The Vigornian December 1970

VIGO'RNIAN

December,

KING'S SCHOOL, WORCESTER

EDITORIAL

THIS MAGAZINE has not .carried an editorial in recent ··years. Why it has not, I do not know. The fact' is that it should have one, if only to allow the editor to express his' views on the magazine. In this case, there are soine"questionswhichvery definitely need arisweritig.

Why do we have a magazine? The magazine should represent, portray, contain, express the school-not merely what'it did, but what it is like to be part of. In this magazine you will read many accounts of " what happened". You will encounter very little which tries to tell you whether what happened was, in the words of that great historical work, "a good thing" or "a bad thing" ; nor' will you encounter much which aims to comment on or explain why what happened happened. Further, you will not come across anything which reflects in any way the feelings of those who take part in the school (apart, of course, from the stock gestural adjectives such as " enjoyable" or "interesting," which are bound to crop up at the end of accounts of camping trips or in the annual notes of a society).

So, does this magazine represent the school? Do we merely " do " Physics or English because they are '0' or ' A' level subjects and because we have a good record in passing exams to maintain? Do we " do" rugby and photography and plays purely as things to do, without any further meaning than the simple performing of them? In its present form the magazine suggests that the answer to these questions is" Yes". If you think otherwise, and that your school is misrepresented as a production line, then help change the magazine. The public gets the press it deserves.

Headmaster: D. M. Annett, M.A.

Second Master: R. D. Knight,

L. M. Bailey, B.A., T.D. C." J. K. Cunningham, M.A.

J. M. Cash, M.C., M.A. R. C. Gabriel, M.A.

F. R. Logan, B.Sc. B. Walton, B.Sc.

P. G. L. CurIe, M:A.·· L. B. Day, M.A.

K. P. Barnett; M.A. I. Brown, Dip. P.R.

A. H. Aldridge, M.A., D.F.C. A. N. Brownridge, B.A.

T. L. Vivian, A. T. D. (Art) G. H. J. Dore, B.A. D. Anderton, M.A. R. A. Hockey, M.A. A. L. Stacey, M.A. G. N. Leah, MeA.

J. R. Turner, B.Sc.., R. Allum, B.Sc.

M. J. Points, M.A.

M. W. Bentley, Cert. :Bd.

M. G. East, M.A., A.Inst. P. E. R. Burkill; B.A.

T. D. R. Hickson, B.A. (Careers) F. H., Cochrane, M.A.

A. L. Cubberley, M.A. 'S. R. Davies, Cert. Ed.

J.. L. K

C. H. Gray,

Revd. "C. 'E. 'Beswick, B.A. E. Watson; Grad. Inst. P.

P. D. T. CattennQle, B.Sc. Revd. G. T. Me Nott, M.A. L. St.' Johh, Dip'- P.E. (Chaplain)

Music;

H. W. Bramma, M.A., F.R.C.O.

A. S. Young, D.R.S.A.M., L.R.A.M.

Preparatory Department

Master-in-charge : W. Thomas:, M.A., T.D.

A.E.Tibbs,B.D. - Mrs. v. M. Bailey, Cert. Ed. Mrs. W. Thomas, N.F.F.

Bursar: Group Capt. T. A. F.EIsdon, O.B.E., D.F.C.

Medical O.fficer : Dr. J. M. Duncan, M.B., Ch.B.

Caterer : Mrs. J. Hunt

\ Headmaster's Secretaries: Miss D. Phipps, Miss M.B. Baldwin.

Accountant: Miss A. Turvey /

SCHooi MO'NITORS, 1969-70

Head of the Sc1JJol : J. :P. Weston (19693) . . ..' S. M.Tomlinson (1970 1 2)

Second Monitor: A. E. Reekes (19693) .""

G. M. Aldridge

A. J. B1J.ckby

B. .Burnham

C. J. Carney

A. M. Car.tQIl

J. W.

J. R. Dyer ,

P.. M.

N. J. Chinneck (1970 1 2)

School Monitors : '.

A. E. HQOper '.

J. W. Muncie

S. .

p. M. Richards

C. J. Ross .

R. C. Smitl;1 .

M. S. T911ey J. Trape.

·HONORES.

A. E. , ,OPen Scholarship in Hist<?ryatExeterCollege, , .··OXford.' .

C. J. Ross" ...' . '()pen .. Scholarship in, Mathematics 'at King's College, Cambridge.

S. M. Tomlinson Open Scholarship in History at Worcester College, Qxford.

J. A. J. Palmer Meeke in History at Hertford , '.. C91!ege; Ox{ord...

I. G. Rogers Meeke Scholarship In Science at Hertford College, Oxford.

G. M. Aldridge Open Exhibition in Chemistry, S.'Edmund Hall, QAQr<l.,.. .

J. P. Weston open Exhibition in Engineering at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. " ".

ThefoUowing.awatds as a result oftheexanUnation held in February, 1970 :King's Scholarships on the Foundation

H. A. Cai.ms,Terry:: The Ehns,Colwall,Nr.

J. J. Haydeil Williams Emscote Lawn, Warwick.

M. A. Slater (Music) The Downs School, Colwall, Nr. Malvern.

SchOlarships'

K. Asthana

C. N. Duckworth

A. Putley

C. .Rayers. .

J 'K: WilliamS .

J. Britton was also elected into a King's Scholarship on the Founddation. ".

SCHOOL NOTES

WHATEVER ONE'S PERSONAL POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS MAYBE; ,there

can be no doubt that the change of govemmellt has lifted frQIn the

Direct Grant Schools a great burden of anxiety and about

their immediate future. Mrs. Thatcher, has her

support of the Direct Grant principle, and it is now the task of these schools to use the next five years to introduce such modifications

the system as will render it compatible with the new patterns,

state education and less vulnerable to political attack. ,' _ "

Last year we welcomed ,a new Dean ;' this year it is 'a:new Bisnop';' Dr. Charles-Edwards retired at the ,end of September, 1970:; :he ed

his wife had always taken a close and friendly interest in' the affairs of

the school, and many boys and parents will remember with gratitude his conduct of the Confirmation Services and the addresses which he gave on these and otberoccasions. Opt' new Bishop is tdbe',the Reverend Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor, who has also office of Visitor to the King's School held" by his, prede.cessqrs. appointment is ,of particular interest to }vas'a member of the Donnison Commission arid with M.ro"Ralph signed the "Points of Disagreement" which showed a concern, for the, role of the Direct Grant Schools, and' made positive suggestions which may well help to shape.our plans for the ',

Canon C. B. Armstrong, the Vice-Dean, also retired in September. ,I He too had taken a close interest in the school as a member of the Governing Body for 22 years, and its Chainnan for the last months. In his earlier days at W<?rcester he 'also taught Philosophy, to , the VI forms. He has ,been succeeded as Chairman of the 'GOvernors by the Dean; Dr,. Eric Kemp. ' , -'

In July, 1970 we lost two valued members of the Staff to Leeds:""":"W; 10 G. L. St. John to the Carnegie School of Physical Education, where he is taking a,Diplomacourse,ang Mr. c. J.,K. staff of :Leeds Grammar School.l\1r.. St. for available", as alternatives his felt .among cellos of the School Orchestra. Mr. left his mark on all sides of scllOollife;, and· to him we owem,pariieafar the design and of theClim.,ipg ,develoPT .ment 9f the· School.Pnnt1l1g Press. the same ttm,e we to Mr.. G. H. Dore and Mr. F. H. and also to :Mr. Tibbs from the staff of the Junior School, where skill and erithlis:" iasm for football and drama will be especially missed.

To fill their places the following joined the Staff in September :­

Mr. P. G. Diamond, B.A., A1.Phil. (English)

Mr. B. E. R. O'Neill, B.A. (French and German)

Mt. K. L. Perriss, B. Ed. (physical Education) .

Mr. P. C. Thompson, M.A. (Classics and English)

Mr. P. G. Cole, B.A. (Junior School)

Mr. Mo G. East, Head of the Physics Department, has been given partial leave of absence for the academic year 1970/1 to attend a postgraduate course at Bristol University. He spends the week-ends in Worcester, so is able to retain the administration of the Department, and to do a small amount of VI-form teaching. Mr. N. E. Heath, M.A.;: F.R.A.S., A.lnst.P., has been appointed for a year to cover the remainderof teaching, and Mr. W. P. Jennings, M.Sc., is again helping part..;tit1te in the Chemistry Department.

We A. E. Reekes, C. J. Ross, S. M.Tomlinson, J. A. J. PaImer, I. G. Rogers, G. M. Aldridge, and J. P. Weston on their Scholarships 'and Exhibitions at Oxford. and Cambridge gained in December, 1969. The 1970 season has already been opened by the award to A. T. Millington of the Organ Scholarship at Downing Cambridge.

, In the last" Vigornian" the 1969 ' A ' level results were described as " unusually good "; it is therefore gratifying to' note that an equally high standard was achieved in 1970. 87 candidates took a total of 225 subjects ;204 passes were gained, giving a pass rate of 91°1<>.

The sporting highlights of the year, have been provided by the Ist XV, whose 1969 season was the most successful for ten years" and the 1st VIII,'which fulfilled the'promise shown last .year by winning the Elsenham Cup at the 1970 National Schools Regatta at Pangbotlrne. That quality is not being achieved at the expense of variety is indicated by the fact that the number of different games being played within the sc.hool has ,now reached 20, of which 15 are played at inter-school level.

Throughout the' year the Old Chapel has been in use, and an increasing'number of boys have visited· it. Two' camps for boys nominated by the City' of Worcester Children's Officer have been organised:.....one in Mr. Cattermole and boys from the Middle School, and the August by a party or VI-formers assisted by Mr. Burkill, of which. an account appears later in this issue. The Com'mittee now includes· three parents, and "open days "held atthe Chapel dUring' ,tile summer attracted many visitors ; an leaflet describing the history of·' the building from mediaeval, times' was produced for the occasion by Mr. Cattermole and Mr. Cunningham.

On the musical side, the most interesting feature-:-apart from: the performances of Britten's " S. Nicol¥s " by' the Choral in June, and of the same composer's' Golden Vamty" by the Middle School in July-has been the institution of two music, competitions, one for the-Middle School on a form basis, and the other for the Upper School on a house basis. Both of these aroused much enthusiasm, inspired much hard work, and disclosed much musical talent. We are most grateful to Mr. W. E. Hooper of Great Widey for the gift of a silver -cup as a trophy for the senior competition.

The new organ in College Hall is proving its worth and is in constant use. The remaining charge on the Organ Fund isa sum of over £800to repay the interest-free loan granted by the O.V. Club. The Club hopes for repayment early in 1972 to enable them to finance the new History of the School being' written by Mr. Michael Craze, so every effortxp.ust be made during 1971 to raise the sum necessary to clear this debt.

" King's Days" took place for the Middle and Junior Schools on May 21st, when the Dean presented the prizes, and for the Upper School on May 22nd. The sermon at the service in the morning was preached by the Bishop of Worcester, and proceedings in the afternoon were arranged so as to give parents an opportunity to meet the staff of the various departments and see the work being done in each. Prizegiving for the Senior School took place at the end of the summer term, with Canon Armstrong officiating as his last public appearl:ince as Chairman of the Governors. :I(: :I(:

Each year the Careers Room becomes better equipped and fuller of information, and the services provided by the Careers Master (Mr. T. D. R. Hicks on) more effective and comprehensive. In February this year the school was enabled to take part in a pilot scheme of Interest and Aptitude Tests administered by the Public Schools Appointments Bureau in conjunction with Birkbeck College, London University. The whole of the V forms (89 boys) and 15 selected VI-formers answered a serieS of tests, inventories, and questionnaires, which were finally processed by the Careers Master in consultation with Housemasters. There is no doubt that these tests provide most useful evidence for guiding choices of VI-form subjects as well as later careers.

, During the past year it has been a pleasure to welcome three young O.V.s to talk to the VI form about work on which they are engaged. Dr. Richard Green (Ca. 57-62) spoke about his itlto the biochemistry of mental illness, David Phillips (S. 61-71) talked about his work with the old Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the new Department for the Environment, while Guy Claxton (S. 60-65) told us about his current research into the psychology of sleep and dreams. Offers of similar talks by O.V.s would be very welcome.

Mer many difficulties and delays work on the new Sports Hall started in July, and the building is scheduled for completion early in 1971. Unfortunately the originat estimate of £30,000 has proved to be at fault, and the final cost will be over £37,000.

By agreement with the Dean and Chapter, and as·part of the arrangements for the exchange of the Battenhall Field, the school has acquired the piece of land between Hunt's Meadow and the river. This will ultimately form a valuable addition to the playing field, but before it can be brought into use it will require levelling and draining, and unfortunately this cannot be undertaken at present owing to lack of finance.

The conversion of the Undercroft has proceeded intermittently throughout the year. Apart from technical jobs connected with electricity and plumbing, the work is being done;entirely by VI-formers. During June the discovery of two skeletons under the floor held up the work for some time while archaeologists undertook detailed investigations.

Contributions to the Development Fund come in steadily, if not as rapidly as one might hope, and the total for. the " second phase" now stands at just under £30,000. Unless there is a considerable spurt in 1971, the execution of many much-needed improvements already planned will have to be indefinitely postponed. The ·Campaign-and indeed the school as a whole-has suffered a sad loss by the death of Bemard Cavenagh, to whom a tribute :;lPPears on a later page. He had been Chairman of the Development Committee since its inception in 1961, and had been untiring in his efforts on behalf of the school. He has been succeeded as Chairman by Canon Romilly Craze.

The School Fete in May broke all records by raising £2,520, and we are most grateful to all those parents and friends who have organised and helped at functions-ranging from a Gymkhana to a Bridge Drive -in aid of the Campaign.

D.M..A.

JOHN BERNARD CAVENAGH, 1890-1970

The following tn[jute was written by F. R. Kittermaster, Headmaster of the King's School from 1942 to 1959, and for many years a close friend of Bernard Cavenagh : .

The death of Bernard Cavenagh in April this year deprives us of one who might well have claimed to be the most loyal O.V. of his (or indeed any other) generation. But it would never have entered his head to make for himself a personal claim of any kind, for he was the most modest and unassuming of men. Always ready with praise for the achievements of others, he seldom spoke of his own.

Few people were aware that, in the First World War, he had won the Military Cross, and a bar to it In, June, 1917, at Wytschaete, he exposed himself to shell-fire for 48 hours in order to ensure the evacuation of the wounded infantry who had taken part of the German line. In October, 1918, at Cambrai, he went out in heavy shelling to bring back his men to cover, quite regardless of his own safety. On this occasion he was wounded himself, but made no mention of it to any­

body.

Nor did he talk much about his time as a boy at the King's School,

but he did often speak of the impression made on him by the first

sermon he listened to from the lips of his headmaster, Canon Chappel,

on the text, " The lot has fallen to me in a fair ground ". At any rate CC the King's School gave him two loves that lasted throughout his life. One was for rowing. He followed the King's School rowing with . marvellous enthusiasm; always looked forward to Henley; and experienced one of the most thrilling moments of his life when his elder son, Sandy, stroked the Oxford boat.

The other great love that Came from the King's School was Classics. Although destined for the medical profession, he continued his classics throughout his time at school, and though he had afterwards to work very hard at his science subjects, he never regretted having kept on with his classics : he felt that he was a better doctor because of them, and to the end of his life he got pleasure from reading his New Testament in the original Greek. >

When he was a medical student at St. Thomas's, he somehow got in touch with a scout troop at the Elephant and Castle, and, in his uswlI unselfish way, he went every week to give what help he could to the leader. Soon after the war began, in 1914, the leader was called up, so that the leaderless troop was threatened with disbandment ; but Bemard was not prepared to let this happen, and offered himself as leader, somehow finding time for the duties of this position in addition to all his medical work and training, until be became a qualified doctor, when he immediately joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, and spent the second half of the war tending the wounded in France.

After the war he quickly built up a reputation as an ear, nose and throat specialist, but his long hours as a consultant and operator did not prevent him from throwing himself whole-heartedly into many other ·activities in and around Worcester. Chief among them were the School and the Cathedral.

He was on the O.V. Committee for something like 35 years; was President of the O.V. Society for five, and, at least during the 18 years that I was headmaster,' he never missed a committee meeting or an O.V. Dinner.

But the most important thing about Bernard was that everybody loved him, for he was one of the kindest men I have ever met. He was interested in everything ; nothing was too much trouble for him ; he was always ready with sympathy and help for those in distress C; and though he was sometimes moved to indignation, I never heard him utter an unkind word.

In spite of his wisdom and sound judgement" he remained essentially young and adventurous. He was pearing 80 years of age when he went off for a holiday in Greece" and spent part of the time travelling alone and on foot from one monastery to another on the slopes of Mount Athos.

I like to think of him sitting at his fireside" with his curiously misshapen nose" a twinkle in his friendly eyes" asking questions. in his thoughtful voice" pushing down the bit of tobacco in his absurd little pipe-always warm-hearted" always lively" always interested" always kind.

F.R.K.

REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION UNDER COLLEGE HALL, WORCESTER

THE SCHOOL WORKS GROUP is at present converting the Undercroft of College Hall into a Social Centre for the Vlth Form, and it was during this work that the discoveries were made which led to the excavations of March, 1970. .

, College Hall was originally the Refectory of the Benedictine Monastery at Worcester, and is built on Norman foundations. The Undercroft of College Hall was dug out and built about 1085 A.D. In Monastic times, it would be the Cellarer's Store, where food supplies, etc., were kept. When the Undercroft was built, the ground· level' must have been lowered by about 6 or 7 fact, to about 3 feetbeolw the Roman level. (There is evidence for this in a comparison of the levels noted in a trial excavation done in the last few years just to the East of College Hall in the Guesten Garden). The Norman floor of the Undercroft was probably of packed earth.

The state of the Undercroft in May, 1970 was that it had been divided up into rooms by the addition of cross walls, and the floor had been concreted. (See the diagram at the centre of the magazine) .

.' During the gradual removal of the wall marked in dots various 'finds were made. First, under the south section of the "dotted" wall, pottery mainly of the 16th and 17th centuries, pieces of 17th century Sack bottles, 17th and 18th century clay pipes and various animal b()nes were This clearly dated the wall as at the earliest 18th. 4 century. The area under this section of the wall was explored, but the Keuper marl natural soil appeared to be undisturbed.

During the removal of the north section of the " dotted ," wall, the top of a skull appeared about 2" below the surface (i.e.' 2" below the Norman floor level). This area' was than thoroughly investigated with the followingresults. . . . .

The area where the wall had been was laid bare, revealing two graves, 'one containing apparently a complete skeleton, the other a skull and sUndry fragments of bone. The second grave had clearly been badly disturbed at some time. In grave 1, bits of Romanl'ottery were found.

The concrete was then removed around the two graves, and the two graves were investigated fully. Grafe I revealed more Roman and a post-hole at the head of the skeleton containing a piece of Roman pottery and a small fragment of wood. The east end of the grave had been disturbed, because the left leg was missing below the mid-point of the shin, and the right leg below the knee, there were no traces of feet. The grave-filling was a puzzling grey colour, and this will have to be analyzed.

Over the left shoulder, below the second vertebra down, fragments of gold thread started to appear, shaped as if they had originally been part of a woven fabric, the organic part of which had disintegrated. (This has been confirmed in a preliminary report by a leading authority of the subject of ancient embroidery). The skeleton was then removed and a further amount of gold· thread was gound. The grave was then stripped, but nothing else was discovered.

Grave 2 was then investigated. The grave had been badly disturbed. Of its former occupant it contained only the skull mentioned above (in three parts), half a pelvis and a few flakes of shin bone. A large nail was found to the left of the skull, along with another piece of metal. The grave had been so badly mutilated that only the west end of it could be identified. The building of the floor (either the Norman one or the later concrete one) had destroyed much of the east end, because the brick and rubble foundation to the floor appeared to go right down to the natural keuper marl soil with no grey grave-filling between.

What are they? The simple answer is that at present we just don't know : anything that we say must be a guess, and archaeological guesswork is extremely hazardous, any new piece of evidence being liable to disprove any guess. We can however make one or two tentative suggestions.

The filling of Grave 1 produced Roman pottery but no Mediaeval pottery : this shows that the graves are, at the earliest, Roman (it does not mean that they are Roman). College HallUndercroft is Norman (1085 or so), and for various reasons, the graves probably ante-date College Hall, mainly because the ground level was lowered to build the Undercroft, and one would not expect burials 2" below ground level. Moreover, the Undercroft was the Cellarer's store, not the ideal place for a couple of burials. The graves lie on an east-west orientation, suggesting though not proving, that they were Christian burials. The report on the gold thread says that such thread was used both by late Romans and by late Saxons. If it is a Roman burial, then our ideas of Roman Worcester will have to be changed drastically, as· buri;l1s were not allowed inside a Roman town, and we think that the Cathedral area was the very centre of the Roman town : otherwise, the Roman town would be an incredibly small place. No grave-goods were found with the bodies : this implies a post-7th century date, but does not prove so. A tentative idea is that it is a post 7th century, pre-l085, Christian burial-perhaps a priest of the Saxon Church of Worcester. But THIS IS PURE GUESSWORK, AND COULD EASILY·BE PROVED WRONG, when further tests are done. We are still waiting

for the results of the Carbon14 tests being done at Birmingham University, and the skeleton is soon·to be sent to be sexed and aged. We shall then be in a position to say more about it.

" LIVE AND LET LIVE" E.C. Y.

Part of a message from the Duke of Edinburgh to the Headmaster of King's School reads how delighted he was "to hear of the efforts which the King's School and Worcester Cathedral are making in European Conservation Year". His Royal Highness thought "the competition a splendid idea and sends his best wishes to the organisers and all those taking part".

-Thus began an exciting week-One which had been preceded by much work, preparation and co-operation between the school and the cathedral.

.The idea of the exhibition was first conceived by Lady Alethea Eliot when it was first announced that European Conservation Year would be held. Her idea was expanded by Mr. and Mrs. R. Allum and Mr. Burkill and the four of them collated their ideas earlier this year and gradually built up the form of the exhibition.

During the summer term entry forms for all the competitions were sent to schools throughout the Midlands. Through the medium of art, photography and poetry they were to base their efforts on the theme :­

(a) Man and his destruction of the environment

(b) Ways in which man is trying to conserve the environment.

After exhausting preparation the week before, the exhibition was opened on Saturday, 3rd October. The number of people who attended the opening and competition prize-giving was disappointing, but numbers for the evening talks were much more encouraging.

The afternoon films, including one specially produced by Shell Mex-BP for European Conservation Year, were both interesting and informative.

The Saturday evening talk was by Christopher Fuller on the work on the Nature Conservancy. He illustrated his talk with a short film called " The Living Pattern

On Sunday, there was a special service for Conservation Year, at which the Revd. D. C. Peck preached on the theme" One World ".

Monday evening's talk proved most interesting. It was given by Professor Fremlin of the Conservation Society on "Population, Resources and Environment".

The following night there was a slide show entitled "What Price England? ". This was followed by a discussion ·led by Mrs. Holford of the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Wednesday arrived and Mr. E. G. Hambrook/gave an illustrated talk on the story of the redevelopment of Stoke-on- Trent.

The " controversial endpiece " by Dr. Jack Cohen (Department of Zoology, Birmingham University) Was the best attended of all the meetings and the most stimulating. He lectured on "Pollution, Population and Politics " and his racy and. amusing style kept everyone spellbound. I do not know where "the Pollution and Politics " part of the talk came in but a cave .creature called " Fred " (our primaeval ancestor) was very much in

The actual exhibition was very large, starting in College Hall, continuing through the cathedral cloisters and ending at the north door of the cathedral. It contained many displays by schools, river authorities, National Trust, Oxfam and various other organisations concerned with looking after our environment.

One side of the cloisters was devoted entirely to the art competition which was completely dominated by the Malvern Girls' College. .

Considering entry to the Exhibitions, Films and Meetingswas free and the whole venture depended on collections, the deficit of money was not large and everyone concerned seemed to think it had all been worthwhile and a huge success.

Our thanks are due to the untiring efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Allum, Mr. Burkill, Lady Alethea and everyone else concerned with the Exhibition.

P. F. OLDROYD

NOTES

The biggest change in the scene since last year is the arrival ofa new chaplain. However, since the chaplain writes these notes, the significance of this change can hardly be examined here. One might, perhaps say that from the new chaplain's point of view, it has been a year of adjustments of relationship and it will probably be only next year that real consolidation and settling down can take place.

Some thirty-two boys were confirmed by Bishop Charles-Edwards in February, and at the time of writing a somewhat smaller group is undergoing a course of confirmation preparation. Various visiting preachers have been present at School Services, notably the chaplain of Warwick University whose strolling, shirt-sleeved address will 'be recalled for years to come. A few modest experiments in worship have taken place, and the weekly pattern of morning assembly, house prayers and roll-call by houses has been slightly adapted. It may, perhaps, be worth pointing out that the "stirrings" of change do little to reflect the great amount of thinking and discussion that has taken place over recent months. One is acutely of some of the feelings. of dissatisfaction surrounding aspects of worship in the school, and further developments must eventually take place. But as soon as some "improvement" is tried many unforseen difficulties emerge, so it is important not to be unduly impatient if the pace seems unbearably slow nor to assume that any obstacle is insurmountable. Many more ideas and reactions will be welcomed.

M.N.

THE EDGAR TOWER LIBRARY •

THE LIBRARY is now in full working order, and has been since January; 1970. The volume of borrowing has been four times greater than ever it was in the old Sixth· form library (so the records of the last six years reveal).

By July, 1971 every book in stock should be catalogued, labelled and, where there is a dust cover worth preserving, covered with protective plastic. The end of the long reorganisation is in sight. I thank the many boys who have devoted hundreds of after-school hours to this task for getting the library to this stage.

The stock is now nearly 4,000 books. It ought to be about 10,000 for a school of this size. At the moment we can add about two hundred and fifty new books a term, so it seems' that although we now have a good and working small library it will be quite a time before we have a library the school deserves.

THREE ONE-ACT PLAYS

17th and 18th March, 1970

AS THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE within the school had grown accustomed to the idea of an annual ' school play' or musical, the presentation of three one-act plays came to some as a surprise-but the performances were given a reception which proved that the change from routine had been a success. The three plays offered a variety of themes and moods which gave the audience ample opportunity to witness the versatility of the performers, and also a chance to develop their own thoughts. For some, perhaps, the transition from Bemard Shaw to Harold Pinter was difficult or impossible, but, for the most part the evening presented something of an agrreable challenge which .was readily accepted. .

The first play was "Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress" by Shaw -suitably described by its author as " a revoluntionary ". The element of romance was emphasised by the ·gallantry of'Michael Pimley who delighted everyone with his portrayal of "the grand cluchess" herself: though sometimes recognisable as the person we knew, Michael carried his part well, and created the character admirably. Fred Drabble scarcely appeared from behind the of General Strammfest, whom he captured with characteristic effervescence, and his .delight in the part was shared by the audience. Peter Harper-in a rare draIll:atic appearance-acted the part of Lieutenant Schneidekind with convincing subservience, and seemed the essence of a dapper army officer. The play served as a valuable start to the evening for it provided admirable entertainment, and any gravity which was lacking was adequately balanced by the sense of enjoymynt which was shared by those on stage as well as the members of the audience.

Chekhov's " The Proposal " was carefully and successfully presented by a trio of more experienced : the subtle wit of the play was emphasised by well controlled performances from Fiona Elrington, Ron Smith and John Dyer. Control and delicacy were the hallmarks of this production; slight, but effective, touches were employed throughout to convey the full sense of the comedy, and the cast showed that they were familiar with the techniques which the play' demanded. Fiona Elrington's Natalyia was suitably prim and proper, but had a warmth which recommended her as a future wife for Lomov : she argued with conviction, and succeeded in upsetting the delicate balance of her suitor's nervous disposition, but showed also that she was not incapable of emotional response. John Dyer as Lomov amused and amazed the audience with his apparently hypochondria-his 'performance was gratifyingly. sustained, and showed that he had a full knowledge of all that the part required.: the audience response to his acting demonstrated the universal approval which was thQroughly deserved. Ron Smith was benevolent but irascible as the aged Choobukov, and he developed the character with considerable insight. He portrayed the dignified landowner in a way which fully caught the mannerisms of a pedantic old gentlemen, an4 he maintained the characterisation with steady concentration. This play created a light mood which successfully rounded off the first half of the evemng.

Pinter's "The Collection" was received with apprehension. The contrast which it provided unsettled some members of the audience, but there were rewards for those who survived the transition from Chekhov's "jest in one-act " to this more difficult play. The actors rose above initial' difficulties, and created an atmosphere which contributed greatly to the force of the play. Fiona Baldrey played a convincing Stella, and with Paul Richards-as James her husbandcommunicated much of the inherent domestic conflict of an unsettled marriage. The successful inter-play of characters was preserved in the relationship between Peter Ranford and Paul Stacey: their presentation of Harry and Bill revealed that a great deal of thought had gone into their performances, and the tension between them was effectively developed. The play presented problems for both performers and audience, but these difficulties were minimised by careful handling of characters and situations, and, on the whole, the production was a significant and thoughtful contribution to the evening.

The actors and the audience were fully aware of the expense of time and energy by Mr. Cash who produced all three plays and the Success of the presentation was a direct result of the calculated variety Qf moods and ideas which took shape under his guidance and detailed direction. The evening provided a welcome and enterprising change from the normal concept of a single' school play,' and was rewarding to all concerned.

M.S.T.

MUSIC, 1970

THE PAST YEAR has seen a great variety of musical events in the life of -the school. An important innovation in the spring term was the Middle School" Music Competition held in College Hall on 19th March. Mr. Norman Crowhurst of the Royal Grammar School was the adjudicator. The music ranged from traditional songs to an arrangement of Bach in the style of the Swingle Singers, and the afternoon was enlivened by a vocal group from Upper 4B decked out in colourful costumes. Lower 4A were eventually held to be the winning form. At the time of writing, preparations are well under way for a Senior House Music Competition to be held on 27th October with Mr. Richard Lloyd, Organist of Hereford Cathedral as judge.

There have been two operatic At the end of the Christ­ mas term, 1969, Choir House gave a highly successful performance of Kurt Weill's one-act opera' Down in the Valley'. This was directed by Peter Hewitt, and was remarkable in that all the house was involved in the production, in singing, acting or behind the scenes. At the end of the summer term twenty-four boys from the Middle School per­ formed Benjamin Britten's _opera' The Golden Vanity' written in 1967 for the Vienna Boys Choir. The difficult piano part was brilliantly played by Christopher Tolley, O.V., now Organ Scholar of New College Oxford. A summer opera from the 4th forms was a new venture, and one which we very much hope to repeat next year.

This year the School Choir has been very busy, especially in its preparations for the June performance of S. Nicolas by Britten. In this performance a record number of 130 singers took part. In March a section of the trebles of the School Choir featured ina novel venture, a concert given in the Cathedral by Donald Swann. As the autumn term is now so long, the choir is to undertake an extra concert in November in addition to its annual performance the Carol Service. The main work in this concert is to be a performance of Faures 'Requiem '.

In the spring term three further organ recitals were given in the series to celebrate the opening of the College Hall organ. At the first on 30th Jariuary, two organists from the school, Stephen Darlington and Andrew Millington, were joined by Alan and Linda Young who provided vocal and piano music by way of contrast. The second recital on 19th February was given by Harry Bramma and the third on 20th March by two O.V.'s, John Langdon and Stephen Cleobury. - In addition to these organ recitals, school concerts were held in the spring and summer terms. These informal concerts are being continued in-the autumn term of 1970. The last concert of the school year will be a lunch time programme by the School Orchestra, under the direction of ;AlanYoung.

H.W.B.

s. NICOLAS "

THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL SCHOOL CONCERT, at which we saw the amalgamation of a surprisingly large school choir with girls from Alice Ottley and the Grammar School, proved to be a great success. As on previous. occasions Harry Bramma assembled an orchestra of very considerable ability, and under his expert direction the combi- . nation of an amateur choir with professional musicians produced excellent results.

The concert opened with Alan Young conducting the orchestra in HoIst's St. Paul's suite-a piece which was dominated by some fully. delicate and precise playing by the violin section. This, however, was the flavouring for the work which was to come, which was, of course, Benjamin Britten's S. Nicolas.

John Potter, the Cathedral lay-elerk, has already proved himself at school concerts, sang the part of Nicolas and perhaps the most significant virtue of his singing was the ease with which he mastered the notorious acoustics of College Hall. However, his accomplished was accentuated by the support tendered by the choir. The bass and tenor sections laid a sturdy foundation for the rest of the choir which dealt with the slower movements with feeling and sang

$equicker and more elaborate pieces with versatility. The addition

of girls to the choir was undoubtedly most welcome, and one could feel greater strength in the alto section particu1arly-one part of the choir which has certainly caused problems in the course of recent years.

. It was a great pity, therefore, that this occasion should clash with England's vital World Cup tie with Brazil-an event which doubtleSs distracted a good many people from coming to what proved to be a most enjoyable evening's entertainment.

M. St. J. PIMLEY

THE ART CAMP, 1970

AT THE BEGINNING of the autumn term Mr. Vivian took six artists to the Old Chapel in Wales for a weekend in order to provide an oppor;., tunity to draw directly from nature. The unspoilt surroundIngs contained a wide variety of interesting subjects. While some people might choose to make studies of trees, others were able to concentrate on the movement of streams.

The result of the weekend was a mass of drawings which we are now developing. We hope that other artists will also be able to derive as much benefit as us in future years. /

T. MORRIS

VICHY TRIP

..

ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21sT, we set off on our mammoth journey. For some unknown reason a photographer had taken a picture of us all in the coach before we left.

Now, however, we had started. The majority of us fell asleep in the coach. By dusk we were entering London. Soon we were through London and heading towards the coast. We stopped briefly at a motorway restaurant near Canterbury.

We crossed the Channel, Dover to Dunkirk, by night. We crossed to Calais in two hours, and then spent another two hours steaming up the coast to Dunkirk. For those who were awake, all two of them, breakfast was available. We docked, and after passing through Customs boarded a train for Paris. Apart from hard seats, no heating and a layer of dust everywhere the train was quite comfortable.

Our passage through Paris, led by Alain Bulle, through the Metro, was quite ,uneventful-I don't think the knife-fight witnessed by some of us was all that interesting. :­

We departed from the Gare de Lyons, and after what seemed like a

very long and cramped journey, we arrived in Vichy in the afternoon

of Sunday, March 22nd.

On the morning after our arrival at Vichy, we were conducted by our respective families to a champagne reception at the Town Hall. We were welcomed by the Mayor of Vichy and the Headmaster of L'ecole Jules-Ferry-our Link school.

Later in the week we were taken on a tour of the " Maison de J eunesse et Culture". '(Youth and Cultural Centre). We realised that French boys have much greater provision for their leisure, as activities at the centre ranged from playreading to sports of all descriptions.

Apart from these official functions the families with whom we lived took us to many places of interest. These included Clermont Ferraud, the regional centre with its fine Gothic Cathedral ; Le Puy de Dome and Le Puy de Sancy, two peaks in the Auvergne chain, the former being the highest and the latter a major ski-centre ; also there were several interesting chateaus, one of which the Chateau de SaintAugustin, has been developed as a wild life park.

Vichy itself is a beautiful spa-town, situated on the River Allier. There are several sources of the famous Vichy water situated in and, around the town centre, which most of us sampled but found·them not

quite to our taste ! However, taken with wine, it was very much more palatable!

The Cathedral Tower afforded a panoramic view of the town with such features as the Casino, the Town Hall, where the wartime Vichy Government presided, la Source de I'Hopital and the River Allier.

There were many interesting events during our stay. At the Sports

Ground an international rugby contest took place with, teams from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Morocco and Algeria taking part. On Easter Monday there was a road cycle race in which the region's top cyclists took part.

On the last few days of our stay we were invited to return to L'Ecole Jules-Ferry to sample the French educational system. We found that the school buildings were very old and we were told that a new school is under construction on the other side of the town. We found that the French boys placed much more emphasis on languages, most of them doing Spanish, German, English and French. Although we learnt little academically it was a fascinating experience.

Having bought our souvenirs hurriedly, owing.to a shop assistants' strike, we wished our French friends goodbye and boarded the train. The trip to Paris was realtively uneventful.

Having found M. Bulle at the Gare de Lyons we boarded a coach for a tour of Paris. We were shown all the major sights of Paris including the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. When we reached our hotel we unpacked and walked to -Montmartt€? From the hill we had a commending view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

We looked round the very beautiful Eglise de Sacre-Coeur and the square where artists paint and sell their pictures to unsuspecting tourists at vast prices. Mter supper we -went by' Metro (a hair raising experience) to Notre Dame to have a closer look at the beautiful cathedral which is floodlit at night.

The next morning we were woken up at six and after a continental breakfast we packed, and carried our suitcases to the Gare du Nord to catch the Calais train.

The Return Visit

Following on the pattern already established last summer, the French boys came to England for their second School trip and spent the first three weeks of the summer holidays in the homes of their King's School correspondents. They were accompanied by their supervisor who had a singularly quiet, trouble-free time as the whole visit seemed to pass almost entirely without disaster ! The English have expressed apprecation of their guests, the French have expressed appreciation of their hosts, and everything was fine. Our sincere thanks go to all those parents and boys who have so sportingly taken on this very worthwhile venture. Long may it continue !

G.N.L.

COMBINED KING'S SCHOOL AND

CITY CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT CAMP

IN AUGUST, 1970 a camp was held to provide an " adventure week" holiday for six boys recommended by the City Children's Department. This was organised as a result of the combined efforts, of the King's School and the Worcester City Children's Department. /

The Headmaster, for whose encouragement and help we are most grateful, allowed us to hold the.camp at the Old Chapel in Wales. It Was run by Mr. E. R. Burkill, and some senior Sixth formers, with the help of-several boys from the Removes in Wulstan House. Most of the 11'l0ney for the camp expenses was provided by the Charity Fund collections of the day-boy Houses, with a major contribution of over twenty pounds from Wulstan House, who took a special interest in the project.

.The Children's Depamnent were most helpful and as well as providing us with the six boys, all about twelve years of age, lent us blankets and made a contribution to the expenses .

. We were fortunate in having a week of fine weather for the camp, and outdoor activities were easy to arrange. Treasure hunts, walks, football competitions, bridge-building and a version of the television game" It's a Knock Out" were arranged, and the boys jomed in these games with tireless vigour.

.··Theweek had its lively and amusing incidents, but went off well with no serious mishaps .

1; am certain that all the boys involved would wish to thank Mr. Burkill for his efforts in shepherding us along, arid to thank Mr. Cattermole for his useful advice in the early stages.

Also it is important to thank all the boys who contributed towards the expenses of the camp. They provided the means to take six boys on a holiday they could not otherwise have hoped for, and one which they all appeared to have enjoyed.

Lastly, it· is hoped that this scheme may be contained and improved upon by future Sixth forms, and in anticipation of this may we wish them every success.

R. P. BARNES

C. J. CARNEY

ADVENTURE WEEK, 1970

ADVENTURE WEEK was held over Easter this year, from 25th March to 3rd April. We travelled for the week in a 3-ton Army truck, driven by Mr. St. John; it was brand new at the beginning but not at the end, after sundry encounters with the parapet of a railway bridge.

The seven of us lived off army rations cooked on ' Gaz ' stoves, and slept in four tents in Edale, by the side of the main Sheffield/Manchester railway. We suffered the rumbling of trains all night, and were greeted in the morning by the gangers' (C Ast brewed yet?"

The week was spent walking round Edale and over Kinder Scout, and along a ridge above the Ladybower Reservoirs ; Caving-in the Winnatts Pass and around Castleton ; and Climbing-on Froggatt Edge. We finishea the week with a camp fire, started after many attempts, with a great deal of paraffin. ./

The weather was extremely cold, with a frost every night and inches of snow on one of the walks. On ode occasion we emerged from a very wet cave to see inches of snow and a blizzard and to hear the rantings of a 10ud-I11outhed farmer's wife.

Apart from one slight aCcident-running out of petrol on the motorway, 10 minutes away from Worcester on the way back-the week went off very well and we are extremely grateful to Mr. St. John for organising it, and to the farmer on whose land we camped.

P. R. J. HARDYMAN

L.IVA CAMP

4th/11th January, 1970

ON SUNDAY we drove out to the Old Chapel arriving at 1230 and had hot dogs for lunch. In the afternoon some of us walked to Crickhowell.

Hiley arrived the next day just before tea. He came instead .of Andrews who had flu. What a small rucksack he brought! There were now ten of us altogether. plus two seniors and Mr. Cattermole. We were divided into three groups. At meal times one team cooked the meal and another washed up. The meals were very nice. I preferred the suppers best. One night we had chips and stewfollowed by cheese and biscuits. Another night we had roast lamb and mashed potatoes out of a packet followed by trifle. The cooks were jolly good.

On Tuesday afternoon we did a competition in which we had to find out various things. On our way to Llanbedr we got a lift from a man in a Volkswagon and the driver gave us several answers. On the way back we got a lift in a grit lorry. He stopped where his mates were and said we would catch pneumonia if he did not give us a lift back as it was pouring with rain. As a result of using our initiative, we won the competition and had some sweets.

On Wednesday evening it snowed four inches but in the night it rained and by morning there was only slush and we could not tobaggan.

On Friday we had the choice of going a long walk or a short one. I went on the long \Yalk. This was the highlight of the week. We went to the top of the ridge where the snow was about four inches deep and walked along it. When we got to the other side Mr. Cattermole gave us some nuts and raisins which were part of a survival kit which also a six foot polythene bag and a blanket. We got to the place where we were going to turn back but after a vote the majority decided to complete the horseshoe. We walked to the highest point of the Black Mountains. It was very cold at the top and the-wind cut our faces as we walked along the ridge where there were snowdrifts as high as your chest. Crouching in the shelter of a large cairn we had some more nuts and raisins, then slowly made our way down the slippery mountainside to the Pack Horse Bridge.

J. CLAYTON

BRIDGE CLUB, 1969-70

BRIDGE was a recognised Friday afternoon activity last year, and the time was used in teaching nine players with no match experience. In the autumn term we played two matches. The first was against Bishop Vesey's, who beat us 110-37, and the other was against the O.V.s, who beat us 85-80.

In the spring term, which is the important term as far as bridge is concerned, only one of last year's team remained and Bishop Vesey's beat us again early in the term. Our next a more important engagement, was the Francis Strong Cup for West Midland Schools. Our team consisted of M. G. L. CurIe, R. J. Granville, T. A. R. Jagger and N. K. Wolfendale. With this fairly inexperienced team we were surprised to be leading at half-time. Unfortunately, we fell back to third position, being beaten by W.R.G.S. who had a very lucky second half, and B.V.G.S.

By this tim(f the team was gaining experience and we won matches against Hereford Cathedral· School and King Charles' Kidderminster (80-57). These wins gave us more confidence for the first round of the important schools competition, the Daily· Mail Cup. With the same team we managed to win the qualifying round with a score of 91, well ahead of the next team who scored 47. We gained revenge against W.R.G.S. by winriing 31 points from them in three hands, and also by beating them a week later by 27· points with a reserve pair in: the team.

The final of the Daily Mail Schools Cup was again held at the Rembrandt Hotel in Kensington, but we did not expect to come first again out of twenty-five teams. Mter one session we were fourth and after the second session we had dropped to sixth. This was also our final position after the third session. We were quite pleased with the result, and hope to do even better this year as no-one has left school. We have already beaten W.R.G.S. 109-35.

Unfortunately bridge is no longer a Friday afternoon activity, but there is time in the lunch break for more tuition. There is also a class for fairly young beginners who, it is hoped, will be playing for the school in about two years. We would like to thank Mr. Turner for the time and work he puts into improving the standard of the school's bridge. Other representatives in school matches were :-M. P. G. Statham, S. H. Turner, C. J. F. Cassidy, C. Ross, R. S. Lodge and J. H. Thake. R. J. GRANVILLE

CHANGERINGING SOCIETY

THE SOCIETY HAS CONTINUED TO FLOURISH and now practices regularly at All Saints' and St. Swithun's Churches. The practices are well attended both by members of the school and ringers from the Royal Grammar School and the Grammar School fOf girls. Durillg the

summer term methods rung included Bob Major and Grandsire Triples, but we are reduced to six-bell ringing this term as the four largest bells at All Saints' are out of cbmmission.

A pleasing, feature this term is the large number of new recruits who are beginning to take their place in Sunday service ringing at St. Swithun's. These bells, the oldest ring of six in the country, have not received professional attention since 1870 and are consequently rather difficult to ring.

Expeditions out of Worcester have included a visit to the excellent new ring of eight at Eckington and the Rev. N. Holt has allowed us to ring at Earl's Croome. During the summer holidays, one group camping at the Old Chapel included sufficient ringers to enable call-ehanges to be rung at Llanbedr Church, the first ringing there for a very long time.

Our thanks are due to the Rectors of All Saints' and St. Swithun's Churches and to Mr. D. Beacham, ringing master at All Saints', for their continued help and interest.

p.D.T.e.

THE CLIMBING CLUB, 1969-70

THE .PAST YEAR 'WAS MARKED by the presence of a 'tiger' in the Climbing Club. Mr. Frank Cochrane was "a very good climber and sometimes too keen for most of us, but every meet was sure to be amusing. His example produced several good prospects among the senior members, who are now doing high-grade climbs in certain cases. Shortly after the entry for last year's Vigornian went in (October 1969) eight of us went up to North Wales for the weekend and the fortunate ones slept in Stephen Turner's parents' cottage which they kindly lent us. It was a wet and windy weekend, especially for those in tents in the garden, but we climbed at Craig Bwlchy Moch, Tretnadoc, and in Llanberis pass. The two leaders were Mr. Cochrane and a student friend from Oxford. This was the last meet of the autumn term.

The spring term began with a film on climbing in the Dolomites, lectUres by Mr. Cochrane on the Dublin University expedition to Patagonia and on climbing in the Alps followed by a lecture from Mr. Hockey on Mt. Kenya and the Ruwenzoris. Unfortunately, after listening to graphic accounts offlying ice and great climbs, we happened to have the next meet at PontesfordRocks, near Shrewsbury, which were so small that it took some of us half an hour to find them-but the climbing was pleasant. The final meet of the term was at Wintour's Leap, near Chepstow.

In the summer term things went better. The first trip to the Avon Gorge was as wet as North Wales and the climbs done were of a lower grade for safety's sake. However, that did not prevent one of us cutting his finger somehow and having to abseil down to the bottom. The next meet at the Avon Gorge was a sunny, hot one : ,some good routes

were done, such as Morpheus and Nightmare. In June some of us spent a sunny Field Day raising our standards at Wintour's Leap, the old faithful. Mter that exams took over, but Rob Ward and Mr. Cochrane spent an enjoyable weekend in North Wales just before.

So the summer term finished and Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Cochrane left to go to Leeds Grammar School and Sweden respectively. Mr. Cunningham designed and supervised the construction of the Climbing Wall, which has been in regular use by many boys and on which some of the more energetic members still find new routes. His contribution will be used for many years by the school and for this and his other help with the Climbing Club we are most grateful. Mr. Cochrane will be much missed also by those of us in the Club who found his stories hilarious and his company never dull. He certainly ; left his mark and at the mention of Guiness-his life-preserver-and Patagonia more than one member has been known to collapse in laughter on the floor . The tiger left some cubs as Rob Ward and Stephen Turner who are becoming very good.

The autumn term's first meet was at Avon Gorge where half-a-dozen of the seniors did several good climbs. On Field Day Mr. Hockey's car filled to bursting point took us to Froggatt Edge near Sheffield" where a gritstone outcrop provided many hard problems and friendly rock which took the skin off most people's hands. It was a pleasant, sunny day and but for the small scale of things it was a great success. Another meet in equally glorious weather on Sunday, 18th October was used by three pairs to raise their climbing standards and do some artificial climbing (with the aid of pitons and slings) at the Avon Gorge, where yet more routes were added to the growing list. .. The club owes a great deal to Mr. Hockey, who is now the only climbing master on the staff and who sacrifices a lot of his spare time for our sake. Membership among seniors is low, but the few like it that way, and much of the equipment can be borrowed by members occasionally. There are many keen juniors to fill the places left by the leavers in one of the school's most vital and satisfying clubs. No-one who knows what they are talking about could call climbing irresponsible or dangerous more than they could rugby. The safety precautions we take are always more than adequate, and the enjoymen t climbing has given me and many others is something really worthwhile.

J. R. SCOTT

CAVING CLUB

THIS CLUB caters for the masochistic tendencies of a select few. Its members arrange a day or a weekend or even a week when they can spend hours at a time crawling through nightmarish tunnels of cold water mud and rubble. Some boys actually ask to go caving. House exercise is too tame for them-they have outgrown it. Are you ready for Caving Club ? Here's mud in your eye ! / A.N.B.

THE OLD CHAPEL

THE YEAR 1969-70 has seen a continued expansion of the use of the Old Chapel as a base for a variety of outdoor actiVities, and the improved facilities have made it possible to use the Chapel in comparative comfort through the winter months. .,

During the summer term the Chapel was in fairly constant use and two Open Days were held. About 70 families visited the Chapel on these two days, some taking part in expeditions to see various of the Grwynefechan valley, others contenting themselves with a picnic by the stream.

In connection with the Open Day, a small booklet was produced giving a history of the Chapel and including a photograph of the 1906 ,.congregation. We were very pleased that Miss J ones of Llangattock, who remembers the Chapel in the 1900's, was able to come to the Open Day and were grateful for her gift towards setting up a store of tinned food in case of being marooned during a winter visit to the Chapel.

The works group is currently occupied in redecorating the· interior of the Chapel and this should be completed by November 1'970. thanks is due to those parents who are prepared to spend their thne in helping with repairs to the Chapel and in the'provision of new facilities to be enjoyed by members of the school on their visits to Grwynefechan.

P.D.T.C.

THE KING'S SCHOOL SCOUT GROUP

THE YEAR HAS BEEN QUIET but has seen some worthwhile Scouting. Our numbers have steadied at between sixty and seventy, divided more or less evenly between the three Troops. We have been extremely -pleased to welcome Mr. Bentley as S.L. of Troop 2 and Mr. Davies as Venture Scout Leader, and we are now the more confident that all three Troops will continue to flourish.

The Venture Scouts have been increasingly turning their to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and to Service. One group ,in particular, has been doing regular work at Powick Hospital. We hope that shortly the Venture Scouts will also be having the opportunity to learn something of sailing ; in the meantime other activities such as wine making continue to be popular, blended· of course with reasonable measurefuls of camping.

The Basic Unit had a valuable first year. The Scouts provided help in map reading, first-aid and cooking and some sixty unit members either went to camp or went on Field Day expeditions with Scout parties.

One innovation amongst the Junior Troops must merit special mention. This is the establishment of joint Troop 1 and Troop 2 camps at the Chapel. The days seem long past, fortunately, when the

last thing that members of either troop seemed to be willing to do was to consort voluntarily with rivals ! The camp, at all events, was a huge success and plans for a second one in November are already nearly complete.

The Annual camps were held at Ashness, in the Lake District by Troop 1 and at Calbourne, in the Isle of Wight, by Troop 2. The weather for both was glorious, though perhaps not quite up to the standard of last year's glory. There was sporadic rain, and an occasional flailing of cold wind, but no more than to season and spice good camping and a plethera of activity.

D.A.

Scout Troop 1

During the past year Troop 1 has continued to flourish and membership stands at ·twenty-eight scouts, about half of whom have gained their Scout Standard.

Two very enjoyable camps were held during the summer term and most of the troop had their first taste of sailing on Llangorse Lake. A joint camp with Troop 2 proved very successful.

The annual Summer Camp visited the Lake District occupying Bark House in Borrowdale. Durin,g the week expeditions were made to Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and to the summit of England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

P.D.T.C.

CIVICS AND WELFARE GROUP, 1970

IN PAST YEARS membership has been restricted almost exclusively to boys in Middle Sixth. This year, the extension of 'options for Friday afternoon activities to Lower Sixth a1ld FifthFor'm has brought a welcome increase in numbers. The Group is now nearly forty strong, and has been·able to undertake a correspondingly. range of activities.

It operates each Friday afternoon during term from 2.45 p.m. until 4.15p.m.-and in many cases much later. On Field Days the whole day is available. In addition there have been pleasing instances when ., members have unofficially helped in their spare time, including holidays.

Civics. During one term of each year so far, a group of senior members has been given some insight into the problems and working of Local Government, through. a series of visits to City 'Departments. These bavebeen arranged through the kindness of the Town Clerk and a large number of his colleagues, to whom we are deeply indebted. The visits invariably arouse a 'great deal of interest, with questions and discussion. We certainly gain from all this; perhaps, at times our hosts do too. /

Welfare. We have a large number of 'clients '--or friends-who : are visited regularly, and we numerous appeals for help each year from various organizations (City Welfare, W.R.V.S., etc.,) and through individuals. It apPearS that, all too often, a labour force is lacking or that, even if someone in difficulties can pay for help> it iS n not in fact obtainable. The members ,of the Group have undertaken an: astonishing range of activities-gardening, tree prnning, house painting, repairs, shopping, reading to blind people, pushing wheel chairs, etc. They have met all kinds of difficulties with tact and versatility and they gain immensely from the experience.

Apart from the 'routine' visits, there have been the following special undertakings during the year :

1. Four senior mf;mbers have gone each Friday to the Royal Infirmary, and helped in Theatre and Casualty work, usually until a late q.our. This has proved to be a most worthwhile task, and , understudies' are now being introduced, to be ready to continue next year.

2. Some ten members in the Winter and Summer terms, have been visiting Powick Hospital, and helping in a wide range of recreational therapy.

3. In December and January a group from King's School joined with groups from several other City Schools in redecorating a large room at Hillborough used as an emergency accommodation centre.

K.P.B.

FIELD CLUB

THIS HAs BEEN AN EVENTFUL YEAR for the Field Club. There Were expeditions to the Cotswolds, Stroud aq.d the Long Mynd, and in addition various projects were carried on by members on Friday afternoons. These included a study of river pollution, soil analysis and geological surveys.

The first Field Club camp took place at Watchet in Somerset during the summer holidays. Apart from walking on the Quantocks and Exmoor, we were able to carry out an interesting pollution survey on a local river and collect many types of fossils from of the beaches. The camp proved to be a success, and we hope to hold another next summer.

Most of our effort this term has been directed to the European Conservation Year Exhibition, at which we exhibited a number of the proj,ects completed during the year.

./ J.L.K.B.

WORK·S GROUP, 1969-70 •

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR has been the project that involved building two studies in the Choir House yard. Though the outside'l, finish -has still to be done they were' sufficiently complete at the beginning of this term for the irihabitants to move in. We are still waiting for the floor covering to arrive and some extra shelving has still to· -go up,' but in-general they can be considered a job satisfactorily done and one that was certainly interesting and enjoyable to do.

The other major work of the year was the building of a Works Group shed behind the Science Block, with a mixing area in front of it and four bunkers around it for sand and other materials. Water has also been laid on there so we now have an efficient and convenient centre containing a wide variety of tools and equipment. .

Many other jobs of various sorts were -undertaken, such as the decoration of the Medway Hut, and a start was made on the conversion of the Undercroft into a Sixth form Social Centre. Progress here was delayed for a long time by the discovery of two skeletons, but the work has gone well there this term. There is. much still to be done, but the steps ·have b.een made, -the windows are going in, the bar has been built. We certainly hope to· finish there by Christmas.

We are grateful to Mr. Bryan for his help and guidance on these jobs, which could not have been tackled successfully without him. This has been a lllost satisfactory and enjoyable year and I hope we shall find some equally interesting and useful work to do in' the next twelve months.

P.G.L.C.

RUGBY FOOTBALL

1st XV

, THE HILLS ARE A THING TO HATE'. SO began, five days early, one of the best seasons the 1st XV have had. We were fortunate in that many of this XV had had 1st XV experience during the previous season; nevertheless, the application to the job in· hand brought many notable victories. To beat Christ's Brecon and Bromsgrove, both admittedly at home, the latter victory being our first win over them for ten years, set the pattern for the first half of the season when we found points difficult to score, btit opponents 'Yere scoring -even fewer . Our one defeat came Dean Close in a game in which, at that point, we played by far out best rugby. To lose under those circumstances and then to go from strength 'to strength and from win to win showed the spirit and character of this team.

Mter the defeat by' Dean Close the pressure of an undefeated season was released and the team started to score a lot of points. We finished our season with large victories against the O.V.'s,and a new team to our fixture list, Colston's School, Bristol.

At the end of the season we toured to Southampton and played two of our three arranged fixtures, beating Totton College and King Edward's Southampton. These two final wins during the Christmas term gave the XV seventeen wins from eighteen games.

Outstanding players are difficult to name in this team, but the captain Nigel Chinneck and hooker Steve Priddey-who both completed fifty-one games for the 1st extremely well. Steve Priddey, had he returned to school, would have been the Midlands hooker in· the England trials. Nigel Chinneck was selected as a reserve for the, Midlands.

Other players to achieve County honours were Martin Tolley, Frank Hindson, John Trape and Charles Hamilton. Two names , missing from this honours list, who should have been present but for Unforeseen circumstances, were JohnWeston (who went' home 'to the D.S.A.) and Peter Harris who in his first season was ,outstanding and received his ' cap'. . ,

With the rowers going off during the Easter term, senior rugby carried on and again many points were scored against weaker opposition. However we did have one 1st XV match when the 1st XV rowers (who , made up half the 1st VIII) returned for the match against Solihull. It was as though they had never stopped playing. since Christmas and the game resulted in a very good win. LB.

Caps: N. Chinneck, S. Priddey, P. Harris.

Full Colours: M. Tolley, J. Weston, F. Hindson Half Colours: D. Bridgewater, A. Wood'Yard, J. Trape

RESULTS

v. Christ's Brecon (h) w. 6-0

v. Bromsgrove Ch) ... ... ... w. 18-6

v. Magdalen C.S. Ca) .. . w. 12-3

v. Ludlow (h) ... ... ... w. 11--0

v. Hereford Cathedral Sc Ca) w. 8-3

v. Dean Close Ca) ... 1. 3-8

v. Moseley (h) ... ... w. 9-·3

v. Warwick Ch) w. 11-3

v. King Charles (h) w. 12-5

v. W.R.G.S. Ca) ... w. 5-3

v. Oldswinford (h) ... ... w. 5-0

v. Bishop Veseys (h) w. 8-6

v. K.E.S. Stourbridge Ca) ... w. 9-3

v. K.E.S. B'ham Ca) w. 6-0

o ••

v. O.V.'s Ch) ... ... w. 24-3

v. Colston School Ch) ... w. 29-6

TOUR v. Totton College Ca) ... w. 22--0

v. K.E.S. Southampton Ca) w. 13--0

2nd XV

•

This was a· good side in support of a most successful first fifteen. Many of the team played on occasions for the first fifteen, but despite this the team was successful and maintained a high standard of rugby. They started off the season with a number of high-scoring wins, but some depletions in the side during the latter part of the term led to defeat by K.E.S., Birmingham. However, the team came back strongly to draw their final game against Colston's.

3rd XV

- In spite of many injuries and calls to higher levels (first fifteen included), the side was quite successful. The spirit of the social thirds of yesteryear.lives on .. ...•....

UIS XV

. It was unfortunate that rarely did this year's side manage to combine· their considerable individual talents. The front five-Homer, Mahony, Crowther, Edwards and Pritchard-were good value in both tight and loose. The problems of the back row were never solved : there was never one flank forward prepared to cover a lot of ground and tackle. The· half-back combination-of Cowper and Byard was a·success. The centres, James and Allerhand, were strong runners, but suspect in defence. With no back row cover this led to many a try. On the wings, Scott was elusive, and Elliott a fast, difficult man to stop. Dawson at full back must also be mentioned for his fine, often last-ditch tackles. All the best that this side could offer was on display when they beat Dean Close.

P. H. Allerhand gained representative honours for the county at V.IS· S.R.D.

U.14 Rugby

This was, above .all, an enjoyable season. The side was not devastatingly successful-but this cannot be expected of a side which only came together at the start of this year. On the other hand, by the end of the spring. term the team had a very fair record incluqing some impressive performances. The players worked hard at the game and consequently had improved greatly by the end of the season. It seemed that·they enjoyed the knowledge that they were better as individuals and as a team. There is a good spirit in this side-it always played better when under pressure-and a good foundation has been laid for the years to come. ;' J.L.K.B. C.H.G.

K.S.W.B.C. 1st VIII,:winners of the Elsenham Cup, National Schools Regatta, here in action at Hereford Regatta.

GARTH

SOUTH. CLOISTER North GrAvez GrAve1 CONCRETEO AREA

COLLEGE GREEN

Plan of the Undercroftof College Hall.

Photograph by Brendan Kerney, Worcester

Back (left to right) J. Trape, P. Partridge, D. Bridgwater, G. Peel, C. Hamilton, P. Davies, P. Harper, J. Snewin, D. Johnson, Mr. 1. Brown Front (left to right) M. T911ey, F. Hindson, S. Priddey, N. Chinneck (Capt.), '" J. Weston, P. Harris, A. Woodward

HOCKEY, 1969-70 •

THE GAME HAS CONTINUED TO BE PLAYED on the system which began last year---one group in the Upper Removes plays in the two winter terms, and it seems a popular option in the Fifth and Sixth forms games choices. Two or three friendly matches were played. with the Fidelians, a local side consisting mainly of O.V.s. The school team, strengthened by a couple of masters, never managed to win, but they gave the opposition a good run for their money.

Very much more hockey was played in the Spring Term than has been played for many years because of the availability of the hard tennis courts. The area is very good for six-a-side hockey and we ended the term with a revival of the inter-House Competition. This was won in the end by Choir after some very close contests ; the score of 3--0 in the final was flattering as it was only achieved' after extra time.

THE HOUSE COMPETITION

Wulstan Wulstan School 1-0 after a replay)

3-0 (after extra . time)

0-0 (on penalty corners)

When the new field at the foot of Hunt's Meadow has been levelled we can hope to have a new and better hockey pitch. One ,of the main problems at the moment is having to play all our games on grass on a rough and undulating surface. It is no use contemplating the return of hockey as a main sport unless we can achieve an· improvemeJ.)t in plaYing conditions.

If nothing else, one can say at the moment that a reasonable number of boys are at least being introduced to the game ; this may well prove useful to them in the future. From the regular turn-out to Tuesday and Thursday voluntary games it would seem that people enjoy their hockey.

P.G.L.C.

TABLE TENNIS

THIS WAS ANOTHER VERY GOOD SEASON for the club in which an school matches were won with the exception of the U.15 game in the final of the county championships. This year we entered ,the U.13's in the county championships and they did extremely well and won the

championship. At senior level we were fortunate to have last year's team back and they again beaune county champions and improved their position in the Midlands School Championships.

Given the use of the Sports' Hall together with some new playing facilities we might be able to cater for the large number of boys who wish to play the game.

BASKETBALL

THIS YEAR the Worcestershire area decided against having an U .18 league and instead began U .14 and U .16 leagues. The Seniors were thus only able to play friendly matches whilst the other teams at least began with a full fixture list. The performances of both league sides were very good, so good in fact that one team gave the points rather than play the game which was a pity. Both teams went on to win their respective league titles. With these junior results behind us we can only look forward to the time when we have a good indoor court.

The senior side played friendly games against teams from the Worcester and District League and had a very good season. Some matches were played in the Samuel Southall Sports' Hall so we know what to expect when we are finally able to play in ours. Our best win was achieved at the expense of the Technical College, who at that time were 4th in the 1st division. Perhaps one day we might be able to play in this Senior Worcester League !

SPORTS' HALL

IT ALMOST SEEMS AS THOUGH A LIFETIME HAS GONE BY since the question of a Sports' Hall was first brought up at the school but, by the time this is read we should be three quarters of the way to having one! It is this last quarter that is worrying me and it involves the completion of the building which I am told on great authority (by the builders) should be early January. I expect to be working in there just before the end of February.

This looking forward is fascinating. Can anyone who has never seen a Sports' Hall imagine the size? 100ft. x 55ft. means very little until you actually see it. The use of a building this size will have to be thought about very carefully if we are to avoid the situation when there are two volley ball matches, a basketball match, badininton games, twelve table tennis games, golf practice, five-a"7side soccer games, trampoline competitions, Olympic gymnastics, cricket net practice, possibly archery, judo and fencing all going on at the same time. The other main activity left out of course is weight-training but then this ,does not interfere with the use of the main hall but is ' induldulged' in under the balcony. We can look forward to playing all the above games when we get into the Sports' Hall but please do not expect to be able to do all the above things at the time ! LB.

K.S. W.B.C • •

Captain : A. J. S. MUSSETT C. H. RICHARDSON

Secretary : P. D. SCANDRETT

1st VIII Colours were reawarded to :­

C. H. Richardson and awarded to :­

I. Bomphrey, J. Snewin, P. Partridge, G. Peel, R. Lloyd, C. BethellFox, T. Davidson

. 1st VIII Coxing Colow;s were awarded to :P. Freeman

2nd VIII Colours were reawarded to :­

P. D. Scandrett and awarded to :­

R. Hebden, I. McIntosh, L. Stapleton, P. Hassan, J. Gore, R. Cox, J. Britton

2nd VIII Coxing Colours were awarded to :-. J. Smart

IT IS A SOMETIMES UNFORTUNATE FACT that the success of any rowing club as far as the outsider is concerned depends almost entirely on the material successes of its VIII's. There must, therefore, be people who regard the past season with slight disappointment, in so far as the number of wins has shown a decline from last year's total. However, all but one of our crews were faster than their predecessors.

Judging by outward appearances this year's 1st VIII should have been more successful than it actually was. The Sim's short back eight, crowned with daringly low-cut singlets, added greatly to the crew's prestige, but failed to make up for an inadequate diet (incompatible with the advanced level of training necessary to remain competitive) and a lack of hard, regular, winter training for non-rugger players. The potential of this crew was plainly evident from their performance at the two regattas at which they worked efficiently together and which they won with little trouble, but it is uilfortunate that they failed to achieve the degree of consistency necessary to produce a really successful crew. ,

One must never, of course, forget that rowing is essentially a club sport, and a resume of the season may help to highlight the achievements of the other crews.

The customary trial eights resolved themselves on the last day of January into A and B crews which unobtrusively changed their names to 1st and 2nd VIII's, thus supposedly softening the -blow for the latter. Training of the four racing crews then went ahead, paying dividends in the Heads, when both Colts and Junior Colts won pennants

at Somerset Schools' Head, while .the 2nd VIII won the Schools' pennant at Worcester Head and' the first VIII were second overall. Reading produced the school's best result, the 1st VIII finishing 21st and the 2nd VIII 70th (qIthough only 36 seconds separated the two) in a field of 144.

Summer rowing began with another five day camp at Henley, which was perhaps even more beneficial than the previous year's, and certainly more enjoyable thanks to the excellent weather and smoother organisation, last year's minor mistakes having been largely ironed out. Certainly it provided a valuable shakedown period for the re-shuffled crews which resulted from the premature retirement of the Captain, Andrew Mussett.

Gloucester Schools Regatta produced no .. Worcester Regatta was again disappointing in that neither 1st nor 2nd VIII's won, though both had good rows and reached their finals. Meanwhile, at Cambridge, the Colts were on form and won their event after a good final against St. Edward's. On the Monday the 1st VIII were rewarded with a convincing win in the Junior event at Hereford which brought; them the monstrous cup at present residing in the dining room. At Hereford Schools on the Wednesday four of the five crews reached their finals, but all were beaten.

Reading regatta saw the 1st VIII at their unluckiest. Mter a late arrival they had to move fast to get to the start on time, and the margin of a canvas by which Bedford beat them caused a great deal of" if only" recriminations afterwards, particularly when Bedford went on to win the event comfortably.

It was at Pangbourne that the 1st VIII really showed their potential by winning the Elsenham Cup, in which they came second last year. So, in future years, we will have to raise our sights still higher. The other crews were less successful, the Colts going out in the Repechage and the Junior Colts and 2nd VIII both reaching their semi-finals.

The 1st and 2nd VIII's both lost at Marlow, the latter to Cheltenham I after a re-row due to a dead-heat. The 1st VIII lost to Latymer Upper, whom they had previously beaten at Pangbourne.

It was left to the Junior Colts to provide the final success of the season when they won their event at Tewkesbury.

Both sections of the Vigo regatta went very smoothly again this year with a further increase in the number of crews competing, although the success of the King's School crews may act as ja detenent next year. The weather being once again magnificent-though perhaps too hot for serious rowing-one had the impression that the visitors enjoyed themselves, and even that unfortunate crew which sank just after the finish seemed cheerful enough.

It is inevitable that after a season as successful as the previous one some feeling of anti-climax will accompany anything less than a win at Henley. Regular success, however, does not come overnight, and we must be realistic and work for the future, as well as the present. A more determined approach is called for throughout the <;lub if we hope to establish ourselves at the top. With this year's Pangbourne win and the

general improvement in technique we are half-way there, but the other half can only come from sheer from all concerned.

I should like finally to thank both Andrew Mussett and, Charles Richardson for their leadership of the club during this last season which has seen another landmark passed in the club's history, and to express my hope that the foundations already laid will not be left to decay.

P. D. SCANDRETT

CRICKET

1st ·XI

Captain: N. J. CHINNECK

Secretary : N.

E. TRAPE

FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR SOME YEARS, the school had a full term's cricket and all the home matches were played on perfect wickets. Despite disappointing results, it was a comparatively high scoring season. Unfortunately having got into a winning position in several games, the. side was unable through lack of experience, to clinch the issue. This failing was most evident in the games against the College of Education, Prince Henry's, The Worcester Gendemen, W.R.G.S. and aboveaU, the O.V.'s. The latter was a magnificent game of cricket which, with cooler heads, the schoof should certainly have won.

Wood was the outstanding batsman. He only failed completely in three innings, but, on the other hand, he never drove his advantage home when he was set. This is not a hard critcism for he was often the anchor of a batting side which lacked confidence. Rock also showed good·form on several occasions and waS a much improved player. Rose and Pimley each played one major innings which is encouraging for next year.

Wicks and Wood, the spinners, took most wickets despite bowling on unhelpful wickets. Wood, in particuJar, bowled with intelligence and guile. Ward, the medium pacer, always bowled wholeheartedly but neither luck nor the perfect wickets gave him any encouragement.

The fielding of individuals in the side was good, brilliant on occasions -Griffiths and Trape performing some fine acrobatics-but the team's overall work did not exude the aggression which is necessary to put pressure on the batsmen. '

One final misfortune, which was really the first, was the absence of Chin neck, the captain, for the first half of the season through a rugby injury. When he did come into the side he, like Wood, did not take full advantage of the situations he created. He is, however, a player of considerable ability and technique. His performance epitomises the performance of the whole side. / M.J.P., C.H.G.

1st XI AVERAGES

1st XI SCORES

King's 130 (Rock 35, Wood 31) ; P.H.G.S.42 for 9 (Harper 3-8, Trape ..

King's 93 ; Sebright·94 for 6 (Wicks 5-18).

King's 157 for 6 dec. (Griffith 36, wicks 32 n.o.) ; Solihull 150 for 3 (lones 106 n.o.).

Worcester College of Education 169 for 2 dec.; King's 155 for 5 (Wood 45n.o., Tomlinson 41).

XL Club 176 for 2 dec. (Poulter 115 n.o.) ; King's 88.

King's 153 for 6 dec. (Rose 57 n.o., Wood 36, Rock 35) ; Warwick 120 for 7 (Wood 4-39).

King's 131 for 8 dec. (Wood 41, Chinneck 31) ; Bromsgrove.l08 for 5.

King's 150 for 6 dec. (Rock 54) ; Worcester Gentlemen 95 for 8 (Wood 5-35).

a.v.'s 213for 9 dec. (N; Jones 73) ; King's 211 (Wood 60, Watkins 34, Rock 31).

168 for 8 dec. (Wicks 4-28) ; King's 128 (Wood 32).

K.E.S. 253 for 4 dec. (Burn 139) ; King's 143 (Pimley 60).

2nd XI

The second eleven had a fairly successful season, but the two wins were recorded in early matches when Watkins, the captain, scored consecutive fifties. When he was promoted to the first eleven, the batting was left to the promising Bailey and Hewitt, who both performed consistently and steadily and are good .prospeets.However,theside lacked strength throughout and so a lot of games were drawn without the result being really· contested. The .side· also went through a large number of wicket keepers, all of whom have now recovered.

/ M.J.P., C.H.G.

2nd XI SCORES

King's 123 for 4 dec. (Wicks 42 Baxandall 34 n.o.) ; College of Education 109 for 8 (Wicks 4-27).

King's 153' for 3 dec. (Watkins 51, Fuller 49); P.H.G.S. 68:

King's 160 for 7 dec. (Watkins 56) ; Sebright 143.

Solihull 129 (Judd 5-22) ; King's 66 for '3.

College of Education 132 for 9 dec. ; King's 99 for 7 (Hewitt 37).

Dean Close 171 for 4 dec. ; King's 106 (Bailey 45).

King's 96 (Hewitt 36) ; Warwick 99 for 3.

Bromsgrove 161 for 5 dec. ; King's 117 for 4 (Bailey 55).

O.V.'s 105 for 9 dec. (Fuller 4-11) ; King's 79 for 8 (Bailey 44).

King's 87 ; 88 for 7.

K.E.S.B. 118 for 6 dec. ; King's 72 for 5.

U .14 Cricket

During a fine summer, the group practised and had a satisfactory season in all respects.

The team shows promise. Fildes, Darlington and Meyrick should become good batsmen providing they continue to learn, and Dagg, Foley and Clarke looked good prospects as bowlers. The enthusiasm, the quiet captaincy of Fildes and the safe' hands of Tolley behind wicket were the highlights of a very enjoyable season, for' which those not mentioned here, for reasons of space, may take equal credit. Will we always win? Perhaps not, but as long as we play in this spirit, with sights set on playing well-disciplined and exciting cricket, it won't much matter.

M.W.B.

LA WN TENNIS, 1970

Captain: K. R.

ELMER

WITH THE FOUR HARD COURTS IN USE AT LAST, this was the first really full season we have had. It was certainly an unusual experience in the early part of the summer term to be playing tennis when no other games were possible on the School Field.

On Monday, Fridays and Sundays the courts are available for any members of the school; on Wednesdays they are used for Fifth and Sixth form games ; on the other three days they are· reserved for the members of the Tennis Club. So a large number get a chance to play, but teams have to be selected from a much smaller group. For the first time this year we have had a considerable influx of talent at the Lower Remove level and this bodes well for school teams in the future.

As far as this year's team was concerned we suffered, as we have so often in the past, from the lack a strong third pair, so vital to the winning of close matches. Such was the shortage of senior talent that we used" juniors for the third pair in the hope that they would gain useful match experience. Next season will show whether this policy pays off. Actual junior matches are difficult to arrange and it was a great disappointment that the one against K.E.S. Birmingham had to be cancelled.

With the shortened summer term and the last three weeks given up to exams not many fixtures can be played at any level, but we hope to increase the number o(matches next year. We hope especially that the O.V.'s will produce a team.

MATCH REsULTS:

v. Christ College, Brecon

v. K.E.S. Birmingham

v. Solihull

v. King's School, Gloucester ...

1st Pair K. Elmer and P. Johnson, won 11 matches out of 12"played.

2nd Pair J. Coates and T. Siaw, won 10 matches out of 12 played.

3rd Pair J. Roden and P. Hamlett, won 2 matches out of 6 played.

3rd Pair J. Roden and S. Harris, won 2 matches out of 6 played. Full colours were awarded to J. Coates Half colours were awarded to P. J ohnson

An innov.ation this season was a match between a Staff Mixed VI and a combined King'sjA.lice Ottley VI. This provided a most enjoyable Sunday afternoon's tennis which ended fittingly in a draw at 4!-4t. One other Sunday afternoon was given over to mixed tennis with the Alice Ottley, but for some reason I never received a match result for this !

Owing to the shortness of the summer term the House competition is being played in the autumn term. Last year it was not played (because the courts were unfinished) until very late in the term. In fact Choir won the final against Wulstan in mid-December in a snow storm! This year it will not be over before the Vigornian has gone to press, but we hope to have a much earlier result.

P.G.L.C.

ATHLETICS, 1970

Captain: A. S. WOODWARD

Secretary : J. N. KENNEDY

THIS SUMMER the unusually fine weather enabled training to take place on Hunt's Meadow from the first day of term. As a result, although the teams were committed to several inter-school matches during the first few weeks of tenn,they were able to prepare for them. In this they were much assisted by active and enthusiastic encouragement from Mr. Milloy. /

Training was also considerably helped by improved facilities. For the first time we had a full sized tracl: throughout the season. This was of 400 metres since, in common with most other schools in the Country, we decided 'to change to metric measurements this summer. We also acquired (eventually!) a portable, canvas-covered, foam-rubber block to use instead of a sand-pit to catch descending High Jumpers.

Another innovation this summer was the club's new kit. Those athletes representing the School now wear dark blue shorts and white vests with a blue diagonal band.

The results obtained in, matches reflect the fact that, although we were very strong in the Intermediate age-group, our Seniors lacked depth-in performance and our Juniors simply lacked numbers. However, the Intermediate did extremely well. As an example, the Wulstan House Intermediate relay team represented Worcester and Malvern schools at the County Championships where they then proceeded to win their event!

The School Sports were this year held on Hunt's Meadow instead of the School Field. Unfortunately the good weather gave out at this point and the proceedings were considerably marred. Nevertheless, performances were up to standard and there were some encouraging individual achievements, especially on the track, this in spite of the absence of Peter Harris, our most successful Senior, who was away representing Worcestershire at the National Championships.

Colours were reawarded to A. M. Carroll and P. M. Harris and awarded to A. S. Woodward, N. K. Wolfendale, A. Chinneck and M. J. P. Walton.

RESULTS

April 29th v. Nunnery Wood (A)

Inter: Won 76-39

Junior: Lost 47-71

May 12th v. Malvern Collegev. Kingswood (Malvern)

Senior: M 117, K 96, K Worc. 63

Inter: K Worc. 96i, M 91i, K 88

May 13th v. W.R.G.S. (A)

Open : Won by King's

May 16th v. Bromsgrove v. Bredon (Bromsgrove)

Senior: Won by King's

Inter: Won by King's

June 3rd v. P.H.G.S. Evesham (H)

Senior : Won 82-66

Inter : Lost 68l-791

Junior: Lost 50-75

June 6th v. W.R.G.S. (H)

Inter·: Won 89-50

June lOth v. King's Gloucester (H)

Open : Lost 63-74

School Sports ResUlts

Senior: •

lOO metres

200 metres

M. J. P. Walton (Cr)

P. M. Hams (Ch)

400 metres A. M. Carroll (Ch)

800 metres

1,500 metres

P. M. Harris (Ch)

N. K. Wolfendale (W)

3,000 metres A. Chinneck (Ca)

llOm. Hurdles P. W. Ranford (Cr)

Relay Wulstan

Shot h. S. Woodward

Discus

J. A. R. Trape (S)

Javelin S. J. Rock (Cl) .

High Jump

Long Jump

Triple Jump

A. C. M. Holt (Cl)

M. R. G. Painter (S)

M. R. G. Painter (S)

Inter-House Cup won by Choir

Intermediate:

100 metres

200 metres

400 metres

800 metres

1,500 metres

3,000 metres

lOOm. Hurdles

C. N. J ames (W)

C. N. J ames (W)

C. N. J ames (W)

R. ·C. Bauling (Ch)

R. C. Bauling (Ch)

R. C. Bauling (Ch)

R. A. Warburton (W)

Relay Wulstan ' A '

Shot

Discus

R. J. Pritchard (W)

R. J. Pritchard (W)

Javelin M. H. Judd (Ch)

High Jump P. C. Hill (Br)

Long Jump J. Britton (H)

Triple Jump J. Britton (H)

Inter- House Cup won by Wulstan

Junior:

100 metres

M. J. Hershman (Cl}

200 metres J. P. Darlington (H)

400 metres K. R. Straker(S)

800 metres M. J. Ross (Ca)

1,500 metres C. P. Holmes (Ch)

8Om. Hurdles S. B. Evans (Ch)

Relay Choir

Shot A. J. Ratcliff (Ch)

Discus A. J. Ratcliff (Ch)

Javelin P. S. Wilson (Br)

High Jump T. M. Bailey (W)

Long Jump J. P. Darlington (H)

Triple Jump

C. P. Holmes (Ch)

Inter-House Cup won by Choir

11.08. tRecord 22.7s. Record 54.9s. 2m 8.2s. 4m.39.8s. 9m.59s. 18.ls. 48.ls. 10.39rn. 25.66rn. 36.81rn. 1.62rn. 5.60rn. 11.14rn. 12.08. 23.8s. 55.6s. 2m. 18.5s. 4rn.48.0s. 10m.23.6s. 16.6s. 48.7s. 11.68m. 38.56m. 35.1 Om. 1.43m. 5.4Om. 12.21m. Record 14.0s. 27.0s. 64.5s. 2m.30.0s. 5rn. 7.6s. 15.5s. 56.9s. ' 10.4lrn. 27.79m. 35.52rn. . 1.42m. 5.oorn. 9.77m.

SWIMMING CLUB •

Summer, 1970

Captain :F. HiNDSON

Secretary: I. D.

MCGILL

IF THE OUTCOME of the five or six fixtures swum had been matched in any way by the enthusiasm of the members of the club, the season would have been successful indeed. Unfortunately, -even though Mr. St. John had us begin training as soon as he thought the temperature of the pool was such that it would do us no permanent damage, we never managed to come away victorious. However, in our last two meets we did come fairly near to victory owing mainly to the swimming prowess of F. Hindson, R. Smith and J. Baird and also to the diving expertise of I. McGill. R. Smith was re-awarded colours and colours were awarded to S. Hawes, I. Katte and K. Lee who all showed promise during the season.

One bright moment was when our U.16 relay team won, for the third year in succession, their event in the City Swimming Sports. Credit for this achievement goes to Mr. St. John as do our sincere thanks. He has been a great encouragement and driving force behind the club for the past four years. We were all extremely sorry to see him go and wish him every success in the future.

1. P. KATTE

School Swimming Sports-June, 1970

RESULTS:

Open Individual Medley

Open Breast Stroke

Under 16 Back Stroke

Under 15 Freestyle

Open Back Stroke

Under 16 Freestyle

Under 15 Breast Stroke

Baird (Cl)

*59.4 secs.

Hindson (Cl) 91.8 secs.

Peel (S) 97.3 secs.

Smith (W)' 34.5 secs.

Wicks (H) 92.6 secs.

Katte (Ch) 84.0 secs.

Hickling (Ca) *41.1 secs.

Open Butterfly Hindson (Cl) 39.2 secs.

Under 16 Breast Stroke

Under 15 Back Stroke

Open Diving

Hickling (Ca) 95.8 secs.

Baird (Cl) *37.8 secs.

McGill (Ch)

Under 15 Medley Relay Castle 55.8 secs.

Under 16 Medley Relay School 55.6 secs.

Open Medley Relay Chappel

*49.7 secs.

Under 15 Freestyle Relay Castle 67.0 secs.

Under 16 Freestyle Relay Choir 64.2.secs.

Open Freestyle Relay Chappel 64.7 secs.

*New School Record

POINTS: 1st 2nd 3rd UNDER 15

O.V. NEWS

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR YOUR DIARY :­

Friday, June 11th, 1971

ANNUAL BALL IN COLLEGE HALL

Saturday, June 12th, 1971

O.V. CRICKET MATCH v. THE SCHOOL

TENNIS AND SWIMMING

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

ANNUAL DINNER IN COLLEGE HALL

Sunday, June 13th, 1971

MATTINS AT 10.30 A.M.

The early publication of the dates of these events last year apparently helped Old Vigornians to organise themselves for their annual re-union. The attendance at all our functions increased and the Ball was a complete sell-out. The Committee again look forward to your support and ask for a good response to the Spring Circular.

This year the A.G.M. was held in the Old Library and it was a sad moment when our President asked us to stand .. ' in memory of those O.V}s who had died since our last meeting. We are sure that the thoughts of all Vigornians paused for a few moments with "J. B. " Canon Craze told the meeting that his brother ,Michael CraZe has volunteered to write a History of School. This news was' particularly welcomed as the previous book, written by the late Alex MacD(i)nald, is no longer available. The Committee has offered both financial and material help for this project which the author hopes to complete in 1972.

Mter one of the most exciting cricket matches against ·the School for many years, it was very pleasant to retire to the tranquility of College Hall and renew acquaintances at our Annual Dinner: We were delighted that the Dean was able to be with us as our Chief Guest.

After Mattins, the sermon at which was preached by our President, Canon O. Romilly, we again enjoyed the hospitality of the Headmaster and Mrs. Annett.

It is with pride that the Association sends congratulations to Jack Longland on his Knighthood, and to Archbishop Strong on receipt of the K.B.E. I

Finally we would like to congratulate all those who are embarking upon or completing a University, cateer, and we would once again remind you that the Of the O.V. contribution to ,the Vigornian depends upon your completion of Page 4 of the Spring Circular.

K. N. Ross, 1908--1970

Canon Kenneth Ross, Chancellor of Wells Cathedral, died suddenly at Wells on Sunday, 7th June J970. He had taken up his appointment there the year before, after eighteen years in London as Vicar of All Saints, Margaret Street. .

Born in Worcester on 28th November, 1908, he lived a stone's throw from the Cathedral and naturally joined the King's School. He was the cleverest boy of his generation (1920-26) and after four years in the Classical Sixth under A. D. Franklin he won an Open Scholarship to Merton College, Oxford. His vocation fot.: the ministry developed there, as did high High Churchmanship. He won a First in Classical Moderations, a Second in Litterae Humaniores, the Liddon Studentship and a First -in Theology. Mter Cuddesdon and ordination he went to Salisbury TheologiQll College as Chaplain, and later VicePrincipal, to anO.V. Principal, Canon C. T. Dimont. He was Vicar of Malden, Surrey, from 1941 to 1951 and wrote a history of Maiden.

A shy boy, unathletic and unmilitary, his one recreation was chess; he played first board in a strong school VI. In manhood the quietness remained, but the gleam in his eye was most striking. In his articles and books and in the pulpit he was invariably both prepared and precise. In conversation and correspondence he was selfless and unhurried. He preached last in Worcester Cathedral at the Memorial Service to A. D. Franklin, his old master and his mother's friend.

Rosemorran Pershore Road, Whittington, Sirs, Worcester.

Since January I have been working on the new History of the School that the Headmaster invited me to write. It will be published by the O.V. Club in 1972, God willing.

May I ask other Old Vigomians and old masters to help me, particularly with my last two chapters on the years 1942-59 and 1960-71? Will those who care to try send me personal accounts of the School in their time?

I had a magnificent account of the Thirties the other day from an O.V. to whom I had written. I have no doubt that there are several who could do as well, for the three subsequent decades. I shall not use their contributions neat, but rather to lace what I distill from the documents.

Yours etc.,

Michael Craze (K.S. 1919-25)

BIRTHS

..

GAlIDEN T. (52/62) a daughter on January 13th, 1970 at R.A.F. Hospital, Wegberg.

YORK, A. E. (C. 52/59) To Veronica and Anthony, a son, Christopher Andrew on April 2nd, 1970.

WHITE, A. C. To Elaine and An<4'e, a daughter, Kathryn Louise on October 3rd, 1970. At Lockingtori, Victoria, Australia.

MARRIAGES

HARVEY, G. R. C. A. (Ca 50/54) on 22nd April to Miss Jane Taylor of Walsall.

EAMES, C. H. (H. 54/60) to Jennifer Elizabeth Rogers in Stockport in August 1968.

BODDINGTON, M. A. B. (Se. 55/58) to Ruth Barlow, January 1964, now has two sons aged 3 and 2.

ANDERTON, C. W. (Cr. 58/64) at Shenstone,Nr. Kidderminster, to Miss Wendy Owen of Sutton Coldfield.

COMYN, J. A. (Se. 61/66) to Miss Alison Churchward of Newport, Salop, at Stratford on 12th September, 1970.

SEABRIGHT, RiChard (47/58) to Miss Celia Thompson of Worcester on April 4th, 1970 at Claines.

DEATHS

AINSWORTH, H. A. (20/24) died 1969.

CAVENAGH, J. B. (1904/09) died April 1st, 1970.

HANcoCK, C. V., M.A. (Oxon.) (1907/11) died March 10th, 1970 at Dartmouth (late Literary Editor of Birmingham Post)

McNALTY, F. S. (1900/5) died 17/12/69)

SLATER, R. (Cr. 63/70) died on September 29th, 1970 as a result of a road accident.

SMITH, O. M. (16/23) died January 27th, 1970.

Ross, K. R. (17/26) died shortly after his appointment as Canon and Chancellor of Wells Cathedral. ./

THOMAS, J. D. Dr. (12/18) killed in a car crash July, 1969. '

ANDERSON, R. D. F. C. (52/57) He has now-emigrated to Australia with his wife and five children, two boys and three girls. On leaving School in 1957 he became an engineering apprentice at Fairey Aviation. He started rowing for Thames R.C. at Putney in their second VIII and in 1958 they reached the final of the Thames Cup

VIII at Henley Royal but were beaten by Harvard In 1959 rowing for the First VII ,they reached the final of the Grand VIII, again being beaten by Harvard. On performance in that season they were selected to row for Great Britain in the European Championships in Macon, France.

In 1962 he was awarded a Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and went to flight testing in helicopters. Went to S. Daval Ltd. in 1963 and worked on airborne weapons systems until 1964 when he moved to Rolls Royce Aero Engine Div. at Derby. Is now employed as a 'performan2e engineer, having been promoted to Section leader in 1967 and Deputy Service Performance Engineer in 1969. He continued rowing for Thames First VIII until 1963 narrowly missing Olympic selection in 1960 and European Championship selection in 1962. In Australia he will be Patent examiner in the engineering field and will be located in Canberra A.C.T. When he settles he will be very happy to correspond with anyone interested in settling or visiting that part of the world.

BALDWIN, A. T. (49/59) Qualified as a solicitor but now running a property renovation company in Hampshire. Married with two children.

BALDWIN, J. F. (48/58) In practice in Hereford as a Chartered Accountant. Married with two children.

BEST, P. (Se. 58/64) Boddington met him at Ipswich where he is Assistant Editor on " Pig Farming". '

BLACKSTOCK, L. S. (H. 59/66) Included at ,the last minute in the Marlow Chess Contest and came first, ahead of four of the Olympic team of 6.

BODDINGTON, M. A. B. (Se. 55/58) Gained National Diploma in Agriculture in 1961. Attended N ewcastle University and gained a pass degree in Agriculture. Hons. Degree. in Agricultural Economics in 1967 appointed Lecturer at Wye College (University of London) in, Dept. of Economics. Consultant to Roskill Commission on siting of 3rd London Airport. Consultant to Milton Keynes Development Corp.

BRINSFORD, R. L. (66/61) Was married in 1969 and now living at Bishops Stortford. Is working at Australia and New Zealand Bk. Ltd.'s Head office in the City.

CHANCE, 1. M. (Cha. 54/61) Has successfully completed the B.Sc. Hons. Course in Mechanical Engineering at University of Is at present working on the development of automatic machine tools and living in Birmingham.

CHANCE, N. K. (Ch. 59/66) Mter leaving King's -in 1966 he joined Kay & Co. in the Statistics Office. Mter 10 months was transferred to the computer Dept. as training Programmer. A year later was made the Maintenance leader. In 1969 was moved to the Leeds Branch and then to Manchester in charge of putting in such systems. He left G.U.S. in 1970 September to join Leasco Systems & Research as an Analyst/programmer on contract to K.L.M. Royal Dutch Air Lines in Amsterdam. /

DANIELS, E. L. (Cr. 46/56) Encouraged by the work Arnold Road in atten.dance at.Sunday mormng Family ServIce, Children's mIdweek meetIng andmvolvement of members in new projects. Visited Europe for 4 weeks (May 1970) in connection with representation of European Christian Mission, visited mission in France, Italy and Austria, spent two very interesting days in Now responsible for Audio Visual Dept. of Mission.

DAY, The Rev. A. J. (H. 08/14) Vicar of Measham Leics. Sub-Warden of the Diocesan Readers.

DRISKELL, M. B. (Ch. 60/67) Reading for the B.A. Degree at Birmingham School of Librarianship.

EAMEs, C. H. (H. 54/60) Merton College, Oxford, /63, Administrative Trainee N.C.B. 63/65), Oxford Dept. of Education 65j66.Assistant History Master, Bolton-School, Lancs. 66/69. Assistant History Master, Dulwich College, London, 1969.

EVANs, K. (Chappe1l38/45) is now Headmaster of Westbury Secondary Modem School.

FARMER, J. D. (46/51) Mter, taking an Hons. degree in Modem History at Oxford in 1956, he joined Bristol American Tobacco Co., for whom he worked here, in Holland, India (for 6 years) and Sierra Leone until 1965. Then joined the Civil Service, serving for a while in the Ministry of Defence and then in Customs and Excise. Recently has started a period of secondment with the. Cabinet Office in Whitehall.

FEGAN, A. (Sc. 63/68) Mter leaving King's in 1968 worked in Industry for a year with Tube Investments Ltd., of Birmingham. In October, 1969 he began to study Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham University under the sponsorship of Tube Investments Ltd.

GARDEN, T. (52/62) Adjutant on No. 3 Squadron R.A.F. Laarbruch. Will be in Germany until December, 1971.

GEDGE, C. E. (11/17) President of Rotary Club of Malvern 70/71. Retired from Pharmacy but still actively engaged in part time practice as Opthalmic Optician in Malvern.

GREEN, R. (Ca. 57/62) Having completed a Ph.D. degree in 1969 is taking up a post of doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington D.C. in November for two years.

HARVEY, G. R. C. A. (Ca. 50/54) is now principal of the firm of Messrs. Temple, Chartered Auctioneers and Estate Agents with branches in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Erdington and Birmingham City Centre.

HAYDEN, P. (H. 52/57) Recently left Government Service after having attained the rank of Senior Examining Officer. Had spent 10 years in the Civil Service (3 in the B.S.A. Police and 7 in the Customs and Excise) and is now a partner in a Customs Clearing Agency in Salisbury, Rhodesia .. Occasionally he sees Henderson Nichol who is now married, and who was in The Hostel also. He is working for the Grain Board, also in Salisbury. ./

HEDGES, R. D. (57/64) Having left King's in an unsettled state of ,mind, works now on'the in by G.C. White). "

HEDGES, R. N. (55/63) Is now working in London as an underpaid photographer. (sent in by G. C. White).

HOULBROOKE, J. P. (Choir 62/67) Passed London L.L.,B. Final Part I June, 1970 at Newcastle Polytechnic. Still maintaining keen' interest in Bridge and Drama.

L.oVELEss,M. F. (54/64) Still teaching music in a Secondary School in Iver, Bucks, and is now engaged to another Music Specialist teacher.

LOWSON M. V. (H. 51/55) is Rolls Royce Reader in Fluid Mechanics at Loughborough University of Technology.

MILLS"D,. R. (H.· 47/53) Married with three children. Employed at Brintons Ltd. Carpet Mfg. Present position' Assistant Divisional Manager of Production. -Main interests, having keen up cricket and rugger, are Golf and soft fruit growing. '

MILNE, J. (H. 49/55) Married Miss Ruth Hancock of Malvern in 1959 and has a daughter and two sons. Now Managing Director of D.S.A. owned leasing Co. in Computer and electronic equipment field. On leaving School qualified at College of Electronics R.R.E. Malvern, flew inR.A.F. for two years before entering the ,computer business, first as salesman. Holds Private Pilots Licence.

W. Y. M. (Sc. 51/56) Obtained B.Sc. in Dublin and works for Californian Computer Co. in London. Holds Private Pilots Licence. Is married with three sons.

MITCHELL, J. (Cr. 42/44) An undistinguished member of the School who volunteered for the Navy in 1944 (to avoid the possibility of being enlisted as a Bevin Boy!) On release in 1947 joined a firm of publishers. In due course became Production Manager, then Managing Editor, and in the meantime married and has three , children. Became involved in massive company mergers and found no joy in the uncertainty which that entails, so took the opportunity of setting up as a freelance production consultant, in which the precariousness, being self imposed, is' more bearable, and success can be enjoyed with the greatest savour.

PARRY, ·C. T. (41/44) Now living in Gloucestershire and farms over 300 acres" mostly arable.

PARSONS, B. R. (C. SI/55) Has left his position as Purser/Chief Steward in the Merchant 'Navy. Is now married and is to settle down in New Zealand.

PANTRIDGE, M. B. (Ch. 60/64) Working in Birmingham a&, Assistant Sales Administration Manager for Coca-Cola Bottlers (Scotland and Northern) Ltd. Still managing to remain single and enjoying life to the full. Was disappointed to see only 3 or 4 O.V.'s' of the same generation at the 1969 Ball. Occasionally sees Chris Tarrant.

PEARSON, A. C. E. (Se. 60/65) After spending a year in the Amazon Jungle, went to L.S.E. to study macro scientology. los now engaged as a senior confectionery retailer by the M.C.C. at Lords and would be keen to meet any other O.V.'s interested in working in this field.

PELLEW, M. T. (Se. 62/66) At present working for Morganite Carbon Ltd., as a Systems Analyst also completing exarillnations for a higher national certificate in Business Studies in June 1970. If successful is intending to read for a postgraduate diploma in Management studies commencing September, 1970. social activity remains Golf and is now playing from a handicap of 13.

RASTALL, J. S. (Ca. 61/66) " I have graduated fromthe University of Ashton in Birmingham this July (having attained a B. Se. in Civil Engineering) and am now working for British Rail".

ROGERS, D. J. (58/64) Is spending a further year at the College of St. Mark and St. John in order to take the final part of his B.Ed. degree, reading Physics and Psychology.

SEABRIGHT, D. (56/64) Qualified as Chartered Accountant in November, 1969. Is now working in London. with Messrs. Fuller, Jenks, Beecroft & Co., Accountants. ;He will be moving into a house in Ealing in June with two other O.V.'s Andrew Jenkinson and Clive Landsborough. All friends will be welcome.

SEVILLE, W. D. (H. /07) We have heard from Mr. Seville who has lived in another fine City-York, for 40 years. It is 70 years since he first came to Worcester. He sends his best wishes to all O.V.'s.

SIMPSON, A. J. (W' 61/68) Is at present at Liverpool University, studying Bacteriology.

SMITH, B. T. C. (C. 44/49) Has now been retired from the Army for 12 months and working for Cadbury Schweppes as Regional Distribution Manager for London and the South East. Now permanently living at Hemel Hempstead. ,

STORRS, O. T. (16/23) The O.V.'s of Nons and Derbyshire were very pleased that the Headmaster and Mrs. Annett, Mr. and Mrs. Pimley and the Bursar and ,Mrs. Elsdon were able to join us at Hardwicke Hall on April 26th, 1970. It was much to our regret that both Bemard Cavenagh and o. M. Smith (Chapel le Frith) were lost to us by death when each had been looking forward to this gathering.

STORY, P. J. (Se. 59/67) Warwick University is as habitable as 'ever despite "Political Files". Now reading Mathematical engineering and considering computing science. Activities include running and orienteering Club with moderate success.

TANDY, D. (Ch. 58/65) Graduated in Electrical Engineering in June, 1969, is now married and works for the B.B.C. Television Service in London.

THAWLEY, The Revd. Canon D. L. (38/42) Has been appointed Chaplain at the University of Queensland by the Senate of the University on the nomination of Archbishop Strong. The appointment is only a part time one, so he is still continuing as Chaplain of St. Margaret's School.

VAILE, Dr. H. G. (C. 52/56) Is now working as Area Medical Officer to the South Durham Area of the National Coat Board.

VINCENT, R. A. (Cr. 52/62) Still First Asst. in the Worcs. County Council's Quarter Sessions Oflice:Clerk to Holt Parish Council and very involved in local sport. Has recently become engaged to Miss Hazel Perkins of Worcester.

WALTON, A. D. (W. 60/66) Commissioned in Royal Air Force in 1967 prior to commencing flying training' as a pilot. Gained wings in May, 1969 and completed advanced flying training in December, 1969. While waiting to take up a position in Hercules is spending six months attached to the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Wales in B.A.O.R. Will be returning to U.K. in August.

WHITE, G. C. (55/62) On leaving King's went to St. Luke's, Exeter and the continous demonstration of the necessary powers of patient endurance so depleted him that 5 years of lethargy (as University student, girls dancing master, staff room cynic and soft drinks salesman) followed. Has recently married an East European after several months persecution by the authorities of the numerous police states of West Europe.

WILKES, A. (Ch. 57/64) Has started as a Research Associate in the Manchester Business School where he is concerned with the management of Research· and Development projects which is proving to be more interesting that actually doing research and Development.

WILLIAMS, P. G. N. G. (60/68) is at Leeds University studying Medicine. Has met several O.V.'s there.

WILSON, Lester " I'm fit and as absent minded as ever. I still play inferior golf but enjoy it, having reached the age of 70 years I only have to pay £9 a year for this instead of £24, and I may still play seven days a week".

WOODWARD, R. S. (Choir 64/67) Played for Cardiff II Rugby Team 1969/70 Season. Articled Accountant.

1970 LONDON, OLD VlGORNIAN CLUB DINNER

The 1970 London Dinner broke new ground in that for the first time it was held at The Public Schools Club where an excellent dinner was served to some 45 members and guests.

The speeches were notable for their brevity but the quality was in no way impaired. Colin Rigg started the proceedings by proposing the toast to "The School " and giving us his heartfelt thoughts on the changes that had taken place not only in the school but in, society generally in the last 10/15 years-in particular he was very critical of the growing specialisation which is to be seen in education today.

In the course of his reply, the Headmaster paid tribute to the late Dr. Cavenagh and said what a great loss it was, not only to the Development Campaign but to the whole school. He did not dwell on the recent success either academic or sporting as he was sure these were already well known, but he did tell us of an important new The brother of the Club· President was, until he recently retired, head

of the history department at Felsted School but he had now moved back to the West Midlands and had very kindly consented to write the history of the King's School. he felt was a most interesting and worthwhile project and he hoped it would receive the full support of the O.V. Club members.

We were very pleased to welcome as our chief guest, the Dean of Worcester, Dr. E. W. Kemp. He said his transfer from Oxford where he had spent many years had come as a considerable shock, leaving those quiet precincts for the hub of a thriving school. However, he had now been in office for some eighteen months and in that time had addressed a considerable progression of organisations from the Claines Parish Supper to the Institute of Bankers and now the Old Vigornian Club. He thought he must now have " arrived".

O.V. GOLF SOCIETY

The lack of enthusiasm or, indeed, any interest at all in the Old Vigomian Golf Club is puzzling i:u the extreme. There must be very many Old Vigornians in or "around Worcester, if not further afield, who could afford the time to play in two afternoon meetings a year. Please think about it because it seems ludicrous that a school of the standing of King's cannot produce even a moderately flourishing Old Boys' Golf Club. In passing I would just like to mention three Old Vigomians-A. J. Kirkwood, C. G. Jones and P. L. Shedden-who play fairly regularly in our meetings and come from Swindon, Harpended den and Reading respectively who do so. This type is the backbone of any Society and I would like to thank them for their support.

No meetings were held this year and the reason should need no explanation. However I'm very pleased to say that we entered a team of six for the Grifton Morrish Trophy qualifying round and did exceptioanlly well-only missing a qualifying place by a few points. Considering the strength of the other teams this effort is to be highly commended. The team was C. G. Jones, M. Bray, A. J. Kitkwood, S. N. Hackwood, N. Bolton and B. Barker.

It is intended to revive the Spring and Autumn meetings next year and if you are interested in joining the Club please contact Mr. J. P. Pimley, clo King's School.

NEW ZEALAND LETTER, 1970

Dear Sir,

Having noticed in the Vigornian a lack of those interesting letters from the various places of learning where Old Vigornians go to win further glory in the· field of sport and learning, I thought therefore that the Vigornian might like to include a letter from a rather unexpected source-a place not of further education in its purely scholastic sense but rather of further experience in the large, wide world which awaits us when we leave school. Thus it is with the hope that it may prove of some interest to· your readers that I write this New Zealand letter.

50

Ihave been in this country for just over a year, having arrived in Wellington with my wife on June 13rlJ., 1969 on the" Southern Cross ". The month's voyage from Southampton was very. enjoyable, the ports of call Trinidad, Curacao, Balboa and Tahiti.

My future employers, Chemical Service Laboratories, met us on arrival and soon made us feel at home. We were accommodated in a flat in the suburb of Johnsonville about six miles north .of Wellington: This we occupied for a few weeks before purchasing a house, also in J ohnsonville.

Chemical Service Laboratories is an old established firm of consultant analysts situated in Johnsonville. It serves many industries throughout New Zealand which do not have their own laboratories. In common with most businesses, a five day week is worked. A feature of New Zealand is that most shops are cJosed at week-ends. However, shops stay open till 9 p.m. on Fridays to compensate for this. It is always possible to obtain groceries, etc., at week-ends.

We arrived at Wellington in mid-winter but winter weather in this part of New Zealand is not cold compared with an English winter, frosts being infreq:p.ent and snow rare. IIowever, warm clothing and heating are still necessary.

Our recreational activities include tramping and 303 shooting. We have joined one of the several tramping clubs in Wellington ; notable trips the last year included ascents of the four highest mountains in the North Island :-Ruapehu 9,175 ft., Egmont 8,260 ft., Ngauruhoe 7,500 ft. and J'ongarire 6,450 ft. All of these are volcanic in origin, Ruapehuand Ngauruhoe being active. On a visit to the Inland Kaikoura mountains of the South Island at Easter, we climbed the highest peak, Tapuaenuku 9,465 ft.

We are also members of one of the Wellington rifle clubs. Shooting takes place every Saturday from October to May at Trentham range some 18 miles North of Wellington. This outdoor shooting is very popular in New Zealand but the days of the 303 rifle are numbered since a change to the N.A.T.O. 7.62mm rifle is to be made next season.

On the advice of my employers, I had our car shipped over here. New and second-hand cars are much more expensive here than in England due to the limited supply of new vehicles. However, petrol is much cheaper. The roads are generally good although some of the "dirttrack" roads in the country require care. Traffic jams are virtually unknown except in the larger towns.

In common with most suburban houses, we have a large garden to look after. The minimum size of a plot of land or section is i acre and many sections (including ours) are considerably larger than this. Most houses are constructed of timber or of timber frame with b,rick or stone veneer. This is due to the fact that the area is in an earthquake belt. Any concrete structures have to be heavily reinforced.

I could fill several pages with information about this great little country but I feel I have already taken up enough of your valuable space.

Hoping that this may be .continued in the next issue.

Yours sincerely, /

Norman H. Holden (School House 1950-58)

O.v.c.c.

, ,

This season our national game was played in profusion, and we were especially grateful for the unusually dry Spring weather. An early spell of sunshine augurs well for our future since we depend so much on a steady supply of school cricketers, and in fact this year we were fortunate enough to have Rock, Wood, Watkins and Pimley joining us for the first time.

Nearly all the regular O.V. players were able to improve on their 1969 performances, and although this was mainly because of fewer games being rained off, it was also notable that the first eleven scored more runs· in one season than ever before. The last win was recorded in mid-August, which left us equalling the previous record of twenty wins. We were able to record an easy double over· our old rivals the Old Elizabethans, and lost only a handful of weekend matches. In all games four players scored over 500 runs, and the same number achieved over 50 wickets, with John Haywood reaching the century for the fourth time.

The only unhappy feature was the departure, and lack of keenness shown by some members of the second eleven. This caused two cancellations early in the season. and, although the playing situation improved in mid-summer, we still need a lot of new blood from the latest schoolleavers. It is realised that only a small perc.entage is local, but we feel certain that there are some potential cricketers who would like to join the club. We are not concerned whether our members played for the school elevens: the sole criterion is It would be rather sad·ifthe second eleven collapsed, since this would eventually result in a weaker senior team, and of course our present scheme to improve New Road facilities could not be continued at the present level.

Once again we are indebted to the Headmaster and Governors for allowing our use of the King's School Ground. Here we were delighted at the complete restoration of the cricket square in less than twelve months, and both the school and ourselves must be indebted to Syd Prosser, the Groundsman. We hope that his feeling for the soil will contitlue to complement the efforts of the cricket club. The combination can ollIy be to the benefit of school cricket.

We are proud to have shared the cost of both the new tea room floor, and a considerable amount of fertiliser and top soil for ther sql;lare. We have also completely financed the fitting of a tea room carpet and curtains, provided new furniture, and renovated the wicket covers. Fortunately, the latter were not used over much, but the covers are now wider and equipped with gutters and hose. Future plans include the provision of a pavilion clock, and a sight screen for the County Ground end. It is also hoped to assist with the installation of pavilion showers, but this is a large task and could take some time to complete.

Next season it has been decided not to play any of the customary evening friendly matches, but a full weekend programme is planned with new fixtures against Aston Old Edwardians, Belbroughton, Streetly, and Stinchcombe Stragglers. /

The cricket will take place as usual and the 1970 tour will be held on the SWTey anq Hampshire border with games at Farnham, Bourne and Merrow. The corresponding events this year were outstandingly successfql, with the' cricket week, especially, bririging together from outside the· Worcester area. We hope that cricketing Old Vigornians iri the London area will 'support ·the tour, and full details can be obtained from the ,secretary.

To conclude, we.hope to have the assistance· ofO.V.'s iri the compilation of our proposed history of club fixtures. The first match against the school was iri 1880, and we are looking for photographs and information of any kirid.

COMMITTEE:

Club Chairman

Vice-Chairman

Club Captain ...

2nd XI Captain

Hon. Treasurer

Assistant Treasurer

Bar

Committee Member

Social 'Secretary

General Secretary

J. M. Norman

G. E.Malsom

T. A. Mackie

B. M. Howorth

J. L. Potter

D. J. Smith

J. L. Hall

J. C. Haywood

K. Robirison

W. F. lones, 10 King Arthur's Close Worcester.

AVERAGES

FOR 1970

1st XL

J. R. Wadley

I. Brown ...

T. A. Mackie

E. T. Redding

C. Gray· ...

P. Bourne

W. F. Jones

D. J. Cook

D. J., Smith

G. E. Malsom

M. F. Southall

J. C. Haywood

S. R. Knee 25 catches and 14 stuffipings

P. Boume 16 catches, Cook and Smith 14 each.

2nd XI

Moke the Speciolllude with fbelidload

It'll pay you handsomely If you are a personable young man with good examination results,. join the Midland Bank. Holding 'A' levels in certain subjects will entitle you to an immediate year's seniority on the basic salary scale. And you will qualify for "Study leave" to for the Institute of Bankers Examinations. Show that you are able, and you will be put in the Special Grade. This means that your salary could go up by as much as £246 a year; and you would be sure that you were being marked out fora management role in the Bank.

Make a note of this A high proportion of present-day entrants to the Midland Bank will reach managerial rank. You can do this in your early 30's, earning at least £2,529, rising to £5,000 and more. By becoming a marked man at the you can make your mark early.

Find out more about us Write to: The District Staff Supt., Midland Bank Ltd., 15 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AU.

'Roulette' by the famous Red Arrows

Flying today is team-work: it takes pilots, engineers, logistics experts, personnel managers, air traffic controllers, administration specialists ••• all the people we call aerocrats. Perhaps you could be one of them.

If you are interested, now is the time levels including English language and to do something about it. Ask your mathematics), and whether you are Careers Master for some RAF pam­ more interested in flying or ground phlets-or get him to arrange for you management. to meet your RAF Schools Liaison Officer for an informal chat.

Or, if you prefer, write to Group Captain E. Batchelar, RAF, Adastral

House (25ZAl), London W.C.!. Please give your date of birth and say ,vhat qualifications you have or are studying for (minimum 5 GCE 0­

Royal Air Force

Aerocrats

NEED MEN.,lNTENT ON '" 'GOING, PLA-CES

TO KNOW THAT DUR1N(i' .THEIR LI.FE-TIMB ' THEIR FEET WILL COVER OVER 200,000 MILES.

MAKE THEM LAST BY HAVING THEM FITTED' CORRECTLY IN

your. G.C.E. is your HHSI .. _Iilicolion

In banking you can qualify further ­ for challenging, influential and well paid"work. You would take the examinations of the Institute of Bankers and become an Associate of the Institute. In Barclays you would have courses at the Bank's training schools at successive steps in your career and from 21, with your additional qualifications, you could be eligible for transfer to the Management Development Programme, with a minimum starting salary of £950. Barclays,Britain's most progressive bank offers you maximum scope for advancement. If you are under 25 and have a minimum of 4G.C.E. passes at '0' level, including English and Mathsbetter still if you have 'A' levels ­ post the coupon below.

A career of cballeDgt! aDd opportuDlty

Yoars as an officer in tile Royal Navy

Today's Royal Navy has a vital, worldwide role to play-with new ships, new weapons and more nuclear power. It offers you an assured future in a career of great scope and opportunity.

As a naval officer you are a true professional: an expert in seamanship and. in a technical capacity, working with advanced weapons and equipment. y be totally engaged in one of the most exciting and adventurous callings a man can have. And you'll lead an active life with world travel, fine' company and a full and varied social life.

If you are aiming for a degree, 'A' levels or 5 or more '0' levels, you could qualify for a permanent or short service

commission, as an officer in the Royal Navy or the Royal Marines. There are schemes which can help to pay your school expenses and you can qualify for a cadetship when you go up to University.

For full details write toOfficer Entry Section (2501), Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall, London, S.W .1.

Please give your full name, age, school and qualifications achieved (or expected). Even if you are only 14, you should enquire now!

Royal Navy

Lt. McCaskill in command a/his own ship-at 24/

STOP·PRESS

The Trustees of the Wolfson Foundation have agreed to make a grant of £32,000 to the King's School Worcester towards the cost of a new building which will on the ground floor provide work-shop / space for science and engineering projects, while the upper floor will be an Arts Centre. The building will be erected on the site of the present gymnasium, which will be demolished as soon as the Sports Hall is completed in a few months' time. Work on the Wolfson Building should therefore be able to start in mid-1971. On its completion, the removal of the Art Department from its present inadequate quarters will in turn make possible a muchneeded expansion of the· Geography- and Modem Languages Departments.

The Trustees of the Wolfson Foundation have always been particularly interested in education, and this most generous grant to the King's School marks a long association of the Wolfson Organisation with the City of Worcester.

The Development Committee will now be able to include in their plans a project which many would have wished to see given a higher place -a building to contain new dining halls and kitchens. Cutline plans for this have been drawn up as part of the long-range development programme, and it can now be promoted to a place among the major objectives of the" second phase ".

D.M.A.-

Tbe College Hall Excavation - addendum

Since this article was submitted, the results of the C 14 tests have arrived. They show that the skeletons date from at the earliest 323 AD to at the 750 AD. The examination of the gold embroidery thread shows that the thread dates from either late Roman times (i.e. about 4/ 5th century AD) or late Sax on times (i.e. about 900-1000 AD), but not from the intervening period. Therefore, by a process of elimination, since the C14 date can stretch only to about 750 AD at the latest, the burials must be lateRoman or sub-Roman (i.e. about 500 AD). Legally, of course, a burial-could not be made inside the Roman city, but presumably such a law was no longer regarded, as it was the period around or just after the withdrawal of the legions (and organized city-life on the Roman pattern). These burials have proved to be most important, as they indicate Christianity in Worcester at a date considerably earlier than was previously thought: the establishment of the See of Worcester was in 680 AD.

A.L.C.