THE
VIGORNIAN
JULY 1949
FAUST
Faust (H. M. P. Lorenz) and Gretchen (G. E. J. Beckmann).
The Death of Valentin (J. D. Farmer).
1st XI, 1949. Standing: T. J. Richardson, A. N. George, M. C. Dew, A. G. Jackson. Seated : M. J. Morton, H. E. Howell (Hon. Sec.), J. H. Whitehead (Capt.), R. F. Godsall, J. W. T. Davis. On Ground : P. S. Raderetch, G. J. Hollister-Short.
Cox, P. J. Hopkins.
1st IV, 1949. Stroke, B. T. C. Smith. 3, P. W. Prestage. Bow, H. M. P. Davies.
2, R. R. Jones.
THE VIGORNIAN THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KING'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE TA MEN AIAAKTA MAN0ANO, TA A'BTPBTA ZHTO, TA A'ETKTA HAP A 9EON HITHSAMHN.
Vol. XIII.
JULY, 1949. CONTENTS.
Editorial School Officers School Notes O.V. News :— Notes Births Engagements Marriages ... Obituary O.V. Day O.V. Annual Ball O.V. Dinner, 1949 "Faust" School Concert School Fete Winter Trip to Switzerland House Notes :— School House Castle House The Hostel Tredennyke House Chappel's House Creighton's House Cricket:— Fixtures and Results Notes Characters Accounts of Matches
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Rowing:— Fixtures and Results Notes Characters ... Accounts of Races Cross Country Athletics Boxing Fives Rugger, 1948-49 Rugger Prospects P.T. Competition Swimming Competition C.C.F Shooting Red Cross Art Circle Literary Society Music Society Chess Competition Vlth Form Club Valete Fourth Centenary Fund Contemporaries Contributions Correspondence
No. 176.
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Page 528 529 529 529 531 532 533 533 534 534 534 535 535 535 536 536 537 537 537 537 538 538 538 539 539
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THE VIGORNIAN.
EDITORIAL. On the subject of Editorials, Editors always have to stop and think, and that is precisely what this particular Editor is going to do for a few paragraphs. What should be our aim at School ? and more precisely—why are we studying what we do study ? Why do we impartially dissect Cicero, Shakespeare, Bismarck, the Differential and Integral Calculus, and the interior anatomy of a lesser female gnat ? What is the common aim of all these studies ? I think we must admit that apart from the intrinsic value of these subjects, analagous in sentiment to the slogan " art for art's sake," the most vital aspect of these pursuits is that they must be in relation to life; and then not from the utilitarian point of view. In " Faust," Wagner says, " Ah me, we scholars buried in our books, we know so little of the world." That is why classwork should be looked at in the larger way. The essential feature of any stable system, whether it be a balance of power, or a situation in dynamics, is balance, and I think what we need today is to see that our lives are balanced. Emotion though essentially irrational need not upset this balance, though it often does. One sees a man who does not fit into society quite exactly and he is dubbed " unbalanced." We must see that we approach our work here in die spirit which asks how our curriculum is going to widen our minds; in a balanced way or not ? in all directions or only one or two ? It is common cant to say that the " " humanities " educate a man far more than the " sciences," but that is untrue, in so far as it is the approach to the subject that matters. The wide approach to mathematics as an aid to solving the physical problems of the Universe can be widened still more by considering the philosophical implications of this study leading to announcements such as :—" The Universe is in a state of continuous creation." A state of affairs happens to exist, in which many scientists and those of that ilk, have no interest in subjects other than their own, or even in the bigger meaning of their subject, atomic physics for example, but I would respectfully suggest that a good many students of the humanities despise such things, for some such reason as they " have not a head for figures " (of which they are quite frankly not ashamed). It is added that they do not see why such a subject should be studied in any case. This grossly narrow attitude leads the scientist to say the same of the humanities, provoking the answer, " Oh, that's different." But wherein lies the difference ? It is in the approach to the subject, and it is this approach to one's studies that should be a subject for the first consideration by those who wish to live a balanced life. Wordsworth said of poetry, that it should relate of " incidents and situations in common life . . . in a selection of language really used by men," and in the same way I feel that scholarship is not a thing to be confined to the study, but something which should have an effect upon our daily lives, giving them a balance and reality which enlarges our minds to a " wider usefulness."
July, 1949
SCHOOL OFFICERS. B. T. C. Smith Head of the School Captain of Cricket J. H. Whitehead Secretary of Cricket - H. E. Howell B. T. C. Smith Captain of Boats Secretary of Boats . . . p. \y. Prestage Captain of Football - M. S. Lewis Secretary of Football M. G. H. Leeke •Captain of Athletics B. T. C. Smith Secretary of Athletics H. M. P. Davies Captain of Boxing D. F. Jones A. N. Nisbet Captain of Shooting Secretary of Shooting J. N. Bulman Secretary of Fives J. H. Whitehead Secretary of Swimming P. W. Prestage Heads of Houses :— School House H. M. P. Davies Castle House B. T. C. Smith The Hostel M. S. Lewis Tredennyke House P. W. Prestage Chappel's House D. A. Holmes R. F. Godsall Creighton's House School Monitors:—B. T. C. Smith, M. S. Lewis, H. M. P. Davies, R. F. Godsall, P. W. Prestage, D. N. Puddepha, M. G. H. Leeke, K. W. Laflin, J. H. Whitehead. Editors of The Vigornian—D. N. Puddepha, H. M. P. Davies, B. T. C. Smith. * New Office, by resolution of the Games Committee.
SCHOOL NOTES. Since our last issue, the Chairman of the Board of Governors has left Worcester. On the last day of the Easter term, the Very Revd. A. W. Davies was invited to come to a gathering in College Hall, in place of the usual " Lists," when the Headmaster thanked the Dean for his long service to the School. This concluded, the Head of the School presented the retiring Chairman with a painting of the Deanery Garden by Mrs. Macdonald, as a part of the present we wished to make the Dean as a token of our esteem. The other part of the gift was a flowering cherry tree to be sent to Kent's Green, Taynton, near Gloucester, where the Dean is now living in retirement. The Dean, replying to the Headmaster's speech said that the cherry tree would be a graceful reminder in its flowering at this time each year, of his happy association with the School. He paid tribute to the " Old Brigade" among the staff, who had served the School so well and faithfully during the war years. The Dean left the hall to the sound of prolonged clapping. The loss we thus sustained is now being ably filled by Canon C. B. Armstrong, whom we welcomed in our last issue as taking so much interest in the School. We were indeed happy to hear who was the temporary Chairman and we hope that the temporary appointment may become permanent. Canon Armstrong received a letter of congratulation and we received an extremely graceful letter in reply. He has switched his attention
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
from Rugby to Rowing this term, watching home races and inquiring about away fixtures with gratifying interest, though in no way exclusive of cricket.
It is under these auspices that the second part of the School extension programme is now under construction. Four new classrooms are being added south of the Art and Geography rooms, and we understand that in due course the range will be removed en bloc to leave room between itself and the new building for access to the kitchens from the rear. With these classrooms functioning, it will be possible to put the Old Vlth Form Room to its proper use again as a Library, and it is probable that the present stock will be rearranged and augmented for greater usefulness. Among other useful additions to the School, we must mention the new mower for the playing-field. With the advent of the new groundsman, it has been possible to keep the ground in a better condition than has been possible for many years.
On February 10th we were fortunate in having Mr. Bernard Newman to give us a most comprehensive and interesting lecture entitled " Inside Europe." He announced his intention of ignoring the limitations of his title and proceeded to give us a concise and clear survey of his more recent globe-trotting. He described the economic and social conditions in various places and then linked these up with the political situations, explaining many clashes in the Far East which had previously been some of the mysteries we associated with such longtitudes. However his lecture provoked many questions and at the end he offered to present an autographed copy of any one of his books to the writer of the best resume' of his lecture.
We take pleasure in announcing the following successes gained at the Cheltenham and Leamington Music Festivals. At Cheltenham, J. and E. Rippier won the Cole Challenge Cup for Chamber Music under 18 with 90 marks. They also won the Nesta Franklyn Cup for highest marks of the day in the Strings classes. At Leamington, J. and E. Rippier won the 1st prize for Chamber Music under 20 with 92 marks. J. Rippier won 2nd prize in the Solo Violin, class 14-16, with 87 marks, and E. Rippier won the 1st prize for Solo Violin, class 12-14, with 91 marks, and he was also awarded the Walter Warren Cup for gaining the highest marks in the Solo Violin classes. The judge at Cheltenham, was Mr. Boyd Neel whom we recently heard at the School, and at Leamington, Mr. Alfred de Reyghere who is head of the music side at Rugby. With such achievements behind them, the Rippier brothers will be broadcasting in " Children's Hour," on August 3rd.
We have also heard that K. W. Laflin has been accepted for admittance to St. Edmund Hall, Oxford and has been granted a City Council award on the strength of that and his attainment in the City Major
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examination. Also H. M. P. Davies has been accepted at Christ Church. They will complete their military service before going into residence. We have just heard also that G. J. Hollister-Short has been awarded a Worcester County Major Scholarship. He will be seeking admission at the University next term. We also understood that P. Cavenagh has passed the entrance examination and been accepted for H.M.S. Worcester. He will be joining the ship next term.
This year, instead of the usual Speech Day, the functions of that day were divided. The P.T. Competition was held on Friday, June 20th. A Fete was held in the School Garden on Saturday, July 23rd and the School Concert was held on Friday, July 15th. Accounts of these are given separately. A Prize-giving followed by an informal meeting between parents and staff was held on the morning of Saturday, July 23rd. The prizes were presented by Canon G. W. Briggs. PRIZE WINNERS : Sixth Forms: K. W. Laflin (Latin); H. M. P. Lorenz (French); B. L. Nicholas (English and German); A. I. Taverner (Mathematics); G. J. Hollister-Short (History). Fifth Forms: J. E. Rowley (Latin); A. Green (French); R. W. Washbrook (German); E. O. Bishop (English); C. Rigg (Mathematics); G. Matthews (History); P. C. Sheppy (Biology). Removes: G. E. Burrows (Latin and Geography); H. H. Scurfield (French and Mathematics); J. R. Hopkin and J. S. Rippier (English); M. J. Bran and J. S. Rippier (History). Fourths: A. J. Tinkel (Latin, French and Mathematics); R. F. J. Spier (History); J. S. M. Robinson (English). Lower School: (Prizes awarded for Industry and Progress). R. F. McDonald, P. J. Prowse, M. W. S. Sloan, Adams, C. R. Day, M. B. Clarke, P. Beresford-Jones, M. Russell, G. P. Cottrell. A.A. Prizes (Upper School): J. W. T. Davis, P. W. Prestage; (Removes) T. S. Arnett; (Fourths) J. R. Richards; (Lower School) P. J. Prowse. Reading Prizes (Vlth): D. F. Jones, D. N. Puddepha; (Vth) G. E. J. Beckmann, P. Marshall, R. G. L. Griffiths; (Removes) N. T. Vincent, J. S. Rippier; (IVth) J. S. M. Robinson, R. D. Chadwick; (Lower School) P. BeresfordJones, M. B. Clarke. Music Prizes: H. M. P. Davies, K. W. Laflin, J. & E. Rippier, I. F. Hastie, A. J. Armstrong. Mrs. Henry Wood Essay Prizes : (Senior) 1. R. E. A. Harris; 2. D. T. Tudge; 3. J. D. L. Griffiths; (Junior) 1. S. Allsopp; 2. J. R. Pringle. Yates Prize: A. N. Nisbet. Headmaster's Prize: B. T. C: Smith.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
O.V. NEWS. The Correspondent who wrote so well of our last issue had one criticism to make which he told us after he had written the letter, and it bears recoiding. He felt that as the O.V.'s magazine, The Vigornian has not enough O.V. news. On seeing the small proportion of the magazine filled by such O.V. news as we can glean, the truth of this is brought home to us. Do let us have your personal news and keep in touch with people here. Support this column and make it a respectable size. We are grateful for such news as we have. NOTES. A. J. Dash, C.I.E. (School House, 1897-1905) has left the Indian Civil Service since the granting of independence to India, and has been appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission of East Pakistan, and is living at its headquarters in Dacca. C. M. Humphries (Castle House, 1908-16) has been appointed Clerk to the Governors of Swanage Grammar School, Dorset. Numbering politics among his interests, he is Vice-Chairman of the South Dorset Liberal Association. Numbering cricket among his interests also, he came and umpired the O.V. match. J. L. Longland (School House, 1919-23), for some years past Director of Education for Dorset, has been appointed to the corresponding post in Derbyshire. He is often to be heard ' on the air' as Chairman of the popular ' Country Questions ' programme. R. C. Secular (School House, 1925-31) is a Director of the company owning the Cottonwood Hotel, Bournemouth. * * * K. Pearce Smith, O.B.E. (Castle House, 1909-16) has retired from the army with the rank of Brigadier and lives near Lymington, Hants. He is a member of the Conservative Party Central Board of Finance. Rev. A. C. E. Williams (Castle House, 1907-11), Vicar of St. Peter's, Bournemouth, and Priest-in-Ordinary to the King, has recently been appointed an Officer of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. For the last two years he has been Chaplain to the Mayor of Bournemouth. * * * J. M. Ansell (Hostel 1938-43; Captain of School 1942-43) took his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at Durham University, at the end of 1945. After serving a two-years apprenticeship with Vickers-Armstrong, Newcastle, he was married, and now holds a permanent post as Foreman in a gun-mounting erection shop. J. H. C. Phelips (School House, 1920-29), DeputyClerk of the Peace for Worcestershire, has been nominated to the corresponding post for the City of Worcester.
July, 1949
Pilot-Officer R. E. Styles (Day Boy, 1933-39) is the Officer-in-Charge of loading and despatching the thousands of sacks of grain from Aden, part of the work of the " air-lift " which has brought relief to the Arabs threatened with famine in Southern Arabia. B. S. Eckersley (Castle House, 1930-37) was called to the Bar (Lincoln's Inn) on 26th January. His engagement is announced in another column. P. H. C. Watson (School House, 1938-41) has emigrated to Australia. He and his wife will be glad to contact any O.V. at 13 Salisbury Street, Cottesloe, Perth, West Australia. * * * The Rev. G. H. Sharpe (Day Boy, 1907-15), who has been Vicar of Hallow for the last four years, has been appointed Rector of Ribbesford and Bewdley. G. J. Clinch is leading the Worcester party of Scouts which is visiting Finland. Included in the party is D. A. Holmes, of the St. Wulstan's Troop. J. T. Darch (School House, 1928-32) is Grid Control Engineer for South-West England, a responsible post involving the loading and switching of all the Grid Lines and Power Stations in South-West England and South Wales. Squadron-Leader E. W. Wootton, D.F.C. (Day boy, 1933-36), whose marriage is announced in another column, is now stationed at St. Faith's R.A.F. Station, Norwich. He commanded the squadron that provided the Meteor formation aerobatic demonstrations all over the country last summer.
BIRTHS. DARCH.—On May 12th, 1949, to Violet (ne'e JohnstonStewart) wife of J. T. Darch (School House, 1928-32) a daughter, Anna Mary. LUSCOMBE.—On December 30th, 1948, at Hong-Kong, to Jill (nee Stokes) wife of E. C. Luscombe (Hostel, 1927-36) a son. * * * PEPPER.—On December 31st, 1948, to Margaret (ne'e Steward) wife of Captain A. E. Pepper, M.C., B.Sc. (Day Boy, 1932-37) a daughter, Jennifer Clare. WATSON.—On January 28th, 1949, to Audrey, wife of P. H. G. Watson (School House, 1938-41) a daughter, Elizabeth Kitsell.
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1949 ENGAGEMENTS.
SUTTON—FLEMING.—The engagement is announced between T. F. Sutton (School House, 1938-41), only son of the late Mr. E. M. Sutton and of Mrs. Sutton, 8 Tanza Road, London, N.W.3. and Anne, second daughter of the late Dr. W. A. T. Fleming and of Mrs. Fleming of Wallasey, Cheshire. FOLLEY—HARVARD-DAVIS.—The engagement is announced between J. H. Folley (Castle House, 1933-39) of Roath Park, Cardiff, and Elizabeth Anne, only daughter of Dr. and Mrs. H. Harvard-Davis, of Llandaff, Cardiff. * * * ECKERSLEY—BANKS.—The engagement is announced between B. S. Eckersley (Castle House, 1930-37) and Margaret Elizabeth (Margot), only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. K. Banks, of Croyland, Stamford, Lincolnshire. ROYLE—NEILL.—The engagement is announced between D. C. Royje (Castle House, 1924-32) and Miss G. Neill, of Didsbury, Manchester.
MARRIAGES. DENCER—HILLARY.—On April 18th, 1949, in Singapore Cathedral, D. Dencer, F.R.C.S., R.A.M.C. (Day Boy, 1932-38) to Carmel, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hillary of Blackrock, Dublin.
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been a keen golfer, and was one of the original members of the Worcester Operatic Society, with which he had sung leading tenor roles. But to us he was best known as a genial and enthusiastic President of the O.V. Club. Elected for a term of years in 1938, he continued, under gentle protest, to serve during the war years, and till 1948, and the Fourth Centenary Fund owes much of the success it has achieved to his energetic efforts. The School and the O.V. Club were fully represented at the funeral service in the Cathedral, at which the Dean gave a moving address.
HERBERT EDWARD POWELL (1889—1896). We regret to have to record the loss of Mr. H. E. Powell, a well-known Worcester farmer, of Upper Wick, who died after a brief illness at the age of 70 on 31st May.
FREDERICK WALTER ROWE (1896—1898). Mr. Rowe, whose death took place last November, at the age of 66, was a partner in the firm of architects which was responsible for the Chappel Memorial Reading Room and the adjoining classroom block; and which is now engaged in the extension to it. Few O.V.s have left a more tangible memorial in the School and it is with great regret that we record his passing.
O.V. DAY.
OBITUARY.
CRICKET MATCHES. The teams were as follows :O.V. 1st XI. O.V. 2nd XI. B. J. Mallett (Capt.) G. J. Clinch R. C. Brown D. Breakwell T. H. Burgess I. E. Collins H. C. Caldicott J. N. Eaton M. J. M. Sharman M. E. Nicholls A. Hambling A. N. H. Marks L. C. Hawkins T. Gwynne-Jones B. J. L. James G. C. Mallett R. J. Sanders A. K. Mannion L. R. Huband J. L. Hall J. P. Pimley W. G. Cullis C. M. Humphries (Umpire).
JOSEPHUS ELSEY BARON LITTLEBURY (1875—1881). , The death of Mr. Littlebury, which took place on 23rd March at the age of 82, removes one of the few survivors from the reign of Maurice Day and one of the most devoted of Old Vigornians. On leaving school he entered the firm of Littlebury & Co. Ltd., the Worcester Press, which for many years past has printed this Journal. Since the death of his father, when he came to live at the Commandery, he had been chairman of the firm, and also of Littlebury Bros. Ltd., of Liverpool and Manchester. Long after the age at which most men would have retired, he continued at his desk, taking also an active part in the many societies in which he was interested. In early life he had
The annual match was played throughout the day and was won this year by the School, by 7 wickets. The O.V.s won the toss and batted on a wicket still affected by the watering. George, bowling extremely well, soon had the batsmen in trouble, and they were all out for 30 by lunch-time, George taking 5-12 in 7 overs. The School passed this total for 3 wickets, and the Captains having agreed that the result should be on the 1st innings, the Old Boys were put in again, when they made 140-4. The School, thanks to some bright batting by Dew and Morton, put up 93 runs inside the hour, providing some very lively cricket at the end of the day.
WEIL—PLANT.—On 14th May, 1949, F. Weil (Day Boy, 1939-40) to Anneliese Adele, only daughter of Dr. and Mrs. H. C. Plant, of Sutton, Surrey. WOOTTEN—WHARTON.—At St. Faith's Church, Norwich, Squadron-Leader E. W. Wootten, D.F.C. (Day Boy, 1933-36) to Rosamund Ann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Wharton of Norwich.
THE VIGORNIAN.
517 O.V.S. Humbling, ct Raderecht, b Davis Hall, b George .Hawkins, b George Mannion, ct. Morton, b George Mallett, b George Burgess, b Davis Nicholls, l.b.w., b George Pimley, ct. Whitehead, b Morton James, l.b.w., b Davis Brown, b H.-Short Coldicott, not out Extras TOTAL
W.C.K.S. Richardson, l.b.w., b Hawkins Raderecht, P. S., l.b.w., b Brown Whitehead, ct. Mallett, b Brown Godsall, ct. Mannion, b Hall Howell, not out Morton, George, A. W. ~| Jackson, Dew, H.-Short. }-Did not bat. Davis, J. W. T. J Extras TOTAL (Decl.)
7 1 0 8 0 1 4 4 1 0 0 4 30
3 0 7 33 14
July, 1949
9th at the Guildhall, Worcester—the evening preceding the O.V. Rugger Match. Mr. James Smith, 5 Pierpoint Street, has again generously undertaken the secretarial duties connected with it, and the Committee of the O.V. Club has appointed a small Sub-Committee to assist him. O.V. DINNER. J. B. Cavenagh (1904-1909), President of the O.V. Club took the chair at the Forty-Sixth Old Vigornian Dinner, which was held in College Hall. The traditional toast of " Prosperity to Worcester Cathedral King's School " was proposed by the Vice-Chairman, F. H. Yarnold, M.B.E., in a graceful speech, to which the Headmaster replied in his best after-dinner vein. The President introduced the guests of honour—Brigadier H. S. J. Bourke, D.S.O., M.C., O.B.E., Secretary of the T.A. and A.F.A., and Mr. T. D. J. Potter, President of the Old Elizabethan Club. In his reply Mr. Potter cordially reciprocated the sentiments of the President, who had warmly welcomed the good feeling and healthy rivalry that now marked the relations between the King's School and the Royal Grammar School, as compared with the mutual lack of understanding with which they regarded one another only a few years ago. The number present was 104.
24
81-4
O.V.S 2nd Innings. 140-4 (decl.) (Hambling 42; Mallett 33). W.C.K.S. 2nd Innings. 93-3. (Dew not out 34). O.V.s 30. George 5-12; Davis 3-14; Morton 1-0; H.-Short 1-0. W.C.K.S. 81-4 (decl.). Brown 2-8; Hawkins 1-12; Hall 1-24. THE ROWING RACE. This was rowed over the Deanery Course, the O.V.s taking the St. John's side. At the start both crews went away level, both having bad starts. The O.V. crew held the School IV remarkably well for the first half of the course until the lack of training began to tell on the O.V.s. The School gradually went ahead and finished 2 lengths in front of the O.V.s. The O.V. crew was :— Bow ... G. L. S. Rankin 2. ... D. J. Cook 3. ... M. H. Prestage Stroke ... G. H. Blackford They were coxed by a Worcester Rowing Club cox.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. Ordinary business was quickly disposed of and then the O.V. Ball came under consideration. O.V. BALL. Following the success of the O.V. Ball held last year, arrangements are afoot for an even greater success this year. The date has been fixed for Friday, December
O.V. CRICKET CLUB. The attention of all O.V.s, especially those living in or near Worcester, is drawn to the existence of the O.V. Cricket Club which was formed in 1948. A regular series of matches is played on Saturdays or Sundays from mid-May to September, home matches being played on the School Ground by kind permission of the Headmaster. The Club now has about twenty playing members but more new members would be welcome, and those interested are invited to get in touch with the Captain, Mr. L. M. Bailey, Tredennyke House, Barbourne Terrace, Worcester, or with the Hon. Secretary, Mr. W. G. Cullis, 89 Park Avenue, Worcester.
" FAUST " PART I. I. It would be a platitude to undertake the writing of a single line on this greatest of human dramas which truly belongs to World Literature. But in times like ours when a distasteful nationalist streak perverts the literature of many a country it should be placed on record that there are creations of human experience which transcend the earth-bound limitations of an every-day life, which break asunder the artificial boundaries of historical waywardness, which become the property of all mankind. It is not without deeper significance that these documentations of Man's noble destiny all embrace the very life of any of us individuals, thus endorsing their universal validity. Euripidean tragedies, Dante's all-absorbing vision, Balzac's " Com6die Humaine," Tolstoi's " Kreutzer Sonata," Shakespeare's " Hamlet" and Goethe's " Faust" belong to these felicitous triumphs in the evolution of the human mind.
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1949 II.
That an English school celebrates the bicentenary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe by a production of " Faust" is a remarkable tribute to the genius of this most human of all mortals. It seems far more than a mere grateful, time-honoured recognition of a foreign poet. It is a voluntary confession to a man who stands for the very essence of humanism, who was deeply convinced of the goodness of Man because of his searching experience of the sorrows and joys of all living matter. Faust is Goethe, and Goethe a human being. " All his storming, all his stress ends as eternal salvation in God for whom Life is an image, and the image a parable of Life."
III. In the supreme moment of his life the dying Faust invokes: " Stand still, Thou art so fair 1" Most of us who had the privilege of watching the School performance feel equally inclined to adjure Memory to stand still, for the evening was more than fair, it was . . memorable. It is a remarkable achievement in itself to have attempted a completely new translation of a work which is considerably longer than " Hamlet." It needs, however, the flair of Alec Macdonald's poetic mind to recreate the spirit of a work in a foreign tongue. I, who know the original version of " Faust" as intimately as any educated Englishman his " Paradise Lost," was never at a loss to follow the translation, to absorb anew the intrinsic beauty of its more lyrical passages. I felt thoroughly at home. The drama had to be cut by at least a half without losing its meaning and its fundamental wisdom. The " Hamlet " film whose producer was faced with a similar task, has proved that the message of any work of art need not be lost, as long as the cuts are performed with the skill of a surgeon and not with the knife of a butcher. I wonder whether Alec Macdonald knew that letter by W. A. Mozart, in which he stated : " In Germany a long-winded taste is the fashion; in fact it is better to be short and good." I can only refer to Professor Pascal of Birmingham University who with his German department watched the performance and stated how much the lucidity of the condensed edition had impressed him. IV. The School has often enjoyed Alec Macdonald's productions. I am at a loss for an epithet which would do enough honour to his tremendous work, to his patience, to his genius of casting and to his remarkable capacity in bringing out the best of boys whom hardly any of us would have thought up to the requirements of the drama. Instead of a trite eulogy a simple " Thank you, Alec Macdonald, thank you very much ! " He will understand when I add another of Goethe's verse : " Denn was kostlich ist gewesen, Leuchtet lange noch zurtick." V. He would misunderstand the function of a critic who would hypocritically toss bouquets right and left, and have done with it. I am aware of my responsibility in judging the individual performances but also of the subjectiveness and limitations of my opinions. But the critics of the reviewer may be reminded that a critic is not a mere impressionist but also an anatomist. I
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believe common consent will back me up in stating that G. E. J. Beckmann's performance came as an unexpected revelation. He made us believe the secret of Shakespeare's success with boy actors. I think the truth of Beckmann's amazing performance as " Gretchen" lies in the fact that he forgot, in his mental excitement, to act his part. On the contrary, the part had taken complete hold of the actor and, through its intrinsic delicacy forced him to live and to experience its meaning. One never had the feeling that there, was a boy on the stage trying to " put over " the whole gamut of female experience. From the very moment of Faust's impudent accost, the emotional development deepened and reached its touching climax when Gretchen discovered herself to be herself in love. Then we beheld an image worthy of the palette of any Pre-Raphaelite. I confess I was looking forward with dismay to the Cathedral scene. The confrontation with the evil spirit necessitates an intuitive understanding for supreme spiritual experience. And Beckmann carried us away by a wealth of subtle tones and half-tones which are proof for my contention that he must have forgotten his part at that very moment, and remained instead a suffering youth in soul-rending trouble. I shall not forget the swaying of his tormented body, shattered to the very core by dire, mortal experience. The climax came at the very end. I was afraid Beckmann would be slithering in convulsive spasms, yelling " Heinrich, Heinrich 1 " But Beckmann's voice sounded already from the remoteness of an after-life. A new aeon of eternity had commenced to atone for Man's frailly. Many thanks are due to Beckmann whom we hope to see often on the School stage. VI. M. A. Pocock has every reason to be very proud of his deserved success and public acclamation. Once I had resigned myself to the fact that he was not the spirit of eternal negation but rather a naughty angel sent to earth to practise here his somewhat serene demonry, I enjoyed every bit of his grand performance. His diction was admirable, his miming vastly entertaining, his movements and timing very good indeed. One felt that this Mephistopheles thoroughly enjoyed his excursion to this devilish globe of ours, whose inhabitants were for him mere puppets. And Pocock pulled their strings in a masterly way. For him a huge bouquet of " Teufelskirschen " . Pocock was best in his superb scenes with Marthe Schwertlein but R. G. L. Griffiths was such a delightful, gossipy, love-sick, old hag that he proved Pocock's equal. He was just "Tish" in his best, as we all like him so much in and out of School.
VII. I often wondered why so many English people dislike the Continental interpretation of Shakespeare's plays. I begin now to suspect that national prejudice has moulded such a cast-iron conception of one's native dramas that it seems more than difficult to overcome the one and only interpretation one is usually taught in school. I am no exception, for I must confess that Alec Macdonald's interpretation of Faust is not mine. Faust, as Goethe saw him, is not a maudlin, old alchemist, covered with the hoar-frost of mental desiccation, but a Gothic searcher for ultimate truth, devoured by
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an inner fire of titanic intensity, who " can only find salvation, as long as he keeps on striving." But in fairness I must also state that Faust is one of the most exacting parts the German stage knows. It is simply impossible for any boy to achieve a satisfying performance. Therefore it was entirely right to let the part be played by two boys, of whom D. F. Jones seemed to me the better of the two Faustian souls. His elocution was very clear and full of feeling. His evocation of the Spirit of the Earth a fine piece of acting. But he failed to be carried off by Mephistopheles as soon as the Devil had made his appearance. Instead of changing his interpretation by becoming electrified through the sheer experience of meeting the Devil, he remained the same and became monotonous. Here lies the reason why so few people understood the meaning of the mirror interlude which is so essential for the understanding of the play. I am sorry to say that H. M. P. Lorenz disappointed me much. He began so admirably by speaking his lyrical lines tenderly and with convincing feeling. His by-play helped much to stimulate our interest which, however, began to sag when he was overcome by remorse and regret. Then he began to scream and to contort his face in such a way that one was asking oneself whether the " split personality " of his part had not led him astray, say into " Richard III'." However, I am sure he tried his very best. If he did not please me, I can only quote : " If we have unearned luck Now to "scape the serpent's tongue We will make amends ere long." VIII. We all took special pleasure in the burlesque of " Auerbach's Cellar." This scene was a genre picture in the style of either of the two Breughels. The revellers were a hilarious quartet of superannuated students who made me wonder where they observed and rehearsed those close-up character studies. (A little imp in me whispered, " in a certain study during those hallowed ' P.R.' periods.") The " Witch's Kitchen " was a fascinating episode of imaginative production. H. J. Davies as "the witch" was superb. If there is ever a poltergeist to be laid in his native manse, we now know where to look. Messrs. Thomas and Case-Green's simian cackle might provoke many a " P.D." next term, for it was just irresistible. Special praise must go to A. G. Jackson whose study of the eternal scholar Wagner was perfect. He was as dry as dust as any failure can be who had lost touch with the invigorating spring of life. The rest of the company must be content with general praise. The volume of applause and the many kind words spoken to them and about them must have been gratifying to a cast which has been such a support for the producer. A pleasant surprise was the success of Mrs. Kittermaster's musical initiative which made the most of the very charming music, specially composed by Dr. K. Gudewill, a visiting German musicologist for production at Birmingham University last March. Warm thanks are due to Dr. Gudewill, not only for permitting its use but also for coming over several times to help with its rehearsal. IX. Before I lock my impressions away into the chest of memory I must mention Paul Marshall. I said already about Beckmann that he did not act his part but lived
July, 1949
it in a deeply moving way. Marshall's " student" repeated the same, only transposed to a lighter plane. He was just his delightful, cheerful self, nothing more but also nothing less, thus making one of the finest contributions to the succes of the play. I did not rollick with laughter but smiled happily about his miming, for deep down in me there stirred a yearning for more " students " of Marshall's type in our classes. It was his presence which conjured up a certain vision in me which I would love to come true. Could Alec Macdonald give us " Romeo and Juliet" with Marshall and Beckmann p H.A.N. SCHOOL CONCERT. The School Concert was held on Friday, July 15th when the Augmented School Choir sang " King Arthur " by Purcell. The performance was a tribute to Mr. Day's hard work in training the choir and gave a creditable rendering of some very fine music. For the second half various members of the School performed a varied selection. I. F. Hastie (piano) set the standard playing a short piece by Dunhill and one of the Songs without Words in C minor by Mendelssohn. His evident mastery of the technique and feeling for the music were remarkable in one so young, and he received a welldeserved encore. B. Williams and A. Armstrong (violins) came next with " Follow Your Leader " (Woodhouse) which they played accurately and convincingly. K. W. Laflin followed with a clear rendering of a Prelude and Fugue in F minor by Bach from the " 48 Preludes and Fugues." His style was more suited to the Fugue than to the Prelude, but the general result was satisfactory, the more so as he had set himself difficult pieces to play. J. and E. Rippier followed with a Sonata by Boyce. Their playing was thoroughly admirable and the finished performance showed how well-earned were their successes at Leamington and Cheltenham recently. The Choir sang Quilter's setting of " Non Nobis Domine " to complete the performance and the spirited rendering they gave it did justice to the fine setting. We should here thank those members of the Choral Society who came and aided our chorus, so lacking in altos, to give an account of itself. Mr. LI. Williams, Mr. V. Dowse and Mr. N. E. Dilks were soloists, and R. G. L. Griffiths very creditably filled the gap left at the last moment by the illness of W. A. Birch. Griffiths' performance would have been competent in ordinary circumstances, but as it was, it showed good musicianship despite his 5-hour notice. The impression the Concert left was of careful preparation and a determination to give of one's best.
SCHOOL FETE. After much careful preparation, the School Fete started on the afternoon of Saturday, July 23rd with a P.T. Display under the supervision of Sergeant-Major Barrett. Spotless whites showed well against the green and the good use to which we put the equipment we acquired a year or so ago was well demonstrated. The whole display was put over very " slickly " and ended with a grand finale of pyramid building. The display
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THE VIGORNIAN.
ended, the first part of the crowd of 800 which entered the fete began to stream through the main gates. Inside, they were faced by an ice-cream stall which worked at full pressure throughout the whole afternoon. The weather was ideal, and encouraged business at this stall and elsewhere. Once past this, the unwary visitor was invited to risk his reputation at the hands of Madame Zaa-Zaa who professed to tell fortunes. Elsewhere fruit and vegetable stalls showed their wares, and afterwards, a handsome profit. You were liable to be tempted to hook a duck, throw balls into a bucket in the hope that they would stay there, play target golf, fire airguns of doubtful accuracy at minute targets, throw tennis balls into two Aunt Sally's known as Shnozzlestein and Plushbottom respectively, throw darts at playing-cards, and stick pins in a chart in the vain hope of finding treasure. Two race-horse touts (?) appeared who sold straws containing numbers corresponding to squares on a blackboard, some of which contained money, and the majority of which did not. This was so popular that straws ran out after } of an hour or less. Needless to say, everything made a fabulous profit. Tea was provided in a highly organised manner in Mr. MacTurk's garden, under the expert supervision of Mrs. Bentley, aided by the whole of Castle House. The success of the Fete was apparent to all and the degree of this success was announced by the Headmaster at Lists on the following Monday, when we learnt that about £280 net profit was received. The Fete owed much to the weather, and the organisation was first-rate. At the end, J. A. Wilkes, O.V., came and put a skill in auctioneering which he did not learn at the School, at our disposal, and two magnificent cakes, presented by Mrs. Pedder and Mr. Yarnold respectively, were sold at vast sums. The profits from the whole were devoted to the Fourth Centenary Fund, and the general feeling at the end was that those who had come to the Fete had parted with their money, dutifully, liberally, and gracefully.
WINTER TRIP TO SWITZERLAND. CHRISTMAS, 1948. During the Christmas holidays Mr. Natan conducted a three-weeks' holiday in the little Swiss village of Sedrun. The party consisted of twelve members, of whom only three were over sixteen. We arrived in Basle at 8 a.m. on the morning of Boxing Day. The journey was then continued via Lucerne, and by eight in the evening we were sitting down to dinner at the Hotel Oberalp. After which everyone was talking about the future events to come. The party very soon adapted themselves to the famous sport, and it was not very long before some of the boys showed considerable skill on skis. This was more than proved in a very thrilling race arranged by our instructors. Apart from one or two slight injuries, everyone remained very enthusiastic. During the stay, the party was very fortunate in making friends with a Swiss family. And we are indebted to them for their entertaining us in Basle on our return journey.
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Before leaving Basle, where we stopped for the night, on the return home, everyone was so eager to buy presents to take home, that Mr. Natan had to warn us that we were not millionaires. All the same everyone seemed quite satisfied. Of our experiences on this holiday one could never stop writing. It therefore remains for us to thank Mr. Natan very much for all the trouble and work he undertook to make the holiday a success. We can rest assured that his efforts were not wasted and as it was everyone's first trip to Switzerland, the memory of it will always remain. Finally, we should very much like to wish every success to the future trip, which is to take place in the Christmas holidays again. For anyone who has any doubts about the country, we can safely say that everyone of us intends to revisit this delightful country in the near future. M.G.H.L.
HOUSE NOTES. SCHOOL HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : H. M. P. Davies, J. H. Whitehead, A. N. Nisbet, J. D. L. Griffiths, D. F. Jones, M. A. Pocock. At the end of the Christmas term we said good-bye to W. M. P. Hamilton-Child and A. W. S. Hargrave. We hear that both are doing well. Child is studying law at Exeter, and Hargrave is at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. The number of monitors was then raised to the usual number of five by the wellearned promotion of D. F. Jones. Shortly after half- . term in the summer, M. A. Pocock was also appointed. As new boys Case-Green, Thomas and Ellson have joined us from Choir House. This year has been spent in defending the several trophies that we have accumulated in the past year. This has been done by : H. J. Davies, who must be congratulated on winning the boxing cup; J. H. Whitehead, D. F. Jones, M. J. Morton and P. S. Raderecht, the same team as last year, who won for us the Fives cup; again D. F. Jones who won us the Chess cup; and H. M. P. Davies, who must be congratulated on winning the Senior Cross-country for the second year running. We also must commend his brother, H. J. Davies who was running above his age group and did well to finish fourth. Our Junior Athletics retained for us their Sports Shield, and our Cricket team won us the Cricket Cup. Besides these Cups that we have retained, our Intermediate Athletes won the Intermediate Cup. Our losses consist of the P.T. Cup, the House coming second equal half a point behind Hostel, and the Rowing Cup which we lost to Castle in the final. Congratulations to J. H. Whitehead on being appointed Captain of Cricket, M. J. Morton on being reawarded and A. G. Jackson on being awarded their 1st XI Colours, and P. S. Raderecht on being in the XI and being awarded his 2nd XI Colours. We also have strong representation in the rest of the School Cricket teams. Congratulations to H. M. P. Davies on being awarded his 1st IV Colours and T. Hughes-Williams, M. A. Pocock and R. J. Chinery on being awarded their 2nd IV Colours.
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The House has maintained its standard in the J.T.C. with ten N.C.O.s. Besides A. N. Nisbet, whom we must commend for being C.S.M., we have three Sergeants, three Corporals and four Lance-Corporals. In this year's School Play, more than half the House has gone to form about seventy per cent, of the actors and technicians. We must congratulate. P. Cavenagh on gaining entry to H.M.S. Worcester and H. M. P. Davies on being awarded a place at Christ Church, Oxford. In the Sports at the end of last term the House produced eight winners, of which H. M. P. Davies must be congratulated on breaking the School record for the mile and R. G. Ager-Harris for setting up records for the Javelin and Shot Put. Beside their usual Teme-side activities, the angling members of the House made an expedition, under the guidance of Mr. McTurk, to whom they are very grateful for arranging everything, to Whitbourne where we are informed they caught three trout. The House continues to give strong support to the Sunday evening Societies in the winter terms, and we look forward to their return next term. Finally we find it our pleasure to thank Matron for all she has done for us in the past two terms, keeping us for all that time in excellent health. » » * CASTLE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : B. T. C. Smith, M. G. H. Leeke, T. J. Richardson, R. R. Jones. At the end of last term we said good-bye to AgerHarris and Clayton, whom we should like to wish the best of luck in their future careers. Smith must be congratulated on succeeding AgerHarris as Head of the School and Jones on being made a House Monitor. The result of the House Rugby Seven-a-side Competition was rather disappointing for, after well beating all the other houses we lost to Hostel by three points to nil. The House was lucky in the Cross-country to retain the Team Cup, the absence of Dew, owing to illness, being strongly felt. Smith did well to finish 2nd and Jones and Beard 5th and 6th respectively, both running above their age group. Walker and Leahy also did well in the Middle Race to finish 4th and 6th. However we were unfortunate to lose all three Cups in the Sports on the Relays. Smith must be congratulated on gaining 80% of the House's points towards the Senior Cup. In the final of the Fives Cup, Richardson and Smith gave a lively display, being narrowly defeated by School House. We must congratulate Richardson and Dew on getting into the 1st XI and being awarded their 1st and 2nd XI Colours respectively. In spite of the valiant efforts by the Senior Colours the result of the House Cricket was rather disappointing. However it was pleasing to note that the Juniors were not intimidated by 1st XI bowling. We have been well represented in the Rowing Fours, having Smith, the Captain of Boats, and Jones in the 1st Boat and Beard and Walker in the unbeaten 2nd Crew; all must be congratulated on receiving their respective Colours. The House IV won a very good race to regain the House Rowing Cup, Bushby successfully substituting for Jones, who has broken a wrist, and Warwick sacrificing his place in the 3rd XI to steer a faultless course.
July, 1949
At the end of this term we are saying good-bye to Smith and Dew and we should like to wish these two valuable members of the House every success for the future. We are also saying good-bye to Matron, whose stay, although short, has we hope been happy, and we must thank her for keeping the House so free from illness. In conclusion we should like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Bentley for yet another term of careful attention to all our troubles. As a ' late extra ' we must congratulate the House Shooting Team and especially Richardson on winning the Team and Individual Shooting Cups. The House Section also deserves praise for the united effort they put into the Section Shield Competition and were unlucky in finishing 2nd by only 2 points.
THE HOSTEL. HOUSE MONITORS : M. S. Lewis, D. N. Puddepha, J. E. Minton, R. M. Ward-Booth. It was said some eighteen months ago that the House had reached a peak in athletic ability, and a position in the School which would not be equalled for several years to come. The speaker was a member of the House then leaving us. Of our position in the School we do not presume to comment; but within a year of that statement being made we have contrived to win the Football Cup for the second time, we believe, in our history. This in a year in which the School had its most successful season for fifteen years. It is worthy of note that the team which most nearly defeated us was Tredennyke which contained two old Hostelians; as it was we were unbeaten. Since then we have also acquired the Senior Athletics Team Cup and the P.T. Cup. Our Belows team were not as fortunate as the Senior team, winning only one match, but it showed great promise for the future. They were ably led by Guffog who received good support from the halves, Slater and Hill. While the Seniors won the Team Cup at Athletics we must not omit the successes in other sections. The Intermediates were unfortunate that all of them were ill on the finals days and so unable to compete. In this section, Ward-Booth ran well to win the Cross-country Race. The outstanding performance of the Sports however, was in the Junior Section where Slater won the 100 yards, 220, and 440. He was denied support however by the illness of several others of our juniors. The P.T. Cup was won after much hard work. The practices were hurried, but Mr. Pedder gave us invaluable help for which we were very grateful. It is good to see this Cup back on our mantle-piece and we hope it will stay there for some years as it was wont to do in the past. Our performance on the cricket field has not been spectacular, but with only one member of the 2nd XI and three under 14 Colts as our representatives in School teams we did not have high hopes. Likewise in the House Shooting Competition and Section Shield we were unsuccessful. J. N. M. Davies is to be congratulated on being awarded his 2nd XV Colours during the Easter term. While we have been busily engaged on the Sports Field we have not been idle elsewhere. Carroll, who left us at Easter, has obtained entry to Sandhurst and has
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THE VIGORNIAN.
just concluded his preliminary training at Malvern. He has been a frequent and welcome visitor. We extend our heartiest congratulations to Ward-Booth on being made a Monitor in his place. Vines is also to be congratulated on being elected a King's Scholar as a result of the examination held this term. At this point we must wish for the success of our School and Higher Certificate candidates. At the end of the Christmas term we lost Bolton and welcomed Milroy and Brown. At the beginning of this term Shouler II joined us and he has already shown promise on the cricket field. At the end of this term we shall have to bid a reluctant farewell to Puddepha, who has left his mark imprinted very deeply upon the House; to Minton, who has been a steadying influence on the wilder members of the House by virtue of his phlegmatic disposition, and to Pritchard. We wish them every success in their future careers. Slater is also leaving us to become a Day Boy—we are indeed sorry to lose him. In conclusion we would thank Matron for her services to the House, and for the interest she takes in each and every individual member. We wish Mr. and Mrs. Pedder a happy holiday too, so that they may be doubly refreshed for the trials of yet another term.
TREDENNYKE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : P. W. Prestage, J. L. Bradley, H. E. Howell, P. M. Bluck. Although Nature did not construct the human frame to enable us to pat ourselves on the back, we feel that after only five terms of existence we have certainly made our presence felt. The Easter term gave us adequate opportunity to show our talents for athletics and sports. Bluck consolidated his position on the 1st XV wing, but owing to injury he did not stay there long. He played a considerable part in beating the Police XV and was awarded his Colours. The Cross-country did not bring us great success, but all entrants finished and Prestage came third. We did somewhat better at athletics, coming fifth in the Senior, third in the Middle, and second in the Junior. Bluck won the Senior Long Jump. The field of sport saw us even more successful in the summer term. We have Brown and Mawbey in the 2nd XI and Perigo must be congratulated on doing the hat-trick against W.R.G.S. Our extremely young cricket side did well to reach the semi-final of the House matches. The Swimming Cup was well and truly won by all members of the House, Prestage and Bran being outstanding. We have the Secretaries of both the major Summer Sports in Prestage and Howell and congratulate them both on being reawarded their 1st IV and 1st XI Colours respectively. We came a very close second in the P.T. Competition, thanks to dewy early morning and late evening practices on our private field. Our House Tie arrived from the makers this term, and because of its minute dimensions has caused considerable comment in the School. We hope that this will be rectified when controls are relaxed. The latter part of the term saw many members of the House suffering the strains and stresses of examinations; we wish them every success.
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We hope, next term, to be at full strength when all the Preparatory School boys have left. We are also looking forward to having a House Room at School next term, which members of the House can use for a common-room. We are not very well represented in the Corps, but revel in the sight of Mr. Bailey polishing a cap-badge before parades and donning khaki every Saturday. However, in the Scouts we are in force, having Bluck as A.S.M. The House provides a large percentage of the School's members of the Sixth Form Club and Bluck and Phillipson are the two committee members for the School. The time draws near when we say farewell to Bradley, who dons Air-Force blue, Prestage, who leaves to take up his agricultural pursuits, Ford and Brown for the luxuries of Nissen huts and khaki, and the rest for home. To all—happy holidays.
CHAPPEL'S HOUSE. MONITORS : D. A. Holmes, B. L. Nicholas, G. V. Thorne, C. M. Lettice, G. F. Hartley, B. E. Wilkes. When a House seeks to explain away failure in some field of School activities on the grounds of its youthfulness, it is usually accused of making excuses. But there can be no doubt that the eclipse of Chappel House in certain sports is genuinely due to this. It was noticeable, for instance, that in the Senior Rugger matches, where the premium was on age and experience, we had little success, whereas in the Belows we did very well, finishing as runners-up. Our youth was stressed again in the Athletics where, though we are probably numerically the largest House in the School, we had not even enough Seniors to complete a relay team, there being only two in the whole House. However we were by no means disgraced and had at least two outstanding performers in Smith, K., who walked through most of the Junior events, and G. F. Hartley. In this term's Cricket matches we reached the final by a 2 wicket victory over Castle in a most eventful and exciting game which was won by a bold if somewhat fortuitous innings by Wilkes, when we appeared to be facing certain defeat. Slack and Jones, W. F. proved a promising opening pair, and George, who is to be congratulated on a successful season in the 1st XI was the mainstay of the bowling. In the P.T. Competition and the Section Shield (once our monopoly) we were handicapped by the virtual impossibility of holding practices, a difficulty in Dayboy Houses which few people seem to appreciate. Others meriting our congratulation are Tudge and Scurfield for gaining King's Scholarships, Bulman and Turner for representing us in the Shooting VIII and certain members of the House, to remain anonymous, who had the perseverance of many attempts rewarded by passing Cert. " A " Part II. R. A. Franklin deserves our special praise for his fine performances in the Swimming Sports. Finally our thanks are due to Mr. Dilks for his continued efficient management of the affairs of the House.
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CREIGHTON'S HOUSE. MONITORS : R. F. Godsall, K. W. Laflin, A. I. Taverner, J. E. Blackford, F. D. A. Burns, G. J. Hollister-Short. This term the House has not achieved any outstanding successes, but on the whole we have put up good performances. In the House Cricket Cup we gave School House a very hard fight indeed before narrowly losing. Lack of practice told on the House both in the P.T. Competition and the Section Shield Competition, but although we failed to attain a high position we were not disgraced.
July, 1949
We have had three representatives in the 1st XI and must congratulate all three—Godsall, Davis and Hollister-Short on gaining their 1st XI Colours for the season. We have also filled many places in the 2nd XI. In Rowing circles the House met with success by winning the Whiffing Competition. Rather retrospectively we have to congratulate the ' Belows ' Rugby team on winning the Belows Rugby Cup. Finally we have to wish all our School Certificate, and Higher Certificate candidates the best of luck, and hope that Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard have an enjoyable holiday.
CRICKET. FIXTURES AND RESULTS. 1ST XI.
Date Wed., May llth Sat., May 14th Wed., May 18th Sat., May 21st Sat., May 28th Wed., June 1st Wed., June 8th Thur., June 16th Wed., June 22nd Sat., June 25th Sat., July 2nd Wed., July 6th Sat., July 9th Sat., July 16th
Opponents Worcestershire County Club & Ground Bromsgrove School " A " XI L. M. Bailey's XI Hereford Cathedral School ... Magdalen College School Shrewsbury- School 2nd XI ... Norton Barracks Malvern College " A " XI ... Sebright School St. Edward's School 2nd XI ... Worcester Royal Grammar School Bloxham School Old Vigornians ... Dean Close School
Sat., May 21st Wed., May 25th Sat., May 28th Wed., June 1st
Malvern College Colts " A " XI Hereford Cathedral School ... Dean Close School Sebright School
Sat., July 2nd Sat., July 9th
W.R.G.S.
Sat., May 21st
Malvern College Colts " B " XI
Away
Wed., June 22nd
King's School, Gloucester
Home
Wed., July 6th Sat., July 16th Wed., July 20th
Bloxham School King's School, Gloucester King's School, Gloucester
Away Away Away
Sat., May 14th Sat., May 21st Wed., May 25th Wed., June 15th Sat., June 18th Wed., July 20th
UNDER 15 COLTS. Bromsgrove School Away Hereford Cathedral School ... Home Bromsgrove School Home Sebright School Away Dean Close School * Away W.R.G.S * Under 15i match.
Sat., May 14th Sat., May 28th Wed., June 1st Sat., June 18th Wed., June 22nd Sat., July 2nd Wed., July 6th Sat., July 9th
Bromsgrove School Hillstone School The Downs School Hillstone School Sebright School W.R.G.S The Downs School Bloxham School
For 111-8 82
Against 236-7 (decl.) 90
100-4 62 144 76 148-7 (decl.) 73 124 82 81-4
86 63-6 81-0 94 99 12 77-5 94 112 30
66 65 43 99-7
107 68 77-9 40
92 102-6
118-7 65
Lost (9 wkts.) Won (by 4 wkts.) CANCELLED. ABANDONED. Lost
48
141-5
80
54
36
113
Lost Lost Lost Lost Won Lost
64 60 37 43 83-9 35
109-8 80 43 51 76 131-5 decl
Lost Lost Won Lost Lost Lost Won CANCELLED.
134 60 117 40 99 42 76
194 102-5 (decl.) 42 87 116 103-8 (decl ) 38
Ground Away Away Home Away Away Away Away Home Away Away Home Home Home Home
Result Drawn Lost CANCELLED. Won Lost ABANDONED. Won Lost Won Lost Won Lost Won CANCELLED.
Away Home Home Home
Lost Lost Lost Won (by 7 wkts.) Lost Won
2ND XI.
3RD XI.
UNDER 14 COLTS. Home Away Home Home Away Away Away
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
The 1st XI this term has succeeded in showing the best end of season card for over three years, having won five matches and been unlucky not to win more. Mr. Buller's services had been most gratefully received, and the batting has correspondingly improved. The bowling has been excellent upon occasions, and steady throughout, although one cannot stress too much the importance of keeping a length, especially for the slower bowlers. The fielding has not been up to standard, being generally too slow. The 2nd XI has not had a very successful season, though not through lack of keenness. The 3rd, U.15, and U.14 XIs also did not fare too well, although there are some promising stayers in these XIs. Finally, we should like to thank, Mr. Bailey and Mr. MacTurk, for their unflagging energies, both on and off the field.
IST XI CHARACTERS. • J. H. WHITEHBAD (Captain). He has been an efficient and energetic Captain of Cricket. Owing to his lack of experience, he did not always make full use of a varied attack, but on the whole he captained the side satisfactorily. He set an excellent example in the field and was the mainstay of a rather unsuccessful batting side. H. E. HOWELL. Has not had a successful season with the bat, but has been somewhat unlucky when he seemed set for a good score. R. F. GODSAL.L. Began the season badly, but after halfterm he really got going and began to play some aggressive cricket. An excellent fielder. T. J. RICHARDOSN. Has kept wicket most creditably. His batting has improved considerably and has been generally relaible. J. W. T. DAVIS. He has bowled his left arm in swinger consistently well and has been very successful. Much improved in the field. M. J. MORTON. Has bowled rather erratically and has not had the success he achieved last season; however on several occasions he has bowled his left arm leg breaks most effectively. A. G. JACKSON. Bowls slow off spinners. He should try to bowl a shade faster. Has bowled with intelligence and with considerable success. Very good in the slips. H. G. HOLLISTER-SHORT. Bowls left arm off spinners and maintains a good length. He should try to vary his pace. Reliable in the field. A. N. GEORGE. A greatly improved bowler. He bowled particularly fast and well towards the end of the season. DEW. A useful all-rounder, but slow in the field. P. S. RADERECHT. With more experience he should develop into quite a sound left-handed bat. At the moment he lacks confidence and is not sufficiently aggressive on the leg side. Slow in the field.
W.C.K.S. v. WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CLUB AND GROUND. Drawn. Playing 12 a-side, the School were put in the field and met with an early success, the first wicket falling
524
at 17. Then Weston and Davis put on 77 for the second wicket, and Weston and Pullinger, 115 for the third; Weston retiring after making 115. The School bowling was not up to standard, only George in his second spell looking at all dangerous, and the Club and Ground declared at 236-7. The School's first wicket fell with only one run on the board, but then the batsmen settled down a little, and three or four defensive innings enabled them to stay out time, 125 runs behind with three wickets standing. W.C.K.S. Wood, b. Tinkler Wilkes, B. E., b. Tinkler Whitehead, ct. Hinds, R Godsall, Ibw. Davis Howell, b. Painter Raderecht, P. S., ct. Hinds, R Richardson, b. Painter Morton, not out Jackson, run out George, A. N., not out Hollister-Short, did n<f( bat Davis, J. W. T., did not bat Extras
6 0 36 3 9 11 22 10 10 4 — — — Total
111-8
Tinkler 2-27; Painter 2-32; Davis 1-8; Hinds, R 2-33. CLUB & GROUND. Weston, retired Lampend, ct. Raderecht, b. Davis Davis, st. Richardson, b. Jackson Pullinger, ct. Jackson, b. Whitehead Tinkler, b. Whitehead Eversett, ct. H.-Short, b. George Hinds, R., b. George Hinds, A., b. George Painter, not out Williams, did not bat Bancks, did not bat Hon. Lygon, did not bat Extras Total
115 7 27 47 3 15 6 0 4 — — — 12 236-7 dec.
George 3-43; Whitehead 2-15; Davis 1-28; Jackson 1-36. W.C.K.S. v. BROMSGROVE SCHOOL " A " XI. Bromsgrove won by 8 runs. The School lost the toss and were put in the field. The Bromsgrove opening pair looked fairly settled with 28 on the board, until George broke the partnership. Then Davis took 4 for 7 in 6 overs, and they were 40-5. Sisson and Tudor then put on 18, but good bowling by Morton and Jackson then dismissed the remaining batsmen for 32 runs, and the innings closed at 90. The School opened shakily, but a third wicket partnership by Morton and Whitehead, Morton going in just before tea, as a stop gap, put on 39, and the position at 64-3, looked quite safe, but the remaining wickets fell for only 17 runs, and the match was lost by 8 runs.
525
THE VIGORNIAN.
W.C.K.S. Howell, l.b.w., b. Sisson Wilkes, B. E., ct. Sisson, b. Potter Morton, ct. and b. East Whitehead, ct. and b. Tudor Raderecht, P. S., St. Tomlinson, b. Mitchell Godsall, b. East Richardson, b. East Jackson, b. Faull George, A. N., not out HoUister-Short, b. East Davis, J. W. T., run out Extras Total
3 7 26 25 5 1 1 4 6 0 1 3
Total
90
George 1-21; Morton 3-18; Davis 4-16; Jackson 2-18. W.C.K.S. v. HEREFORD CATHEDRAL SCHOOL. Won by 6 wickets. Once more the School were put in the field, and met with early success, the first two wickets falling for 13 runs. Then, some very steady bowling, backed up by good fielding, put the batsmen on the defensive, and the score went ponderously on to 71-4, in about 2— hours, Davis bowling 19 overs with 10 maidens. Then Morton and Jackson, on a slow wicket found their length, and the last six wickets fell for 15, the score closing at 86. The School's first wicket fell at 5, but then the batting brightened up considerably, and the score mounted steadily, the 86 going up for the loss of 4 wickets, and the 100 taking just over an hour. W.C.K.S. Howell, l.b.w. Chadd 9 Wilkes, B. E., ct. Grondace, b. Downes 1 Whitehead, not out 59 Raderecht, P. S., st. Jenkins, b. Chadd 7 Godsall, run out 3 Dew, not out 18 Morton, did not bat — Richardson, did not bat — Jackson, did not bat — George, A. N., did not bat — Davis, J. W. T., did not bat — Extras 3 Downes 1-14; Chadd 2-41.
Total
HEREFORD. Jenkins, ct. Jackson, b. Davis Chadd, b. Davis Gray, b. Jackson Allesbrook, b. Jackson Thomas, l.b.w. Morton Dunn, l.b.w. Morton Gondace, b. Jackson Hill, b. Morton Downes, ct. George, b. Jackson Shelton, st. Richardson, b. Morton Mawson, not out Extras
100-4
7 1 21 18 24 0 0 2 3 0 3 6 Total
83
Tudor 1-19; Potter 1-8; East 4-11; Sisson 1-22; Mitchell 1-17; Faull 1-2. BROMSGHOVE. Atchley, b. George 5 Mitchell, ct. Morton, b. Davis 22 Eardley, l.b.w. Davis 4 Faull, ct. Howell, b. Davis 3 Colato. b. Davis 1 Sisson, b. Jackson 9 Tudor, b. Morton IS Clarke, b. Morton 10 Tomlinson, not out 12 Potter, l.b.w. Morton 1 East, b. Jackson 2 Extras 6
July, 1949
86
Davis 19-10-17-2; Morton 4-26; Jackson 4-16. W.C.K.S. v. MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL. Magdalen won by 4 wickets. The School won the toss, and batting on a troublesome wicket were soon in trouble, being 28-6. Godsall, however, staging a most excellent innings, helped to bring the score to 49, but the remaining wickets fell for only 13 runs, and the innings closed at 62. Magdalen were soon in trouble from Davis, who, on a wicket helping him, took 4 wickets in his first 6 overs, for only 6 runs, and at 19-5, the situation looked hopeful. But some aggressive hitting by Gertnor, assisted by several missed chances, gave Magdalen a comfortable win by 4 wickets. W.C.K.S. Howell, ct. Franklin, b. Green Richardson, ct. Achurch, b. Foster., Whitehead, b. Foster , Raderecht, P. S., st. Coles, b. Laitt., Godsall, st. Coles, b. Gertnor Wilkes, B. E., ct. Achurch, b. Laitt Dew, ct. and b. Gertnor Morton, notout Jackson, b. Foster George, A. N., ct. Laitt, b. Gertnor Davis, J. W. T., b. Gertnor Extras
4 0 2 6 27 2 3 7 9 1 0 1
Total
62
Foster 3-14; Green 1-22; Laitt 2-8; Gertnor 4-17. MAGDALEN. Laitt, b. Davis Compton, l.b.w. Davis Gayton, b. George Green, ct. Jackson, b. Davis Gertnor, ct. Dew, b. Morton Achurch, not out Cross, b. Davis Wright, run out Franklin, not out Foster, did not bat Coles, did not bat Extras
2 3 6 4 38 10 0 0 0
Total .. Davis 4-27; George 1-17; Morton 1-1.
64-7
July, 1949
526
THE VIGORNIAN.
W.C.K.S. v. SHREWSBURY SCHOOL 2ND XI. Match Abandoned. Rain in the first quarter of an hour, helped to make conditions difficult for the School in the field, and before rain finally finished the game, the opposing opening pair had put on 81. SHREWSBURY. Ritchie, not out 32 Mclnnis, not out 43 W.C.K.S. v. NORTON BARRACKS. Won by 50 runs. The School were put in to bat, and the opening pair put on 74 before being parted, both Richardson and Wood playing very well. Wood continued to play excellently, and registered his first SO for the School. When the score was 130-4, the remaining batsmen tried unsuccessfully to hit the bowling, and the side was out for 144. The first four Norton Barracks wickets fell for only 29 runs, but then Giles and Savill put on 45, before Giles was dismissed. Savill continued to play well, but was finally bowled by Davis, who finished the match with an analysis of 5-16. Both he and HollisterShort bowled very well, and they dismissed the last five batsmen for 20 runs, giving the School a victory of 50 runs.
W.C.K.S. v. MALVERN COLLEGE " A " XI. Malvern won by 23 runs. The School lost the toss, but George had immediate success, taking a wicket with his second delivery. The second wicket partnership put on 24 before being broken by Morton, who continued to bowl very well indeed, only Erskine being able to cope with him. His final analysis of 7-47 in 12 overs was a most excellent piece of work. The Malvern score closed at 99, of which Erskine made 40. The School had 62 on the board for 3 wickets, thanks to some very sound batting by Richardson and Godsall, but the remaining batsmen were unable to deal with the bowling, and the last 6 wickets fell for the addition of only 13 runs. W.C.K.S. Wood, b. French 0 Richardson, l.b.w. French 40 Whitehead, b. Rust 5 Godsall, ct. French, b. Rust 20 Howell, l.b.w. French 4 Dew, run out 0 Morton, ct. Colthurst, b. French 0 George, A. N., run out 0 Jackson, not out 1 Hollister-Short, ct. Brough, b. Rust 3 Davis, J. W. T., b. Rust 0 Extras 3 Total
76
W.C.K.S. Richardson, b. Drew Wood, b. Drew Whitehead, b. Drew Howell, l.b.w. Drew Godsall, ct. Harris, b. George George, A. N., b. George Dew, run out Morton, b. George Jackson, b. George Hollister-Short, not out Davis, J. W. T., b. Drew Extras
38 54 10 7 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 30 Total
144
MALVERN " A." Smith, l.b.w. Morton Pegley, l.b.w. George Brough, b. Morton Chadder, b. H.-Short Ross, l.b.w. Morton Lawrence, l.b.w. Morton Erskine, St. Richardson, b. Morton Colthurst, l.b.w. Morton Rust, b. Morton Summers, b. Dew French, not out Extras Total
George 4-57; Drew 5-22.
25 0 7 8 0 1 40 0 9 5 0 4 99
George 1-8; Morton 7-47; H.-Short 1-28; Dew 1-2. NORTON BARRACKS. Winters, run out Cleese, l.b.w. George George, l.b.w. Davis Coleman, b. Davis Savill, b. Davis Giles, b. Davis Smith, l.b.w. H.-Short Drew, b. H.-Short Black, ct. George, b. H.-Short Horsell, not out Harris, b. Davis Extras
4 5 2 9 31 14 3 3 1 1 0 19 Total
Davis 5-16; George 1-16; H.-Short 3-18.
94
W.C.K.S. t>. SEBRIGHT SCHOOL. Won by 96 runs. Winning the toss, the School batted, but two wickets were down quickly, for only 15 runs. Then Richardson, playing a most excellent innings, helped by Hpwell and Dew, took the score from 36-3 to 122-5, also registering his first 50 for the School. Dew continued to bat brightly, and when the innings was declared closed at 148-7 he had made 25 not out. Davis and George opened the attack, using what little wind there was, and keeping the ball well up to the batsmen, had 6 wickets down for 4 runs. Then Scott and Bates took the score to 32, when Jackson broke the partnership. Bates continued to bat very well, but also was out to Jackson, and the side were out for 52 runs.
527
THE VIGORNIAN.
W.C.K.S. Wood, l.b.w. Porter Richardson, b. Downing Whitehead, ct. Downing, b. Poynton Godsall, st. Wright, b. Porter Howell, b. Downing Dew, not out Morton, st. Wright, b. Porter Jackson, st. Wright, b. Porter George, A. N., did not bat Hollister-Short, did not bat Davis, J. W. T., did not bat Extras Total
3 51 0 13 29 25 5 8 — — — 14 148-7 dec.
Poynton 1-36; Porter 4-23; Downing 2-25. SEBRIGHT. Fordham, b. Davis Duff, b. Davis Perks, b. George Porter, ct. Davis, b. George Pardoe, ct. Godsall, b. Davis Scott, b. Jackson Wight, b. Davis Bates, ct. Davis, b. Jackson Downing, run out Poynton, ct. Jackson, b. Morton Macintosh, not out Extras
0 2 0 0 0 19 1 21 0 2 0 7
Total
52
Davis 4-10; George 2-10; Jackson 2-9; Morton 1-6. W.C.K.S. v. ST. EDWARD'S 2ND XI. St. Edward's won by 5 wickets. The School won the toss, and batting first were soon in trouble, the first two wickets falling for 8 runs. Godsall once more came to help in an emergency, and with Raderecht took the score to 30, leaving when it had reached 45. Morton was the only other batsman to offer any opposition, and the innings closed at 73. The St. Edward's batsmen, after their first wicket had fallen for only 5 runs, played steadily, and passed the total with no trouble, 5 wickets still standing. W.C.K.S. Richardson, ct. Lippner, b. Macaig Raderecht, P. S., l.b.w. Macaig Whitehead, b. C.-Jones Godsall, ct. Currey, b. Macaig Howell, ct. Turner, b. Currey Dew, b. Currey Morton, notout Jackson, b. Currey George, A. N., b. Currey Hollister-Short, b. Macadam Davis, J. W. T., b. Macadam Extras Total
0 10 4 26 0 2 13 0 2 6 0 10 73
Charles-Jones 1-21; Currey 4-14; Macaig 3-16; Macadam 2-12.
July, 1949
ST. EDWARD'S. Lippner, l.b.w. Morton Jackson, b. Davis Neville, b. Davis Macaig, not out Turner, b. Jackson Bempfield, ct. Morton, b. Jackson MaCadam, not out Macdonald did not bat Guythor, did not bat Currey, did not bat Charles-Jones, did not bat Extras Total Davis 2-19; Morton 1-27; Jackson 2-14.
15 3 6 31 2 9 5 — — — 6 77-5
W.C.K.S. v. WORCESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL. Won by 30 runs. The School won the toss and batting first, began rather shakily, being at one time 33-3, which was the lunch-time score. However from there the score mounted steadily to 80-8, when Jackson, H.-Short and Davis put on 44 for the last two wickets, Jackson being 26 not out at the end of the innings, which closed at 124. The W.R.G.S. began unfortunately, G. Thompson having to retire. Davis and H.-Short bowled very well, H.-Short especially, being very steady indeed, taking 4-20 in 13 overs; 5 of them maidens. G. Thompson returned at 32-7, and with Williams took the score along to 63. He continued to bat well, and was last out having scored 53, out of a total of 94. W.C.K.S. Richardson, l.b.w. Bird Raderecht, P. S., st. J. Thompson, b. G. Thompson Whitehead, run out Godsall, st. J. Thompson, b. G. Thompson Howell, b. Bird Dew, ct. J. Thompson, b. Woodcock Morton, ct. Kerting, b. Woodcock Jackson, notout George, A. N., st. J. Thompson, b. Woodcock Hollister-Short, ct. Williams, b. Woodcock Davis, J. W. T., st. J. Thompson, b. G. Thompson Extras Total
6 3 42 1 13 7 1 26 0 12 7 6 124
Bird 2-39; G. Thompson 3-37; R. Woodcock 4-13. W.R.G.S. Clarke, ct. Godsall, b. Morton 13 Thompson, G., l.b.w. H.-Short 53 Copson, b. Davis 6 Woodcock, hit wckt., b. Davis 2 Thompson, J., b. H.-Short 2 Claytor, l.b.w. H.-Short 2 Taylor, b. H.-Short 0 Kerting, st. Richardson, b. Morton 0 Williams, ct. Richardson, b. Davis 11 Bird, b. Davis 1 Strong, not out 0 Extras 4 Total Davis 4-36; H.-Short 4-20; Morton 2-16.
94
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
W.C.K.S. v. BLOXHAM SCHOOL. Bloxham won by 30 runs. The School lost the toss and the first 3 Bloxham wickets put on 52 runs, when Davis and George, the latter bowling very well indeed, took 4 wickets between them for 10 runs. The next 2 wickets put on 45 runs, and Jackson and Dew finished off the innings, the latter taking 2-3. The School batting was not able to manage the
W.C.K.S. Raderecht, P. S., b. Lord Whitehead b. Maisey Godsall l.b.w. Lord
1 11 0
Howell b. Lord
6
Hollister-Short run out Davis, J. W. T., not out Extras
6 1 19 Total
82
Lord 5-8; Maisey 2-14; Barton 2-20. BLOXHAM.
528
Overs Mdns. Runs Wkts. Av. Davis, J. W. T. 124.33 42 239 33 7.24 George, A. N. 82. 17 190 17 11.17 Jackson ... 44.63 9 142 12 11.83 ... 83.67 20 251 20 12.55 Morton 8 121 9 13.44 Hollister-Short 39.17 Dew ... 27.5 5 42 3 14. Also bowled : Whitehead 12-2-30-2; Howell 2-0-13-0. WHO HELD THE CATCHES : Raderecht Hollister-Short
3 1
Howell George
1 2
Godsall
3
Whitehead
1
HOUSE MATCHES These were played on the knock-out basis this year, and with two innings a match, spun out for some time. School House, won the cup outright, having shared it for the past two years. The deciding match between School House and Chappel House was notable for a 1st wicket stand of 99 for School House in the second innings, which enabled them to win by 112 runs. RESULTS :— 1st Round — Chappel's beat Castle. Tredennyke beat Hostel. School beat Creighton's. 2nd Round — Bye. Chappel's.
Delattre, l.b.w. George Barton ct Jackson b Davis
21 20
Civil, b. George
0
ROWING.
Lord, ct. Godsall, b. Dew
11
Date Venue Result Margin Wed. June 1 . Monmouth School H. Won 1J lengths Mon June 6. Evesham Regatta Abingdon Schl. A. Lost 1 J lengths Sat. June 11. Cheltenham and Clifton Colleges A. won 4 lengths, Lost 1 Canvas. Wedjune 1 S.Hereford Cathedral School ... A. Lost 1 Foot Sat. June 18. Marlow Regatta, Wallasey G.S., K.S.Canterbury A. See account. Wed. June 22 King Edward VI School, Stratford H. Won 3 lengths Sat. July 9 Old Vigornians. . . H. Won 2 lengths
1ST IV.
Extras
12 Total
112
Davis 4-31; George 3-31; Jackson 1-18; Dew 2-3. AVERAGES. Inns. N.O. Total H. Score Av. Whitehead ... 11 1 201 59» 20.1 Richardson ... 10 0 164 51 16.4 Godsall ... 11 0 127 33 11.54 Dew ... 8 2 66 25* 11. •Morton ... 9 3 63 2 6 10.5 Howell ... 11 1 98 29 9.8 Jackson ... 9 2 58 26» 8.28 George ... 8 2 37 24 6.16 6 1 30 12 6. Hollister-Short Raderecht ... 8 0 43 11 5.37 ... 7 0 10 7 1.42 Davis Also batted: Wood, C. M. av. 14.6; Wilkes, B. E., av. 2.5. • Not Out.
2ND IV.
Wed. June 1 Monmouth School H. Sat. June 11 Cheltenham and Clifton Colleges A. Wed. June 15 Hereford Cathedral School ... A. Wed. June 22 King Edward VI School.Stratford H.
Won
Easily
Won 1J lengths Won
4 feet
Won 2 lengths
THE VIGORNIAN.
529
This season the number of rowers has increased from last year's total of 30, to a total of 36, including 13 newcomers. We welcomed this terms a new rowing coach, Mr. R. M. F. Carlyle, who has had the experience of rowing for a notable public school and also for his Oxford College. It has been obvious for a long time that it is impossible for one rowing coach to fulfill the duties of coaching the IV's and also the junior rowers. The newcomers to rowing can now feel that they will be sure of some coaching from a master, and this should certainly pay good dividends in the future. 1ST AND 2ND I VS.
This season began with very good prospects, for there remained from last year the two senior 1st IV colours and the 1st IV cox and the complete 2nd IV, minus a cox. Two of the former 2nd IV had to be moved up to complete the 1st IV and the difficulty of which two to choose presented itself. Unfortunately it turned out that the first choice was the wrong one and after the first two races the crew had to be re-arranged. This sudden change in the midst of the racing season rather upset the crew, as it was not completely together for the first two races. It was not until Marlow that the crew was really an effective team and then it showed itself to be an even more effective racing crew than last year. The IV are indebted to Mr. J. B. Cavenagh who came down on some evenings to give some very valuable advice and coaching. The 2nd IV coached by Mr. Carlyle had an extremely successful season, being unbeaten in all their five races. The prospects of the 2nd IV from the beginning seemed to be very bright, but that they should have been so successful after having so many changes is a great credit to the ability of Mr. Carlyle. Special mention should be made of T. P. R. Walker who was the only member, apart from the cox, who rowed in all the 2nd IV races and who also rowed ' 2 ' in the 1st IV against the O.V.s in place of R. R. Jones, who unluckily broke his wrist. At the beginning of last term Walker coxed a 1st IV race I This year R. J. Chinery, a first year rower, was the 2nd IV cox. With the advantage of being very light he should get the experience to help him to become a very valuable cox. * * • The following have been awarded their 1st IV colours : P. W. Prestage; R. R. Jones; H. M. P. Davies; P. J. Hopkins (cox). The following have been awarded their 2nd IV colours :—K. J. Beard; T. P. R. Walker; J. E. Boackford; T. Hughes-Williams; M. A. Pocock; R. J. Chinery (cox). B.T.C.S. THE IST IV. Without any doubt, the School IV, as recently constituted, was shaping rapidly as one of the fastest boats we have had for several years. Three races won, and the other two lost only by a canvas and one foot, can be taken as a very successful season indeed. It is to be very much regretted that we were prevented from having another really good race with Hereford
July, 1949
in the Final of the Public Schools' Cup at Marlow to try and reverse our one foot defeat on the Wye. but we were only allowed to have the pleasure of seeing our old rivals win the final most convincingly, and congratulate them thoroughly. B. T. C. Smith as Captain and Stroke of the Crew for the third year in succession deserves very special mention. He has gained useful experience each year, and has finished his rowing career at school by proving himself a powerful and determined stroke. P. W. Prestage at " 3 " also finishes a long rowing career at school this year, during which he has figured very effectively in the 2nd and 1st IVs for the last three to four years. He has made a powerful " 3 " this year with good timing and effective backing. R. R. Jones at " 2 " has a good length and very effective leg work. His style in general has yet to be improved, but he should make a very effective oarsman next year. H. M. P. Davies at " bow " is inclined to hurry over the stretcher when rowing, but he is a very genuine worker, and has proved that he has made a considerable difference in the boat since he came in at " bow." P. J. Hopkins is a cox with considerable experience now, and has shown this year a definite confidence in his steering. The crew undoubtedly was at its very best at Marlow and it was very hard luck indeed on them that the two other opposing boats in the semi-final finished in their station and thereby causing the crash at the finish just as the School crew was going ahead. S.D.S. * * * SCHOOL RACES. 1ST IV V. MONMOUTH 1ST IV.
Rowed at Worcester—Won by 1- lengths. This race was rowed in unsettled weather. Monmouth won the toss and chose the boathouse side. The School went away to a good start and gained about three-quarters of a length. This lead was very soon lost and Monmouth began to pull ahead, and at the boathpuse Monmouth were one length up. The School then increased the rating and gradually began to wear down Monmouth until by the railway bridge the Monmouth crew had completely rowed themselves out, the School by their great effort over the last quarter of the course were able to go ahead and win by just over a length. 2ND IV v. MONMOUTH 2ND IV. Rowed at Worcester—Won easily. The School won the toss and chose the boathouse side. On the start Monmouth gained about three-quarters of a length but within a few strokes the School pulled level, and by lengthening the stroke right out were soon well ahead. From this stage the School forged right ahead and won the race with the utmost ease. IST IV v. ABINGDON IST IV. Rowed at Evesham Regatta—Lost by 1J lengths. The IV again entered for the School Fours event at Evesham Regatta, which was held on Whit-Monday during the School's half-term, and were drawn against Abingdon School.
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
The School lost the toss and had the outside of a considerable bend. On the start the two crews were level and remained so for about the first quarter of the course. Abingdon then began to go steadily ahead until they were about a length up. The School attempted a spurt to make up the deficit but were soon exhausted after only partly succeeding. Abingdon once more gained and finished a length and a quarter ahead. After this race it was obvious that the crew as it was, was unsatisfactory, for it was ' dead ' in the middle of the races. Although they had shown one strong finish it was better to attempt to obtain more length and stamina in the middle of the race which is really the most crucial time. The two members who had been moved up from last year's 2nd IV were replaced by the other two 2nd IV Colours. IST IV v. CLIFTON AND CHELTENHAM IST IVs. Rowed at Tewkesbury—Won by 4 lengths from Cheltenham; Lost by a canvas to Clifton. This race was rowed in perfect weather. The School drew the outside of the three positions, with a stagger of three-quarters of a length over the inside crew, Clifton, to allow for the bend. The School had a bad start but did not lose on it and soon began to draw ahead. Cheltenhame were soon left behind and the School was able to come across into Cheltenham's middle position. By the half-way stage Clifton were about two lengths behind but it was not a sufficient lead to enable the School to take the inside position. Clifton then began to quicken their stroke and gradually came up. Soon they were less than a length behind and then with a spirited burst, to which the School could find no answer, they drew ahead to win, on the last few yards, by a canvas. The School crew had been reformed on the previous day and in consequence were not perfectly so-ordinated and this was, the cause of the poor finish. The rowing in the middle part of the course showed a vast improvement over the previous arrangement of the crew, and so it was settled that the crew should remain as for this race for the remaining races. 2ND IV v. CLIFTON AND CHELTENHAM 2ND IVs. Rowed at Tewkesbury—Won by 1J lengths from Clifton and 4 lengths from Cheltenham. The School drew the centre position and on the first stroke a remarkable mishap occurred, Beard, rowing at ' 3,' snapped his oar completely in three. The two other crews were called back and after obtaining another oar, the race was re-started. The School gained slightly on the start and gradually went ahead. At the half-way mark they were about one length ahead of Clifton with Cheltenham about two lengths behind. They held this lead and at the finish went up slightly to win by one and a half lengths from Clifton with Cheltenham, who faded badly at the finish, four lengths behind. This race was marred by the fact that Beard, rowing at '3,' collapsed immediately after the race through being forced to over-exert himself to make up for an unnecessary lack of support behind. Beard was ordered by the doctor to rest from rowing and in consequence Pocock came into the 2nd IV, so causing there to be five 2nd IV Colours.
530
IST IV v. HEREFORD IST IV. Rowed at Hereford—Lost by 1 foot. The School, in accordance with custom, had the choice of sides and chose the boathouse side. The boats had to be tossed for, as they were not sister boats, and the School won the toss and chose the boat in which they had practised. The School had a very bad start and lost almost a length, this deficit was very gradually made up until after about two-thirds of the course the two boats were rowing blade for blade. Hereford were all the time just slightly ahead. No matter what the School did they could not force their bow ahead of Hereford's and the two boats finished with Hereford a foot ahead of the School. It is interesting to speculate what the result would have been had the School not lost so much on the start, especially as Hereford later won the Cup at Marlow on a longer course. 2ND IV v. HEREFORD 2ND IV. Rowed at Hereford—Won by a canvas. The School chose the boathouse side and had the boat in which they had practised. At the start Hereford gained a slight lead, which they held until about halfway. The School then began to close up and the two boats came into collision, rather through the fault of the School cox. The two boats re-started on their own accord and they were level. The School began to go ahead and held a slight lead until the finish where they were a canvas ahead.
MARLOW REGATTA. IST IV v. WALLASEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND KING'S SCHOOL, CANTERBURY. Lost by 1 length to Wallasey and Canterbury. The School had a bye in the first round and had to await the results of the Friday night heats before they knew their opponents. Wallasey had exactly the same crew as were finalists last year and Canterbury had only two changes from their exceptionally good winning crew of last year. The weather was ideal for rowing except for a steady head wind, and the School had been drawn on the Berks, side. The School held the two other crews on the start and by rowing 35 strokes before lengthening out, kept well up with their opponents. After lengthening out, the School dropped about half a length behind, but held that position steadily. The tactics of the race previously decided were to allow Wallasey and Canterbury to row it out between themselves and for the School to hold back in a good position to come up when the other crews began to be exhausted. At about half-way the School had a ' ten' and easily caught up the other two crews, and then settled down to a long stroke once more. Coming up to the finish, Canterbury were about a canvas ahead of Wallasey who were about three-quarters of a length ahead of the School. Wallasey began to go up on Canterbury and^ith a powerful spurt the School began to go up rapidly on Wallasey. In the meantime Canterbury and Wallasey had come right across the river and were both in the School's water, and when the School came up they were crowded to the side and could
THE VIGORNIAN.
531
not pass. In consequence stroke's oar hit Wallasey's rudder and ' 2 ' could not row. The School was forced to stop rowing completely and could not start again until the other crews were clear. Even so the School finished only one length behind with Wallasey two feet ahead of Canterbury. In the final Wallasey were beaten by Hereford by about one and a half lengths. Isr IV v. KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL, STRATFORD. Rowed at Worcester—Won by 3 lengths. The School won the toss and chose the boathouse side. After getting away to a better start than Stratford they held a lead of about one and a half lengths until the boathouse when Stratford began to get very ragged. The School gradually increased the lead, until with a strong finish they finished just over three lengths ahead. 2ND IV v. K.E.S., STRATFORD. Rowed at Worcester—Won by 1J lengths. The School had the boathouse side and on the start gained about three-quarters of a length on Stratford. This lead they increased to almost two lengths before the boathouse. Stratford then spurted well and came within three-quarters of a length of the School, the School then replied with some well judged spurts which Stratford could not reply to and at the finish the School were one and a half lengths ahead.
The School crews as finally arranged were :— 1ST IV.
Bow : 2: 3: Stroke : Cox :
H. M. P. Davies, 9 st. 0 Ibs. R. R. Jones, 10 st. 7 Ibs. P. W. Prestage, 11 st. 10 Ibs. B. T. C. Smith (Capt.), 12 st. 5 Ibs. P. J. Hopkins, 8 st. 6 Ibs. 2ND IV.
Bow : T. Hughes-Williams, 10 st. 7 Ibs. 2: T. P. R. Walker, 9 st. 10 Ibs. 3: K. J. Beard, 11 st. 12 Ibs. Stroke : J. E. Blackford (Capt.), 9 st. 6 Ibs. Cox : R. J. Chinery, 6 st. 0 Ib. Reserve : M. A. Pocock, 9 st. 11J Ibs.
HOUSE RACES. In the semi-final School House rowed a combined Day-Boy crew; the Day-Boys won the toss for sides and chose the St. John's side. School House went away to a better start than the Day-Boys and soon established a lead which they gradually increased until at the finish they won by 2£ lengths. In the final School House rowed Castle House and School House chose the Cathedral side. On the start Castle gained a lead of about half a length and this lead was gradually increased. Towards the finish School House began to get ragged but Castle struck a better rhythm and increased their lead to win by 2J lengths. B.T.C.S.
July, 1949
WHIFFING RACES. Creighton Senior did very well to win the House Whiffing Cup with a total of 9 points, a clear margin of 7 points over Tredennyke who were second. In the 1st year Green was rather lucky to win as he was being led by Cavenagh until the latter fell out. In the final Bran put up a very good fight but Green proved to be steadier. In the 3rd Year and Over Creighton House provided the two finalists, Rippier and Tilt but owing to shortage of time they did not row each other. Rippier did especially well to beat Bushby in a very close race by a J length. CROSS COUNTRY. The Senior, Middle, Junior and Under 13 CrossCountries were run on March 5th. The weather conditions were appalling, for the course was sodden and covered with a sheet of slush, and throughout the races sleet and snow continually fell. In the Senior Division H. M. P. Davies soon took the lead and making light of the bad conditions finished a considerable distance in front of the field with a time of 35 mins. 46 sees. B. T. C. Smith was second and P. W. Prestage third. As the Senior age group was 17 years and over, there were very few runners and so the Senior teams consisted of three runners. Castle House won the Team Cup with 2nd, 5th and 6th positions, School House being second. The course for the Middle race was made shorter by excluding the first mile of lane. R. M. Ward-Booth ran a good race to pass his opponents along the last stretch of road with a time of 26 mins. 30 sees. D. G. Attwood and B. E. Wilkes were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Creighton Senior were the first team in the Middle and Chappel Senior were second. In the Junior Division Langford proved himself to be a promising runner, winning from Mawbey and Birbeck with a time of 19 mins. 35 sees. School House were the first Junior Team and Creighton Senior the second. The Under 13 race was won by Bennett of the Choir House Day-Boys, with Perigo and Townsend 2nd and 3rd respectively. Creighton Junior were the first Junior Team with School House second. Our thanks are due to the members of the staff, who despite the foul weather acted as starters, judges and timekeepers. Mr. Cash must be especially thanked for organising the whole affair and putting himself to considerable trouble to make it successful despite the adverse weather. * * * FULL TEAM RESULTS. Senior. 1st place : Castle House, 4 points; 2nd, 5th and 6th. 2nd place : School House, 8 points; 1st, 4th and 10th. 3rd place : Creighton Senior, 17 points; 7th, 8th & 9th. 4th place : The Hostel, 39 points; 12th, 14th and 21st. 5th place : Tredennyke, 45 points; 3rd, 24th and 25th. 6th place : Chappel Sen.; failed to finish team of three. Middle. 1st place : Creighton Sen., 13 pts.; 2rd, 7th, 9th& 10th. 2nd place : Chappel Sen., 17 pts.; 3rd, 5th, 8th & 17th. 3rd place: School Hse., 44 pts.; llth, 12th, 16th & 25th. 4th place : Castle House, 50 pts.; 4th, «th, 22nd & 23rd.
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
The Hostel and Tredennyke failed to finish team of four. Junior. 1st place : School House, 12 points; Sth, 6th, llth and 17th. 2nd place: Creighton Senior, 24 points; 4th, 8th, 13th and 16th. 3rd place: The Hostel, 41 points; 9th, 14th, 15th and 26th. 4th place : Creighton Junior, 48 points; 1st, 10th, 21st and 36th. Sth place: Tredennyke, 51 points; 2nd, 7th, 28th and 40th. 6th place : Chappel Senior, 55 points; 3rd, 12th, 19th and 31st. 7th place : Chappel Junior, 153 points; 22nd, 43rd, 51st and 58th. Castle House; Scratched. Under ' 13.' 1st place: Creighton Junior, 10 points; 3rd, 4th, 6th and 15th. 2nd place : School House, 16 points; Sth, Sth, 14th and 17th. 3rd place : Tredennyke, 20 points; 2nd, 7th, 16th and 21st. 4th place: Chappel Junior, 26 points; 9th, 10th, llth and 13th. Sth place: Choir House Boarders, 71 points; 12th, 18th, 29th and 38th. The Hostel and Choir House Day-Boys failed to finish team of four. Castle House; Scratched.
ATHLETICS. This year the age groups for the Athletics were altered so as to comply with A.A.A. regulations so that the results obtained in the School Sports could more readily be compared with those of other schools. The number of events for one boy on one day was made to comply with the A.A.A. regulations, allowing only three events, one of which must be a field event. Also the age groups became—14 years of age and under, 16 years of age and under, and open. Interest in Athletics as such, was much keener this year than previously, largely because of the reputation Mr. Cash had achieved by his stupendous organisation the year before, and also because of the new equipment which the School has just acquired. The new hurdles ensured the smooth organisation of that event, in gratifying contrast to the crudities over which we leapt last year, and the arrival of discoi and weights enabled us to have events for those instruments in all three classes, thus adding to the interest of the sports and the complexity of Mr. Cash's organisation. TRIANGULAR FIXTURE VERSUS W.R.G.S. AND CRYPT SCHOOL, GLOUCESTER. Interest in any game in any institution is furthered by outside fixtures and the recurrence of this one after last year's initial venture helped to add to the numbers crowding the field for daily practice.
532
The School was represented in all events, and though we achieved three firsts on the track, field events were immature, our best hurdler was on the sick list and there was no event for the discus where we might have achieved success. The track was fast and in good condition but the wind which was light at first, grew heavy towards the end of the meeting, while the sun, which shone brightly at first, was obscured by heavy cloud as the wind grew stronger. Rain did not come till the meeting was just finishing. B. T. C. Smith did yeoman service winning both the half-mile and the quarter-mile. In the half-mile a devastating sprint at the finish won him the race by inches, and a similar burst at the end of the quarter-mile won the race with a few feet in hand. Davies beat his personal record for the mile, winning by some yards in 4 mins. 56 sees. Having knowledge of the finishing power of one of the competitors who had run the previous year, he had planned to establish sufficient lead to nullify such a finish. The pace at which the mile started upset his plans somewhat, the first lap being completed in 65 sees., but taking the lead in the second lap, he drew ahead and the original plan took effect.
THE SCHOOL SPORTS. The School Sports were held at the end of the Spring Term on the last Saturday and Monday, April 2nd and 4th. On the Saturday, although the track was in rather a treacherous state the weather was fine. By far the most outstanding performance of the whole meeting was H. M. P. Davies' achievement in the mile. Although running by himself over the last two laps he broke the School record of 4 mins. 52 sees., returning the remarkable time of 4 mins. 49.8 sees. The other outstanding performance was that of B. T. C. Smith who took two second-places, and four wins, including the half-mile, 440 yards, 100 yards, and high jump, the versatility of which followed very well on his much more intensive double at the Triangular Sports the week before. In the Middle Division the outstanding athlete was D. G. Attwood who won the mile, half-mile, quartermile and the 100 yards. In the Junior, Slater did extremely well to win three track events and K. J. Smith also did well to win three field events and to gain second place in two other events. In the Open division The Hostel won the Cup with a total of 77 points, Castle House were runners-up with 65 points. In the Middle, School House won with 130J points and Castle House were again runners-up with 115 points. In the Junior, School House won with 142J points, the second House, Tredennyke, having 110 points. To Mr. Cash, who once more undertook an immense amount of work and to all the members of the staff who helped in the running of the Sports, we offer our grateful thanks. We also offer our thanks to Mrs. Kittermaster, who so very kindly presented the Cups after the Sports. B.T.C.S./H.M.P.D.
533
THE VIGORNIAN.
RESULTS—IST DAY. Weather: Dull but no rain. Track: Firm but slippery in places. Very muddy but rolled down in N.W. corner of the field. 220 Yards Senior.—1. Puddepha; 2. Blackford; 3. Hartley; 4. Carroll. 24.8 sees. Long Jump, Junior.—1. Smith, K. J.; 2. Parkinson; 3. Evans, V. G.; 4. Thomas, G. S. W. 14 ft. 3 ins. Weight, Senior.—1. A.-Harris; 2. Hartley; 3. Prestage; 4. Whitehead. 34 ft. 1 in. 100 Yards, Middle.—1. Attwood; 2. Jackson; 3. Ford and Nisbet. 11.6 sees. 220 Yards, Junior.—1. Slater; 2. Hitchcock; 3. Foott; 4. Vale. 28.2 sees. 440 Yards, Senior.—1. Smith, B. T. C. and Hartley; 3. Lewis; 4. Davies, H. M. P. 57.8 sees. High Jump, Middle.—1. Ford; 2. Farmer; 3. Jones, R. R.; 4. Dew. 4 ft. 6J ins. Discus, Senior.—1. Leeke; 2. Prestage; 3. Howell; 4. Gessner. 88 ft. 1 in. f Weight, Junior.—1. Smith, N. J.; 2. Smith, K. J.; 3. Mumford; 4. Pringle. 36 ft. 2 ins. Long Jump, Senior.—1. Bluck; 2. Smith; 3. Puddepha; 4. Lewis. 18 ft. 3 ins. 110 Yards Hurdles, Middle.—1. Jones, R. R.; 2. Farmer; 3. Ford; 4. Heath. 18 sees. Javelin, Middle.—1. Heath; 2. Meredith; 3. Wilkes, B. E.; 4. Beard. 107 feet. 880 Yards, Junior.—1. Bolton; 2. Langford; 3. Willis, I.; 4. Van Ryssen. 2 mins. 36.8 sees. 1 Mile, Middle.—1. Attwood; 2. Dew; 3. Wilkes, B. E.; 4. Washbrook. 5 mins. 19.8 sees. Discus, Junior.—1. Sexstone; 2. Smith, N. J.; 3. Pringle; 4. Lowes. 86 ft. 8 ins. 1 Mile, Senior.—1. Davies, H. M. P.; 2. Smith, B. T. C.; 3. Lewis, M.S.; 4. Pocock. 4 mins. 49.8 sees. * House Relay, Middle 4 x 220.—1. School; 2. Creighton; 3. Tredennyke; 4. Castle. 1 min. 47 sees.
2ND DAY. Weather: Slight drizzle. Track very slow, much of the 100 yards being soggy and the circuit very slow indeed. 100 Yards, Senior.—1. Smith; 2. A-Harris; 3. Puddepha; 4. Hartley. 11 sees. 220 Yards, Middle.—1. Jackson; 2. Ford; 3. Dew. 4. Phillipson. 27.6 sees. High Jump, Junior.—1. Smith, K. J.; 2. Bennett; 3. Thomas; 4. Sexstone. 4 ft. 8 ins. Javelin, Senior.—1. A.-Harris; 2. Whitehead; 3. Prestage; 4. Hartley. 128 ft. f Weight, Middle.—1. Richardson; 2. Phillipson; 3. Beard; 4. Farmer. 35 ft. 9 ins. Long Jump, Middle.—1. Nisbet; 2. Jones, R. R.; 3. Brown; 4. Ford. 15 ft. 2J ins. 100 Yards, Junior.—1. Slater; 2. Hitchcock; 3. Vale; 4. Sexstone. 12 sees. 120 Yards Hurdles, Senior.—1. Puddepha; 2. Hartley; 3. Howell; 4. Davies, H. M. P. 9.6 sees. Javelin, Junior.—1. Smith, K. J.; 2. Thomas, G. S. W.; 105 ft. 5 ins. High Jump, Senior.—1. Smith, B. T. C.; 2. Puddepha; 3. Davies, H. M. P.; 4. Whitehead and Holmes. 4 ft. 10i ins. 440 Yards, Middle.—1. Attwood; 2. Jackson; 3. Jones, R. R.; 4. Dew. 62.4 sees. 440 Yards Junior—1. Slater; 2. Cox, J. B. S.; 3. Hop-
July, 1949
kins; 4. Foott. 67.8 sees. Discus, Middle.—1. Farmer; 2. Richardson; 3. Jackson; 4. Dew. 94 ft. 6 ins. 75 Yards Hurdles, Junior.—1. Thomas, I.; 2. Smith, K; 3. Bennett and Parkinson. 13.2 sees. 880 Yards, Senior.—1. Smith, B. T. C.; 2. Davies, H. M. P.; 3. Lewis, M. S.; 4. Gessner. 2 mins. 19.6 sees. 880 Yards, Middle.—1. Attwood; 2. Beard; 3. Wilkes, B. E.; 4. Jones, R. R. 2 mins. 26.4 sees. House Relay, Junior, 4 x 110 yards.—1. School; 2. Hostel; 3. Creighton S.; 4. Chappel S. 59.2 sees. House Relay, Senior, 4 x 220 yards.—1. Hostel; 2. Creighton; 3. Chappel; 4. Castle. 1 min. 51.4 sees. * New School Record. f New Event. Record established.
BOXING NOTES. The departure of W. M. P. Hamilton-Child, that enthusiastic Captain of Boxing, came as a severe blow to all those who interest themselves in the School boxing. This, coupled with the many other distracting activities such as Fives and Cross-country runs, was responsible for an empty gymnasium on a number of training nights. Despite this, it was possible to arrange the boxing tournament as usual although it was rather late in the term, being on Tuesday, March 29th and clashing with the athletics. School House retained the Cup. It was won by H. J. Davies who gave a stylish display against M. J. Secular. The police again provided the judges, one of whom was the local champion, Jack Smith. During the summer term there is no School boxing but we have the highest hopes that next term we shall find more time for continuing the valuable training. D.F.J. " FIVES." After the attempt of last year to revive Fives in the School, it was found this year that more people were playing the game. The School itself now possesses a large number of Fives balls which can be loaned to boys, and this probably accounts for the increased interest. The House Competition, played between 1st and 6th of February on the knock-out system, was again won by School House. The final between School House and Castle House being played on Sunday morning. RESULTS : 1st Round.—Creighton's beat Hostel (5 games—nil). School beat Chappel's (5 games—nil). Tredennyke withdrew, and Castle went on to the next round. 2nd Round.—School beat Creighton's (5 games—1). Bye.—Castle. Final.—School beat Castle (5 games—nil). Two School Fives matches were played in the Spring term, both being won quite easily. On Saturday 12th February the School IV played Hereford Cathedral School at Hereford and won by 6 games to none. Jones and Whitehead in the first part winning by 15-3, 15-5, 15-13. Godsall and Morton in the second pair, by 15-6, 15-5, 15-3. On Tuesday, 22nd March, the School played the Grammar School for the first time for several years. The match was played in the Grammar School Courts, and the School won by 5 games to 1.
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
Jones was unable to play because of an injured hand, and his place in the 1st pair was taken by Godsall, while Raderecht made up the 2nd pair. The first pair, after losing the first game 12-15, rallied back in the 2nd game, 15-8, and won the 3rd game also, 15-9. The second pair cleared the Court by winning all three games outright, 15-3, 15-0, 15-7. We would like to thank Mr. McTurk and Mr. Bailey for their interest in the game, and Mr. Franklin for his time given to the School four. RUGGER NOTES. During the Easter term the first fifteen played only three matches. The season finished earlier than usual and will continue to do so owing to the increasing interest taken in athletic sports at this time of year. The Belows House matches were played off on the same principle as the Seniors—namely seven-a-side, each House playing five matches, the winner to be decided on points. The winners this year were Creighton, the runners-up Chappel. IST XV v. WORCESTER POLICE XV. Won 9-6. Playing on Perdiswell, the School had the advantage both of slope and wind in the first half. Following a dummy and short kick ahead Wilkes scored first. Up to half-time the School held a distinct advantage. Turning round, however, the Police retaliated with two quick tries. Towards the end of the game the School regained the initiative, a good three-quarter movement resulted in Bluck scoring, and almost on the whistle, Burns went over near the corner. IST XV v. WORCESTER TRAINING COLLEGE. Lost 9-0. This game, which the fifteen looked forward to eagerly, proved to be one of the best of the season. Playing against an experienced side whose pack were considerably heavier and whose three-quarters were very fast, the School held their own. At half-time the Training College were three points up on a penalty goal. On several occasions our three-quarters broke through only to be stopped close to the line. After half-time the speed of the opposing three-quarters told on the School and they scored two tries. Throughout the game the School pack gave their very best. IST XV v. SHREWSBURY. Drew 3-3. This was a disappointing game with which to end the season. The School seemed to lack co-ordination probably owing to a long spell without practice. Just before half-time Richardson kicked an excellent penalty goal and with three points up the School should have held the initiative. But throughout the second half the pack failed to combine and the three-quarters lacked any thrust. Shrewsbury kicked a penalty goal and the game finished level. RUGGER PROSPECTS. The possibilities of next term's XV are still for the most part obscure, though it is certain that large and experienced forwards will be available, both as established members of the side and as replacements for it. As the
534
success of last year's team was due largely to the vigour of the forwards and the resolution in defence of the outsides, this is no unhopeful beginning. At the worst, of last year's outsides, only two, a standoff half and a " centre " will remain. Building on these would be anxious work, as at the moment there is an apparent dearth of wing-three-quarters. Scrum-halves present an even uglier problem, as at the moment it would appear that those from all three senior teams will not be here next season. At the best, however, the side may be extremely formidable, and there is a slender possibility that one forward and one wing-three-quarter alone will be needed. Should this materialise one could forecast confidently that results would compare favourably with those of last year. The second XV should again have a good season : the blocking of promotion into the first team will inevitably cause some disappointment amongst the forwards, but newcomers outside the scrum should have the great advantage of playing behind forwards who are unlikely to be beaten for the ball in the majority of their games. The third XV at the moment looks like being able, but too small; this was the fate of last year's Colts. At the same time the standard of play at the beginning of the season should be higher than it was in the second game a year ago. The Colts should be more than adequate; many are big for their age, and as an Under 14 side they showed a great improvement towards the end of last season. Will any O.V.s wishing to play in the O.V. rugger match on December 10th •write to the Secretary of Rugger before November. IST XV FIXTURES, 1949-50. Sat., Oct. 8th. Belmont Abbey Home Sat., Oct. 15th. Magdalen C.S Away Sat., Oct. 22nd. Dean Close ... Home Sat., Oct. 29th. Cheltenham 2nd XV Away Sat., Nov. 5th. Hereford C.S. Home Wed. Nov. 16th. Worcester Training College... Home Sat., Nov. 19th. Bloxham School Away Sat., Nov. 26th. W.R.G.S Away Sat., Dec. 3rd. Bromsgrove 2nd XV Away Sat. Dec. 3rd. O.V.S Home Wed., Feb. 8th. St. Edward's, Oxford 2nd XV Home Wed. Feb. 22nd. Worcester Training College... Away Sat., Feb. 25th. Shrewsbury School Away P.T. COMPETITION. The Competition was held on Friday, June 24th, in the Guesten Hall Garden, not as last year in the School Garden, the object being to obtain a level surface. On an ideal summer day the Hostel won the Cup; the previous holder, School House, being second equal, with Tredennyke House, half a point behind. We must thank Inspector Carstairs and Mr. Smith of the Worcester Police for judging the Competition. After presenting the Cup to M. S. Lewis, the Hostel Captain, Inspector Carstairs remarked that the standard of the Competition was very high and that he had great difficulty in judging it, but he emphasised that it was important that the competitors should take the competition as though they really enjoyed it.
535 1st 2nd 4th 5th 6th
THE VIGORNIAN. THE SCORE : The Hostel School House and Tredennyke House Castle House ... Creighton's House Chappel's House ...
3SJ points 35 points 31 points 30£ points 29 points D.FJ.
SWIMMING NOTES. Splash.. And the 1949 Swimming Sports had commenced. Once again the weather was unkind to us, although it was perfect both before and after the sports. The sports were held at Park's Baths on Thursday, July 7th and the results were as follows :—• 1st Tredennyke House with 45 points. 2nd Creighton House with 36 points. 3rd Chappel House with 23 points. 4th Castle House with 22 points. Underwater Race.—1st Prestage, P. W.; 2nd Beard, K. J-; 3rd Bran, M. J. Free Style, Under 15.—1st Rippier, J. S.; 2nd Pringle, J. R.; 3rd Hopkins, P. J. Free Style, Open.—1st Franklin, R. A.; 2nd Green, A.; 3rd Prestage, P. W. Breast Stroke, Under 15.—1st Bran, M. J.; 2nd Rippier, J. S.; 3rd Hopkins, P. J. Breast Stroke, Open.—1st Underwood, E. J.; 2nd Prestage, P. W.; 3rd Beard, K. J. Back Stroke, Under 15.—1st Scurfield, H.; 2nd Pringle, J. R.; 3rd Beswick, S. H. Back Stroke, Open.—1st Franklin, R. A.; 2nd Attwood, D. G.; 3rd Beard, K. J. Diving, Open.—1st Green, A.; 2nd Wood, C. M.; 3rd Prestage, P. W. Plunge, Open.—1st Prestage, P. W.; 2nd Leeke, M. G. H.; 3rd Green, A. House Relay.—1st Tredennyke; 2nd Chappel; 3rd Castle. P.W.P. C.C.F. NOTES. Our numbers have increased so much during the past years that it has been found necessary to have the services of two additional officers to relieve Major Sheppard and Captain McTurk of some of the burdens which have hitherto fallen on their shoulders. We were very fortunate in acquiring the services of L. H. Bailey and W. Thomas, whose promotions were announced during the Christmas holidays. We also have pleasure in congratulating Sgt. Barrett on his promotion to be C.S.M. Our Field Day in the Easter term was held on March 15th. The Corps was split into advanced and elementary wings for the day. The former went to Bromyard Common where map reading was the chief subject under discussion. We are indebted to Mr. P. de Berg who came along and gave us his expert advice on the matter. The elementary wing went to Bringstey Common where they practised field formations and tactics. A mock battle was staged during the afternoon and was enjoyed by all partly because of the excellent weather and partly because of the keenness and enthusiasm which were displayed throughout the whole proceedings by the younger members of the Corps.
July, 1949
Certificate ' A ' was held on March 24th and 25th, and as the whole proved to be a successful examination for those concerned. At the beginning of the Easter term Sgt. J. Carroll was appointed Acting C.S.M. in succession to A. W. S. Hargrave who left us for the Guards in December. At the commencement of this term the post-certificate ' A ' cadets were introduced to a gunnery course on a self-propelled 25 Ib. field gun at the territorial army headquarters at Worcester. They were placed under the guidance of Capt. McTurk who is himself an exartillery officer. Our thanks are also due to the Adjutant who kindly spared us much of his valuable time to instruct the cadets in the art of gunnery. The final conclusion to this course came on Inspection Day when the detachments gave a demonstration to Colonel Shacklock, the inspecting officer. Field Day this term was spent at Castlemorton Common on June 28th. The greater part of the day was spent in demonstrations and the practising of them by individual platoons. The Post-Certificate ' A ' squad went to the T.A. headquarters to continue their training. The annual inspection was held on July 5th when Colonel Shacklock of the War Office came to inspect us. The standard of turn-out was high and the demonstrations given to the inspecting officer by various sections were efficiently carried out. Colonel Shacklock complimented the Corps on its fine turn-out, and he stressed the need for keen cadets to join the regular army. He also reminded us that it was a great privilege to be able to wear so distinguished a badge as that of the Worcestershire regiment; and in conclusion to his inspection he asked of the headmaster a free-half for the members of the Corps, which was granted forthwith. We are taking to camp at Rhyl this year one hundred and forty cadets which is a record number for the School, and we hope that we shall be able to impress the authorities by our quality as well as by our quantity. At the beginning of this term L./Cpl. Bulman was appointed A./Drum-Major in the place of Sgt. A. N. Nisbet who was in his turn promoted to be A./C.S.M. in place of Carrol. The House Section Shield Competition was held on Friday, July 22nd and was won by School House with 80% with Castle House a close second with 78%. This was a very good result considering that one of the judges was the R.S.M. of the Worcestershire Regiment, and the Houses are to be congratulated on their high standard of turn-out, drill and marching. A. N. Nisbet. SHOOTING NOTES. As usual most of the Easter term's shooting consisted of practice for the annual ' Country Life ' Competition. This was shot on Thursday, March 10th, and the results were issued at the beginning of this term. Our position was eleventh with a total of 701 points, 116 behind the winners. We shot well on the ' snap' and ' rapid ' but, dropped badly on the ' group ' and ' landscape.' Scores throughout the competition were lower than usual as smaller targets were used and the ' group ' was reduced to half an inch. Last term the Worcester Rifle League matches were completed, of which two were won and two were lost. Our final position in the league was third although we had the highest aggregate.
July, 1949
THE VIGORNIAN.
This term the VIII has been concentrating on .303 shooting in readiness for the ' Chichester Cup," shot on 9th June. Long-needed Parker-Hale sights fitted to three Mk. IV service rifles enabled accurate zeroing. The 30 yards range at Norton Barracks was reasonably convenient but in order to practice at 200 and 500 yards we were compelled to go to Tyddesley Wood range near Pershore. The day of the ' Cup ' was extremely hot causing a considerable heat haze over the targets. Seven rounds were fired at 200 yards and 500 yards with a possible score of 70. We were second at 200 yards and third at 500 yards. In the House Shooting Competition Castle House team were the winners by twenty points. Howell and Richardson share the individual cup with Ager-Harris a close third. We are interested to hear that A. N. H. Marks, member of VIII from September 1947 to April 1948, has been shooting well in the 1/K.R.R.C. Battalion team and in the Rifle Brigade individual championship (.303). We are greatly indebted to Mr. Sheppard for his intense interest in shooting and in the way he has devoted so much of his valuable time to coaching the VIII. We sincerely thank Mr. Bailey for organising the House Competition and Mr. McTurk, Mr. Thomas and Sgt. Barratt for the supervision of shooting. HOUSE SHOOTING COMPETITION—RESULTS. Individual Castle ... 168 School ... 148 ,I8t. /Howell \ Richardson Tredennyke 145 Chappel ... 138 Ager-Harris Creighton 116 Hostel ... ' 82 COUNTRY LIFE COMPETITION : Name Indiv. less landscape. 74 Nisbet Morton 74 Group Ager-Harris ... 73 Rapid Richardson ... 75 Bulman 80 Snap Landscape Hutchison ... 72 f>0 nurnpiircys • • > \jy Turner 65 Grand Total ...
40 341 200 120 701
WORCESTER RIFLE LEAGUE : Agg. Pts. Post Office ......... 5555 13 A.C. Force ......... 5694 11 King's School ......... 5727 10 7th Btn. T.A .......... 5275 6 No Cards R.A.F. Assoc CHICHESTER CUP RESULTs : 200 yds. 500 yds. Malvem College Bromsgrove School King's School Sebnght School
242 212 213 198
Av.
245 487 234 446 206 419 197 395 J. N. Bulman.
536
RED CROSS. SECTION 501, WORCESTER. We have once more had an uneventful time. Our periods now being limited to one per week we find it difficult to obtain as much practical work as we would wish. The Headmaster, however, has enabled those of us who are in the Upper Sixth to go to Castle Street on Monday nights for lectures and practical work. This concession has been of great value to us although it came just too late to allow boarders in our number to attend the requisite number of lectures by a doctor to take their next examination. The Day-Boys, however, were able to do so. This lack of lectures by a Medical Practitioner which our regulations require is still our chief stumbling block and there are no signs that the position will be eased. Mr. Cooke has continued to give up much of his valuable time to lecturing to us on Saturdays, and we trust that we have benefited from it. We are exceedingly grateful to him. The enthusiasm of the unit has improved considerably and the criticism levelled at us in the past that we were merely dodging the column is now profoundly untrue, although it never had much foundation in fact. We shall be very pleased to welcome new members at any time and I would like to remind all who read this, that in a world in which eighteen people are killed daily on the roads of our country and in which many scores are injured, that a knowledge of first-aid is not a luxury but a necessity. M.S.L.
ART CIRCLE NOTES. Sunday, January 30th saw the first of our meetings. Mrs. Cockerill gave us a lecture entitled " Making a Print." This included etchings, woodcuts and linocuts, and we had the opportunity of seeing the tools which were needed for the different types of print, We also saw some finished prints and the process used for making etchings and woodcuts. It was, I think, agreed by all that this was a very instructive lecture. On Sunday, February 13th, a party visited the Abbey School, Malvern. This was to be the first of a series of meetings between the two schools in which general art was to be discussed. However, the first meeting was not devoted to discussing or debating but to various games which were in some way connected with art. This was done to enable the members of both societies to get acquainted as it was thought that if the first meeting was taken up by a debate, some of the members on both sides would have been rather shy and the meeting would have been unsuccessful. It was, however, a great success and thanks to the games and a good tea, a very pleasant outing was enjoyed by all. Sunday, February 27th saw the third of our termly meetings in the Headmaster's house. This meeting was in the form of a talk about Stained Glass and Mural Paintings. It was given by Miss Matley Moore, the local authority on this subject. Unfortunately she did not get as far as Mural Painting, but she more than made up for this with a very interesting and instructive talk on Stained Glass.
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THE VIGORNIAN.
Miss Matley Moore brought with her many excellent paintings of famous windows throughout the country, which she had made herself. Our fourth and last meeting for the Easter term was held on Sunday, March 20th and was a lecture given by Mr. A. C. Carter, a lecturer at Reading University, on Sculpture. He dealt with Sculpture from the primitive to the modern and brought with him many interesting slides. Our only meeting this term was held on Sunday, June 26th. On this glorious June afternoon twenty-five members of the Abbey School, Malvern, Art Society visited us. The first part of the meeting was taken up by a tour of the Cathedral, and then tea was enjoyed by all, in the Headmaster's garden. The latter part of the meeting was also held in the garden but unfortunately it was spoiled by the chiming of the Cathedral bells, and nobody was able to hear what anyone else said. To end with our thanks are due to Miss Campbell for the work she has put in, arranging meetings and lectures and also to the Headmaster and Mrs. Kittermaster for their kindness in allowing us to use various rooms in their house, in which to hold our meetings. P.W.P. LITERARY SOCIETY. In common with other Sunday Evening Societies, we continue to flourish. In the Easter term we held three successful meetings in the Headmaster's house. At the first we read " Richard of Bordeaux" and as usual the numbers were such that to allow everyone to take part, splitting of the characters was necessary, readers taking a part for one Act or a little more. To live up to the description " Literary " which this society bears we invited Mr. Kittermaster to read us a paper on " The Growth of the Drama till Shakespeare," in contrast to the reading of plays which had been established as the regular programme. The headmaster treated us to one of his learnedly entertaining evenings which, as was expected drew a large and appreciative audience. At the last meeting, " Berkeley Square " was read and the standard of reading then reached, promised well for the Society's summer production. With the return of Mr. Macdonald, and the completion of his translation of Goethe's " Faust," we were once more able successfully to act the School's Summer Play. A criticism is found elsewhere. In conclusion we should like to thank Mr. Kittermaster both for his instructive lecture, and for the use of his dining-room for our meetings.
In addition to their normal meetings members of the Literary Society were invited to an informal evening of poetry-reading. The choice of poets varied from the Augustan period down to the " moderns." The charm of the poetry itself was in all cases enhanced by the manner of its reading. Mrs. Kittermaster, as hostess, provided delightful refreshments and our thanks are due to her for so kindly including members of the School in her invitations.
July, 1949
MUSIC SOCIETY. The Society has continued to hold well attended meetings in the Easter term. The shortness of the term made only two meetings possible but the reputation of our lecturer at the second replaced any loss. The first meeting took the form of a recital of gramophone records which included the Elgar Violoncello Concerto. Though very difficult to understand it was well received, as of right (!) and we were thus disposed to hear more about the string section of the orchestra from our next lecturer. Mr. Boyd Neel came to us on the evening of Sunday, March 13th. He traced the development of the violin from some antecedent of the soap-box and so obviously had a mastery of his subject that we fully appreciated the value of his visit. He carried on by mentioning the importance of the double-bass to the whole orchestra, not merely to the strings, providing valuable harmonics, and then by means of some special records, showed us how different tones could be obtained from one kind of stringed instrument, and also demonstrated the difference in tones within the string group. Having enjoyed his lecture the previous evening, we looked forward to hearing him talk to the whole School on " Gilbert and Sullivan," in College Hall. The talk was again interesting, but the effect of the whole was not so successful as the recordings he used did not come through so well in the large hall as they might have done in a smaller space. However, we could hear much of it, and the excerpts from the operas were amusing. In the Summer term, we were doubtful as to whether there would be sufficient demand to make meetings a success, but on many inquiries as to the absence of such meetings, we held a gramophone recital a few weeks after the beginning of term. After that, pressure of work, inside and outside the classroom, advised cessation of activity. To end, I should like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Kittermaster for so kindly allowing us to have the use of various rooms for our meetings and for contacting our various lecturers throughout the year. It was solely due to such contacts, that we were able to provide the variety of programme that we set out to give at the beginning of the year and we owe them -very much for it. CHESS COMPETITION. This year the draw took place on February 13th and the Competition began the next day continuing till the end of March. Forty-four members of the School competed for the Cup and D. F. Jones managed to hold it for School House for the second year in succession. In the semi-finals, M. L. Dew beat P. Gessner, both of Castle House, and D. F. Jones beat J. D. L. Griffiths, both of School House. In the final, D. F. Jones beat M. L. Dew. D.F.J. SIXTH FORM CLUB NOTES. EASTER AND SUMMER TERMS, 1949. In the past two terms the S.F.C. has had a very successful period. The Club now has a sound financial basis and we have had some very good meetings. In the Easter term we had Mr. Cooper, the probation officer, who came to give us some aspects of juvenile
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1949
delinquency. Miss Roden was kind enough to obtain the film " Dear Octopus " for us. This provided a welcome departure from the usual meetings. Our next meeting was in College Hall where Mr. Macdonald gave us an exceedingly interesting and detailed account of the history of the Battle of Worcester. The Social was held at the W.G.S.G. where the catering was admirably executed by the young ladies of the academy. The music was provided by the " Rhythm Aces." This term ended on a festive note. The meetings in the Summer term were five in number. We first heard Mr. Jimson on " Britain's Economic Past and Present," which was very enlightening; then at the W.R.G.S. Mr. Brown gave us an amusing talk on the B.B.C. as he had known it. Mr. Brown was one of the earliest B.B.C. announcers at Savoy Hill and had many original anecdotes in his repertoire. Then we had Dr. Westgate who gave us a lecture which was more amusing than the title " Psychology " suggests. At the beginning of July we held a Sports Evening, which was a Tennis Tournament held at the W.G.S.G. The Summer Social was also a great success being held in Perrin's Hall. The funds were in such a good position that entrance was free for members. The W.C.B. Band provided the music and this made a good ending to a successful year. Apart from the usual meetings the Club was twice invited to outside functions. The first was in the Easter term when we heard some of Mr. Billingham's excellent plays read in the Shire Hall. The second was when the W.R.G.S., C.C.F. very kindly invited us to their Annual Dance. Although the Club has had such a successful year there is little credit due to the W.C.K.S., who out of a total membership of over 200 sends a regular attendance of about ten, except to the dances. This is very poor, and as a special effort has been made to prepare a really good programme for next year, let us see the new generation of Sixth Formers rising like the phoenix from the ashes of School Certificate making a definite improvement on this situation. P.M.B.
VALETE. WINTER TERM, 1948.
Upper VI. A.-Harris, J. W. (Castle House, 1942-48), Captain of School, Captain of Castle House, School Monitor, Secretary of Athletics, Secretary of Art Circle, Editor of The Vigornian, L./Cpl. J.T.C., 1st XV Football, 1946-47, 47-48, 48-49, 2nd XV 1945-46, 2nd IV 1947, 1st IV 1948, Burgess, T. H. (Creighton's House 1944-49), House Monitor, Captain of Football, Vice-Captain of Cricket, 1st XV (Cap), 1946-47, 47-48, 48-49, 1st XI 1946-47-48. Harley, J. W. (Chappel's House 1941-49), Captain of Chappel, School Monitor. Lower VI. Arthurs, J. G. (Chappel's House 1943-48), House Monitor. Bradley, G. C. (School and Tredennyke 1943-48),
538
L./Cpl. J.T.C., 1st IV cox 1946-47. Clayton, J. F. (Castle House 1943-48), Shooting VIII. Hargrave, A. W. S. (Creighton and School Houses 1944-48), House Monitor 1947-48, C.S.M. 1948. Hamilton-Child, W. M. P. (School House 1944-48), House Monitor, Captain of Boxing, Cpl. J.T.C., 2nd XV Football 1946-47, 1st XV 1947-48, 1948-49. Potts, J. D. (School House 1944-48), L./Cpl. J.T.C., Shooting VIII., 2nd XV Football. Gwynne-Jones, T. N. H. (Chappel's House 1946-48), Secretary of Shooting. Middle V. Knighton, M. D. (Creighton's House 1943-48). Lower V A, Jones, B. G. (Creighton's House 1944-48), 2nd XV Rugger. Others: Burley, B. A. Spragg, R. A. Bolton, J. M. E. Skinner, G. Ingman, E. M. Sadler, P. SPRING TERM, 1949. Upper VI. Carroll, J. (Hostel 1945-49), House Monitor, Secretary of Swimming, 1st XV Rugger 1947-48, 48-49, C.S.M., J.T.C. Others: Aston, R. J. Simmonds, T. D. H. Cullen, R. N. Townsend, J. B. R. Patterson, W. S. Williams, M. E. J. Russell, G. A. Wright, M. B. KING'S SCHOOL FOURTH CENTENARY AND WAR MEMORIAL FUND. The following donations have been received since the last list of acknowledgments in The Vigornian:— £ s. d. Already Acknowledged 3341 3 0 School Play (July 1948) 18 10 6 O. W . King, O . V 3 3 0 C. R. Sampson, O.V 10 0 0 Taxes—Cricket Club 1 1 0 A. E. N. Branch, O.V 10 0 F. L. Steward, O.V. (2nd donation) ... 10 10 0 Rev. E. A. White, O.V 10 0 E. H. Ingram-Halford, O.V. (2nd donation) 3 3 0 C. M. Humphreys, O.V. (2nd donation)... 5 5 0 G. W. P. Stretton, O.V 5 5 0 Rev. Canon C. B. Armstrong 1 1 0 £3400
1 6
CONTEMPORARIES. We gratefully acknowledge receipt of the following contemporaries with apologies for any inadvertent omissions:—The Bloxhamist, the Bromsgrovian, the Decanian, the Herefordian, King Edward's School Chronicle, the Shenstonian, S. Michael's Chronicle, and the Monmouthian.
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1949
CONTRIBUTIONS. CORRESPONDENCE. SUMMER RAIN. To the Editors of The Vigornian. Through the heat-haze comes the rain Which cheers the panting world again, Dear Sirs, And soon the threads I was interested, and at the same time perturbed, to Of spiders webs read in your issue of last December an article entitled Are hung with diamond drops of rain, "Three O.V.s." In it the author, H.M.P.D., says And dry stream beds are filled again. " The Cathedral is the Symbol of this tradition of course, Fall steadily the drops of rain but its changelessness is apt to mislead, as it did with That lay the dust in country lane, Tubby, though who would have the Cathedral changed? " And leave a scent He is writing of the old tradition which still influences God must have meant, for good each fresh generation of Vigornians. However Of pure green trees in wooded dell that may be, to say that the Cathedral is the symbol of And clean-washed grass blades on the fell. this tradition seems to me pathetically typical of much Raining so swiftly from the sky loose thinking that characterises our generation and It seems the dim and cloudy eye country at present. Of heaven, weeps For him who sweeps The Cathedral, if it is anything at all, is the symbol Yearly, through space, around the sun. of the church militant; and the Church is the living body And has done since the planets spun. of Christ, scattered throughout the world. It is not And, as the steady fall of rain just a coincidence that the plan of the Cathedral is that Revives the arid Earth again, of a Cross—the shape of the Cross on which Our Lord Each woeful soul was crucified. The Cathedral should serve a twofold Is thus made whole purpose as I see it. First and foremost it should be an That turns to God, and trusts in Him ever constant reminder to us of our loyalty to Christ— To save him from the doom of Sin. that is if we are Christians; secondly it should be the D.K.K. place where we worship God. * * * Unless a boy is deeply rooted to the Christian faith Twilight by the time that he leaves school then the Cathedral Mystic time will mean nothing to him; and should it mean anyOf sun's decline : thing at all it will only be some wishy-washy sentimentaBats fly lity. Flitter by Shriek shrill Boys, as well as men and women, have souls to be Until saved. Let us pray that each O.V. and each present Merged in the sky member of the School may be devoted to the Living They joyously sing Saviour rather than to a dead building. Their nocturnal release On the wing : Yours Very Sincerely, But they moan JAMES E. COCKE. In their dismal sleep And they weep For the world they have known . . [As H.M.P.D. is an Editor, he takes this opportunity Skylight. of replying to the above criticism. I did not make my D.N.P. * * * mention of the Cathedral in any way exclusive of its many other functions (many of which I attended as a chorister THE NAIAD. for 6 years !). I think that the writer's sentiments, while Reclining where the grey-green willows dip admirably put, and with which I agree, are irrelevant Their listless fingers in the singing stream, to the statement of mine to which he takes objection]. I watched a naiad rise the air to sip; Soft floating as a figure in a dream. Fine was she, her beauty wild, Wisps were her limbs and fire her eyes; Her scornful glance the iearth reviled But she smiled at me with surprise. To the Editors of The Vigomian. Lovely she swayed, as the gentle moon Swimmeth a clouded evening sky; " Mortal," she cried, " will you join me soon ? " Dear Sirs, Then she-drifted away with a sigh. The idea has lately come to light of a Club of Old " Follow me I where the waters are deep Boys from a certain school who have formed themselves There is life everlasting for you." into a body for furthering the endeavours of leaving boys But I lingered, and knew not whether to leap to settle themselves in a career. Would it not be a good For fear she had spoken untrue. thing if those Old Vigornians in Worcester began a Then her crying grew fainter, until similar scheme for boys from this school who needed a It echoed as if in a dream. start in the outside world ? Ethereally she had faded away Yours etc., Down the silver-bright stream. D.K.K. D. N. Puddepha.