Whinchat 2008-2009

WHINCHAT The magazine of Bedford Preparatory School - 2008/09

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One small leap for James ...

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To best view this PDF, go to the ‘View’ settings of Adobe Acrobat and from the ‘Page Display’ feature select ‘Two-Up’ and ‘Show Cover Page During Two-Up’ There are interactive links throughout the magazine in Pink that will take you to additional features of the PDF. Also all of the articles mentioned below are linked. So just click on the title to go directly to it.

You will also notice at the bottom of each page there is a naviagtion bar to help you move between pages. If you get ‘lost’ just click ‘Back to index’ to return to this page.

The Whinchat...

PDF Features...

Introductions

From the Headmaster & the Headboy

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Whinchat Exposé

A Year of Writing

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Y7 Novels in full

‘The Red Elves’

‘Black and White’

‘Survivor’

‘The World Under Our Feet’

Y8 History Writing continued

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Additonal Sports images

Rugby

Hockey

Cricket

Minor Sports

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Art... some more masterpieces

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Leavers... continued

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Departments under the spotlight

History

Science & Art

Languages

Geography

Design & Technology

Art

Enrichment

Drama - Some Treasure Island

PSHE

Music

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Focusing on Sport

Rugby

Hockey

Cricket

Athletics

Swimming

Fencing

Golf

Cross Country

Sporting Old Boys

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Trips Away

Jersey

Eagle House Trip

The Ski Trip

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Feature Spreads

Snow Problem!

House Life

Charities

Leavers

And Finally...

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Words from the Headmaster

From Chris Godwin...

In preparing to give various speeches or talks as a Headmaster I have become intrigued by the numerous websites that purport to provide the potential speech writer with a whole host of famous quotations and sayings.

On such sites, Ernest Hemingway seems to have the ‘lion’s share’ of views, covering an impressive range of topics. While few of us will ever reach the literary brilliance of Mr. Hemingway, some of his words of wisdom provide humbling insights for a budding writer…for example; “ We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master”. In this edition of the magazine we have been keen to focus on some of the work of our “apprentice writers” and showcase their talents in a “Year of Writing”. We hope you have an enjoyable read of the varied pieces.

This year, in particular, has reminded me of how our boys sometimes underestimate just how much they are learning and achieving in any given day; how much they get involved, how they don’t bat an eye at just getting up and performing in front of an audience, how their academic, music and sporting successes are notched up almost daily. It is important not to take this for granted and in my position I am fortunate to be able to have access to the wider picture in the School. You will see in the extract from the speech of the Head Boy at Prize Giving that it has been a year of high profile success and opportunities. And you will also see within the pages of this magazine that it is not only in the big headlines that talent and ability shine out.

believe that being explicit in defining our school values is the key to this.

At Bedford Prep they may be ‘oldfashioned’ values, and I borrow from Barack Obama’s inauguration speech in outlining them here; “honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity”. Oldfashioned perhaps, but nonetheless these values equip us all, here and now, staff and boys alike for present and future challenges. They provide us with a framework for using the abundant talent and ability with which we are blessed.

human beings in another part of the world and realised that their daily aspirations may be very similar – to play a game of football and to be able to develop their sporting interests and talents in the same way as our boys are fortunate enough to be able to do.

I believe they have done this because they have understood the significant differences of life in that country; they have realised how fortunate they themselves are; and they have taken practical steps to make a difference... most importantly, they have shown a generosity of spirit.

I have been truly delighted at what the boys have done this year to support the Swaziland Schools Projects.

Through their own desire and efforts to give not only money, but their time and thought into planning and carrying out activities, they have been able to make a significant contribution to the charity. I believe that our boys have put themselves in the shoes of fellow

I do hope you find the magazine an interesting read. Once again we have tried to capture the essence of daily life at Bedford Prep within these pages. For the first time the magazine is also available as an online version, giving you the opportunity to read some of the articles in a more extended version. Your feedback and comments are warmly welcomed.

Our School is about channelling the talents and abilities of our boys into productive and positive outcomes. I Turn back a Page

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Head Boy’s Speech

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High Expectations & High Standards

In his speech at Prizegiving, James Lee reflected on some of the highlights of the year and dwelt on his time as a Prep School pupil.

I expect every head boy starts his speech with the words, “it’s been a good year”, but this year it really has. There’s been a wide range of academic, sporting, musical and dramatic achievements, and many, plays, quizzes and concerts.

On the sports field there have been a lot of teams with excellent records that deserve to be congratulated, but special mention must go to the Under-11 A rugby team who won all 14 of their matches, and 12 of those were away fixtures. On the hockey astro the Under-11 team are the Bedfordshire champions, and in the pool at the national IAPS swimming competition boys gained many medals and personal bests, with the highlight being Oliver Maltby who won gold in the under-12 25 metre butterfly.

The cross-country runners survived another year of tough races, in a very cold and muddy season, with the star performance by Jonathan Janes who won the Year 7 Bedford and District Championships.

Three boys travelled to the French Alps to represent the school in the British Inter Schools Ski Challenge and with such a small team did extremely well to finish joint 5th overall. On the theme of winter sports Whitbread won the house snowman building competition with a superb design that I would love to describe, but sadly we don’t have time!

It’s been another great year for music and drama across the Prep School. Just a few of the highlights include: the Junior Choir’s performance of ‘Yanomamo’, a musical about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the Senior Choir performed alongside professional musicians in Handel’s ‘Samson’, the Chapel Choir have sung at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, and the school play this year was a comedy version of ‘Treasure Island’, an extremely funny production with a brilliant

performance from the whole cast.

Once again, this year’s house singing competition was fiercely fought with Bunyan deservedly coming out on top, winning the unison song and coming second behind Howard in the part song.

The School has taken part in many charitable activities this year with

As the Year 8’s say goodbye to the Prep School it’s worth thinking about what has made the past six years such a great experience: the teachers (of course!), the house competitions, the clubs and sports teams. But much more important is that as boys pass through the Prep School they set high standards for the younger boys to live up to and the great thing is they always do. That’s what I like about our school - the spirit.

So, did we reach the expectations left for us by previous boys, and did we set a high standard for those following us?

fantastic support for the Crazy Tie Day, Red Nose Day, Mufti Days, Sports Shirts for Swaziland, Operation Christmas Child, Charity Week and the notorious Evening of Entertainment. We’ve been able to make significant contributions to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the Jeanette Crizzle Trust and, our special charity, the Swaziland Schools Projects.

Through our fundraising efforts, coordinated by the boys on the Charity Committee, we have raised a total of £4500 for the Swaziland Schools Projects and we hope that this sum will be a huge step forward for their work, in particular for the sports field project.

I joined the prep school six years ago in Mr Whitbread’s class. Imagine this group of little seven-year olds in grey shorts: Tom Hall, Ollie Lyons, Sam Assim, Alex Dorgham … and me. We’ve come a long way since then. Each year we’ve seen younger boys arrive and the older ones depart, and now it’s our turn to move on.

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There are many things for the Year 8’s to be proud of. The 1st XV rugby team travelled to Northern Ireland and won the Portora Royal rugby tournament, in typically wet Irish conditions. Ollie Lyons played for, and was vice-captain of, the English Prep Schools Barbarians. The rugby Under 13 B and C teams won all but one of their games. The 1st VII rugby team won the Denstone tournament and were runners-up at the National School Sevens at Rosslyn Park, just beaten in the final after two hard days of competition. The 1st XI hockey team are the Bedfordshire champions. The 1st XI cricket team lost only one game in the regular season and reached the semifinal of the National Schools twenty20 competition. The 2nd XI and 4th XI cricket teams were unbeaten this season and, in total, the Year 7 and 8 cricket teams played 44 matches and lost only 3. The quiz team, made up of the greatest intellects of Year 8, won the final of the Wellingborough quiz league (sadly I was too busy to take part!). Six boys have been awarded music scholarships, and will anyone ever beat Arvindh Sekeranh’s impressive 40 commendations?

Without doubt, this year’s Year 8’s have lived up to the high expectations, we take great pride in our School, we’ve set high standards for others to aim at, and we’ve done it all in true Bedford spirit.

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A Year of Writing... Poetry

A Year of Writing

The House Poetry Writing Competition allowed every boy in Years 3 to 7 to channel his creative energy into written verse. Each winning entry won acclaim for demonstrating experise and originality within the chosen format.

Year 3 Winner

Year 4 Winner

If

Dragon Acrostic Poem

Matthew Hirst

If my brother was a bird he’d be a robin flying freely and carefully in the cold breeze searching for bugs and worms.

If my brother was a transport he’d be a huge train going rapidly on an old rusty track at lightning speed.

If my brother was a crop he’d be wheat growing up to a great height curling as he grew in the rainy weather.

If my brother was a monster he’d be a huge gigantic friendly monster saving the lives of lots and lots of people.

George Christian

Mighty, mad, reptilian monster.

Yowling, scaly yak, streaking across the Sun-set sky.

Dangerous, dirty dinosaur tearing at the earth.

Rampaging, red rooster, toasting the cruel planet.

Athletic, acrobatic animal, hopping away from the place.

Green, giddy gargoyle, grabbing all the life.

Ominous, obedient octopus, swelling in the sea.

Naughty, nippy newt, ruling the sea and the earth.

Year 5 Winner Thomas Gulliver

The Queen of the Stars The Queen of the Stars, A large sleeping life-bringer.

She wakes slowly, stretching her finger tips, Sleeps, giving the moon a chance.

To show the world, replacements are needed.

During the day, in the desert world, She’s angry and burns people with her iron first of flames.

From West to East, she calms, giving the winter snow.

The Queen of the Stars, Large with a body of flames, a bright face with blond hair, Not ice, Not water, Not small.

But yes, The Sun.

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A Year of Writing... Poetry

Year 6 Winner

Year 7 Winner

The Moon is …

The Warning

A battle ground of huge boulders and creatures with skin of rock.

I am there, Waiting, Sitting quietly, An obstacle to the outside world You shall suffer the consequences, For I am ready to pounce.

Toby Clarke

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Tim Matthews

A huge ping-pong ball which has been dotted with ash.

A world of loneliness and nothingness.

A polar bear floating around the earth in the dark night sky.

A city of white fire glowing in the night.

A lonely world of black and white.

A shaved sheep-dog with a black and white coat.

You may think I’m a hazard, You may think I’m dim, I am not to be ignored.

I am a warning, A beacon to be obeyed, I am your foe.

A cow’s skin wrapped around an enormous ball.

A giant ball of Emmental cheese.

A giant rock.

A lost city of light and dark.

I caress the curves, I drool from the anticipation of unwanted guests.

How dare you stop!

How dare you sit on me!

Do you not consider me?

Unlike you, I am permanent, I can have you removed!

Those who are flashy care the least, They shall be warned.

I am the silent assassinator, And you’re the victim of my trade!

You shall suffer the consequences, For I am ready to pounce, I am your foe, For I am the silent assassinator, And you’re my victim.

I am the double yellow line!

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A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition

Novel Beginnings…

The Year 7 Novel Competition once again proved to be as keenly contested as ever with the boys delving deep into their imaginations to produce not only an extended piece of writing of which to be proud, but also to gain a coveted place on the shortlist. After a good deal of deliberation the judges, Claire Sharples and Chris Godwin, decided that Matthew Budd’s novel “The Red Elves” was to be this year’s winner. An extract from Matthew’s novel can be found below along with a taste of the writing of the runners up opposite.

PROLOGUE: The things we call squirrels are actually Elves but our eyes refuse to believe things of legends. Elves are real but a shadow is hanging over them. Attack is coming and it’s coming fast.

There are two races in the world of Elves, those of the Red Elves and those of the Grey Elves. The Red Elves banished their hated kin after a fierce battle in the tree tops. The slingers of the Red Elves had finally made the grey hordes run to England. But now the threat is rising as the baroness Tuft Fur gathers her followers and marches to war.

EXTRACT FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE NOVEL:

“Grayling Elf, screamed.

Kostig jumped into the treetops and bounded up the trunk. Keila smashed her blade onto the metal breastplate, over the creature’s heart. It roared and ripped out the arrow from its shoulder blade where it had lodged.

Immediately another three heads appeared. Snatching up spears, they scrambled down the trunks and hopped onto field mice and charged at the Elf, towering over Kostig.

Suddenly Kostig swept down on a rope and crashed into the thing’s head. Pulling out his throwing axe he slammed it into the thick, matted fur on the creature’s head. It roared and shook Kostig of his head.. Keila turned and ran towards the village, calling the warning cry of the clan.

Four heads peeked out of their dreys and called out to Keila.

“Wot’s happening?!” shouted one of them.

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Grayling

Elf!”

she

Kostig swam out of the dreamy blackness and before his eyes he saw a huge object standing over him with an axe twirling above his head.

Keila, meanwhile, was leading a charge towards the massive beast. Two of the Elves threw their spears and both hit their targets.

Screaming in fury, Keila threw her axe and drew her broadsword. The axe smashed into the thing’s eye and before it knew what was happening Keila was upon it.

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Keila drove her sword into the monster’s belly and pierced its stomach. The wound dribbled out pus and a foul smelling slime.

The creature retreated into a thicket of brambles and licked its wounds. Outside, twelve Red Elves cocked their bows and released into the bramble patch. The monster sprang out of the brambles and all the Elves could clearly see that all the arrows had struck home into the creature’s head. The monster roared in pure animal terror but before it could run, Keila jumped out of the tree and landed squarely on the creature’s giant head. Drawing her sword, she brought it down again and again on the creature’s head until it split with a satisfying crack.

Leaping off the thing’s back she landed next to her brother who had wisely dragged himself out of the fighting zone.

Keila leaned over him and called over the medic.

Click here to read the full novel

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition

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Black and White

by Luke Riddell Matthew Jameson’s past three years of life have been spent in a prison.

Convicted of violent murder and being a crazed pyromaniac he is sent away to a Mexican Maximum security mental institution. He can’t remember much of his past and doesn’t know why he was even in there...

Matt was in the corner of a small white room, the harsh light from the bare bulb glaring down on him. At fifteen years of age he was of average build. His short black hair was interrupted by a large scar in the middle of his head. Not exactly the sort of person you would expect to see in a rubber room, huddled in a corner wearing a straitjacket. Isolated. Alone.

In a cell. He had been there for so long that he had forgotten what he looked like and who anyone was apart from the police officers. His limited, barely functional body was bored of life. Given up on escaping. He was pondering on how long he had left until he was out of this building. Until he was allowed to see any other colours apart from black and white. He was quietly sipping at his flat coke through a straw that was stuck to the rubber floor. A screeching noise made him aware that a man holding a briefcase had entered the room. He was followed closely by three policemen holding batons.

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Survivor

by Theo Ogden The fifteen-year-old boy lay across the cold floor. He didn’t know where he was. A small, damp cell didn’t tell him much. He couldn’t remember a thing since he woke up, which must have been about five hours ago. It had felt like a lifetime...

About ten minutes later, a young woman entered the room. She looked about twenty, with dark brown hair down to her shoulders. She was carrying a plate with slab of meat on it.

“I thought you might be hungry.” She spoke softly. The boy stood up. As he was handed the plate, he looked from the food to the woman, and back again. The meat smelled faintly of bitter almonds.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” He yelled, as the plate hit the floor with a smash.

“Where the hell am I?” He held the young woman by the collar. “Speak!”

The woman looked straight into his eyes.

The boy felt something sharp jab into the back of his neck. He lost control of his entire body, and he was dragged into what he could only just make out to be a completely white corridor.

The boy heard someone approaching, but couldn’t make out any details, other than a dark silhouette. He only just heard the deep sound from a man’s voice.

“So that is him. The boy. We finally have him.” The man swivelled round and proceeded to walk away, the knock of his shoes echoing throughout the corridor.

He stopped. “You know what to do.” His statement was directed at the woman.

He continued to walk away, and soon the sound of his walking was out of earshot.

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The World Under Our Feet

by James Winder Edward Rolgovligi is a young boy living in the underworld. His mother is Cannibal and with his father gone she is hunting him down. Edward and his friends have given themselves the task to find her and stop her from capturing Edward…

Will they succeed?

There is a place every human knows of. But a place where none have ever been, except me. Somewhere where you used to dream about when you were younger, where there are creatures with three eyes, sharp claws and ferocious powers your imagination could not even consider. Where all speak Zaloogan, a language only I know.

A place scientists say is fake! They are wrong! I’ve been there. I’ve seen things no one else has. You could not go; you wouldn’t want to, it is a terrible place seemingly always caught in war.

A place you could pity but alas pity won’t help. This place is kept in peace, for now, by the Consando (what you’d call police), a daring fleet of super-strong robots helping only the ones in need. In this place of darkness, violence is the only law the citizens follow, but even that must be enforced. The stories I tell you are written in a time of peace.

The empire is being rebuilt, some have suffered more than others; a criminal uprising has already begun.

This world I tell you of, if you had not guessed, is what you refer to as the underworld, or what I call the world under our feet.

Click here to read the full novel

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A Year of Writing... History

Writing in the History Department Writing is part of all subjects and the title ‘What was the most important cause of World War II?’ was the inspiration for these Year 8 essays.

An Extract from Matthew Beal’s Essay There were many different causes of World War II, such things as the Wall Street Crash, leaving many of the developed countries of the world in a huge economic crisis, or the lack of power of the League of Nations and their failure to act over the killings in Nanking.

But, overall, most historians believe that the main, perhaps the most important, cause of World War II was the Treaty of Versailles. A treaty created at the end of World War I that failed to enforce the conditions that should have led to world peace. A.J.P Taylor stated in his book ‘Origins of the Second World War’ that “The First World War explains the Second and, in fact caused it, in so far as one event causes another”.

In 1929 the Wall Street Stock Exchange in the United States of America crashed leading to a period of great economic depression. The Wall Street Crash affected Germany in particular because, as they already had to pay £6,600 million for reparations, they were in debt. So they had got a loan from the USA, but when the Wall Street Crash happened, the USA wanted their money back, and because of this Germany was in even more debt.

Many companies in Germany went bankrupt and in the five years between 1928 and 1933 the unemployment rate went up from 650,000 to 6,100,000. This made the economy become unstable and the Weimar Republic could not control the crisis. The German people were very disappointed with their government and looked for a new party and a new leader.

During the 1920’s extreme political parties began to emerge across Europe.

In 1922 Benito Mussolini took control in Italy and his fascist government destroyed other political parties and controlled the media. Fascism believed Turn back a Page

in a strong military and encouraged nationalism. Communism is another extreme political view and in Russia, Joseph Stalin ruled as a communist dictator, running the country on behalf of the working people. In Germany the National Socialist German Workers Party, more commonly known as the Nazis, chose to follow fascism instead of communism or democracy. The leader of the Nazis was Adolf Hitler. The reason Adolf Hitler came into power in Germany was because of the dissatisfaction of its people; as unemployment rose so did the number of votes of the Nazi party.

Adolf Hitler followed most aspects of Fascism but also believed in racial purity; he stripped Jews of their citizenship and forbade marriage between Jews and true Germans, or ‘Aryans’. Great Britain was a democracy and the Prime Minister, in the 1930’s was Neville Chamberlin and he believed that Germany had been badly treated by the Allies after the First World War and he thought that the German government had genuine ‘grievances’.

Across Europe countries were following different political beliefs and, as they were all so different, it was inevitable that conflict would break out.

During the 1930’s the League of Nations, which had been set up in 1919 to help mediate between nations, began to show how weak it actually was in a crisis situation. There were many problems with the League of Nations, things such as the fact that not all countries had joined it, including one of the most powerful countries in the world, America, and also not all countries were allowed to join, countries such as Germany and Russia. Another problem with it was that it only met four times a year, and when it did meet, decisions were hardly ever made as all actions had to be unanimously decided. Dictators such as Hitler, Mussolini and Franco saw these weaknesses in the League of Nations Back to Index

and they realised that they could do almost anything they wanted and the League of Nations wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. They had seen Japan invade Manchuria and Nanking and so they reasoned that if they did the same as Japan the only punishment would be not being able to trade with other countries; but as the world was in an economic crisis countries would trade with anyone they could and they wouldn’t listen to the League of Nations. Mussolini, wanted more power and land and so he invaded Abyssinia. Hitler followed on by remilitarizing Germany and trying to get back the land he thought should be his and believed by the German newspaper “Deutsche Zeitung”, “We will never stop until we win back what we deserve.”

To read more of Matthew’s essay visit the online Whinchat.

An Extract from Nick Chapman’s Essay World War Two was a period of conflict between all major nations of the world, beginning on the 3rd September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, and ending in 1945. In order to establish the most important cause of the war all the causes must be examined. These causes can be split into four major groups: economic, political, and diplomatic factors as well as the leadership of each country leading up to war.

Firstly, the economic state at the time was poor. The Wall Street Crash had led to the Great Depression. This was a major cause of the war because nations wanted to protect themselves. Some set up tariff barriers, where the government taxed all imports. They are good for the nations own economy because the country cannot afford as many imports as it once did. The nation must selfprovide. However, tariff barriers can slow down and even stop trade. Other nations,

A Year of Writing... History such as Germany, Italy and Japan (the fascist countries) chose to invade others to snatch space, industrial areas or raw materials for themselves. For example, Japan invaded Manchuria, a heavily industrialised area, rich in oil and rubber.

Germany remilitarised the Rhineland because it had a massive coalfield. The Sudetanland had huge factories, while the rest of Czechoslovakia had the Skoda Works, which vastly increased German munitions production. Also, the country worst hit by the depression was Germany. In 1924 to stop hyperinflation, Germany borrowed vast sums of money from America, known as the ‘Dawes Plan’. When the depression hit, America called back the loans, leaving Germany completely bankrupt.

Secondly, the politics of Germany was beginning to crumble. The Weimar Republic began to fall in 1933. There was national unrest because of being bankrupt again. When Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on the 30th January 1933, he banned all other political parties, which undermined the very point of democracy. After Hindenberg’s death on the 2nd August 1934, Hitler combined the roles of Chancellor, President and Commander of the Military, and called himself the Führer. He then created the Enabling Act, which made him the supreme ruler of Germany. Another important political component in starting the war was the inevitability of conflict between fascist and communist states. Communists, such as Russia, believe that everyone is equal; but fascists, such as Germany, believe that there is one leader and their country is superior. They hold completely opposite and entrenched views: conflict was inevitable. Both of these views emerged because of a failure of democracy. Democratic states are inefficient, because they do not have one person making decisions, but a panel of people who have to vote on what to do. This is proved by the failure of the League of Nations.

Thirdly, diplomatic relations between countries was poor. This helped to cause the war because the League of Nations, originally devised by Woodrow

Wilson to sort out conflicts between countries, failed to act. When Benito Mussolini, trying to build a New Roman Empire in Abyssinia, put it to the test, it did condemn Italy and order economic sanctions, but this had no effect. It failed because it had no real power. It was unable to act quickly, only met twice a year and it had no army. Collective Security--- when all the smaller nations club together to defeat a larger growing threat, such as Japan or Germany--did not work, either, because America did not join and it lacked their influence.

Another major diplomatic factor was The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919 to cease hostilities at the end of World War I. It presented some immediate issues for Germany. They were angry that they were not allowed a say in the writing of the treaty. They were also resentful of its terms. They were in economic crisis and had no chance of restoring economic health when some industrial areas, such as the Saar, were taken away. Clause 231, the ‘War Guilt’ clause, made them particularly angry: it meant that they had to take full responsibility for the war and had to pay reparations. They had their Army reduced to 100,000 men, 6 ships in their Navy, no u-boats and no Air Force. Germany lost her Empire, and was cut back. The Polish Corridor was created out of German territory to give Poland access to the sea. Germany was not allowed to ally with Austria.

Therefore, the Treaty also caused World War Two because it left Germany bitter and resentful over the next 20 years.

Germany was looking for any way to reverse such humiliating terms.

To read more of Nick’s essay visit the online Whinchat.

An Extract from Rahil Naidoo’s Essay The 1930’s brought the world to a stage where war was inevitable; the world couldn’t stop the momentum plummeting towards an inevitable WW2. The League of Nations had lost their authority and could only watch half a million people being slaughtered by the power hungry extremists. Neville Chamberlain prime minister of Britain was desperate not to go to war and therefore used the Back to Index

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policy of appeasement towards Hitler.

This in turn let Hitler re-arm Germany, and gain dominance in Europe while Britain were letting him get away with it. The Munich conference was a key event in the 1930’s. But Hitler did not support his agreement, and invaded Czechoslovakia even though promised not to. So consequently Chamberlain knew that war was coming. It is evidently clear that the events through the 1930’s let the likes of Hitler come to power and the failure of the League of Nations to insure another war. This period in history was the most important cause of the war.

Politics and People In some countries notably Germany, the depression helped extremist parties to come to power. Voters were tempted to follow any politician who offered a solution to unemployment, as post depression there was a serious case of mass un-employment. They felt they had nothing to lose, as democracy had failed to provide these jobs. Due to inflation and mass unemployment, Germany had to resort to extreme politics and look to Hitler whose aggressive foreign policy, as chancellor would put the world at war.

Therefore the depression played a vital role in helping Hitler come to power.

Germany had started to re-arm there country and where now the dominate force in central Europe. Militarism in a powerful country, like Germany, caused a great threat to other countries, as a threat of war was more likely pursued.

Giving him more power in Europe.

Consequently the League of Nations found it almost impossible to deal with the more the more violent climate of the 1930’s as nations simply ignored its authority. Due to inflation and mass unemployment, people in Germany had to resort to extreme politics and look to Hitler whose aggressive foreign policy, as chancellor would put the world at war.

Rahil continues to explain how the Wall Street Crash and the Treaty of Versailles had an important influence on the start of WWII; again the rest of his essay can be found on the online version of the Whinchat.

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A Year of Writing... History

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A Year of Writing... History

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The History Department

More than just writing; the History Departme From computer work to drama to art, just look what the boys have been up to!

Artwork, clockwise from top left: James Medley Y7, Oliver McLeod Y7, Harry Allen Y7, Logan Jones Y5, Anastassios Savvides Y7, J

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The History Department

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ent in Action

Film strip: Y7 JFK Assassanation Video Project

Jesse Billington Y7, Oliver Winder Y5, Joe Jacob Y6

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The History Department

Blasts from the Past Pupils give their own thoughts on the visits they recieved as part of their History course.

On Tuesday 4th November Y6 had a History talk on Henry VIII. His arrival was a surprise, coming in calmly and then exploding “stand for your King!” Everyone had to stand (even the teachers) and we had to respond by saying “good morning, your Royal Highness”. He started by telling us about the Tudor dynasty and who Henry descended from.

Then he told us about what Henry was most famous for – his six wives.

We found out each of the wives was treated unfairly. The reason why he beheaded or divorced some of his wives was because all he wanted was a baby boy to be his heir.

We were then split into groups, one stayed with Henry and he told us all about his hobbies and what he did in his spare time. The other group made a coat of arms for themselves. Then we swapped round. We found out that when Henry was younger he enjoyed jousting and other sports. He also enjoyed playing cards and music. He had an injury whilst jousting when his opponent hit his horse and the horse crushed Henry’s leg. That stopped him doing sport.

In the afternoon he told us about some Tudor punishments. I could not believe the cruelty involved. Hanging, drawing and quartering was the worst. The executioner would signal for the rope to be tightened round the criminal’s neck and would wait until he nearly suffocated. He would then be cut down and tortured. Then he would be cut open and his insides ripped out. They would cut his legs, arms and head off. If the King required, each part of his body would be scattered to each corner of the realm.

To finish the day, people were chosen for a jousting tournament where they raced each other in teams trying to hook some rings off a pole.

I think everyone benefitted a lot and certainly learned a lot. Overall, it was a wonderful day.

Robert Salvesen On Tuesday, a man who knew a lot about the Battle of Hastings in 1066 came to visit us and tell us all he knew. As you may guess, I learned a tonne of things. What was even better was that he pretended to be very creepy and was really funny. He told us a story about the Battle of Stamford Bridge which was hilarious. I also learned that whenever people insulted William of Normandy and called him the “b” word he would cut off their feet and hands and left them to bleed to death! I also learned a lot about the weapons. The crossbow and the Saxon blade were my favourites. At one point we all went outside and the man showed us how to load a crossbow and the bow and arrow. He used both weapons to shoot at a target: he didn’t miss once!

Jack Hutchings

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The Science & Art Family Challenge

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A Victory for the Gnattus Absorbia In a departure from previous competitions, this year’s Family Challenge linked Science and Art. With 2009 being both ‘Darwin 200’ and the ‘International Year of Astronomy’ it was decided that the Challenge should combine these two events. Mike Mallalieu explains how the evening unfolded for the competing families.

To begin with, the competitors were asked to consider the scenario where somewhere in another galaxy there was a planet orbiting a star (in the correct proximity to ensure there was liquid water). The teams were given the challenge: a) To use imaginative, creative, scientific and artistic skills to produce a scale model of an organism. The organism should be well-adapted to the particular environment chosen. b) To produce a written account including naming the organism and describing its features that make successful.

The criteria were: i) Imagination/Creativity ii) Execution iii) Science They were given an hour to complete the task. Then each team took it in turns to present their organism and describe its features.

It was a near impossible task to choose a champion, but the esteemed judges, Messrs. Studd and Mallalieu eventually decided that the overall winners were the McLeod family. This team had produced a well-crafted organism called Gnattus Absorbia.

The McLeod family was presented with the cherished ‘Golden Bunsen Burner’ trophy which will take pride of place on their mantelpiece for the next year.

This part plant, part insect is a member of the McLeodeoptera Family. It lives in semiarid areas. Its yellow and black legs (to warn predators) enable it to move quickly as well as communicate by tapping. They are used to absorb water, via capillary action, from the ground. The flowers are used for reproduction as well as nutrition. The central one produces a scent to attract small flying insects which are then absorbed. The outer two are used for pollination and also each contains an eye to enable the Gnattus Absorbia to spot airborne predators. The carapace is capable of photosynthesising.

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Languages

A Taste of la Belle France...

The Y5 boys were treated to a feast of French food on Tuesday 20th January. Kelly Faulkner explains further.

If you wandered into the EMH, you may have been forgiven for thinking you had been transported into a traditional brasserie. The boys enjoyed savoury filled croissants, croques monsieur, croquettes de fromage, pâté baguettes, mousse au chocolat and much more, followed by an afternoon of Frenchthemed activities. Loto was a particular favourite, as well as the inter-class singing competition, board games and traditional French playground games. The day was brought to a close with a short episode of Tintin. All in all, fantastique!

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Logan Jones gives his view on his fantastique day...

On 20th January the Y5 boys had a French lunch. We all sat down at our class tables in the EMH and practised saying the food names in French. The food included chicken (poulet), salami (saucisson), cheese and ham croissants (croissants au fromage et au jambon), croques monsieur, pâté and croquettes. For pudding we had a choice of fruit salad (salade de fruits), chocolate mousse (mousse au chocolat) and chocolate éclairs (éclairs au chocolat).

After that we played a couple of games of Loto and musical chairs.

It was fun! Then, we went outside and played “Un, deux, trois, soleil” which is like “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” and “Ballon Prisonnier” which is a playground game French children play. Finally, we watched Tintin Objectif Lune.

French Lunch Day was an enjoyable, but also educational, day where all the boys in Y5 could have fun while learning!

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Languages

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Pupil in Focus

Emilio Llanaj describes his extended learning opportunites within the Languages Department.

This year I have been learning Italian and the lessons were really fun. My teacher taught us humorous songs in the lesson about the subject I was learning and I enjoyed that a lot. I found out incredible facts about the Coliseum and many other famous places. I can’t wait to go there with my family and then I could practise my Italian for real. I really want to study Italian next year.

My Chinese lessons have also been a great experience for me. I learnt how to say hello, what nationality I am, how to say where I live and how old I am. Also I learnt the names of various foods and drinks and names of countries. I learnt how to speak and write to one hundred in Chinese.

Chinese has been very enjoyable and at the end of the year the class get a treat; we had a meal out to a Chinese restaurant. I would like to continue studying Chinese next year and I hope it will be as fun as this year.

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Languages

Bowling in Boppard Tom Smith gives an insight in to the recent German Trip...

After the long tiring trip from Bedford, through Dover, across the English Channel, through France and Belgium, we finally reached our destination in Germany.

We stayed in a hotel called Deutsches Haus, in Boppard, on the River Rhine.

We enjoyed the three course meal we had in the evening.

On the first day we went on a brilliant river cruise down the Rhine; even the rain couldn’t ruin the lovely scenic views of the valleys. In the evening we went to a Bowling alley – Mr. Wickens won, although I think he was cheating!

We had a great day out the next day at the... Amusement park – a real luxury we had the whole place to ourselves.

Alex Horn got stuck on the water boat ride, and was eventually rescued.

There was this massive roller coaster – I went on it 20 times!

On our last day we went to Cologne.

It was brilliant there, we climbed up Cologne cathedral which had 509 steps. Then we had some spare time to shop and go around Cologne with our friends. After that we walked up to my favourite place and I think Frau Chalmers’ too – it was the Lindt Chocolate Factory – I suppose it was a bit like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but we didn’t see any Oompa Lumpas. We got to see how chocolate was made and found out tons of weird and wacky facts – then there was this magnificent HUGE chocolate fountain. There was a lady holding some wafers and dunking

the wafers in the melted delicious chocolate then she handed them out to us!

Then, unfortunately, we had to go back to Boppard, but when we got there we had a brilliant surprise! We did a treasure hunt, we roamed about Boppard searching for clues. It was so fun!

Even though we didn’t want to leave Germany, we had to. Then off we went on our long tiring journey AGAIN and we finally got back to Bedford.

Top left: Matthew Budd drooling over the chocolate bunnies! Bottom left: Group photo at Boppard Marktplatz. Right: Frau Gander and friends enjoying the roller coaster.

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Geography

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Micro-climates, now there’s a hot topic!

During this year the Geography Department geared itself up for the “big move” and part of the summer vacation was spent moving all the storage furniture, maps, equipment, resources, books and teaching files from the Wells Building to St Luke’s. Two new classrooms have been developed in the former Church Hall to provide a departmental building which also includes a large storeroom.

The department is now surrounded by tranquil gardens and the imposing former Moravian Chapel.

The exceptionally hot weather of the final few weeks of the Summer Term provided an opportunity for fieldwork to be carried out around the Prep School Estate.

In Year 7, pupils were given the task of identifying signs of weathering and decay on the brick and stone archway which includes sandstone and a chunk of Shelley limestone. A micro climate study also took place with the Year 8 pupils making various weather measurements with digital equipment.

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Design & Technology

Craftmanship to CAD Showcasing traditional wood working skills against high-tech Computer Aided Design.

Computer Aided Design From top left: Grant Lawrence’s ‘virtual PSP’ Mathieu Govoni using ‘Pro Destop CAD’ Charlie Wilson’s desk tidy Samson Mau’s steam boat Ben Thrasher’s rotation CAD Grant Lawrence’s rotation CAD

Art Deco clocks Opposite page from top: Navin Choda, Theo Ogden, Thomas Edwards, Shiv Patel

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Design & Technology

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Art

The Face of Prep School Art

Artwork, left to right: Tom Smith (Y6), James Medley (Y7), Matthew Gouldesbrough (Y8) Opposite page, left: Simon Beal (Y6), right hand images from top to bottom: Toby King, Peter Jamieson, Jack Cuiro (Y5) Click to see more images from the Art Department this year Turn back a Page

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Art

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Art Artwork, left to right: Sam Barkes (Y8) Edward Jones (Y7) Gordon Yip (Y7)

Click to see more images from the A Department this ye

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Art

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Art ear

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Enrichment

Enrichment for All A wide range of enrichment activities and opportunities have taken place over the last year as Sam Assim, Stanley Willis and Dylan Parmar report. A new initiative has seen a number of Sixth Form students taking on the role as learning mentors and tutors in various subjects.

This year a series of enrichment courses was created. They are designed to enhance and expand a pupil’s knowledge and understanding of particular subjects in which they have shown an aptitude and it has been a really good way of developing our interest in subjects.

The unique thing about the courses is the tutors - they are from the Sixth Form in the Upper School and take the sessions with Y7/8 pupils of the Prep School.

This works really well as it’s interesting to meet them and they are so good at their subject. They come at the subjects from a slightly different angle and it makes the sessions fun. Also we get to do really cool stuff like igniting gas taps in Science and in the language ones we learn far more colloquial terms (and the odd bit of slang!) - so lunchtimes spent doing them are both thoroughly entertaining and extremely useful for our transition to the Upper School.

Sam Assim

My Maths Enrichment Classes

by Dylan Parmar (Y8) I was given the opportunity to embark on the Maths Enrichment programme during Thursday lunchtimes this year. We were led by Jack Um, a Sixth Former, who was amazing at developing and enhancing our Maths skills in a informal setting.

The best thing was we were free to choose any topic which interested us. Initially most of the topics appeared difficult, but Jack helped us solve these challenges systematically. This provided us with a deep understanding in our ability to problem solve and analyse Mathematical concepts. This helped secure me a gold award in this year’s Junior Maths Challenge of which I am very proud.

Maths Enrichment has provided me with improved confidence in Maths. It has been a very enjoyable experience and time well spent.

My Spanish Enrichment classes

by Stanley Willis My younger brother Spencer and I lived in Spain for four and a half years and we really wanted to keep up the fluent Spanish we learned over there. Every week, we have advanced Spanish lessons with a Sixth Form boy; we have a conversation in Spanish and we work through topics like sport, food, school, verbs and writing in Spanish.

It’s a great opportunity for us to carry on with our Spanish and I enjoy the classes.

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Enrichment

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Top of the Form

Kelly Faulkner reports on our first year in the Wellingborough Enrichment Quiz.

A new venture for the Prep School this year was competing in the Wellingborough Prep School Enrichment Quiz League, a General Knowledge competition for schools in Bedfordshire and Northants. Classroom tryouts were held in order to find the biggest General Knowledge brains in the Y5/6 and the Y7/8 age groups.

The junior team came up against some stiff competition from Laxton School (the current cup holders) and were knocked out in the first round. The senior team, comprising Joe Morgan (captain) Rory McCracken, Kushal Kansagra, Arvindh Sekaran and Callum Logan, fared considerably better. Beating the hosts, Wellingborough, in the first round, and consequently eliminating them from their own competition on the first day was a major confidence boost to the team. They then went on to conquer Bedford Modern School and Great Houghton before coming up against Sir Christopher Hatton School in the final. The team gave a stirling performance and achieved a convincing victory of 64-48 over twenty rounds. Champions in the first year of competing! Congratulations to all of the team and we look forward to defending our title with a new Y8 team next year.

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Drama

Shivermetimbers and Shivermesides

Where would you see a plethora of pirates, a chorus of cannibals and a boy dressed as a woman who hides in an apple barrel? No, this is not the beginning of a random joke but just some of the sights you’d have enjoyed if you’d come to this year’s Prep School play, “Some Treasure Island” writes Esther Gander who directed the play.

Written by Nigel Timms, the play was a comedy rather freely adapted from Stevenson’s classic tale. Plenty of madcap moments kept the audience amused for three nights in succession and it was evident that the boys had a great time performing.

Josh Mead played his part as Long John Silver with dynamism and energy – all the more impressive as he was managing to hold one leg up and use a crutch. Sam Assim as Squire Trelawney had great comic timing and wonderful expression and Sebastian Walker as Mrs. Hawkins eagerly got into character and was quite Turn back a Page

happy to wear a bra, high heels and make up!

Obviously one cannot individually mention all the boys involved by name, yet I was so impressed with the performances from all the cast. The grass skirted vegetarian cannibals delighted in their dancing, the pirates were sufficiently blood thirsty and the body count for the undertakers was a high one.

Such great performances were the result of a term’s hard work. Rehearsals were crammed into as many lunchtime and after school sessions as possible and a Back to Index

good work ethic was demonstrated by many boys some of whom were juggling a number of sporting and musical commitments.

I very much enjoyed working with all the boys involved; they deserve the success of their achievements and I would hope that they enjoyed the final result as much as I did.

Many thanks to all the staff and parents who helped with and supported this production.

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Some thoughts from the audience…

“I especially enjoyed the sound effects and the music.”

“The undertakers in their flippers and diving masks made me laugh a lot.”

“A great evening’s entertainment!”

“The cannibals were awesome!”

“A brief note of thanks and congratulations on the excellent performance of “Some Treasure Island.” It was thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable and great to see the depth of talent at the school.”

“We really enjoyed the smugness of Squire Trelawney, his characterization was excellent.”

The Cast Jim Hawkins - Sam Bradley Billy Bones - James Meredith A Lackey - Charlie Dempsey Undertaker 1 - Oliver McLeod Undertaker 2 - James Winder Mrs Hawkins - Sebastian Walker Doctor Livesey - Rory McCracken Blind Pew - Matthew Howarth Squire Trelawney - Sam Assim Long John Silver - Josh Mead Captain Smollett - Kito Beirens Arrow - Daniel Holdsworth Hunter - Tim Matthews Joyce - Patrick McDuel Dick - Thomas Blakemore Benn Gunn - Ben Thrasher

PIRATES

CANNIBALS

Felix Lin Callum Partridge Abhish Mailapalli Edward Jones Ben Garrett Tom Booton William Reynolds Charlie Dempsey Jack Harvey

Bobby Martin Robbie Evans Ollie Charlton Oliver Maltby Hugo Price Matthew Budd Ross Cawood

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PSHE

Life Education Continues to Flourish Di MacAskill provides an insight to the School’s PSHE & Citizenship Programme.

PSHE has continued to flourish. The Autumn Term’s PSHE morning had the title of ‘Healthy Choices’. This is now an established format and covered a range of topics from Drug and Alcohol Education, Learning to Learn Education, Health Education and Relationships Education.

Following last year’s successful talk, Years 7 and 8 each had an hour long talk on Substance Misuse by Barry Evans from DRED UK, a presentation team who raise awareness of substance misuse issues across the UK. Year 8 remembered his presentation from last year and this year’s was equally well received. Mr Evans was very impressed by the positive attitude and knowledge of the boys. He was particularly keen to promote the issue of the use of caffeine in drinks widely available to young people, even though they contain more than twice the adult recommended daily dose in one drink.

Year 7 and 8 also had a session on Multiple Intelligences, as part of the ‘Learning to Learn’ programme. This is based on Howard Gardner’s theory and helped each student to become a better learner, if not a genius!

The theme of the Spring Term’s PSHE morning covered various aspects of Citizenship. One of these was to challenge preconceptions and assumptions with age appropriate lessons covering topics such as the disabled and stereotypes.

PC Elaine Longstaff also spoke to each year group band – Years 7/8 on Crime and Consequences, together with a classroom session on legal and moral duties; Year 5/6 on Dealing with Emergencies; and, Year 3/4 on Taking responsibility for our behaviour, followed by a classroom session entitled ‘What would you do?’ to discuss and act out various situations and how to deal with them.

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The Spring Term’s weekly sessions focused on Rights and Responsibilities with particular focus on the rights of children across the world with resources from UNICEF. As last year, in addition to the weekly PSHE sessions an information session was held for each Year 5 tutor group on the topic of Personal Hygiene, delivered by the School Nurse; and Esteem and Relationships workshops were held for Years 7 and 8, led by Liz Jackson.

These are both part of the Sex and Relationships Education and are of great benefit to the boys who enjoyed working in small groups, being able to discuss topics that they didn’t have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere in the School curriculum in a structured, but relaxed way.

In the Summer Term we held a Guys and Guardians Evening on puberty for Year 6. Though this was attended by only twenty-five families, it was extremely well received and feedback was very positive.

Thoughts from the boys: I learnt about the stages of puberty.

I thought that the lady who taught us, taught us in a good way. I don’t think I will be as shy talking about the subject any more.

I learnt how to control a mood swing e.g.

‘Do you want to talk about it or do you want me to leave you alone?’

She was very good at talking about everything and she didn’t back away from the embarrassing words.

I learnt quite a lot and it was nice to relate to the sex education in Science.

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I liked the inclusiveness and the way Jo was down to earth and on our level so it was easy to understand her.

I learnt why I have been behaving so oddly over the past few days.

I’m ready for puberty now!

Finally, the Summer Term’s PSHE morning covered aspects of The Future looking at Friendships, Finance, Work and Careers, Government and Parliament, as well as Global Issues.

We are now looking forward to more discussions, visits and fun next year!

Music

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Fond Farewells

Charles Martin reflects upon a talented group of Year 8 musicians as they move on to new pastures.

It has become a custom that the Year 8 boys in Orchestra are asked to stand up at the end of the Summer Concert to a great ‘ooh’ of incredulity from members of the audience noting the large number of boys moving on and wondering how we will manage without them.

As I looked at the boys I was transported back to a hot day in July 2004 at the Royal Festival Hall in London; they were ‘Patrick’s babes’! It had been the end of Patrick Richmond’s first year and all Year 3 were performing in the National Festival of Music for Youth. It came home to me what a fantastic start this year group had, just as all subsequent year groups, for the past three years part of Gooch’s

gang! One needed no more evidence than the performance of Yanomamo in the Autumn Term. The health of music in the school is very much due to the excellent foundation laid in Years 3, 4 and 5 and singing forms a very large and fundamental part of the boys’ musical experience.

The House Singing Competition rose to new heights this year to a capacity audience in the Great Hall. An event which also involves every single boy in the school is the Composition Competition, which this year was given a higher profile with a different format, an evening Final after earlier semi-finals.

It was again interesting to note that the Back to Index

best pieces were not always composed by the star musicians. With a wide range of musical ability and experience, and given the opportunity to be creative, all boys have the chance to succeed. The musical ‘stars’ have been very much in evidence throughout the year (not just Year 8 ones) in Informal Concerts and the House Music Competition; a glance at the music exam results tells a story of continuing success in all instrumental departments. I have no worries about boys filling the shoes of the Year 8 leavers. In fact I look forward to future Summer Concerts and having a similarly sentimental moment about the current Year 5 boys when it is their turn.

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Mendelssohn to MacMillan

It has been a prolific and rich year for the Chapel Choir. In addition to singing the regular services in the School Chapel, the choir sang the services at Westminster Abbey in late December and followed this up in April with singing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Also the annual summer residency this year was at Winchester Cathedral, one of the oldest and premier cathedral foundations in Britain. James MacTavish gives his thoughts on his year as Senior Chorister, while Jim Cooper reports on the experience of singing at Whinchester Cathedral.

To be the Senior Chorister of the Chapel Choir is a great privilege. It gives me many duties to uphold such as making sure the Choristers are ready to go and sing on a Sunday service and lead the trebles when we are singing a big piece.

As the Senior Chorister, the Choristers look to me for help when they do not understand something.

As a soloist in the choir it is quite a nervewrecking experience when we are about to start a piece where I have a solo. It is hard, making sure you know what all the notes are, and singing in time with the Turn back a Page

choir. It is a wonderful feeling after having done a solo; you get an immense sense of achievement, even if you have sung the solo before. In this past year of being in the choir, it has been hard, as many of the Y8’s voices broke so I moved up in the choir. I was a Corner Boy, Second Chorister, and Senior Chorister, all in one year. It was hard at first, but as the year progressed, I gained more confidence in my singing and organising the Trebles when required.

The Choir means a lot to me, as it is like a small community. We all go on Back to Index

trips and we sing in wonderful places like Westminster Abbey at Christmas and St Paul’s Cathedral. During the summer holidays, we went on a fantastic Choir trip to Winchester, where we not only had a lot of fun visiting surrounding areas but were the resident choir for the Winchester Cathedral. The Chapel also means a lot to me, as that is where we rehearse and sing. It contains a lot of good memories for me and shall do for the next five years as I move on through the Upper School.

James MacTavish

Music

On Wednesday 19th August, Bedford School Chapel Choir assembled in Pemberley Avenue, to take the coach to Winchester. We would be staying in Pilgrims’ School, where the Choristers of Winchester Cathedral board during term time, and would sing Evensong in the Cathedral every day until Sunday, when we would sing for Matins, Eucharist and Evensong.

When we arrived in Winchester, we were served a delicious lunch of chicken korma. We then found our rooms, which were very comfortable, although the beds were a bit short for some of the sixth formers!

At Evensong on the first day, the Verger told us that our echo lasted three seconds, which we thought was quite good, until he told us that Winchester Cathedral Choir’s echo is twelve seconds long!!

On Thursday, we rehearsed before visiting Portsmouth Dock Yard, to see HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. After a

boat trip round the harbour, it was time to go back to Winchester to sing Evensongour echo went up to five seconds! We sang Howells’ ‘Collegium Regale’ and the anthem ‘Christus Factus Est’ by Bruckner.

The next day we visited Beaulieu Motor Museum, and saw the “Top Gear” and “James Bond” exhibitions. We were given a delicious barbecue lunch at the nearby home of Mr and Mrs Pelham, who are friends of the Choir Master Mr Morris, and had a swim in their outdoor pool. Later at Evensong we sang the anthem, ‘Rejoice in the Lord Always’ by Henry Purcell, and his Evening Service in G Minor.

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rehearsed and then sang ‘A New Song’ by James MacMillan for Matins, after which there were six minutes before Eucharist in which we sang Jean Langlais’ Messe Solennelle. After a barbecue lunch with our families at Pilgrims’ School it was time for Evensong, featuring James MacTavish singing the solo in Mendelssohn’s ‘Hear My Prayer’.

All in all, the tour was a great success, and we would like to thank all the teachers who came with us. We had a great time!

Jim Cooper

On Saturday we had a tour of the Cathedral, and some free time in Winchester. We then had a photo shoot and soon after it was time for Evensong with the anthem ‘And I Saw a New Heaven’ by Edgar Bainton.

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Music

Music Exam Results Name

Instrument

Grade

Dexter Southern Conrad Staroscik Charles Dempsey Darcy Clements Jack Hutchings Adam Ridley Adam Johnston Thomas Lousada Thomas Hall Oliver Mcleod Aidan Swain Charlie Brotherston Luke Steel Dylan Parmar Oliver Rogers-Jones Robert Salvesen Jim Cooper Tunde Adewale Rufus Ollerhead Edward Wilson Guy Balogun Matthew Haywood Ben Young Tristan Walker Sean Davies George Lilley-Moncrieff Theo Ogden Arvindh Sekaran Luke Wilson Nicholas Chapman Jeremy Kent Arvindh Sekaran

Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano

Prep Test 1 1 1 Merit 1 Distinction 1 Distinction 1 Distinction 1 Distinction 1 1 1 Merit 1 Merit 2 2 2 Merit 2 Distinction 2 Distinction 2 Merit 2 3 3 Distinction 3 Merit 3 Distinction 4 4 4 Merit 4 4 Distinction 4 Merit 4 Distinction 5 Merit 5 Merit

Harjeet Sumal Benjamin Wilshaw-Quinn George Allen Amir Kalyan Ross Cawood Peter Jamieson Oliver McCormack Sam Bradley Dylan Adkins Rukudzo Msindo Sam Holland Jesse Billington Robert Salvesen Ruben Sharma Adam Olphin Edward Wilson Alexander Budd Steven Fahmy Anastassios Savvides

Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin

Prep Test 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Merit 1 1 Distinction 1 Merit 2 Merit 2 Distinction 2 Merit 3 Merit 3 Merit 3 3 3

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Award

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Name

Instrume

Robert Salvesen Joshua Hambleton-Jewell Alexander Kearney Matthew Haywood Edward Wilson Charlie Brotherston Alexander Dickinson James Mactavish Arvindh Sekaran William Doggett James Stewart George Seward Max Foulkes Oliver Smith Theo Ogden

George Lilley-Moncrieff

Alistair Jones Ben Russell Robert Elson Ben Savage Christopher O’Reilly

Angus Quinn

Dylan Page

Toby King Toby King

Harry Burden

Oliver Meniru Shiv Patel William Reynolds

Manhara Ratnayake Matthew Budd

Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Viola Cello Cello Cello Cello Cello Cello Double B Double B Double B Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Guitar Harp Harp

Samson Mau James Phillips Benjamin Poslad Edward Sharrock Guy Davis Nickolas Chapman Nicholas Chapman Guy Davis

Oliver Winder Daniel Ball Edward Elsmore Jack Harvey Daniel Holdsworth Luis Cattell Jacob Stephenson Julian West

Flute Flute Flute Flute Oboe Oboe Oboe Oboe Clarinet Clarinet Clarinet Clarinet Clarinet Clarinet Bassoon Bassoon

Harry Allen Jayan Chander Max Thackara

Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet

Music

ent

Bass Bass Bass

n n

t t t

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Grade Award

Name

Instrument

Grade Award

3 Merit 4 4 Merit 4 4 Merit 5 Merit 5 Merit 5 Merit 5 Merit 5 Merit 1 Merit 1 1 1 3 Distinction 4

5 Merit 1 Distinction 4 4 Merit 1 Distinction 1 1 1 Distinction 2 3 4 Merit 5 5 1 Distinction 1 Distinction

Max Williamson Alexander Horn Benjamin Moule David Stephenson Nic Reay Joe Ayling Nic Reay Joe Ayling Guy Balogun Charles Seamark Ben Smith Archie Young-Lee Matthew Gouldesbrough Matthew Gouldesbrough William Reynolds William Reynolds Jim Cooper Jim Cooper Henry Zwetsloot Joseph Usher

Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet Cornet Trumpet Trumpet Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Trombone Euphonium Tuba

2 3 3

3 3 Merit 3 4 4 6 Merit 1 Merit 1 Merit 1 Distinction 1 Merit 2 Merit 2 3 Merit 5 Distinction 6 Distinction 2 Merit 2 Distinction

Drum Kit Drum Kit Drum Kit Timpani

1 Merit 1 Distinction 2 Distinction 1 Distinction

Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing Singing

1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 5 5 5

Theory Theory Theory Theory Theory Theory

5 5 5 5 5 5

2 Merit 3 3 Merit 5 3 Merit 3 Merit 4 4 Merit 1 Distinction 1 Merit 2 Merit 2 2 Merit 3 Merit 5 Merit 6 Distinction 2 2 Merit 2

Thomas Rogers Luke Steel Dolapo Fagbenro Alexander Deeley

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Simon Beal James Brodrip Logan Jones David Stephenson James Brodrip Simon Beal Alex Early Nic Reay

David Stephenson Edward Wilson

Nicholas Chapman James MacTavish Jacob Stephenson Luke Wilson James MacTavish Jacob Stephenson Jim Cooper Nick Chapman Arvindh Sekaran Luke Wilson

Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction Merit

Distinction Distinction Merit Distinction Merit Distinction Merit Distinction Merit Merit Merit Merit Distinction

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Music

Panfest - A Steel Band Extravaganza

Two of the budding Prep School Steel Band members, Nathaniel Conte and Rukudzo Msindo write about their experience of performing in the inaugural Panfest!

Whoa! What a performance, who would have thought that you could create such beautiful music with pans! Of course, we weren’t up to the standard of the spectacular Biddenham Upper School performing to the highest standards which you could probably be!

When we first went into the Great hall we thought that all the schools be the same standard, but Whoa! weren’t we wrong! Of course we are proud of what we have achieved and what we have heard and seen!

It is a spectacular event seeing different mixtures of schools involving learning disability schools, upper schools and prep schools! This event wasn’t a competition it was just an event showing the supportive public what we have achieved!

The whole audience was enjoying the fantastic event though some did not enjoy the event as much as the others, not mentioning any names! Though some of us got to bed very late, it was all worth it!

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On Any Given Wednesday

By any standard it proved to be a fine year for sport in the Prep School characterised by great involvement, considerable success and huge enjoyment. Shawn Philips and Simon Lincoln review the various sporting achievements.

The Rugby season began in the usual warm weather although, for once, the pitches were relatively soft. The boys were keen and trained well, fighting for places in all teams. During the Autumn Term a large number of boys represented the School in teams from U8 through to the 1st XV. There was a mixed bag of results, but only one side lost more than they won. Rugby is a tough game and the boys had a steep learning curve as they played against sides that have more time on the training field and more match experience.

Highlights for the 1st XV were, undoubtedly, the wins over Dragon and Caldicott. Tough opposition, always, the Caldicott game was a real nail biter with us holding on for a two point win. Stand

out players were Oliver Lyons, Bob Barfoot, Zac Carter and James Phillips.

Oliver, Bob and James were all invited to attend the Northampton Saints Rugby Academy. The U13B team lost just one game, which was the first loss of their school careers for many of the players.

However, major achievements were that both the U11A and U12C teams went undefeated: great news for the future.

A new initiative saw Oliver Lyons and Tunde Adewale participate in the Prep School Barbarians teams at U13 and U11 level respectively. They played matches against Cardiff Schools and both won the “Man of the Match� awards. We are extremely proud of their achievements.

The 7s squad trained from September on free Saturday afternoons. The Back to Index

first tournament at Bryanston saw a quarter-final achieved. A win at the Denstone tournament was followed by two less successful outings at The Downs and Millfield. However, come the National Preps, the team was firing on all cylinders. Bob Barfoot and Ben Nethersole showed how to play the game and were the outstanding performers.

The rest of the team worked hard and we cruised through the first day. A solid win against Colet Court in the quarter-final was followed by a tense 12-10 win over Dulwich in the semi-final. An amazing achievement by the boys involved. The Downs, a traditionally strong 7s outfit, were just too good for us in the final and beat us by four tries to two.

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Sport National Prep School Sevens The Prep School Sevens squad enjoyed two wonderful days of competition at the National Schools’ Sevens Tournament.

Exceeding all expectations, they played some superb rugby in reaching the final of the competition.

The group games against Danes Hill, Holmwood House and Mowden Hall were won easily with every squad member being used. This led to a place in the knock-out stages with a game against old rivals, the Dragon School, Oxford.

After an even start Bedford played some good rugby and gradually broke down the opposition to record a 31-7 win.

The second day of competition saw a quarter-final tie against Colet Court, who had previously beaten Bedford at the Millfield Tournament. A very determined and physical display produced a convincing 24 – 5 victory. A very close and tense semi-final against Dulwich College took a good deal out of the players, but Bob Barfoot’s brace of tries along with Ben Nethersole’s conversion brought about a 14-12 win and a place in the final against the Downs School.

The Downs were the favourites from the word go but Bedford gave a good account of themselves throughout the game.

Another Barfoot/Nethersole double kept things even, but a small mistake and a well rehearsed move saw two scores and victory to The Downs.

It was a great performance from the Bedford Squad with all the training and the miles on the road proving to be very worthwhile after a memorable two days.

Squad: Bob Barfoot, Ben Nethersole, Zach Carter, James Lee, Guy Balogun, Tom Garratt, Jesse De Buriatte, Seb Clements, Ben Clarke, Angus Gill, James Lamond

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The Denstone Sevens Tournament The Prep School Sevens Squad acquitted themselves very well in winning the Denstone Sevens Tournament.

After easily defeating Yarlet in a one-sided contest, we struggled in our final two group games against QEGS Wakefield and Ellesmere and gained narrow victories. We didn’t play particularly good 7s and squandered a number of chances through poor handling.

However, in the semi-final against St. Anselms (and even more so against the hosts Denstone College in the final) we made it look easy. Several passages of play could easily have featured in a video “how the game of rugby sevens should be played”.

Although all members of the squad deserve praise for their determination and willingness to listen and learn

lessons, there are a couple of highlights to mention. Bob Barfoot’s never-say-die attitude enabled him to chase down an Ellesmere player and prevent him from scoring (even though the player was over the try line) by cleverly turning him as he made the tackle. Also, Ben Nethersole’s outrageous side-steps had defenders clutching at thin air. It was reminiscent of those great Phil Bennett side-steps in “that try” during the Baa-Baas v NZ encounter of 1973. Ben’s two scores in the first half of the final effectively killed it as a contest.

Barbarians Call Up for Tunde and Oliver A new development in the world of Prep School rugby over recent years has been the creation of a national Prep School Barbarians representative side at under 11 and under 13 level. Oliver Lyons and Tunde Adewale worked their way through the regional, divisional and national Back to Index

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trials to be selected for the Barbarians side to play against Cardiff Schools in late March. Oliver played at No.8 and was Vice Captain of the Under 13 team while Tunde was selected as Left Wing in the Under 11 team. Their selection was thoroughly deserved after both of them made outstanding contributions to their respective School teams during the Autumn Term with Oliver crossing the line to score 30 times and Tunde scoring 20 tries from the scrum half position.

Both Barbarians sides secured strong victories with both Oliver and Tunde receiving the Man of the Match award. It was a terrific achievement for both boys to be selected and for Oliver it crowned a marvellous season which also saw him selected to take part in the Elite Player Programme at the Northampton Saints Academy.

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Hockey The season was somewhat interrupted by the heavy snow falls seen in February, but a lot of hockey was packed into the weeks that were not affected.

As usual the normal fixtures resulted in the hardest battles. Results were generally good with the older four teams showing strength in winning over twothirds of their encounters. The 1st XI went unbeaten at home, but were not the same team away. Harry Axford set a fine example by scoring in all but one game. The 2nd XI started poorly but made significant progress throughout the term after being beaten heavily by Turn back a Page

Winchester House 1st XI. The 3rd and 4th XIs, made up of Y7 pupils only, also made significant progress, between them only losing three games. Sebastian Trounson was a prolific scorer for the 3rd XI, registering at least one goal in all but one game.

At U11 we again saw that there is talent waiting to be developed. In their first season of competitive hockey there was much to be learned and the boys certainly gave their all. Together with the enthusiasm of their coaches, Mrs Travis and Mr Lincoln, much was learned and some pleasing results were achieved.

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The U10s played one fixture which was won.

In the mini-hockey competitions both U11 and U13 sides won the County Championships and went on to play in the East Region competition. These were played in May and both teams acquitted themselves well despite many of them training for cricket! Some close fought games were lost with both sides finishing out of the places and not progressing any further.

Thank you to all the teachers for their time and commitment and to the supporters for

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their encouragement. Special thanks go to Mr Doug Spencer who gave a lot of time each Wednesday to help coach all the age groups. We look forward to a new challenge next year when Mr Matthew Jamieson comes into the School as Master i/c Hockey.

He will oversee the development of the game throughout the year groups.

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Cricket With the weather being so kind this year it has been a busy schedule for all our boys, none more so than the 1st XI who have managed to squeeze eighteen matches into ten weeks, winning sixteen of them. Our U13 teams have played forty-three matches and won forty of them, a testament to their ability and hard work these boys have put in. In total BPS played over seventy-five matches and won eighty percent of them. The 1st XI had some fine wins this year, none more so than our defence of 135 in 40 overs against Bedfordshire. The bowlers – Robb Wright, Charlie Thurston, Patrick McDuell, Shiv Patel, James Lee and Ashil Shah – showed great control to defend this modest total. The power of Thurston and Oliver Lyons, partnered by the stroke play of Patel, McDuell, Joshua Mead and Harry Axford allowed for some big partnerships to be built. To beat Dragon, Winchester House and Caldicott in the same year is a good measure of a successful campaign and to score 337 Turn back a Page

in 30 overs against Oakham, whilst also reaching the semi-final of the National Twenty20 competition, confirms what a superb team the 2009 1st XI were.

The 2nd XI and 4th XI were undefeated whilst the 3rd XI only lost one. All sides played positive cricket with both bat and ball to secure so many victories. The most pleasing aspect has been that winning performances from match to match have come from different boys, which again proves the sporting depth we have here at BPS. An example of this is six different boys scoring 50s for the 2nd XI. Although the U11s have had a difficult season, they have probably shown more development than any other team, winning their three final games, including a fine win against Swanbourne House.

Both the U11s and U10s are finding the adjustment to the new format of the game difficult and the discipline to look Back to Index

after their wickets is proving a difficult one to learn. The talent is there and next season many of these boys will prove themselves as they have another year’s experience. Next year will be an exciting one as sixteen boys will set off to South Africa on a ten-day tour where they will play five matches over eight days, whilst also trying to squeeze in some of the wonderful sights of Cape Town. It is an exciting opportunity to play against one of the finest cricketing nations and learn from them as we prepare for next year’s domestic season.

Finally, Charlie Thurston deserves a special mention as his three hundreds and countless match winning innings meant he was selected for Bedford School 1st XI on two occasions and scored 50 in one of them. This, coupled with being selected to tour with the 1st XI to South Africa next year, tops off a fine individual season.

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Champagne Moments:

Charlie Thurston 100* vs Chepstow CC James Herriott’s hat trick vs St Johns Beaumont 4th XI Amit Atwal’s hat trick vs Caldicott 5th XI Josh Selvey’s 5 for 16 vs Dragon Charlie Thurston 116* vs Wellingborough 1st XI William Reynolds’ hat trick vs Wellingborough 4th XI 1st XI scoring 337 in 30 over’s vs Oakham 1st XI Charlie Thurston 155* vs Oakham 1st XI Shiv Patel’s 5 for 28 vs Kings Caterbury 1st XI Tom Garrett’s 4 wickets in 4 balls vs St Faiths 3rd XI 2nd XI Unbeaten 4th XI Unbeaten

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Athletics 48 Sport

The usual round of league matches went smoothly for the senior team but, despite great individual performances, the team did not make it through to the finals.

However, many personal bests were achieved and the boys were, rightly, proud of their achievements. The junior team were more successful and were winners of the ‘B’ league final.

In the District Competition Oliver Lyons (shot put), Bob Barfoot (long jump) and Zac Carter (800m) all achieved gold Turn back a Page

medals at Y8 level. Jonathan Janes ran consistently in the 1500m, gaining second place in the Y7 race. Once again, the junior team performed well and were the joint winners of the Y6 boys’ competition. Top performances saw golds for Tunde Adewale (150m and long jump) and Oliver Burgess (cricket ball throw). John Hunt managed two silvers and Charlie Clarke a bronze.

For the emerging athletes there was some success at the Southern Area East Back to Index

Anglian Championships with the Y4 relay team winning gold and Oliver Thrasher silver in the Y5 cricket ball throw.

The East Competition in the National Prep Schools was tough, but seven athletes managed to qualify to represent the region in the Finals at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

A hot day in Birmingham saw some amazing athletics: Bob Barfoot broke the regional long jump record for Y8s with a

leap of 5.46m! Oliver Lyons won gold in the Y8 shot and Tunde Adewale in the Y6 200m. Bob Barfoot won silver in the Y8 long jump, Zac Carter was a creditable fourth in the Y8 800m and Jonathan Janes eighth in the Y7 1500m.

Well done to all those who represented the School.

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Sport

Swimming The boys have, once again, had a very successful year in the pool. Some hard training has certainly paid off. For the School Team there were no defeats, but some very close calls. Excellent wins over strong teams from Aldwickbury and Warwick were the highlights of the year. Some good swims at the Bromsgrove Relays saw placings but no golds this year. Still, it was a good show considering the high level of those schools competing.

The Y7 relay team achieved two fourth places and the Y5 relay team one fifth place. Individually, Zac Cater swam an amazing 28.3s 50m freestyle and was seventh, George Lilley-Moncrieff gained a bronze in the Y7 50m breaststroke and Oliver Winder a silver in the Y5 25m breaststroke swimming a year above his age group! The best result was from Oliver Maltby who won gold in a very competitive Y7 25m butterfly race.

Well done to all our swimmers.

At the IAPS Boys’ Championships hopes were high at the qualifying round. Some great swims were rewarded with places at the finals, but some disqualifications prevented us taking a large contingent.

However, at the K2 centre in Crawley in May, in the presence of Mr Godwin, those finalists did very well indeed.

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Fencing It has been a hugely successful year for George Burton and Grant Lawrence at National level and Peter Wright, their coach, reports on their developing skills in sabre fencing.

In June Millfield Preparatory School in Somerset hosted the IAPS Fencing Championships for foil, epee and sabre. Fencers from preparatory schools across the country attended this event. George and Grant competed in the U14 Boys’ Sabre and both fenced strongly throughout the day reaching the semi-final stage. In his semifinal, George Burton took a strong lead from the beginning, beating Rafe Harris from Millfield Preparatory School 15-3. Grant Lawrence also drew a Millfield Preparatory School fencer, Craig Wormer. After an exciting fight, Grant duly won 15-7, creating an all Bedford final. In the gold medal fight both Bedford fencers fought well in a closely contested match in which the lead kept swapping. After the eight-hit break Grant Lawrence edged towards victory by using his strong defence and footwork to eventually win the fight 15-12.

George then went on to compete in the U13 Boys’ Sabre event at the England National Age Group Fencing Championships where he fenced strongly in his initial seeding round, winning seven out of eight bouts, several of these being 5-0 victories. George was ranked as the No.3 seed after this performance and had a bye through the first stage of the direct elimination tableau. After fencing with considerable confidence in the knockout stages, George faced Rubin Ansalem from Camden Fencing Club. The bout was hard-fought and Rubin established an early lead using his footwork. Despite a change of tactics by George at the half-way break, his opponent managed to keep the momentum and eventually won 10-6. A silver medal placing at this event was a great result for George who, along with Grant, had benefitted from attending a training camp at the Honved Fencing Club in Budapest, Hungary, during the Easter holidays.

Golf

Golf at BPS has continued to develop this year. The boys in the Golf Squad have had regular sessions at the Bedfordshire Golf Club throughout the year in the driving range, on the par 3 course and they have even played a few holes on the main course.

A number of other boys joined them in the “BPS Open” which took place on Friday 22nd May on the 9-hole course.

There was an exciting finish as Guy Johnson and Joshua Taylor were both 2 over par after the ninth hole, so an extra hole was needed to separate the two.

Guy managed to win this hole and is the 2009 BPS Open Champion. The other winners are as follows:

On Sunday 21st June, Papplewick organised an U13 Tournament (which was hosted by Wellington College on their nine hole course). There were three Stapleford points given for par. Our team came third behind Whitgift and Millfield with Joshua scoring 23 points, Guy 22 and Charlie Ballard 14.

Near the end of term on Tuesday 30th June, Guy and Joshua represented the School at the ISGA Junior Open held at The Shires. They both played well and Guy shot 82 giving him a nett 64 and Joshua 84 giving him a nett 72. Guy was joint first in the U14 Nett Competition and we were third in the overall Nett Team Competition.

Y8 – Oscar Butterwick Y6 – Joshua Taylor Y5 – Conrad Starocisk

The Stowe Putter Guy Johnson and Joshua Taylor enjoyed considerable success in this year’s Stowe Putter. Stowe School provided the venue for more than 90 Prep School golfers from over 30 Prep schools for the annual Stowe Putter and Junior Jigger competitions on 27 August.

Following a rather gloomy and wet practice day, the golfing gods smiled on Stowe and the competition was played in beautiful sunshine. The Stowe Golf Course is normally Par 33, but for this competition it is par 42. The competition is played on a Stapleford basis and off scratch with 1 point for a bogey, 2 for par and 3 for an eagle etc.

Guy won the Under 13 competition

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Sport

in scoring 52 points for 18 holes, the equivalent of 16 under on the day while Joshua won the Under 12 competition with 51 points and a commanding 9 points margin over his nearest rival. The boys received their trophies at the end of the day from Paul Way, the former PGA and European Open Champion. A 3rd place was also secured in the team competition.

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Both boys have also gained a good degree of success over the summer with Joshua finishing 8th in the 11/12 age group at the ‘HSBC Wee Wonders’ National Final in St Andrews. His 2nd place in the 11 year olds secures him a place in the GB & Ireland Team at the Junior World Championships in Pinehurst USA next Summer.

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Guy’s most recent success came in the Caddington Junior Open where against 30 other golfers aged up to 15 he won the competition by two shots.

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Cross Country The Prep School made a good start to the cross country season in the Bedfordia Championships. Jonathan Janes was fourth in the Y7 race and Lucas Stewart eighth. In the Y5/6 race Stanley Willis just beat Tunde Adawale for second place. In a field of over 200 runners these two boys performed exceptionally well. The Prep School, in conjunction with Bedford High School, finished third overall. In the Bedford and District Championships Tunde reversed the earlier result and beat Stanley for second place. Lucas finished seventh, but the outstanding performance was by Jonathan who won the Y7 race. All the teams improved on their performances in the Bedfordia race with all eight Y8 boys finishing forty-second or higher. Rupert Oakley was the first of the Bedford Team home in eleventh place. Again, the combined Prep School and High School team finished in third place overall. We entered two teams in the Spratton Hall relay event. The U11 team ran well to finish in fourth place. The U13 team of Janes, Carter, Oakley and Barfoot ran exceptionally well and were very close to winning the race but in the end had to settle for a very creditable second place.

The season finished with the Newnham Invitation race for Y5 and below. This was the highlight of the season with the Prep School “A� Team dominating the race to finish in first place. Stanley Willis finished second with brother Spencer close behind in fourth place. Edward Johnson was sixth and Robert Seamark ninth.

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Sporting OB’s

Will Skinner & Adam Park... Where are they now?

It is always good to hear from old boys of the Prep School and for two of our former pupils it has been an exciting and challenging year.

Shawn Phillips recently caught up with Will Skinner who proved to be an inspirational captain for Harlequins last season. Will was a member of the Prep School 1st XV for two years and captained the side in 1996/97 before going on to play for England Schools, Leicester Tigers and England Saxons.

Who has been the most influential person in your senior rugby career ?

Dean Richards, I signed my first professional contract after leaving school in 2002 with the Leicester tigers where Dean was Director of Rugby, and dean was influential in my move down to Harlequins in 2006 where he had been based during the previous season.

What made you decide to give rugby ‘a go’ as a profession?

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During my last couple of years at Bedford rugby was a major part of my life, with school, club and England schoolboys it gave me an insight in to what the demands of professional sport were. I signed an academy contract at Leicester whilst I was still in the sixth form so they could map my progress, and make the transition in to full time sport that bit easier.

I always knew I wanted to be a professional rugby player but understood that’s not always enough, so I kept my options open finishing my A levels at Bedford, and still today I’m doing a degree with the open university.

What memories do you have of your school rugby career?

Other than being allot quicker than I am today, probably the coaches, Chris Godwin & Shaun Phillips in the Prep school and Guy Fletcher and Barry Burgess during the sixth form. I will never forget the school tour to NZ, SA Australia and Fiji in 2000.

What would you like to achieve outside rugby?

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I love to travel and experience different cultures, but due to the length of our season I don’t get much of a chance to do this, but I would love to travel the world one day and learn a foreign language.

What is the best match you have been involved in?

The greatest match I have ever been involved was last season in Harlequins’ Heineken cup campaign, we played Stade Francais in the Stade de France in Paris in front of 80,000 people, where we managed to hold on to the win after being pinned on our line for the last 15 minutes of the game. The pre game entertainment of medieval sports and cancan dancers wasn’t bad either!

Which ground do you enjoy playing at the most?

Harlequins home ground ‘The Stoop!’ but I have to say that. I really enjoy playing at grounds like Gloucester’s (kingsholm) where the opposing fans are always very loud and

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give us a lot of stick.

What is the main goal for Harlequins in the new season?

We always say we want to build on the previous seasons performance, and as we finished second in the league and reached the Quarters of the European cup last season we have the added pressure of expectation now, but still I think we have the squad and the ability to win some silverware this year

Adam Park joined the Prep School in 1997 as a boarder and his school and university career has been characterised by a desire to take on new challenges. Since leaving school Adam has cycled across America, taken part in an Ironman Triathlon and most recently competed in the Marathon des Sables. Oliver Whiteley recently met with him to put forward questions from Prep School boys about his training regime and the demands of his latest adventure.

Do you have a special training regime?

Over the past 4 years I have taken part in various challenges and competitions that require different types of training.

For example, when training for TaeKwon-

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Do competitions, I do more technical and flexibility training whilst doing short sprint fitness sessions whereas when training for the Marathon Des Sables, my exercises lasted a lot longer. Generally, I enjoy training the most when it is kept intense and varied, so I like to work as hard as I can, wether it be in the gym, swimming pool or on the bike, at least once every day.

a tough challenge and diving head first into something new gives you the most incredible combination of fear and excitement about finding out whether your character can really stand up to the test. It gives you a lot of confidence because it shows you what you can do, but you also see a glimpse of your limit and it’s a humbling experience every time.

Do you have a particular diet?

Who was your hero when you were a boy?

Training is 50% exercise and 50% diet so good diet is a must. I tend to lose weight quite fast when I don’t eat at least 5 meals a day whilst training so my main aim is to eat as much as I can! (It annoys me to see so many reduced calories products in the supermarket, why not added calories?)

Eating at the right time is just as important as eating the right amount of the right stuff so I always try to eat something small before and after training for fast recovery. But of course, you shouldn’t eat so much if you’re not training at the same time...

When I was a boy? I don’t think it’s been that long since I was at Bedford Prep... I have many heroes but the ones that inspire me to do these challenges are Sir Ranulf Fiennes and Lance Armstrong. “Sir Ran” because his idea of a challenge is beyond clinically insane but he keeps on pulling them off, and I like Lance because he can take pain like no other man on the planet... They both demonstrate what you are able to achieve if you are tough enough mentally and poses the question “how tough are you?”

Why do you do it?

Usually because I don’t like to miss a unique opportunity. If you think you can do it, why wait or let is pass by? Almost 100 percent of the time, I have no real expertise nor am I ready when I sign up to the challenges. I had never worn bike shoes or rode on a road bike until the day before I set off to cycle across America (!) and the Ironman was only my second ever triathlon. Setting yourself

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What do you plan to do for your next adventure?

I would love to take part in the North Pole Race but it costs a lot of money and as a recent graduate looking for a job, maybe not right now. I had this idea of kayaking down the length of the Mediterranean along the northern coast. Again, I’ve only kayaked once before so... I think it’ll be fun!

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Jersey Trip

Surf’s up!

Over the last 30 years, generations of Prep School boys have enjoyed the hospitality of Vic annual tour to St Helier. The relationship between the two schools goes back to 1940 when the college and were accommodated at Bedford School. The Victorians at Bedford took a foster-parent school but they never lost their identity as Victorians. As an expression of their of Victoria College presented an Oak Panel, and an oak seat which now stands in the Bedfor Charters writes, the timing of this year’s visit not only saw matches in hockey, cricket and footb an early summer dip.

On Friday 8th of May a group of twentythree boys from Y6 boarded a flight to Jersey for a sports tour where we played hockey, cricket and then football. We arrived at the Jersey Airport at three o’clock after an ‘interesting’ flight on a four propeller plane. We travelled to the Les Quennevais hockey pitches where we were split into three teams to play Victoria College at hockey. After many tight matches Bedford won in overall Turn back a Page

points. We then checked in at The Apollo Hotel where we all went for a swim in the hotel pool and then had tea.

On the Saturday morning we loaded the minibuses with cricket kit ready for a fierce day ahead. We arrived at Granville cricket pitches where we were divided into two teams, ready to play Victoria College. The results of the day were a tight win for the B team but a loss for the Back to Index

A team.

To cool off we all went for a day’s surfing at St Ouen’s Bay where we had a lesson in surfing and then a long session riding the surf: “kallabungah dude!”After drying off and a quick change we went to Jersey Bowl to play some ten-pin bowling and great fun was had by all.

On our last day, Sunday, we arrived back

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ctoria College in Jersey with the n 40 boys were evacuated from full part in the activities of their gratitude they and other friends rd School playing fields. As Jake ball but allowed the boys to have at Les Quennevais, but this time to play football, where we once again split into two teams. All I can say is football is not our sport: we should stick to rugby. But, all in all, it was a fantastic trip and many thanks to Mr Phillips, Mr Blacklock and Mrs Di Sapia for organising it and looking after us so well.

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Eagle House Trip

Eagle House Trip to Arundel

Paul Clarke gives an account of a fun filled week end away for the boarders.

The annual Eagle House weekend away proved to be a great success and the boys seemed to really enjoy the trip. This probably had something to do with them missing school on Saturday morning and the whole of Monday!

After a good journey to Arundel we arrived at the youth hostel. First impressions were very good. After unpacking we got back into the minibuses for the short trip into Arundel. The boys thought we were going for a stroll around the town and then some shopping. However the stroll turned out to be a seven mile walk!

We started near the castle, walked up through the town past the cathedral and then into Arundel Park. By now some of the boys had realized that perhaps this was not quite what they were expecting.

Then the moaning began! However many of the boys and staff were enjoying being Turn back a Page

out in the stunning countryside. After walking through the park we descended down to the river and followed this as it meandered its way back to Arundel, arriving back at the car park just as a security guard was lowering the barriers which would have prevented us from leaving.

We returned to the hostel in time for an excellent evening meal. For the rest of the evening the boys and staff amused themselves playing rugby, cricket, cards or a variety of board games with not a laptop in sight.

After a full English breakfast the following morning we set off for Portsmouth and the Historic Dockyards. Here we had a full day going around HMS Victory and HMS Warrior as well as visiting the Mary Rose Ship Hall and Museum. We also Back to Index

had an interesting harbour tour to finish the visit.

On the Monday on our way back to Bedford we stopped off at Thorpe Park.

We had expected it to be not too busy.

Unfortunately this was not the case.

However this did not detract from the boys’ enjoyment and many of them had a great time going on the scarier rides.

The younger boys particularly enjoyed getting soaked from the spray coming from the water rapid ride. We finished off with a meal in Pizza Hut. This had an eat as much as you like menu and not surprisingly all our boys did, with many of them consuming their body weight in pizza. The journey back to Bedford was fairly quiet and the boys were tired by now so there were no problems getting them to bed and to sleep when we arrived back at Eagle House.

Eagle House Trip

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Ski Trip

Where Eagles Dare The Zillertal Valley Austria, more famously known as the location for the 1968 WWII epic ‘Where Eagles Dare’ has recently been host to a new type of Eagle. Stephen Guest explains...

No not Mr Whiteley attempting his amazing Eddie the Eagle-esc jumps but 38 Bedford Prep boys on a skiing mission of their own.

As they set foot on the piste the boys were inwardly nervous, yet many were able to elude a demeanour of confidence and swagger. ‘Let’s see if it is misplaced’, murmured the instructors.

Skiing, for those of you who’ve never tried it, can be an extremely expensive way of combining acute discomfort, embarrassment, mind-numbing fear and a light dusting of hypothermia. The beginners had been regaled with plenty of frightening stories, as they embarked on the sunny slopes of Mayrhofen.

They started gradually, many under the impression that one way to avoid injury was to ‘go very slowly’. Unfortunately this is not possible because to counter Turn back a Page

the surprisingly powerful effects of gravity you need to dig the edges of your skis into the slope with such force that after a very short time your thigh muscles actually catch fire. When the smell of burning flesh becomes too overpowering you let go, and suddenly you are travelling at 700mph. Using this novel idea as a basis for their progression, the beginners were soon conquering the lower slopes and ready to ‘move on up’.

Evenings were a combination of swimming, bowling, and a harumscarum toboggan ride. But mostly getting to bed early to prepare for the next day’s guaranteed exhaustion, or was that just the staff? The senior instructor, coincidently, also called, Mr. Guest,(also short and about the age our own Mr. Guest’s father would be), managed the ski groups superbly on the slope. The bulk of the free skiing staff Back to Index

joining Mr Guest’s fun bus as it made its way around the mountain, when they could avoid being cut up by Theo Ogden and Henry Zwelsloot! The younger Mr Guest and Mr Whiteley were left to carve up the mountain and relax in mountain restaurants with a hot chocolate through exhaustion!

When the sun shines and you are whizzing along, under a perfect blue dome with your happy, ski group on a deserted, freshly pisted slope, with a view that is unparalleled anywhere on earth, nothing else matters. There is no feeling quite like it. Perfect happiness! The trip was a resounding success - friendships were made, German was practised, communal living was experienced and a new sport was tried and mastered. We cannot wait to return in 2010!

Ski Trip

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Snow Problem

Skiing The 2009 ski season saw some excellent results for members of the newly formed Bedford School Ski Team. The School has three boys - James Smith (Y5), Luke Riddell (Y7) and Ben Smith (Y7) - who ski competitively with Alpine race teams.

The boys represented both the School and their respective clubs at the AngloScottish Cup races at Les Houches, the English Alpine Championships in Bormio and the British Championships in Meribel during the winter months and continued skiing during the summer in the British Indoor series.

Individually James, Luke and Ben have all had very good seasons, each recording consistently good results.

Ben has recently trialled for the England Squad. The highlight of the season for the Bedford School Team was the British Inter-Schools Competition held in Chamonix in March. The three boys skied in fourteen different races and recorded some excellent results, notably Luke Riddell who won the “Children 1 Slalom” competition outright. Over 249 children took part in the various age group races with 100 schools being represented, four or five of which are overseas or alpine Turn back a Page

based.

Each team consisted of up to eight children with the best two performances on each of the two days counting towards the team awards. The pressure was really on the Bedford team as, with such a small team, they needed to ski aggressively and competitively, yet make no mistakes. The weather conditions were poor, with snow falling and a very ‘flat light’ for much of the competition.

James skied in six Giant Slalom races for “Minis” (U10s) over the two days, putting in some solid performances and consistently finishing in the top half of the entry. This ensured that the team had at least one of the two finishers required each day.

Luke and Ben ski in the category above, “Children 1” (U12s). On the first day they had two slalom races each on the Grand Bois piste. Slalom is Luke’s favourite Back to Index

discipline and he skied brilliantly to claim a second and then a first place in the two races, taking the top spot over the two runs against far more experienced opposition. Ben made a small error on his first slalom run and did well to stay in the course; this left him languishing in thirteenth position. A far better run in the second race (fifth) saw him improve to record a respectable seventh on aggregate.

Having enjoyed such a strong first day, the pressure was really on the boys to perform well in the next day’s Giant Slalom event. Strong finishes were essential. The Giant Slalom is one of Ben’s favourite events as he is really able to let the skis run. He had two very good races finishing fifth and fourth, ending fifth on aggregate. Luke meanwhile skied strongly into ninth and sixth places to go sixth on aggregate. Bedford’s team finished an excellent fifth overall.

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Snow Problem for Bedford Prep!

Was it a season of discontent? Well no just the first week of February with the heaviest snow for 18 years paralysing swaths of the country. Chaos reigned across the UK with roads, railways and airports closed along with thousands of schools and businesses facing disruption throughout the week. With up to 20 cm of snow falling on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 February in Bedfordshire along with further falls later in the week the School remained open throughout. On some days just 50 pupils were able to attend school. An alternative programme was put in place with the inaugural House Snowman Competition proving to be a great success and congratulations to Whitbread House on their victory!

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House Life

It Was All So Close In one of the closest competitions in recent years it was not until the final week of the term and the final events that it became clear that Bunyan House would emerge as this year’s winner.

Bunyan House Report, by Mr Beckwith

Bunyan House Report by Mr Blacklock

As I said last year, “Wow!”. This year has been another rollercoaster filled with thrills and excitement for the boys in Bunyan. A splendid effort chaps! No one could have given more than you did during the year, and I applaud the marvellous spirit and enthusiasm that you have shown consistently in all House events and activities.

A wonderful spirit of togetherness and enthusiasm thrives amongst all Whitbreadarians. As Housemaster, I am especially thrilled with the support and encouragement I receive from our dedicated staff and I would like to make special mention of them in this short 2009 report.

The year started off with everybody pulling together extremely quickly in getting ourselves prepared for the House Singing Competition.

What can I say? Yet again, for the second year in a row, you all sang your hearts out and gave a most memorable performance giving us first place overall! You all sang well for lots of reasons, but you did it primarily for the House and that is a winning formula in itself.

I knew that it was going to be another successful year with such a great bunch of boys and staff. You all make the House a great team of which to be a part. It is the 24th June and we are in a good position again this year to maybe take the Cup! Only a few competitions left but I know, whatever the outcome, Bunyan boys will have done their best, so in my eyes you are all already winners.

Individual successes appear too numerous to mention, but I congratulate you all, with special thanks going to a fine team of House Officers who have shown loyalty and commitment that has pervaded all aspects of Bunyan this year. I thank you all, staff and boys for making Bunyan the House of which I am truly proud to be the Housemaster. Bunyan Rock!

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We said farewell to Ailsa Medd and Oliver Whiteley this year and welcomed Tanya Southern and Phil Studd into our House. Caroline Trounson, Angela Travis, Esther Gander and Shawn Phillips have continued to be towers of strength and I am indebted to everyone I have mentioned for their great support and encouragement. Their House Assemblies have enthralled the boys and I am so grateful for the help they have offered in the different aspects of House life. Jo Gooch (who is also attached to Harpur House) has been brilliant on the musical front. She worked tirelessly in the run up to the House Singing Competition and has subsequently held ‘fun’ House singing sessions during some of our weekly meetings. A huge ‘thank you’ to all the House staff for their many contributions and cheerful support.

Whitbread boys are a talented bunch and everyone has been instrumental in gaining House points for us this year. Sadly, we did not win the overall competition, but I am extremely grateful to you all for your efforts over the three terms. Special thanks go to the House Captains and Prefects for your help and organisational skills.

The Whitbread spirit is strong and we can look forward to a truly great year 2009-2010.

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House Life

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Ode to Howard, by Miss Oakley 2009 has been a year of fun, Of rugby in the rain, And cricket in the sun.

Some 1sts, 2nds, 3rds and 4ths, Howard have competed and strived and fought.

Part-song victorious, as well as House Art House Squash and House Hockey also had good results.

Magnificent sports days, House Music too.

But not quite enough to have the cup coloured blue!

In effort and valour and true Howard spirit, The boys have done themselves proud, Working hard in the pool, on the field and in school, To show courage, commitment and style.

And so, thanks to my boys, To my officers – GREAT! I’ll miss them all, as they leave our Yr 8.

They have led us well, setting examples galore, I couldn’t have hoped for or expected much more.

So maybe Howard’s year will be 2010?

And blue ribbons will fly from the roof, But for now I am happy and proud of my winners Who need no cup as proof.

Well done boys! My thanks as ever, for your commitment and your graciousness.

Thanks also to my supportive House staff and to my fellow House Masters. It has been a privilegeto have been a part of a very exciting year of competition.

Congratulations to Bunyan, worthy winners this year!

Harpur House Report, by Mr Whitbread The word ‘END’ was the theme in my final Harpur assembly of the year…and what an exciting and nail-biting end to the year it proved! By a mere 15 points, we were pipped at the post by Bunyan – many congratulations to them. I told the boys they had been trem’END’ous throughout the year, and there is much to be proud of when we reflect back on our performances.

One word could be used to sum up Harpur, and that is ‘sporty’! The list of sporting victories was certainly impressive – Y4 and Y8 rugby, Y5,6 and 7 cross country, Y6 and Y7 and 8 hockey, Y4 and Y5 soccer, Y3 and 4 swimming, Y3 and Y4 cricket. Perhaps most pleasing of all, Harpur won both junior and senior Sports Days – a rare achievement to win both in the same year! We are blessed with many talented sportsmen, but I would also like to highlight all boys who took part in the Sports Days and did their bit for the House.

To solely focus on sport, however, would give a distorted view of Harpur House. We also had fantastic individual contributions in House Art, Public Speaking and in both Poetry Writing and Poetry Recitation. Many boys boys were winners and highly commended in these events and I congratulate all of them. In terms of House Singing, I have never known a group of Harpur boys who worked so hard and enthusiastically in rehearsals. They sang wonderfully, and although the overall 4th place was very disappointing, I could not have asked for more from the boys.

Miss Gooch was, once again, an absolute star, and one day we will give her the victory she so richly deserves!

I would also like to thank all the House Officers for their sterling efforts this year. My Harpur tutors have also continued to be the best House staff in the School! Sadly, Mde Phelps leaves the Harpur family and our loss is very much Bunyan’s gain. ‘Merci beaucoup’ to her for everything over the years.

So, the year has been ‘tremENDous’. But, here is a target for next year. I was shocked and surprised that Harpur came 4th in both merits and commendations. Surely, a House of our talents and character should achieve better results than that. Good luck, Harpur for 2009-10!

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House Life

And the winners is...

Claire Sharples reports on her experience of the wonderful annual House Singing Competition.

It was with some trepidation that I took my seat for the Annual House Singing Competition. You see, throughout the previous week I had heard the rehearsals.

The screeching and wailing that was heard from different parts of the school did not bode well. As I looked around at the expectant faces I found myself wondering how the Heads of House and music teachers could possibly turn a looming disaster into something parents might enjoy.

Silence ensued.

The Whitbread boys took their places on stage, their conductor struck a pose and...a miracle occurred. In place of the banshee stuck in a drainpipe came the dulcet tones of boys singing the very recognisable “Down Came the Rain”.

It’s always difficult to be first up at these events but with “Mud Glorious Mud” and then “Bridge Over Troubled Water” Whitbread really got the ball rolling.

Of course, the choice of song is all important and this is down to the Head of House. In this regard it’s like Strictly Come Dancing but without the sequins.

If you choose a song which is too difficult the boys will not be able to do themselves credit and if it’s too easy or bland there

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will be nothing for the boys to strive for. A real balancing act. Harpur were next up and had chosen the toe-tapping Feeling Groovy, the evocative Candle in the Wind and finished with Annie’s Song.

Great choices.

Howard tackled the difficult “Feeling Good” with aplomb together with “Here Comes the Sun” but it was their interpretation of “Fields of Gold” which had everyone reaching for their hankies.

We thought we had a winner.

Then Bunyan took to the stage and sang “Lean on Me”. Unusually, they sang only one song but it was enough. We managed to keep our seats and listen to “Satin Doll” but the applause at the end of their performance told its own story.

The almost impossible task of choosing the winners of both sections was put in the very capable hands of Paul Smith, an old boy (of about 25!) who had made singing a career. He was splendid. He started off by praising all the performances and then gave a brief critique of each one, their strengths and their weaknesses. He also gave us a very fine demonstration of how a voice can penetrate every corner of an auditorium without a

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microphone. He said it had not been an easy decision but he had made his choice......For the Unison in fourth place were Harpur, in third place Howard in second place (a pause) Whitbread and.... nobody heard who had won because the Bunyan boys and parents were celebrating too loudly. James McTavish, Head of Music for Bunyan collected their well-deserved award. Paul Smith moved on to the Part Song. In fourth place Whitbread, in third Harpur, in second (another pause..could it be a double for Bunyan?) ...Bunyan - and this time it was the Howard boys going wild.

Jacob Stephenson, Head of Music for Howard, stepped forward to collect their award. Some of us had already worked out who was the overall winner of this year’s House Singing by the time the final results were announced. Howard had come second but it was Bunyan who had triumphed for the second year running.

Very many congratulations to all the boys concerned, to their Heads of House and, of course to Mr Martin and Miss Gooch without whom these events would simply not take place.

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House Beetle Drive

The Year 3 and 4 Beetle Drive was an opportunity for all the houses to have fun together and proved to be a very entertaining evening with everyone enjoying a pizza supper, writes Sebastian Clements, Howard House Captain.

Congratulations to all of the prize winners, but particularly to Thomas Blythman, who had the overall highest score of the evening.

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Charities

A Year of Giving The whole community answered the call and responded so well to the various charity events that were organised this year. Sue Keane reports on how £7,000 was raised over the year and how the School was able to present a cheque for £4,500 to the Revd John Tibbs, the founder of the Swaziland Schools Projects at Prizegiving.

This year the boys, staff and parents of Bedford Prep School defied the gloom and doom of the current recession by raising an extraordinary amount of money for a number of worthwhile causes.

The Charity Committee - Ben Howard, Sam Smith, Seb Walker, Ben Spencer, Daniel Di Filippo, Callum Partridge, Milan Nakum, Adam Hunter and Toby King -decided to concentrate its fundraising in aid of the Swaziland Schools Project and, in particular, the Forbes Reef School. In addition to the elected focus, the committee proposed that as a school we should also participate in a number of National fundraising events, such as Red Nose Day and the Red Cross Poppy Appeal. It was agreed that the Charity Committee’s aim was to raise funds in order that, as a school community, we could help make a difference.

In September the fundraising started with the boys raiding the wardrobes of the men-folk in their family for anything that resembled a crazy tie. Many of them were clearly successful, with some very crazy, if not hideous, ties on display. Certain members of staff were congratulated on their efforts, only to tell those giving the compliments that they had, in fact, forgotten that it was crazy tie day! Oops …

During the Christmas Term the ShoeBox Appeal caught the boys’ imagination and Mrs Spina and the Candlelight Group received many beautiful boxes of goodies so thoughtfully put together by the boys and their parents.

At this time, the ever busy Mr Martin and the Eagle House Choir held a Carol Singing Evening to raise funds for the Swaziland Project, while the generosity Turn back a Page

of parents leaving the Carol Services resulted in an overwhelming total of £1700.

In January the mufti theme was SSS – wear your Sports Shirt for Swaziland.

Boys and staff rallied again, raising another £744.

A cake sale in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust organized by Cass Clarke proved a huge success with queues of hungry boys stretching across the Astro.

Red Nose Day was a phenomenal success with the boys raising a total of £2,150! There were many fantastic group and individual efforts to elicit cash and some wonderful red outfits, with Oscar Butterwick’s red frilly pants a highlight!

Marcus and Hadley Eames, ran a very successful sweet stall and Rob Wright ran miles and miles to raise £150, the highest individual total for the cause!

Many of our mums set about making red nose buns and other delicious goodies, which contributed hugely to the day’s profits and the raised sugar levels amongst all members of the School community.

In June, Charity Week saw many original and enterprising efforts to raise money. Madame Trounson’s tutor group demonstrated real genius when they decided to deploy their classroom lockers to hide secret stashes of sweets, and those of us old enough to remember, recalled the 1960s tv game show, ‘Open the Box’ . Who would have imagined that in just five days this tutor group would raise £388! Teachers opened their classrooms where boys enjoyed Wii games; they supervised fun swimming sessions and held batting contests; Paul and Cass Clarke opened up the games Back to Index

room in Eagle House and along with the whole school entered into the spirit of the week. On the final day, Ben Howard and Daniel Di Filippo braced wet sponges as they stood resolutely and nobly in the stocks in a final bid to raise money; a gesture that was representative of the commitment and dedication shown by everyone involved in the events of the week.

Our total fund-raising of approximately £7,000 for the year was astonishing.

As well as funds given to the smaller, individual charity events sponsored by the school, a cheque for £2,150 was forwarded to the Red Nose Day organization and at Prize Giving another for £4,500 was presented to the Reverend Tibbs for the Swaziland Schools’ Project. A truly remarkable sum considering it has been raised during a period of fiscal calamity.

On behalf of the splendid members of the Charities Committee, who have been fantastic in promoting and organizing events, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone: boys, staff and parents for the incredible enthusiasm and support you have so willingly given throughout the year. Such energy and commitment means that elsewhere, thanks to your efforts, a difference can and will be made.

Charities

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Charities

A closer look at some of the Charity events...

Eagle House Cake Sale On 3rd November the staff and boys of Eagle House had a sale of cakes and cookies to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Mr and Mrs Clarke, the Eagle House parents, have a granddaughter called Amelie who was born eight months ago with this life threatening genetic disease, which is why we are supporting the CF Trust. They fund many projects to help find a cure for the disease and to improve the treatment of sufferers in respect of nutrition, physiotherapy and medication. If you would like to know more information please look at the website www.cftrust.org.uk.

We raised a marvellous £370 after receiving some very generous donations along with the money raised by the sale of the cakes and cookies.

A huge thank you to all who were involved, especially to the boys, who actually did lots of the baking! Maybe we can do it again sometime.

Crazy Tie Day

Operation Christmas Child – Samaritan’s Purse

A huge thank you to all the staff and boys who participated in this fun event; you raised £436.76 for the School’s charity fund. It was clear that some boys had discovered vintage gems in charity shops or in their dads’ wardrobes, as there were some truly crazy, or in some cases hideous ties worn on the day. Please could certain staff note that it was only meant to be a one day event!

Operation Christmas Child is the world’s largest children’s Christmas project. In 2007, 1.3 million shoe boxes containing small gifts were sent from the UK to children in hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods.

Bedford School Charities Committee decided to take part in this year’s event. Here in the Prep School, “Candlelight”, our Christian Union Group, and pupils throughout the School collected nineteen boxes for this worthy cause. We would like to thank all those who contributed and helped make Christmas special for so many needy children in the Ukraine.

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Charities

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Swaziland Schools Projects Keith Fossey, a voluenteer worker for the Swaziland Schools’ Project, gives us an insight as to how money raised by Bedford Prep is being used...

This year the school has been pleased to support a charity that operates in Swaziland, where people are poor and 40% of the population of one million have AIDS related diseases. As a result life expectancy is actually decreasing.

The great divide is between those who have some education and, most importantly, learn to speak English and those who do not. Parents have to pay school fees and with so many poor families and orphans, many children do not attend school or do so intermittently.

So what does the Charity do?

It funds bursaries so that children can attend school. £15 sends a child to primary school for a term. £20 will pay for one child’s daily school meal for a year.

It may be the only cooked meal some children will have each day.

In addition to funding bursaries and meals, the Charity builds facilities such as school kitchens, toilets and teacher’s houses, saving a teacher from seven hours of daily travel in buses.

Current plans In addition to funding bursaries, the Charity has just completed the building of a life skills unit for St Andrew’s Primary school in the Malkerns Valley.

help look after themselves.

The current projects are to complete a computer room and agricultural store for St Andrew’s School so that the children can learn some computer skills and how to grow food. Another life skills unit is planned for Enkhaba Primary School and a playing field is to be provided at Forbes Reef Primary School.

For further Information please see the charity’s website at : www.swazilandschoolsprojects.org

This has facilities for cooking, sewing, washing and drying clothes, so, even if children only attend the school for one or two years, they will have picked up some basic knowledge and skills in order to

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Leavers

Staff Leavers

This year’s leavers were asked to answer a few questions about their future plans...

Oly Whiteley

Ian Coyne

What are your plans? A little bit of everything! Help my parents on the farm, work in desktop publishing (I’m currently producing this magazine!) and hopefully find time to sail more.

Highlights of your time at the School: The Evening of Mild Amusement: rehearsals were great fun! Becoming Head of Department. As an OB one massive highlight was the 3rd XV, the rugby team I coached, beating The Modern 66 - 0!

What will you miss? The interaction with staff, pupils and parents... there’s always someone to talk to! (and possibly bore on occasions) What do you consider to be your legacy? It’s hard to say without sounding big headed! I hope that in starting sailing at Bedford Prep I have made an opening for many boys; I’m sure it will continue to flourish this Autumn under Mr. Clarke.

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This is tricky. A few thoughts in no order: What are your plans? Golf handicap down, travel in Britain more, improve my French un peu, sort out my garden.

Highlights of your time at the School : The first time a Y8 boy bowed and thanked me for his returned homework, having an unbeaten rugby team and conceding 10 pts in the season, shock and surprise on boys faces when we exploded hydrogen, the first time I witnessed the 3 stooges drainpipe routine in rehearsal What will you miss? Staffroom camaraderie, boys rising to challenges and performing when required What do you consider to be your legacy? Having boys enjoy Science

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Leavers

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The Year Eight Leavers of 2009 Jack Aldred Syed Ali Sam Assim Amit Atwal Harry Axford Joe Ayling Guy Balogun Tom Banner Bob Barfoot Sam Barkes Matthew Beal Kito Beirens George Bird Samuel Bradley Benjamin Brandler Alexander Budd

George Burton

Oscar Butterwick Zach Carter Harry Cavill Kevin Chan Arran Chand Nick Chapman Jack Chellew Justin Chung Harry Churchill-Coleman Alexander Ciuro

Sebastien Clements

Alex Curley Harry David Guy Davis Jesses De Buriatte Zac Dixon

William Doggett Alex Dorgham Hadley Eames Marcus Eames Freddie Evans Robbie Evans Steven Fahmy Fayed Farrukh Peter Fretwell Alex Garcha Tom Garratt Sean Gilmartin

Matthew Gouldesbrough Mathieu Govoni

Gabe Griffin Thomas Hall Dominic Hart Matthew Haywood Daniel Holdsworth Matthew Howorth Adam Hunter Michael Jamieson Joshua Jenkins

Gleb Kachalin Kushal Kansagra

Alan Kanybek Grant Lawrence James Lee Callum Logan Tom Logan Oliver Lyons James MacTavish Abhish Mailapalli Tom Marlow-Gilks

Bobby Martin Samson Mau Rory McCracken Joshua Mead James Meredith Joe Morgan Rahil Naidoo Benjamin Nethersole Ignacio Nunez Testor Connor O’Brien Luca O’Cleirigh Rupert Oakley Dylan Parmar Callum Partridge James Phillips Jack Puddicombe Peter Ramsbotham

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Charlie Roberts Oliver Rogers-Jones Arvindh Sekaran

Tanvir Seraj Ashil Shah

Edward Sharrock

William Sizer Archie Smith Ben Spencer Sam Spencer Jacob Stephenson Sam Symonds George Taylor Benjamin Thrasher Charlie Thurston Fabio Titmus Jamie Trustram Eve Artem Vasenin Richard Watson

Oliver Wetton Jamie White Charlie Wilson Luke Wilson Robb Wright Matthew Wyatt-Ingram

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And finally...

the 3rd XV take part in latest Right the Guard comm ercial

hat ce t in n e d i v e ed raphic were harm ne g o t o ph azi ers teach f this mag e m o o s aking the m

Mr. Wh statem

the h u the S nt for th e iden tig ta kes a supri tity of sing t urn

my now y l r clea n see have gone! a c I s M goggle

each to their own!

where’s th e coolest teacher at Bedford Prep?... not here Cheddar George posses for his latest marketing campaign

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ion est fash t la ’s d a e oo hitbr a step t e b y a m t men far

Keep your e yes on the ball! on the ball too keep your eyes

Mr. M cKay subs Caber for ‘ro titues the lled st eel ’

ght on camera WILD fowl cau in the EMH

despite his sick note re ading ‘my son has a growth on h is knee...’

He was forc ed to play

student is h t ately e unfortun ht calibr ig r e h t f wasn’t o

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A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full)

The Red Elves The full novel by Matthew Budd The things we call squirrels are actually Elves but our eyes refuse to believe things of legends. Elves are real but a shadow is hanging over them. Attack is coming and it’s coming fast.

There are two races in the world of Elves, those of the Red Elves and those of the Grey Elves. The Red Elves banished their hated kin after a fierce battle in the tree tops. The slingers of the Red Elves had finally made the grey hordes run to England. But now the threat is rising as the baroness Tuft Fur gathers her followers and marches to war.

Chapter 1 It was a hot and humid day in the rolling forests of France and the Red Elves were sheltering high up in the trees from the overbearing heat of the day. Down in the trees sat two of the Elves. One was called Keila and the other was called Kostig. They were twins and were both courageous and determined to be the best Elf in the clan. Kostig was a tall Red Elf and always dressed in a tunic made of furs from mice and voles. He was dark skinned and had stunning silver eyes.

Keila on the other hand had hair as white as snow and a tunic made of leaves and bark. Her eyes were a brilliant green and had teeth were red. They both wore swords tucked in their belts and a quiver of arrows slung on one shoulder. Their father had died when driving back the Grey hordes and was now a hero in the twins mind. Tears glistened in Keila’s eyes as she remembered her mother telling them between sobs that their father would not be coming home. The two twins had not understood what their mother had meant but in the end they had worked it out together and shared the pain between them. Now though they were bored. So off they crawled to their house and asked their mother if they

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could go and explore the floor. At this time of year the leaves were in full bloom and it would be no problem to clamber down the branches without hurting anything.

“Mum, please! Why can’t we go out?” asked Keila, annoyed at her mothers many paring attempts that had so far been successful.

“Because I said so you and your brother are not responsible enough to be on your own for 5minutes without breaking or damaging something!”

“But we’re now 13 and old enough! We’re bored out of our mind as it is and need some fun to add colour to our plate” Keila retorted.

“Oh fine then, go and be off with you” “Thanks mum, you’re the best!” they shouted as they shot out of the dray and started the long climb down to the forest floor.

It took the twins 15minutes to reach the floor and spent several seconds taking in the surrounding views. The ground was littered with amber-green leaves and pinecones. Keila jumped at the nearest one and started to gnaw at it with great vigour.

“What do we do now?”called Kostig to Keila that was still only interested in the pine cone.

“I don’t know, we could explore for a bit.”

“Ok, lets go that way” said Kostig pointing south. The twins set of, playfully fighting with sticks. Suddenly Kostig stopped.

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“What now Kostig?” asked Keila, throwing her stick into the bushes. A growl came from a tree above and almost immediately a Grey Elf hit the floor and bounded for Keila. Keila was already drawing back her bow and taking aim at the creatures eye. Releasing the arrow Keila promptly dropped the bow and drew her sword. Kostig also drew his and flew at the Elves left flank. The monster drew an axe and brought it down in a splitting arc towards Kostigs head.

Chapter 2 Kostig jumped into the treetops and bounded up the trunk. Keila smashed her blade onto the metal breastplate, over the creature’s heart. It roared and ripped out the arrow from its shoulder blade where it had lodged.

Suddenly Kostig swept down on a rope and crashed into the things head. Pulling out his throwing axe he slammed it into the thick, matted fur on the creatures head. It roared and shook Kostig of his head.. Keila turned and ran towards the village, calling the warning cry of the clan.

Four heads peeked out of their dreys and called out to Keila.

“Wot’s happening?!” shouted one of them.

“Grayling Elf, screamed.

Grayling

Elf!”

she

Immediately another three heads appeared. Snatching up spears, they scrambled down the trunks and hopped onto field mice and charged at the Elf, towering over Kostig.

Kostig swam out of the dreamy blackness

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) and before his eyes he saw a huge object standing over him with an axe twirling above his head.

Keila, meanwhile, was leading a charge towards the massive beast. Two of the Elves threw their spears and both hit their targets.

Screaming in fury, Keila threw her axe and drew her broadsword. The axe smashed into the things eye and before it new what was happening Keila was upon it.

Keila drove her sword into the monsters belly and pierced its stomach. The wound dribbled out pus and a foul smelling slime.

The creature retreated into a thicket of brambles and licked its wounds. Outside twelve Red Elves cocked their bows and released into the bramble patch.

The monster sprang out of the brambles and all the Elves could clearly see that all the arrows had struck home into the creatures head. The monster roared in pure animal terror but before it could run, Keila jumped out of the tree and landed squarely on the creature’s giant head. Drawing her sword, she brought it down again and again on the creatures head until it split with a satisfying crack.

Leaping of the things back she landed next to her brother who had wisely dragged himself out of the fighting zone.

Keila leaned over him and called over the medic.

“He’s hurt, I can tell you that” said the medic who was called Redsmoke “ but he’ll live, he’s a fighter, I’d say I saw him when he was a youngen, bounding up a tree after stealing Mrs Bushtail’s muffins.”

“He will live, won’t he?” asked Keila, threw her tears.

“Oh yes,!” said Redsmoke, beckoning to Keila to sit, “he will!”

“She will be mine,. . . mine. . .mine, bring her to me . . . Her power. . Will be . . .mine” “yes sir”

A cloud drifted over the rack of test tubes as the woman lifted one of them and drained it. Replacing it he pulled out a heavy broadsword and proceeded to sharpen it on his wheat stone. The Grey Elf hurried out of the room and flew down the rusty, metal staircase to report to the other slaves. It was a harsh job but also a privileged one to be chosen as one the masters private slaves.

In the treetops Keila was trying out some moves on her wooden dummy of a grayling squirrel.

“Cut, thrust, parry, overhand, underhand, parry, thrust, thrust…”Keila breathed, performing the moves with perfect precision. She paused, hearing the sounds of a meeting being called. Clad in her bright yellow amour and her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders she thought she must look a sight. Deciding to go along and hear what there was to say, she scrambled down the trunk and bounded up the next one. She arrived just in time to hear the opening speech.

“We have just had news that the Grey Elves have invaded our homeland and once again, we have to take up arms again and smash the horde armies of Baroness Tuft Fur. Drive them to the corners of the world and crush any resistance they might make.” Keila was surprised at the turn of events and bounded away, down to the place where she had fought the Grayling squirrel.

Yes there it was, the medallion on the creatures neck. Keila picked it up and examined it in the dimming light from the fading sun. it was shaped like a crescent moon and had a huge engraving of a bear on it. She put it round her neck and went off to find Kostig who was still recovering from his gash on his stomach. She found him lazing around where she had left him, in a pile of dry leaves. He smiled weakly when he saw her and tried to get up. She pushed him, gently, back down into the leaves.

“We have to go and fight the grey hordes” Keila said, coming straight out with it.

“No way, I’m not leaving you here to be Back to Index

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attacked!”

“Don’t worry, I’m coming with you, to the battle I mean.”

“What?”

“I’m coming with you, the Godfather said that I should.”

“The Godfather is not the king and does not set down the law.”

“Yes he does and he is the heir to the throne.”

“Well you know who to blame when you get left in England, with an arrow in your eye!”

“Thank you for being so supportive of me, I will now proceed to pack my bags.

We are leaving in two days time. Now be calm and don’t start complaining for I can fight even better than you can!”

Chapter 3 Keila and Kostig were invited to the clan leaders apartments. The leader, Tifty was a huge red Elf in bronze armour. It was a great honour to be invited to his chambers. Keila was adding the finishing touches to her Elven bow by painting the wood a dark red colour and Kostig was putting on his leather boots, a present from Redsmoke. They clattered down the worn wooden staircase to the leaders chamber. A squire was there to meet them and led the finely dressed Elves into a area so huge that it was bigger than their whole house put together!

Tifty was sitting on a huge throne, made of silk and gold. He stood as they entered and bowed stiffly. He was getting on and was feeling tired. He sat and told them to listen carefully.

“I have thought long and hard about the war and myself and it seems that I can only turn to you two. Kostig you will be a commander in the on coming war and Keila you will be leader of this clan and all my troops are now at your disposal.

Use them well. Don’t be down heartened by this turn of events Kostig. You are also Turn Page

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heir to the throne, in less Keila wishes it.

I am tired and can not even ride a horse without falling off it. I now step down from the head of the clan and tomorrow both of you will be presented with your official titles.”

“I don’t mind that your clan leader but it’s because you also lead the army” “Your still a commander and lead over 200 soldiers!”

“Thank you sire.” said Keila to the exleader. “this won’t be forgotten!”

“Oh well, I’m going to bed now, we have a big day tomorrow”

The speech must have drained him as he rose and said

“Night, night”

“Thank you, now I bide you goodnight and may the red fur of the Mother Goddess shine upon you forever” Keila and Kostig walked back up the stairs together in silence. Keila felt a surge of pride as she remembered the moment that she had known she was the clan leader. Kostig on the other hand was downcast and miserable . Keila reached out and took his hand. He held on like a drowning sailor grabbing a lifeline. Outside a thunderstorm roared overhead. Keila pulled Kostig gently to a stop and pushed their door open.

Their mother greeted them and asked them what had happened. By the look on Kostig’s face she new at once that some of the news was not good. Keila told her. She made no attempt to cover her pride and came straight out with it.

Her mother was in a state of shock for over ten minutes before recovering. She begged Keila to let their clan out of the troubles of war but Keila would not hear of it.

“I am going to led a better army then Baron Greenfoot’s one against the hordes of evil and no one is going to stop me!”

Her mother looked into her eyes and saw only determination to follow things through to the end. Keila then pulled Kostig over to the sofa and tried to comfort him. “it’s not all bad you know, you’re a commander no less and most of the warriors look up to you. Why do you look so down? I bet it’s because I’m now leader of the clan and can tell you what to do.”

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“See you in the morning!”

Chapter 4 The next day dawned bright and sunny.

Keila woke to the sunlight streaming through her sash windows and rebounding of the polished wood. Beside her, Kostig tossed and turned in his sleep. Gently, Keila woke him.

“Is the big day today?” asked Kostig his eyes still screwed up with sleep.

“Yes, today is the day!”

“Well, I thought it over when I went to bed and it atcally seem so bad” “Good, I’ll make sure your looked after and given a proper castle to live in” “Thanks, oh feather tails, we’re late!”

When they arrived at the ex-leaders hall it was already packed to the brim. The crowds parted respectfully to let the pair pass stepping out their way. Keila and Kostig reached the platform and bowed low to the ex-leader. Tifty stepped forward and gestured for them to stand. Turning, Tifty collected a scroll of parchment from one of the servants standing behind him.

Keila looked up at the huge beams, supporting the great oaken roof that lay suspended over the hall. It was painting with gold and had carvings engraved into the wood, making it look like a hall in a fairytale. Her gaze swept across the crowds, picking out the familiar faces that presented themselves to her eyes.

She spotted Redsmoke and Boldhair, a Elf from the clothes merchants. Also she saw Baron Greenfoot, peering Back to Index

through his glasses at the newcomers.

Keila turned and looked at Tifty. He was studing the scroll in a thoughtful way, twiddling his fingers in his bushy tail.

Suddenly he straightened his back and started to read the scroll.

“As you will all know, the Grey hordes threaten our lands once again. I am to old and feeble to lead an army of any size to victory so I have stepped down from the post of clan leader. I know this may come as a surprise to you but it is for the best. The new commander of our forces is Kostig. His decision can only be overruled by one person, the clan leader.

To this position I have appointed Keila.

She can make anything law and it is not wise to disobey her. I have seen her attack on the Grayling bear and thought that nothing could stand a charge like that. So now in the glory of the blessed Goddesses I announce these two to the most senior posts in the whole of the county.”

Everyone cheered and clapped madly, shouting hip-hips and laughing and crying, all at the same time.

Keila and her brother smiled and waved, overcome by this wave of noise. They swept down the passageway, accepting the gifts passed by the crowd of onlookers.

Keila and Kostig ran off down the hall and bounded up the stairs two at a time. Their mother wasn’t back from the meeting.

Keila went to the cupboard and opened up the old door. She was greeted by the smell of honey and raisins. Drooling, Keila pulled out a loaf of bread and a pot of cider honey, made by the southern bees. She set them down on the table and pulled the sticky lid of the honey. Kostig cut the bread into wafer thin slices. They sat down to the bread and honey feast just as their mother bustled through the door. She held a big carton of loganberry juice and a box of chocolate pinecones.

She set them down, smiling at the pair as she did so.

“Well, Tifty obviously thought very highly of you two!” she said to them, helping

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) herself to the honey pot.

the clan.”

“Maybe so, but now I’ve got an army to sort and land to farm and one thousand and one other things and it is still a bit early!”

“Clever by all means. But will this spell work, I mean it would be a bit funny is the humans saw about 200,000 ‘squirrels’ marching into the Tunnel!”

“We’ll all help you in one way or another”

“Yes it would but I am sure it won’t happen, my mother always says that you have to believe in the spell for it to work.”

“Thanks mum!” Keila laughed, clearing away the bread.

Chapter 5

Keila hurried up the rough steps, towards Tifty’s apartments’. She knocked quietly on the heavy door and pushed it open.

Tifty was sitting on a golden throne, studded with rubies. He was dressed in a bright green robe with black amour underneath. He was holding a glass of mulled wine and when he saw her he raised it. She bowed low, her hair touching the ground as she did so. Tifty gestured her to sit on a throne. It was carved from rubies and bronze, creating a piece of art that shone in the moonlight that seeped through the rafters. It was only then that she noticed Elves that had been skilfully hidden in a aid to hear what their future leader was like. She sat on the throne and turned so she could look Tifty in the eyes. He smiled and whispered to a nearby servant to bring another glass of mulled wine.

“Well all of this shall be yours when I leave the office. But I want to talk about the war and what is happening.”

“I’m going to march tomorrow and set up the battle lines when I get there. We’re going to cross the Channel in the Tunnel by using the pipes that run the whole length. Then I’ll sort the men into their battle formations and the female archers will be under my personal command .”

“Sounds like your expecting trouble by the looks of thing. Let me just ask, how are you going to get into the Tunnel without being seen?”

“I’ve had people working on the old Elven magic since I was appointed leader of

“You’re right there, but also how do you know what type of ground we will be fighting on?”

“I sent out 15 scouts to scan the land ahead and they say it’s just trees all the way up to the Tunnel and the same on the other side. My only concern is all those trains that go in and out the Tunnel. If we had to fight on those we would need very sharp claws to grip the roofs.”

“Well, do you have any ideas for that?”

“Yes, I have more people working on that spell as well.”

“Today I will now hand over leadership to you but there is one small favour I would like to ask of you and that is who are your advisors going to be?”

“I am appointing you, my mother, Kostig and Redsmoke as my advisors for the moment but more might be added at later stages.”

“Thank you, now where do I sleep?”

“Where you normally sleep. I will sleep in the room next to you.”

“Goodnight Keila.” he said, bowing low.

“Goodnight Tifty.” she answered.

Chapter 6 They had been marching for over an hour now an some of the younger fighters had fallen behind. Keila and her command rode on field mice, using their knees to guide them. All of the warriors had taken a invisibility pill before leaving and were all completely hidden. Keila rose in her stirrups and gave the note for the battle Back to Index

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chant. She was about to sit down again when she spotted a dust cloud rising in the distance. She gave the order to stop and whispered to her archers. They looked and squinted into the distance, shielding their eyes from the sun.

“Grey Elf battalion My Lady” one answered.

She didn’t answered but kicked her boots into her mouse’s rump and charged at the foe. The army followed her, chasing the figure clad in bright yellow armour and the squeals of the mouse.

Keila hit the squad like a train and killed two with the impact. Drawing her broadsword she brought it down in a deadly arc towards another’s’ head. It split with a crunch, showering her in blood and brain. By then the whole army had hit the troops and sent hundreds to their deaths. The battle was short and bloody, with the Grey Elves losing more then half of their troops in the space of a few seconds. Keila was engaged with the leader of the squad and was twirling a huge battleaxe above her head. She slammed it on the Grey pelted Elf’s’ shield, splintering it to pieces. She threw the axe at the Elf but he ducked and it flew harmlessly aside. She pulled a shorter, but sharper blade off her back and swung it in a gliding circle over his head. Trow, the leader wore a chainmail shirt, topped with barbs and spikes. His helmet had a ramming spike on the top of it. He had a cutlass in his hand and lashed out with it. Keila parried it and drove her sword at his exposed stomach.

He pushed her blade aside and pulled her towards him. But Trow had failed to notice the dagger she held tightly in her right and. Suddenly she threw it at him, hilt first. It smacked into his eye, temporarily blinding him. She twisted free and swung her blade at his neck. It shaved his head off and it landed with a thud at her feet. She kicked it away and mounted her mouse again.

“We ride to glory and to fame but those that have fallen will be remembered. Hail the victorious dead!”

“Hail the victorious dead!” screamed the Turn Page

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army, echoing their leader.

They stopped to make camp in the evening. Keila went straight into her tent and told a servant to call in the commanders to dine with her. The servant bowed and hurried out of the tent.

A few minutes later the first of the commanders started to trickle inside the tent and each bowed and sat down on the floor, copying their queen. Keila signalled to a nearby page to bring in the food. He nodded and went to the flap of the tent and told the men to come in with the food.

In came the servants, carrying huge hunks of bread and meat which they served with the upmost delicacy to the commanders. They tucked in heartily to the steaming meat, talking to their neighbours about the fight they had had earlier on. Keila stayed in the background, not wanting to look like she did not know what to say in front of her guests. She ripped bits of meat of the hot carcass and chewed them till they could be swallowed. She noticed that Kostig had not turned up to the feast and had not been seen after the battle. Panic rose in her throat and she beckoned to a commander called Heartpaw.

“Have you seen Kostig anywhere captain?” Keila asked casully .

“Yes ma’am, I saw him in the battle but afterwards I didn’t see him at all .”

“Thank you.”

Keila stood and asked if she would be able to go to bed. This was met by an uproar of yes and hip hips from the drunk commanders. They all stood and filed out of the low tent singing their hearts out.

Keila went straight to sleep, dreaming of the fight and the troubles ahead.

Chapter 7 Keila awoke to the sun shining through the holes in the tent and the sound of birds singing. She got up and began to Turn back a Page

get dressed into her yellow armour and carefully twisted her hair into 6 plaits.

She quickly went outside and stared at her surroundings. It had been dark when they had set up the tents and had the meat and bread so she had not had a chance to look around. She had been sleeping next to a deserted cottage, overgrown with ivy and holly. A few of the night guards saluted sleepily and were rewarded with a dazzling smile. She crept into the damp house and listened for a noise. She heard the chatter of woodpigeons and over that a faint scratching and a voice or two. She pulled her broadsword from its scabbard and rushed up the stairs. She burst into a room covered in blood and filth. In the centre stood a gigantic rat, eating a Elf. Keila leapt from the doorway as the rat brought the Elf down at her. The body made a sickening thud as it crashed into the doorway. The rat drew a cutlass and threw itself at her. Keila sidestepped and at the same time brought her blade down on the creatures neck. It barely dented the matted fur as it swept past her. Keila dropped her sword and pulled her bow from over her shoulder. She sighted and released. The barded tip tunnelled straight through the things eye and pierced its brain. It threw itself at her again but smashed threw a window and landed on top of a sentry. She rushed down the stairs to see if he was alright but found him dead. The rat was also dead and was oozing pus from its ey.

Keila pulled a razor sharp knife from her belt and cut the beast’s head off. She then stuck it on a pole and shoved the butt into the ground. By now a crowd had gathered and were taking the warrior of to be burned as is the Elf tradition. Keila called over one of the buglers that stood nearby.

“Sound the notes to get people on their way, I want to get away from here and get to the sea to cross.” “yes My Lady” he answered, blowing on the trumpet. All at once the camp was filled with the sounds of packing and fires being strewn across the grass. Keila mounted her mouse and gave the note for the battle song. The whole army took it up and gave new hearts to those that Back to Index

were listening.

Keila brooded about what lied ahead and almost fell asleep only to hit her head on a passing branch. She shook her head and concentrated on the land before her.

Chapter 8 Keila studied the Tunnel with Heartpaw, trying to figure out the best route to get to the it without being run over. Hertpaw had thought that going on the rails would be a good idea but a quickly changed his mind when he had seen a train shoot over them!

Keila suddenly saw a loose end of a pipe trailing down from the start of the Tunnel.

She nudged Heartpaw.

“There, over by the Tunnel entrance.”

“I see it. How do we get there?”

“We walk across the road when none of those big smelly metal things are there and then we climb into the pipe and get to England.”

“I’ll call the troops.”

The sound of the calling trumpet echoed through the ranks of Elves that stood there. Keila quickly told them what to do and as one they swarmed over the hill and charged downwards. Keila and another Elf called Poisontail reached the pipe first and helped one another through the mesh surrounding it and pulled themselves into the pipe.

Chapter 9 Inside, the pipe was a frightening experience for all of them. It was made of rubber and smelt like a coal mine. Tar and other things started to cling to their fur and made them stink if it. Suddenly Keila held her hand up for everyone to stop. She could detect a slight rumbling on the edge of her hearing, much like one of a train. Before they knew it the train was almost on top of them, smashing anything out of it’s way. All of the Elves felt the air rush past them as the train raced past them, missing them

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) by a centimetre.

“Close escape.” Keila whispered to Poisontail.

“Too close.” he breathed.

They continued in silence until they saw daylight. It shone in dazzling rays through the Tunnel and hit the pipes. Now that Keila could see more clearly, she noticed that a metal wire was running alongside her. She touched it and it was warm. She told the soldiers to hurry to the ending and set them all of at a run. They shot towards the entrance and within a few seconds burst out into the blissfully clear air. Keila looked about and a terrible sight met her eyes. The Grey Elves were here!

Chapter 10 The grey army stretched as far as the eye could see. Keila squinted a mile or two to her left and saw an army of Red Elves.

Letting out a whoop of joy she cantered of towards the waiting army. A small command squad rode out of the mass to meet them and in it Keila could just make out the tiny figure of the Godfather and beside him, the King.

“Welcome to the war torn seaside of the English Channel!” called the King, when they were in hailing distance.

“Are we late or anything?” replied Keila who was scared about making a bad first impression.

“Of course not!” laughed the King.

Their exchanges were interrupted by the Godfather.

“They’re attacking sir!”

“By the Gods, what sneaky blighters!”

“Time I made my warrior skills soar to even greater levels!” whispered Keila to Kostig, who was riding alongside her.

“Charge!” bellowed the King, drawing two thin rapiers from his belt.

A platoon of Grey Elf spearmen had been

moving towards the from the west side of their army and had been unnoticed by the rest of the Elves. Pulling a spear from the clips on her field mouse Keila heaved her shield up and rose in her stirrups.

“Destroy the hated enemy!”

Keila and her squadron of archers bore down on the squad and ripped through their front lines. Keila threw her spear at the leader, who was sitting on a lizard, but the spear only clanged off the bone breastplate and stuck in the ground next to him.

Keila, without relizing it had picked a fight with one of the best fighters’ in Tuft Furs’ army. The Knight was called Konker.

With a sickening grin he pulled the spear from the ground and hurled it back at her with breath taking speed. Keila’s beast quickly side stepped it and as it flew past Keila brought down her axe and sheared the shaft in two.

The battle had become a blood bath with both sides’ taking heavy casualties.

Keila picked her way through the dead, pulling her heavy broadsword from it’s scabbard in one swift movement.

Konker’s lizard roared and craned it’s neck. Keila swung he sword and smashed it into the creatures protected face. The force of the blow made the beast stagger and Keila brought her sword down again. She had aimed for the neck but Konker blocked her shot and his sword snaked out and slit her chin. Keila smiled cruelly and, with a lighting swift manoeuvre, cracked her sword into the side of his head, dazing him for a second. Keila took advantage of that vital second and slammed her sword into the lizards exposed neck. The beast reared in pain and flopped to the floor, dead.

Konker pulled himself up and glanced a look of pure hatred at Keila. She smiled back at him and brought her sword down, aiming for his legs. He jumped and hit her gloved hand with the flat of his sword. She screamed and threw Back to Index

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her sword at his face. He ducked and smiled briefly at her. Just then he spotted Kostig, cutting and slashing to get at him.

He quickly grabbed a throwing axe from his back and lobbed it at Kostig. It hit Kostig square in the face and he went down under a hail of blows. Keila roared in anger and hatred and snatched a axe that was lying on the blood stained grass. Konker had left it one second too late and as he turned to face Keila again he felt a blow of tremendous force on his spine. It cracked and his head was split with a single hit of the axe. She screamed in pure animal anger and threw herself at the Elves before her. The command squad followed her cue and hit the enemy again and again. It took one of the vermin to work out that their captain was dead to set the whole squad running, with arrows smashing into their backs. Keila strode to the place where she had last seen Kostig fall. He lay there, among the dead. Keila knelt and pushed his head onto her lap.

She stroked his head and rough hair.

She heaved him onto her mouse and cantered back to the waiting army. The King rushed up to her and asked if she was alright.

“Oh yes, I’m alright. My brother’s dead, countless others are lying out there wounded or injured, but apart from that I’m fine!”

Keila looked like a tree in the wind. Her eyes blazing, her hair whipping round her face made her look more terrifying then ever before. The King backed down and consulted his advisors on what to do.

“Sir, the Grey Elves are attacking!”

“The cry rose up like a ghostly bird and descended on the still battlefield.

“Off we go to war!” the King shouted in response.

Keila wiped Konker’s blood and brain off her axe head and lifted it to the heavens.

“Fight or die!” her speech was simple but direct and the whole of Keila’s forces ran onto the battlefield , led by a figure in bright yellow armour.

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The whole of the Grey Elf force shuddered and writhed in pain as the force crashed into them, sending comrades flying into the air. Keila’s axe bit and slashed at all before her as she made for the captain of the squad. He was shouting and screaming for the army to retreat to safty but they fought on, losing ground every second. Keila burst through the gap and swung her axe. It lopped the leader’s head off and she set the axe loose on another of the swordsmen. The whole company turned and fled but Keila and her mounted men charged them down.

Suddenly Keila noticed huge troop movements as the Grey Elves prepared to do an all-in.

Keila directed her force towards a small break force and crushed it with ruthless efficiency. The whole of the Red Elf army had started to move forwards towards the approaching enemy. Keila rode back to the King and asked him what to do next.

“We crush them and then all go back home!”

“The King has spoken and we shall do it!”

The Red Elves Chapter 11 The clash of the onset echoed across the tarmac as the two armies met. Keila and her command squad were driven back onto the rails as a unit of spear and axe men drove them after duel after duel. Keila shouted an order and too the Grey Elves amazement the whole of her unit climbed up the sides and onto the roof of the train. The Grey Elves had no choice but to follow them and fight on the train tops. Keila and her gang pushed half of them off the edge before any had set foot on the roof. Then she split her force and led a series of hit and run attacks on the force until it was just a bunch of supporters surrounding their Captain. Keila fitted an arrow to her bow and shot. The tip penetrated the hedge of people and hit the Captain in the head.

He died instantly and so did his followers as the Red Elves rained arrows down Turn back a Page

on the unfortunate group. Keila set off at a run but was pushed backwards by a huge stoat. Without even looking up Keila knew that Tuft Fur herself was the owner of that massive foot and as she scrambled away an axe came crashing down onto the roof right by her head.

“Let the fighting commence!” screamed Tuft Fur in a voice that sounded like sand paper across metal.

Keila stood and faced the giant stoat.

Drawing a sword she flicked it at the Baroness. It hit her helmet and skidded off the train. Keila pulled an axe and shield of her back and whirred the axe in a figure of eight. Tuft Fur laughed and drew a light rapier and sheild . With lightning speed Tuft Fur’s blade flicked out and nicked Keila’s face. Blood trickled down her armour and landed at her feet.

Keila slammed her axe onto Tuft Fur’s shield and left a dent. Tuft Fur raised her sword and brought it crashing down on Keila’s axe shaft, breaking it. Keila threw the shaft at Tuft Fur and pulled her heavy broadsword. She swung it at Tuft Fur’s neck but she parried it.

“Not so cocky now, are we?” Tuft Fur whispered to her.

“I will be when I have your face as a reminder!” retorted Keila. Her blade zoomed through the air and snapped Tuft Fur’s blade in two. Keila brought the blade down but Tuft Fur couldn’t escape from the terrible blow. It landed on her shoulders and broke them. Keila threw down her sword and stabbed her in the back with a dagger. Then she pushed Tuft Fur off the edge of the train.

Suddenly she felt a tremor of movement on the train’s roof. Then it dawned on her. The train had started to move!

“Get off! Get off!” she cried, pushing enemy of the train to get cut up by the train’s wheels’.

Keila had no choice but to jump. Closing her eyes she jumped.

Chapter 12 Keila woke to the sunlight streaming in Back to Index

through an open window. She pulled herself up and looked about her. On her bedside table were Get Well cards and goodies like roasted nuts and chocolate pinecones. The Godfather entered with a head under his arm.

“Your up at last Keila!” he said cheerfully.

“What happened?”

“When you jumped you landed on a Grey Elf body and he saved you. You were knocked out by the impact and have only just recovered and before you ask, yes, Tuft Fur did get away and has started to build heavily fortified castles to help her live.”

“I must go after her!” “”Well sleep know and I’ll help you and you brave people to catch her”

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Black and White The full Novel by Luke Riddell Matthew Jameson’s past three years of life have been spent in a prison. A mental institution. Convicted of violent murder and being a crazed pyromaniac he is sent away to a Mexican Maximum security mental institution. He can’t remember much of his past and doesn’t know why he was even in there. In a search for his lost mind he sets out to find out what he has forgotten . But he is on the top of somebody’s agenda to be newly deceased.

Black and White Chapter One Free Matt was in the corner of a small white room, the harsh light from the bare bulb glaring down on him. At fifteen years of age he was of average build. His short black hair was interrupted by a large scar in the middle of his head. Not exactly the sort of person you would expect to see in a rubber room, huddled in a corner wearing a straitjacket. Isolated. Alone.

In a cell. He had been there for so long that he had forgotten what he looked like and who anyone was apart from the police officers. His limited, barely functional body was bored of life. Given up on escaping. He was pondering on how long he had left until he was out of this building. Until he was allowed to see any other colours apart from black and white. He was quietly sipping at his flat coke through a straw that was stuck to the rubber floor. A screeching noise made him aware that a man holding a briefcase had entered the room. He was followed closely by three policemen holding batons.

The man with the briefcase said quietly with a deep, American accent. “C’mon Matt I would like a word.”

Matt

couldn’t remember who the man was but he had seen him before. He was sure of it. In silence Matt attempted to stand up. His attempts failed for his legs were hardly strong enough to support him. The man who spoke went over to help him and he briefly glanced over his shoulder and saw one of the police officers shaking his head, signalling not to help, but the man ignored him and pulled Matt up.

“Thanks” Matt grumbled. Swaying on his feet.

“This way please” The man replied.

Matt followed him , his every stumble move closely observed by the police officers. He was lead into a room with a single table and a large mirror.

“Ok, lets get started. Matthew Jameson.”

The First man said slowly as the police took guard at the door. “It looks like you have been a resident for,...how long?”

case?”

“Oh, yeah.” Matt said trailing off, uncertainly, not remembering, searching his memory frantically “when am I going to be released?”

“Oh, yes!” The man chuckled. “These kind officers will take you to your locker where your personal belongings were held and they will give you some clothes to wear.”

“Cool, um, thanks.”

Matt said choosing his words carefully.

“Ok,. Good luck Matt and please, don’t get into trouble!” “ Whatever” Matt said with confusion etched all over his face.

“No, unless you want another one. ” “No.” Matt shuddered quickly.

“Your lawyer made such a good appeal that as soon as you were sent in your sentence was decreased by a year.

Just without you knowing .” He winked, “You’re my lawyer though, aren’t you?”

Matt said unsteadily.

He was escorted out of the room towards the lockers. There he changed into a t-shirt and hooded jumper along with some tracksuit trousers. His other things where given to him in a plastic bag when he left the building along with one thousand American Dollars, his passport and a ‘new’ mobile. He thought it was a mix up but the phone had his name on it.

Scrolling through the numbers he noticed that they were all familiar yet, he just couldn’t remember exactly who these people were. Matt eased past the gates and looked back. Despite his shock at his sudden release he still marvelled at the size of the building and recalled how small his cell was.

How many people are there here in this place? What have they done to be here? What is this place?

He noticed the sign on the entry gate.

“Psychiatric Prison of Mexico City”. At least he could still read and he presumed write. But he had no idea why he would have been in a psych unit.

“Why yes, can you remember now? Just before you were remanded? The court

As he was walked around his senses were bombarded by the colours, so

Matt didn’t reply. He stared blankly at the ground.

“Three years, I understand” He said opening his brief case and removing a few papers. “ It appears that your sentence is up. You’re free to go.”

“Wh– Wh– What?” Matt stuttered, tumbling over his words.

Matt stared past the man’s eyes, unable to focus, unable to understand, unable to hope, “but, haven’t I still got another year?”

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many, so, so many beautiful colours. He walked around the corner and into the town . He found himself endlessly looking in shop windows, amazed at what he has missed over the years. A sign for a hotel prompted him to rest up. He walked over to check in for the night.

Chapter Two Newcomer Matt walked up to the hotel reception silently whistling at the size of hotel . The marble floors reflecting the sun were making it feel considerably hotter.

Judging by the size of this place, his room should be considerably better than his recent hospitality. He rented a room on the 6th floor. He walked over to the lift but it was full. “Sorry mate, you’ll have to go up the stairs” a skinny teenager said apologetically with a thick South African accent. “Ah, whatever I’ll walk up with you!” he said slipping out of the lift as the doors hissed closed.

“So, what’s your name then, eh?”

“I’m Matt. I’m from England. Yourself?”

“Ah, I’m Jamie. I come from South Africa.”

He announced proudly as he half smil ed.

“Cool.”

“So what are your plans for later life in Mexico? Or are you just a tourist?”

“No, I um moved here a while ago um, shortly after my parents were killed.

They came here on their honeymoon and wanted to be buried here” Matt lied.

“Good enough for me! I came here because I heard that there was some strange stuff going on around this city but, I missed it. Then I couldn’t be bothered to take my stupid flight back to my care home.”

“How long ago, how long have you been here ?”

“About three years.”

“So, what stuff was going on?” Matt asked puzzled.

“Yeah, well, I heard from the locals that I missed it. Only by a couple of days! There was this great, huge FIRE…, loads of people were killed and there were no survivors.”

Matt’s felt his heart pumping. He could hear Jamie’s voice but it was fading and trailing off. What was happening to him?

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There was blackness. But then in his mind he saw a large flame piercing the black night. It flickered and died. He was inside a huge hotel where everyone was dancing and having a ball . Suddenly gun shots were fired. People screamed, dived and ran in all directions. Everyone was running off from big flashes and flames that were climbing the walls.

He recognised this scene. He knew he had been here and then all the sound of screaming and pain had been real. But now they were being sucked away.

Matt woke up, sweating like a dog.

His heart raced. He found himself in a room with a glass of water on a bedside table and a sleepy looking Jamie with bloodshot eyes staring past him. Noticing Matt was conscious he jumped up and asked if he was ok. Matt whispered in a croaky restrained voice “yeah I-I-I’m fine.

How long have I been under?” “ ‘bout two days. I was sitting here beginning to worry about you. Good thing to I’m your next-door-neighbour for a while.” “right, OK” “So ah, you get some rest and I’ll see you when you next come around!” With that Jamie quietly slipped through the door.

Matt started to fall asleep when he heard a familiar voice. Struggling to get out of his bed he reluctantly pulled his covers off and hopped to the door. He could hear a conversation going on outside in the corridor. He cracked open the door to identify the familiar voice. Standing there was a brutish kid about his age with crazy, green hair, large shoulders and a small shirt showing off his muscles. As he turned around and saw Matt he gasped.

“No– no way! No-no-no! But– you’re– but-but– no way!” he stared, pointing an accusing finger.“But you’re dead?! I mean you’re a ghost– you died” Fear was overwhelming him and terror growing in his eyes.

“Erm... excuse me but I’m not dead and who the hell are you?” Matt questioned.

“But how?” The guy asked .“I mean the fire– Oh, um, no, don’t worry um ,wrong Back to Index

door! I must have made a mistake. Don’t worry ” he laughed nervously attempting to excuse himself and pretend that he had not just accused matt of being a ghost.

Fire? Fire Eh? What’s he talking about?

Matt thought frantically. He remembered back to when he was a small boy. When he was only about five. He had found a lighter and started flicking it on, and off. on, and off. He had always loved fire. Always played with it. All his old friends knew about it. But what was this person talking about going on about fire.

Then a flash of green reminded him that there was this guy in the corridor talking to him. John Edingson. That was his name. He came back to the real world and noticed that John (with the green hair) was half way down the hall and he had been standing still for about ten seconds. “Hey John, it’s me Matt! Your old friend from school back in England!”

John shook his head. “I DON’T KNOW YOU!!!!!!!!” he screamed turning to run.

Matt noticed the door beside him was open and leaning against the side of the frame was Jamie. Matt hadn’t noticed him during the commotion. “Some people eh? What an idiot!” Muttered Jamie in his heavily accented voice.

John ran down the stairs, barging past a young lady loaded with shopping bags.

Matt , instinctively walked over to help her up. “Oh, hi.” she said in an unerringly happy tone.

“Do you need any help.?” Matt asked while already picking up her bags.

“Yes please if you really wouldn’t mind.

I’m with my older brother. You might like to meet him. He is about your age. In fact he is right behind you” “Oh, hey again Jamie.” she said slowly as Matt handed back her bags.

“I see that you have met my lil’ sis Lauren!”

“Woo..woo .. my head, I need a liedown.” Matt said wobbling on his feet.

“What is up with you man?” asked Jamie concernedly. “You’re kinda weird you are at times. Like you go off into your own

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) head. I don’t know why but sometimes when the word FIRE is mentioned you seem to zone out and then you get these weird dreams. I don’t know. Like you’re in a trance or something.” Jamie said, hand under chin, contemplating Matt with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah, perhaps.

It’s strange though. I think I am getting flash backs from something.”

Said Matt.

“But why fire?” asked Jamie “What fire?” Jamie’s sister butted in before Matt could reply.

“Maybe it’s to do with the hotel fire? You must have some kind of link. Like you were a civilian harmed during the fire?”

Jamie suggested. He loved the idea of investigating his new friends past.

“Um, I don’t think so., but I would like to find out.” Matt said uneasily. He didn’t want to tell Jamie the truth about him being in a type of prison. He didn’t want to loose his only true, current friend.

Maybe later. He would tell them later when he worked it out for himself. Yes he would.

Chapter Three Investigating “So where shall we go?” Lauren asked innocently, not understanding what had just happened.

“I don’t know, lets get out of here for a while. I need some space and a coffee sounds good to me.? I have some cash and I’ll treat you” offered Matt.

Walking in silence, the trio wandered into town. Finding a cappuccino place they settled onto their seats. Sipping his coffee Matt suddenly became aware of the outline of a person on a mobile in a dark corner opposite him who seemed to be staring straight at them. He tried to pay no attention to this but his instinct was that something meaningful was going on.

Later as they walked the streets Matt saw someone in the darkness of an alley

holding a two-way radio. Barely moving his lips Matt whispered to Jamie “Have you noticed that around each corner strange people are staring at us?”

“Yeah, I have. Thought it was because we were just good looking and ultra cool.

But seriously why Matt, what is going on ?” Jamie questioned.

“I don’t know, but I think it might have been to do with that guy from the hotel. I knew him from somewhere. I even know his name. Its John. But I can’t remember where or why I know him.?”

“I don’t have a clue matey, but it can’t be good.” Jamie smiled. Matt marvelled at this new friend of his who only seemed to think that all this could be some kind of wicked fun joke. Oh to have such an optimistic view of life.

Turning down an alley Matt, Jamie and Lauren heard the sound of a truck rumble up behind them and stop. They turned to see a Khaki van blocking their exit. Three armed men clambered out of the van holding bayonets. One of them Matt recognised . He did not know where from. But he knew he had seen this man pointing a gun at someone’s head before. He could picture this scene with the man’s outline framed by a raging fire.

He could smell the carnage. His heart began to race and the familiar trickle of sweat that was associated with his thoughts of fire began down his back.

Unaware of Matt’s jumbled thoughts, survival instinct had kicked into Jamie.

A small razor sharp blade with a deadly jagged edge had miraculously appeared in one hand . His usually benign smiling face was replaced by a cold, aggressive snarl and his body bent forward coiled like a panther. Matt stared at him in amazement. Jamie whispered. “Long story….for another day. Just do as I say.” He ran at closest of the assailants and without hesitation he leaped up unleashing a powerful kick towards his head. The man staggered backwards defensively. But Jamie was too slick.

He had him in a death-neck hold and his blade was tight against the mans carotid artery. He whispered clearly into Back to Index

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the man’s ear “you tell your friends to put down their weapons or you will be Mexico City’s new blood fountain! NOW!” The hostage called frantically to his colleagues in Spanish. The weapons clattered to the ground. Jamie threw the man away from him. All three of them fled.

Matt’s mouth was open. “Like I said, long story…” Jamie shrugged. “I didn’t know you did karate or whatever that was” started Matt. “ The reality is you know nothing about me Matt and I know little about you except that being with you seems to be bad for my health. It’s not karate, it’s a form of defence that teaches you to use anything you can . For example, I can disable somebody wielding a sword with a small ball of string. Where I grew up it is the difference between survival and being blown to pieces. ” “Ok…” Matt said nervously.

“Don’t worry, I don’t go around beating the living daylight out of people. I only use it for self defence.”

“Well, at least I know we are kind of in less danger with you around” “Yeah, anyway lets move and look around for … hey wait a minute!”

Jamie said bending down. “What’s this?”

“What?” Lauren queried.

“Ah ...it’s the mans wallet! His name is… Tony livi– I can’t see the rest, it’s burnt off but there is a photo in here ” “Let me have a look” Lauren said making a grab for the wallet. “On his arm he has a tattoo of a green flag with three bullet holes in it” Said Jamie passing it to Lauren . She looked. “Here Matt” she said handing the wallet and photo across. But Matt did not take it. He was white. “ I know that symbol.

I have seen it before” he whispered.

“Yeah, isn’t that that “gang” that homes most of ‘Americas most wanted’ or something.” Jamie interrupted.

“Weren’t they involved in that great fire?”

“Yes seven of them were, I’m sure of it. One is called John.”

Matt said. Jamie gawped at him.

“Maybe that guy you beat up as well.

That Tony guy. He must be with them too” Turn Page

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“How do you know this Matt” asked Jamie. “ Jamie, I just don’t know. I remember it from my flashback. There was a fire in a large hotel. There was a man with the same tattoo pointing a gun at innocent people. I remember nothing after that.

I have years missing from my life. All I know now is that someone is trying to kill me and that the guy in the hotel today called john thought I was already dead”

“How about setting a trap?” asked Lauren. “if they come for you again we can get information.

“Ok, but do you have any realistic ideas?”

Matt asked hopefully.

Chapter Four The trap The next day,12:50pm, “Shall I run through the plan once more?” Lauren said quickly. Clearly she was the brains in Jamie’s family.

“Ok, if you want.” Matt said unhappily.

“So, Matt is going to hang around large public areas to try and spot anyone that looks suspicious or spot that other guy, John. They will be able to see him easily.

When they follow him, he will draw them into the backstreets. Jamie, that is your cue. You will disable them so we can interrogate and find out what is going on.

Matt you know what the back-up plan is don’t you?”. Matt nodded.

He set off walking to the nearby park as his friends took up positions away from each other, so they did not arouse suspicion. Matt bought an ice cream to blend in with the happy smiley crowds.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings.

On one side of the park he saw a couple of guys hanging by wearing jumpers which stood out in the summer heat. One he had noticed looked suspiciously like his old ‘friend’ John. He had obviously regained his courage after having seen the “Matt Ghost”. There were three of them: John, Tony and the other was a random one. He wondered if the jumpers were to hide their tattoos. They had not yet noticed Matt. He decided it was time Turn back a Page

to move so he subtly nodded his head towards Jamie’s position and slightly winked at Lauren. He rubbed his eyes to make his movements look natural.. He then started walking towards the closest alley only briefly glancing around to make sure the others were in position He finished off his ice-cream and went over to a bin. As he did so another member of the gang stood up from a bench. Matt had not accounted for so many. Jamie’s promises of skill were about to be put to the test.

Matt quickened his pace moving through the less crowded areas until he got to the alley. Suddenly and unexpectedly a hand grabbed for his shoulder , it was John. Matt swivelled to face him. “So, I guess you aint’ dead after all. How’d ya survive an’ get out eh?” the acne face John sneered. “survive what?” Matt said with a semi fake lack of knowledge. “That big ol’ fire that me an’ me mates started. Remember?”

“What fire?”

“The one that sent you into that crazy people prison for a few years mate. Sadly less years than what I hoped for. I guess that poison that we put in your drink didn’t work well enough for you to forget everything.”

“Why did you do it John ?”

“Why’d ya think? I need to keep ma friends happy so I cleverly chose you at the right place at the right time. I chose to burn the place because I knew you used to love fire like a small boy with chocolate. So I razed he bloody place.. Everyone would believe it was you. From the time we was kids together you always played with fire” “You still haven’t answered my question. Why do you hate me so much. ” Matt asked again.

“Look at the smart arse trying to get information outa’ me!” John laughed hysterically. He mumbled something to one of the other gang members who had come up behind him.

“Seems as though it’s one of you verses eight of us Matt and if you escape there’ll be a hell lot more on your tail. So where were we. Oh yes, you had a question for me”.

“So you put me through this for the hell of it John?” asked Matt. “Or was there another reason” Back to Index

“No. You just pretty much got in the way. The Green Flag is a multinational organisation with a political mission.

There was a target in the hotel that evening. Someone who we needed to deal with. Making it look like a fire that a pyromaniac like you had started was sweet man. We got away without anyone even knowing we had accomplished a mission and we took millions of dollars with us to support our causes. You realise you can’t live to tell his tail. Well what’re we waiting for? Lets dance!” John said with an evil grin.

Matt pulled out a small Dictaphone and threw it down the alley towards where he knew Lauren would be hiding. The gang members temporarily froze.

“Get ‘im!” John screamed. Members of the gang advanced toward Matt with obviously evil intent. A figure dropped from the guttering landing on top of the advancing mob. Three members sprawled to the floor.

“Was my timing right?” the figure said to Matt.

“Perfect, Jamie, perfect!”

“Why thanks.” he said winking as he whacked a gang member in the nose with his palm. Matt ran back, grabbed a bin lid and smashed it down on John’s massive head sending him momentarily to the floor. Lauren vaulted down from a low window holding a baseball bat. She landed behind the mob leaving them all trapped and to the mercy of her brother’s martial arts, a bin lid and her base ball bat.

Back over where Matt was fighting, John was now up and holding a large machete he had pulled from a concealed sheath. He swung at Matt. The bin lid blocked it but Matt was knocked to the floor. John swung again for the kill. Matt raised his battered shield to block it, but the bin lid was sliced in half by the machete. He knew there was no escape this time around. Matt rolled out of the way as John plunged the machete down but now he was pinned a corner.

“You have caused my gang a hell of a

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) lot’a trouble. You were the only witness that survived! Good bye Mattie boy” John said as he raised the knife once more.

“Good bye Johnny boy.” Jamie replied from behind as he pushed his thumbs up into John’s carotids. The sustained pressure on the main artery caused a lack of blood to John’s brain and he slumped unconscious to the ground.

Matt pulled out his new/old mobile and dialled 999. Lauren handed him the Dictaphone as Jamie tied Johns hands and feet together. Matt placed the Dictaphone on the unconscious men’s chest. He scribble a little note to the police saying “Play Me”. All three walked away.

Chapter Five Confession “So, Matt you never told me you were held in a prison? Even though I kind of suspected it as you are such a dodgy character.” Jamie remarked casually as they all slumped down in front of the T.V in his apartment.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to lose the only friend and person who had bothered to be nice to me for three years. I mean, I was avoided at school because when they found out that I had interests in flames they wanted to keep me away from their children. So I thought that if I told you before, then you would avoid me. Or you would not believe me.” Matt said guiltily.

“I can understand that, I’ve been in that sort of situation before. When I was put into a foster home, I said to all of the people that I became sort of friends with that I was mildly diabetic so I could get extra desserts and to be special.”

“Shuuush! Look It’s Crime Watch for Mexico” interrupted Lauren.

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the disastrous hotel fire three years ago in which fifteen people lost their lives.

This man may be very dangerous for he took on twelve members of this gang on his own. The public is advised not to approach him. This is Sãréna Alicia reporting for Mexico Crime Watch.’

“Wow, you’re a wanted man!” Lauren whistled.

“Is that good or bad?” Matt said. Lauren blushed.

We should lay low . They don’t have any description of you apart from your voice so learn Spanish and don’t do public speeches.” Jamie added thoughtfully.

“Yeah well as long as we are always together or mostly together in the open, they wont suspect me because they are searching for a single male. ” “True, very true.”

“Or we could move country?” “ Well I have a passport.” Matt smiled.

“How about you?” “I’m in!” Lauren squealed excitedly.

“Same here. Where shall we go? Japan? Or good old South Africa, one-way flight?”

“South Africa! YEAH!!!” Shouted Lauren, punching the air. “ I wouldn’t mind!” Matt beamed happily.

“Lets go!”

Acknowledgements I would like to thank my mum for helping me edit my story and for checking through my story and making sure that it made sense. I also thank my annoying little brother for “reminding me” to do my novel or else I wouldn’t have finished. I also thank all my favourite Authors for good ideas from their books and good names for characters.

‘Police are searching for a young man who today was involved in a fight with members of the notorious ‘Green Violence Gang’ . By leaving a tape which must have been recorded before a scuffle between the gang and the boy, police are now aware of the gangs involvement in Back to Index

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A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full)

Survivor

The full novel by Theo Ogden

Prologue

Chapter One NOVEMBER 7 2010

The fifteen-year-old boy lay across the cold floor. He didn’t know where he was.

A small, damp cell didn’t tell him much.

He couldn’t remember a thing since he woke up, which must have been about five hours ago. It had felt like a lifetime.

About ten minutes later, a young woman entered the room. She looked about twenty, with dark brown hair down to her shoulders. She was carrying a plate with slab of meat on it.

“I thought you might be hungry.” She spoke softly. The boy stood up. As he was handed the plate, he looked from the food to the woman, and back again. The meat smelled faintly of bitter almonds.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” He yelled, as the plate hit the floor with a smash.

“Where the hell am I?” He held the young woman by the collar. “Speak!”

The woman looked straight into his eyes.

The boy felt something sharp jab into the back of his neck. He lost control of his entire body, and he was dragged into what he could only just make out to be a completely white corridor.

The boy heard someone approaching, but couldn’t make out any details, other than a dark silhouette. He only just heard the deep sound from a man’s voice.

“So that is him. The boy. We finally have him.” The man swivelled round and proceeded to walk away, the knock of his shoes echoing throughout the corridor.

He stopped. “You know what to do.” His statement was directed at the woman.

He continued to walk away, and soon the sound of his walking was out of earshot.

Turn back a Page

THE AMAZON JUNGLE It had taken Aran Leonard 2 days to journey to his destination. He had to be silent, or he would be killed. He was armed with C4 explosives and a backup P90 assault rifle. This was the most dangerous part of the mission. He had to sneak up to one of the walls of this “science lab” without being seen and plant the explosives. At the time of the briefing, it had seemed easy. Now it did not.

There were four guards at the entrance.

Two others were patrolling the sides.

He would have to round the back.

The lab was a large ugly grey building surrounded by trees. It was only one level above ground, so Aran presumed that it went below. He crept round to the back behind the trees, and when the two guards turned around, he carefully stepped forward to the rear wall, put his P90 to one side and got out the C4. As he looked to place the C4, there was a piece of paper with: 414395 written on it. Aran picked it up and put it in his pocket, because it was likely that one of the guards had dropped it. Once the explosives had been planted, he began to turn around. As he did, he tripped over the gun, and crashed to the ground.

The soldiers heard him. The next thing he knew there were three German soldiers running at him shouting: “Es ist ein soldat Amerikanischer!”

Another one shouted: “Halt! Hönde hoc h!”

Aran spoke enough German to know that he wasn’t supposed to go any Back to Index

further. He got up and raised his hands.

The three soldiers circled him with AK47s in their hands. Aran knew that if he were captured he would be interrogated and maybe even killed. So he would have to act fast if he were to survive.

Immediately, he swung his swung his two fists at the soldiers to the side of him, and kicked with his right foot at the soldier in front. He did this so quickly that they didn’t have time to react. Aran picked up his gun and ran east, where a helicopter would be ready to pick him up.

But he had forgotten one thing. There were three more soldiers, guarding the entrance. Aran felt something strike him in the back. He stopped, standing still.

He felt a chill run through his body. And then he collapsed.

Chapter Two JANUARY 5 2011 DENVER-COLORADO It was a cold Monday morning. John Farrell was in HMV, buying a CD. He couldn’t understand why their decorations were still up, even though it was already ten days past Christmas. Perhaps it was a marketing technique. Either that or the employees just couldn’t be bothered to take them down.

John didn’t have any parents. They both died in a plane crash when he was young. Now he was twenty-seven, so he was obviously was old enough to look after himself. He didn’t really have any relatives left. Of whom he knew anyway.

At least he had friends, mostly from work.

Those who weren’t friends from work had never been told the truth of what he

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) did for a living. They were told he was businessman. It was a perfect cover for travelling a lot.

John chose a CD. He was about to pay for it until he heard screams from outside.

He dropped the CD and sprinted outside to see what was going on. As he looked left, he saw a man driving a silver BMW 3-series extremely dangerously. He must have been going seventy miles per hour down a forty mph speed limit, and was very close to the pavement. John presumed the car was stolen, because the driver really seemed to not care about the damage he was doing. John’s car was parked directly in front of him. It was a Mercedes SL 65 AMG. As he got in the car the other driver rocketed past.

John started the engine and slammed his foot on the pedal. They were coming up to a four-way road, and traffic was building up greatly. He thought up an idea. He got out an M9 pistol from his glove compartment, opened the window, and fired a bullet directly at the driver’s tire. The BMW’s tire burst, and the car began to swerve. The driver tried to correct the swerving, but he made it worse, span around and the side of the BMW smashed into a civilian car!

The driver seemed badly injured, but just managed to open the door and get out.

John slowed down and quickly jumped out of the car. The driver was trying to run away, but was limping badly.

“Stop!” John demanded holding the gun in his hand. The driver completely ignored him. John quickened his pace and tackled him. The driver winced in pain and was much too injured to even try to get away again. John held him down and called the police.

Chapter Three “How is the project going?” “ Very well urm... sir.”

“Excellent.” Luis Kasser was confident that ‘his’ experiment was going to work. Even though there had been a

security breach lately, he knew that no one could get in his way. Security had been tightened in both of his bases, and his more important workers had been trained to not give away any information.

It wasn’t really his project. But he liked to think that it was. If it worked, the company he worked for would get millions.

He watched carefully as the workers did their job. They were standing underground in a large white room.

Everyone was wearing white overalls and surgical masks. The workers all had a gas in a test tube, and were removing the spores from it and putting the spores into separate tubes.

One of the scientists was carrying a test tube with the spores in it. Suddenly, he stumbled, dropping the test tube! Luis turned around straight away, pulled out an SAA revolver, and aimed it at the worker’s head. It was lucky the tubes were shatterproof, or they all would be dead in a matter of seconds.

“I’m sorry Sir,” the worker looked very worried, “It won’t happen again.”

“I know.” Luis muttered, as he pulled the trigger.

Within seconds, blood was spurting across the room.

“Get back to work!” Luis yelled. “I don’t want anybody dropping any more spores on the floor. And if somebody does-” He looked over to the dead body, lying flat across the floor “- then there’s going to be trouble.”

Chapter Four JANUARY 6 2011 S.U.D.A. HEADQUARTERS John’s boss’s office was rather unusual.

It was quite long, about the size of a classroom. The walls were painted bright blue and there was a single wooden desk with three desk chairs on either side of it sitting near the far side of the office. The desk was huge, with a black laptop (probably the most powerful and expensive that you could buy) on

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top. In fact the whole room looked very expensive. There was a huge highquality picture of Denver behind the desk and few large plants here and there.

John’s boss himself was tall with very dark skin. His name was Michael Peterson. He had worked with S.U.D.A. for five years.

“Sit down, Agent Farrell.”

John sat on one of the blue chairs, opposite Michael.

“The criminal you captured was identified as a member of the G.O. which is also known as the Grunwald Organization.”

“So, who are they?” John questioned.

“They are a criminal organization who specialize in organized attacks such as, robberies, or assassinations and use their scientific knowledge in them.

They are notorious in criminal circles.

The thing is, we don’t know much about them.”

“Wait, I’m lost. Where did this guy come from, and what did he do anyway?”

“What you’re trying to say is-” “What was he trying to get away from?”

John cut in.

“Well, it’s a long story. There was a break-in at an anthrax testing facility in Arizona in October last year. The criminal was caught and questioned by the CIA. Turned out that he was a member of the G.O. too. He told the CIA that there was an experiment going on in the Amazon, and something else happening in Denver. He was found mysteriously dead the next morning. The CIA flew over the Amazon and found a mysterious-looking grey building in a clearing of the forest.

They then sent an Agent to explode the lab, but he never returned. His name was Aran Leonard.”

“Why did they even try to blow up the lab, if the G.O. didn’t have any anthrax in the first place?” All this was a bit too much for John to take in.

“Quite the contrary. There was a break-in at the very same facility in Arizona about a week before the other, but this guy got away. They never saw him, but the

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next day they had lost boxes of anthrax spores. They found out from the one who was caught that it was them, but the CIA suspected it was. Anyway, they found this base in Denver yesterday, and this criminal guy was one of the guys there, so he managed to escape, until he ran into you.”

“Why did they only find them in Denver yesterday.”

“Well it’s not exactly easy to find a particular building in Denver is it? In the Amazon it stands out!”

“Look, just why have you brought me here?”

“We need to make sure that the G.O. don’t use that anthrax. You’ll go to the Amazon via plane, and jump out of the plane with a parachute. It took Aran Leonard two days to get to the lab. It’ll take you minutes to get there via parachute. You’ll then infiltrate the lab set the timer on the explosives. By then you will have twenty minutes to get out. If you have a look around you might find Aran Leonard too.

Bring him back if you see him. ” “Oh great, a life-threatening assignment.”

John murmured, sarcastically.

“You’re a spy John, it’s your job. SUDA: Secret Undercover Defence Agency.

Now get ready, we leave tomorrow.”

Chapter Five JANUARY 7TH 2011 10,000FT ABOVE THE AMAZON John sat in the helicopter directly opposite the open door, and next to the door that he had entered the helicopter from. He felt the adrenaline more than the fierce wind slapping his face. He was wearing a black jump suit and a helmet, with a survival backpack that contained weapons and a first-aid kit.

The pilot turned around.

“This is the place.” He tried to shout above the loud sounds from the helicopter.

John nodded. He got up and walked to the open door.

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“Ready?” The pilot didn’t bother to wait for a reply. “Three, two, one-” There was a large bang. John clasped his chest, and began to fall. Everything went blurry. He was falling at hundreds of miles per hour. If the gunshot wouldn’t kill him, then the fall would.

“John, John do read me?” The sound of Michael Peterson’s voice came from John’s radio. John was in a half alivehalf dead state. “John, to survive, you will need to listen to me!”

John groaned. “You will need to pull the cord on your parachute, then get your first-aid wound.” Michael continued. John used all his strength, and pulled as hard as he could. The parachute ripped open.

John turned back at the helicopter, which was beginning to move off. The large bold letters on the black metal read: G.O. Chapter Six THE AMAZON JUNGLE “John, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m alive.”

“Listen, you have to stop the bleeding, so use your first-aid kit to disinfect it, then make sure to cover it with a bandage.”

John did as he said. “Now listen, you are about two minutes walk from the lab, so head north. Don’t be seen by the enemy.”

“Michael, the helicopter I was in was a G.O. helicopter. I think it was the pilot who shot me.”

“The G.O.? I wonder what happened to the over pilot. We’ll look into it. For now, just get on with the mission.”

John took out a silenced M9 from his bag. Beneath the black jumpsuit, he was wearing khaki camouflage. He took off the jumpsuit, and headed north.

After a few minutes of walking, John saw a grey building in a clearing. “Michael, I think I’m here.”

“Good.”

“There are four guards patrolling the front entrance, I can’t get in.”

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“Well, you’re going to have to think of a way to create a diversion. Look around you and see what you can use.”

John looked around. There was simply nothing that he could use as a distraction. He then had an idea. He rummaged around in his bag, and he took a smoke grenade. Pulling out the clip, he threw it twenty metres to his left.

As smoke erupted from the grenade, two confused guards approached the foreign and puzzling object to see what was happening. The other two stayed guarding the front entrance. John raised his gun, aimed, and shot them both, killing them ruthlessly, silently and efficiently. The other guards turned around and shortly had bullets in their heads. John stepped past the lifeless bodies and entered the archway to the science lab. The corridor immediately sloped downwards. He came to a large metal door with a keypad next to it. The door obviously required a code to enter.

He looked around. There was nothing to give it away.

“Come in HQ.” John thought that Michael might have an answer.

“What is it John?”

“There is a locked doorway to the lab with a keypad, but there is no sign of any code.”

“Hmm, come to think of it, the CIA got a message from Aran Leonard during his mission. It said: 414 395. Try that.” John entered the code and, sure enough, the door slid open. It led to a completely white corridor. Somehow though, it seemed familiar to John.

Chapter Seven JANUARY 7TH 2011 DENVER SUB-STATION

The train stopped at Colfax Avenue.

About twenty people entered. A man with black hair, a suit and a briefcase sat down. The next stop was about two minutes away. The man looked around

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) him. There was a teenager listening to music, a businessman, and a mother with her daughter. To the man, these were ordinary people. He kept thinking to himself, they were just extras in life.

They are just there to be there.

After about a minute, the man took out a gas mask from his case. People were looking at him at as if he were crazy. As he put it on, the civilians were getting worried.

The man got out a metal sphere. It was about the size of an orange. A lot more dangerous than an orange though. As soon as he pressed the button on the sphere, everyone in that train had about thirty seconds to live.

The man threw the sphere, and it rolled down the train. A green gas came from the sphere. Within seconds, people where coughing and couldn’t breathe.

They rolled around on the floor and some screamed. The man got up as the green gas began to fade. The doors opened.

Twenty dead people, in thirty seconds.

The man got out his phone and called a number.

“It’s done.”

Chapter Eight

Once again he had De ja vu. That was it. There was no one here. But why were there guards?

“Michael, there’s no one here.” John spoke into the radio.

“Damn, they must have gone back to Denver. Get out of there and head south.

There is a helicopter next to the river.

Oh, and don’t worry, this guy is S.U.D.A.” Chapter Nine JANUARY 8TH 2011 S.U.D.A. HQ John sat down on the same seat he sat on two days ago. Michael sat opposite.

“G.O. has already attacked.” Michael stated.

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, when you were looking around the lab, thirty people died on the underground train.”

“And you’re sure it was them?”

“They all died of anthrax. Every last one of them. The thing is, they died in about a minute. The G.O. must have enhanced the speed of the effect on the anthrax.”

“Is that even possible?”

JANUARY 7TH 2011 THE LAB John couldn’t hear anyone. He took a few steps through the mysterious white corridor. At the end of it, he looked around. There was a corridor to the left and to the right. He chose to turn left.

There was a door. As he opened it, it led to a room filled with scientific apparatus.

It was quite a large room. There was a long table in the centre of the room.

Many empty test tubes stood on the table. There was no one in the room. He tried going right this time. There were two doors. The first one led to a room with a chair that leant back, the kind you would find in a dentist’s. This room reminded him of something. He tried the other door. This was an empty cell.

“Apparently so. The Pentagon received a letter from them. They said they’re not going to stop until they get five billion dollars and nuclear weaponry. Of course, the U.S. government would never do that, so it’s up to us.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“A civilian told us that the guy who came out alive went into a black Corvette.

We traced that on satellite images and they stopped off at a large warehouse.

That’s where we think they are. You’ll go there tomorrow, see what you can find. Be careful though, you might find the leader of the G.O. His name is Karl Grunwald. He is very dangerous. You’ll have a backup team of FBI agents, if you get into trouble. They’ll sort it out if you happen to run into him.”

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Chapter Ten JANUARY 8TH 2011 FLIGHT DA395 TO DENVER Harry Jones felt tired. The long journey from Brazil had really annoyed him, and he just wanted to sleep.

The airhostess’s came around offering drinks. As one approached him, Harry heard a beep. It didn’t sound someone’s phone. It came from the air-conditioning.

Suddenly, a green gas, shot out from the air-conditioning. People screamed and spluttered, struggling to breathe! The whole of the passenger part of the plane was shrouded in a cloud of green mist.

Nearly everyone on the plane was dead.

The pilot heard the screams, and opened the door to see what was happening.

Although he didn’t know it, that was a very bad idea. He gasped as he saw the piles of dead bodies. As he gasped, he inhaled the fumes of the green gas.

Everyone on the plane was dead.

Chapter Eleven JANUARY 9TH 2011 THE WAREHOUSE The warehouse was based on the outskirts of Denver. A large grey warehouse surrounded by high-alert guards and a large wall. Michael had told him that the only way to get in was an underground passageway. The entrance to the underground tunnel was about a mile away, below a road grate. John had entered it and was near the exit.

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of the hut and peered over the corner, to look for any guards. There were two patrolling the main door and one patrolling a smaller doorway to the right.

That was the one that John needed to enter.

As the guard patrolling the right door turned around, John crept as quietly as possible, and entered the door. There was an immediate upwards staircase as he opened the door. Holding a silenced pistol, he carefully stepped up the stairs.

At the top, John gasped. There were hundreds of tanks, the size of barrels neatly laid out. John looked at one. On the top it said: ANTRAX:ENHANCED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL It was all anthrax. What on earth would they do with so much? There was a door next to the staircase. John pushed it open. It looked like an office. There was a simple desk, chair and computer. It was a big difference to Michael’s. John opened one of the drawers in the desk.

There was a file named: Operation A.R.P. John opened it. It said: January 7th: Mark Stuttgart to release The anthrax sphere on Denver train.

January 8th: Anthrax spores released on flight DA395.

January 10th: Anthrax spores released in the Pentagon.

John stopped. These maniacs were planning to attack the Pentagon. John opened the office door to leave. As he did there was a man standing in front of him.

“Hello John.” The man said.

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93

The World Under Our Feet The full novel by James Winder Prologue.

There is a place every human knows of. But a place where none have ever been, except me. Somewhere where you used to dream about when you were younger, where there are creatures with three eyes, sharp claws and ferocious powers your imagination could not even consider. Where all speak Zaloogan a language only I know.

A place scientists say is fake! They are wrong! I’ve been there. I’ve seen things no one else has. You could not go; you wouldn’t want to, it is a terrible place seemingly always caught in war.

A place you could pity but alas pity won’t help. This place is kept in peace, for now, by the Consando (what you’d call police), a daring fleet of super-strong robots helping only the ones in need. In this place of darkness, violence is the only law the citizens follow, but even that must be enforced. The stories I tell you are written in a time of peace.

The empire is being rebuilt, some have suffered more than others; a criminal up rising has already begun.

This world I tell you of, if you had not guessed, is what you refer to as the underworld, or what I call the world under our feet.

Chapter 1.

The New Arrival.

Edward Rolgovligi was sitting in a hover car on the way to an orphanage. He hadn’t been told the name of his new home. But now as he stared out the window at an empty sidewalk there were other things on his mind.

He’d never been to an orphanage and

he didn’t even know what one was; but he did know that he was nervous and as they always did his nerves were carrying his imagination too far. He was expecting to turn up at a half fallen down castle with evil adults torturing him day and night while they ate greedily on beautiful banquets of delicious foods then sleeping in huge beds under rich silks, selling his few possessions without thinking twice.

While he chewed on bones and crumbs then curled up in the damp smelly corner.

No! He thought trying to fight back it won’t be like that.

He was only partly aware the car had stopped. After it had been stationary for a minute the driver said, “Are you getting out? Or not?”

Then he realised fully and began to fiddle with the door, but he couldn’t open it so the driver sighed, got out and opened it from the outside.

“Thanks,” mumbled Edward.

He walked to the front door and he was reaching for the bell just as it opened.

A female horysogubist came into view.

“Hello! I’m Mrs. K, the head of the orphanage.”

First impressions mean a lot to Mrs. K and when she saw Edward she wasn’t very impressed at all. He was a zobbelagon- not the most tidy of creatures but still she’d think twice about walking up to him in the street. He had two blue eyes and one red none of them blinking simultaneously, his head wasn’t quite round, he had turquoise skin, two arms with three sharp claws on each hand, two legs with two sharp claws and one like that of a Velociraptor, his mouth was too wide and the fangs too sharp for

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her liking, also his tongue flicked in and out like a lizard’s which really irritated her and his nose was replaced by two slits.

He wore a pair of torn shorts faded with age.

Mrs. K’s appearance shocked him also, but in a completely different way. He didn’t think anyone could be as tidy as Mrs. K. She had a long snout, two kind green eyes, a long purple horn which curved round like hair, slightly browny yellow skin, two short arms with human hands, a clubbed sweeping tail, two muscular legs and a row of spikes down her back which were red. She wore a glistening black coat.

Mrs. K turned.

“Come in,” she said “and do shut the door behind you. It lets in quite a draught.”

He shut the door and followed her in to the Orphanage.

“Guys come down, our new arrival is here!” She shouted In return he heard a few mumbles of “Just a minute.”

This obviously didn’t satisfy her so she used her snout to push her voice as loud as it would go and then at the top of her voice yelled “NOW!!!”

It was hard to miss the sound of thundering feet as a group of a range of creatures raced down the stairs. When all got there she whispered: ”Thank you. I would like you to introduce your selves in turn. Calam you first.”

“Err, well hi! My birth name’s Calam but if you call me that then I’ll kill you, no?

You’ll call me Canine. Won’t you?”

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“Try to ignore the fangs; it’s how I got my name, see really just over grown canines.”

was a humanian a copy of a human but with one big secret, they didn’t have any gender, whatever; they looked like on the outside they still didn’t have a gender and she wasn’t really a she at all, more of an “it”.

“Right. Okay.”

“Hi, I’m 10*.”

“I’m a divide if you wanted to know.”

He couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was radiating beauty: “she must have the power to be super-attractive,” he thought.

“I suppose-“

Canine reminded Edward of a cross between a vampire, a dragon and a devil because he looked as if he were wearing a mask over his face with two eye holes through which peered two beady black eyes two nostril slits. His mouth and fangs stuck out at the bottom like his pointed ears. The top his body was covered in red scales. He didn’t have legs but did have a pair of very muscular arms and leathery dragon wings, which were pitch black, and he was also quite small.

He turned and flew away.

“Katie.” Said Mrs. K. A girl walked up; in fact she waddled up: she was blue, had webbed hands and feet which were yellow, she also had rows of yellow spikes along her back which were also webbed together, one glistening emerald eye, a dolphin’s tail, and a yellow horn projected from her forehead.

“Hi, Mrs. K can call me Katie, but you can call me Sponge.”

“Hi, Sponge.” Edward said.

She nodded then followed Canine.

“Now it’s me,” said another girl as she stepped up.

“Polly! Wait your turn.” Mrs. K exclaimed.

“B-b-but…”

“Oh carry on then.”

She turned back to Edward and smiled a dazzling smile. Edward found himself enhanced by her beauty; she could have been human then he realised that she Turn back a Page

She got bored of waiting for a reply so followed Sponge and Canine out.

“Jack.” Said Mrs. K

“So why are you here?”

Edward didn’t want to tell his friend the truth, not yet.

“My dad was shot in the war. Then my mum committed suicide from grief. I was three. Kind of lucky I guess, other wise I’d grieve and wouldn’t be how I am.

What about you?”

“M-m-my mum, she killed my dad; I don’t know why. My dad wasn’t the world’s best dad but he was family. I was there when she did it.”

“Did what? Stab her?”

“Call me Steph’ if you like; I don’t care,” she said to Edward.

“No, worse. She strangled him then burnt his body, and never knew I was watching through a crack in my door: When his body was nothing but ashes she walked over to my door. I was terrified. I’d just seen her kill my father. I didn’t want to know what she’d do to me and didn’t hang around to find out, I jumped out the window and ran. I heard her screams but so did a member of the Consando he ran over to me. I managed to whisper, “Help, me.” He ran towards the house as a vehicle arrived for me. I stayed at a Consando office for a long time then an officer told me that my mother was behind bars and a day later I was taken here.”

“Okay,” he replied.

“Okay that is bad.”

So Edward followed Steph’ upstairs to begin the tour.

He didn’t answer.

“Ahoy, I’m Jack or as those guys call me Wobble,” he grinned, “Wanna know why? Cause I can shape shift,” he said, turning into a hamster and scuttling off.

“Stephanie,” Mrs. K said “I’ve got some important files. Can you show Edward round for me?”

“Sure,” she replied, “come on Edward.”

Stephanie was like 10* a humanian but thankfully she wasn’t super-attractive.

Chapter 2.

Triple-Dex. During the tour Edward and Steph’ became friends, and then they went outside with ice creams. Edward had mint and pineapple flavour, Steph’ had lemon and chocolate. After a while of silent licking Steph’ asked.

“So why are you here?”

At first Edward didn’t answer then he sighed.

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“Come on get over it. You know Canine’s mother’s behind bars at the moment too.

You see you’re not the only one.”

At that moment Canine arrived.

“Hey, Steph’, Edward listen do you guys want to play hide and seek tag?”

“Canine I don’t think-” began Steph’.

“Oh come on Steph’ it’s fun. Especially when we all play.”

“Canine something else.”

“Fine we’ll play Raptor.”

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) “What is Raptor?” asked Edward.

“Fun,” answered Canine helpfully. “Come on Ed you can not know what Raptor is, seriously mate.”

“I don’t.”

“What’s up with you?” the bird asked.

“You look down in the dumps.”

Edward was so shocked he didn’t reply.

“Oh, so you’ve never seen a talking bird before; I guess it must seem really weird to you.”

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The wheelbarrow turned back into a hamster and sprinted through the door of the garden shed, Canine flew out with him.

“I wanted to be last he moaned.”

He flew over to the small garden pond and pulled out a dripping wet Sponge.

“Well then, it’s a game where someone is the raptor and they have to try and catch everyone else. Once you’re caught you’re a raptor too and the first one caught is the new raptor and so on.”

“Who are you?” Edward finally managed to ask.

Horno

Steph came back outside shaking her head.

“I’m going in,” said Steph’ “I don’t like Raptor.”

“Mister Hackanbacker what are you doing here?”

“Come on Ed,” pleaded Canine.

They walked over to Sponge, Wobble and 10* who had been waiting.

“I’m meant to say looking for worms, aren’t I? No, actually I’m a pretty regular visitor here. I heard there’d be a guy turning up soon. That must be you and don’t call me Mister Hackanbacker just, Horno to you.”

“Mrs. K says its time to back inside and that we’re going to need to save our energy for tomorrow’s outing.”

“Sponge you’re raptor.”

“Err Horno why do you come here?”

“I’m always raptor!” moaned Sponge.

“I love watching little ones grow up.”

“Wobble…”

“Horno…”

“No way José,” said Wobble.

“I love worms.”

“Erm, Ed could you be raptor?”

“Horno!”

“I guess… if I have to.”

“Okay, okay I love both of them. Ah it’s not funny any more is it? Well if you want the truth I’m looking for Blue Tits, I find them irresistible and my sons are waiting for me in the roof. Bye!”

“Err, okay then,” agreed Edward.

“Thanks Ed.” “Count to ten, then come and find us,” said 10* “1,2,3…”Ed began. There was lots of fidgeting and giggling going on behind him.

“7,8,9,10!”

He turned hoping to catch them but they weren’t there.

A leaf floated to the ground slowly and peacefully but everything else was still.

A bird of some sort fluttered down from the sky then it turned to look at Edward.

“The names Horno Hackanbacker.”

friend,

“Does this mean I win?” she asked

Steph’ went back inside.

“Well if we’re going on an outing we’ll need to give you a nickname Ed.” “Ed’s good enough for me.”

“But not for me. No I’m going to call you.

Erm… Triple-Dex, from now on.”

Everyone went back inside leaving the newly named Triple-Dex on his own in the cold. “Triple-Dex,” he thought, ”not bad.” Then “Burr! It’s cold.” He followed the others inside and up to his bedroom that he’d been shown earlier that day.

Chapter 3.

Two Visitors.

10* then jumped on to a wheelbarrow whose tyre cheekily collapsed.

It was midnight everything was quiet then out of the gloom stepped a figure wearing a long weather beaten coat.

It walked slowly through the puddles; water lapping its feet they were walking purposefully towards a building. It was reaching for the door; its sharp claws were easily capable of tearing through the soft oak. Suddenly an alarm tore apart the silence of the night, a deafening alarm. So they had finally realised that their worst prisoner was free. The cloaked figure cursed the alarm, before vanishing back into the shadows.

“Got you Wobble!” said 10* triumphantly.

***

As Horno flew off to a hole in the roof, which was making a lot of chirping, he passed a tree, which looked like it moved out the way as he flew past. He pretended to be wandering aimlessly towards the tree then as he got as close as he dared jumped up into the tree and found a baffled 10* sitting there.

“Raptor!” he said.

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At exactly nine o’clock the next morning another visitor arrived at the house. This one was here for a different reason. He knocked on the door in a funeral manner; in fact this person looked just like the sort you’d see at a funeral. He had a parrot’s head with as long hooked beak which like his face looked overly-wrinkled and feathered arms with human hands and vulture-like legs. He wore a tailored suit with a blood red tie, which made his feathers look even more grey and dull than they were before.

The door opened and Mrs. K’s head popped out “Mr. Baxter how nice to see you!” Mr. Baxter’s face stayed stern it looked like it had forgotten how to smile (funeral face).

“Good morning Mrs. K,” he said without a drop of emotion or caring.

“Please, do come in!” Mrs. K said politely.

“That’d be nice,” said Mr. Baxter naturally adding this snide remark.

He followed Mrs. K into her office where everything was filed into its own space in alphabetical order.

“So Mr. Baxter? What is the meaning of your surprise visit?” “I’m here to see that you get hold of an important piece of information about one of the children at your orphanage.”

“And that is?”

“Last night a high security prisoner broke free from the Consando’s highest security prison.”

“And what’s this got to do with the orphanage.”

“And for the last time I don’t see how this endangers the child.”

“This wasn’t just any murder that MOTHER IS A CANNIBAL! She ate her own husband! Worse, the child was the one who told the Consando about her crime! You must tell him.”

“I do not want to scare the child just as he’s fitting in.”

“What? You’re not going to tell the boy his mother’s coming for him and that he’s in huge danger!!! -Squawk.”

“No I’m not.”

“It’s your choice but don’t say, I didn’t warn you. But at least have this it’s a photo of the mother.”

Mr. Baxter left. Mrs. K let out a sigh of relief.

As she turned to get a file something on the picture suddenly caught her eye; it wasn’t the fact that the picture was moving, all photos move in the underworld it was the person the photo was based on they had eyes that darted round then when they settled on you and somehow filled you with terror it. Was written beneath the photo:

Hannah Rolgovligi.

Age 42.

Convicted for the Murder of Edmond Rolgovligi (Husband) and attempted murder of Edward Rolgovligi (son).

Sentenced to a lifetime in jail.

“You are then unaware that one of the children in your orphanage’s mother was that prisoner.”

Convicted on the 25th of February 19426.

“And again I don’t see how this will endanger the child.”

Her instincts told her to tell Edward right then but she held them back. Later she wished she hadn’t.

“The child’s mother was found guilty for murdering her husband.”

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Chapter 4.

The Outing.

Today was the day of the outing and while the children were eating their breakfasts a visitor had come to talk to Mrs. K. She had said it was nothing important before the meeting but came out of her office a few shades paler then when she had gone in obviously it hadn’t been good news and the children didn’t want to make Mrs. K sad before the outing.

The children were hugely exited about the outing they didn’t know where they were going or what they would be doing when they got there. But that just added to their excitement. They were in a bit of a rush because of a mix up in the bus timetable but Mrs. K was positive they would get there in time.

“Come on, come on! If we miss the bus you’ll have to carry me there!” she said over and over again.

They didn’t miss the bus and were waiting for at least five minutes before it arrived.

It was a fifteen-minute bus ride and Edward didn’t really like being squashed next to an old grumpy granny who gave him two centimetres of room while she took up the rest of the space on the seat.

Finally when they got to their stop a bunch of “bus sick” children half fell of the bus as it continued on its bumpy journey.

Mrs. K however looked as if she’d never been better.

“Come on! Were almost there now,” she said.

“I hope we get there before my stomach comes out of mouth and rips itself into pieces,” moaned Wobble.

“Delightful, Wobble, thanks for making me feel sick,” said 10*.

“I’m not trying to make you sick. I’m trying to be truthful!” came Wobbles reply.

“Stop, fighting!” Mrs. K bellowed over the pair.

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A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) “Yes Mrs. K,” they said in unison. “We won’t do it again Mrs. K.” Everyone else started laughing.

“Come along.” Mrs. K said, “it’s only a short walk from here!”

They walked the “short” walk to a big building where a lot of noise was coming out, when I say short it felt to the children more like a marathon.

“Where are we?” Asked Canine.

“Welcome to The Flap Brother’s Zoo of surface animals!” Exclaimed Mrs. K. “Surface animals?” Asked Edward.

“That’s right, animals that live up there.

On the surface world.” Said Mrs. K. “You mean things actually live up there on top of us. What do they look like?”

“You’ll have to come inside and see for your self but trust me some of them are WEIRD!” So in they went through the door one at a time. They stepped in to a brightly lit reception area where they were approached by a pterodactyl with a bright red headband.

“Hi, I’m Bruce Flap seventh in line of the Flap brothers the owners of this zoo.”

He had an obvious Australian accent.

“I’m Mrs. K,” said (believe it or not) Mrs. K, “and these are Canine, Wobble, Sponge, 10*, Steph’ and Edward.

“You mean Triple-Dex,” said Wobble.

Mrs. K sighed.

“Then this is “Triple-Dex”,” said Mrs. K. “We all have nicknames,” explained Wobble “Oh! Now I get it, enough talk! Let’s see some surface-world creatures,” Bruce

said.

They followed Bruce through a door marked Xylogs (What they call penguins: of coarse they call animals different names because they don’t know what we call them and to be fair they discovered them first.) Behind the door was a cold slippery, icy, white landscape (an copy of the south pole.)

“Alright mates, we’re about to see some seriously cool things, about now!”

Nothing happened and the children suppressed their giggles.

Bruce coughed, blushed and said again.

“About now!”

This time he was answered by several loud honks and caws. By now Bruce was very red indeed.

“I’ve still got one last trick,” he mumbled.

He pulled out a bucket of fish and squid or what he called sea fares and suddenly a huge body of Xylogs were sliding on their bellies or in some cases waddling towards them on webbed feet, all coming for the sea fares. “ I don’t get it,” said Sponge. “Why are they all coming towards us?”

“They just can’t resist sea fares you see…”

I’ll skip Bruce’s speech if I don’t I’ll probably have to write another book. He has some tendency of talking too much.

The same happened when they visited the Froins (giraffes), Anexlop (Cows), Orinogos (Kangaroos), Ju-Jicles (Door Mice) but when they met the Racaloo (DoDos) Edward noticed something wrong with Mrs. K. She seemed unfocused or as you’d probably call it in-a-world-ofher-own, but more noticeably her eyes kept darting to Edward, who found this particularly unnerving and started feeling paranoid. Edward didn’t enjoy the rest of the trip as much as he could have.

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bad and when they got off only Canine was feeling sick, but he had eaten three tubs of full fat ice cream on the bus.

When they were only a few meters away from the orphanage he straightened up and stiffened into an attack position, his groans were cut off and his nostrils widened, his eyes bulged and his fangs grew. He howled an un-earthly hoarse were-wolf howl and sped off towards the orphanage. Mrs. K gasped and ran after him she was an amazingly fast runner.

Canine let out another howl.

Steph’ yelled, “Every one hide!”

They all jumped into a clump of trees in someone’s driveway they could hear something out side sniffing the air.

Edward peered out from his hiding place and almost gasped but somehow he was too shocked to gasp. There out on the drive was Edward’s mother sniffing the air as he’d seen her do while hunting rodents before she was convicted. She turned to the trees then suddenly a red blur smashed into her. She roared and flung it into a wall but it came again. This time it missed but left two red lines along her body. Edward’s mother howled in pain, reared up, smashed the red thing with a clawed fist and ran vanishing into dark alleyway. The red thing hit a potted plant and lay on the floor whimpering like a dog does, then gradually turned back in to Canine.

Canine said, “Relivolve.”

He was suddenly covered in amber jelly like stuff and lay still.

“Cool,” said relivolving!”

Wobble,

“Canine’s

What’s relivolving mean did I hear you ask, well I’m going to be mean and you’ll have to read the next chapter to find out!

Chapter 5.

The Message On The Wall.

They stood there frozen. For more than a minute they were just standing not knowing how to react. Even Wobble was suddenly at a loss for words. Then Mrs. Turn Page

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K came thundering round the corner. Her eyes were bulging. She was rasping. She skidded to a halt kicking up mud then let out a long mournful trumpet call that echoed over the silent streets, almost unbearable. Nothing moved: not even a branch blew in the wind, which seemed to have stopped as well.

“No, I don’t.”

“Well it isn’t bad, don’t worry.”

“I do worry!”

When Mrs. K spoke her voice was hoarse and breathless she seemed to have finally lost some control over her self.

“Relivolving is normal for us as we shed our old forms and grow new ones.

Usually you will relivolve three or four times in a life-time before being reborn into a new body, not knowing who you were or where you came from. However you are usually born in a distant part of your family.”

“Orphanage-back-to-Canine-carry.”

“I don’t have any family.”

They walked back to the orphanage in silence. Wobble now an eagle was carrying Canine.

“Don’t be silly everyone has family.”

“Where? -Who? -Canine? -Happened?”

When they got back Mrs. K seemed to regain some control but still wasn’t how she was earlier… before the meeting!

Edward suddenly felt the need to ask what had happened at the meeting and why Mrs. K was so stressed. He was, however not the kind of person who pestered people with questions Mrs K was luckily the kind of person that didn’t keep things to herself to grieve about and as soon as everyone was in the house she called them all (except Canine) into the sitting room where they sat round a table. Mrs. K told the children about the meeting but not the parts about Edward’s mum being a cannibal or about the thing that happened after the meeting with the photogram. Edward suddenly felt sorry for Mrs. K but then he realised she wasn’t letting them in on the full picture.

“But why didn’t you tell us about her?”

He didn’t want to mention that she was his mother, and now, he realised the only family he had!

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she replied.

“But surely we’d have been safer if we’d known? I mean look what happened to Canine. He’s relivolving what ever that is.”

“You don’t know what relivolving is?”

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“I don’t. Back to relivolving what’s that glow stuff all over Canine?”

“Amber liquor is the real name for it. We cover our selves in it in order to keep safe during relivolving. Its like a shell but if you touch it fells like jelly and then if you were to touch Canines body you’d feel nothing and then your hand would be through the other side.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Okay now I leave want us to do a search of the house to make sure the criminal didn’t any traps or stuff like that.”

They searched ground floor for an hour before starting upstairs; the house only had two floors so it wouldn’t be long until they finished, but Mrs. K was forcing them to stay in a group. She was sure that if someone went into a room on their own then they would be kidnapped.

They continued with the search into the bathroom. It was clear they proceeded to search the bedrooms (only girls in girls’ bedrooms and vice-versa.) They had searched all the girls’ bedrooms and Canine’s and Wobble’s bedroom, who for some reason unknown reason shared a bedroom so they only had Edward’s bedroom left. Edward wondered if that was done on purpose as the door was slightly open and Edward was sure it was closed when they had left. He started to get a sick feeling in his stomach as he Back to Index

peered through the crack. To his relief he saw his pyjamas lying on the floor just where he had left them, but he was still worried out of his skin. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Was this it?

Was this going to be his death? The door creaked as it opened inwards. Everyone looked in and the first thing they saw was a message written in blood on the wall it read:

“You will never escape from me, I’m coming! And next time you won’t be so lucky!”

Edward stepped back in horror and turned to see that everyone else’s mouths were hanging open, gaping, and their faces were getting whiter by the second. Then something unexpected happened. A red figure came bounding up the stairs.

“Where’d she go?” He asked.

“Who are you?” asked Edward.

“Why? Don’t you recognise me?”

“Recognise… Canine!”

“Finally. Anyway where’d she go?”

“She’s gone.”

Edward looked at Canine’s new form.

He was more muscled and had lost his wings and grown legs with cat claws; his right hand held a long, black and deadly pitchfork with, instead of three points on top, five teeth curving inwards, each of them was sharper than a needle. In the middle of the pitchfork a turquoise cloud semi-solid and ball shaped hovered: it looked almost unreal.

Canine stood there for a moment more before walking into the room he saw the message and turned to face Edward and Edward realised he had got braver too.

“So what are you going to do about this?” asked Canine.

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) “Tell the Consando!” Mrs. K answered in an unusually high pitched voice, “I don’t believe this. She wasn’t even told where he was staying for security reasons and it took her less than twenty four hours to find and almost kill him!”

“I doubt it took her that long. She had a very good sense of smell. You saw how long it took her to find him in that garden.”

Edward turned away from them, ashamed; he walked down stairs as quietly as he could and didn’t think anyone would notice he was gone. 10* had fainted and Sponge, Steph’ and Wobble were busy listening into Canine and Mrs. K’s conversation.

He was in the hall when the idea came to him well really it only came to him when he saw the door. While he was here he was in danger and so was everyone else, if he wasn’t here then none of his friends would be in danger. He reached for the doorknob turning it slowly he was about to open the door when the brass knocker fell off. “That’s odd,” thought Edward “that wasn’t there before.” The knocker turned into Wobbles’ favourite form so it seemed a human boy.

“Come on Triple-Dex. It’s safer here.

Trust me out there you’re alone but here you’re safe, well safer. We’ll help catch your mum and then live like we should be able to live,” said Wobble. “We’ll have a meeting tomorrow in the sports room you know the one with the football table in. I’ll see you there. Oh and by the way you’re sharing a room with me and Canine tonight.”

Chapter 6 The Plan.

It was night-time. Edward was fast asleep. Someone was slowly shaking him awake. He was slowly being dragged from the land of dreams, back, into the present.

“Come on Triple-Dex! Time to get up! We’ve got to go to the meeting!

Remember!”

Edward reluctantly opened his eyes.

Canine was shaking him awake, and something was groaning loudly. Then the groaning stopped and was replaced by even louder snoring!

“Shut up! Wobble!” said Canine.

Wobble lifted his head; his eyes were puffy from sleep. He yawned loudly once before turning into a snowy owl. He flew over to them and hooted quietly.

he became a fly and crawled through the keyhole. He flew up stairs to Canine.

“Good work, Wobble.” Canine said.

“Is the door mat ready?” asked Wobble.

“Sure is.”

“Everyone in position?”

“Check.”

“You know I was having a lovely dream-”

“What do I do now?”

“I don’t care about you’re dreams!

Wobble! Were going to be late! Now go and see if the girls are up yet; then check down stairs to see if the coast is clear.”

“Keep cover, and watch.”

“Okay, okay!” He replied.

A few minutes later Wobble returned.

“The girls are already going down stairs.”

“Well time to go then,” said Canine.

They went down stairs into the sportsroom. The girls were waiting for them.

“Come on guy’s,” began Canine “we all know why were here and that’s to help Triple-Dex. We need to capture his mum and give her the Consando!”

A murmur of agreement met this statement.

“Were goanna have to set a trap for her, and by my prediction I’m guessing that she couldn’t resist another shot at capturing Edward; which means she’ll be back here soon to look for him. We need a trap and I have an idea…!”

So Canine explained his plan to the others.

The next morning at three o’clock to be exact a figure approached the orphanage.

It was cloaked with its face hidden-very suspicious. A blackbird flew overhead, cawed and flew into a group of trees. This bird was Wobble, and when he reached the trees, he turned into a badger; and trotted into the orphanage garden. Then Back to Index

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“Do you think it’ll work?”

“I don’t know.”

Edward’s mother kept walking, towards the orphanage. She was up by the door now. If Wobble hadn’t been watching they would never have heard her. She revealed a hand; covered in claws; then she stepped an inch from the doormat her hand ready to strike down the door.

Suddenly the door opened; as planned and Edward stood in the hall; an obvious target. Edward’s mother took a step forward. Onto the doormat, but there was no doormat! Just a space! The doormat was, a trapdoor. Edward’s mother fell, down onto then hard ground in the basement; under the house. She was tangled up in a net. 10*, Steph’ and Sponge grabbed ropes pulling the net up, and shut. Everything was going according to plan. But then Sponge started to lose her grip on the rope! She tried to correct her hold; but her rope started to swing wildly! Her horn got tangled up in the net, and the Edward’s mum grabbed hold of it! Sponge’s horn was sharp and Edward’s mother used it as a knife, to cut her way out of the net! Sponge was screaming and sobbing uncontrollably.

Edward’s mum had broke out of the net!

Still holding on to Sponge! She used the remains of the net to tie sponge and gag her. Her screams were cut off immediately; and neither Mrs. K, Canine, Edward or Wobble could hear her; unfortunately the basement was sound proof. Yet more unfortunately there was Turn Page

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another exit from the basement, which opened into the open air. She flung the doors open and stepped out. A hover taxi was rounding the corner. Edward’s mum grabbed the door handle! Wrenched the door open knocked the driver senseless with the flick of her pinkie. She flung him down onto the pavement shoved Sponge into the back. Then squeezed into the driver’s seat and hit the accelerator!

Steph’ and 10* crawled out the basement to see a hover car; whizzing off into the distance and the taxi driver attempting to get to his feet.

room, just how he had left it. There was the draw that never shut properly, the unchanged bedding lying on the floor… the window… shut? He heard voices though the door. He peered though a crack in the door. He saw his mother was in a rage, she was holding someone in her arms squeezing them to death. He saw her squeeze the creature too tight and she fell limply to the floor. Then he saw the creatures face… it was Sponge.

His mother tore them apart, and ate them bit by bit then she turned towards his door Edward wanted to run, but he couldn’t he was frozen with fear. His mother reached for the door he shut his eyes…

rescue Sponge but he didn’t understand the last line. He yawned a bone-shaking yawn. He was tired he wanted to go back to sleep but he couldn’t; not with his mother invading his dreams he kept drifting into a half sleep the seeing his mother and waking up again. He new he couldn’t resist sleep forever and was glad when Canine came down stairs he was, unlike Edward, full of energy.

And woke up. He was lying on a sofa the clock next to him read 6:30am he and the others had gone back to bed to help them to forget what had happened to Sponge, it hadn’t helped he could still hear his mothers voice singing him something in his dream she sang:

“Can you do any thing with that stick thing.”

Chapter 7

“Come, oh come,

The Dream

Come where you see me;

“Prove it, tell me the meaning of my dream.”

The children were sitting together in the basement. All of them were looking sadly at the remains of the net.

Come, oh come,

“Come on guys! We can’t just sit here, we’ve got to do something…” said Canine.

You now, know where!”

The result of Canine’s statement was an awkward silence. Until Wobble said:

Her evil (as he put it) laughter was ringing in his ears, he sat up and looked around to make sure he was still in orphanage.

Then he got up he didn’t dare go back to sleep. He went into the room he was sharing with Canine and Wobble he took a vest and some shorts out of a draw, then he walked into the bathroom and had a long refreshing shower before putting his clothes on and going back down stairs. He put some rats’ tails on the grill and found a can of moss. When the tails were crispy he took them out and put them in a bowl he then spooned moss on to the tails. While he was eating he thought about the song his mother had sang, it sounded like an order, but to do what? It was obvious that he was to

Then a cruel voice shouted, from the quickly disappearing hover car, it said: “Come! Come, with the boy soon! And friend will go free! He knows where t‘ find me! See ‘ soon!”

10* fainted (again) at this. Steph’ carried her back to the orphanage. When they got back they sadly told Canine and the others about Sponge.

“I guess Canine’s right. I don’t want to know what she’s doing to poor Sponge.”

“We need another plan.” Said Canine, “And I’ve got an idea, now listen closely…”

***

It was cold... everything was cold.

Edward opened his eyes and saw his old Turn back a Page

Come and find her.

“Mornin’ Edward!” he said.

“Canine do you…” Edward began.

“Do I what?” asked Canine.

Canine scowled slightly.

“Of course I can! I can use it to do lots of things! But I’m not quite sure how to use it yet, still I can make fire balls and interpret dreams.”

So Edward told Canine his dream, truthfully Canine focused his mind on the cloud in the centre of his pitchfork and watched it change colour quickly before returning to the normal turquoise-ish grey.

He turned back to Edward.

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“Your dream was sent to tell us where Sponge is, it is also a warning of what we will find there.”

“And what will we find there?” asked Edward.

“I don’t know, as I told you I’m not sure how to use the staff yet.”

“So it’s a staff then!”

“Yes.” “And when are we leaving?”

“When everyone’s awake, and I’ve cast a spell on Mrs. K to make her forget we

A Year of Writing...Year 7 Novel Competition (Novels in full) were ever gone.”

“And then we break in and save Sponge?”

“Yes.” “How are we going to get there?”

“The staff gives me another a power I didn’t tell you I can make something to help us get there.”

It was 9:00am now and Mrs. K was the only one still in the orphanage Canine had made her lose track of time. She thought it was midnight and was fast asleep. Meanwhile the children were flying above the town at unbelievably high speeds. But odder than that they were flying on flying carpets 10* and Steph’ were sharing a carpet and so were Edward and Wobble. Edward was watching the landscape as it became more and more familiar then he saw his house around a half of a mile away he called to Canine. Canine landed them in a clump of trees close to the house. They were all ready Wobble had gone to see if he could find Edward’s mother or as they now referred to her the “bull’s eye” he came back and told them that she was sitting in the hall way watching the front and back doors Sponge was chained up in the attic and had been knocked out. He said that they couldn’t reach her by air because there were huge birds roosting in the blocked gutters. Also he had noticed that Edward’s bedroom window was still open He was from the day he escaped.

shaped the same as the birds roosting on the roof flying into the gutter directly over Edward’s bedroom window he sat there ready to give the signal Edwards job now was to watch Wobble and wait for the whole agonising minute then he saw a rock fly though the air and thud on the door. Nothing happened; another rock flew at the door, followed by another in quick succession then more and more rocks flew at the door. Soon you couldn’t see the door at all it was covered in rocks. Then the rocks exploded into fire the door flew outwards and a figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. They roared Wobble flew off his perch directly above the “bull’s eye’s” head; then lets put it when to the toilet. The bull’s eye was enraged Wobble shrank into a wasp; this was the sign they had been waiting for Steph and 10* climbed up into Edward’s bedroom and ran down stairs looking for Sponge; Canine appeared in front off the bull’s eye and Wobble flew over to Edward then they were running over to Edward’s bedroom window when the bull’s eye was hit by one of Canine’s fire balls she fell down then someone inside kicked her out and slammed the door shut then another odd thing Edward’s bedroom window shut itself. A scream came from inside the house they heard Steph’ shout for help and then there was total silence.

“Oh dear…” said Canine.

“This is bad,” said Wobble.

“Really bad!” added Edward.

Canine took it all in, he even made Wobble draw the layout of the house in the ground with a stick then he made “plan no: 2” he decided it should be midday when the plan would take place, and they all had to be ready.

“I guess it is bad,” Canine replied.

Chapter 8

“What are we going to do now, Canine?” asked Wobble.

Plan no: 2 It was a minute to twelve Edward was terrified he was lying under a bush on the edge of the wood they had landed in. He was silent but alert waiting for the signal. He could see Wobble now

“Very bad!” corrected Wobble “Half of us, I repeat half of us, are gone, its only us three left now!” said Edward.

“Save our friends, listen she won’t expect us to attack until tomorrow. So get ready to charge.”

Two carpets rose into the air.

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“Now the birds are gone, there’s nothing stopping us from flying-in!” replied Canine Wobble changed into a hazel nut coloured hawk with bulging yellow eyes; Canine and Edward climbed on to the carpets Canine flew fastest and hovered

by Edward’s bedroom window he flung it open and hurled a fire ball inside it exploded quickly he raced round to the other side of the house and shot through the window leading to a kitchen full of muck and food scraps it was disgusting Edward and Wobble tumbled in beside him he slammed the window shut.

They all took a deep breath then a roar from above them shook them to their bones. Then they heard someone come crashing down stairs Canine dived for the closet, Edward shut himself in the fridge and Wobble turned into a mouse and hid under a pan. Then the bull’s eye came thundering in she kicked over the pan next to where Wobble was hiding then she opened the closet, containing Canine. She was surprised so she hesitated giving Canine enough time to squeeze past her and start to fly away she roared a chased after him. The closet down creaked open to reveal passage way leading down…

“Come on Triple-Dex! We got to move!”

Wobble yelled at him. Wobble dived down the tunnel and Edward followed him down and down and down; it to pitch darkness Wobble was a glow worm but still it was hard to see anything let alone make it out. They’d been walking slowly for what felt an hour Edward was thinking about Canine had he been able to hold his mother off? Edward wasn’t thinking about what he was doing and walked straight into a door he let out a small whimper he looked around for Wobble but he had vanished. He focused on what he should do? He looked at his feet in hope they would give him an idea and they did he brought his foot up and hurled a burst of hard kicks at the door it buckled split cleanly in half and fell slowly down it hit the floor with a satisfying crash all he saw was a desk and a book lying on it no Sponge or 10* or Steph’ no one he picked up the book and read the title Oliver Jamie’s children cooking Turn Page

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book. He ripped the cover off and found there was nothing inside just a red blob he pulled the red blob and a wall slid down to reveal 10*, Steph’ and Sponge hanging above a pit of boiling vinegar!

(I should explain that vinegar to under worlders is the most deadly poison.)

They were gagged and tightly bound they were all unconscious. Edward saw a set of controls he lowered them to the floor. Then Wobble appeared he was a snake sliding towards Edward he then turned into a huge bear he picked up 10* and Sponge throwing them effortlessly over his shoulder he plodded back down the passage Edward carrying Steph’ at his side.

others. He gave the paper to Mrs. K and sat down life had finally gone back to normal. Un fortunately Edward knew it was going to be the end for him or his friends time as Consando. The paper also said that Canine’s mother had escaped from prison…

THE END!

“We are in danger,” he said in a slow and gruff voice “Canine good fighter, he fight hard, he force mother outside, mother good fighter too. Mother very angry! We must rush away fast!”

Edward followed Wobble out of the front doorway (there wasn’t a door any more,) to were the flying carpet was there was only one left and it could only hold two people he looked at Wobble; Wobble was now a gigantic sea gull and flying off with Sponge and 10* on his back. Edward was about to board the final carpet when he heard a cry Canine was lying on the ground Edward’s mother standing over him claw raised Edward flew into her foot-claw first; she was knocked over by the blow Edward grabbed Canine ran back to the carpet lay him down next to Steph’ climbed on and sped off. He stopped at the first Consando office he saw told them where his mother was and sped away again they had sent a vehicle after her but he had left when news got back…

Chapter 9 The Newspaper Edward’s was sitting at the breakfast table waiting for food. He saw the post man walk up to the door and slip something though; it was the newspaper and on the front page there was Edward’s mother; the newspaper said that she had been caught successfully and was back in jail. It didn’t mention him or any of the Turn back a Page

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Maybe a random classroom photo?!?

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Y8 History Writing Continued

Writing in the History Department Matthew Beals’s Essay continued...

In Kennedy Hickman’s book, ‘World War II Europe: The Road to War’, he suggests that the seeds of World War II were sown by the Treaty of Versailles. Of all the countries involved in The Treaty of Versailles, Germany came out worst, as all the allied leaders had different views on the punishment they should receive.

Georges Clemenceau of France wanted revenge and to punish the Germans where as Woodrow Wilson of America wanted to end the war by making fair peace. David Lloyd-George of Britain wanted a compromise, in the middle of both views, he wanted to make Germany pay, but not too harshly. In the end after lots of discussion Germany lost a great deal of land; the Rhineland, they had to pay a great deal of money, £6,600 million, due to the reparations clause and also their army was limited to only 100,000 men and the navy only 6 battleships. For the German people, who believed that the armistice had agreed to be based on Woodrow Wilson’s lenient Fourteen Points, the final conditions of the treaty caused resentment and mistrust as the punishment was a lot harsher. One of the main points of the Treaty was that Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war. Lloyd George could see what problems the Treaty might cause and stated that, “we shall have to fight another war in 25 years”.

In conclusion, the majority of evidence and most historians believe that the most important cause of World War II was the Treaty of Versailles as it was harsh and left no countries happy. This meant that there was tension within Germany and between some of the countries.

A number of other events didn’t help the situation; instead they just added to the problems and made the tension

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worse. One of the ultimate failures of the Treaty of Versailles was the ease that the conditions could be broken; as demonstrated by Hitler’s ‘annexing’ Austria and rearming his military. Hitler came to power promising the German people to eradicate unemployment and to stabilise Germany’s economy. As quoted

by Hitler “Vote for me and I’ll provide you with work and bread.” Perhaps more importantly though he promised to give them a sense of national pride and the Allies allowed him to do it.

Nick Chapman’s Essay continued...

Finally the leaders of the countries were an important cause of war. Hitler believed that all Germans were superior, had the right to survive and that all Germans would be united under one Germany (“Grusse Deutschland”). He leaned heavily on the military to keep order in Germany, ignoring the Treaty of Versailles, and building the military back up. The leaders of other nations did not stand firm against Hitler. Chamberlain did not want a war; so instead of using force, he created the Appeasement policy. At first he argued Hitler simply remilitarised the Rhineland, which was already German territory. When Hitler invaded Austria, in March 1938, although it was a different country it was not seen as a cause for war because it was German speaking and Hitler’s homeland. This was a mistake because he was reassuring Hitler that anytime he wanted something Chamberlain would give in. Hitler became more ambitious and invaded the Sudetenland.

Hitler bullied Czechoslovakia so much that Chamberlain interfered and gave Hitler the Sudetanland. It had never been German before, but there were 3.5 million Germans living there. Then Hitler went into Czechoslovakia: Hitler

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could no longer say he was taking back German land or uniting all Germans.

Instead it gave Germany the Skoda Works. Even so, Chamberlain let him keep it. Finally, although he did not like the idea, Chamberlain was left with no choice but to agree to defend Poland: Britain declared war on Germany.

Meanwhile, Josef Stalin feared both the West and fascists. The Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact was really a ploy, used by both sides to hide their true intentions.

Stalin thought that he could actually trust Hitler, whereas Hitler created it as pretence for war. The pact gave Hitler the reassurance he needed to attack Poland.

In conclusion, the war had many causes.

They are all very important, and without any one of them the war may not have started. The evidence suggests that the most important cause was the leadership at the time, particularly Hitler and Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was a weak man and did not make a stand at the time when Germany was weak and not re-armed properly.

However, Hitler was more important than Chamberlain because he was gunning for war all the way through from 1934 – 1939 would have stood up for Germany, whatever the cost. He used the fact that Germans could never accept the Treaty of Versailles, believing that only an armistice had been signed. So perhaps World War One never really finished and these are really causes to resume conflict after a 20-year ceasefire.

Rahil Naidoo’s Essay continued...

The crisis in Germany left much of the population attracted to any solution to the problems of the economic crisis. Hitler sensed the key desires of the nation and accordingly gave the people a practical

Y8 History Writing Continued

solution to the crisis. As the percentage of employed workers decreased the number of the nazi party vote increased.

This clearly shows the need for the solution that Hitler gave Germany, as the situation declined for Germany. The problems of the Wall Street Crash drove Germany to look for the answers so desperately they resorted to extremist politics and Hitler.

Once the international League of Nation’s collective security began to crumble under the impact of the Great depression sparked by the Wall Street Crash, the way was open for Hitler to once again make Germany a great power.

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles after the First World War left many nations, both victors and losers, dissatisfied. Some of the problems caused by this were resolved, more or less peacefully during the 1920’s. But in the peace agreement France and Great Britain, wanted to make sure Germany would never be a military threat again and therefore to avenge the damages caused by her during the war blamed the whole war on Germany in “war guilt clause 231”. But it was this very clause that persisted Germany’s resentment of the Treaty of Versailles, and made them look for revenge on the very Treaty that was meant for peace.

It was as early as 1920, where Hitler stated in the Nazi party that he would rid the treaty of Versailles, gain lebensraum (living space) for the Germans by conquering land to the east. Thus uniting all Germans in a new pioneering German empire. And in the 1930’s his re-building of Germany was complete, as by the 1930’s the peace settlement of the Treaty of Versailles was no longer implicated or regarded, and consequently Germany

had started to re-arm. Germany wanted to take advantage of this situation and Hitler was the perfect man for the job.

The Treaty of Versailles, imposed on an unwilling and embittered Germany, and left the Germans determined to reverse its terms at the first opportunity and it was the failure of the Treaty of Versailles that had such a major effect on the outcome of WWII. Events of the 1930’s The events of the 1930’s resulted in an outbreak of war, declared on the 3rd of September 1933. The League of Nations lacked respect from the major powers.

The league was not trusted so secret agreements were being signed without the consultation of the league i.e. the Washington Naval Agreement between America, Britain and Japan. Ironically one of Woodrow Wilson’s original 14 points of the league was that it would stop secret treaties and alliances where all problems could be shared and solved.

The fact that treaties were still occurring was a major cause to the league’s failure.

The problem was that it lacked collective security consequently the league did not have a strong foundation. When in 1935 Mussolini attempted at expanding his empire by invading a venerable Abyssinia, the league offered no physical reaction and after un-successful sanctions, Italy and Mussolini simply left the league.

Also in the 1930’s Chamberlain was desperate for any solution that would avoid the war. When a four power conference in Munich was proposed, both Chamberlain and Hitler, who now saw the prospect of achieving there aims without having to fight had agreed to attend. The four powers signed the agreement of the terms in the Munich Conference. Hitler

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signed to the agreement that he would not invade Czechoslovakia in return Britain and France would hand back the Sudetenland. But the guarantee of the agreement was meaningless. Hitler had no intention of keeping it and so the promising “peace for our time” was stabbed in the heart by Hitler and his brown shirts.

The Second World War started barely twenty years after the first had finished.

Hopes of establishing permanent peace were destroyed by the peace settlement of WW1 causing the Germans resentment, the great depression and the rise to power of aggressive, militaristic regimes in Germany, Italy and Japan.

Hitler’s rise to Chancellor and takeover of Germany in 1933 was a major turning point. His foreign policy challenged the Treaty of Versailles directly and put Europe on the unforgiving path of war.

Whether or not Hitler planned war from the start is uncertain but his constant demands for territory and willingness to threaten violence and to achieve his aims finally forced Britain and France to resist and ultimately declare war on the 3rd September in 1939 leading the world into another dark age of World War. All problems originated from the Treaty of Versailles, though the Wall Street Crash developed the situation the change in world came from the events of the 1930’s; this caused an inevitable emergence of Extreme politics. But the real change and action happened in the 1930’s causing another bloody outbreak of war.

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Leavers Continued

Ailsa Medd Susan Keane give an account of Ailsa Medd who left at the end of 2008.

Ailsa Medd joined the staff at BPS in 2005 as a Year 4 class teacher, with additional responsibility for developing Nash’s library and left us at the end of the Autumn Term 2008. During that time Ailsa proved to be an outstanding colleague and teacher, who gave of her very best throughout her time at the Prep School.

Over the past 4 years Ailsa has given so much of herself to the boys and the School and earned herself a reputation as a first class practitioner. Without doubt, she will be remembered by all of us for her commitment, care and professionalism both inside and outside of the classroom.

Always the optimist, Ailsa’s dedication to the job of teaching and her belief in the boys were a real tonic; she would never

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allow a boy to achieve anything less than his best and was always willing to go that extra mile to get him where he needed to be.

In the classroom Ailsa’s lessons were delivered with great energy and enthusiasm and her engaging lessons spawned the ‘wiggling woman’ – an RE lesson which is now legendary amongst boys and staff. Her sense of fun and good humour always prevailed and she would entertain with a sharp wit and repartee, second to none.

The wonderful library in Nash’s that has gone from strength to strength is down to Ailsa’s vision and her expertise in children’s literature. It has become a popular area of special interest to the boys and has succeeded in drawing in Back to Index

and inspiring even the most reluctant of readers. The colourful, painted walls and the fabulous displays reflected not only Ailsa’s artistic talent and style but also her understanding of what makes young boys tick!

As busy as she was, we all miss the moments when Ailsa would say, “Time for a coffee?” Hopefully, Ailsa now has time for lots of coffees and of course time for her family, one of whom has benefitted from her support as his GCSEs loomed large.

Ailsa, we wish you all the best as you look forward to a new phase in your life, but hope that when you look back at your time at BPS, your memories of us are as fond as ours will be of you.

The editorial and design team (Esther Gander, Chris Godwin, Ruth Mann, Penny Oakley and Oliver Whiteley) would like to thank all staff, pupils and parents for their contributions to this year’s Whinchat.

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Penny Oakley, Chris Godwin, Oliver Whiteley, Phil Studd, Aidan Huxford, Ann Collins, Richard Mead, Ian Cooper, Malcolm Taylor, Andrew Whitbread, Jane Di Sapia, Paul Clarke, Steven Smith, Keith Fossey, Mike Mallalieu and many more!

The Whinchat is published annually. The views expressed by contributors to this magazine are not necessarily those of the School. While we have made every effort to include all text of articles submitted to the Editorial Team, we cannot guarantee that articles have been reproduced in their entirety. We also reserve the right to edit and amend where necessary.

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Bedford Prep School De Parys Avenue Bedford MK40 2TU T F E W

+ 44 (0)1234 362274 + 44 (0) 1234 362285 prepinfo@bedfordschool.org.uk www.bedfordschool.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 204817 Back to Index

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