THE
VIGORNIAN
JULY 1947
CRICKET: 1st ELEVEN, 1947. Left to right, Back Row: H. E. Howell, T. H. Burgess, R. F. Godsall, A. K. Mannion. Middle row: G. O'Neill, D. C. Tyson, A. Rambling (Capt.), R. C. Brown, J. H. Whitehead. Front row : A. J. R. Perkins, D. F. Jones, J. A. Blain.
(Reproduced by kind permission of " The Evemng News &• Times"}. The J.T.C. Inspection: Lt.-Col. P. H. Graves-Morris inspecting the band.
Hon. G. R. Ward, M.P. with members of the school on the occasion of their visit to the Houses of Parliament.
THE VIGORNIAN THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KING'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE TA MEN AIAAKTA MAN9ANO, TA A'ETPETA ZHTO, TA A'ETKTA IIAPA 6E12N HITHSAMHN.
JULY, 1947.
Vol. XIII.
EDITORIAL.
CONTENTS. Editorial School Officers School Notes Announcements ... ... ... O.V. News Engagements, Marriages and Births Deaths Oxford Letter Speech Day O.V. Day "Macbeth" House Notes Cricket Rowing Rugby Football Prospect Boxing Swimming Sports Shooting J.T.C Red Cross Societies Art Circle Sixth Form Club Chess Club Chess Problems Valete Contemporaries "The Commentator" Contributions Correspondence
Fourth Centenary Fund Appeal
No. 172.
...
Page 426 427 427 ... 428 428 429 430 430 430 431 432 434 436 440 442 442 ... 442 443 443 444 444 444 445 445 445 445
446 446 447 448 449
If this column is longer than usual, it is only because we are trying to. avoid the traditional weather-health gossip, and to give you, instead, a brief survey of the last six months in the King's School. In his Speech-day report, the Headmaster referred to the epic qualities of the Easter term. If our last Vigornian was not all that it should have been, we should like to give you some idea of the circumstances which surrounded its production. The hardness of last winter, the fuel-cuts and the coal shortage are no longer news; but our epidemic is something of which you know very little. As the days went by, more and more of the School either succumbed to the scarlet fever, or else carried out a discreet withdrawal until such time as the outbreak should subside. Towards the end of the term we were reduced from about 370 to a mere 140, but those who stayed were comforted by the fact that few of them caught " scarlet," to which very many of those who went home succumbed. But enough of the rigours of the Easter term of which we have little to report. Much more interesting are the activities of this term. Cricket has made a remarkable recovery, and the XI has acquitted itself very fairly: and although we have not been successful on the river, there is much promise for the future. In other fields we have fully lived up to the promise made in our last issue to bring you better news this year. Our Shooting VIII has had a very successful year, and broken all School records, while in every other field of activity there has been increased enterprise and enthusiasm.
427
THE VIGORNIAN.
SCHOOL OFFICERS. R. C. Brown. Captain of the School E. B. Wootten. Captain of Boats A. R. Wiseman. Secretary of Boats A. Hambling. Captain of Cricket Secretary of Cricket D. C. Tyson. Captain of Shooting G. G. Bulman. Captains of Houses :— School House N. G. P. Lawson. Castle House R. C. Brown. R. A. Williams. The Hostel G. G. Bulman. Chappel's House T. G. G. Griffiths. Creighton's House School Monitors :—R. C. Brown, T. G. G. Griffiths, E. B. Wootten, G. G. Bulman, R. A. Williams, N. G. P. Lawson, A. Hambling, J. W. Ager-Harris, D. L. Frape, D. C. Tyson, R. S. Martindale. Editors of The Vigomian :—R. A. Williams, R. C. Brown, R. S. Martindale, R. J. Rayson.
SCHOOL NOTES. At the beginning of the Summer Term the Headmaster told us that as a result of a conference held recently at the Ministry of Education, the first part of the new building scheme, which is being partly sponsored by the O.V. Club's Fourth Centenary Fund, would be completed during the summer holidays. He referred to the conversion of the Old Buildings into a new science block, and to the erection of prefabricated huts to make good temporarily the classroom accommodation lost thereby. * * * We will not bore our readers with a long account of the Easter term, but merely be content to say that the weather caused the cancellation of the " Belows " or Junior House Rugger Matches, the Cross-country runs, the ' Standards ' Competition and the Sports. In fact no outside activities were possible, and our only sporting activity was passball, which was played with much enthusiasm in the gym. Several matches were played between the School and the " Common Room," and a series of House matches was also played, and won by The Hostel. * * * While on the subject of the gym, we take this opportunity of officially welcoming Sergt. Barrett, our new P.T. and Junior Training Corps instructor. Sergt. Barrett, who has been with us since the middle of the Easter term, has already proved himself invaluable to the School, and to him must go a large measure of the credit for the improvement in the standard of marching of the Corps, which has been so noticeable. * * * It seems that most of these notes are being taken up by the gymnasium, but we must mention the recent improvements which have completely changed its character. Where once was a bare, barn-like building, little use for anything beyond pass-ball and a few conventional exercises, stands now a fully equipped gymnasium with wall-bars, beams, ropes, mats and all the other apparatus needed for efficient physicial training.
July, 1947
We are sorry to have to say good-bye to Mr. P. R. Buckland, who is leaving the School to resume his studies at Cambridge which were interrupted by the war. Mr. Buckland has been with the School only four terms. He came here at short notice, and had the difficult task of occupying, at a critical time in the School year, the position of Sixth Form Mathematics Master vacated by Mr. Ward. Mr. Buckland quickly made himself universally popular, and, at the same time, gained the reputation of one of the hardest working members of the staff, giving much of his spare time to the superintending of junior cricket and football. * * * Also, leaving this term is Miss Butterworth, the School Housekeeper, whose job is probably the most difficult in the School. Probably few people in the School fully realise the difficulties with which she has been confronted, and we are all too apt to make the housekeeper's task more difficult by grumbling and grousing. We therefore take this opportunity of thanking Miss Butterworth for all she has done for the School, and of wishing her good luck in the future. » « * Among the changes in the School since our last issue has been the removal of the Sixth Form to Edgar Tower. Although the move, made when the central heating system there had broken down, and the average temperature was about 5° below freezing, was not very popular at first, we have now settled down in our new home, and we hope to benefit by some of the improvements planned under the extension scheme. » » * Heartiest congratulations to Mr. Pedder and Miss Jerram on the occasion of their marriage. Only the members of The Hostel were told of the impending marriage; to the rest of the School it came as an agreeable surprise. The School enjoyed a half-holiday in honour of the event. * * * Special half-holidays have indeed been prolific this term. The Judge of Assize, Mr. Justice Denning revived a time-honoured custom when he begged the Headmaster to grant the School a half-holiday. The Headmaster agreed, and the afternoon of the J.T.C. inspection was declared a half-holiday. Next year we hope to revive our part of the bargain in which the King scholars call upon the Judge before breakfast, and after wishing him ' a hearty good-morning ' request him to beg the Headmaster for a half. * * * We must thank Miss Annette Ferrar for obtaining us yet another half-holiday in honour of her arrival in this world. Congratulations too, to Mr. and Mrs. Ferrar on this happy event. * * * During the summer term we were visited by a Ministry of Education Mobile Film Unit who gave two shows. The first, on May 20th consisted of " The Instruments of the Orchestra " with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the first part of " The Beginnings of History " while the second part given two days later was made up of the remaining " Beginnings of History," and an architectural film—" Houses through the Ages."
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
Of the various ' recruiting drives ' with which we have been entertained, probably the most interesting was a talk by Lieut.-Comm. le Bailey, who told us a great deal of the Royal Navy's future, and the opportunities it offers, to the right chap, of a first-class career. His talk was accompanied by two films, one about the general work of the Navy during the last war, and the other about the " Mulberry " harbour in Normandy. One of the most enjoyable afternoons of the term was that which we spent in listening to the delightful song-recital given by Dr. Sinclair Logan, which included songs ranging in the date of their composition from the middle ages to the present day, and songs in many different moods, some melancholy, some humorous, but all finely rendered by Dr. Logan. Everyone must have noticed the silver birch trees which relieve the rather monotonous aspect of the playground, and are also to be found in several other parts of the School. I doubt if very many people knew that these trees were presented by Harry W. Adams, R.C.A., R.B.A., R.B.C., the eminent local artist whose death was announced last May. His paintings of snow are world-famous, and one hangs in the Tate Gallery. He was a great lover of trees, and the silver birches now in the School grounds were dug up from his own estate in the Teme valley. During half-term a party from the School was fortunate enough to be taken round the Houses of Parliament by the City Member, the Hon. G. R. Ward. We should like to thank Mr. Ward for giving up so much of his valuable time for the School. We congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Cash on the birth of a son. The Headmaster has promised to grant us a half-holiday next term in honour of the event. During the summer holidays Mr. H. A. Natan is taking a party of senior members of the School on a tour of Switzerland. The tour will last four weeks and combining pleasure with education, will cover the country pretty thoroughly. After a lapse of six years, a photograph of the whole school was again taken this term, the results of which we hope will be available by the time this issue reaches you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS. The suggestion has been made that some Old Vigornians interested in Freemasonry might welcome the formation of an Old Vigornian Lodge. Would anyone interested please communicate with A. Littlebury at 3, Crosshall Street, Liverpool, or W. F. C. Underwood at 9, Cromwell Crescent, Worcester, who would be pleased to receive views on the suggestion.
428
Will anyone having any O.V. News or other news connected with the School, which they think would be of interest to the readers of The Vigornian please send it to :—The Secretary, O.V. Club, 7 College Green, Worcester. * * * The Editors regret the absence of a Cambridge Letter, but are informed by G. L. S. Rankin (Fitzwilliam House) that the O.V.s" there have not held a meeting this term. We hope to have news of them in our December issue. At the general meeting held on July 12th the O.V. Club Committee decided to form an O.V. Cricket Club. No doubt many O.V.s living in or near Worcester will be glad to hear of this, and will avail themselves of the opportunity to play for the club and meet old school friends. The club is, of course, open to all O.V.s, and the secretary will be glad to receive the name of anyone wishing to be enrolled as a playing member. The Headmaster has very kindly intimated his willingness to allow the club the full use of the School playing field during the summer holidays, and the use of the nets in the evenings during the summer term. It is hoped that all O.V.s will give their full and active support to this venture. L. M. Bailey, Sec., O.V. Cricket Club.
O.V. NEWS. J. P. Henshaw (Castle House, 1940-46) is serving with the R.A.F. at Padgate, and has won the inter-station welter-weight boxing championship. * * * C. Harvard (Castle House, 1938-41) gained B.Sc. (Wales) in 1944, and this year qualified for M.B.Ch., M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P. He has also won the Hepburn Anatomy Medal. * » * Capt. H. P. E. Pereira (School House, 1921-24) has been made an Associate of the Royal Historical Society. * * * J. H. Waylen, M.B.E. (Castle House, 1925-30) is taking up an appointment as a Housemaster at one of the new Home Office Establishments for training delinquent youths. * * * G. E. Parlby (Castle House, 1927-31) has dug himself into the engineering and business life of Sydney so thoroughly that there seem little chance of his return yet. For the past two years he has been Captain of the Sydney Rowing Club; he is also married, and has a son aged three. * * * D. R. Pennington (The Hostel, 1936-39) finds his work at a Government Training Centre near Andover, Hants, interesting but at times finds his pupils aggravating. A. P. Shrimpton (Day Boy and Castle House, 1926-32) is in Bombay, working for Sir Alexander Gibbs & Co., Consulting Engineers.
429
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
J. P. Pimley (Day Boy, 1936-39) who last year passed his final examination as a Licentiate in Dental Surgery, has been awarded the Laurence Carlton Memorial Prize. (Laurence Carlton was the only son of Sir Arthur Carlton, Mayor of Worcester, 1916-19, and was killed at Gallipoli. Sir Arthur founded the prize in memory of his son, and this is the first time it has been given to a Worcester student). * * * C. A. Myers (Day Boy, 1935-39) L.R.A.M., L.G.S.M., (Hons.), L.T.C.L., A.R.C.M., A.R.C.O. has just added the first two above-mentioned diplomas to his already substantial collection, both in organ playing. * * * The Rev. H. W. Hinds (Day Boy, 1931-39)) of Charterhouse Mission, Bermondsey, London, is establishing a reputation in this area as a very energetic worker in connection with Youth Clubs and other Church activities. * * * R. P. Beard (Day Boy, 1930-34) who saw service during the war in France, India, Burma and East Africa, was mentioned in despatches. * * » J. A. J. Caves (Day Boy, 1910-17) has in successive years held the posts of Chairman and Secretary of the Torquay Chamber of Commerce. » * * H. B. Hollyer (School House, 1904-6) is Publicity Officer of Torquay. * * » F. L. Parkin (Day Boy, 1915-18) has taken up an appointment on the Chief Engineer's Staff of a branch of the United Steel Companies, Sheffield. * * * P. J. Stevens (Day Boy, 1930-35) is Assistant Sales Manager of the Metal Box Co. Ltd., Liverpool. * * * J. E. Cocke (Day Boy, 1942-44) is a Captain in the R.A.E.C. and a Staff Instructor at the Army School of Education. * * * P. D. Fourdrinier (Castle House, 1935-38) for two years on the staff of the " Sunday Herald," is evidently the leading light of Shepperton. He is'Vice-Chairman of the Young Conservatives, the Dramatic Society and the Cricket Club, as well as being on the Committee of the British Legion. * * * A. H. S. Powell (School House, 1921-29) has now completely recovered from small-pox which he contracted while with the army in India. He has obtained his B.A. degree and Diploma in Education at the University of Western Australia and is now an Assistant Master at Launceston High State School, TasF. L. Steward (1897-1903) has been elected President of the Wolverhampton Law Society for the third time. They celebrated their Centenary at a luncheon on 9th May at which their guests included the Lord Chief Justice of England and the President of the Law Society.
The Rev. R. J. Whitaker, B.A., who was for 24 years mathematics master at the King's School, and who, since leaving us in 1935 has been vicar of Cleeve Prior, Evesham, is to retire at the end of March. * * * J. F. Lavender (School House, 1930-37) is starting teaching at Wallasey Grammar School in September.
ENGAGEMENTS. KING—-HARPER. The engagement is announced between O. W. King (Castle House, 1938-41), of Garsington and Patricia Mary Harper of Oxford. * * * LUSCOMBE—STOKES. The engagement is announced between E. C. Luscombe (Hostel, 1927-37), Colonial Police Service, Hong Kong, and Jill Rosemary, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. G. Stokes, of Hong Kong and Sydney. MARRIAGES. BRYER—POWELL. On January 7th, 1947, at St. Joseph's Church, Malvern, W. N. Bryer (Day Boy, 1930-37), second son of Mr. and Mrs. R. F. Bryer, Graham House, Malvern, to Stella Marie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. V. J. Powell, Wansbeck, Malvern. * * * NEALE—PHEBY. On March 22nd, 1947, P. Neale (Day Boy, 1935-37), to Ivy, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pheby, of London. * * » SAYER—SMITH. On April 30th, 1947, at St. Wilfred's Church, Standish, near Wigan, J. D. H. Sayer (The Hostel, 1933-38), to Kathleen Naylor (Kay), daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Edwin Smith, of Trafalgar Road, Wigan. * * * SMITH—ROBERTSON. On February 5th, 1947, at Berwick-on-Tweed, J. Smith (Day Boy, 1929-33), eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Smith, 41 Ombersley Road, Worcester, to Elizabeth, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. Robertson, Berwick-on-Tweed. * * * WILSON—GILBERT. On March 31st, 1947, at St. Andrew's Church, Droitwich, A. M. M. Wilson (Day Boy, 1938-39), only son of Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Wilson, of Droitwich to Maxine Anne, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilbert, of Vancouver, B.C. BIRTHS. DRAKE.—On November llth, 1946, to Mary, wife of A. F. Drake (School House, 1918-22)—a daughter. * * * NICHOLLS.—On May 22nd, 1947, to Joan (n6e Bevington), wife of Max E. Nicholls (Day Boy, 1934-37)— a son (Vaughan Adrian). A brother for Brian, Maxine, and Lois. * » * STEVENS.—On December 20th, 1946, to Mary (n6e Elcock), wife of P. J. Stevens (Day Boy, 1930-35), —a daughter (Anna).
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
DEATHS. CLARKE.—The death took place on 24th February, 1947, of G. G. Clarke (Day Boy, 1888-91).
430
SPEECH DAY. Speech Day was held this year on Friday. June 27th, with the Hon. G. R. Ward, M.P. as the chief speaker. The Dean, who was in the Chair, congratulated the Headmaster on the progress of the School during the KINGDOM.—The death is announced of S. St. G. S. past year, and welcomed back Mrs. Kittermaster after Kingdom (School House, 1907-1912, and King's her absence in Germany. He introduced the chief Scholar). Mr. Kingdom was appointed assistant clerk speaker, thanking him for the trouble he had taken in in the House of Commons in 1921, and during his showing a party of boys from the King's School over tenure of this office he made valuable contributions the Houses of Parliament at half term. to the latest edition of ErsJ<ine May. During the last The Headmaster began with a tribute to the late war, he held the temporary offices of Assistant Serjeant Dr. Brown, speaking of the work that Dr. Brown had at Arms and Deputy Serjeant at Arms, and was done as a member of the General Development Subawarded the O.B.E. in recognition of these services. Committee, and of the unfailing interest and sympathy He was well-known to and liked by nearly all the that he had shown in the School from the moment of Members, Officers and other servants of the House, his arrival in Worcester. whose affection he gained by his efficiency and unAfter a review of the year's activities, the Headmaster failing cheerfulness. outlined the plans of the Governors for the future. Owing to the difficulty of getting new buildings, the plan would have to be put into practice in instalments, but permission had been obtained to convert the Old Buildings to a OXFORD LETTER. Science Block at a cost of about £3,000, which the O.V. To the Editors of The Vigornian. Club had agreed to finance from the 4th Centenary Fund; to build a new dining hall for the day-boys; to Dear Sirs, The beginning of Trinity Term witnessed a 50% build a new " Carpenters' Shop " (which, to begin increase in our numbers in statu pupillari:—David with, would have to be used as a class room); and to make considerable improvements and additions to the Thawley came back from the Far East. kitchen. Later instalments of the plan included David came from School House to St. Edmund Hall school the building of a new four-classroom block, the equipin 1942. Having had a most successful year at Oxford ment a central library, a new day-boys' changing he joined the Friends Ambulance Unit and after con- room, of and a new masters' common room. The gymnassiderable efforts succeeded in getting out to China. His ium had already been equipped with new apparatus experiences there would be too long a tale here, but they re-roofed. would make an interesting story for The Vigornian and The appointment of Mr. David Kittermaster, who (if the Editors could persuade him to write it). Back at was in charge of the junior department at Tredennyke, Oxford David has lost no time in resuming his theo- as Warden of Framlingham Junior School, had forced logical studies and he appeared on the river during the Governors to consider what could most usefully Eights Week, but after three days' rowing decided to be done with the Tredennyke buildings, and, after have malaria, from which he has now fully recovered. much consideration, they had decided to make a gradual Tom Sutton—under this name lurks, bewildering change over from the present independent junior departall his friends who can never find him, T. F. Schulhof ment to additional boarding accommodation. (School House, 1938-41)—also made an appearance on Finally the Headmaster criticised the present favourthe river during Eights, though his boat got bumped able treatment of day-boys as opposed to boarders, 5 times, a fact of which he seems peculiarity unashamed. suggesting that the boarders should be entitled to the He says that he has not had time for much work recently, same remission of tuition fees according to income as but we learn that having passed all his exams he now the day-boys. He also said that he regretted the present has a free field until finals in June 49. tendency to make things easier and easier for boys and [T. F. Schulhof, that was, would like to take this ls at school. The old system of education had its r opportunity of notifying his O.V. friends that he took aults, but it did at least develop the mind by insisting the surname of Sutton officially upon the occasion of on the value of hard work and no easy short cuts. One his naturalisation this year]. of his chief hopes was to keep that tradition of hard In statu magistrari we continue to have J. E. R. work alive at the King's School. Enabling (Hostel, 1926-31) who as Wing-Commander After Mrs. Davies had distributed the prizes, Mr. is the Chief Instructor at the University Air Squadron. Ward said how glad he had been to take the party of }oys over the Houses of Parliament, and he hoped that During the course of the term we were happily able :he visit would be repeated. The interest that the boys to arrange a lunch at the Union with Mr. and Mrs. lad shown had suggested to him that in his speech he Wilding who are still with us at Oxford, and whose eldest son has just won a scholarship to New College. should tell the School something more of the origins, " Nunky" Richardson (at Birmingham University) traditions and working of the House of Commons. He and Brian Clarke (at Cambridge) came over to see us ended by saying that the lessons learnt there—good and we endeavoured to impress them with the charms temper, tolerance, the capacity for friendship in spite of violently differing opinions—were also lessons that of Oxford. Hoping to see more O.V.s up here soon and wishing we should learn at School. Owing to the rain, the idea of a tea in the School you all enjoyable summer holidays. garden was abandoned. The Dean kindly gave us perYours very sincerely, nission to use the Cloisters. After tea the rain stopped OXON. in time for a shortened physical training display to be given on a very slippery College Green.
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July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
PRIZE WINNERS Sixth Form : K. W. Laflin (French and Latin); F. L. M. Lorenz (History); G. J. Hollister-Short (Geography); J. D. Williams (Art). Fifth Forms : J. L. Bradley (English); P. S. Raderecht (Geography); P. M. Bluck (Mathematics); H. M. P. Lorenz (French); G. A. Wiley (French); N. G. P. Lawson (Art); A. N. H. Marks (Art). Removes : D. A. Prothero (History); W. F. Jones (History); J. K. Grieves (English); C. M. Wood (Latin); R. W. Washbrook (French); K. J. Beard (Art). Fourths : M. J. Senter (English); M. E. J. Stokes (History and Latin); H. H. Scurfield (Mathematics); T. S. Arnett (Art). Lower School : D. A. Raderecht (English and French); P. E. Hill (History); T. J. Mumford (English); G. D. Bailey (Art); B. D. Adams (Art). Reading Prizes : J. C. Rose (Vlth); R. J. Rayson (Vlth); H. M. P. Lorenz (Vth); D. F. Jones (Vth); J. E. Redwood (Removes); J. S. Rippier (Fourths); E. F. Williams (Fourths). Mrs. Henry Wood Prizes : J. K. Grieves; W. F. Jones. Music Prizes : M. W. Boyer (Piano); R. J. Rayson (Violin); B. A. Burley (Violin); J. S. Rippier (Violin); E. B. James (Voice); E. Rippier (Junior School). Yates Prize : D A. Webb. Goodman Essay Prise : F. L. M. Lorenz. O.V. DAY. O.V. Day was held this year on Saturday, July 12th, which turned out to be one of the finest days of the year, thus the cricket matches and rowing race took place in perfect weather. A record number of O.V.s came down, about 120 attending the dinner.
THE ROWING RACE. The School put two fours on the river, known as A. IV and B. IV; this was a new departure, and was made in order to give the Marlow crew further practice. The result was : 1st, King's School B. IV, 1J lengths ahead of A. IV who were about four feet in front of the O.V.s. THE CREWS : A. IV. B. IV. O.V.s IV. Bow A.R.Wiseman J. B. Walls G.W.Lindner 2 N.J.J.Collin B. T. C. Smith D.J. Cook 3 A. F. Holmes J.W.AgerP. H. Feuer Harris Stroke G. G. Bulman P. W. Prestage R. J. Little Cox G.C.Bradley D. O'Brien R. S. Martindale B. crew took the lead from the beginning, all crews having got away to a reasonably good start. This lead they maintained at about 1J lengths until a pleasure-boat come to a halt right in their path. B. crew swerved to avoid the boat, and in doing so somewhat cramped the room of the other IVs, who in turn had to swerve. However, the obstacle was passed without mishap, and the B. crew arrived at the finish, comfortably in the lead. For much of the race the O.V.s were in second place, but eventually their lack of practice told, and they had to yield this position to the A. crew.
THE CRICKET MATCH. O.V.s won by 9 runs. O.V.S. Money c. Godsall b. Whitehead Darlington b. Whitehead Mallett b. Burgess Neale c. Godsall, b. Brown Nicholls Ibw Brown King b. Brown Arbuckle run out Jeff c. Jones, b. Burgess Folley Ibw Burgess James not out Dinsdale did not bat Extras ,
12
Total (for 9 wkts. dec.) ...
119
9 11 57 5 4 9 4 3 2 3
W.C.K.S. Mannion O'Neill Whitehead Tyson Hambling Godsall Burgess Jones Brown Perkins Howell Extras
Ibw Darlington b. Neale Ibw Darlington run out c. Money, b. King b. Mallet c. Arbuckle, b. Mallett c. James, b. Mallett b. Neale Ibw Mallett not out Total ...
4 16 18 2 15 28 2 16 0 2 0 7
... 110
BOWLING. W.C.K.S. O.V.s. Burgess 3.4.-0-11-3 Mallett 6.3-0-15-4 Brown 16 -2-40-4 Neale 9 -0-16-2 Whitehead 5 -1-24-1 Darlington 14 -1^6-2 King 1 -l-O -1 The O.V.s were given a sound start by Money and Darlington. Darlington attacked the bowling confidently, and after the first few overs it seemed that once more the O.V.s were going to make a huge score But Godsall caught Money at mid-on, and shortly afterwards, when Darlington had been clean bowled by Whitehead, the score looked more reasonable. Mallett was joined by Neale, the captain, who after a good start was well caught by Godsall—the score now being 33-3. Mallett stayed, however, to delight us with an enterprising innings of 57 which included three 6s and four 4s; with his departure, however, came an immediate collaspe, Arbuckle, Jeff, Folley, James and Dinsdale being out for the addition of only 14 runs. It should be noted that this year we accounted for all the O.V.'s wickets, whereas for the last three years they have declared and beaten us easily. The School undoubtedly gave its best performance of the season in bowling and fielding. Mannion and O'Neill opened for the School, which was set with the task of making 120 runs to secure victory. Mannion was out in the second over, and Whitehead now joined O'Neill and between them they put the School in a sound position. Whitehead, however, fell another victim to Darlington and O'Neill was bowled after the next over. The score
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
was now 41—3 with Tyson and Hambling at the wicket. The batting throughout the innings had been confident with the possible exception of Mannion. Hambling and Godsall batted confidently and at the tea interval the School was in a very good position to win the match. Burgess was caught soon after tea and Godsall was joined by Jones and together they took the score to 103 when Godsall was bowled by a fast delivery from Mallett. Godsall played a very nice innings and deserved to stay to see the School win. Brown was bowled very soon after Godsall left the wicket and the match seemed to be 'touch and go.' Jones however was still at the wicket and he was joined by Perkins, the score being 106—8. Perkins drove the ball to the covers, taking 2 runs but was l.b.w. the next ball. It remained to be seen whether Jones would see the match to a satisfactory close. On the third ball from Mallett's seventh over Jones was well caught off his gloves and the match was lost by 9 runs, a very exciting match which closed the season.
O.V. MEETING AND DINNER. There was a record attendance in the evening for the meeting in the Old Vlth Form Room and dinner in College Hall. The chief business at the meeting was the election of Mr. J. B. Cavenagh (1904-9) as president of the club for the next 5 years, in place of Mr. J. E. B. Littlebury (1871-83), who has done such great service as president ever since 1938. Suggestions were made about the formation of O.V. Rugby football, cricket'and golf clubs. After discussion it was decided that the Rugby football suggestions would not be workable, but steps were taken to start the cricket and golf clubs by the appointment of Mr. L. M. Bailey (1927-33) as Secretary of cricket, and Mr. H. H. Holmes (1915-22) as Secretary of golf. The former is arranging a first fixture list for next summer and the latter is preparing an annual meeting open to O.V.'s and present members of the school and staff. The retiring President took the chair at the dinner. The Vice-Chairman was Lt.-Col. P. H. Graves-Morris, D.S.O., M.C. (1915-25) who proposed the health of the school, to which the headmaster replied. The president elect was persuaded to rise to his feet, followed by the headmaster of Newcastle-under-Lyme school, %vho needed less persuasion.
MACBETH. There is a time in many a man's life when a strong urge overcomes him to make the stage his career. This milestone of adolescence is soon passed by, and its impact gives way to a more sober concept of life. But often a secret passion remains and haunts the adult like the gossamer memories of his first love. When I entered College Hall ^to watch the School production of ' Macbeth ' the days of my own passion came back with a fleeting nostalgia. I re-lived many a first night and discovered once more ' la grande passion' when I observed myself being as much interested in the production as in the play. With considerable curiosity I was waiting for the lights to go out. Many of those present must have shared my excitement, for the Headmaster's passionate love for the stage is only too well-known, and his erudite knowledge and views on matters pertaining to
432
the theatre are always of interest to the listener. For the first play he produced at King's Cathedral School he had chosen ' Macbeth." Thus it became a veritable premiere in more than one way. ' Macbeth ' is a tragedy I do not care much for as a play in spite of its wealth of unforgettable brilliancy. The tragedy often seems to me a bore and rather ineffectual in its logical progress. It is too much a ' blood and thunder ' play to be wholly convincing in spite of much intervoven dark-glowing radiancy. The internecine fight of all those hoary, kilted warriors spills so much blood that the spectator simply yearns for some potent ' Scotch ' to steady the reactions of his lower self. One is inclined to query whether there was not a singlelevel headed man in King Macbeth's times to show some common sense. But all the thanes behave like the morning after Hogmanay : dim-witted, fatalistic, without clear recollection of what happened the night before. There is the Porter scene which has simply nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic sequence of the action. I fully agree with Coleridge's objections who speaks of ' the disgusting passage of the Porter which I dare pledge myself to demonstrate to be an interpolation of the actors.' How right this remark about the private antics of actors proved to be was brought home to me when I happened to watch that memorable night when the O.U.D.S. performed ' Macbeth' and the Porter's ' knock, knock, who is there ? ' provoked an outburst of mirth and joviality which created a new parlour game that very night. As ' Macbeth ' is purely tragic and devoid of any comedy or satirical reflections the Porter scene seems hardly bearable from a dramaturgic point of view. The central theme of the tragedy is the immortal roblem of Woman corrupting Man. And yet the more study this delicate fabric of a not so unusual marriage, the more I feel tempted to raise the question which Shakespeare left unanswered to my dismay. What did Macbeth really think of his wife ? Did he really recognize in her ' that great, bad woman ' (Hazlitt), and if so, why did he never resist her scheming ? Was he really such human wax melting in the flame without ever questioning the searing power of the element ? We know Macbeth was not an ordinary weakling, we learn he was a gallant warrior, he had enough courage to commit murder and follow afterwards his Nemesis to the bitter end. I am even inclined to think he was fundamentally a good-natured man. After all, the play's title is ' Macbeth," and not ' Lady Macbeth,' a fact which is so often overlooked. Even if one disparages Macbeth as suffering from some mania, as superstitious, as unintellectual, in spineless bondage to his wife, the question still remains : what was Macbeth's reaction as man and husband to ' this piece of sublime bliss ' after her death ? His grief about her demise is all too short. There is just no time left to assess the magnitude of his loss. Too soon he ' is heard no more.' Regrettable. And so his final talk signifies really nothing. Thus my own hesitations about becoming a convinced believer in ' Macbeth.' And now some reflections on those superb moments of dark-glowing radiancy which inspired ' Macbeth's first German translator to write that ' since the Eumenides of Aeschylus nothing so grand and terrible has ever been written " (A. W. v. Schlegel).
f
433
THE VIGORNIAN.
The three witches are an unforgettable creation. What truly dramatic instinct was in Shakespeare which prevented him from turning the weird sisters into classical Furies in spite of the interpolated Hecate. What sure feeling for stage craft not to depict in them a trinity of parochial English witches. Instead they become phantasmagorical abortions of a Nordic hell, monstrosities sprung from genuine folklore scattered all over the North of Europe, like the Norwegian trolls or Goethe's eerie spooks of his Walpurgisnicht. Shakespeare's images are truly magical. He has created for them a peculiar language, a collection of formulae of incantation. The sound of their necromantic enchantments form, as it were, the hollow music of a weird witch-dance. Mussorgski's ' Night on the Bare Mountain ' seems to be its congenial translation into music. In the progress of action ' Macbeth ' is altogether the reverse of ' Hamlet." It strides forward with amazing rapidity, from the first catastrophe to the last. ' Thought, and done . . . " is the general motto. The precise duration of the action cannot be ascertained but we learn that to the imagination the most crowded time appears always the shortest. Here one can hardly conceive how so very much could ever have been compressed into so narrow a space. It is as if the drags were taken from the wheels of Time, and they now rolled along without interruption into the abyss of dramatic history. What can therefore possibly be said about these moments of dark-glowing radiancy that will not rather weaken the impression which the dagger that hovers before the eyes of Macbeth, the vision of Banquo at the feast, the madness of Lady Macbeth, leave ? Such scenes as these stand alone and will still be carrying away a theatre-loving public when the last clannish clamour will have long been buried under the cairn gorms of the Highlands. For, ultimately, ' Macbeth ' is not a national but a human dirge of epic qualities. Every producer of ' Macbeth ' with a cast of amateurs has to overcome considerable difficulties. I only mention the appearance of Banquo's ghost and that of the three symbolic apparitions. It was very wise to leave the latter out completely and transfer their vital vaticinations to the mouths of the hags themselves. The ghoulishness of the scene did not flag by this omission. It was a happy thought to indicate the appearance of Banquo's ghost through a green, eerie, unreal light which evoked very well the visual illusion of a preternatural spook. In general, the producer must be praised for his judicious cuts, only noticeable to those who knew the play well enough. He deserves full praise for the sustained speed of the whole performance, so very much in accord with the play's ever-increasing celerity of action. It was therefore entirely in harmony with the atmosphere of the tragedy not to have an interval, and though this was to the discomfort of many spectators, it was fully justified from the producer's point of view. Personally I feel greatly indebted to the producer for the extreme care he took to instil his cast with a responsibility for clear diction and intelligent rendering of speech. Here praise cannot be high enough for Shakespearian verse sounded like poetical music throughout the performance. Mr. Kittermaster's remarkable production was greatly helped by Mrs. Kittermaster's excellent choice of the
July, 1947
Fifth Movement of Berlioz" ' Sinfonie Fantastique ' as an atmospheric curtain-raiser, by Miss M. Campbell's impressive make-up, particularly that of the witches, and by Mr. Wilson's unprecedented feat of seeing that none of his elaborate moustaches came unstuck. Special orchids go to Carroll and Bluck for intelligent lighting and special colour effects. J. C. Rose was Macbeth and thus tackled a task of considerable mental endurance. He grew remarkably in stature from performance to performance. The last evening saw him acting in a truly grand manner and achieving a very well deserved success. Rose was the only one of the cast who brought a manly, virile voice into the play which helped him considerably to interpret his part to the audience. His approach to Macbeth was not only convincing because it was intelligent, but also because it was very well shaded off in the display of emotions. Diction and pronunciation were clearly audible, his gestures sparingly used and exactly the right accompaniment to his words. His rendering of the ' dagger monologue," or his oscillating mediation following the news of the queen's death were superb and will linger on for a long time. During the last performance I was sitting on the balcony listening to Rose's voice with closed eyes. It was a pleasure, indeed, hearing his intelligent ' bringing ' of many an immortal line, full of rich nuances and moving delicacy of tones. Rose was an admirable Macbeth, his energy springing from the anxiety and agitation of his mind, his tragical weakness from blindly rushing into the abyss : a true reflection on the existence and fatal progress of a nordic-classical Hybris. Rose was greatly helped in his success by having an ideal partner in R. J. Rayson who was Lady Macbeth. This part is one of the most difficult roles in the history of world drama, the only truly tragical part Shakespeare has written for a woman, a part which aligns Lady Macbeth side by side with Medea, Electra, Judith and Phedre. All these ' great bad women ' have one psychological factor in common : the immensity of their murderous intentions covers the enormity of their heinous guilt. Is any school-boy mentally mature enough and capable of making such a tremendous conflict come to life ? Can a school-boy act Lady Macbeth in a convincing way, a role which helped to dig the grave of many a great actress ? I have been interested in this problem whether modern boys can penetrate the mental disguise of a female role and become a ' woman." I do not think they are fully able to, though only recently I came upon this passage from the pen of Desmond MacCarthy when reviewing Harrow's production of ' Henry IV ' : "It is also interesting to see what Shakespeare took for granted : boys impersonating women. The effect of that convention was by diminishing personal interest to direct the attention of the spectator towards the character impersonated rather upon the impersonator. This also was in harmony with that technique which required the actor never to allow the spectator to forget completely that he was ' acting," but on the contrary, to draw additional pleasure from his skill. And it may be of some significance that the decline of poetic drama to which that technique was so admirably suited, begins when women begin to take women's parts."
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
I quote these sentences for they should induce every producer of a school play to ponder them. Rayson's magnificent performance seemed to doubt the validity of this observation for he made us often forget that he was acting. And only then, curiously enough, he had his great moments, e.g. in the monologue following the announcement of King Duncan's arrival. Here Rayson became really ' unsexed' and was swallowed up by a darting flame of searing ambition. He rendered the sleep-walking scene most movingly and found tones of tenderness and self-pity of a surprising depth of feeling. What final flickering of remorseless vitality lay in that conclusive ' What's done cannot be undone,' only to fade away into the darkness of that insane, paranoic self-extinction of a ' To bed, to bed, to bed.' Then we knew this was the end, long before it was announced. Rayson played consummately on our better selves and thus persuaded the audience to bestow their forgiveness on Lady Macbeth. It is a purely literary argument whether the poet really intended this effect but it is to the full credit of Rayson that he achieved this lasting and culminating impression. It would perhaps be wiser to render our thanks collectively to the rest of the cast without mentioning any further individual performance because of the outstanding acting of Rose and Rayson. No doubt everyone tried his best though not always reaching it. But there was a keen interest in acting and the stage noticeable in every person which is gratifying and encouraging for the future. And yet even if it would be wiser to refrain it would yet be right to touch on some particular impressive performance. Every boy actor would jump at the chance to appear as one of the witches because it means to pull out all the stops of restraint and human behaviour. The three ' Hostel Beauties ' (R. A. Williams, J. A. Blain, D. N. Puddepha) delivered a smashing performance by revelling in delicious obscenity, caterwauling with greatest of glee, and brewing a malodorous broth of—evidently— chopped Martindale in Sauce Commentaire. I admired Walk's rich gift for farce as much as his admirable self-cpntrol in preventing himself from overacting the Porter in a scene so dubious. Remembering Desmond MacCarthy's remark I could not help applauding Lawson's fulsome rendering of ' Macduff.' Out of his manly disguise, behind his tremendous growth of a moustache sprung again and again ' good, honest Scottie ' fair in his loyalty, mighty in his grievous wrath. A. Hambling's ' Banquo ' was a sensitive study of a rather unfortunate character. A promising impression left H. M. P. Lorenz as ' Lady Macduff' who put so much sweet simplicity into his words that the audience was moved with genuine pity for his dire fate. Performance and production viewed as a whole helped much to justify W. Hazlitt's remarks that ' Macbeth is as a play an unruly chaos of strange and forbidden things, where the ground rocks under our feet. Shakespeare's genius here took its full swing, and trod upon the furthest bounds of nature and passion.' H.A.N.
434 HOUSE NOTES. SCHOOL HOUSE.
HOUSE MONITORS : N. G. P. Lawson, A. Hambling, A. R. Wiseman, J. C. Rose, R. J. Rayson. One of the most noticeable features of this term has been the conspicuous absence of T. D. B. Jacks, our former House Captain. His loss has been felt most by those who have been at the school for some years, and had come to recognize his sterling qualities of determination and courage. We wish him the very best of luck in the future. His post has, however, been most capably filled this term by the elevation of N. G. P. Lawson to the House Captaincy, and J. C. Rose and R. J. Rayson have also donned the monitorial robes of office. Congratulations to Hambling on being appointed Captain of Cricket this term. Ample testimony to his captaincy is afforded by the school's record on the cricket field, which has been brighter this season than for many years in the past. A glance at the 1st XI score book will provide sufficient warrant for his phenomenal alertness behind the stumps, which has become a by-word in the school. We must congratulate D. F. Jones on being recently promoted to the 1st XI, and Whitehead's prowess with the bat generally causes any flagging runs to mount with a leap. At the moment of going to press the House matches have not all been played, but wetrust our team will fulfil its hopes. Our House is no less honourably represented on the water : congratulations to Wiseman on being appointed 'Secretary of Boats, G. C. Bradley and O'Brien on being Coxes of the 1st and 2nd IV respectively, and Walls and Prestage for maintaining a sturdy fifty per cent, of the 2nd IV crew. The Shooting Eight is represented in the House by Mitchell and Nisbet. The academic abilities of the House have yet to be tested. The School and Higher Certificate examinations will be.claiming their victims in a few days time, and to the large percentage of the House sitting we wish the very best of luck.
CASTLE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : R. C. Brown, J. W. Ager-Harris, D. L. Frape, N. J. J. Collin. At the end of the winter term M. J. M. Sharman left us and he is now in the army. In the Easter term three new members were added to the House : R. R. Jones, D. R. Leonard, and A. J. Dorrell. At the end of the Easter term W. J. Bishop left us and was replaced by B. P. Croft at the beginning of this term. The House is represented in the 1st XI by R. C. Brown and in the 2nd XI by J. L. Bradley, M. G. H. Leake and L. C. Lewis. Brown is to be congratulated on getting his 1st XI colours. At rowing we have B. T. C. Smith in the 1st IV and J. W. Ager-Harris and N. J. J. Collin in the 2nd IV. Smith is to be congratulated on getting his 1st IV colours and Ager-Harris and Collin on getting their 2nd IV colours. The House Cricket Team lost to Creighton House, beat the Hostel, and we wish it the best of luck in succeeding matches.
THE VIGORNIAN.
435
In the J.T.C. M. G. H. Leeke is to be congratulated on being promoted to Lance-Corporal, R. C. Brown, B. T. C. Smith and E. R. Griffin on passing Certificate " A," Part II, and N. Sharp on getting Part I. Also to be congratulated are J. W. Ager-Harris and D. L. Frape on becoming School Monitors this term, and N. J. J. Collin on becoming a House Monitor last term. All that remains now is to thank Matron for keeping us all in very good health this term.
THE HOSTEL. HOUSE MONITORS : R. A. Williams, R. S. Martindale, J. A. Blain, M. S. Lewis. We should like to begin by repeating our congratulations and best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Pedder on the occasion of their marriage. It has been, for the House, the most important event of the year, and was celebrated by a supper given for the whole house by Mr. and Mrs. Pedder a few days after the wedding which had been kept as a close secret by members of the House. At the same time we take this opportunity of welcoming our new Matron, Miss Yemm, who is, indeed, no stranger, since, for the two years she has been with us as assistant Matron, she has steadily grown in popularity : no better choice could have been made. What has the House been doing since last Christmas ? We came back in January with high hopes of winning the ' Belows ' Rugger, and capturing the Standards Shield. But it was not to be. Although the weather dashed our hopes in these directions, however, we did not pass unnoticed during that ' epic ' term. As the term wore on, and " the plague " seriously depleted the school, we at one time achieved the distinction of being the largest boarding-house in the school. We also emerged victorious from the unofficial house pass-ball competition. The term that saw the plague, the snows and the floods was also notable for the arrival in the House of three new boys—Davies, Bolton and Coxill; while this term our only addition has been Hargrave from Choir House. While the presence of only two rowers in the House has prevented us from distinguishing ourselves on the river, our cricket team, ably led by H. E. Howell, has acquitted itself tolerably well, beating both day-boy houses, but losing to School and Castle. We congratulate Perkins on being awarded his second XI colours. He, Howell, Blain and Lewis have all played for the first XI, Howell throughout the season, while the House has been represented in most of the other XIs. We continue to render good service to the J.T.C., and should like to congratulate ourselves on being partwinners of the Section Shield. We congratulate Martindale on his elevation to School Monitorship, and Blain and Lewis on becoming House Monitors. We played a not inconsiderable part in " Macbeth," being responsible for a rather un-Scottish nobleman, two murderers, a servant, and the witches, not to mention the electricians; being modest, however, we left the larger parts to School House.
July, 1947
Let us end this unusually long account of our doings by wishing all our School and Higher Certificate condidates the best of luck, and the whole House a happy holiday. CHAPPEL'S HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : G. G. Bulman, D. C. Tyson, A. K. Mannion, D. A. Holmes, J. W. Harley, H. Barrs, A. N. H. Marks. We were sorry to lose a number of boys at the end of last term, and we wish them luck in the future. We welcome this term one new boy. The House is still very young in age, and is therefore unable to compete with some of the other houses in sport. We have played so far one House match with Creighton's which we lost by 7 wickets. We have two members in the 1st XI, D. Tyson and A. Mannion. G. Bulman, Bodin and Gwynn-Jones are to be congratulated for their shooting for the School Shooting VIII. Bulman is also to be congratulated on being awarded his 1st IV colours. Tyson is to be congratulated on being made a School Monitor and being promoted to Sergeant in the J.T.C. We congratulate A. N. Marks on being made a House Monitor and being promoted to Lance-Corporal, also J. R. Laird on being promoted Lance-Corporal. Several members of the House passed in this term's Cert. ' A ' exam. Finally we wish the best of luck to all those who are taking Higher and School Certificate this term and success to all those who are leaving us to embark upon their careers. CREIGHTON'S HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : T. G. G. Griffiths, E. B. Wootten, R. A. Cairns, H. J. Watson, R. F. Godsall, K. W. Laflin. This term we welcome one new boy : Underwood, E. W. This brings our numbers up to eighty-seven. Congratulations to Godsall, Woodward and Bough on obtaining School Certificate last December. We would like to wish all this year's candidates the best of luck in School and Higher Certificate. This term we are well represented in the 1st XI by O'Neill, Godsall and Burgess and we must congratulate them on being re-awarded their 1st XI colours. Wood, Bough and A. J. Phillips are in the 2nd XI. Congratulations to Laflin on being appointed a House Monitor and also to Wootten on becoming Captain of Boats. So far we have won two of our House matches and wish the team the best of luck for the remaining games. We are represented in the Shooting VIII by Wootten, Webb, Bough and Underwood and wish them every success in their future matches. In the J.T.C. Wootten has been promoted to C.Q.M.S. and Griffiths to Sergeant. We congratulate all who obtained Cert. " A." Pugh obtained Cert " T " and Webb was awarded the Yates Prize this year—well done ! Finally we should like to wish Griffiths, Wootten, Cairns, Watson. O'Neill, G, Bolton, Yarranton, Osborne and Blackford, G. who are leaving, the best of luck in their future careers.
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
436
CRICKET. FIXTURES AND RESULTS. 1ST XI.
Date Wed. May 21st Sat. May 24th Wed. May 28th Sat. May 31st Wed. June 18th Wed. June 25th Sat. June 28th Sat. July 5th Sat. July 12th
Opponents Norton Barracks St. Edwards Oxon. 2nd XI Bromsgrove School " A " XI Solihull Hereford Magdalen College School Malvern College " A " XI W.R.G.S Old Vigornians
Result Lost Won Lost Won Lost Lost Won Lost Lost
For 68 92 86 78 78 62 107 70 111
Against 99 77 87-8 48 158-6 201-8 83 85 120
Sat. May 31st Sat. June 28th Sat. July 5th Sat. July 12th
Solihull Malvern College W.R.G.S Old Vigornians
Lost Lost Lost Lost
69 90 39 97
128-6 166-5 118 196-9
Sat. June 28th
Malvern College
Lost
60
143-9
Sat. May 31st
Solihull
Drawn
76
76-7
Sat. June 28th Wed. July 2nd Sat. July 19th
UNDER 14 COLTS. W.R.G.S The Down's School K.E.S., Birmingham
Won Drawn Lost
103-6 84 46
36, 24 81-8 111
...
2ND XI.
3RD XI.
UNDER 15 COLTS.
The season began badly this term, for when we returned the ground was too wet to use. This drawback coupled with that of lack of practice meant that it was an unpracticed team that met Norton Barracks. However we acquitted ourselves well and have met with considerable success. Half-term interfered with two 1st XI matches so we have only played ten matches this season. The fielding of the team was inconsistent but it did reach a high standard towards the end of the term, thanks to some damaging practices given to us by Mr. Bailey. The bowling, especially of Brown, came up to its usual high standard but the batting has not been consistent. We have not, however, scored less than 50 as we did last season. The 2nd XI has met with little success but the side has never lost keenness and the matches that the 2nds did play showed that there is no lack of talent in the school. The colts games, ably coached by Mr. Cash have been very successful and we place great hope for the future in them. The innings defeat by the Under 14 Colts against the Grammar School was a feat that deserves mention. In conclusion we should like to thank Mr. Buckland who is leaving us this term for superintending the small games. Mr. Buckland's departure will be a serious loss to the cricket of the school and we all wish him every success in the future. * * * The following have been awarded their 1st XI colours for the season :—D. C. Tyson, R. C. Brown, J. H. Whitehead, G. O'Neill, f. H. Burgess, R. F. Godsall.
1st XI Characters ;— A. HAMBLING.—An enthusiastic captain. Handled his bowlers intelligently, particularly towards the end of the season, with better results. Kept wicket well. With the experience he has gained he should make a very good captain next season. D. C. TYSON.—A steady and stylish batsman who does not let nerves worry him. Very keen and alert in the field. R. C. BROWN.—Has bowled consistently well, kept a good length and has been very successful. An aggressive batsman and sound slip fielder. G. O'NEILL.—A very useful all-rounder, but he must learn to pick the right ball to hit. Good in the field. J. H. WHITEHEAD.—Has made one or two useful scores, but on the whole has not come up to expectations with the bat. A useful medium pace change bowler and keen fielder. R. F. GODSALL.—Opens the batting, but has not made any useful scores because he plays " across " the ball. Very good in the field; often brilliant. T. H. BURGESS.—Has cut his pace down and has learnt to bowl off-breaks with increasing success. Has often made runs by hard hitting in an unorthodox style. A. K. MANNION.—A stylish but unsuccessful batsman. He must have more confidence in himself. A useful leg-break bowler and rather slow in the field. H. E. HOWELL.—He is developing into a good allrounder, but must be much quicker off the mark when fielding.
THE VIGORNIAN.
437
A. J. R. PERKINS.—Is developing into a stylish and confident batsman. Greatly improved in the field. J. A. BLAIN.—Has improved his style in batting, but must not allow his impatience to score quickly to get the better of him. Unreliable in the field, but has improved latterly. SCHOOL MATCHES. W.C.K.S. v. NORTON BARRACKS. The School took the field first and, on a wet wicket, the batsmen were soon in trouble, having lost two wickets for only 14 runs. Tinkler and Wall, however, recovered the situation and added 72 runs to the score before Wall was caught by Godsall. The complete collapse of the last batsmen ensued with the result that the last 7 wickets fell for 13 runs only. On a fairly difficult wicket we were soon struggling for runs. The School batting was never good, the only batsmen to score any runs being Whitehead and Burgess. W.C.K.S. R. F. Godsall A. K. Mannion J. H. Whitehead G. O'Neill A. Hambling D. C. Tyson T. Burgess R. C. Brown J. A. Blain M. S. Lewis H. E. Howell Extras
run out b. Wall run out b. Wall Ibw b. Tinkler c. Mann, b. Watson b. Tinkler b. Wall b. Tinkler c. Horton, b. Tinkler not out
0 2 21 1 2 7 22 0 0 3 1 8 68
NORTON BARRACKS. Horton Tinkler Gregson Wall Dallaway Watson Beard Mann Black Ogden Perry . Extras
b. Brown c. Hambling, b. Whitehead b. Brown c. Godsall, b. Whitehead „ b. Brown c. Brown, b. Whitehead c. Whitehead, b. Burgess b. Brown b. Burgess not out b. Brown
3 53 0 26 3 5 2 0 0 0 0 7 99
W.C.K.S. v. ST. EDWARD'S SCHOOL, OXFORD 2ND XI. Batting first, the School met with almost immediate disaster, losing 4 wickets for only 26 runs. Our recovery was due mainly to Whitehead, Tyson and Burgess who added 50 runs to the total, and a plucky innings by Blain brought our score into the realms of respectability. Our opponents lost their first 8 wickets for 43 runs but Powell and Macdonald added a further 34 runs to the total. Powell skied a catch to Godsall and we had registered our first win.
R. F. Godsall A. K. Mannion J. H. Whitehead A. Hambling D. C. Tyson T. Burgess R. C. Brown M. S. Lewis H. E. Howell J. A. Blain J. Bradley Extras
July, 1947 W.C.K.S.
b. Macdonald Ibw Macdonald c. Reardon, b. Hewatt Ibw Macdonald Ibw Kershaw c. Kershaw, b. Hewatt b. Macdonald c. Hewat, b. Macdonald c. Reardon, b. Macdonlad st. Armstrong, b. Wooldridge not out
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O R. Wkts. Macdonald 14 S 24 6 Hewatt 6 2 9 3 Wooldridge 11 3 22 1 Kershaw 3 1 5 1 Hewat Bartlett Hammond Tilley Armstrong Alabaster Hershaw Reardon Powell Macdonald Wooldridge Extras
ST. EDWARD'S OXFORD 2ND XI. b. Howel! run out Ibw. Brown b. Howell b. Brown b. Brown *...b. Brown ./.... .b. Howell c. Godsall, b. Whitehead Ibw. Brown not out
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O Brown 12 2 Burgess 6 1 Whitehead 3 0 Howell 6 3
R. Wkts. 31 5 20 0 11 1 13 3
7 1 13 0 22 17 1 3 1 20 3 4 92 —
16 4 1 11 5 0 3 1 24 10 0 2 77 —
W.C.K.S. v. BROMSGROVE " A " XI. Although the School lost their first wicket for 8 runs the batting was better than it had previously been this term. Whitehead, O'Neill, Hambling and Mannion all batted well but the last 3 wickets fell without a run being scored. Bronsgrove batting was consistently good and they reached our score with two wickets in hand. R. F. Godsall A. K. Mannion J. H. Whitehead D. C. Tyson G. O'Neill T. Burgess A. Hambling R. C. Brown H. E. Howell J. A. Blain M. S. Lewis Extras
W.C.K.S.
b. Bradshaw b. Goodyear c. Clarke, b. Higgitt b. Goodyear b. Morris b. Goodyear b. Morris b. Morris b. Link st. Griffith, b. Morris not out
0 10 25 1 17 8 17 0 0 0 0 8 86
438
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1947 BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O 6 2 7 1 3 0 4 1 2 0 3 1 3 0
Clarke Goodyear Bradshaw Tudor Janes Higgitt Morris
SOLIHULL. R. Wkts. 7 0 26 3 18 1 6 0 2 0 8 1 11 4
BROMSGROVE " A " XI. b Whitehead b Whitehead
Goodyear Higgitt Colato. Morris Evans Link . . Griffith Tudor Clarke Extras
run out run out b. O'Neill not out c. Burgess, b. Whitehead Ibw. Whitehead not out For 8 wickets
14 0 9 36 2 3 6 4 0 4 87
Jones did not bat. BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O Brown 5 1 O'Neill 11 5 Burgess 7 3 Whitehead 9 1 Howell 5 2
R. Wkts. 31 0 26 1 9 0 14 5 5 0
w r v Q <M Qni TUTTI" T The match began at 12 a.m. and in a very short time our bowlers had gained the mastery of the batsmen. Resuming their innings after lunch Solihull were again in difficulties and closed their score at 48. The School batting again made a bad start but Tyson and Burgess made it possible to gain another victory. After the tea interval Burgess and Howell reached the required 48 and, with the help of Blain, the score was closed at 78. .C.K.o. A. K. Mannion J. H Whitehead D. C. Tyson R. F. Godsall G. O'Neill T. Burgess A. Hambling
Ibw. b. Balls c. Lewis b Sreeves c. Cleverley, b. Balls b. Balls c. Balls b. Sreeves c. Barton, b. Balls c. and b. Piggins
1 3 15 0 0 14 6
H. E. Howell J. A. Blain
c. Kerrier, b. Sreeves not out
17 10
Balls Sreeves Wright Piggins Barton Bannister
10 Bowi ING ANALYSIS. O M-O R Wkts .. .. 10 1 22 4 8 0 23 3 2 0 6 0 4 1 7 1 3 1 7 0 1 0 4 0
.
.
c Blain, b. O'Neill b. Burgess . Ibw O'Neill b. O'Neill c. Godsall, b. Burgess c. Godsall, b. Brown b. Burgess not out c. Godsall, b. Brown
2 14 0 0 3 1 1 12 3 48
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O M-O R Wkts Rrmxrn
15 S
(\
16
"\
O'Neill
14
3
21
3
Burgess Whitehead Howell
4 2 1
1 1 0
8 1 2
3 0 0
W C K S » HEREFORD In this match the School suffered its first bad defeat being beaten by 82 runs. The Hereford batting was always good and Cooper with Pritchard put the opponents in an unassailable position. Whitehead, Godsall and O'Neill were the only batsmen to score any runs and our innings came to a close with only 76 runs scored in answer to the score of our opponents. W.C.K.S.
1
Extras
Balls Kerrier Sreeves Cleverly Wright. Lewis Piggins Barton Richards
78 —
R. F. Godsall
b. Cooper
12
J. H. Whitehead G. O'Neill T. H Burgess
st. Pritchard, b. Poyner c. Cooper, b. Richardson c, Hughes, b. Richardson
34 10 3
J. A Blain R. C. Brown A. J. R. Perkins J. Hartley M. S. Lewis Extras
hit wicket b. Poyner c. Pritchard, b. Poyner not out c. Cooper, b. Poyner
2 0 0 3 0 7
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O R. Wkts. 10 0 21 1 Cooper Richardson 10 1 34 3 Poyner 3.3 0 5 4 Veale 3 0 9 1
76 —
HEREFORD. Richardson Poyner Cooper Upton Pritchard Hughes Nicholls Extras
b. Brown b. Brown run out b. Brown b. Burgess runout not out Declared—6 wickets
28 0 50 8 41 0 23 8 158
THE VIGORNIAN.
439
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O R. Wkts. Brown 22 4 53 3 O'Neill 14 6 33 0 Burgess 11.2 1 35 1 Whitehead 4 0 19 0 Mannion 2 0 6 0 Hartley 1 0 3 0
W.C.K.S. v. MALVERN COLLEGE " A " XI.
W.C.K.S. v. MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL. The School for the second time experienced a heavy defeat. The opponents batted extremely well against only fair bowling and bad fielding, and Brown was the only bowler who seemed to trouble them. Godsall and Mannion gave the School a good start but our batsmen seemed unable to cope with the swing bowling of Manger. R. F. Godsall A. K. Mannion J. H. Whitehead G. O'Neill T. H. Burgess A. Hambling J A. Blain H. E. Howell R. C. Brown M. S. Lewis Extras
b. Manger c. Hopkins, b. Manger b. Manger b. Sharp b. Manger Ibw. Manger b. Sharpe run out not out
13 5 2 13 9 0 0 4 3
Ibw. Manger
0 12
The School batting was better in this match than in any other this term although we lost our first few wickets very cheaply. In spite of good batting by Whitehead, O'Neill and Hambling the ninth wicket fell with only 67 runs on the board. Brown and Perkins however played most enterprising innings and enabled the score to be closed at 107. The Malvern batsmen had a very good start but they seemed unable to play our spin bowlers. The fielding was raised to a very high standard after some most disheartening fielding at Magdalen. W.C.K.S. R. F. Godsall A. K. Mannion J. H. Whitehead G. O'Neill A. Hambling T H Burgess H F
Walters Mumford Swallow. Lyndon Sharpe Manger Hopkins Toppins Green Extras
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O R. Wkts. 14 3 25 2 11.2 4 23 7 3 1 3 0
MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL. Ibw. Brown Ibw. Brown run out c. Godsall, b. Burgess b. Brown c. Lewis, b. Burgess b. Brown not out Ibw. Brown 8 wickets
8 21 37 77 0 17 15 9 7 10 201
b. Nash 3 b. Nash 2 c. Hinde, b. Nash 13 st. Hinde b Bloomer 12 b. D W. T. Brough 13 c Smith b D Brough 2
Hnwpll
h
Nash Nash Bloomer D. Brough A. M. Brough
62
Sharpe Manger Hopkins
July, 1947
Bloomer Me Smith
A M
Rrniioh
O. M-O R. Wkts. 12 2 28 3 12. 2 28 3 7 0 28 1 9 2 37 4 ... 4 1 4 1
MALVERN COLLEGE " A " XI. c. Jones b. Mannion c Godsall b Burgess
8 17
not out
15
Nash Extras
6 83
Revell and Oswin did not bat. BOWLING ANALYSIS. 0. M-O R. Wkts. Brown 23.5 4 56 5 O'Neill 8 1 33 0 Whitehead 5 0 18 0 Burgess 16 2 51 2 Howell 5 0 17 0 Mannion 3 0 16 0
1
Brown O'Neill Mannion Burgess Jones Howell
BOWLING ANALYSIS. O. M-O R. Wkts. 12 2 23 1 7 3 7 0 4 2 4 1 8.2 0 31 6 2 0 3 1 2 0 9 0
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
HOUSE MATCHES. Creighton's House were forced to give School House a half-share in the Cup; the final positions were as follows : — Played Won Lost Pts. 3 1 9 \ Creighton's ... 4 School ... 4 3 1 9 / Castle ... 4 2 2 6 \ The Hostel ... 4 2 2 6 / Chappel's ... 4 0 4 0 The deciding match of the competition Creighton's House v. School House was the last to be played, and was notable because of a brilliant innings of 74 not out by T. H. Burgess of Creighton's House. Had Creighton's not lost unluckily to Hostel, on which occasion they were without their captain, they would have won the Cup outright, but there is no doubt that by virtue of their good batting School House thoroughly deserved their half-share. IST XI AVERAGES. BATTING. Not Highest Inns. Outs Runs Score Average Whitehead 9 136 34 15.11 9 109 31 12.11 Burgess Tyson 5 47 22 9.40 O'Neill 8 73 17 9.12 Brown 9 3 47 33* 7.83 Godsall 9 70 28 7.78 3 19 16 6.33 Jones Hambling (Capt.)... 9 56 17 6.23 8 1 33 20 4.71 Blain 5 13 15 4.60 Perkins 8 2 25 17 4.17 Howell 9 30 10 3.33 Mannion 6 1 8 3 1.60 Lewis * Not out. BOWLING. M'dn. No Wide Overs overs balls balls Runs W'ts ... 2 3 1 Jones Whitehead ... 38.1 7 102 14 Brown ... 128.2 28 7 297 29 Burgess ... 61.3 8 1 199 17 Howell ... 26 5 1 87 3 ... 67 20 1 180 6 O'Neill 2 37 1 Mannion ... 4
Aver. 3.00 7.23 10.24 11.70 29.00 30.00 37.00
ROWING. This season we began rowing on the second day of term with only 28 rowers, of whom only 8 were new recruits. However, during the first month of term the number of 1st year rowers increased to 20, among whom there are some promising oars and coxes—the 2nd IV cox being one of the latter. Sculling is more generally popular this year, and there is a higher standard of oarmanship than .usual among the senior rowers who are not in either the 1st, or 2nd IV. And we hope that next year it will be higher still, due to 1st year rowers this season not being left entirely to the tuition of senior rowers, but being given
440
a sound grounding by Mr. Kirkby who has very generously given us many of his Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, for which we should like to thank him very sincerely. We have had, for the first time in recent years, two light fours besides the 1st and 2nd IVs on the river since the beginning of the term, and it is proposed that they shall race for the title of 3rd IV in the annual regatta, which should have a record entry this year. The winners of the Junior and Senior House Rowing Cups, which, this year will lie between School, Castle, and Creighton's, will, we hope be published in the next issue of The Vigarnian. *
*
* IVs.
1ST AND 2ND
We started this season with high hopes, for we had left, from last term, three members of the 1st IV (including the cox), and two of the 2nd IV; thus we had a 1 st IV consisting of three old colours and two who had previous racing experience. Training started on the second day of term and continued every half-day (including a free-half) and nearly every evening up to the day of the first race. The training consisted of tubbing with Mr. Strong for the first fortnight or three weeks before we went out together in a light four; also most Mondays we had strengthening exercises in the gym under Mr. Barrett. By the time the races came both crews were very fit. However, although the rowing of the 2nd IV had improved tremendously that of the 1st IV did not turn out as well as was expected, in spite of the fact their paddling had a fairly high standard. The 1st IV failed to win a race; the 2nds winning one. The failure of the 1st IV to win a race made it obvious that it had little chance of success at Marlow, so it stood down in favour of a scratch crew which would consist of those who would be in next year's four; the object being to give them valuable experience for next year. The crew selected consisted of the 2nd IV with the only person not leaving in the 1st IV, B. T. C. Smith, replacing the only person leaving in the 2nd IV, N. J. J. Collin. Although they were not very successful —being beaten by the winners of their heat—Hereford —by six lengths, who beat Tonbridge in the same heat by four feet, they became acquainted with the course and saw some good rowing. We wish them better luck next year and thank Mr. Strong, and Mr. Barrett for all the time and energy they have expended on most days of the term assiduously coaching us, and we apologise to them for not giving better recompense in the results of our races. Also, we should like to thank those O.V.s who provided 1 st IV blazers, it being impossible to have them made. We are very grateful to Mrs. Bates, who has recently given two oars to us. They were the property of her late husband, Mr. Mark Bates, who won them while at St. John's College, Oxford. *
*
*
Characters of 1st IV. (Bow) A. R. WISEMAN. He has maintained his keenness and determination of last year, but seems to have failed to hit on the rhythm and smoothness which he needed to make his rowing really effective.
441
THE VIGORNIAN.
G. G. BULMAN. His bladework and style have come on very satisfactorily, but it is doubtful as to how much water he is really moving in the middle part of a race. E. B. WOOTTEN. He has never really quite (3) managed to attain the perfect steadiness over the stretcher that is so necessary in his position in the boat—otherwise style is very fair. (Stroke) B. T. C. SMITH. A very powerful oar for his age, but it is certain now that he is more effective in the middle of a boat. He has not the natural racing rhythm so necessary in a stroke. G. C. BRADLEY. The promise shown last year (Cox) seems to have gone all wrong, he has failed to " drive his crew " and to " make " them win, and the critic blames him very largely for the racing results of this season. In general, the coach and the IV are equally disappointed in the poor results of the season, especially after much hard work in the " paddling stages " in which it was definitely maintained that a good standard had been reached. It only remains to be quite candid, and to say that when it came to racing, the crew failed to reach the qualities necessary to " hold on" at all costs, and possibly in the end to gain a win, and that the standard of coxing did not help in any way. All the more credit is due to the 2nd IV, and to the specially creditable stroking of P. W. Prestage, who, in two School races, taught us exactly that quality mentioned above, and which is so necessary to reach success in first-class rowing and racing. The scratch IV which was sent to represent the School at Marlow had the great opportunity of seeing that quality displayed so obviously in the wonderful Jesus College; Cambridge crew, which went on to win the Grand at Henley so very magnificently, upholding English rowing against all foreign competition.
(2)
The following have been re-awarded their 1st IV colours :—A. R. Wiseman; G. G. Bradley (cox). The following have been awarded their 1st IV colours : G. G. Bulman; B. T. C. Smith. The following have been awarded their 2nd IV colours:—N. J. Collin; P. W. Prestage; J. W. AgerHarris; J. B. Walls; D. D. O'Brien (cox).
The crews in the 1st IV races were as below :— Worcester. Bow A. R. Wiseman, 10 st. 7 Ibs. 2. G. G. Bulman, 11 st. S Ibs. 3. E. B. Wootten (Capt.), 12 st. 9 Ibs. Stroke B. T. C. Smith, 12 st. 4 Ibs. Cox G. C. Bradley 6 st. 5 Ibs. Monmouth. Bow N. L. R. Bevan, 10 st. 3 Ibs. 2. K. S. Kirkland, 12 st. 5 Ibs. 3. D.C. R.James, 11 st. 11 Ibs. Stroke P. W. Davies, 9 st. 10 Ibs. Cox J. A. L. Lee, 6 st. 2 Ibs.
July, 1947
Hereford. Bow M. P. Moreton, 11 st. 4 Ibs. 2. K. S. Hope, 10 st. 4 Ibs. 3. J. B. Jacob (Capt.), 11 st. 6 Ibs. Stroke E. M. Geddes, 11 st. 6 Ibs. Cox H. R. J. Hammond, 6 st. 5 Ibs. Clifton. Bow H. G. Way, 10 st. 9 Ibs. 2. J. A. N. Lowe, 10 st. 7 Ibs. 3. M. L. Thomas (Capt.), 12 st. 10 Ibs. Stroke M. K. Adams, 10 st. 12 Ibs. Cox W. D. Reardon, 6 st. 00 Ibs.
SCHOOL RACES. IST IV v. MONMOUTH IST IV. Rowed at Worcester—Lost by a canvas. The race was rowed in fine, sunny weather on June 7th. The School won the toss and chose the boat-house side. Both crews obtained a fair start and went away at a fast rate of striking; after rowing 20 strokes when the boats were level, the School dropped the rate of striking very considerably; Monmouth however kept up a much faster rate, and at the boat-house were up a length and a half. Here the School gave two tens and to the accompaniment of loud cheers (for the cricketers gave us some support that afternoon) speedily reduced this lead to half a length; whereupon the Monmouth captain caught a crab, which swung his boat across our bows. Bradley, having a high regard for a new set of oars the School was using applied full rudder to avoid crashing—this happening close to the river bank in our water. This hard use of the rudder set the School off both course and balance. Monmouth going on to win by a distance subsequently agreed on as a canvas (4-6 feet). IST IV v. HEREFORD IST IV. Rowed at Hereford—Lost by 3 lengths. This race was also rowed in good weather, there being hardly a ripple on the surface of the River Wye. Hereford gave us the choice of two boats; one heavy, the other fairly light, but very hard to sit, this was the boat eventually chosen. Hereford rowing in a third boat. Following our usual custom with Hereford we were given choice of sides and chose the boat-house side. Hereford obtained a much better start than we, and after the first minute were a length up. They gradually increased this lead all the way home, taking our water so that we were rowing in their backwater, and in spite of all our efforts which included taking her home J mile from the finish we never made up any ground. This was probably due to their superior length and to our rowing in an unbalanced boat in their backwash after a definitely inferior start. IST IV v. CLIFTON IST IV. Rowed at Worcester.—Lost easily. For this race which was rowed during half term on June 14th the weather was not so kind as it had been previously, there being a fairly continuous fall of light rain together with a wind off the boat-house bank. The School again won the toss and chose the boathouse side.
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
In this race we were definitely outclassed; Clifton being a well-polished crew, beautifully together. Whereas the School's rowing was the worst of the term. The crew being for some reason unable to sit the boat or to work up the stroke when required. Clifton led from the start and the School were unable to make any impression except for a short time during the middle of the race after which Clifton went on to win easily by about 4-5 lengths. We have since learned that they won the Public Schools' Cup at Marlow, defeating Hereford by 6 lengths and setting a record in their 1st heat. 2ND IV V. MONMOUTH 2ND IV.
Rowed at Worcester—Lost by 2 lengths. Monmouth won the toss and chose the boat-house side. At the start Monmouth were much faster away than the School and during the first minute or so drew away to put a length between themselves and the School, thus they had the advantage of the first bend and were able to take the School's water for the second—opposite the boat-house. After Monmouth had obtained this 2 lengths lead they seemed unable to improve on it although rowing a fast stroke, on the other hand the School were unable to shorten it, in spite of some spirited spurts. 2ND IV v. HEREFORD 2ND IV. Rowed at Hereford—Lost on a foul. As is explained in the account of the 1st IV race there was a choice of two boats, and the School were given the choice of sides; they chose the light boat and the boat-house side. Both crews had a good start and were, in fact, very evenly matched. After the first spurt Hereford drew slightly ahead—the School replied with a spurt which put them slightly ahead, again Hereford drew ahead, again the School replied with a spurt which took them ahead, and so the race continued to the bend just past the railway bridge, where the School were nearly half a length up; on rounding the bend, hugging the side because he had inside station, the cox suddenly found himself confronted with a group of moored pleasure boats; he therefore had to steer out into the middle of the river, thereby' loosing a length to Hereford who were also taking the middle of the river, however the School made an extra effort and rowing oar within oar drew level with Hereford about 20 yards from the finish when the oars met and the boats were locked together. The judge gave the decision against the School. However only by making a violent change of direction could the collision have been avoided and that would have meant throwing away the race, and it is fairly certain that but for the moored boats the School would have won. 2ND IV v. CLIFTON 2ND IV. Rowed at Worcester—Won by 1* lengths. Clifton won the toss and chose the boat-house side. This race was almost an exact repetion of the Hereford race except for the finish. This time the School did not have such bad luck and on starting to " take her home " above the railway bridge drew well away, and although they had to drop the stroke slightly due to having made their effort slightly too early, they crossed the line with half a length of clear water between the boats after a very hard race, which was very well rowed and it must be remembered to the 2nd IV's credit the Clifton 1st IV were the winners of the Public School's Cup at Marlow.
442
RUGBY FOOTBALL PROSPECT. Although it had been hoped that more of last year's 1st XV would be available for next term, than is the case, the prospects for the team are decidedly more promising than they were this time last year. There will probably be four members of last year's pack left and there are several capable forwards in the 2nd XV who should fill in the gaps adequately. The chief difficulty will be in finding a scrum-half and two fast wing three-quarters. A full-back and a " hooker " will also have to be found. One point which was very noticeable last year was that one wing of the three-quarter line was very much faster than the other, it is to be hoped that this will not happen again this year. On the whole, however, the prospects for next term's 1st XV are quite good, and we can only hope that they have a much better season than their predecessors had last year. IST XV FIXTURES, 1947-48. Oct. 4th. Belmont Abbey ... ... 8th. ... Bromsgrove 2nd XV llth. Hereford Cathedral School 18th. Solihull School ... ... 22nd. Magdalen College School 25th. Worcester R.F.C. " A " XV Nov. 8th. D. B. J. McTurk's XV 15th. Bloxham School ... ... 22nd. Dean Close School... ... 29th. W.R.G.S. Dec. 6th. St. Edward's, Oxford 2nd XV „ 13th. Old Vigornians Feb. 14th. St. Peter's Hall, Oxford „ 25th. Shrewsbury School " A " XV
... Away ... Away ... Home ... Away Away ... Home Home ... Away ... Home Away ... Home Home ... R.C.B.
BOXING. For the past year there has been little, if any, participation in boxing classes. Enthusiasm has been lacking, probably owing to the numerous changes in instructors. But now, we have a fully-qualified, and we sincerely hope, permanent instructor in Sergt. Barrett, who is endeavouring to form a team capable of challenging other schools and local clubs. We hope there will be sufficient interest shown in the forthcoming boxing season, beginning next term, to form the necessary team. The Annual School Boxing Competition was not held last term, owing to the scarlet fever epidemic, and it is postponed until next spring term. B.T.C.S.
SWIMMING. The following were the results of the Annual Swimming Sports which took place at Sansome Walk Baths on Thursday, 24th July, 1947 :— Free Style (Open).—1. Mitchell, J. A. H.; 2. Leeke, M. G. H.; 3. Collin, N. J. J. FreeStyle (Under 15).—1. Benson, C.; 2. Jones, R. R.; 3. Rippier, J. S. Diving.—1. Benson, C.; 2. Mitchell, J. A. H.; 3. Burgess, T. H.
443
THE VIGORNIAN.
Back Stroke (Open).—1. Carroll, J.; 2. Ager-Harris, J. W.; 3. Wilkes, B. E. BackStroke (Under 15).—1. Beard, K. J.; 2. Rippier, J. S.; 3. Ager-Harris, R. E. Plunge.—1. Benson, C. (38 feet); 2. Prestage, P. W. (37 ft. 10 ins.); 3. Carroll, J. (37 ft. 6 ins.). Breast Stroke (Open).—!. Prestage, P. W.; 2. Underwood, P. C.; 3. Mallett, G. C. Breast Stroke (Under 15).—1. Benson, C.; 2. HughesWilliams, T.; 3. Rippier, J. S. House Relay.—1. School House; 2. Castle House; 3. Creighton House. Result—1st School House, 36 points; 2nd. Castle House, 26 points ; 3rd. Chappel House, 22 points ; 4th. Creighton House, 16 points; 5th. Hostel, 10 points. Individual Score—1st. Benson, 4 wins (18 points); 2nd. Mitchell and Prestage, 1 win, 1 second. D.C.T. SHOOTING. This term, as in previous years we sent our VIII to Kingsbury Rifle Ranges to compete in the Public Schools' .303 Ashburton Trials. The weather was good, but hot, and the results were fairly good under these conditions. Our .22 matches this term have been a great success, and we have beaten the school record time and time again. In the match versus Elizabeth College, Guernsey, the VIII achieved the School " Country Life " score of 665 out of a possible 680. In this match Bulman and Webb had possibles, Bough, Underwood and Mitchell 84 each, Gwynn-Jones 82, Nisbet 81, and Wootten 80. The individual possible was 85. This term, every member of the VIII has had an 84 in some match or other. We have had very creditable reports from outside sources following the scores being put in the local paper. The following are the results of our .22 matches so far this term :— The School VIII versus : *f St. Mary's Hospital, London. Lost by 72 points. For:—1009; against :—1081. •(• King Williams College, Castletown, Isle of Man. .Won by 142 points. For :—653. Against :—511. f Greshams School, Holt, Norfolk. Won by 54 points. For :—656. Against :—602. •j- St. Bees, Cumberland. Won by 105 points. For :— 658. Against:—553. f Barnard Castle School, Durham. Won by 64 points. For :—653. Against:—589. ** Malvern Post Office Ladies' Rifle Club. Lost by 16 points. For :—556. Against:—572. N.B.—Match fired under " Country Life " conditions except where otherwise stated. Team poss :—680. Individual poss. : 85. *—S.M.R.C. conditions. Team possible 1600. **—S.M.R.C. conditions. Team possible 600. •)•—Postal match. On Sunday, June 8th, the VIII visited West Malvern Rifle Range, through the kind invitation of the Crowle Rifle Club. Conditions were extremely bad, and a proposed match had to be abandoned because of torrential rain. The VIII also enjoyed a .303 shoot on the 30 yards range at Norton Barracks, and a shoot at Tydesley Wood Rifle Range in the Easter holidays, through the kind invitation of the Crowle Rifle Club.
July, 1947
In the " Country Life " Public School .22 Annual Competition (Class B) we gained sixth place with a score of 762 out of a possible 872. The Mossburg rifles we received just before the shoot were not properly zeroed and so it partly accounts for the poor score we obtained. The School is indebted to Captain S. R. Sheppard who has shown the utmost interest in our shooting affairs, and has, on many occasions helped us in many ways. It is through his classification drive that the number of first-class shots has now reached 70. We all, therefore, on behalf of the VIII and the Corps give him many thanks for all the services he has rendered. Sergt. Barrett must also be thanked for his excellent work on the range, the conditions of which are a great improvement. He has obtained soft cocoa-nut matting for the firing point, has made a new canvas and wood target frame, and has had the soil at the butts replenished. We must also thank him for taking the classification of members of the corps on different occasions and for the maintenance of the .22 and .303 rifles. A. N. Nisbet has had the highest average so far this term and is included in the honours list for the season. The following have been re-awarded their Shooting VIII Marksman Badges for the season :—E. B. Wootton, R. T. Bough, D. A. Webb. The following have been awarded their Shooting VIII Marksman Badges for the season :—T. N. H. GwynnJones, A. N. Nisbet, J. A. H. Mitchell, P. C. Underwood. House Shooting Competition— The following is the result of the House Shooting Competition. Individual possible : 50. Team possible : 150. Castle House ... ... 135 points. Chappel House ... ... 130 „ Creighton House ... ... 124 „ School House 123 The Hostel 83 The following has won the Silver Medal presented by Mr. Cooper, our old Sergt.-Major who left us in December last:—B. T. C. Smith (Castle House, 49 out of 50). Shooting is now a thriving activity in the School, but .the interest in the School is lacking, and we are trying hard to win back the enthusiasm of the past. Next term we are having a " Midland Schools " S.M.R.C. (Postal Match) League, a new experiment in .22 interschool shooting. D.A.W. J.T.C. This term has been a very favourable one for the J.T.C., especially when compared with last term. Last term, owing to the weather, many parades took the form of indoor lectures. This term, however, there has been a proportionally greater amount of drill to make up for it. Much of this has been company drill under Sergt. Barrett, and showed good results, judging from the many praises received after the Empire Youth Sunday parade, to which the School sent a large contingent including the band, whose presence and smart turnout was much appreciated by the spectators. Our annual inspection, held on Monday, July 7th, was a great success. The standard of efficiency displayed by the Corps was the highest, it is agreed, for many terms.
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
We were fortunate to secure a distinguished O.V., Lt.-Col. Graves-Morris, to inspect us this year, and in his address to the Corps he remarked that in a world so full of selfishness and the attitude of " more money for less work " we should all aim at giving a little of our talent and energy for the benefit of the community. That was why he would recommend us to support the Territorial Army, the force on which the security of this country, too small to support a large Regular Army, must always depend. He was very pleased with what he had seen that day, and was impressed by the high standard of the marching, the good turnout and playing of the band. Field Day this term was held at Castlemorton Common. In the morning there was a demonstration of a night patrol in action and returning to its lines, as well as the normal training. The afternoon was devoted to a scheme in which transport (buses), in the Gullet Quarry, were the objective to be destroyed by Nos. 1 and 4 platoons, and defended by Nos. 3, 2 and 5 platoons. Despite the fact that two platoons of the attack were captured and disarmed by only two leading members of the defence, one attacking platoon under Sergt. Wootten made an outflanking movement, which completely surprised the defence, who were driven down the hill beyond the top of the quarry, from which position the outflanking platoon was able to shower grenades on to the transport. On the whole it was a fairly successful scheme, though the ground was probably better adapted to a large-scale offensive. On Sunday, the 22nd June a party of the keener members of the Corps were the guests of the R.E. Training Regt. at Merebrook Camp, near Malvern. They were given a demonstration of how to build " dry " Bailey and " wet " Bailey bridges, and a vehicle carrying ferry. They received instruction on mines, and they were also permitted to use mine detectors, pneumatic drills, and power operated saws. The hospitality of the camp was much appreciated and we all felt it was a very instructive day. Notes on the activities of the Corps have been sent to the magazine of the Worcestershire Regt., " Firm." This is a revival of an old custom and is a reminder that we must uphold the honour of this regiment.
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learning such a great and necessary work. In the past, this detachment has, I am afraid, been somewhat despised and scorned at by certain members of the School, and we should therefore like to point out to them, the skill attached to First-Aid. It is not our purpose merely to receive recruits, who do not wish to join the Junior Training Corps, but to receive any boys who are interested sufficiently and perpared to really put their hearts into the work. A group of cadets represented our school detachment at the Parade and March-past on Empire Youth Sunday. And on Field Day this term we spent a profitable and really enjoyable day at school bandaging ' patients ' and learning stretcher-drill, and after a little revision our cadets should be ready for the exam which will take place in the near future, thanks to the noble efforts of Mr. Cook—our Red Cross Lecturer. R.A.C. SOCIETIES. Our School Societies do not normally function in the summer term, and so, owing to the disruption of school life in the Easter term we have little to report. The Music Society began the term in Mrs. Kittermaster's drawing room, but later its meetings had to be held at Mr. Wilson's owing to the acute fuel shortage. Three meetings were held—all gramophone recitals. The last was a request evening and included, among other items, ' The Trumpet Voluntary,' by Jeremiah Clarke, the ' Holberg Suite' by Grieg, and Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nactsmusik." The Literary Society read three plays, J. M. Barrie's " Dear Brutus," " Strife," by John Galsworthy and Shakespeare's " Romeo and Juliet." This term the Society produced " Macbeth," of which a criticism will be found elsewhere. The Debating Society seems once more to have faded into oblivion. During the enforced idleness of last term it might have done splendid work, but we regret that the slackness of its officers resulted in a period of masterly inactivity. We hope to see a definite revival next term.
ART CIRCLE. Last term we had two lectures and an expedition to the Stuart Chrystal Glassworks. A third lecture had Promotions this term have been as follows :—L./Cpl. been arranged but owing to the absence of so many Tyson to be Sergeant; L./Cpl. Hargrave to be Drum- people at the end of the term this had to be cancelled. Major; Cadets Luke, Laird and Marks to be L./Cpls. The first lecture was in the form of a practical deThe following Cadets have passed the Certificate ' A ' monstration. It was on : ' How to paint Portraits,' by examination, Part II, this term :—Brown, R. C.; Blain; Mr. West, a well-known local painter. Mr. West painted Bolton; Cooper, T. J. G.; Godsall; Griffin; Tyson; a portrait in oils of one of our number. As he painted Nisbett; Prestage; Rayson; Ralph; Smith, B. T. C.; he explained his method of mixing paints, and explained Taylor-Milton; Webb; Wheeler; Whitehead, J. H.; a great deal of what he did. Wilkes. The visit to Stuart's Chrystal Glassworks was probably The following passed Part I :—Barrs; Blackford, the most interesting expedition that we have had. We G. H.; Bradley, G. C.; Burns; Davies, H. M. P.; Grif- were given a warm welcome by the staff who showed fiths, J. P. L.; Hartley; Howell; Jones, D. F.; Lycett; us round in two groups. One group started at the beginning of the process and worked up to the finish, the second Morton; Powell; Sharp. G.G.B. •group were started at the last stages and progressed to the first stages of the process. We were shown the mixing of the ingredients, the actual blowing of the glass and the trimming of the RED CROSS. machine-made glass. We also saw the cutting onto the Several recruits have joined the detachment this term, glass of a decorative pattern. Lastly we saw the packing and so we are now a good-sized force. We should be of the completed articles. The final process is the polishvery pleased to receive more recruits next term, for ing of the glass to give it its chrystal appearance.
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July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
Unfortunately we could not see this as no polishing was being done at the time. The last place visited was the showroom, where we saw some of the finest glassware in the country. Stuart Chrystal has the reputation of being one of the finest types of glass in the world. We saw some of the finest examples of this firm's work. Our last activity during the term was a lecture on Picasso and his work. The lecture was illustrated by many reproductions. Unfortunately very few of these were in colour. The lecture developed into a general discussion but was nevertheless very enlightening. It was a pity that so few people were able to attend this lecture. J.W.A.H. SIXTH FORM CLUB. The Sixth Form Club has had another quite successful term, when one takes into account the small number of members which this school contributes. Our numbers have decreased still further since last term, but this has not prevented the faithful few from deriving a great amount of interest from the meetings which have been held. Up to the time of going to press we have had a number of very interesting and stimulating talks by various persons who are experts in their respective subjects. On the very first day of the term we were extremely lucky to acquire the services of the celebrated novelist and broadcaster, L. A. G. Strong, who gave a most instructive talk on various aspects of the B.B.C. Later in the term, we gave ear to some exceedingly broad-minded views on the United States of America by Mrs. Street, who is herself a citizen of that land. We have at last held a meeting on our ' home ground ' in the form of a debate which was quite a success. The motions were : " That co-education should be more widely encouraged in English schools," and " That life in previous centuries was better than life in the Twentieth Century." The last meeting before this article goes to press was held at the Worcester Royal Grammar School, when Dr. Ghose gave a very profound lecture on that muchdiscussed country—India, and to those who managed to master his rather unfortunate accent his talk provided much food for thought. Prior to the afore-mentioned lecture we held our annual business-meeting to elect officers for next year, and, much to our satisfaction, one of our present committee members, R. J. Rayson, was elected president. We all wish him every success in his new post. We conclude by expressing the earnest desire that, with School Certificate promising so many boys the opportunity of entering the Sixth Form next term, that next year's number of members will soar to unexpected heights. J.C.R. CHESS CLUB. Last term our activities were restricted to a few meetings on Mondays due to the ' Scarlet Fever' wave, and our match with the Blind College was cancelled. Our activities this term have been nil owing to the fine weather we have had most of this term. Next term, however, the Chess Club will continue its activities and anyone interested in joining it should apply to the
Hostel Monitors' Study at the beginning of the Christmas term. Chess players contemplating joining the Club may be interested to hear that D. Breakwell, easy winner of the Chess Competition in 1944, has now the distinction of being included in the Worcestershire team which has reached the final in the English Counties Championship. CHESS PROBLEMS. Black 9 pieces.
White 9 pieces. White to play and mate in two. Black 9 pieces.
White 8 pieces. White to play and mate in two.
J.A.B.
VALETE. DECEMBER, 1946. Upper Sixth. Phillips, L. A. (Day Boy, 1940-46). House Monitor (Creighton's), 2nd XI Cricket, L./CpI. J.T.C. Lower Sixth. Stevens, D. L. N. (Day Boy, 1941-46). House Monitor (Creighton's), L./Cpl. J.T.C. Upper Fifth. Gill, J. M. (Day Boy, 1942-46). Middle Fifth. de Sleskine, J. G. V. (School House, 1942-46). House Monitor, 1st XV Rugger, 1st XI Cricket. Woodward, N. R. (Day Boy, 1943-46). Jones, R. D. (Day Boy, 1942-46).
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Lower Fifth (A). Hurford, E. A. (The Hostel, 1943-46). House Monitor, 2nd XV Rugger. Sharman, M. J. M. (Castle House, 1943-46). House Monitor, 1st XV Rugger, 2nd XI Cricket. Lower Fifth (B). Wilcox, B. A. (Day Boy, 1942-46). 1st XV Rugger, 2nd XI Cricket. Upper Remove (A). Huggins, J. M. L. (Day Boy, 1942-46). Upper Remove (B). Hall, J. L. (The Hostel, 1942-46). 1st XI Cricket, 2nd XV Rugger. Eaton, J. N. (The Hostel, 1943-46). Williams, E. G. (Day Boy, 1942-46). Lower Remove (A). Graves, J. B. (Day Boy, 1945-46). Tupper, M. J. (Day Boy, 1942-46). Lower Remove (B). Allerd, K. L. (Day Boy, 1943-46).
MARCH, 1947. Lower Sixth. Jacks, T. D. B. (School House, 1942-47). School Monitor, Captain of School House, L./Cpl. J.T.C. Nicholas, K. E. E. (Day Boy, 1940-47). House Monitor, L./Cpl. J.T.C. Beard, L. (School House, 1947). Lower Fifth (A). Papps, K. (Day Boy, 1943-45; the Hostel, 1945-47). Upper Remove (B). McMurray, R. J. F. (Castle House, 1944-47). Edwards, D. J. C. (Day Boy, 1943-47). James, E. W. (Day Boy, 1943-47). Bishop, W. J. (Castle House, 1943-47).
CONTEMPORARIES. We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following contemporaries : The Pavilion, The Shenstonian, The Bloxhamist, St. Michael's Chronicle, The Herefordian, The Monktonian, The Tonbridgian, The King Edward's School Chronicle, The Lily, The Monmothian, The Cantuarian, The Periodical, and the Toe H. Journal.
THE COMMENTATOR. During the Headmaster's speech on June 27th the two words " The Commentator " made their debut from the platform of College Hall. For the patient visitors, who make their annual trek to see the school, this was the first day they had heard of the School's newspaper. For those of us who live here this was by no means something new, for since the end of last term the School has become increasingly conscious of this new organ of the School's life. You may remember a small paragraph in last term's Vigomian headed " The Wall Newspaper "; this referred to a board approximately three feet by four which was erected (about a foot too low) behind the door of the
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School Reading Room. This was the platform of Mr. Natan, and on it he used to paste magazine articles and a condensed version of " Life " and " The New York Times' Magazine," in addition to a very large amount of articles written in German and supplied with English captions. This was in operation during the Christmas term and also survived a certain amount of the Easter term. The editors, besides Mr. Natan, consisted of a small number of the boys, mainly of day-boy stock. Then D. N. Puddepha wrote a letter and talked some of his cronies into signing it: this letter he erected (entirely unknown to anyone else, Ahem) on the little board approximately three feet by four which is behind the reading room door. And thus set himself up as the Martin Luther of K.S. Consternation arose and the proprietor of the famous wall newspaper was highly annoyed. What had the letter contained that it had so incurred the gentleman's wrath ? Briefly it said that Mr. Natan had written some of the articles and applied the names of his subordinates to the base of them, that they disapproved of articles being put up in German, and that the majority of the reading matter was merely cut straight out of magazines. Well that was enough and one day Mr. Natan ripped down his newspaper, simultaneously issuing a challenge to anyone in the School to take ove. At approximately the same time the founder of " The Commentator," who is R. S. Martindale, received an entrance form for some university or other and found that he had not much to fill in; thinking that ' Chief Editor of School Newspaper' might sound quite impressive, he rounded up a staff of editors, consisting of the influentials in the School and including the " Martin Luther " and proceeded to get the thing moving. It should be pointed out that he was not entirely devoid of a desire to run a newspaper; even if it was just for the sake of defying a challenge. So that was how " The Commentator " started, and ever since that week about half way through last term the little board approximately three feet by four, which is behind the reading room door, has proudly sported a new issue of " The Commentator" every Monday morning, consisting of an editorial and five full-length columns. Have the efforts of the staff of " The Commentator " been worth their while ? The answer I think is definitely in the affirmative; the enthusiasm with which the exhibition was received on Speech Day has more than justified the amount of weekly labour that has been called for from the staff. What is the aim of " The Commentator " ? The aim if there has to be an aim in having a newspaper is to stimulate a more lively interest in the affairs of the School, and also to show the way by giving an example of enterprise and doing something for somebody else. What has " The Commentator " done since its formation ? Firstly, by the very fact that it has lasted fourteen issues it has confounded the critics who said that it would not pass the test of time; among these was the proprietor of the Wall Newspaper who prophesied that it would not stay the race and would peter out before the tenth issue. We received a letter of congratulations from him when it did confound his scepticism. Amongst other things " The Commentator" sent out a questionnaire to the first 100 people in the School, asking them various questions of general interest. A report of the results of our findings was published on
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Speech Day so that the visitors could form a very fair estimate of the opinions of the School. We were requested by Dr. Charles Forster, who is an official of the Ministry of Education, to give him a full report of the questionnaire with the results. We did this and received a letter of thanks, congratulation and good wishes for the future in return. " The Commentator " has also run several competitions and has given prizes to the winners. One way in which " The Commentator " has excelled itself is in having accounts of the previous Saturday's matches up on Monday morning, complete with photographs. This has been made possible by the loan of the armoury typewriter and also by the very fine efforts of C. Dowty O.V. who is now studying to be a professional photographer, and has supplied us with week-end photographs. We also published photographs of the P.T. competition, and also photographs of our J.T.C. which have appeared in the local paper during the term. In response to the request in our questionnaire " The Commentator " proposes to start a photographic society, the efforts of whose members will help to provide the paper with pictures of School functions. There are many plans for the future of " The Commentator," among which is an idea to have duplicated monthly supplements sold to other schools in Worcester through the Vlth Form Club or some similar organisation; thus to be an editor of " The Commentator " may be a very profitable profession in the future. Epilogue.—I am afraid that I personally will have to relinquish my position on the staff of " The Commentator " at the end of this term and, I should like to take this opportunity of thanking all those who have helped to make the newspaper a success, and to hope that the future of " The Commentator" will be even better than the past. The editors at the end of this terms were:—R. S. Martindale, Chief Editor; R. A. Williams, Director; A. R. Wiseman, N. Lawson, J. D. Williams, Sport; D. C. Tyson, Feature; A. Hambling, Spotlight; D. N. Puddepha, Contributions. And the faithful printer who has done such a grand job.—K. Laflin. R.S.M. CONTRIBUTIONS. VISIT TO LONDON. On June 18th Mr. Natan having organised a party of twenty boys to go on an all-day expedition to London, they were shown round the Houses of Parliament in the morning by Hon. G. R. Ward, M.P. for Worcester. The party itself was a mixed bag : the boys' ages ranged from about eleven to seventeen, some of whom knew (or thought they knew) London's every nook and cranny, while others had never been near the place in their lives. Thus the task before Mr. Natan of controlling such a crowd and keeping them in some sort of cohesion was an arduous one : and it is creditable that the party arrived back home in the evening numerically all complete and not a limb missing. There were, of course, some pretty close shaves—contributed chiefly by one or two boys who, unused to conditions in the great metropolis, persisted in wandering across Whitehall with that spirit of airy nonchalance that ought to be
July, 1947
reserved exclusively for the High Street of Worcester. The visit to the Houses of Parliament was enthralling to everyone, especially since few had ever set foot in the building before. Mr. Ward was evidently at pains to introduce the personal element into his talk, and his occasional reminiscences and illustrations of quaint surviving traditions added further interest to his account of the workings of parliament, and incidentally shed a new and not unflattering light on the manners of M.P.s when in session. We were shown in considerable detail the interior of the House of Lords, where the Commons are temporarily sitting, and also caught a glimpse of the new House of Commons now in process of construction. After leaving Westminster we partook of a meal in one of London's less reputable establishments, a meal considerably enlivened by a battle of wits between Mr. Natan and a fraudulent waiter concerning the bill; a compromise was finally effected, and we sallied forth from the restaurant with joyous hearts and purses not quite so lightened as they might have been. After this little interlude we were free to go our separate ways : the novices, under the trained guidance of Mr. Natan, visited the Tower of London and other sundry places of interest, while the Old Hands disappeared mysteriously reappearing in the evening just in time to catch the train back; they have since maintained a consistent reticence concerning their actions during that time. We all arrived safely at our separate destinations, after having had a thoroughly enjoyable and instructive day. We must record our sincere thanks to Mr. Natan, who organized the trip, and Mr. Ward, for sparing us some of his valuable time. A DAY OUT WITH THE CORPS. The 7.55 a.m. hooter jerking me into a state of semiconsciousness, I rolled from my bed and made the journey to and from the bathroom automatically. Returning to the dormitory, I realised that all was not as it should be. Here it was, Friday—quite an ordinary day—and yet everyone was dressed in those queerly shaped potato-sack-like garments usually associated only with Saturdays. Then it dawned on me. Field Day. What happy memories this thought should have conjured up. Memories of the forced march from Pirton Pool, memories of crawling about in muddy ditches, or performing complicated manoeuvres in fields which had obviously been occupied by cows—but I had no time for memories, for the next hour was one mad rush, a vain attempt to make myself look an efficient member of the Corps. After prayers, we all assembled in the Green, and being informed that the buses would arrive ' any minute now ' we settled down with resigned patience to wait the inevitable two hours. The intervening time was not void of interest, however, for all the rifles were inspected, and whenever the rifle inspected was really efficient, Sergt. Barrett called out " Another one here" and, swelling with pride, we saw our names added to the list of efficient cadets. It was only later that I found I had got hold of the wrong end of the stick. Then the luxury coaches arrived—well, some people call them luxury coaches—and we hurtled towards our objective. Soon we were standing amidst the beauties of Castlemorton Common, admiring the scenery which consisted of a solitary gorse bush pushing its way through the coarse grass and rushes which, apart from ourselves,
July, 1947
THE VIGORNIAN.
were the only inhabitants of this desolate swamp. Passing over the diversions of the morning, I will proceed straight to the battle. About five miles away there was a quarry. In the vivid imagination of our officers this quarry was not a quarry at all, but a concentration of transport. The general plan was to be that, while our C.O. and his assistant staff amused themselves by having a little game with fireworks, the defence would sit comfortably around the quarry and the attack would divert itself with a little mountaineering in full kit. This is where my story must needs break off, for, arriving at the top of the hill, I collapsed, and recovered to arrive in the quarry just half-an-hour too late. And so back from the excitements of battle to the dull round of school we came, confident that when all else in our school life is forgotten, we shall still remember this great day.
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COUP DE GRACE. A blade of grass— So thin, so long, so curving and so lean, So pointed, shapely, and, not least, so green— The blade of grass : So soft, so harmless, and so apt to bend, So lightly broken, and so hard to mend— Thus fondly thought the boy—he was my friend— And yet, that blade of grass did cause his end. You will say, " well ? " O.K. I'll tell. 'Twas afternoon : the sun did glow Upon the cricket field : and so (As rightly you will all deduce) The cricket field, it was in use. The captain gave my friend a shove (My friend, he's mentioned up above) And told the boy to field out deep. I nearly said he fell asleep, But that's not true—for that was not his crime— I only put it in to make it rhyme. The sun, he watched with many a frown : It was too bright; the boy looked down And spied the blade of grass. The blade of grass. So thin, so long, so curving and so lean, So pointed, shapely, and, not least, so green— But why go on ? for you have surely seen Above, what cometh next. Let's change the scene. The boy did think—he was no fool, For who are fools, that go to school ? " That blade of grass, in hands held tight, With mouth quite close enough to bite, Coupled with longish blow—how neat! Will whistle, and, like sheep, will bleat. I'll try." He sat, by his desire fanned; He plucked the blade of grass, took same in hand The ball, it could not understand, It should not go this way—it went. The shout of " heads " that up was sent Was sent too late— Ah ! Fateful fate ! That blade of grass, So thin, so long, so curving, and so lean, So pointed, shapely, but no longer green, Was now bright red; The boy was—dead. F. L. M. Lorenz.
A VISIT TO THE GLASS WORKS AT STOURBRIDGE. " Good afternoon, gentlemen, won't you please come in ? " With this, the party surged forward and I found myself at one end of a large room which felt about 2000° in the shade only unfortunately there wasn't any shade. " Here," continued our guide, " are the various constituents of the glass." A vague gesture in the general direction of some red and white powder indicated the substances. " And here are the furnaces." With this, the Cremations Officer flung open a small door in one of the walls. As yet, I do not know just what hell is like, but I would not mind betting a couple of fuel cuts that it is about half as hot as I felt then. " Funny thing," I thought to myself, " it smells just like burning rubber." I was not far wrong there, for a few moments later, I discovered that I had been standing on one of the hatches, and the smell was issuing from the soles of my shoes. The next stop was the Blowing Department. Here I was struck by the primitiveness of the apparatus, and yet was amazed at the ease with which glass articles are blown. Another impressive thing is the way in which the inhabitants of the inferno wield large lumps of red hot molten glass, heaving it about as though it were some type of transparent chewing gum. Having picked our way through there, we came upon a room full of placid individuals armed with pens, cigarettes and glasses of cold tea. On asking how they managed to make the ones complete with cold tea, I was met merely by a placid stare (or perhaps it was a dirty look, I have not quite decided yet). With the pens they were marking [Reproduced by kind permission of " The Commentator."] out the glasses ready for " the cutters." These gentlemen were the next in line for our visit. They were seated behind rapidly revolving stone wheels, and by pressing the glass against these, they were able to cut out the patterns, some of which were amazingly CORRESPONDENCE. intricate. Our journey was nearly over, but before we went we had to take a look at the show-room. Our guide, To the Editors of The Vigornian. who had not left us throughout our tour unlocked the door; all round the room was the most intricate and Dear Sirs, impressive display of creative skill that I have ever seen, What is wrong with rifle-shooting ? The VIII is kept ranging from glass vases, which stood about two feet alive by a dozen or so keen members of the School high, to little liqueur glasses, which would not have held who have classified, and are ready to shoot when reenough to get even a glow-worm tight. And last, but quired without the grousing and grumbling which I by no means least, a beautiful cocktail shaker priced at have received in the past months from some members of the School. 21/- (unfortunately pre-war price). It was with these thoughts in our minds that we It is about time that the School woke up in wandered back on our way to school and plastic beakers. general to the fact that shooting is now a thriving
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activity in the School. It needs help from more boys who are willing to devote their half hours in the dinnerhour to maintain this high standard, which time and trouble have at last perfected. You may see the results of our matches put upon the board, but I see a good many pass by and take no notice of it. Why do not we get the encouragement we deserve ? Next term half our team will have left. This is the question : are you going to let it thrive, or fall to pieces ? The Shooting VIII appeal to you. Do not let them down. Yours etc., •
D. A. WEBB. To the Editors of The Vigomian, Dear Sirs, During the three years that I have been a member of this school I have noticed that in the Cathedral when the King's Scholars enter for services they never make their reverence to the altar before going to their seats, but amble in in two lines. Once, during Charles I's reign, Dean Roger Manwaring (former Dean of this Cathedral) in a letter to the Archbishop wrote—" The King's Scholars being 40 usually coming tumultuously into the choir, I ordered them to come in bination (two by two), and to do reverence towards the altars." Surely this gentlemen if he were alive today would still have this rule obeyed. Yours etc., A. W. S. HARGRAVE. [Three centuries have passed since the remark you quote was made. Nowadays a question such as this is a matter of personal practice. The charge of " ambling " which you make against the King's scholars is, we feel, unjustifiable.—Eds. Vig.].
To the Editors of The Vigornian. Dear Sirs, Will you kindly allow me, through the medium of the School Magazine, to say good-bye to the staff and scholars present with the School, and to all O'V.s with whom I came in contact during my nineteen years at the School. A very happy and interesting part of my life in which I made many friends. Good-bye and good luck to you all. Yours sincerely, G. A. COOPER (Sarge).
To the Editors of The Vigornian. Dear Sirs, I have just returned to England on a short spell of leave from India, and am returning in August. During five year's service with the Indian Army I met but one O.V. (in the most unlikely circumstances— in a Casualty-Clearing Station in Central Burma during the war). I feel certain that there must be other O.V.s living or soldiering—subtle difference—in India or the Far East, and I suggest that it would be a friendly gesture to publish a ' Foreign News Letter' in your magazine.
July, 1947
If you find that numbers justify this idea, I shall be most happy to act as your ' news agent' in the Far East, and send you occasional tidings. While on the subject of The Vigornian may I make two comments ?—Yes ? Firstly, while sympathising with you in your battle against apathy, may I say without embarking on a ' those were the days ' chain of reminiscences, that I honestly consider the standard of contributions to have reached the ultimate rock bottom I And, secondly, to say plaintively that, I did not receive the last edition ! Finally, my respectful ' salaams ' to your noble selves. I am, Sirs, Yours etc.,
A. J. WILSON. [We thank you for coming forward with this idea and suggest to O.V.s out East that they should act on it. We can give A. J. Wilson's address to anyone interested. Thank you also for your criticism which is always welcome.—Eds., Vig.]. * * *
To the Editors of The Vigornian. Dear Sirs, Cannot anything be done to induce the authors of House Notes to impart a little more individuality to their admittedly painstaking and usually accurate efforts ? One gets tired of the monotony of two whole pages composed of something like the following : "We welcome Bloggs, Binks and Bogwest II.; our numbers have thus increased by three^; We congratulate Bolsover on being in the 1st XI; Pullover, Wainwright and Bogwest I on being in the 2nd XI. We congratulate Jones on being Assistant Secretary of the Tiddlywinks Club, we congratulate . . . .and are pleased to say that 90% of our candidates for Certificate Z (Part 10) failed. Lastly all that remains for us to do . . ." Is, in our opinion, most honourable house-note writers,' to go away to a quiet place and shoot yourselves. Yours sincerely, " BORED."
KING'S SCHOOL FOURTH CENTENARY AND WAR MEMORIAL FUND. The following donations have been received since the last issue of The Vigornian (December, 1946) and are gratefully acknowledged : Already acknowledged ... A . D . Arbuckle, O . V J . C . A . Embling, O.V. Kirkby, O . V V . L . Podesta 'S. A . Mabindale... • G . C . Everton, O . V A . E . Watkins, O . V D . Bearder, O.V. C . M . Lavender, O . V R . S . Darke Mrs. Edwards (3rd contribution)
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£3290 15 1 * Indicates Parent.