Che Uteornian.
THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KING'S SCHOOL
CHRONICLE.
TA MEN AIAAKTA MANOANO, TA A'EYPETA ZHTf), TA A'EYKTA IIAPA 6EON HITHSAMHN.
APRIL, 1936.
No. 144. VOL. XI.
editorial.
Contents. Editorial ... ... ... ... " To All Vigornians ' ... ... Announcement ... ... ... School Calendar School Officers ... ... ... School Notes ... ... ... House Notes ... ... ... O.V. News Obituary ... ... ... O.V. Golf Meeting Rugger Notes ... ... .. Fives Notes Boxing Competition, 1936 ... Cross-Country Run, 1936 ... P.T. Competition O.T.C. Notes Shooting Notes Library ... ... ... ... Chess ... ... ... ... Lectures ... ... ... ... Oxford Letter Contributions ... ... ... Valete Salvete Civil Service Examinations ... Correspondence ... ... ... Contemporaries
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Page 1059 1060 1060 1060 1061 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1065 1065 1066 1066 1066 1067 1069 1070 1070 1070 1071 1072 1076 1076 1076 1077 1077
It is with some hesitation and most deep regret that we refer to the nation's great loss in the death of His Majesty, King George V. Many people have in the past few weeks expressed, or tried to express, the country's feelings, and have expatiated on King George's greatness and fine character both as a ruler and as a man. But it would not be fitting, on that scone, to pass over an event of such consequence, especially since we are a King's School, and ought, even if we do not, to take some pride in the name. It may have been King Henry VIII who founded us as such, but our late Sovereign did not ignore us, as those who were here in 1894 will remember; at any rate they enjoyed a whole holiday as a result of the visit. But despite the loyal demonstrations of the Jubilee and at the time of the last illness and death, there does not seem to be so conscious an appreciation of our King's existence as we have, for instance, on the part of the Knights in the play which members of the School will have performed in a few days. Our Sovereign is taken for granted, and if it were not for such a means as the wireless by which a king may get into personal touch with his people, it is to be feared that men would pay less and less regard to the idea and meaning of kingship. Why must we wait for public functions before showing outwardly our loyalty and devotion? Perhaps it is because in this age of mechanical progress, of rushing and tearing about, royalist sentiment is a thing for which men have no time; perhaps where equality and freedom are sought, this restraint is not required of men, that they
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should feel respect not only toward the King's person, but also toward the very idea of kingship. Our ideas are fanciful; but we feel sure that our readers, men of sense, will not censure us for being fanatics. We are harmless and all that we are trying to do is to express the hope that our new Sovereign Lord will hold the devotion of his people in the same way as his father has done ; a father indeed not only to his sons but also to his subjects, as all who have listened to the Christmas speeches well know. So one more great man passes ; and the first three months of this year have seen many others go whose service to the State has been such as we would all wish to render. We at school must be content with words to express our feelings as to the past and perhaps to the present; but the future is what we help to make i t ; so may \ve follow the example of our noble ancestors, and if the turmoil of to-day is not yet settled, may we do our share to bring peace to the world and to our own country and its King ! We ask pardon for keeping you from the contents of this book, and we take this opportunity of thanking O.V. for the kind remarks which they have made about recent numbers of The Vigornian. We hope that they and you will enjoy this one, and we wish you farewell and a happy Easter !
Co all Vigornlatis. DEAR FRIENDS, I cannot allow this number of The Vigornian, which contains the notice of my retirement, to appear without some words of my own to all Vigornians past and present. It is not yet time to say farewell, for I am not leaving till the end of next term ; I only wish to assure you that my decision has not been made without very careful consideration, in which the interests of the School have been my chief concern. If any of you are kind enough to feel surprise or regret that I am retiring now, I would remind you that by July next I shall have reached the age of sixty and been headmaster for nearly eighteen years. I am sure that it is both better for the School and happier for myself that I have not allowed myself to delay my retirement until there were further reasons to make it more obviously appropriate. It is in the nature of a school that the persons who compose it should constantly be changing. Generation after generation passes through it, yet the School has a life of its own which has learnt to adapt itself to these changes, and the School goes on fashioned by and adapting itself to the lives of those who pass through it. It has been my privilege and my happiness to take my part in fashioning the life of the School for the past eighteen years, and the time has come when I feel that, for good or ill, what I can do for the School has been done, and that I should give way to another. There are many things which another will find to do here which I have either lacked the insight to perceive or the ability to perform, and I can confidently assure him of the willing co-operation of you all in doing them. There
April, 1936.
is in the King's School a heritage of the spirit which it is for you so to hand on and to interpret that it may seem precious to preserve. I am writing these words before I know who my successor is to be, but by the time you read them you will know. I can wish him nothing better than that he should have from you all the same loyal support that you have always given to myself and that he should find here the same happiness that I have found. Yours affectionately, March a6th, 1936. C. CREIGHTON.
Announcement. The following important announcement was made at the time of going to press :— The Governors have elected Mr. I.. A. Wilding, M.A., Assistant Master in St. Edward's School, Oxford, to the Headmastership of the King's School, Worcester, in succession to the Rev. C. Creighton, who is retiring at the end of July. Mr. Wilding was at Rossail School and won an open Classical Scholarship to Oriel College, Oxford. He obtained 2nd Class Honours in Classics both in Mods, and Greats. At Oxford he won his College colours for Athletics and rowed for his College. At St. Edward's he has been Assistant House Master, and has held a Commission in the O.T.C., and produced School Plays. He is thirty-four years old, married, and has three children.
School Calendar. Fri., Sat., Sat.,
Jan. 17.—Boarders return. ,, 18.—Term begins. Feb. 8.—Lecture—" Greenland," by J. L. Longland, O.V. ,, 10.—P.T. Competition. Mon., Sat., „ 15.—Puppet Show by Mr. Wallace Peat. Sat., „ 22.—Half Term. Wed., ,, 26.—Cross Country Run. Sat., Mar. 7.—Lecture—" Wild Animals I have known," by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton. March 4-7.—" Belows " matches. Wed., Mar. II.—Field Day. Mon., ,, 23.—Boxing Competition. Mar. 21 & 25.—House Fives Competition. Mar. 28 & 30.—Sports Heats. Mar. 31 & Apr. i.—Sports Finals. Thurs., Apr. 2.—School Play : " Murder in the Cathedral," by T. S. Eliot. Term ends. Fri., ,, 3.—Exeunt Omnes. School Services in the Cathedral have been conducted by the Headmaster on the sth, iztb, igth, and 26th of March.
April, 1936
THE VIGORNIAN.
Scbool Officers. Captain of the School Captain of Rugger Secretary of Rugger Captain of Fives Captain of Gym. Captain of Shooting Secretary of Shooting Sports Secretaries
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E. C. Luscombe. E. C. Luscombe. J. F. Lavender. K. B. Dyer. E. C. Luscombe. E. C. Luscombe. K. B. Dyer. (E. C. Luscombe. . j; ' p Lavender
School Monitors—E. C. Luscombe, R. I. G. Brooks, J. F. Lavender, A. S. Yarnold. Editors of The Vigorniatir-E. C. Luscombe, R. I. G. Brooks, R. C. Hicks. Sub-Editor—A. S. Yarnold. Librarians—B. Bagenal, B. S. Eckersley, R. Anstey. Captains of Houses : School House J. F. Lavender. R. I. G. Brooks. Castle House E. C. Luscombe. Hostel Day Boys A. S. Yarnold.
Scbool Rotes* Early in the term the Headmaster made an announcement to the School—an announcement which filled us with surprise and regret. Most of us have never even thought of the King's School without its present Headmaster, nor indeed have we had cause to do so, for every side of the life of the School has, for nearly eighteen years, been his especial care. Both O.V.'s and present members of the School will know that he himself shares our regret at the thought of his leaving the King's School. He has asked us all to carry on in the usual way until the end of next term, and in accordance with this request we will only assure him that we wish him every happiness for the future and that we undertake to give loyal support to his successor. * * « We offer our deep sympathy to Mr. Burnett in the sad loss of his father. * * * During Mr. Burnett's absence, Mr. Taylor returned to teaching for a few days. We are glad to be able to report that he is enjoying good health and still follows with interest the various activities of the School. * * * The commencement of building operations in the playground in preparation for the new Art Room has proved a tremendous attraction to those of our numbers who long to be bricklayers instead of the usual engine-driver. * * * The new fencing round the cricket field is now complete, and should present an effective barrier to all manner of animals—and, it is hoped, to others ! * * *
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We hear from certain members of the Classical Vlth that the condition of their numerous text-books is likely to be better preserved by the altered shape of the lockers in the Sixth Form Room. Those who prophecied " a seven years' wait " for this improvement have fortunately proved very much mistaken. * * * Through the kindness of Mr. Franklin and Mr. Macdonald four members of the Classical Vlth saw an excellent performance of Aristophanes' " Frogs " at Cambridge.
Two extra half-holidays have been enjoyed by the School this term, one " for no apparent reason " and the other that the School might watch a rugger match—Worcestershire and Herefordshire versus Greater Birmingham, played at Perdiswell Park. * * * The appearance of a mysterious and not too comfortablelooking throne in College Hall has produced the same exclamation on every side—<" obviously something to do with the play ! " The cries of drunken knights and of the distressed women of Canterbury have confirmed this view, and give some clue to the constant rehearsing that has been going on this term. We only hope that Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald will be truly rewarded for their labours, despite the cruel but apparently vain attempts of chicken-pox to hinder them.
We congratulate R. I. G. Brooks on winning an Exhibition at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, the announcement of which was made by the Headmaster at last term's concert. We expect that this increase in their membership list will be very welcome to the (two) Cambridge University O.V.'si » * * We sincerely hope that the School Hockey enthusiasts will .not be discouraged by the impossible conditions experienced this term and that the game may be really popular next year. On two occasions this term some of us " tuned-in " at 2.5 p.m. to hear Mr. Macdonald broadcasting to the Schools on the " Plain of Lombardy " and on " Rome and the Campagna." Unfortunately the Cathedral clock quickly summoned us to our form-rooms and we were unable to hear the whole of the broadcasts. » * *
Finally, we wish to congratulate one of the Scouts, who will perhaps prefer to remain anonymous, for his prompt action in applying artificial respiration and in other ways helping the police when a Birmingham woman recently fell into the river near the Ferry. t
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Mr. A. Macdonald's History of the King's School will be published by Messrs. Ernest Benn, Ltd., during May. After an introductory chapter dealing with the Castle, on the site of which the School stands, and two chapters covering in some detail the history of the mediaeval schools of Worcester, the book will contain as complete a history of the King's School down to present day as the records permit. It will extend to about 350 pages, and will contain about thirty illustrations from prints and photographs. O.V. 's and friends are invited to lodge orders at any time with the Author, at the King's School, which will be dealt with in order. The price will be I5/- post free.
Rouse notes. SCHOOL HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : J. F. Lavender, R. C. Hicks, K. B. Dyer, A. D. Bolland, B. Bagenal. Apart from the various Inter-House Competitions, this term has almost been entirely lacking in incident. We began well by winning the P.T. Competition, defeating Hostel by the narrow margin of four points ; but, unfortunately, we failed badly in the Cross-Country, and also lost the " Belows " Cup, although in this we did better than at one time seemed possible. The prospects of winning the Fives Cup must be considered definitely bright, as we have the entire ist IV, and we also have hope of retaining the Boxing Cup. The House Debating Society has not been able to hold any debates this term, as everybody's time has been taken up by the various activities which make the Easter Term so full. Presumably there will be none next term either, as the need for them scarcely arises in the summer, but it is to be hoped that next winter this institution, which proved so successful last term, will be revived in order to occupy the long evenings for which it was originally intended. The current plague of chicken-pox, which has fortunately failed a secure footing in the School as a whole, has attacked us rather more severely, depriving the house of two of its most prominent members. We have had five cases so far and with the ravages of this disease and scholarship examinations at Oxford, we were reduced to only two monitors for several days. Only one person has left this term, so we can look forward confidently to a successful summer term. As it will be the last term for the Headmaster and for some of us also, let us hope that it will be as pleasant as the best of past years. * * » CASTLE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : R. I. G. Brooks, B. S. Eckersley, J. M. Paul, S. N. Hackwood. Under the bountiful catering of Mrs. Bentley the House continues to get still sleeker and fatter, which possibly accounts for the rather unsuccessful term we have had from
April, 1936.
the point of view of sport! Indeed we could hardly have hoped to head the list both in the Cross Country, in the " Belows " and in the Fives, and P.T. Competitions, but it is rather disillusioning that we have not succeeded in " pulling off " any of these events. The " Belows " were particularly disappointing in this respect, as we had hoped to put a fairly strong team on the field, whereas, when the time came, two of the heftier members of the side were in the sick room with chicken-pox—with the inevitable result. At any rate, thanks to the gallant boxing of Rice-Jones we have been saved the ignominy of ending the term without a single cup on the mantelpiece. Talking of chicken-pox, may we take this opportunity of apologising to the School for having been the originators of this evil plague that has caused so much inconvenience. The numbers of the House this term are twenty-six, an increase of two on last term, as only Williams has left, while we were fortunate in having three newcomers. In conclusion, congratulations to our three Cert. " A " candidates, Paul, Hackwood, and E. M. F. Bearcroft, on passing the first part (although they featured at the wrong end of the list), and to Brooks on gaining his Exhibition to Emmanuel College—indeed it cannot be imagined what feelings of awe and terror fill the hearts of those of us whose lot it is to share his study-
HOSTEL. HOUSE MONITORS : E. C. Luscombe, L. Rathbone. The House assembled 17 strong at the beginning of this term, having lost the whole of the End Study (Lawrey i, Gaylor, and Baxter) and two small new boys put in an appearance in their place. In spite of this handicap, however, the House has done extremely well in practically every branch of sport this term. Before we start on such matters we should like to offer our very sincere sympathy to Mr. Burnett on the loss of his father. During his absence we were visited by Mr. Franklin. The first event of importance was the P.T. Competition, and although we lost the Cup, the House put up a very good show considering the age of some of its members. We gained second place only four points behind School House. The P.T. Competition was followed very closely by the Cross-Country Run. Luscombe again retained the Individual Cup, and what was very gratifying was the great and enthusiastic effort on the part of the House to gain the House Cup—the whole House coming in under 50. Again we were second, Day Boys winning it fairly comfortably. The Colts Rugger was in full swing by this time, and of the side that went to Warwick no less than three backs and four forwards represented the House. This seems to be a good omen for our Rugger prospects in the next year or two. These Colts helped to form the nucleus of a young though efficient " Belows " team. They defeated School House and Castle House in two very hard-fought games
April, 1936
THE VIGORNIAN.
and only lost to Day Boys in the first series of the matches. Once more we had to be contented with second place. We had hopes of getting the Boxing Cup, but these were shattered. Bird, although beating Rice-Jones, the winner of the Cup, was placed second in the Competition, but gaining first place in the Senior's class. Garnett and Jones were second and third respectively in the Junior's. Again second, but there are still the Sports to come along, and there again we have great aspirations. May these truly materialise ! Turning to other matters—chiefly internal. Luscombe took the Customs and Excise Exam, in early March but is not optimistic. Mr. Burnett is getting a new car. The Monitors' study was flooded out three times : the occupants moved to the sick-room, now occupied by one case of chicken-pox. The Roll-of-Honour has been moved to the Dining Hall. The dog, Peter, is waxing big. Finally, we should like to wish Blyth all the best in his new job.
DAY BOYS. HOUSE MONITORS : A. S. Yarnold, R. Anstey. This term—and at the time of writing, the term is by no means over—we are able to point with some pride to two cups which have left School House in favour of Day Boys. The winning of the Cross-Country and " Belows " Rugger cups and a slight increase in the numbers of those Day Boys who play games in the evenings have been most encouraging. After much practicing and, it is only fair to add, a good show of keenness, we were disappointed to find ourselves bottom once more in the P.T. Competition. Last-minute illness may have had something to do with our failure. The House was represented by Yarnold (team leader), and W. N. Bryer, Neale, Hinds, Curtis, Hayes and Baldry. In the Cross-Country Run we had hoped to produce a real rival for Luscombe, but failing this had real hopes of our younger entrants, who certainly did not fail us. In particular, we congratulate A. G. Green who, running in the " Under 13," was first home. Hayes, W. N. Bryer, C. F. Bryer, Taaffe and T. W. Walker also deserve mention for their fine running, which enabled us to win a cup that Day Boys have not held for over ten years. For the " Belows " matches we had plenty of material for our back-division, but experienced some difficulty in forming a compact scrum, so that individual performances were the more conspicuous. When they were properly fed from the scrum our three-quarters gave us a great advantage over our opponents by their speed and passing. Curtis led the side well, and Kendall ran and kicked with success. Among the forwards, Hayes and Hinds were at times outstanding. Several Day Boys are now showing a real interest in Fives, and D. J. Harris is trying to stage a " come-back " of Day Boy boxers! With 32 points to our credit already,
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we intend to make a strong challenge for the Sports Shield, and here again we are relying on the younger members of the House, whose spirit and determination promise well for the future.
O.V. RCUJS. Lt.-Col. S. G. Simpson (1892-1899), who was sent out in 1932 to act as educational adviser at the Indian Military Academy, in Dehra Dun U.P., has now been appointed Education Officer to the Scottish Command. Capt. L. A. Harrison (1916-1919) has been transferred from the Worcestershire Regiment to the 3rd/£th Mahratta Light Infantry, Mauzai, N.W. Frontier, India. Rodger Corbett died in the Auckland public hospital on 2Oth December, 1935, as a result of an accident in which he was knocked down and run over by a motor truck. He was the son of a well-known Worcester family, and for the past two years had been an inmate of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind. » * * R. H. N. Wood (1919-1927) has transferred from the Worcestershire Regiment to the Indian Army and is now with the Bombay Grenadiers on the N.W. Frontier. C. H. Wood (1922-1930) has a post with Imperial Airways at Croydon and is expecting to go to one of their Overseas stations soon. He won the Ground Engineering Trophy offered by Air Service Training Ltd. for 1935. » * * P. H. B. Woodhouse (School House 1918-1926) was from 1927-30 at King's College, London, where he took an Honours Degree in History. From 1930-31 he was Assistant Master at Portsmouth Grammar School, and subsequently went to Peter Symonds School, Winchester, where he is now Assistant Master. He obtained a commission in 4th Bn. the Hampshire Regiment, T.A., and is now O.C. of the School O.T.C.
J. Wynne-Woolley (Natland 1929-1931) has been very busy working on the film " The Shape of Things to Come," by H. G. Wells. L. C. Dickins (Castle House 1926-1930) is on a job at Jodhpur (Rajputana) Waterworks, about 12,000 miles from Calcutta, where he will soon be returning. It has been bitterly cold there recently, but is just beginning to warm
THE VIGORNIAN.
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up. Jodhpur is an important Airport. All air-mail planes stop the night there. Hoping to be home for O.V. Reunion this year. * * * N. M. Dickins (Castle House, 1928-1930) is out there, too, on a tea garden. The brothers had not seen each other for four years. They had a jolly good week together in Calcutta.
O.V* Dap. The O.V. Reunion and Dinner will be held on Saturday, My llth, In conjunction with the School Prize Day on Friday, July 10th. Fall particulars will be issued to member* of the O.V. Club in dne course.
ENGAGEMENT. C. J. R. Partridge (Castle House 1926-29), to Beatrice May, youngest daughter of the late Inspector and Mrs. Kitchen, of Selly Oak, Birmingham.
Obituarp. CANON JAMES WENT, Born 20 March, 1845—Died 10 March, 1936. In Canon Went the O.V. Club loses not only its oldest and only nonagenarian member, but the only one who knew the School before the Rev. Maurice Day became Headmaster in 1859. James Went was born in Worcester in 1845, and at Easter, 1858, was admitted a King's Scholar. He left in 1862, and went up to Trinity College, Dublin, and was then for a short time curate of St. Helen's and St. Alban's, Worcester. In a private letter a few months ago he confessed to the authorship of a vivid description of the School under Mr. Helm and Mr. Day, which was printed in the fourth volume of the Victoria County History of Worcestershire, and attributed to " one of the most successful of headmasters of the present day, who in a remarkably short time raised a new endowed school which took the place of an old decayed grammar school in the Midlands from nothing to 500, and, still more remarkably, has maintained it at that figure for twenty years." The school in question was the Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester, of which he had been appointed Headmaster in 1877, after a brief career as assistant master at the Grammar Schools of Nottingham and Bradford. His tenure of office was remarkable not only for the constant fullness of numbers in the school, but also for its phenomenal success in
April, 1936.
winning open scholarships. He resigned only in 1919, after forty-two years as headmaster, and in 1922 he was made a Canon of Leicester. One of his most signal services to the King's School after he left it was initiating the Gymnasium and heading the subscription list that provided it at the end of the last century. The building then erected, largely by his efforts, was replaced by the present Gymnasium in 1929 and was converted into the present Day Boys' changing-room. His last public appearance in the School was at the opening of the Chappel Memorial Reading Room and the new Classrooms, in 1924. Those who were present in College Hall on that occasion- will remember the dignified figure with the flowing grey whiskers, matched on the other side of the platform by (probably) the only other person who could have matched him in appearance, the late Mr. Willis Bund. #
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MR. G. W. BLANDFORD, Born 20 June, 1865—Died 6 February, 1936. George William Blandford entered the King's School as a chorister in 1876 and left in 1880—two years before the establishment of the Choir School. His whole life was devoted to music. Even before he joined the Cathedral Choir he had sung in that of St. Helen's Church. Scon after leaving School he joined the Voluntary Choir, and in 1884 he was appointed to a lay clerkship, and was the senior lay clerk at the time of his death. He had a mellow tenor voice, and in his younger days he did much solo singing both in the Cathedral and in local concerts. He was one of the oldest and best known members of the Three Choirs Festival Chorus, in which he had sung continuously since 1884. For over thirty years he had been one of the City Rate Collectors.
MR. HENRY COOMBS. Born 10 August, 1864—Died 23 March, 1936. Henry Coombs joined the School in 1874 as a chorister and two years later became a King's Scholar. Leaving in 1879, he became an estate agent and auctioneer, carrying on his business for some years in Angel Street. About 1908 he took over the old-established business of Frank Everill and Co., in Foregate Street. Until, in recent years, illhealth obliged him to relinquish many of his activities, he had b'een a prominent citizen, serving for ten years on the City Council, as a Conservative representative for St. Peter's Ward. During much of this time he was Chairman of the Housing Committee. He was a valued member of the Committee of the O.V. Club.
April, 1936
THE VIGORNIAN.
O.V. Golf meeting. Held at Boughton Park, Worcester on i^th October, 1935. RESULT. G. S. Howarth 80 — 8 = 72 E. F. Day 92 — 18 = 74 M. E. Webb 86 — u = 7 5 G. H. Webb 93 — 18 = 75 H. C. F. M. Fillmore ... 101 — 23 = 78 H. D. Littlebury 98 — 18 = 80 A. R. Harrison 85 — 3 = 82 H. G. N. Crowe 108 — 24 = 84 K. F. Bartripp 108 — 24 = 84 There were fifteen entries. The first annual O.V. Golf Competition will be held on Saturday, July nth, at Boughton Park, Worcester, from 10.30 a.m. onwards. Play will consist of 18 holes medal play under handicap. First Prize—A cup and half net entrance fees. Second Prize—A prize to the value of £1 is. od. and quarter of the net entrance fees. Third Prize—A prize to the value of quarter of the net entrance fees. Entrance fee (including Green Fee), 2/6. Entries to :— A. ROY HARRISON, 13, High Street, Worcester.
Rudder Rotes. It was proposed that there should be a fortnight's intensive practice with next year's prospective XV at the beginning of this term. This was not to be, however, much to the disgust of Rugger and Hockey enthusiasts alike. The river again elected to flood for the second time this season, and what with this handicap and that of a frost which followed immediately on the heels of the flood, we were not able to use the field until close on half term. The Colts side was extremely good this season, thanks to the expert management of Messrs. Bentley, Meade-King, and Strong. The threequarters and halves used their heads to more advantage and, coupled with good handling, their play on the whole was well above the usual standard. The forwards showed considerable dash, but play in the loose scrums was poor. The side put up a very creditable show against Warwick, considering their lack of practice, although losing 27—o. As is usually the case in the Spring Term, several matches had to be cancelled owing to illness on the part of our opponents. Bloxham had scarlet fever and Hereford presumably had some disease also.
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" BELOWS." " Belows " matches were contested on the American Tournament system and every game was fought out with tremendous spirit and zest. Much to everyone's surprise, Castle House were beaten by School House in what was a good though very scrappy game. The Hostel side played a fast game throughout all their matches but Day Boys fielded a very strong side and the superiority of their backs was instrumental in their winning the House Belows Cup* The results were as follows :— 1 Day Boys 6 points. 2 Hostel ... ... ... 4 ,, 3 School House 2 ,, 4 Castle House o ,, The winning side was :— Kendall, Curtis (Capt.), Nicholls, C. F. Bryer, Pressdee, R. G. Davies, Hinds, Price, Hayes.
* * * SCHOOL COLTS v. WARWICK COLTS. The School fielded a strong side at Warwick on Wednesday, Feb. 19. They showed up very promisingly and there were several good movements. In particular the superiority of the School threequarters in speed and handling was very pronounced and the forwards more than held their own. A feature of the game was the fine game played by the School scrum-half. Our Colts were beaten by a much heavier side and the number of tries scored in the last few minutes helped to make the score belie the true nature of the game. Result: Lost 27—o. The School Colts.—Mann; Shovelton, H. D. Poths, RiceJones, Kendall; Folley, L. C. Jones; Mansell, Lock, Bird, Bendall, Garnett, Dobson, Shelton, R. G. Davies. E.C.L. J.F.L.
flues Dotes. Fives has had a good season this term, more especially because Hockey and Rugger have been curtailed by the weather. Hence a surprisingly large number decided suddenly to take up fives three weeks after the beginning of the term. But, on the other hand, fixtures for the two IV's have been hard to procure owing to hockey fixtures being arranged beforehand. The first match was against Bromsgrove on February 8th. The ist IV, playing at home, lost by 75—80. The first pair lost 17—14, 9—15, 4—15, while the second pair won 15—9, 15—10, 15—17. The 2nd IV, playing at Bromsgrove, lost 65—81. The ist IV then played Warwick ist IV at home on February I5th, and won by 82—67. Both pairs won, the first by 9—15, 15—5, 13—15 ; the second pair by 15—9, 15—10, 15—13. The 2nd IV went to Warwick, but, since the courts were too wet, they spent a most enjoyable afternoon on the new Badminton court there.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Matches were arranged with Hereford for February 29th, but the ist IV match was cancelled. However, the 2nd IV played in the pouring rain and wan 80—79. The first pair won 17—15, 15—n, ii—15, and the second pair lost 15—8, 12—15, 10—15. ist IV Badges were awarded to:—F. E. B. Mole, D. Sheriff, J. F. Lavender. The 2nd IV consisted of D. J. Walliker, C. M. Lavender, J. H. Folley, and J. H. Trap£. P. Neale played in one of the matches. There are no results yet in the Competitions, in which there have been a good number of entrants. We welcome Mr. Meade-King to the Doubles although we find his tactics rather devastating. The draw for the House matches was as follows :— Castle House School House
\ {
,
Day Boys K.B.D.
Boxing Competition, Boxing this term has not been too successful. In the first place there were only twelve, seniors and juniors, who took up boxing at the beginning of the term, and so, for the first time, we combined the two classes. Even then the attendance throughout the week was to a certain extent bad. Colts' Rugger, Fives matches, Belows matches and practices, all helped to rob us of many of our boxers. The Boxing Competition took place on Monday, March 23rd. Our thanks are due to Capt. Corcoran, who came down from the Barracks to judge; to Mr. Bentley and C.S.M. Cooper, who assisted him ; and to Mr. Burnett, who acted as time-keeper. We congratulate Rice-Jones who, although he lost his fight, was awarded the cup for the best boxer, Bird, who defeated him, being the runner-up. The points were awarded as follows : : — Senior. I Bird (H.). a Fairgrieve (S. H.). 3 Bendall (C. H.). 4 Paul (C. H.).
Junior. i Rice-Jones (C. H.). 2 Garnett (H.). 3 Jones (H.). 4 Shelton (C. H.).
House Shield. Hostel ... ... ... Castle House School House
April, 1936.
ClK Cross-Countrp Run, 1936. The Cross-Country Run was held on Wednesday, February 2jth. The course was the same as for previous years. There was a very considerable number of entries, 130 all told. The weather was not ideal for record breaking since there had been continuous rainstorms during the previous week. Thus several fields were a couple of inches under water. Some no doubt well-meaning gentleman had scattered brush-wood at regular intervals down the " slide," and even the select few (?) who wore spikes found it extremely difficult to avoid these obstacles. In spite of the bad conditions quite a reasonable time was recorded. A. G. Green (under 13) was first home, about thirty yards ahead of Luscombe, who won the Day Cup for the second year in succession, with a time of 16 mins. 41 sees. C. F. Bryer (Under 15) was third. We congratulate Day Boys upon winning the Warren Cup with an aggregate of 32 points. This was a fine performance since they had six home in the first 10. Hostel were runners-up. Results : OPEN. UNDER 15. 1 Luscombe (2) i C. F. Bryer (3) 2 Hayes (5) 2 Rice-Jones (4) 3 W. N. Bryer (6) 3 Taaffe (7) 4 B. Bagenal (8) 4 Garnett (15) UNDER 13. 1 A. G. Green (i) 2 Bridgeman (9) 3 Bailey (18) 4 Malsom (—) * * * WARREN CUP. 1 Day Boys 32 points. 2 Hostel 82 „ 3 School House 120 „ 4 Castle House 144 „ * * * Points towards the Sports Shield :— Day Boys 35 points. Hostel 16 ,, Castle House ... ... ... 6 ,, School House 4 ,,
P.C. Competition.
ao 20 8 L. R.
The P.T. Competition was held in College Hall on Monday, February loth. The P.T. was well up to the standard of previous years. A very noticeable thing was the youth and size of some of the squads. This, perhaps, accounted for the helpful remarks that the judge made at the close of the competition; one being that some of the rhythmic exercises were too " stiff " and smacked more of the parade-ground. A new feature this year was the introduction of one minute
THE VIGORNIAN.
April, 1936
of O'Grady with the eyes shut, which must have been extremely amusing from the spectators point of view. School House are to be congratulated upon regaining the Cup from Hostel, who were a very close second this year. The final result of the Inter-House P.T. Competition was as follows:— 1 School House 112 points. 2 Hostel 108 „ 3 Castle House... ... ... 96 „ 4 Day Boys 92 „ Sergt.-Instructor Salisbury again very kindly judged the Competition. E.C.L.
O.C.C. notes. Training this term has been carried out strictly to syllabus in preparation for the Inspection next term. Special attention has been paid to the Certificate " A " Candidates, with the best possible results. * * * The first part (Practical) of the Certificate " A " Examination took place on Saturday, Feb. i5th. All the candidates were successful, and judging from the account of the day's proceedings offered by the examining officers, the contingent has every reason to be proud of these potential N.C.O.'s. The results of Part II (Theoretical) are not yet to hand. * * * Last term's effort apparently exhausted the supply of Day Boy recruits. Surely there are still some of the seventy-five per cent remaining who could, with a little effort, follow the genuine example afforded by their seniors last term. Only four recruits joined this term, but despite this small addition to its strength, the contingent is well up to strength. » * * Six members of the O.T.C. are attending the annual Physical Training Camp at the A.S.P.T., Aldershot. They will be quartered as in previous years in Hammersley Barracks. The selected few are Sgt. Hicks, Sgt. Lavender, Cpl. Holland, Cpl. Dyer, L/Cpl. Sheriff, and Cdt. Fairgrieve. * * » We congratulate the Shooting VIII on producing such excellent results this term. They certainly have not been approached in the last eight years. Shooting Notes will be found elsewhere. # * * The Contingent will go into Camp at Rushmoor this summer. « » *
1067
BAND. The Band is putting in some really hard practice this term and is quite as good as in previous years. It is up to its full strength and a system has been adopted whereby the senior Drummers and Buglers are each given a " recruit " to educate in " the way he should go." The results have proved excellent. Again we should like to thank our bandmaster, Mr. Latham, for the trouble he has taken during the term. Perhaps it is not fully realised that he has been with us twenty-seven years now, and we are very fortunate in having a bandmaster with such a wealth of experience. FIELD DAY. Field operations took place this term on Wednesday, March nth, in the Fosse Cross Area, in conjunction with Cheltenham, Malvern, Monckton Combe, Bloxham and Worcester Royal Grammar School. Dean Close School were unable to attend. Perhaps the purpose of the manoeuvres will best be illustrated by the official scheme which was sent out in advance. " Worcesternia and Bloxoland have declared war and each has concentrated its forces near its frontier. " The free buffer state of Cheltonia is between these two countries. " CIRENCESTER is the centre of Bloxoland's oil industry, on which the finance of this country largely depends, though the fertile valleys of the Colne, Churn and Isis give them prosperity as well. " Worcesternia is chiefly occupied in sheep and cattle grazing in the Cotswold highlands, but the people are a hard and warlike race. They have, however, a " kultur " of their own, which shows itself in various seats of learning in their larger towns which draw students from far and near. If they could extend their frontier towards Swindon it would add greatly to their prosperity. " Worcesternia, with this object, invaded Cheltonia and marched on CIRENCESTER. Cheltonia's armed forces hastily withdrew and placed themselves with Bloxoland's troops at CIRENCESTER." The Worcesternia force consisted of three battalions, most of which were imaginary ! Malvern provided I and 2 Battalions, and the Grammar School and ourselves two platoons, each of the company representing all that was extant of No. 3 Battalion. This company was under the command of Under-Officer Luscombe. The Bloxoland troops were recruited from the O.T.C.'s of Bloxham, Cheltenham and Monckton Combe. At ii.oo hrs. the O.C. Worcesternia, on learning of a Bloxoland advance in the area immediately ahead, decided to deploy and attack. (The Worcesternia troops had already passed Fosse Cross.) Our company was responsible for the left flank; the advance was carried out in square formation, a W.R.G.S. forward and reserve platoon both being our left flank platoons. No. i platoon, under Sergt. Hicks, was our right front-line platoon; No. 2, under Sergt. Lavender, being in reserve. A Malvern company was on our right.
io68
THE VIGORNIAN.
Communication proved somewhat difficult in traversing Barnsley Wold; on coming under enemy fire, however, fire and movement by No. i platoon enabled a considerable further advance to be made: and, with the aid of fire from No. 2 platoon, a final advance to strong positions was made by sections of No. i platoon before " Stand Fast " blew. At approximately 13.20 a withdrawal by platoons took place to the Field Barn area, just south of Barnsley Wold. Here rations were eaten while commanders received orders and decided upon defensive positions, necessitated by a Bloxoland counter-attack. These were taken up at 14.00 hrs., No. i platoon having the forward position. This soon had to be evacuated, and a somewhat scrappy withdrawal was carried out through the lines of No. 2 platoon, which meanwhile gave covering fire. At this stage communications became bad, especially in No. i platoon, and there was a noticeable lack of that order and precision which had characterised the final stages of the attack. A more ordered state of affairs was soon attained, however, with the lining of a hedge by No. i platoon, enabling a well-executed withdrawal to be effected by No. 2 platoon to positions in the rear. Alternate withdrawals of the platoons were now carried out under good control to a final position behind a typical Gloucestershire stone wall; the quiet, disciplined behaviour of our troops allowed a surprise counter-attack to be made with the utmost success, the enemy being quite unaware of our presence until the last moment. Operations ceased at this point, the time being about 15.30 hrs. The Contingent then marched in fours to the " Hare and Hounds Inn," where tea was provided by Cheltenham College. We then returned by 'bus to Worcester, arriving at approximately 18.20. All that can be said further is that, from our point of view at least, the Field Day was an unqualified success. Mistakes were of course made, but much experience of largescale manoeuvres (of which we get all too little) should have been gained by everyone taking part, and should prove useful when the Contingent goes into Camp. » # # Some Notes on the O.T.C. Field Day held at FOSSE CROSS on nth March, 1936. Section Formations and Use of Ground. Section Commanders in many cases did not make the best use of ground both when on the move and when halted and in a fire position. Nor did they always utilise the best formation to suit the particular situation. Section Leading, Chap. VI, requires more careful study. Be careful, if engaging an enemy to your flank, to avoid getting your Section enfiladed from the front. Previous choice of a good position to avoid this is essential in defence. Signal Stations must be sited so as not to be visible to the enemy. Movement. Sections should avoid halting in the open when under close range fire.
April, 1936.
Section rushes of short distances in the open should be avoided. Lewis Gun Sections should advance invariably by long bounds from one good fire position to another. Too much bunching was noticed at gaps when difficult obstacles were met with. Commanders must remember to take the same precautions against exposing themselves as those under them. Direction on the whole was very well maintained and leadership was quite good. Platoons, etc., if held up must at once see if they can locate and work round the flanks of the opposition. Fire Control. Fire Orders were quite good in some cases, but practice is needed to make certain the complete fire order is instinctively given. Some instances were noticed where the Range was omitted and the correct sequence not followed. There was a lack of use of fire support in some cases to help movement when at close range. Don't only consider your front when giving fire support. Hostile opposition to movement is more likely to be coming from one or both flanks. Orders. Definite and clear objectives are essential for all attacks and Sections must know what to do on reaching their objectives. Great keenness and interest was shown throughout the Exercise. This is only possible if all information and details of the Exercise is passed down to the most junior leaders to pass on to their Sections. More use could have been made of Field Signals. M. LAWRENCE, Major, Depot, The Worcestershire Regiment. Worcester, 26/3/1936. * * * The following Cadets were successful in Part I, Certificate " A " (Practical):— Cdt. BIyth Cdt. F. H. Walker ,, Sutton „ Sankey „ Raban ,, Fairgrieve ,, Bagenal „ Paul ,, Hackwood „ White ,, E. M. Bearcroft ,, Richard *
* *
The following Promotions were made this term :— Cadet Bocking to be L/Corpl. ,, Eckersley ,, ,, ,, Mole ,, „ ,, Sheriff ,, ,, „ Walliker „ F. H. Walker „ „ Sankey „ ,,
THE VIGORNIAN.
April, 1936 To Command :
No. i Platoon (Cert. " A " Candidates)—C.S.M. Brooks. No. 2 Platoon—Sgt. Hicks. No. i Section Cpl. Rathbone. No. 2 Section L/Cpl. Eckersley. No. 3 Section L/Cpl. Becking. No. 4 Section L/Cpl. Mole. No. 3 Platoon—Sgt. Lavender. No. i Section L/Cpl. Sheriff. No. 2 Section L/Cpl. Sankey. No. 3 Section L/Cpl. Walker. No. 4 Section L/Cpl. Walliker. Recruits—Cpl. Bolland.
SDootinfl notes. This term has been very successful for shooting. We have succeeded in forming an VIII considerably better than those of previous years and one which managed to break two records for the School. The VIII made a rather disastrous start in the first match, probably through " nerves," by scoring only 493, while, in a practice on the previous day, 574 had been the total. However, its true form was brought out in the next match with a score of 577. Then in the third match the VIII made a record score for the School with 594. Finally, in the Country Life Competition, although the shooting of group, rapid, snap, was weaker than the last two matches, a record was established for the Landscape Target, with a score of 151 out of 192. This is the estimated score, but it was considerably more than previous scores. There has been some good individual shooting, with several scores of over 80, and one member succeeded in scoring a possible. The classification of all eligible members of the Corps has almost been completed. Several promising young shots have been discovered, including three ist Class. This brings the total up to 12 ist Class shots, while there are 13 2nd Class. The target-holders and snap-apparatus have been replaced this term, so that the range is quite satisfactory, although certain members of the Corps persist in tripping over the snap-wire and also in damaging the clips. Finally, our thanks are due to Lieut. J. H. L. Burnett for supervising- the matches, and to C.S.M. Cooper for the trouble he has taken in coaching the VIII. • »*
1069
Score of Shooting Match with : — Bloxham School, Banbury. Trent College, Derbyshire. Shot on February I4th. Group. Rapid. H.P.S. 10 so Und. Off. E. C. Luscombe 10 47 Cpl. K. B. Dyer 5 45 Cdt. E. M. Bearcroft ... 10 45 Cdt. B. Bagenal 10 47 Cpl. L. Rathbone 5 47 Cdt. H. Mansell 2 35 Cdt. J. M. Paul 2 36 Cdt. A. Fairgrieve ... 5 42
49
344
—
Snap. Total. 25 85 15 72 5 55 10 6S 20 77 2O 72 15 5* 10 48 5 5*
»°°
493 —rH.P.S. 680
RESULT. Bloxham School 544. Lost by 51 points. Trent College 568. Lost by 75 „ * » » Score of Shooting Match with : — Trinity College, Glenalmond. King Edward's School, Birmingham. Shot on February 2 ist. Group. Rapid. Snap. Total. H.P.S. to 50 25 85 Und. Off. E. C. Luscombe 10 44 25 79 Cpl. K. B. Dyer 5 48 25 78 Cdt. B. Bagenal 10 44 20 74 Cpl. L. Rathbone ... 10 48 15 73 Cdt. E. M. Bearcroft ... 5 43 25 73 Cdt. J. M. Paul 5 43 20 68 Cdt. H. Mansell 5 41 20 66 Cdt. A. Fairgrieve ... 2 39 25 66 — _ —— 52 350 '75 577 — — RESULTS. K.E.S. Birmingham - 561. Won by 16. Glenalmond - 629. Lost by 52. * * * Scores of Shooting Match with : — King's College School, Wimbledon. Framllngham College. St. Edward's School, Oxford. Shot on February 28th. Group. Rapid. Snap. Total. H.P.S. 10 s° as 85 Und. Off. E. C. Luscombe 5 49 25 79 Cpl. K. B. Dyer 10 46 25 81 Cdt. E. M. Bearcroft ... 10 50 25 85 Cdt. E. Bagenal ... ... 10 47 25 82 Cpl. L. Rathbone ... 10 45 15 70 Cdt. H. Mansell 5 43 25 73 Cdt. J. M. Paul 2 40 15 57 Cdt. L. J. MacAuslin ... 5 42 20 67
57
362
175
594
H.P.S
680
THE VIGORNIAN.
1070
RESULTS. K.C.S. Wimbledon - 626. Lost by 32. - 540. Won by 54. Framlingham S.E.S. Oxford - 620. Lost by 26. * * » " COUNTRY LIFE " SCORES. Group. Rapid. Snap. Total. 10 H.P.S. 5° '5 «5 Und. Off. E. C. Luscombe 10 44 79 Cpl. K. B. Dyer 40 5 65 10 81 Cdt. E. M. Bearcroft 46 Cdt. J. M. Paul 40 70 5 25 10 Cdt. E. Bagenal 44 79 25 28 Cdt. L. J. MacAuslin ... IO 5 43 Cpl. L. Rathbone 10 66 20 36 Cdt. H. Mansell 10 54 57
321
l6o
S3»
* * * LANDSCAPE TOTALS (Estimated). H.P.S. per pair 48. ist Pair 37 2nd , 48 3^ , 29 4«h „ 37
H.P.S. 192. TOTAL SCORE (Estimated)
689 E.C.L. K.B.D.
Cibrarp Rotes. The following new books have been added to the library this term :— " Pilgrims of the Wild " Grey Owl " Men of the Last Frontier " „ „ " The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People " ,, ,, " The Story of San Michele " Axel Munthe " Country Calendar " A. G. Street " White Ladies " F. Brett Young " Berry Carries On " Dornford Yates " Fives Red Herrings " Dorothy Sayers " Murder Must Advertise " ,, ,, " George V " Arthur Bryant The following has been added to the Reading Room Library :— " You Have Been Warned " McCullough & Fougasse It has been decided to take the Illustrated London News for the Reading Room.
April, 1936. ClKSS.
Last term Chess in the School seemed to have fallen into a rut, but this term more people are playing and the game has become more popular. No matches have been arranged this term, as the strength of Chess in the School is not sufficiently good. But we hope in the future to engage in battle with many of our former opponents. We feel, however, that there are many members of the School talented in the art of Chess, and we hope to see them take part in our future competitions. We have had one competition this term, of which the result is not yet known, but the cup rests between Castle House and the holders—Day Boys. P.M.E.
Lectures, On February 8th we had the especial pleasure of listening once again to Jack Longland, O.V. This time he took as his subject " Greenland "—where he has recently been doing a lot of valuable work in the field of exploration. He started by explaining that one of the objects of his lecture was to show that life in the North is not really so " tough " as most of us seemed to imagine. That he was not merely being modest he demonstrated by the fact that on the expedition he was about to describe three members took their wives with them as far as the Greenland coast. After this, of course, as he admitted, it certainly does begin to get a bit more strenuous, but nevertheless it augurs well for the projected Arctic Air Route that the conditions can be endured by the weaker (?) sex. Then he went on to give us an unusually interesting account of the expedition—the voyage through the ice pack that surrounds the coast of Greenland, the establishing of a base camp and finally the successful assault that he and two other members of the expedition launched upon one of the loftiest of " Greenland's icy mountains." Mr. Longland's delightfully entertaining and modest style aroused the interest and admiration of all, and, as the Headmaster afterwards remarked, the slides were quite the best of that type that it has been the School's good fortune to see. * * * On February i5th we had a visit from some other old friends—Mr. Wallace Peat and his puppets. Mr. Peat began with an apology, saying that owing to a slight lapse on the clerical side of his business he had brought one of the pieces given on his last visit—humorous excerpts from the " Tempest." Actually, there was no need for any apology, because those hilarious comedians, Trinculo and Stephano, with their uncouth comrade, Caliban, are an ever-popular attraction. The programme also included a humorous song about a man who wanted someone to do his washing, and another song, rather reminiscent of the story of Jonah, called " The Crocodile." At the end of the performance, which was obviously much enjoyed, Mr. Peat dismantled his miniature
THE VIGORNIAN.
April, 1936
theatre to show us how it worked, also offering to give advice to any would-be Cochrans, in whom the School seems to be singularly lacking. * * * Lastly, on March yth, we were privileged to hear that renowned animal story-teller, Ernest Thompson Seton, on " Wild Animals that I have known." Indeed, his animal acquaintances must be many, and his delightful stories captured the attention of all of us. We were particularly amused by the story of how he once left a skunk in his back yard—much to his delight but to the detriment of the practice of his next door neighbour, who was a doctor! In conclusion, Mr. Seton took us out with him on a midnight prowl on the moonlit marshes. He gave us a series of vividly real imitations of animal noises. We heard the water-chick and the wild ducks moving noisily through the reeds: then from far away on the hillside came the sinister howl of the grey wolf, and finally we heard the almost deafening roar of the kingly moose as he called to his mate across the dreary wastes. All these imitations came—mirabile dictu—from Mr. Seton's own mouth, with the exception of that of the moose, for which he used an instrument called a " moose-horn." These imitations and his uncanny power of creating " atmosphere " helped more than anything else to give the lecture an extraordinary appeal.
Oxford jCttter. Oxford, March, 1936. To the Editors of " The Vigornian." Dear Sirs, We feel that it is time Oxford asserted her personality ; in other words, we are creating a precedent in writing an Oxford letter without being asked for one. Certain of our predecessors in the distant past were able to produce an Oxford letter every term. We are not inferior to them in literary merit, and we are definitely superior to the writers of one or two Oxford letters of the past four years. So here goes. . . . We note with disgust that a Cambridge letter appeared in last term's Vigornian. But we are not deceived. It is quite useless for two people to try to pretend that there are many. They were even unable to remove that pomposity which disfigured some Cambridge letters of bygone ages. In a Cambridge letter of 1926 or thereabouts an attempt was made to gull unsuspecting O.V.s with the advice: Don't go to Oxford; come to Cambridge. This year we will reverse this. Don't go to Cambridge. Come to Oxford. The statement'made by the Cambridge men that at Oxford there is an " accent " to learn is false. Our reply is: At Oxford snobbery is non-existent, whereas . . . Besides, our numbers must not continue to decrease.
1071
We absolutely refuse to fill this letter with a chronicle of last term's events in Oxford, expect to say that (a) we suffered much from floods and the mud which was left thereby, (b) Toggers (and the attendant pistols) " went off " more or less as usual, (c) some of us have worked, and some have not. Even this probably bores our readers. But it is a good and sufficient selection from the term's doings. So now let us proceed to our " characters " :— H. BAYLIS (St. Stephen's Hall). We understand—from Lister, the only member of our community who has seen him—that his moustache, once the prevailing feature of every Oxford letter, is no more. Apart from this, we hear no stories of him—good or bad. P. HEADEACH (Keble). Does nothing in particular. But is said to be a very nice fellow. Unfortunately he is not a very prominent personality, and so we can find nothing else to say about him. A. V. PARSONS (Queen's). . . . (When we began this letter we determined to devote more space to our " characters " than has been done in the past, but we are unable to fulfil this promise with Parsons, because no one has seen him.) E. G. KNAPP-FISHER (Trinity). His car, mentioned in a former Oxford letter, no longer exists. It seems that the rumour which placed the price he paid for it at £3 is true —or perhaps he realised from his studies in law that further possession of it might be dangerous. Having nothing now to distract his attention, he works hard. I. C. M. CONNER (Keble). Also works hard, and is altogether a reformed character. We have not even seen him at the Oxford Sorbonne. Looks fiercer than ever ; he has evidently realised that a military appearance suits him. A. J. N. RICHARDS (Hertford). Has grown a moustache. Says he spends most of his time on bicycle rides. We are sure he must go with someone, but so far have not discovered the someone. Possesses a wonderful collection of villainous-looking knives, etc., in his rooms. J. F. LISTER (Keble). Rows in the Keble 2nd VIII. Once he fell out of it—at least, he says he did, but perhaps the rest of the VIII decided that they would be better one short than with him. Smokes a pipe about a yard long. Seems to spend a great deal of time wandering round the town with his friends, and is never in when looked for, so we conclude that he does no work. J. L. WARREN (Hertford). Complains that he spends half his time changing clothes and the other half looking for Lister when Lister isn't in. We wonder when he works. At the beginning of the term he made a joke about a reveller in a horse trough, which no one could understand, and which has pursued him for the rest of the term. And so, wishing you the best of everything, We remain, Yours, etc., OXON.
1072
THE VIGORNIAN.
Januarp 2Stb: an impression. The great day of National Mourning has brought huge crowds to London, many of whom have never been there before. Despite the fact that the weather is unsettled, their enthusiastic loyalty is by no means damped. Throughout the night workmen have been putting up the purple and black banners which are to line the route of the procession, and at a very early hour men and women, many of whom have been up all night, are already lining the streets to see the procession. By eight o'clock people are pouring out of tube-station and "buses, and the roads are rapidly becoming blocked. So unexpected and unprecedented is the size of the crowd that many people who have obtained seats are unable to reach them in time for the procession. The crowd, viewed from above, seem to be most unruly, and the efforts of the mounted police and military officials to keep them back are quite fruitless. Nevertheless there is a typically English atmosphere about them, and they are surprisingly cheerful and talkative on so solemn an occasion. Suddenly a roll of drums is heard in the distance—immediately the chatter is reduced to a murmur, and the murmur to a deathly silence. The strains of Chopin's Marche Funebre fall to one's ears. The procession is drawing near. Soon an officer of the Headquarters Staff, followed by the Royal Horse Guards and the Band of the Household Cavalry comes into sight. Next come detachments of troops representing the pick of England's regiments. They seem to find difficulty in marching to the slow time, but nobody minds this. The crowd below is no longer a mass of hats, and upturned faces are now predominant. The whole time minute guns, fired from Hyde Park, can be heard in the distance. Without a word all hats are removed as if by a gust of wind—the naval ratings drawing the historic gun-carriage are in sight. What an unforgetable sight this is! The glittering gun-carriage on which rests the Royal coffin draped in the gorgeous brilliance of the Royal Standard, surmounted by the Crown, Sceptre, and Orb, and a simple wreath of carnations. As it passes the sun comes out, as if to pay a final tribute to so great a sovereign. Following the gun-carriage comes the new sovereign and his brothers, and after them the representatives of many foreign nations, brilliant with their different uniforms. Then come the scarlet and black coaches, bearing Queen Mary and other members of the Royal Family. The heart of this enormous crowd is unanimously turned towards them in their great loss. More representatives of the three forces, and men of State, and the procession is drawing to its close. Already the crowd is on the move and conversation is in full swing. The strains of the funeral music are by now far in the distance, and London is returning to its own self once more. Men and women are hurrying home to tell relations of their experiences. Some are hurrying to observe the Great Silence in one of the central gathering places of the Metropolis, such as Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square. Over
April, 1936.
London can be heard the muffled peal of Westminster Abbey, saying its last farewell to a beloved sovereign. Paddington Station, draped in purple and black, calls its millions home into the country once more, where, far into the night, cathedrals and churches are showing their respect for their dearly loved sovereign. These muffled peals tell us that a day of National Mourning is fast drawing to its close. A.D.B.
Ulftat does U mean to us? I am a plain English public-school boy in this year of grace 1936. I have, by the aids of modern science, witnessed scenes that are memorable in the history of any great nation. I have duly registered the emotions of sorrow that are required of a loyal subject on such occasions. And now, two months after the event, I am going home for the Easter holidays, and King Edward VIII is an established fact. But these History periods do bore me. (Last but one we shall have, anyway.) And they are conducive to reflection. I don't often reflect. But now I am doing so, I am wondering whether my " loyal emotion " during the last days of January wasn't rather a hypocritical sentiment. King George means so little to me now. After all, what did it mean to me even on the day of the funeral? On the dreadful night when that incessant news bulletin told of the coming bereavement? During that whole week of national mourning? Much what Baldwin told me that it meant, I suppose; more or less what the Archbishop said; just about the same as it meant to the preachers in cathedral, to whom for once I paid a little attention. The fact is, I didn't really think for myself : and I didn't really swallow all that religious bunk, either—about the love the family of the British Empire feels for its King, about his endless devotion to duty (fine fellow, all the same)—although with a lump in my throat I imagined that I did. No. King George V, whose passing called forth so much sincere appreciation from all, meant nothing (really) to me then, means nothing to me now. I don't know what to think. (Old Jampot's getting suspicious : better try a Compound Interest.) Still, I can't get King George quite out of my head. " How is the Empire? " " . . . if I may in any sense consider myself as the head of this great Family. . . ." What's it all about? It means a lot to other people—nothing to me. Yes, I was wrong during those days of mourning: lump in throat, tear in eye—hypocrite! I wasn't really sorry. / hadn't lost a father, as so many seem to have done : I was " sad " because it was " the thing." How horrid. But, by Jove, you know, it's always happening. It even happens here. What is it?—oh, yes, of course—" The old order changeth, yielding place to new." Where does that come—Book of Proverbs, is it? Or what about new wine and old bottles—no, perhaps not. (" What's that, sir? This
THE VIGORNIAN.
April, 1936
is—yes, by Jove, you're right, sir, it is a History Period, sir—and I'm doing Compound Interest, sir—Yes, sir, by seven o'clock, sir.") 'Phew: where was I? Oh, yes, wine and bottles. Old order changeth. Yes, King dies. Headmaster retires. Senior boys leave. Yielding place to new. Got it. That's what it means. The King is dead—long live the King. All over the world people come and go. They enter our lives—they leave them. Especially here. We make friends—they go. We make more. And we forget the old ones? Yes. Two months since King George died : here's to King Edward. Two months of Summer Holiday : here's to the next term (Shades of Henry Hall!) and last term is forgotten. But it's true—and we'll be forgetting . . . forgetting . . . That was a near one: almost went off, that time. But I'm just a silly, fickle brat when two months wipes out what I thought was one of my biggest emotions. And I'm just a silly fickle brat when I let anything I've treasured go as quick as that. And I do treasure this peace and my friends, though it's the fashion to hate it and grumble about one's food and grouse about one's work—oh! it's all part of the fun—and it's more fun still at end of term when it's all over, because one wishes it wasn't—and oh! I'm getting all excited and hot and bothered and off the point and Jampot looks ever so fishy. . . . That's it, though. I mustn't just forget King George: mustn't forget . . . anything, in that silly foolish way one's so inclined to do it in. (Oh ! Lord, I do get a bit Hermonish sometimes !) Still, it's right. All these things, this place, these people (even old Jampot) are sort of part of me, somehow. I treasure them : and they mustn't just be allowed to slip away. What's that super thing of Kipling's? Dash it! If only I could remember. It sums up the whole meaning of it so well. (" Eh? Over the desk? Yes, sir. Yes, it'll help me to remember, sir. It will, sir. Six, sir? "LEST"—You! that's me!—" WE "—two— " FORGET " — three — " LEST " — four — " WE " — only one more " FORGET "—that was a tough one!) But it's over now—and old Jampot has given me that Kipling thing. " Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet— Lest we forget! Lest we forget! "
€$$ap In Are you egg-minded? But the psychology of it. You see what I mean? Now let's try and put together the relevant facts. What are your resources? Make an intelligent effort, please, to correlate the subject-matter. What have we? We have first the common breakfast egg. Now I don't want to be dogmatic : don't just swallow it. That might prove disastrous in the circs.
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First the little matter of opening it. Be reasonable. You have three ways of doing it: try and indicate that you know something of each of them. We have :•— A. The woodpecker method. Try and talk intelligently about this : it's no use just labelling it. B. The subjective method. This means an attempt to merge the personality of the egg in yours. It is found only as a cautious assertion among the earlier Egg-men ; they did not develop it, since success with this method needs the will, the whole will, and nothing but the will, and cautious assertions are no use at all. Later, however, e.g. Egocles used this subtle transition with great effect, none of the bystanders being future vague enough to see when the egg ceased to be an e.g. Egg and became cf. Egocles (i.e. subtle transition). C. Lastly, we have the objective method. This consists in merging one's own personality in that of the egg, which to most silly fellows should prove pretty easy. (N.B.—Mind the trousers.) But let me remind you that a mere knowledge of the methods of egg-opening will not make you egg-minded. You must study the Masters of Egg-work (egg-work is now a faculty with a distinctive gown and hood); try to follow their subtle critics as they drop It on the floor (" Fie upon it! "); or, again, the long drawn out " Tut! " as a piece of yolk adheres to the upper lips. You must court the betas and the bramble-bushes, the perpetual perversity and the red-ink reprisals, before you too shall be numbered among the blessed. As you shall be perverse, so are you bound to be egg-like. Seek first the egg, and the egg-mindedness will follow. Then will you for the first time taste that superlative sweetness of eggdom—e.g. " you egg ! " OVUM.
"CMs Sporting C<rm." Physical Training came first this term, Destined to bring so foul a germ. Hockey comes next—a failure this, Which weather determined that we should miss. The Cross-Country followed—blessed event— A pleasant start to the season of Lent! Then came " Belows " matches—what a thrill! The touch-line with shouts is echoing still. But the rowers—sturdy men—meanwhile Perform on the river—Fairbairn style. Fives gets up on its legs for a week, 'Til the Captain goes off to try for a Meeke. Finally, brethren, come the Sports— The track is gay with our speeding shorts. But there's one big snag puts us on the rocks, And that is the ogre—Chicken-pox ! A.D.B.
THE VIGORN1AN.
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Ode to a Spot. Spot! Disfigurement upon my manly chest, Bidding me in sick-rooms take my rest. Blot Upon my forehead, on my face, Finally destroying all my grace. Hot The tears I shed when I took off my vest, Revealing the chicken's handiwork upon my breast, Blighting all my hopes of what is best In life: I shall miss A lot. What? Oh, everything : Sports, Fives, the Play. And worse : the last, lingering loveliness of Easter's term. Had I retired by just one single day Earlier : the early bird had had the worm. No worm for me— Too late shall I be free. Free only for the 8.55 To bear untimely back home to the nest. Scan? Scan if you can ! I and T. S. Eliot scorn that plan. My muse must be unfettered: Blighted by the spot, What metre can I, unlettered. Pour forth from my cot In profuse strains of unpremeditated rot? Cot! Pity my lot! Spots to the right of me, spots to the left of me Not A hope! Here will they remain Until the day that when they're gone I'll wish them back again. YesIt's a plot! Plot to keep me from the life I love— Plot to banish me from prep, and prose— Plot to exile me from energy—* (* Wot?—Eds. Vig.) Ah !—Counter-plot! My warders shall be shot— And I, from durance vile set free, Will go to pot. Care I a jot? Frankly, I do not. All I can say is— Out, damned spot! That canst inspire a sot To write Such Rot! Pox.
April, 1936.
field Dap. We disembarked past Cheltenham, (The C.O. came by car) We heard we'd got to march on And hoped it wasn't far. We stood for twenty minutes, Exposed to biting cold, (We used most awful language !) Our guns were hard to hold. Just then we got the order That we had got to go And penetrate a thick wood (Our Sergeant told us so). At last we reached a ploughed field, The mud was inches deep, We saw some wooden railings And then some beastly sheep. And then we saw a farmer, He shouted at us—twice? He told us not to go near His sheep at any price. We got behind a brick wall, And knelt down in the mud, (We'd drawn our ammunition, And it wasn't dud). At any rate, we charged down A steep and muddy hill, A bugle sounded " Stand Fast "— We marched back UP the hill! By this time we were fed up, And told the Sergeant so, We said, " Could we have dinner? " But Sergeant answered: " No! " But soon we reached a thick hedge, And sat down by a tree, We opened up our rations— And ate and drank with glee. Just then " Continue " sounded, We lay behind a bank, We poked our rifles over, And loaded them with blank. That's when the real fun started, We held the upper hand, But still the foe approached us, The way they ran was grand. We then retired some distance Until we reached a wall, The school hid behind it, Although it was so small. The enemy came nearer, They stopped five yards away, We captured them quite simply, And thus ended Field Day. P.Mc.E.
April, 1936
THE VIGORNIAN.
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CDe ScDolar's Retreat.
CDe Inquisitive Scftolar.
There were shadows in the study when there came a heavy tread—
(With apologies to Lewis Caroll)
The scholar he was sleeping in his chair. Came a knock, the door was opened, then a voice which blithely said : " Hullo, my dear fellow, are you there? " The scholar never answered, and the visitor observed That a Vergil lay discarded on the floor. He blew his nose, stared at his toes, and presently was nerved By the scholar, who gave forth a lusty snore. " I say, my dear fellow," ventured he, " whatever next? Personally I think it's rotten form For a man in your position to discard a Vergil text For behaviour better suited to a dorm." The tomato soup was excellent, the fish was on its form, The Irish stew was all that it could be; The ham and eggs had merely been the calm before the storm, And beans and shredded wheat there were for tea. Then, with a look of longing and of pleasure o'er his face, The sleeper shuffled restless in his chair. The visitor' he muttered and he hurled himself through space, And seized the wretched dreamer by the hair. The sleeper rudely wakened fumbled for a Horace Ode His vision of Spaghetti swiftly fled : And in its stead his Vergil, now become a gloomy load, Hovered over him and bowed his weary head. The visitor suggested that the day was very fine, And hoped it would be just as good a night, And queried, while remarking that the hour was Hearing nine, " Pray tell me, what's the Vergil prep, to-night? " * * *
Dear reader, be you classical or modern, I have tried To show you that, whatever you may think, There remains this one outstanding fact which cannot be denied, That even classic scholars eat and drink. IMPROBUS ANSWER.
" You are old, sir," the young man said with a smile, " And yet you are not very fat. And you play fives with zest and you ride by the mile— Pray, what is the reason of that? " " In my youth," said the sage, wisely shaking his head, " I studied my Horace at length. And that with the practice of reading in bed Was the source of my very great strength." " You are old," said the youth, " as I mentioned before, Yet you rode very fast round the Green At a speed which exceeded the recognised law— Pray, what could the reason have been? " " In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey hair, " My nerves were worn out, being due To my reading these volumes, ten shillings a pair— Allow me to order you two? " " You are old, I don't doubt it," the young man said, " Yet you quote Aristotle each night, And what with the strain it must have on your head Do you think at your age it is right? " " In my youth," said the sage, " while I thought it great sport, I feared it might injure my brain. But finding it scattered by Vergil, I thought That to stop it was surely insane." "You are old," said the youth, " and I'm sure you have found That the form is exceedingly trying. If we gave you the volumes of Homer, all bound, Do you think they would help }rou when dying? " " Enough of your prattle, get out," said the sage, " Can't you see I'm correcting a prose? Though I'm not often roused, once I am in a rage I'd think nothing of breaking your nose." IMPROBUS ANSWER.
ScDool Concert. Last term's Concert was held when the temperature certainly suggested the approach of Christmas and the programme was quite in keeping with the season. The Concert began with the School Song, after which Mr. Day and the School Choir presented the " Fantasia on Christmas Carols " by R. Vaughan Williams. The obvious enjoyment of the singers enabled them to give a bright and spirited atmosphere to the work. Handel's Suite in A was
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THE VIGORNIAN.
then played by the School Orchestra, and Mr. LI. Williams sang " Luther's Cradle Hymn " by Easthope Martin. Part I ended with two of the ever-popular quartets by Messrs. H. E. Nicholls, E. F. Day, A. D. Franklin and G. K. Tattersall. After the interval R. I. G. Brooks played a pianoforte solo—" Invitation to the Dance," by Weber, and the Choir, assisted by Mr. Nicholls (trumpet) and M. E. Nicholls, J. M. Paul, and C. G. Bush (drums), gave a most impressive rendering of Stanford's " Last Post." This was followed by Minuet from Symphony in D, by Haydn, played by the Orchestra. The Concert ended on the light-hearted note with which it began. A Round and a Sea Shanty were sung vigorously by the Choir if not by the audience, who were meant to join in, and then came two more quartets and a performance of the trio, "Maiden Fair," which had to be repeated. After the National Anthem all joined in " Auld Lang Syne" with customary heartiness, and brought to a close a most varied and enjoyable concert, for which Mr. Day must in particular be congratulated.
April, 1936.
Salottt. Upper Fourth. Knapp-Fisher, M. B. School House. Middle Fourth. Annis, R. Day Boys. Broadhurst, N. W. Castle House. Evans, D. V. Day Boys. Hawkins, G. C. B. Hostel. Lower Fourth. Good, M. H. Castle House. Painter, P. F. Castle House. Williams, A. T. Day Boys. Lower School. Allchurch, G. M. Hostel. Jones, G. E. S. Day Boys.
Cloll Service examinations.
Valctt. Modern Sixth. Allen, R. W. M. (1932-35). Castle House, jnd XV Rugger 1933. ist XV 1934-5- ^ d IV Rowing 1935. Sergt. O.T.C. Baxter, G. N. T. (1932-35)- Hostel, ist XV Rugger 1935. 2nd XI Cricket 1935 Lance-Corporal O.T.C. Cert. " A " 1935. Gregory, E. C. (1928-35). Day Boys. Gaylor, D. W. (1932-35). Hostel. 2nd IV Rowing 1935. 2nd XV Rugger 1935. Corporal O.T.C. Cert. " A " 1935. Lawrey, F. W. (1933-35). Hostel. 2nd XV Rugger 1935. 2nd XI Cricket 1934. ist XI Cricket 1935. Cadet O.T.C. King's Scholar. Miles, F. R. (1933-35). School House. Shooting VIII 1935. Cadet O.T.C. Williams, H. G. (1930-35). Castle House. Cadet O.T.C. Librarian. Lower Fifth. Bush, C. G. (1932-35). School House. 2nd XV Rugger 1934. ist XV Rugger 1935. ist IV Rowing 1935. Cadet O.T.C. Gade, R. F. (1932-35)- School House. 2nd XV Rugger 1934. ist XV Rugger 1935. Lance-Corporal O.T.C. Cert. " A " 1935. Upper Fourth. Crump, M. J. (1931-35). Day Boys.
The following examinations have been announced:— I7th March 1936. Typists and Clerk-Typists ... Typists and Clerk-Typists (Modified) 17th March 1936. z6th March, 1936. Assistant Preventive Officers 3151 March, 1936. Cartographer (Admiralty) ... 2nd April, 1936. Writing Assistants 2nd April, 1936. Clerical Assistants 15th April, 1936. Executive Officers 2ist April, 1936. Telegraphists (Female) Assistant Superintendents of Traffic 28th April, 1936. (Male) Shorthand-Typists and Clerk-Shorthand-Typists 12th May, 1936. Diplomas in Public Administration 6th—isth May, 1936. Diplomas in Unemployment and 6th—I sth May, 1936. Health Insurance 19th May, 1936. Clerical Class (Open) Minor and Manipulative Grades ... gth June, 1936. (Entry to Clerical Class) ... 25th July, 1936, and Administrative Class ist, August, 1936. It is anticipated that the following examinations will be held during 1936 :— Third Class Officer (Ministry of Labour). Assistant Inspectors of Taxes. Officers of Customs and Excise. Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists (Male and Female). Full information concerning these examinations, and classes in connection therewith, both in London and the Provinces, can be obtained from the Secretary, Civil Service Educational Council, Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street, S.W.I.
April, 1936
THE VIGORNIAN.
Correspondence. To the Editors of "The Vigornian." Sirs, We feel, as indeed do many others, that it is about time that some solution was found to put an end to the friction which seems to have grown up between the Scouts and the Corps. It seems to us an extremely regrettable state of affairs that two such admirable bodies should be at loggerheads all for want of a little sensible co-operation. As members of both institutions might we suggest a solution to the problem. In consideration of the abnormally high intellectual standard of the School, no one can truthfully deny that there is very little that the average boy can get out of the Scouts after the age of, say, fourteen. Surely then the obvious thing to do is to use the Scouts as the training ground for the Corps. Thus every boy who joined the Scouts would do so on the agreement that, when he reached the age of fourteen, he was to join the Corps whether he left the Scouts or not. This would weed out any " undesirables " from the Scouts and would provide the Corps with a valuable feed of recruits who had had some
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slight training—both moral and physical—that could prove extremely useful to them on joining the senior movement. However, words can achieve little: what we need is action. Let the representatives of the two bodies concerned meet at the beginning of next term and come to some such satisfactory agreement. Yours, etc., J.M.P. B.S.E.
Contemporaries. We acknowledge the receipt of the following, with apologies for any accidental omissions:—The Cheltonian (3), The Felstedian (2), The St. Edward's School Chronicle (2), The Monktonian, The Limit, St. Michael's Chronicle, The Wulfrunian, The Wolvernian, The Wyggestonian, The Tonbridgian, The Bromsgrovian, The Monmothian.