Old Peterite News

medal for pianoforte. He played extensively as an amateur musician. Sergeant Navigator Richardson joined the Royal Air Force before the outbreak of war.

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DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS.

Flight Lieutenant J. S. P. Phillips has been awarded the D.F.C. for conspicuous service with his unit. He has the honour of being the first Old Peterite to receive this decoration, and the distinction conferred on the School was recognised by the Headmaster by the granting of a " half." F/Lt. Phillips, who is 21 years old, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Phillips, of Norton-on-Tees. We were glad to see him at the School one day in the course of last term, when we were able to congratulate him in person both on his recent decoration and on his marriage on the 6th July last to Miss Effie Lambert, of Sunderland. * * *

Colonel H. C. Scott, the Hon. Secretary of the O.P. Club, has joined the governing body as one of the two Archbishop's representatives. We welcome the appointment of another Old Peterite to the Board, and congratulate Col. Scott on his opportunity to serve the School in this new capacity. * * *

E. T. Heap has been appointed Coroner of the Bishopthorpe County District of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the place of Colonel Innes Ware, who has resigned. * * *

We have had a letter from S. G. S. Pawle, who tells us that, after nine months service, first as an Ordinary Seaman and subsequently as A.B., he is expecting to proceed to H.M.S. King Alfred as a Cadet-Rating.

He also encloses a cutting of an article which he wrote recently for the " Southern Daily Echo." The purpose of the article was to challenge, on behalf of St. Peter's, the claim of Winchester to be " England's oldest Public School." Winchester was easily disposed of, but the topic led him inevitably to King's School, Canterbury, and in his article, Pawle recalls the celebrated rugger match between St. Peter's and King's, Canterbury, in 1927. " Thirteen years ago, just after I had joined the School as a new boy, the School celebrated its 1300th anniversary, and as King's, Canterbury, still showed little disposition to recognise the claims to greater antiquity of their northern rivals, it was 4

decided to ' settle' the argument by playing a rugby football match at Richmond.

Unfortunately for King's, Canterbury, St. Peter's had their finest XV for many years, and they won a great game by 13 points to 9. The leader of their forwards that day was C. L. Troop, who afterwards gave such splendid service to the Army, Hampshire and England."

ENGAGEMENTS.

The engagement is announced between John Miles Fothergill, M.C., The Border Regiment, eldest son of the late John S. Fothergill, of Newlands, and of Mrs. Fothergill, Kendal Green, Kendal, and Violet Iris, only daughter of the late Major A. K. North and Mrs. A. K. North, and niece of Mrs. E. B. North, Summerdale House, Holme, Carnforth, Lancs.

The engagement is announced between William Douglas Draffan, K.A.R., son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Draffan, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and Linda Muriel Ruth, second daughter of Commander and Mrs. Veasey, of Mau Summit, Kenya.

The engagement is announced between Richard Challenor Lynch, R.A.F., second son of Mrs. Lynch, of Barbados, late of 4 The Avenue, Clifton, and the late Mr. C. A. Lynch, and Patricia Mary, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Farrar, Traralgon, Heworth.

* * BIRTH.

CHAPMAN.—On November 19th, 1940, at " Fulmer Chase,"

Fulmer, Bucks., to Julienne (née Moore), wife of 2nd

Lieut. J. B. D. Chapman, The Royal Berks. Regt., a daughter. * * *

PREFERMENT.

The Rev. D. V. Hewitt, formerly Curate of St. John's Church, Balby, Doncaster, was inducted Priest-in-Charge of Edlington Church, near Doncaster, on November 28th, 1940. * * *

CAMBRIDGE OLD PETERITES. (The following items have been received.)

J. T. Brockbank (St. John's) is to be congratulated on representing Cambridge in the University Squash match. Is very interested in the social side of chess. Thinks in

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several dimensions. He will hypnotise you. Works a certain amount.

T. F. Cameron (Trinity Hall) plays hockey and squash regularly for his College, but was not selected for the Newnham match. Struts up and down at the A.D.C. Theatre. Turns up to lectures on the dot. Works a certain amount.

J. C. Houghton (Selwyn), our silent member, is responsible for the production of a Cambridge O.P. tie, which will be delivered any winter now. Reads Theology and sits in a dressing gown between five and six on Mondays. Other activity unknown. Works a certain amount.

J. M. Rucklidge (Emmanuel) is his College first string at squash, playing well and rather unluckily. Also been known to play soccer. Is a member of a mountaineering club. Shares a room with a man who plays Strauss waltzes to suitable accompaniment. Works a certain amount.

* * * LEEDS OLD PETERITES.

W. Boyes (Medical). Not much has been seen of this individual during the past term, but once when he appeared in the open he was asked what his activities had been. He replied—" Mostly work." We understand that he is to take his second M.B., part two, in March.

G. H. Briggs (Medical) is now working for the same exam, as Boyes, but seems to find time to be Vice-Captain and Treasurer of the University Hockey Club. Reports say that his hockey playing is first-class.

G. C. Brown (Medical) may now be seen cutting up corpses in the dissecting room. He claims that the body that he is working on at present—the Major—is so " high " that even the flies turn up their noses at it.

J. McN. Inglis (Medical) is an active member of the Climbing Club, and may often be seen swinging on the end of a rope over some cliff, cursing violently the complete absence of hand and foot-holds. Originally he joined the Boat Club, but when he was told that he would have to cox, he very politely resigned.

G. M. Cave (Dental). When not knocking people's hats off with his umbrella, he is engineering nauseous odours in his chemical laboratory. He was most annoyed wh2n his gun-cotton refused to explode. So far as we can see, he does absolutely no work whatsoever.

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J. Scholey (Medical) made an unexpected appearance this term, and claims to be reading Medicine; we can only assume this to be true, since we have not seen him doing any work. He has, however, been playing hockey for the University first team. (The absence of news from Oxford O.P.s is regretted.)

THE REV. G. T. HANDFORD.

A LETTER OF APPRECIATION FROM F. P. FAUSSET (1886-96).

Dear Sir,

Old Peterites who were at School in the 'nineties, and many others who knew the Rev. G. T. Handford, who has just died at the age of 87, will remember him with gratitude and pleasure.

I was at the School from 1886 to 1896, and Mr. Handford succeeded the Rev. H. M. Stephenson as Headmaster in 1897, a post which he held until 1900. Perhaps he would not be regarded as the ideal schoolmaster according to modern standards, but he was a scholar and a kindly Christian gentleman, and his methods worked very well. He maintained the School traditions, he chose his monitors well, deputing much authority to them and backing them up when necessary. In his time the School produced many first-class scholars, among them(in addition to those mentioned in your obituary notice) J. F. Leaf, Fellow of Peterhouse, C. B. Cotterell, Scholar of Balliol, and R. C. Tute, of the I.C.S., now Chief Justice of the Bahamas. In the world of sport we shall not forget such men as Frank Mitchell, whose name was a household word at cricket and football, and E. J. Walton, who gained his blue and was a rugby international. Indeed, the success of the School in work and play at that time is a high tribute to the zeal and interest in both shewn by Mr. Handford. In the School House, Mr. and Mrs. Handford were ever ready to entertain Old Peterites, who were thus kept continually in touch with the School. Looking back on one's schooldays I can testify to the fact that the moral tone of the School and the boys' standard of honour was very high, and I believe that all who were at St. Peter's in Mr. Handford's time will agree that their schooldays were both happy and well spent.

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