dressed his wound, and took him safely to the American part of the island. It illustrated the courage and bravery of the Papuan, and showed what modern Americans owe to men like him. The second film showed how war came to New Guinea, and how Papuans gave food to Americans and carried supplies through terrible conditions, where the only possible means of transporting goods was by foot. They also went through great hardships to take wounded Americans to safety. It was their faith in God which encouraged them, and eventually they earned the name of " Jungle Angels."
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The last film was called " A Tree Grows in Papua," and showed how Christianity had developed there since 1891, when the first missionaries went out. The war had naturally been a set back, but it had brought out some very good qualities in the Papuans, and the result strengthened their faith. After the war, disease had been checked and conditions had become much more hygienic. The Papuans have now learnt to play western games such as cricket and football, however they have kept many of their own customs and traditions, especially their dances. Mr. Lewis finished by saying that although the Papuans were learning fast, doctors and missionaries were still needed, as was financial support, and we feel sure that his appeal will not be forgotten.
" HIGH ADVENTURE !" For about a week before Captain Jopp's lecture there were several different opinions in the school as to its subject and contents. However when its title, " High Adventure," was made known minds naturally turned to mountaineering and flying. Captain Jopp vowed at an early age to photograph the cross on the summit of the Matterhorn. Owing to an unfortunate accident which deprived him of his left hand while he was serving in the air force, and to a bad wound on the back of his head, which subsequently became septic, he could not actually climb mountains, but when iu Switzerland, where he was receiving treatment for his head, he conceived the idea of flying close enough to the summit of the mountain to photograph the cross. His first attempt was unsuccessful owing to the thick layers of cloud, and his second failed because he misjudged the distance and took his photograph from 2 miles away—hardly close enough to show a two metre cross. He was running short of money, but he teamed up with a Swiss mechanic, " Albert." They made several attempts to reach the Matterhorn, but mist, clouds and storms discouraged them, and eventually Albert insisted on flying to Mt. Blanc instead. This they did, with an English schoolboy, Michael, who also helped to pay for the hire of the aeroplane. This expedition was quite successful, apart from the fact that Michael's camera froze stiff; however after that flight he had to go back home to England, and Captain Jopp was left alone again. In a further expedition he crossed the Alps singlehanded, and managed to return to his air-field in spite of the storm through which he was forced to fly. He then met an American, named George, who said he would supply the necessary money for another flight to the Matterhorn, on condition that his friend " Bob " should be pilot. Captain Jopp agreed to this, but to his horror found " Bob " to be very young and inexperienced. They set off however, and very nearly crashed into a mountain, because of air currents; but they survived and eventually got close enough to the Matterhorn to photograph the cross—thus Captain Jopp magnificently achieved the sole ambition of his adventurous life.
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VERNON LEE. On the last Wednesday of term the school was lucky enough to be given an opportunity of attending a performance by Mr. Vernon Lee, which could hardly be called a " lecture," although it is included in that section of The Vigorman. Mr. Vernon Lee has visited the school once before, and built up a reputation for himself as an excellent entertainer. When he came, everybody was expecting him to be a success, and he was. However, it is practically impossible to give an account of the performance because his scope is so wide and his speed so swift that the only way to learn anything detailed about his act is to watch it. The school was asked whether it would like to listen to Mr. Vernon Lee on the nineteenth; a vote was taken and he came unopposed. Nobody regretted it !
VALETE
December, 1951
HUGHES-WILLIAMS, T., Sept. 1943, House monitor in School House, Secretary of Boats, 1st IV 1948/49/50/51, Sergeant C.C.F., School Certificate. MADGE, J. H., Sept. 1944, Chappel House, School Certificate; to Journalism. WHITMORE, P. P. J., Jan. 1944, House Monitor in Creighton House, Cpl. C.C.F., School Certificate 1949; to the Civil Service. Upper V:— EVANS, P. C., Sept. 1943, Castle House, 1st XV Football, 2nd IV Rowing, Certificate ' A '; to Farming. GEORGE, A. N., Sept. 1944, School Monitor, Chappel House, Captain of Football, 1st XI Cricket, Sergeant C.C.F.; has taken up dentistry. JONES, M. M., Sept. 1945, Chappel House, Certificate 'A.' SHOULER, C. H., September. 1948, House Monitor in the Hostel, 1st XV Football, 2nd XI Cricket, Librarian, L/Cpl. C.C.F., King's Scholar; has taken up agriculture.
JACKSON, A. J., Sept. 1946, Head of the School, Captain of School House, Captain of Cricket, Editor of The Vigorman, Sergeant C.C.F. King's Scholar, School Certificate, Higher Certificate; to New College Oxford.
Lower V:— ALLSOPP, S., Sept. 1946, Castle House. BURROWS, G. E., Sept. 1943, Creighton House, L/Cpl. C.C.F.; to Civil & Municipal Engineering. BIRCH, J. H. Jan. 1947, School House. BOURNE P., Sept. 1945, Chappel House, 2nd XI Cricket, Certificate ' A." BRAN, M. J. Sept. 1948, House Monitor in Tredennyke, 2nd XV Football, Certificate ' A '; to Pharmacy. CHINERY, R. J., Sept. 1943, School House, Cox 1st. IV Rowing, Certificate ' A '; to Australia after two years farming. CLISSOLD, P. Y., May 1948, Creighton House. ELCOCK, M. C., Sept. 1946, Chappel House. HAYWOOD, P. E. G., Sept. 1946, Chappel House, Shooting VIII. HITCHOCK, K., Sept. 1947, School House, 1st XI Cricket, 2nd XV Football, L/Cpl. C.C.F. PUTNAM, J. C-, May 1947, Chappel House. .PHILPOTT, M. May 1949, Castle House, 2nd XI Cricket. REID, T. R., Sept. 1946, The Hostel, Certificate ' A.' READING, E. J., May 1948, Creighton House, 1st XI Cricket. SLATER, B., Sept. 1946, Hostel and Chappel Houses. VALE, B., Sept. 1-946, Chappel House, 2nd XV Football.
KENNEDY, D. K., Sept. 1946, School Monitor, School House, Captain of Boxing, 2nd XV Football, Editor of The Vigornian, King's Scholar, School Certificate, Cpl. C.C.F.
Upper Remove ' B.' PENDELBURY, G. M., Sept. 1947, The Hostel.
FOR THE SUMMER TERM, 1951. Upper VI:— BULMAN, J. N., Sept. 1944, Captain of Chappel House, School Monitor, 1st XV Football 1951, 1st IV Rowing 1950/51, C.S.M. in C.C.F. 1950/51, Captain of Shooting 1950/51; to Loughborough Engineering College. BIRCH, W. A., May 1944, House Monitor in School House, School Certificate 1948, Advanced General Certificate 1951; has taken up accountancy. FIFIELD, L. F. M., Sept. 1943, House Monitor in Chappel House, L/Cpl. C.C.F., Shooting VIII, School Certificate, Advanced General Certificate. FORD, J. H., Sept. 1945, Captain of Tredennyke, School Monitor, 1st XV Football 1949/50, Sergeant C.C.F., School Certificate 1948. FARMER, J. D., Sept. 1945, School Monitor, School House, 1st, XI Cricket 1951, 2nd XV Football 1949/50, Sergeant C.C.F., President of the Debating Society, King's Scholar, School Certificate, County Major Scholarship; to Pembroke College Oxford.
Lower VI:— GREEN, A., Sept. 1948, School Monitor, Captain of Creighton House, Secretary of Swimming, 2nd IV Rowing, L/Cpl. C.C.F., Shooting VIII, School Certificate 1949.
Lower Remove ' B.' CUMMINGS, D. F., Sept. 1950, Castle House. Upper IV ' B: CORNBILL, S. B. H., Sept. 1947, Dayboy.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Upper IV' C: MEDDINGS, M. W. P., Sept. 1947, Dayboy. MORRIS, S. G., Sept. 1949, Dayboy. McCARRY, D. T., Sept. 1949, Dayboy. ROBINSON, T. H., Sept. 1949, Dayboy. TEASDALE, J. E., Sept. 1948, Dayboy. WILMORE, R. T., Sept. 1949, Dayboy. Lower IV ' B.' EMILJANOWICZ, W., Sept. 1950, Castle House. TURNER, M. H., 1949, Tredennyke. Form HI. BEDDALL. D. J., Sept. 1950, Dayboy. COOK, P. B., Jan. 1950, Castle House. COVENTRY, T. J., Sept. 1948, Dayboy. CHESHIRE, K., Jan. 1950, Castle House. LANEY, P. J. S., Sept. 1947, Dayboy. WORDINGHAM, H. T., Sept. 1947, Choir House. Form II. PEARSE, J. B., Sept. 1950, Choir House. Form I. GRUBB, E. J., Jan. 1950, Choir House.
VISIT TO LITTLEBURY & CO, LTD. PRINTING WORKS. On a certain half-holiday during the Christmas term, the editors of The Vigorian visited the Printing Works of Messrs. Littlebury & Co. The main object of the visit was to see the many activities associated with the trade. Another subsidiary reason, though still very important, was ito impress upon the minds of the editors the difficulties and delays involved in printing our magazine when the various articles were not legible. We could blame past editors for that state of affairs, while confidently promising that our manuscripts would create no such problem to the mono-operator. The Monotype was the first machine we were shown, being the initiator, as we soon discovered, of all printed matter. It resembles a giant typewriter, but its role is far different, namely, perforation of long lengths of paper as the operator directs. Its " slave," clattering on the floor below, interprets the perforations and moulds the letters required. This last operation is very fascinating to watch The metal employed is a bright lead alloy, which is used time and again. The machine melts the metal and shapes the letter. Mr. Shepherd, the mono-operator, explained the essential workings and gave us a clear impresssion of the process. At the next department there were no noisy machines. This was where the hand-setters manifested their skill, doing what mechanism has yet refrained from. The arrangement of print beside photographs was one difficulty settled here.
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Mr. Cullis, the foreman, had started his career as a compositor with The Times over fifty years ago. (He was only nostalgic about the salmon that was denied to apprentices for five days of the week.) Work in those days was hard and ill-paid. But with the emphasis on machinery becoming more important, conditions were improved. This fact convinces one that an age of machinery is not as evil as many social philosophers would have us believe. Still thinking about the progress of the printing industry we visited the presses. Mr. Bland confirmed the impression that machinery is regarded as a blessing by present day employees. This does not, however, signify a decline in skill; it merely shows that the emphasis has changed with the times. Again, we see the inevitable culmination of old and new, some machines requiring more labour than their streamlined accomplices. After the printing is completed, the binding department goes into action. The paper is simply folded and sewn. Then follows the guillotine, a dreadful monster, which inspired us with a groundless fear of imminent decapitation. We can report with relief to the would-be visitor that there is no danger of this, since only the hands of a careless pryer are in any real danger. A paper drill stood near the one guillotine. This rivalled the terrible art of dentistry to perfection. On its downward action, the horrors of the drill were recalled; and in the ascent the empty sound of a tooth being extracted. Many other machines of equally arresting interest were pointed out to us; but space does not permit individual description. Thus, with Mr. Bruton's department the visit ended. We left, with our interest stimulated and our curiosity satiated. The printing industry is a harmonious combination of the past and present; both play an equally vital part. A future of ruthless machinery is not frightening at present. It stands as a spectre which our generation will either embrace or repel. The conflict between individualism on the one hand, and subordination to machinery on the other, must be reconciled and the vital compromise discovered. We have to admit that machinery is essential to this modern age, but it can have a demoralizing effect if men become robots, and lose their individuality. The afternoon was enjoyed by all, and we take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sharp, the manager, and his staff, for being so patient with us. G.M.
UN TOUR DE FRANCE. The idea of going to France on bicycles, first came to us early in the Summer Term and we lost no time in making preparations for the trip. A visit to Winwood's Travel Agency yielded plenty of literature on the country we proposed to visit, but inquires about a tent that we had hoped to borrow were of no avail. Eventually however we resorted to our Housemaster, Mr. Sheppard, who very kindly lent us an ex-U.S. Army Bivouac which served the purpose excellently. The next job on hand was obtaining sleeping rolls which were obtained from a camping store at a moderate price.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Upon consultation with Mr. Natan and hints gleaned from the other members of the staff, we drew up a proposed route; but when we were in the very heart of France, it became apparant that we had bitten off a little more than we could chew, and were obliged to cut our tour short in order to return within the proposed three weeks. It was the thirteenth of August when we started on the road to Newhaven, leaving Swindon at about 9.30a.m. We were not proposing to reach Newhaven in one day but to get within 20 miles by nightfall. This we did, but it was almost dark when we tried our luck with the first farmer to see if we could camp there for the night. He was a very aimiable person and besides allowing us to camp there gave us eggs, milk and a jug of very welcome hot tea. After pitching camp we settled down to a rather cold and uncomfortable night but nevertheless slept well, being tired after cycling about 95 miles with a vast quantity of kit, and, needless to say, out of training. The following day proved quite eventful and upon reaching Newhaven in plenty of time we passed through the customs and took our places on the boat. We sailed soon after midday and set foot on French soil at approximately 3.30p.m. The Channel, thank goodness, was calm, as we are both extremely bad sailors and we survived the crossing without being sea sick. The first thing that struck us was the French Customs Officers so totally different from the English in as much as they didn't care if one had anything to declare or not. We cycled about ten miles before we decided to pitch camp, but it was not until several amusing incidents had taken place in shops that we finally asked our way to a farm. Following our directions we came upon the typical French farm; a house that resembled a barn more than a human dwelling animals all round it even going indoors, and the cows being milked in the field. Not being put off by this rather unfamiliar sight we asked if we could camp there. A rather rough looking man wearing clogs said that we could and as was nearly always the case we seemed very welcome. Our first day in France had proved very amusing and remarkably interesting. We continued in this way, learning a great deal as we went along. We found that the price of things like coffee, varied from 20—80 francs which is between 5d. and 1/6. We also found that the price of small cakes—which took our fancy to such an extent that we seemed to have tried at least one of every kind by the time we left the country—varied in the same way. The gendarmes were the idols of our mockery and several amusing incidents were its outcome. At Cherbourg, we proceeded to cycle along the seafront, which, according to the bye-laws exhibited every 20—30 yards or so, was an offence and when questioned by one of these ' honorable gentlemen' we pleaded complete and utter ignorance of the fact. We eventually persuaded him that
December, 1951
we could only speak very little and read no French at all. On another occasion we were stopped by two gendarmes and asked for our passports, which in due course we produced and upon asking why they should want to see them received an answer in almost incomprehensive and excited French that ' they ' were the police and ' they ' could do whatsoever they wanted. To this day we still cannot see why they wanted them because they looked at them, first upside down, and then remarked that neither of us had a femme. Another rather sore point was the English bicycle, because the average Frenchman could not understand how they ever stood up to the wear and tear of the French roads, indeed they did not because we suffered twice from punctures caused by the cobbles. This reminds us of another incident; we left our bicycles outside a shop and walked across the road to gaze into another shop window and, upon looking up, perceived several persons prodding, pressing and generally examining our cycles. This and several other similar incidents led us to the conclusion that the French are a very inquisitive race. After we had been there for about six days we realized that we should never complete our original route and so we proceeded across the middle of France to Alencon and thence to Chartres. Here perhaps French Black Sausage deserves a mention; we saw some of this one day and bought a goodly portion for our supper that night and after eating it remarked how delicious it was but alas, we were mistaken. I said " many happy returns " to it at about la.m. and D.R.L. had an upset stomach for several days. That was the first and last time we tasted French Black Sausage. By this time we had run into a patch of bad weather and we succeeded in getting soaked to the skin on this occasion; this taught us a lesson and whenever we felt a spot of rain we hastened to put on our gas-capes. The change in the weather also made us give up our tent and seek refuge in farmer's barns, which were, as a rule, much more comfortable, though full of rats. On one occasion we both woke up in the night to find rats only a few inches from our heads. The bad weather did not improve the crossing either and we both suffered for our sins on the way back, as did most of the passengers on the boat. Finally, to anyone proposing to cycle abroad and who can't make up his mind, our advice is, to go and enjoy himself, not to stay too long (we found 16 days plenty)— and not to try to do too much. As for expenses we managed comfortably on £13 each which included the crossing (£4 . 8 . 2 ) , the cycle ticket (£1) and three days living in England. P.C.S. D.R.L.
December, 1951
THE VIGORNIAN.
"THE CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE." The normal routine of days at school was pleasantly broken for an evening when a small party of pleasurebent dramatic enthusiasts visited the Festival Theatre at Malvern to see the Old Vic Company, headed by Donald Wolfit, present " The Clandestine Marriage," by Colman and David Garrick. We commenced the journey hoping to be agreeably entertained, and it must be agreed by all that those hopes were admirably fulfilled. The acting of the members of the Old Vic was excellent, as we have come to expect, and they made us forget the rather unconvincing scenery. But to the play itself. The plot is typical of the 18th Century Stage, and serves to reiterate the old adage " The course of true love never did run smooth." The play opens at the house of Mr. Sterling, a rich, self-made Merchant, who lacks refinement but not money. His younger daughter, Fanny has become secretly married to the hero, Lovewell, who has not yet made his mark in the world. Fanny's elder sister is engaged to Sir John Melvil who has come to visit them, with his uncle, Lord Ogleby. This marriage is desired by Mr. Sterling, who wants the titles of rank and by Lord Ogleby and Company who urgently require the money. The marriage is also supported by Mr. Sterling's sister, Aunt Heidelberg, a delightful character with a desire to attain " Cultchar !" Everything goes well until Sir John Melvil sees Fanny. He immediately falls in love with her, to LovewelPs discomfiture. They are discovered by Fanny's sister who informs the household and Melvil is reprimanded in no uncertain terms by Aunt Heidelberg. Meanwhile Lovewell is concerned for his future and persuades Fanny to tell Lord Ogleby the truth, and to ask his advice. She succeeds in giving Lord Ogleby the impression that she has fallen in love with himself and complicates the matter still further. In the last scene, Lovewell visits his wife in her bedroom. Fanny's sister discovers that Fanny has a visitor and rouses the household. All is confusion for a time but eventually all ends happily. It is impossible to convey any idea of the scintillating shafts of wit which irradiate throughout the play, and we can only be thankful that Donald Wolfit was " pleased to be on the boards of the Festival Theatre once again." E.B.J. "VISIT TO STRATFORD." The quite unexpected occurence of someone falling in the river put everyone in excellent spirits for our visit to Stratford to see " Tamburlaine the Great " last October. Some of the party took on the job of conducting the former round to the theatre boiler room after a hasty conference as to what should be done. They were pleasantly rewarded during their visit ' round the back ' with a view of one or two muscular looking but
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rather scantily garmented people whom they took to be soldiers of some barbaric and private era. Unfortunately, however, the attendant soon put a stop to their explorations. Since the play had not been performed since 1604, the fact that this was a unique occasion was appreciated by all. Several persons managed to exhibit magnificent and rather unashamed ignorance on the subject of what it was all about; others had smatterings of knowledge which they had honestly and diligently gleaned from textbooks while a select few aired rather dishonourable knowledge which they had picked up from the Picture Post a short time earlier. Stratford must have been very fortunate in obtaining such a play as " Tamburlaine the Great " since such a vast production could be no easy matter to transport long distances. The scenery itself, a panorama of red and green drapery was propped up by objects somewhat akin to totem poles which were the size of small tree trunks. The whole structure, indeed appeared to be rather precariously balanced and yet its firmness was fully borne out by the treatment it received during the play. Into such a vast and awe inspiring set the production ushered in a cast of approximately eighty, all of whom talked volubly for considerable lengths of time. The physical effort involved was also far from being inconsiderable. The play had only been performed for two nights before Donald Wolfitt's voice broke down under the strain. Judging by the length of his part, few of us were surprised. Many of the actors had to take three or four parts. The fact which impressed most people was the utter cruelty of the play, since we saw men instead of horses being used to draw chariots and an Emperor locked up in a cage, in such a way that it would rather have suited a bird than a human being. All this was most vividly and realistically portrayed as though the cast enjoyed every moment of this magnificently horrible. It was certainly not a play for the squeamish. In connection with one of the numerous executions in the play, someone raised the question as to how soldiers standing on the front of the stage could have shot arrows at a man high up in the background and pierce him in his body without presumably hurting him. Some of us will remember a similar circumstance which occurred in the Young Vic production of " The Black Arrow " and we were somewhat relieved when the headmaster explained this subtle stage trick. Another impression which we took back to school was the comparative smallness of the audience in the theatre which much surprised us. As far as we know the usual procedure at Stratford is to wait four weeks in an irritated frame of mind until at last one squeezes oneself into a seat at the back of the Dress Circle. Marlowe cannot compete with Shakespeare but the whole of this long play was acted with gusto and exhilaration which would have admirably commended the players to Marlowe and our blood-thirsty Elizabethan ancestors. J.B.W.R.
THE VIGORNIAN.
658 CORRESPONDENCE.
HILL HOUSE, Chelsworth, IPSWICH. 21th October 1951.
December, 1951
To the Editors of " The Vigornian." DEAR SIRS, I have noticed, on perusing a past edition of The Vigornian, that this school was wont to celebrate an institution, known as Founder's Day. This is upon June 25th and should be duly celebrated by hoisting the school colours in College Green. This is the day of the birth of that great King, Henry VIII. Surely such an occasion should be celebrated as at other great Public Schools. In this same edition there is recorded a list of some eighteen days in the year on which " the Flag is to be flown." I suggest that this custom be revived. Yours, etc., TRADITIONALIST.'
To the Editors of " The Vigornian." DEAR SIRS, In the obituary notice of my old friend Frank Webb which appeared in the last number of The Vigornian it is stated that he was the " originator " of the Old Vigornians' Club. No one realises more than I do the splendid work Mr. Frank Webb did in starting the O.V. Club—it may truly be said that it was thanks to him that it is now such a flourishing state—but I would point out that actually the Club owes its origin to my father, the Rev. W. E. Bolland (Headmaster 1879/1896), vide Mr. Alec Macdonald's History of the King's School, Worcester p.255 To the Editors of " The Vigornian." where it is stated : DEAR SIRS. We attended the O.V. Cricket Club Dance and after " The Old Vigornians' Club owes the suggestion for spending a most enjoyable evening with such congenial its birth to Mr. Bolland." company we are left wondering what has become of the Yours faithfully, Old Vigornian Club Ball which was to have been an annual event. A. P. BOLLAND, O.V. 1886-96. If the reason for the abandonment of this Ball was because of financial loss, we would suggest that the O.V. Cricket Club, who tell us that a reasonable profit has been made on both their dances, should be invited to organise a Ball with the full support of the O.V. Club. 118 ALLPORT LANE, We look forward to attending an O.V. Ball in 1952. BROMBOROUGH, Yours faithfully, CHESHIRE. " INTERDUM VULGUS RECTUM VIDET." To the Editors of " The Vigornian." 19 th December 1951. DEAR SIRS, I have just received my copy of the summer number of " The Vigorman " and I am surprised to read in " School Notes " that " for the first time in our history, a group consisting of thirty to forty boys was formed to play hockey under the auspices of Mr. Curie, etc. etc. " It may be that this is the first time that hockey DEAR SIRS, I have just been informed of the proposal to change the has been played under such distinguished auspices but it is certainly not the first time that hockey has been name of Tredennyke House to Choir House when the played at the school. When I came to the school in 1918, former take up residence in College Green next term. hockey was one of the recognised games for the Easter I am afraid this proposal will not find favour in the term (the other being rowing). It was discontinued in school, or, more important, in Tredennyke itself. the Spring term of 1921 when Rugby Football was For firstly, the name Choir House implies that the boys introduced, or, to be strictly correct, re-introduced. are something to do with the Cathedral choir. TredenMay I suggest that you make reference to the appro- nyke are nothing whatever to do with it, nor ever will priate number of The Vigornian for confirmation of my be. Secondly, Choir House is a prep, school for ' little ' remarks. boys, and O.V's. will think it rather queer seeing Choir With best wishes to the School, House notes and senior sports results in future Vigornians. Surely the Governers and those in authority will Yours faithfully, understand what we mean. Let this senior house keep " A N O.V." 1918-1921. its now respected name. R.G.W. (We have referred to The Vigornian of 1918, and find that hockey was not only played in the period 1918-21, (We understand the Governing Body wish to retain but also before the Great War, although further research has failed to reveal the exact dates. We must apologise the name of Choir House in College Green and that the name of Tredennyke is to remain behind in Barbourne. for this mistake.—Eds.) Eds.).