THE PETERITE Vol. XXXI
JANUARY, 1939
No. 290
EDITORIAL. Although last term opened under the dark shadow of war, it ended on a very happy note. First and foremost we were greatly pleased to learn of our Headmaster, Mr. Dronfield's, engagement to Dr. S. M. R. Williams, of York County Hospital. The whole School joins us in wishing them both a most happy and prosperous future at St. Peter's. Then came the School Play and Carol Service, both of which were, as usual, a great success. We feel we must particularly congratulate the St. Peter's Players on their excellent production of " Journey's End." It was a great pity that so small an audience was present at the last performance owing to the terribly bad weather. It was, however, with deep regret that we learnt of the illness of the Rev. F. H. Barnby at the end of last term. It is a very rare occurrence for Mr. Barnby to absent himself from School owing to ill-health, and we were all very surprised to hear of his illness. We are looking forward to seeing him again this term. We bid a reluctant good-bye to Mr. Bellwood, who has returned to Cambridge to continue his studies, and welcome in his stead Mr. O'Hare, of Oriel College, Oxford. The School passed through the September crisis very calmly, and was prepared for any emergency. Some very good exercise was obtained by digging trenches, whilst gasproof chambers were prepared in the cellars. All members of the School were fitted for gas masks, but fortunately it was not necessary to issue them. But now let us turn to a more cheery subject, that of Rugger. The School XV had what one might term a satisfactory season. Showing rather varying form, they won four matches and drew two. The matches against Durham, Giggleswick and Headingley " A " remain uppermost in one's mind. At the close of the season four members of the fifteen were chosen to play in the Yorkshire Public Schoolboys' trial at Leeds. With the possibility of H. A. Milburn remaining for two more seasons there should be little fear for the future. 1
CONTENTS. ... Editorial Old Peterite News ... St. Peter's School Appeal Fund School Officers Valete and Salvete Chapel Music Library House Notes ... The School Play The Curtain ... The Debating Society The Scientific Society The Saturday Society Games Committee ... The Five Million Club Scout News ... Notes and Items S.S. Holmpark Sailflying Tidworth Tattoo, 1938 A.R.P. ... Ostmark O.T.C. News ... Rugby Football, 1938 Hockey Fixtures, 1939 The Junior School ... ... Contemporaries
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Dr. SHEILA WILLIAMS.
The Squash team played but one squash match, which was lost, two matches being cancelled by our opponents. Fortunately there is a strong list of fixtures for this term, for match experience is an absolute essential in a good squash player. And so we end this editorial on the threshold of 1939 with a feeling of hope and confidence, hoping that it will be a year free from cares and anxiety, confident that it will be a year as happy and successful as its predecessor.
OLD PETERITE NEWS. O.P. DINNER. The London O.P. Dinner was revived this year and was held at Frascati's on the night of the Oxford and Cambridge Rugby match on Dec. 6th. It is hoped that it will become an annual event in future. The toast of the School was proposed by Mr. N. Ker Lindsay, and Mr. John Dronfield, the Headmaster, and Mr. S. M. Toyne, the late Headmaster, responded. There were also present:—Mr. N. Buck, Mr. R. G. Bullen, Mr. H. Lee Chilman, Mr. P. H. Colley, Mr. R. C. Cooper, Mr. H. G. Crawshaw, Mr. J. Dickenson, Mr. J. B. Dixon, Mr. R. Dixon, Mr. N. R. Dobree, Lieut. G. P. Eastern, R.N., Mr. J. B. Gedge, Mr. B. A. C. Gray, Mr. Noel HalliwellSutcliffe, Mr. H. Hannam, Dr. R. H. Metcalf, Mr. R. Millhouse, Mr. R. Ogley, Mr. Basil Radford, Mr. J. Reed, Mr. K. H. Rhodes, Mr. John Rodgers, Mr. J. H. Sargeant, Mr. C. E. Scholefield, Mr. J. Scholefield, Mr. Charles Shadwell, Mr. J. C. Stainthorpe, Mr. R. E. F. Tendall, Mr. H. Turner, Mr. H. L. Waddington, Mr. H. L. Walker, Mr. E. K. Wood, Mr. W. Yeoman. N. W. D. Yardley has represented England in the Test Match against South Africa at Johannesburg. * * * B. H. Pickering has been appointed General Manager of the Denaby, Cadeby and Maltby Collieries. He has been President of the Midland Institute of Mining Engineers. * * * W. H. Grindrod, M.A. (Oxon.) (1879-85), having retired from the joint Headmastership of Sandringham School, Southport, in 1920 to live at Wem, Shropshire, has recently been acting as Member of the Urban Council and School Manager. 2
C. G. Rob, M.B., B.Chir. (Cantab.) , of Catton Hall, Thirsk, House Surgeon at St. Thomas' Hospital, S.E.1, has been appointed R.M.O., Acton Hospital, W.3. * * * N. L. Hood (1880-88), M.A., M.D., B.Ch. (Cantab.), retired in 1936, after 35 years as Honorary Surgeon, York County Hospital, with rank of Hon. Consulting Surgeon. In 1902-3 he was captain Yorkshire County Hockey team and has also assisted St. Thomas' Hospital in winning interHospital Rugby and Tennis cups. Rev. A. I. Hopkins (1880-88), M.A. (Cantab.) , having held curacies in Melanesia and at Towfield Heath, has retired and is now living at Westcliff House, Bournemouth.
* * * J. N. Bamforth, O.P., sometime Postmaster of Merton College, Oxford, has been called to the Bar at Gray's Inn. He passed his Bar Final with honours in October, 1938. He is in charge of personnel research at the C.W.S., Manchester. *
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John Rodgers, O.P., has been elected a Governor of St. Dunstan's College, London. Among his other appointments, Mr. Rodgers is Chairman of the British Market Research Bureau, Ltd., and a Director of J. Walter Thompson, Co., Ltd., which has offices in 23 countries. * * * William Damm, O.P., is Managing Director of the Danish Civil Aviation Company. His address is Det Danske Luftfartselskab, A.S., Vesterbrogade 2, Copenhagen, Denmark. * We congratulate R. Ogley on being chosen to represent Yorkshire at hockey. He filled the right back position. V. L. F. Davin has passed the Army Entrance Examination to Sandhurst. We congratulate him. G. E. L. Graham has been playing regularly for Oxford at hockey. N. J. L. Brockbank was one of the successful candidates .at the Law Society's Final Examination. 3
Nominal roll of ex-cadets of St. Peter's School, York, Contingent O.T.C., who have been appointed to commissions in the T.A. or S.R. of 0.:— Date of Name. Unit. appointment. Woodcock, B. W. 43rd (D. of W. Regt.) A.A. Bn. R.E. (T.A.) 16.2.1938 Addison, H. C. B. 67th. (S. Midland) Fd. Bde. R.A. (T.A.) 1.3.1938 Buttimer, W. J. 62nd (N'umbrian) A.A. Bde. R.A. (T.A.) 18.5.1938 Stansfield, L. F. H. 0. 5th Bn. West Yorkshire Regt. (T.A.) 28.5.1938 From the London Gazette " :— Regular Army. W. Yorks. R. Lieut. C. D. Trimmer to be captain. Territorial Army. 54th (C. of Lond.) A. A. Bde. Thomas Norman Boddy, late Cadet St. Peter's School, York, contingent, to be 2nd/Lieut., 1st October, 1938. 4th Bn. K.O.Y.L.I. James Litton, late Cadet St. Peter's School, York, to be 2nd/Lieut., 23rd November, 1938. * * Flying Officer C. L. Troop (Captain, Duke of Wellington's Regiment) has been promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant. * * J. S. P. Phillips, Commissioned Pilot Officer, 608 (F) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, has completed his training and was awarded " Wings " in August, 1938. * * * T. N. Boddy has been appointed 2nd Lieutenant with the 13th Light A.A. Brigade, Territorial Army. *
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A. Mackintosh, who is the North London Area Manager for Charrington's, the coal distributors, has been promoted to be Captain in a mechanical transport unit of the Royal Army Service Corps, Territorial Forces, Midland Division, attached to the Air Force. O.P. SQUASH. In the North of England Squash Rackets Handicap, at Harrogate, S. G. S. Pawle was runner-up, beating another O.P., J. Biggin, 3-1 in the semi-final, and in the previous round beating the Yorkshire Champion, H. S. Burrows, who 4
I■ -• was giving one point, by 3-0. Other O.P.'s competing were T. B. Bridges, T. D. Ambler, M. Hollway, K. J. Jarvis and D. Lund. H. S. Burrows won the Yorkshire Championship for the third year, beating J. W. Willows (Sheffield) in the final at Halifax by 3-1. An O.P. team beat St. Mary's Hospital by 3 events to 2 in a match on the hospital courts. A. V. Mackintosh (O.P.) lost to W. R. May, 4-9, 5-9, 9-10. L. C. Hatt (O.P.) beat G. Warden, 4-9, 9-6, 7-9, 9-6, 9-4. R. Ogley (O.P.) beat G. Percy, 7-9, 6-9, 9-4, 9-7, 9-3. N. R. Dobree (O.P.) lost to C. W. Coplans, 6-9, 9-7, 8-9, 4-9. B. A. C. Gray (O.P.) beat G. W. Harris, 9-2, 9-3, 9-5. The Editors wish to thank the numerous O.P.s who have sent news of themselves and other O.P.s, and have thus increased the interest of the O.P. News column. It is hoped that other O.P.s will continue the good work. The Editors would also be grateful to receive informative articles on travel, professions, hobbies, etc., from O.P.s which would interest present Peterites, and in this connection respectfully draw the attention of O.P.s to the excellent article on " Sailflying " in this issue by S. R. Sproule. Will all those who wish to play Hockey for the Old Peterites against the School on Wednesday, March 29th, please apply to Mr. K. G: Chilman at the School as soon as possible. To the Editors of " The Peterite." Dear Sirs, At the end of last term, it was necessary to cancel the Old Peterite Rugger match v. the School. This was partly owing to the state of the ground, but was also owing to the fact that there had been only six applications on the part of Old Boys to play. We should like to take this opportunity to point out to Old Boys that teams can only be raised if they will apply, in good time, for places in the various teams, and that the teams should not have to be raised by invitation. The dates of the various fixtures (cricket, rowing, rugger, hockey) are published in " The Peterite," and names should be sent in to K. G. Chilman. 5
As regards the rugger, Monday appears to be an inconvenient day, and in future it is hoped to fix the Old Peterite match on a Wednesday or a Saturday. In that case, it is hoped that Old Boys will be able to spare a day from club rugger to play against the School. Yours faithfully, K. G. CHILMAN, K. H. RHODES. MARRIAGE. SEABORNE—COX. On March 30th, 1937, at St. Nicholas' Church, Newbury, by the Rector, Canon W. L. Cooper, William Lionel Seaborne to Helena May, youngest daughter of Mr. R. B. Cox and the late Mrs. Cox, of Denstone. BIRTH. TURNER. On September 14th, 1938, at St. Mary's Nursing Home, to Kathleen, wife of Hugh Grant Turner, son. ENGAGEMENTS. WILLIAM TOULMIN (South Iran), second son of Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Toulmin, Hexham, Northumberland, and Margaret Clarisse, younger daughter of the late Christopher Walter Hayes and Mrs. Hayes, Coombe Dingle, Bristol. DR. GERALD BARCROFT ROBINSON, younger son of Dr. and Mrs. G. C. Robinson, of Woodside, Knaresborough, to Joy Portlock, younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Portlock, of 35 South Terrace, Littlehampton, Sussex, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. OBITUARY. CAPTAIN DIGBY HUFFAM, M.C. We regret to announce the death of the above, who died suddenly in his rooms at Richmond, Surrey, on 7th October. He was educated at St. Olave's School, York, and at St. Peter's, 1884-94. After leaving St. Peter's he was in California and British Columbia, and on the outbreak of the Boer War he came home and joined the Yorkshire Yeomanry, and as a sergeant saw much service in South Africa. In the Great War he joined the Public School Boys' Battalion, but soon received a commission in the R.E.s, as he was an engineer and manager of the London Office of Adams Hydraulics, Ltd., of York. He served throughout the War in France, was mentioned in despatches and received the M.C. He had three brothers who also served in the War, also two nephews, all of whom are Old Peterites. He was not married and belonged to an old York family. 6
APPEAL FUND. We publish below the second list of donations to the above, and this, together with the list published in our previous issue, brings the total amount given and promised under covenant to approximately £1,050. In order to complete the urgently required improvements to our grounds, enumerated in the original appeal, a sum of not less than £5,000 is needed, and it is confidently hoped that this sum will be forthcoming by the united efforts of all our Old Boys and other friends. Some disappointment has been expressed by Old Peterites at the prospective demolition of the present Pavilion on the grounds that, though it is inadequate to fill the demands made upon it, it might be preserved as a worthy part of the School's buildings. The Headmaster wishes us to state that it has now been decided to retain this building for use as a Tuck Shop and Tea Room, but since it is architecturally and economically undesirable to enlarge the present Pavilion, the new one will, it is hoped, still be erected on the site originally chosen. A start has been made on the laying out of the River Fields, where, among other amenities, a quarter-mile cinder track will be constructed during the present year. £ s. d. P. Coombe, Esq. ... 5 0 0 L. F. Leversedge, Esq. ... 5 5 0 M. S. Hodgson, Esq. ... 5 0 0 C. 0. Grindrod, Esq. ... 70 0 0 H. G. Turner, Esq. ... 5 5 0 ... G. C. Lee, Esq. ... 0 10 0 F. A. Milburn, Esq. ... 5 5 0 Rev. F. H. Barnby ... 50 0 0 L. C. Le Tocq, Esq. ... 7 7 0 Clifton Cricket Club ... 22 1 0 D. G. Ogilvie, Esq. ... 5 0 0 R. F. Harding, Esq. ... 7 7 0 K. H. Rhodes, Esq. ... 14 14 0 7 7 0 D. K. Crews, Esq. ... ... 12 7 0 J. S. Cooper, Esq. ... 2 2 0 Miss Mason ... 7 7 0 H. F. S. Gedge, Esq. ... 2 2 0 T. W. P. Cadell, Esq. 3 3 0 John Rodgers, Esq. 2 2 0 A. S. Rymer, Esq. 7
SCHOOL OFFICERS. XMAS TERM, 1938. A. C. W. PING (Head of School, Head of Clifton Rise). Monitors : J. T. BROCKBANK (Head of Temple House). P. B. COCKBURN. J. M. RUCKLIDGE (Head of School House). M. S. DOUGLAS. G. E. SHEPHERD. Captain of Rugger—H. A MILBURN. Vice-Captain of Rugger—M. S. DOUGLAS. C.S.M. in O.T.C.—P. B. COCKBURN. Hon. Sec. of Shooting—G. E. SHEPHERD. Captain of Squash—J. M. RUCKLIDGE. Editors of " The Peterite " : P. B. COCKBURN. C. M. ROBSON. T. F. CAMERON. G. VERO. P. A. ANDREW. L. W. BENNETT.
VALETE. CLIFTON RISE. A. C. W. Ping. 1934-38. Upper VIth Modern. School Monitor. Head of Clifton Rise. Head of School. Played for 2nd XV, 1935-36. 2nd XV Colours„ 1936. Played for 1st XV, 1936-7-8-9. 1st XV Colours, 1936. 1st XV Cap, 1938. Played for Yorkshire Public Schoolboys' XV, 1937-38. Played for 2nd XI, 1935-6-7-8. 2nd XI Colours, 1937. Played for 1st XI, 1938. Played for School Tennis Team, 1937-38. Captain of Tennis, 1938. School Librarian. Member of Debating Society Committee. Certificate " A." Sergeant in O.T.C. P. B. Cockburn. 1934-38. Upper VIth Classical. School Monitor. Played for 2nd XI, 1937-38. 2nd XI Colours, 1938. Played for 1st XI, 1938. Played for 2nd XV, 1937-38. 2nd XV Colours, 1937. Played for 1st XV, 1937-8-9. 1st XV Colours, 1938. 1st XV Cap, 1938. Played for Hockey XI, 1938. Played for School Squash Team, 1938. School Librarian. Member of Debating Society Committee. Member of " The Curtain." Certificate " A." C.S.M. in O.T.C. Editor of " The Peterite." 8
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SCHOOL HOUSE. E. Hodgson. 1936-38. Lower VIth Modern. Played for 2nd XI, 1937-38. 2nd XI Colours, 1938. Played for 2nd XV, 1938-39. Member of " The Curtain." Cadet in O.T.C. TEMPLE HOUSE. F. S. Hornby. 1935-38. Upper VIth Modern. Played for 2nd XV, 1938-39. Cadet in O.T.C. SALVETE. DAY BOYS.—Calder, A. SCHOOL HOUSE.—Davison, E. P. ST. OLAVE'S-Day Boy—Ham, R.
CHAPEL.
MICHAELMAS TERM, 1938. Sept. 25. XVth Sunday after Trinity. Oct. 2. XVIth Sunday after Trinity. York Minster Thanksgiving Service: 9. XVIIth Sunday after Trinity. Rev. F. H. Barnby. 16. XVIIIth Sunday after Trinity. The Headmaster. 23. XIXth Sunday after Trinity. Rev. Chancellor F. Harrison, Canon Residentiary of York Minster. Nov. 6. XXIst Sunday after Trinity. Rev. F. L. Wyman, Vicar of St. Barnabas, York. 13. XXIInd Sunday after Trinity. Rev. A. E. Twidle, Vicar of Acomb. 20. XXIIIrd Sunday after Trinity. Rev. D. A. Scott, Vicar of Shipton. „ 27. 1st Sunday in Advent. Evensong in York Minster. Dec. 4. 2nd Sunday in Advent. Rev. F. H. Barnby. „ 11. 3rd Sunday in Advent. The Headmaster. „ 18. 4th Sunday in Advent. Carol Service. Collection in aid of the Lord Mayor's Christmas Cheer Fund.
MUSIC. On the last Sunday of term the Carol Service was held as usual, and was very well attended, many Old Peterites being present. The Rev. F. H. Barnby was unable to take the Service, but the Dean of York kindly filled the position. 9
The singing was very good. The choir and Mrs. Baird are to be congratulated on the high standard attained, and the hard work of all concerned was fully appreciated. The service paper is reproduced below to show the order of the service and the carols sung. CAROL SERVICE. Sunday; 18th December, 1938. Processional Hymn—" Adeste Fideles," S. of P. 52, vv. 1, 2 and 6. The Lord's Prayer. Collect for the Annunciation. Collect for Christmas Eve. Carol—Carol for Christmas Eve. 1st Lesson, Genesis iii, 8-15. Carol—" This Endris Night." 2nd Lesson, Genesis xxii, 15-18. Carol—" Puer Nobis." 3rd Lesson, Isaiah ix, 2, 6 and 7. Walford Davies Carol—" 0 Little Town of Bethlehem " 4th Lesson, Micah v, 2-4. Dutch Carol Carols—" King Jesus Hath a Garden " " It came upon the Midnight Clear " S. of P. 273, vv. 1-3. 5th Lesson, St. Luke i, 26-33 and 38. Carol—" Shepherds in the Fields Abiding "...French Melody 6th Lesson, St. Luke ii, 1-7. Gloucestershire Carols—" The Holly and the Ivy " " Good King Wenceslas." 7th Lesson, St. Luke ii, 8-16. Carol—" The First Nowell." 8th Lesson, St. Mathew ii, 1-3 and 7-11. Carols—" We Three Kings of Orient are." " While Shepherds Watched," S. of P. 56. 9th Lesson, St. John i, 1-14. Carol—" God rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," omit vv. 2 and 4 Traditional Blessing. Old Yorkshire Recessional—" Wassail Song " Bach Voluntaries—" In dulci Jubilo " Bach Prelude and Fugue in D Minor 10
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LIBRARY. Librarian : Rev. F. H. BARNBY. Assistant Librarians : J. T. BROCKBANK, A. C. PING, P. B. COCKBURN, 1 M. RUCKLIDGE, M. S. DOUGLAS, G. E. SHEPHERD. The following books have been added to the Library uring the Winter term :▪ 87E. Hamlet Revenge : Michael Innes. 91B. Unfinished Journey : J. Jones (presented by J. S. Cooper, Esq.). 185A. Katrina: S. Salminen (presented by J. S. Cooper, Esq.) I VI. 2B. Arabia Felix: Bertram Thomas (presented by J. S. Cooper, Esq.). I. 27A. Britain and the Beast: Edited by C. Williams Ellis (presented by J. S. Cooper, Esq.). I [. I. 18. Zaharoff, the Armament Ring: R. Newan (presented by J. S. Cooper, Esq.). M. II. 2. Modern German : Eggeling. Short Stories, 1st Series: Eggeling. 3. Short Stories, 2nd Series : Eggeling. F VII. 22B. Count Belisarius : Robert Graves. C III. 77. Murder in the Cathedral: T. S. Eliot. I 87F. Lament for a Maker: Michael Innes. I V. 28A. A York Miscellany : I. P. Pressly. C I. 6A. Science for the Citizen : L. Hogben. I VI. 1211. Blank on the Map: Eric Shipton. F V. 16B, 16C. The Iliad of Homer (2 vols.) : F. A. Paley. VII. 42. The Responsible Citizen : Cair. 43. Physical Education : Jacks. 44. Our Spoken Language: Lloyd James. 45. The Geography behind History. I I. 16A. Old Public Schools of England: J. C. Rodgers, O.P. (presented by the author). .
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EYKAEIAOY TA IS2ZOMENA EUCLID'S QUAE SUPERSUNT OMNIA. In the School Library is a folio bearing the above title, published in 1703, and maybe it is the only copy now in existence. Immediately under the above heading on the first page comes the following:— Ex Recensione Davidis Gregorii, M.D., Astronomiae Professoris Saviliani and R.S.S., Oxoniae, E. Theatro Sheldoniano, Ann. Dom. MDCIII. 11
Below that is a woodcut of the Theatre and a picture•of a female seated and wearing a helmet; by her side are a shield, on which is depicted a gorgon's head and a spear. Around her, but on the ground, a book with a chaplet of oak leaves and a wand with wings on the top and entwined with two serpents. Then, a reminder of the days of press censorship, " Imprimatur Guil Delaune Vice-Can. Oxon. Junii 3, 1703." Then comes on the following page a dedication to Reverendo Viro S.T.P. (sanctae Theologiae professor) Aedis Christi Oxoniensis et Synode Provinciae Cantuariensis Inferiores Domils Prolocutor Dignissimo, Tibi: omnibus officiis Omnique Cultu devotissimus David Gregory. Then comes a long Praefatis in Latin. This is succeeded by an Elenchus Operum setting out the titles of the subject matters set out in the book. They are Elementorum Libri XV, Data cum Praefatione Marini, Introductis Harmonica, Sectio Cononis, Phoenomina Optica, Catoptica, De Divisionibus Liber and De Levi et Ponderoso Fragmentum. All through the book are numerous geometrical figures usually in the centre of the pages and the letterpress is set out in Greek and in Latin each in a separate column alongside the illustration. The Greek script is not quite the same as in the modern textbooks of the Universities and takes time to be able to read it easily. The subject of Harmony should be put down as a subject for a degree course in Music. The School must be congratulated on having this book, as it is rare. There may be another copy in the Oxford Library and perhaps in the library of some continental university. It may be the only copy now in existence. A. E. Chapman (1869-1875). •
HOUSE NOTES. SCHOOL HOUSE. Our first and most pleasant duty is to welcome our new matron, Mrs. Frost. We hope her stay with us will be long and pleasant. We congratulate the Rise on beating us in the InterHouse Rugger, 35-0, although our defeat was not altogether unexpected, as they had ten regular members of the 1st XV. Unfortunately, the junior Inter-House Rugger 12
matches were cancelled, owing to wet grounds, and we were, we hope, robbed of victory. It seems to be doubtful whether they are to be played next term or not. We congratulate J. T. Hunter, P. R. Graham, R. M. S. Parker and E. Hodgson on their 2nd XV colours ; Hunter, Graham and Parker on their 1st XV colours ; and R. Earle on his School Shooting colours. We were very pleased to have once again what used to be Mr. Sykes' room as a room in which members of the House can indulge in somewhat noisy pastimes, and we hope to have it again next term. There is some talk of having a half-size billiard table in there, bought with the pennies so steadily and generously given to the House by certain of its members.
CLIFTON RISE. In the opinion of most Risites, the Rise last term experienced its most successful term for many years. Ten Risites, six of whom were capped, were regular members of the 1st XV, whilst twelve played for the School at some time or other. Consequently we had little difficulty in winning the Inter-House Rugger Cup. We did so without conceding a try and scoring over 60 points in the two games. Unfortunately the Junior Rugger had to be cancelled, thus preventing us from completing the double. The embellishment fund was in great prominence last term, for a billiards table, a table tennis table, and a wireless set were purchased. The billiards table in particular has proved very popular amongst the exclusive members permitted to use it. We should like to congratulate the following:— M. S. Douglas, A. C. W. Ping, G. P. G. Stephenson, J. H. Butler, C. M. Robson, P. B. Cockburn, on being awarded their 1st XV Caps and Colours ; T. F. Cameron, G. C. Brown, S. B. Shillitoe, J. M. Couldwell on gaining their 1st XV Colours ; G. C. Brown and S. B. Shillitoe, who were awarded their House Colours last term.
TEMPLE HOUSE. During the holidays, Mr. and Mrs. Stead settled in to their new house in St. Peter's Grove, so that this term we were able to have meals at School for the first time. Those who have made use of this privilege agree that it is a great asset to the House, and we look forward to next term, when we hope to have another room to be used as a reading room.
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To turn to sport, we would congratulate the Rise on beating us in the final of the Rugger. In the School teams we have been well represented. R. C. Lynch, J. T. Brockbank, K. C. Brown, E. N. Dickinson, J. G. Holt and R. M. Chappell have all played for the 1st XV, the first three being regular members until half-term. Unfortunately, in the House match, Brockbank and Brown sustained injuries which prevented their playing Rugger again this term. We congratulate R. C. Lynch on being awarded his Rugget cap, and E. N. Dickinson on his House and 2nd XV colours. Regular members of the 2nd XV included E. N. Dickinson, P. A. Andrew and J. G. Holt, while R. M. Chappell, R. W. Wright, E. P. Bulmer and F. J. Hornby also played on occasions. This term an innovation in the House has been a billiard table (famous for its remarkable cushions), and judging by the longer hours spent by boys at School, it has met with approval.
THE SCHOOL PLAY. " JOURNEY'S END by R. C. SHERRIFF. This year the St. Peter's Players gave three performances instead of the customary two, on Friday, Saturday and Monday, the 16th, 17th and 19th of December. The play, too, differed from those produced in recent years. " Journey's End," by R. C. Sherriff, is a more serious play, which depends for its effectiveness entirely on atmosphere and on character acting rather than on incident. Its tragic tensity is skilfully relieved by the characters of Trotter and Mason, but, throughout, the atmosphere of tension must be present, and it is no small achievement on the part of boys who did not have even second-hand experience of the War to have caught and to have kept that atmosphere. That they succeeded in doing so was perhaps mainly due to the fact that each one of the actors seemed to get right inside his part, and so was able to act completely naturally. The acting throughout was good, and improved considerably as each performance succeeded the other; above all, everyone managed to make himself heard. The entire play takes place in a dug-out in the British trenches at St. Quentin on the eve of the big German attack in March, 1918. It is comparatively devoid of incident except for the raid scene and the final attack, and centres round the character of Captain Stanhope, a fine company commander, whose nerves are almost at breaking point from the intolerable strain, and who has been driven to whiskey as the only possible relief. 14
As Stanhope, P. B. Cockburn brilliantly fulfilled a very difficult part, which required a repeated change of temper. He brought to it sincerity, understanding and restraint; he moved well, an important accomplishment on a small stage, and sufficiently brought out the contrast between the harsher and softer sides of his character. His performance was a fine bit of acting. In the character of Osborne, T. F. Cameron acted as an admirable foil to Stanhope, bringing obvious sincerity and assurance to the part. He fully displayed the level headedness and kindliness which earns for him the nickname of " Uncle " and wins for him the sympathy of the audience. To his sympathetic understanding of the part he added a clear and pleasing speaking voice. P. R. G. Graham brought to the part of Raleigh a complete naturalness as the young officer just out from school, showing just the right enthusiasm and bewilderment and bringing out excellently the pathos in his quarrel with Stanhope and in the final scene. C. M. Robson, as Trotter, the ranker officer, brought the light relief to the play, and did it well. He acted the part with relish, but refrained from making the easy mistake of overacting it, and fully emphasised the essential genuineness of Trotter. As Hibbert, the shirker, J. M. Rucklidge had a very hard part to play, and he played it very well indeed, especially in the difficult scene with Stanhope. I. D. C. Morison, as Captain Hardy, was completely at ease as a typical British officer, assuming a convincing air of nonchalance. The character of Mason, the Cockney cook, was excellently played by H. A. Milburn, who produced his innumerable meals and cups of tea and coffee with commendable regularity and cheerfulness. M. S. Douglas was a firm, yet not unsympathetic Colonel, just sufficiently stupid and anxious to please the Brigadier. J. H. Butler, as the C.S.M., proved to be an efficient soldier who knew that orders were orders—and that whiskey was whiskey. In the part of the German prisoner, Vero gave a convincing display of fear combined with dignity. E. Hodgson and J. Couldwell, as the two orderlies, were smart and efficient, and provided an excellent contrast. A play such as " Journey's End " depends a great deal not only on the actors and on what happens on the stage, but also on the setting and on the off-stage effects, and a 15
special word of praise must be added for those responsible ; to Messrs. Schofield and Emmel for the staging and lighting effects, and to Messrs. Bellwood and Jeffs, J. B. Shillitoe and F. N. Buckler for the noise effects. Their task was by no means easy, and their success did a great deal to contribute to the general success of the play, which was due to the combined team work of the whole cast, both on the stage and behind the scenes.
" JOURNEY'S END " by R. C. SHERRIFF. Characters (in order of their appearance) Captain Hardy I. D. C. Morison Lieutenant Osborne T. F. Cameron Private Mason H. A. Milburn Lance Corporal Broughton E. Hodgson 2nd Lieutenant Raleigh P. R. G. Graham Captain Stanhope P. B. Cockburn 2nd Lieutenant Trotter C. M. Robson 2nd Lieutenant Hibbert J. M. Rucklidge The Company Sergeant-Major J. H. Butler The Colonel M. S. Douglas A German Soldier G. W. Vero The scene is laid in a Dug-out in the British trenches before St. Quentin, March, 1918. Produced by K. H. Rhodes, Esq. Effects : R. Bellwood, Esq., E. S. Jeffs, Esq., J. B. Shillitoe and F. N. Buckler. Stage Carpenters and Electricians : A. E. Schofield and G. Emmel. During the intervals an Orchestra played under the direction of Mrs. Baird.
THE CURTAIN. After a lapse of two years The Curtain was revived in the middle of last summer. This term two meetings were held. On October 16th we packed ourselves into Mr. Rhodes' room and read " Journey's End," by R. C. Sherriff—a seasonable theme. The plot was easy to follow, and the climax was appreciated by everyone, despite an obvious unfamiliarity with support line dug-outs. 16
r For the second meeting of the term our thanks are due to Mr. Barnby, who invited us to his room in Albany House to read " Androcles and the Lion," by George Bernard Shaw. Suffice it to say that everybody was amused. Between the acts Mr. Barnby very kindly provided The Curtain with a supper of the first order.
THE DEBATING SOCIETY.
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Before the actual debate there was an election in order to fill two vacant places on the Committee. T. H. Butler and J. M. Rucklidge were elected. The chairman then called upon Mr. A. W. Ping to propose the motion that " The British proposals for the settlement of Czechoslovakia are disgraceful." He suggested that if matters had been dealt with in a, different manner many years ago, this country would not be in such an unfortunate position now. If Britain's statesmen had shown an aggressive front, instead of talking nonsense about impracticable ideas, war would not have been imminent at the present time. In reply, H. A. Milburn said that Mr. Chamberlain's energies were directed towards trying to wipe out a disgrace, i.e., the " Treaty of Versailles." He stated that through this Germany was ruined economically and internally, and it was impossible for the country to exist under such conditions. He then concluded by saying that there was no disgrace in trying to remedy an action disgraceful in itself. J. H. Butler, seconding the motion, said that Germany should have been put under Allied rule and so made it impossible for her to rise to power again. He also added that it was disgraceful that Britain, who is allied to France, had let her down. C. M. Robson, who was seconding the opposition, made the point that Hitler's position is not absolutely supported in Germany, and he must keep on doing things spectacular and decisive in order to hold his position. The debate was then thrown open to the house, and Mr. Rhodes rose to give his views. He said that Mr. Chamberlain was trying his best to avert war, and there was no disgrace in applying common-sense reasoning which eliminated war. Mr. Ping, in summing up, said that Mr. Chamberlain's action was brave, but the proposals themselves were disgraceful. 17
Milburn, in summing up for the opposition, said it was better to do something for peace instead of making actions which would certainly lead to war. A vote was then taken, and the motion defeated by 40 votes to 7.
Meeting held on October 22nd, 1938. The meeting was opened by the minutes being read and signed. The chairman then called upon Motum to propose the motion, " That air travel is as safe as any other means of transport." He emphasised the fact that the Post Office sends a great percentage of mails by air, and it must be influenced by the factor of safety as much as that of speed. He said that all air crashes were reported in the papers, but the actual percentage of deaths in the air was very low in comparison to the road. Further, he said that the aeroplane was in its infancy, and that the car and the train had already passed this stage. Stephenson, in opposing the motion, claimed that air travel was always bound to be more hazardous than any other form of travel by the nature of the element. Fogs and air-pockets and storms were all common phenomena in air and were the nightmare of all pilots. Revell, in seconding the motion, refuted Stephenson's statements about the dangers of air travel, and showed that a plane was equipped with all the instruments known to science for combatting the various obstacles to safe flying. Further, he claimed that a plane was safer in a storm than a ship, since it had greater speed and mobility, and so could fly away from or over the storm. G. C. Brown, seconding the opposer, emphasised the weather factor in flying, and said that flying, being only in its infancy, was necessarily still unsuitable for safe transport. The debate was then thrown open to the House, and there were many speakers, most of whom seemed to know a little about the subject. A vote was taken, and the motion was carried by 19 votes to 18.
Meeting held 5th November. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, and then Mr. Crews proposed the motion of " Too much Law." He commenced by saying that a strict upbringing led to excesses when the restrictions imposed in earlier life were withdrawn. He went on to say that all laws, which had 18
become obsolete, served only to benefit unscrupulous lawyers. Even the police, he said, are realising that there are too many petty restrictions and that severity is not as good as gentleness. He substantiated this statement by the trial and success of the " courtesy cops." J. T. Brockbank, opposing the motion, made a speech which, though flowing, was intricate and fallacious. Briefly, he stated that one must think Law has or has not faults. In the first case, more laws must be made to remedy the faults, and so there is not too much law. In the second case, there cannot be too much of it. A. C. W. Ping, seconding the proposer, gave a series of examples of how every Briton is surrounded by nonsensical regulations. He quoted the facts that one must go thirsty after 10 p.m., and that cooked food cannot be bought on Sundays. G. T. Jefferson made a vehement speech attacking football pools and betting. He stated that the only method of stamping out these evils, which had gained so strong a hold on the working class, was further legislation. The debate was then thrown open to the House, and after many interesting speeches the vote was 18 to 8 against the motion.
THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. President: THE HEADMASTER. Vice-Presidents : W. H. CORKHILL, Esq., K. G. CHILMAN, Esq., A. W. PING, Esq., E. S. JEFFS, Esq. Hon. Treasurer: A. W. PING, Esq. Hon. Secretary : J. M. RUCKLIDGE. School House Representative: G. E. SHEPHERD. Rise Representative: T. F. CAMERON. Temple House Representative: P. A. ANDREW. The first meeting of the Society was held on Saturday, 8th October, to discuss the business of the Society and also to witness a lecture on " X " rays by Mr. Jeffs. There was, we are pleased to note, quite a large attendance On Saturday, 5th November, at 6-20 p.m., Mr. L. C. Le Tocq gave a lecture entitled " A Survey of Guernsey." He accompanied his lecture with a series of hand-drawn maps, and also a number of photographic views of Guernsey. These were projected by means of our new epidiascope.
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After the lecture the audience was allowed to scrutinise several exhibits which were examples of the rock structure of Guernsey. Mr. Le Tocq's lecture was followed with a short speech by Mr. Ping about the total eclipse of the moon due on Monday, 7th November. Mr. Ping also showed three slides of an earlier eclipse. We regret to say that the audience was deplorably small for such an interesting lecture. On Saturday, 3rd December, Mr. D. K. Crews gave a lecture entitled " Mysteries of the Ocean." He gave us a detailed description of everything that is known about the depths of the seas. He accompanied his lecture with a number of pictures of the types of fish seen by the two men who descended in the " Bathyscophere " several years ago. These pictures were projected, using the epidiascope. Some of the fish were extremely wonderful, for they had luminous patches all over them and carried long tentacles with luminous bulbs at their ends. They use these to attract smaller fish to them. As there is no vegetation at these great depths the fish have to live on one another. We heartily thank Mr. Crews for an extremely interesting lecture. Owing to the number of evenings taken up by the Saturday and Debating Societies, there have only been three meetings of the Scientific Society this term.
THE SATURDAY SOCIETY. Saturday, 1st October. The School was entertained by Mr. Wingate Kirk, who gave an exhibition of conjuring and ventriloquism. He had for a helper a very life-like doll in a page's uniform. In one of his more interesting acts, he described the creations of a butler by means of a coloured folded paper pattern. This butler was a very ingenious man, as whenever his master asked for anything, he used to produce it at a moment's notice. With a few deft movements of his fingers, Mr. Wingate Kirk conjured up these articles as they were mentioned from his pad of coloured paper. It was altogether quite an entertaining performance. Saturday, 15th October. Mr. Ernest Sewell came to entertain the School. Some of the senior boys will remember the excellent performance he gave them last year. 20
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He started off by giving us a few entertaining conjuring tricks. In one of these tricks he required an assistant. One of the boys from the senior school readily complied and stepped on to the stage. Mr. Sewell requested him to sit on an ordinary cane chair, whilst he prepared his trick. The victim sat down, but almost immediately jumped up again with an expression of acute agony. He tried another chair, with the same result, only this time he gave a short yelp as he shot up. Meanwhile, the whole audience was expressing its enjoyment with loud roars of laughter. After these varied convulsions on the victim's part, he was then coaxed to sing a song with Mr. Sewell's ventriloquist doll, which seemed to be mainly about an extraordinary plant called a " Vegetable." This was followed by an exhibition of paper tearing, in which the assistant was supposed to copy Mr. Sewell. Each started off with a large sheet of white paper. Mr. Sewell finished up with an exquisite design in paper, whilst all his assistant had to show were a few shreds of mutilated paper. The performance terminated with a stage show featuring three small marionettes. One a sailor, another a Scotsman and the last a pianist. We are pleased to say, Mr. Sewell quite exceeded our expectations. Saturday, 29th October.
On this occasion we witnessed a very fine performance of Shakespeare's " Macbeth," ably acted by the Martin Harvey Company. The play lasted from 7 to 9-10 p.m. The accompanying music was very realistic, especially in the scene where Macbeth meets the three witches. We congratulate the company on their very able use of a rather small stage. We are sorry it was not larger. Special praise is due to Stanley van Beers for his excellent portrayal of Macbeth. Incidentally, Mr. van Beers is also the Manager of the Company. We would also like to congratulate Lady Macbeth and the other players for their excellent support of the leading character. Saturday, 12th November. On this occasion Mr. Harry Pegg Carr and Mr. Lamont Kennaway entertained the School. Mr. Kennaway was the pianist, and played several rather classical pieces, which, we are afraid, were not fully appreciated by the School. Mr. Carr entertained us in between these pieces with several amusing poems and recitals. Especially one concerning three gentlemen, A, B and C, well-known to all our able mathematicians. 21
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Saturday, 26th November. Mr. John Woods, who visited the School last year, gave an interesting lecture entitled " This Modern Art." With the aid of an easel, a number of large sheets of paper and a charcoal pencil, he produced an illustrated lecture on the growth of art from dark antiquity up to the present day. He first described how the art of each civilization went through three periods : spring, summer and autumn. He pointed out that the spring of art was the period when artists were thinking of new ways to express their ideas. The summer was the period when the art was fully developed and at its best. In the autumn period the art was still very good, but people were beginning to look around for new things to paint and new methods of doing them. He terminated his lecture with a few sketches showing the type of Surrealist paintings that were being produced at the present day. One of his drawings was of a human face with an express train coming out of its forehead and a padlock for a mouth. Altogether a most fearsome looking object. Saturday, 10th December. Mr. Stanley Bell's second performance at the School proved an even greater success than his last. He did two very amusing sketches with a little conjuring in between. His first sketch was of a small boy trying out one of those machines where you put a penny in the slot, grip two handles and get an electric shock. As Mr. Bell rightly predicted, it needed no words. His next portrayal was of a village meeting to discuss what was to be done about the weather-cock on the church, as it would not go round. First the old squire got up and made a speech, then the sexton, an old nurse, Percy, the lad of the village, and last of all a concluding speech by the vicar. The net result was that the weather-cock was left unmolested. Tuesday, 25th October. Mr. Heinz-Smith gave an interesting lecture on Dr. Barnardo's Homes. He illustrated his lecture with slides, showing how the Homes were managed and the life of waifs from the moment they entered the Homes to the time when they left after having got a job, thanks to the Homes. We thank Mr. Heinz-Smith for a very interesting lecture, and sincerely hope he will visit us again. 22
Tuesday, 8th November. The School was given a talk by Archdeacon Langley, Secretary of the Church Aid Society. He described how ministers and their wives go out into the Bush miles from anywhere, establish a church and live there. Moreover, the congregation come sometimes a hundred miles just for the morning service. Due to the efforts of Archdeacon Langley and others, there is a flying doctor who at a moment's notice is enabled to fly hundreds of miles into the Bush to succour some sick settler.
GAMES COMMITTEE. The first meeting of the Games Committee this term was devoted entirely to the subject of the awarding of colours. Previously in Rugger, Hockey and Cricket when a first colour was awarded, it meant that the person had gained both a blazer and a cap. Only the best players of the side received them, and so there was no existing recognition for the person who remained on the side throughout the season, but failed to get his colours. The Committee thought this was unfair, so it decided that all the team should receive their blazer at the end of the season (except in exceptional cases), and the cap should be given as a further honour, being equivalent to the former award of colours. The following season the captain of the XV would receive both his blazer and his cap, the vice-captain would retain what he had, former caps would retain their blazers but earn their caps anew, and former blazers would retain nothing. The awarding of colours in Boating remained the same, as Mr. Rhodes pointed out that if a crew deserved colours, everyone in the boat gets them, and as one is unable to give individuals higher honours, then the cap and the blazer should be given together.
THE FIVE MILLION CLUB. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking, on behalf of the Secretary of the Club, all those who have so willingly and generously contributed, and of welcoming all new members. 23
I have recently had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Alan Hutt, the Organising Secretary, and he informed me of the very useful work the Club is doing, and hopes to do, in the way of providing playing fields for those unfortunate children who are obliged to play in the dangerous streets. Our subscriptions for the summer and autumn terms amounted to 17s. 6d. At a £1,000 per acre, this sum will buy outright, for all time, over 212 square feet of land. Each one of you, by giving the small sum of sixpence, is purchasing enough ground for one child to stand on There will be some of you reading this who have so far not joined up; there are now 137 members in the Senior School, and I hope that you non-members will make a real effort to join next term, and I am sure you will not regret the assistance you are giving to this worthy cause. D.K.C. !
SCOUT NEWS. (SENIOR SCHOOL) The activity of the Troop this term has been largely confined to the enrolling of new recruits and the resulting second class work. Owing to the large increase in our number we were obliged to form three more patrols, making a total of six in all. For some of us this term has been a very busy one; we took on the task of redecorating the loft—this included the making of a new trap-door, painting and whitewashing Incidentally, some had rather peculiar views as to what should or should not be covered with whitewash We now have electric light installed, enabling us to have much longer parades. We managed to get hold of some old cupboards, which will be most useful when we have completed some repairs that need doing to keep out the damp. Parades during the latter part of the term were well attended, particularly those in uniform. We were unfortunate with the weather, and so were unable to have many outdoor " wide " games. We finished off the term with a party. If the noise produced was any indication of our enjoyment, the evening was a great success. Finally, we must congratulate all those who have passed tests, and look forward to a useful and interesting series of meetings next term. 24 !
NOTES AND ITEMS. Congratulations to J. M. Rucklidge on winning a Scholarship in Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, also to A. C. W. Ping on his success in the Preliminary Examination of Civil Engineers. The School attended a Peace Thanksgiving Service in York Minster on October 2nd, and Evensong on the first Sunday in Advent. We congratulate H. A. Milburn, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, J. H. Butler, C. M. Robson, P. B. Cockburn, R. C. Lynch and G. P. G. Stephenson on being awarded their 1st XV caps. Also the whole 1st XV on being awarded their colours ; J. M. Rucklidge and E. N. Dickinson on being awarded their 2nd XV colours. We sympathise with K. C. Brown, for whom a promising season in the 1st XV was spoilt by injury. Congratulations to A. C. W. Ping on being appointed Head of the School, and to G. E. Shepherd on being appointed a School Monitor. T. F. Cameron is to be congratulated on being appointed Captain of Hockey for next term. P. A. Andrew, C. M. Robson, G. W. Vero and L. W. Bennett have been made Editors of " The Peterite," and G. E. Shepherd has been made an Assistant Librarian. Congratulations to H. A. Milburn, A. C. W. Ping, G. P. G. Stephenson and M. S. Douglas on being chosen to play in the Yorkshire Public Schools' Trial on Wednesday, December 21st. Congratulations to R. W. Wright and R. Earle on being awarded their Shooting colours. On Thursday, September 29th, the School went to the Odeon Theatre, where a number of G.P.O. Instructional Films were being shown. Also on Monday, December 12th, a certain number of boys were enabled to hear the "Messiah" sung by the York Musical Society at the Exhibition Buildings. Earlier on in the term about thirty boys listened to a concert in the Odeon Theatre. P. B. Cockburn has passed the Army Entrance Examination to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, his name being high in the list of successful candidates. In the Public Schools' Squash Rackets Handicap, at the Queen's Club, J. L. Brockbank was defeated in the 2nd round by T. Tuffrell (Eton) , 5-9, 6-9, 5-9, and in the Open Senior Event J. R. Walters beat G. J. Maughan (Tonbridge) , 25
7-9, 9-7, 9-7, 8-10, 9-7, but lost in the 2nd round to R. S. H. Smith (Oratory), 9-1, 9-7, 7-9, 7-9, 6-9. A. C. Ping, G. P. G. Stephenson and M. S. Douglas were selected to play for Yorkshire Public Schools v. Wales, at Harrogate, on January 7th.
S.S. HOLMPARK. The " Holmpark " arrived back from Karachi in September and discharged her cargo of wheat at Liverpool. Her next voyage, which began soon after the beginning of term, was from Cardiff to Buenos Aires with a cargo of coal. This voyage—a distance of over 6,000 miles—took twenty-six days. Unfortunately, our mail failed to reach South America in time, and did not reach the ship until she arrived at Durban late in November after a seventeen days' voyage without cargo from Buenos Aires. However, Capt. Rickard, Mr. Martin, Mr. Johnson and our other correspondents sent a most interesting mail from Durban, extracts of which are printed below. The " Holmpark " is now on her way to Manila, again with a cargo of coal, and is expected to arrive soon after Christmas. This is over four weeks' voyage, and is the longest made since we joined the ship.
THE RIVER PLATE. I see that you ask for a description of Buenos Aires, so I'll try my hand at it. To begin with, the whole country around Buenos Aires is flat, and from the roads it is only possible to see the tall buildings, so it is not interesting in that respect. We pick up the pilot 115 miles from the town, and the roads are 18 miles from the town. The town itself is quite up-to-date, and, as you know, considers itself the Paris of the South. It has many fine buildings and many splendid wide streets. It has excellent shops and many picture houses, but strange to say the most fashionable shops are in one of the narrower streets, the Floriedaprobably a survival from the old days. The docks and harbour works are quite up-to-date. Regarding the trip up to Rosario, I went there to load in the " Grangepark," and here again it can hardly be called an interesting river, as the shores are flat and it is possible to see for miles over the surrounding country; only in a few places are there slight cliffs along the river bank. About fifty miles above Buenos Aires the river becomes fairly narrow, and the bar above Buenos Aires limits the draft to 26
which ships can load up river. At the various ports on the river the grain is mostly loaded from elevators, and these are mostly placed where there is cliff. From Capt. Rickard. Durban, November, 1938. FARMING IN SWEDEN. When in Karlshamm, my pal and I managed to borrow a couple of bicycles during a week-end, so we saw a bit of country. The bikes were very heavy to drive owing to the balloon tyres, but such tyres are required, for all the main roads we were on were cobblestones. I think this method of road-building is to prevent the roads being destroyed by frost, which is very heavy during the winter in Sweden. The farms we saw in Sweden seemed to have the usual implements : ploughs, harrows, rollers, etc., much the same as at home. I cannot speak for all Sweden, but around Karlshamm for at least twelve miles the farming is no picnic. The ground is very hilly and rocky. The fields are nearly all covered with rocks and the ground is cultivated around them. The fields are usually about ten acres, and except for about two fields I saw none that had more than half an acre of clear ground. The fields looked like a sea with a large number of islands in it. The rocks were all sizes from about 20 feet high with a corresponding surface, down to one foot by three feet. Rocks smaller than the latter seemed to be removed and built into walls or thrown up into heaps out of the way. You can imagine the twists and turns made necessary by those rocks when ploughing. The farming was general, farmers growing oats, turnips and potatoes, and all farms had a plentiful supply of ducks and hens. Extract from letter from James Johnson, Esq., 2nd Officer, S.S. Holmpark. November, 1938.
Buenos Aires is the chief port on the River Plate. The latter is a shallow and uninteresting stretch of water which could be vastly improved, and would be if the country was in the hands of some European country or the U.S.A. Argentina is a country of enormous wealth. Incredible as it may seem, I know of one country which has a contract for no less than 50,000 hides a month. That is only a small part of the hide exports, and, of course, the meat which was once entirely surrounded by these hides is also exported. Ships taking five to ten thousand tons of grain each are leaving various ports in a constant stream. 27
I am better acquainted with Brazil, as I have been to every port in that marvellous country. Brazil produces over 2,000 different kinds of wood, some of which require no polish to make them shine like an exhibition radio cabinet. This ship can go 2,200 miles up the Amazon river, the average width of which is three miles. At the eastern mouth the river is 90 miles wide. I have seen the fresh water of the Amazon 150 miles out to sea. Extract from letter from F. Martin, Wireless Operator.
SAILFLYING. The other day I picked up a German handbook dealing with the sport of sailflying. The first words of the introduction were " Segelflug ist Schon "—which is the best possible way in which one can introduce the subject of this fine sport. Sailplaning has something about it which no other sport has. It seems to satisfy one's every mood in some way or another—for flying a sailplane can be peaceful ; it can be very awe-inspiring. If you are amused by pushing a file or using a wood chisel, there is plenty of scope. If you will persist in being scientific—the science of meteorology is open to you. This can be studied from a new and extremely interesting angle. The acquisition of skill and knowledge in actually flying sailplanes is a most absorbing business. Fears have to be overcome, and as in all things, it is very pleasant to look back and laugh at what one was once a little afraid of. How do you begin ? The best and quickest way of learning to fly gliders is to join a fortnight's gliding camp. These are held at most of the gliding clubs throughout the summer months, and the cost to take part, including board, is in the region of £10. If you cannot spare a whole fortnight at a time, a club can be joined in the normal way, and your training done at the week-ends. The usual entrance fee is 2 guineas and annual subscription 3 guineas. Much the best way to begin gliding, though, is to join a training camp. In the early stages continuity of instruction is most important for quick progress. At the end of a fortnight's training you will be at a stage of proficiency which would take at least six months by just flying at the week-ends. I will not try to explain how one is taught to glide, as space does not permit. It will suffice to say that one goes 28
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alone right from the start, and the process can be likened to the old game of jumping downstairs. One starts at the bottom, and gaining in skill and courage step by step, can soon launch oneself confidently from the top. As the pupil satisfies the instructor that he has reached each stage of the training successfully, he is promoted to more and more efficient machines. As a beginner is not very sure of himself, he starts his career on a glider with a poor gliding angle, and with slow response to the controls. He is thus given time to change his mind in his efforts to control the machine, and the average pupil makes good use of this feature in the design. At the end of a fortnight or six months, as the case may be, the machine you will be permitted to fly will be capable of soaring flight. That is, it will have a low sinking speed and a good gliding angle at 30 m.p.h. The sinking speed will be about 3 feet per second, and the gliding angle about 1 in 18. Your training up to this stage will have only concerned itself with gliding—that is descending flight. You will have been taught to fly at the correct speed, and to make your turns smoothly. The next step is the problem of sustained flight, that is soaring. The easiest way to explain the secret of soaring flight is this : a man starts running down a stationary escalator at a speed which gives him a vertical rate of descent of 3 feet per second. Someone starts up the escalator, and by varying the speed of it can either keep the man where he is or lift him back to the top. It will be seen, then, that all one has to do to remain aloft in a sailplane is to find an area of air that is going up faster than your machine is coming down. As long as its speed is held at 30 m.p.h. your sinking speed is at its lowest, and the gliding angle good. If you fly too fast, your sinking speed will increase, your gliding angle will be too steep, and you will come down. If you fly too slowly, your machine will stall (that is, the wings will lose their lifting properties) and you will come down too. Therefore, the machine must be flown at its most economical speed, which is generally about 30 m.p.h. Areas of rising air can be found in various places, and the first place that you will make their acquaintance will be over the brow of a hill. The hill chosen will be a range about 2 miles long, and facing the prevailing wind. Sutton Bank and the Dunstable Downs may be taken as typical soaring sites. 29
As the wind strikes the hill it is deflected over it and thus there is a belt of rising air along its brow. This rising air reaches roughly twice the height of the hill—at Dunstable the downs are about 250 feet high, and in a good breeze one can climb about 500 to 600 feet. So therefore, as long as the sailplane is patrolled along, above the brow of the hill, where the rising air is strongest, it will stay up. Many people ask if this beating back and forth along a hill top does not become boring. It does not. Some days it is rough, other days the air will be dead smooth. One generally flies in the company of several other machines, and each pilot vies with the others to be the highest. When you have made your first soaring flight and taken the " C " test—that is, a flight of 5 minutes' duration above the starting point—your career as a pilot of motorless aircraft has begun. It is now up to you to get in as many hours of flight as you can. To fly confidently and naturally, to improve your turns and, in short, to feel as much at home in the air as possible, you must fly in all strengths of winds and make flights of longer and longer duration. You must practice landing a sailplane in as small a space as possible. When you have done all this and have about 20 hours of flight behind you, you are ready for the next stage in your career. This is the art of thermal or convection soaring. When the sun shines on an area of ground which absorbs heat better than that surrounding it—for instance, a cornfield or a cluster of houses—a stream of warm air is given off. These rising currents are known to the sailplane pilot as thermals. They may be compared to the smoke rising from a chimney, and bend with the wind in the same way. They are, of course, invisible and much larger in area. These streams of warm air rise until they reach their condensation level, and there form into cumulus cloud. This level is commonly known as cloud base, and in this country the height of it varies between 2,500 and 6,000 feet. Thermals frequently seem to be given off in " bubble " form, as they occur at regular intervals of perhaps 10 to 15 minutes, from the same birthplace. The area of warm air appears to collect, detach and float away. The technique of utilising thermals for soaring flight is extremely simple. In the sailplane dashboard is a very important instrument known as a variometer. This instrument shows the rate of climb or descent of the sailplane. There are various forms of this apparatus, but the simplest and bests works in this way. A large thermos 30
bottle is connected by a rubber tube to the instrument. The instrument itself is a small oblong block of a transparent celluloid-like material called plexiglass. In this are bored two vertical holes about 3 inches long and I of an inch apart. These holes have a taper, and at the bottom and smallest end are about 1/32 of an inch in diameter. At the bottom of each long hole rests a small pip of plexiglass. The one on the left coloured green and the one on the right coloured red. The rubber tube from the thermos bottle is led to the back of the instrument, and ducts in the transparent block are arranged to give the following effect. When the sailplane rises the air in the thermos tries to escape, owing to the decreased pressure outside. It is allowed to escape, but in doing so is made to lift the small green pip in the tapering tubes—in the same way as a ping-pong ball at a shooting range. The faster the machine rises the higher goes the pip, and to read off the rate there is a scale beside the tapering holes. The instrument is calibrated from 6 inches per second to 20 feet per second. When the sailplane descends the reverse of this operation is made to happen. The pressure outside the thermos bottle is increased, and air tries to get in. To do this it has to pass the red pip on the way, and in doing so lifts it. I have gone to great lengths to describe this instrument, as its function is extremely important in thermal soaring—indeed, without it, thermal flight would be nearly impossible. When one is flying well away from the ground there is little or no immediate indication if one is rising or falling, as there is no datum near to go by. So, when you are soaring in the hill lift and the green pip begins to dance persistently in its tube, you have indication that you have flown into a thermal current. If you continue to fly on a straight course, in a second or two you will fly out of it. The obvious thing to do, therefore, is to circle. With a little .practice a sailplane pilot learns to stay in the column of rising air in this way and can detach himself from the hill lift and climb up to the cloud base. If he can blind-fly—that is fly level by using an instrument known as a bank and turn—he enters the cloud and climbs very much higher. Owing to the condensation of the moisture in the thermal current, latent heat is liberated and this tends to increase the strength of the up-current inside the cumulus cloud. Heights of 25,000 feet have been reached recently in Germany by this means. If the pilot has no blind-flying instruments, or has no knowledge of their use, he deserts his thermal which has
31
borne him to the base of the cloud and departs in search of others. In this way cross-country flights of great distances can be accomplished. The world's distance record for sailplanes stands to-day at over 400 miles, and was set up by Rastorguzev in Russia. Thermal flight is the ambition of every hill soaring pilot. As long as he is a hill soarer he is confined to beating up and down above his hill, and he wants to be free to wander, instead of 500 feet high, at 5,000, where.he has a much greater range. The rising air of the hill must therefore be regarded merely as a spring-board from which he can find the thermals which can set him free. On days when there is too little wind to hill soar, or if it is blowing in the wrong direction, it will be realized that the soaring pilot has to find some other means of obtaining the initial height to look for thermals. Aeroplane towing is just becoming commonplace in this country, and as a means of getting soaring craft into the air is most successful. A 300 foot length of 3/16 in. steel cable is attached to a quick release in the aeroplane tail. The other end is attached in the same way to the nose of the sailplane. The aeroplane takes off, tows the sailplane behind it, and at 2;000 feet or so the sailplane pilot disengages his end of the tow cable and begins to study his variometer. He finds his thermal, and up and away he goes. Aeroplane towing is surprisingly easy, and a comparatively inexperienced pupil may be launched quite safely by this means. There is little to compare with the joy of thermal flying. To climb in graceful circles, in a good machine—watching the variometer as if your very life depended on it—playing a sort of blind man's buff with the column of rising air—has to be experienced to be believed. There is only the whistle of the wind for company, and only a little instrument plus your own skill in using it, to enable the flight to be prolonged. The patch of ground from which you have taken off has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp and you are rubbing shoulders with the clouds. Surely this is a thrilling enough goal for anyone with a little imagination to aim at? Why not join a gliding camp and make a start next summer? J. S. Sproule.
TIDWORTH TATTOO, 1938.
Before the commencement of the Tattoo there was a march past by men of the South African War Veterans' Association, the salute being taken by Major-General W. G. Tindsell, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. 32
The Tattoo itself started at 9-28 p.m., when the Tattoo trumpeters sounded " Fanfare for a Ceremonial Occasion." While this was being sounded the massed drums and fifes entered the arena and the " Retreat " was sounded. They played several popular tunes before making their exit. Next we were given the privilege of seeing a modern circus, in which some most peculiar " animals " took part: among them were elephants, whose native home is Candahar, performing horses (Mark IV) and some ponies bred in the Austin ". stud." The spectators were advised to stand between two Belisha beacons if any animal broke loose ! At 9-48 the massed bands, drums and bugles of the Southern Command made their first entry, and their magnificent uniform looked impressive under the glare of the strong searchlights. They played various selections from well-known musicians. We then witnessed a display of physical training by No. 2 R.A.F. Depot, Cardington. There were about 200 participants and not a single one of them was even out of time when doing the various exercises. It is wonderful to think that these men only joined up in May of this year (1938), and that they had not been specially picked. At 10-16 p.m. there was drill display by the Earl of Bath's Regiment (1685). The men taking part were meant to represent the 10th Foot of this regiment. The battalion was divided up into the three companies—Grenadiers, Pikemen and Musketeers, and they first of all did a little weapon training with their respective weapons. After having formed up to receive their Colonel, the battalion prepared to receive a cavalry charge, which was done in the following manner. The battalion formed a square, into which went the standards and the officers, the pikemen lowered their pikes, the grenadiers delivered their grenades, and the musketeers discharged their muskets. The battalion formed up again and, headed by the Earl of Bath, returned once more into the shades of the past. At 10-28 p.m. there was a humorous item entitled " The Bombardment of Toytown," accompanied by the Laurel and Hardy signature tune, " Fanfare Toyland." The pirate fleet entered the arena and sunk a pleasure boat, after which they commenced to bombard " defenceless " Toytown. Toytown was not defenceless, however; the Toytown navy engaged the pirates and sunk every pirate ship. Captain Hook was hanged and the other pirates were made to walk the plank. The item ended with a scene of rejoicing in Toytown, which gradually gave way to the calm of the fade-out. 33
The next item commenced at 10-41 p.m. with the second entry of the massed bands, drums and bugles of the Southern Command. A few more selections from well-known musicians were played. At 10-56 there was an item entitled " A Frontier Incident." War had broken out between the states of Gunfiro and Mechano, and the latter state was anxious for the safety of an outlying town of Tyro. A company of tanks were despatched to protect it, but as the scout tanks approached Tyro they came under heavy fire from the Gunfiros, who had captured Tyro. This necessitated bringing up the fighter tanks to quell the enemy's fire, so the scout tanks wirelessed back to the fighter tanks, who hastened to the scene and heavily bombarded Tyro. This drove the Gunfiros from Mechano's important town. At 11-5 p.m. we were once again taken into the past, when we were privileged to see the siege of Namur which began early in July and ended on the 26th August, 1695. We only witnessed the closing stages of the siege. On each flank of the arena a British battery was in action and the Ordnance Regiment were constructing chevaux de frise. All around these, turnpikes and musketeers were firing their pieces, while in the centre some musketeers were seen constructing a sap. King William III and his staff entered from the left and were followed by four companies of grenadiers and two companies of pikemen. An attack was ordered, in which two companies of musketeers and one of pikemen dashed forward under cover of artillery and musketry fire. However, this failed, and the attackers had to retreat with heavy loss. In a second attack, one company of pikemen and all the grenadiers made an assault on a breach in the wall which was made by the artillery. This was too much for the French, who at last surrendered. All William's troops drew up on either side of the road from the castle and William himself was at the end of the avenue formed by these troops. A French trumpeter sounded a call and the castle gates opened. Marshal Bouffleir followed by his staff and troops marched from the castle and surrendered with all the honours of war—colours flying, drums beating, and bullets between their teeth. As the French staff passed the English staff the officers of each raised their hats and bowed. The English colours were lowered in salute. At 11-20 there was a Lantern March and the Grand Finale. The massed bands played " The Vanished Army," 34
by Alford, and from each side of the arena there appeared strings of electric torches. They crossed the arena, wheeled round and formed a series of three circles—red and white on the flanks, red, white and blue in the centre. The bands played "The Changing of the Guard" (Flotsam and Jetsam) and the circles unwound and the lines of torches advanced. One by one the torches were extinguished and the arena was left in total darkness. Suddenly all the torches were lit and the Union Jack was seen, while the bands played " Rule, Britannia." The remaining performers entered from the back of the arena and advanced to the tunes of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. They grouped themselves round the flag and the bands played " Land of Hope and Glory," by Elgar. The lights were then dimmed and the Evening Hymn was sung by everyone. The trumpeters then sounded " Reveille " and the performance ended with the National Anthem. The Tattoo was wonderfully organised, and you will have been able to judge from the times I have mentioned that everything went to a strict plan. All proceeds went to Army charity. G. D. Jefferson.
A.R.P. The beginning of term coincided with the crisis, and the School found itself actively engaged in protective measures. Fortunately, the School House, Rise, St. Olave's and the Sanatorium all have excellent cellars, and under the direction of Mr. Wrenn, who had taken an anti-gas and decontamination course during the holidays, these cellars were made gasproof. A large quantity of anti-gas cloth and sandbags was purchased, and door and window frames were hastily made by the School carpenters. All windows were boarded up and sealed, and the panes themselves protected with cellophane, doors were provided with airlocks and gas curtains, chimneys and other openings were stopped with paper pulp and exterior window gratings were loosened to provide alternative exits. By this means, sufficient cellar accommodation, providing the recommended area per person, was obtained for about 200 people. In addition, trenches were dug near the Baths to provide emergency shelter in the playing fields. These were 35
supported with timber and roofed over, and should provide excellent protection against all but a direct hit. The Housemasters tested the fire-fighting squads already in existence and equipped the cellars with emergency requirements, medical supplies, etc., measured the entire School for gasmasks and finally staged a comprehensive rehearsal. Everyone was relieved when the job was done, and considerably more relieved when news of peace came from Munich. Even this relief, however, was tempered with the desire for preparedness, and permanent frames for sealing doors and windows have since been made for the cellars and stored, and the trenches are being carefully maintained.
OSTMARK. There is no doubt that many readers will be puzzled by the title of this contribution. In order to explain this, " Ostmark " is the new name for Austria introduced by Herr Hitler. After visiting this picturesque land before and after the annexation to Germany, one sees a great change in the people. Before, they were carefree and happy and said what they wished, but now their minds seem to have changed under the strict German regime. They are now a frightened people; frightened by the sign of the swastika and by soldiers, both of which can be seen everywhere. The former is displayed on cars, boats, trains, buildings, shopfronts, on the arm of every soldier and even for the love of their new sign some Austrian climbers have chipped it out of the stone face of a precipice high up in the mountains. This sign, however, does not altogether spell unhappiness. The poorer classes are better under the prosperous wing of the Fiihrer, for he has given them work in the numerous factories organised by the State. This is a very important fact, because before it became part of Germany, people had not worked for years, and the financial position of the country was very low. Although there have been many recent changes in Austria, the buildings are still standing to recall its former importance. During the last century, Vienna was the centre of a great Empire and, as a result, the rulers built magnificent palaces and laid out beautiful gardens in the centre of the city. Nowadays, these gardens are free for the public to enjoy and the palaces are empty like many 36
other large buildings in the city. Some of these are the old Embassies, which, when they were closed, sealed the conclusion of the Independence of Austria. Around Vienna there are many interesting buildings, among which is the famous monastery of Melk. This was built on a spur of land around which ran the Danube. As the Austrian people are very religious, the main altar was placed in such a position that the candles upon it could be seen by the boats on the river. This view, however, did not last very long, because the river flows so fast that it is continually changing its course. A little further away from the capital, along the vinecovered slopes of the Danube valley, there is the famous Castle Wahowe, in which Leopold of Austria imprisoned Richard, Coeur de Leon. This castle stands on the top of a hill which has precipitous sides, so the story about Blonde] singing the song outside the window can only be legendary. Another interesting story was told in the same village, describing how once it was totally submerged when the level of the river rose to a height of thirty feet. It can therefore be seen that Austria is a very interesting land for a holiday, but not a place to live in, particularly at present. C. M. Robson.
O.T.C. NEWS. One of the main points of interest last term was the inauguration of a signalling course under Mr. Jeffs. The only cadets who were permitted to take the course were those who had obtained or sat for the Certificate " A " theoretical. Naturally, unsuccessful Certificate " A " candidates will revert to the normal Certificate " A " course this term. Work for Certificate " A " is now arranged so that the larger batch of candidates will take the examination in March instead of November Last term the numbers of the Corps increased to 94. The contingent was divided into 3 platoons, No. 1 platoon was divided into 2 squads, one preparing for Certificate "A" theoretical, the other for Certificate " A " practical. Capt. Glendining having been sent out to Palestine, Capt. Woodward came in his place to take the Certificate " A " candidates in sand-table exercises. We should like to express our appreciation of all the trouble he has taken, and all the spare time he has devoted to us. No. 2 platoon have
37
for the most part been undergoing a series of lectures, which would come under the heading of groundwork in preparation for Certificate " A " next year. This leaves the recruits, who, we gather from Sgt.-Major Puddick, are progressing very favourably. Band practices were, we regret to report, rather disorganised by the rearranged time table, and few practices were held. We hope that this will somehow be• remedied next term. The following promotions were made last term :— C.Q.M.S. Cockburn was promoted to C.S.M. Sergeant Rucklidge was promoted to C.Q.M.S. Corporals Shepherd and Ping were promoted to Sergeants. L.-Corporal Douglas was appointed Band Sergeant.
SHOOTING.
There has been a good deal of activity at the range during the term. Part of this is due to the new County of Lancaster Winter League which the School have joined for the first time. This means a match a week throughout the two winter terms against most of the well-known public schools. Our first match, against Merchant Taylors (Crosby), resulted in a draw; we therefore receive one point each. Merchant Taylors (Crosby). School. ... 30 Shepherd ... 30 Wright, R. W. ... ... ... 31 Cole ... 28 Revill 119
119
The majority of the shooting, however, has been practising for the " Country Life," which is held next term. We have also had two postal matches on this course. The first, against King Edward's, Birmingham, was lost by 27 points. School. ... 71 57 Steele ... Cole ... 71 Revill 65 Shepherd ... 71 ... Harding 558 83 Wright, R. W. ... 82 Earle ... Inglis ... ... 58 ••... 584 King Edward's, Birmingham ... 38
The match against Leeds Grammar School resulted in a win for the School. School. Shepherd 72 Steele ... 71 Harding ... 72 Revill ... 71 Cole ... ... 76 Wright, R. W. 78 580 Earle ... ... 82 Inglis ... ... 58 Leeds Grammar School ... ... 559
RUGBY FOOTBALL, 1938. RUGGER RETROSPECT. With ten of last year's 1st XV still with us, we had every reason to expect a much more successful season, and this we can safely say we did accomplish. It was clear from the start that the material in the forwards was good, and that here would be the strength of the School side, but all the backs were very lacking in experience and technique. From the very first the team seemed to pick itself quite naturally, and throughout the season only a few changes were made, necessitated mainly through absentees or injuries, with the result that the side had the advantage of being able to play together as a team week after week. G. C. Brown soon showed that he had the makings of a very useful full-back, which brought Cameron up into the centre of the three-quarter line to add solidity, and K. C. Brown soon took up the position of fly-half, in an attempt to speed up the three-quarter line, leaving Graham to partner Cameron in the centre, with Lynch and Brockbank on the wings. This three-quarter line proved quite effective, and some most encouraging matches were played early in the season, but the back play generally was lacking in pace and confidence. Soon, however, Shillitoe began to show fine form on the wing, which resulted in the inevitable exclusion of Brockbank, and it was about this time also that Graham, with his safe pair of hands, was moved to fly-half, and Parker took the place of K. C. Brown in the centre, who was regrettably injured for the remainder of the season. This new line was sorely tested and put in some splendid defensive work, but lacked initiative in attack. The pack by this time had moulded itself from the eight best forwards available. They never really developed into 39
the first class pack one might have expected of them earlier in the season, chiefly through the lack of weight and strength in the front row, but without doubt they were the mainstay of the side. The line-out work was good, and play in the loose, both in defence and attack, was of a high standard. The side as a whole came through the season very meritoriously. With a little more speed in every department of the game, the balance of many of the matches may well have swung our way, which would have given the season real success. The future is bright, for in all probability at least eight of the team will be here next year, and again under the very capable captaincy of Milburn. The 2nd XV met with varying success, winning one very notable victory over Drax G.S. 1st XV, a victory which has not been registered for many years, and gained by a team chosen from those who had excelled in House matches. Points. A. F. L. D. W. P. 136 88 2 8 4 14 ... 1st XV 89 26 3 0 2 5 ... 2nd XV 36 59 2 0 1 3 Colts
1st XV CHARACTERS. H. A. Milburn* (Captain). Scrum-half. An extremely keen and hard-working player. His service is still a bit slow, and he has not yet acquired the skill of the reverse pass, but covering work has been invaluable, and he played some very good games towards the end of the season. M. S. Douglas* (Vice-Captain). Wing Forward. A very useful player, who lacked the speed to produce anything spectacular. Developed, through regular practice, into a very fine place-kicker, and was greatly missed when injured. A. C. W. Ping*. 2nd Row Forward. A first-rate player when roused. Probably more suited to the back row, where his speed could have been used to greater advantage, but circumstances would not allow it. His weight and strength will be greatly missed next year. G. P. G. Stephenson*. 3rd Row Forward. For one so heavily built, a surprisingly fast and agile forward. Got through an enormous amount of work both in the loose and tight, and was especially good in the line-out work and corner-flagging. 40
J. H. Butler*. 2nd Row Forward. A very sound scrummager. With a little more speed should develop into a very good forward. M. C. Robson*. Front Row Forward. A very promising forward, who, at times, can play a remarkably fine game. He possesses any amount of pluck. P. B. Cockburn*. Wing Forward. Rather slightly built and on the slow side, but was very good with his feet and followed up well. Played some of his best games early on in the season. R. C. Lynch*. Wing Three-quarter. A tower of strength in defence, and one who really put his shoulder into a tackle. Lacked the necessary speed in attack, but in defence he was always prepared to find extra work. G. C. Brown. Full-back. A very safe full-back. Always looked unperturbed, and one whom the three-quarter line could rely upon. His positioning and fielding were his strongest points, and his tackling improved tremendously. P. R. G. Graham. Fly-half. A player with a very sound sense of football. Possesses a safe pair of hands, and should develop into a very good player. Shows great keenness and pluck. J. H. T. Hunter. Front Row Forward. A young player who hooked consistently well, and never gave up hope of gaining possession of the ball. A tireless worker, and with a little more weight next year he should be really good. J. M. Couldwell. Front Row Forward. Rather a light forward, but a great trier. His packing in the tight was not all that one required, but he was very useful in the loose. T. F. Cameron. Centre Three-quarter. A player who had to adapt himself to the position and was never really at home. Had the weight and speed to carry himself through many an opposing three-quarter line, but he never seemed to realise his full capabilities. J. B. Shillitoe. Wing Three-quarter. Perhaps the find of the season. A fast player with a good swerve and hand-off. Improved tremendously in defence as the season progressed. R. M. Parker. Centre Three-quarter. A very young player who was carried through a hard season by his pluck. Showed great improvement, both in attack and defence, and should, with a little more speed, develop into a good player. * Denotes a Cap. The whole team are Colours. 41
1st XV MATCHES. ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. CATTERICK GARRISON. Played at Home, Saturday, October 1st. Result—St. Peter's School 5, Catterick Garrison 14. In this, the first match of the season, the School fielded a full team, with the exception of Cameron, whose place in the centre was taken by Graham. The game started with a great deal of vigour, but was sadly lacking in skill, and the first ten minutes were spent in mid-field without reward. The first movement of any note revealed gaps in the School defence, but Brockbank brought down his man in fine style. Milburn kicked well for touch on several occasions, but the rest of the backs were rather slow and irresolute. From a scrum on the Garrison "25" line, however, the ball went quickly to Brown (K. C.), who kicked ahead in crafty fashion, but Lynch, though following up hard, was unable to complete the movement. Thus encouraged, the School forwards very nearly scored with a rush, but Catterick escaped with a " 25." Shortly after the Catterick inside-half made a very high punt ahead from a scrum well inside his own half, which bounced about among the School backs, who experienced an anxious time before the ball was finally over-kicked by an attacker and went " dead." The game then lapsed into mediocrity until half-time, at which juncture no one had either scored or looked like scoring. Immediately after the interval Morison broke through following a scrum in mid-field, but was not supported. After eight minutes' play the Garrison back division came into its own, and Hendry ran past his man strongly and scored some fifteen yards from the posts. The kick failed. This was followed by a very good movement, sending the wing over at the corner. The kick at goal failed, partly owing to the inability of the kicker to run properly to the ball because of the bank. The School wasted as little time as possible in fighting back, but their hopes were dashed when a combined movement over three-quarters the length of the field brought the deficit to 11 points. Undaunted, Brown (K. C.) kicked ahead, and with several forwards following up, the ball was forced to the line, and from the resultant scrum, Hunter dived over the line for a try, which Milburn easily converted. Even play followed, but just before " no-side," Catterick scored a final try to give them victory by 14-5. Of the backs, Milburn was the best, while Brown (K. C.) was 42
sound in defence. The wings, Lynch and Brockbank, had little to do, but Brown (G. C.) caught some nasty kicks at full-back. Douglas, Ping, Robson and Stephenson were the pick of the pack. Team :—G. C. Brown ; J. T. Brockbank, P. R. G. Graham, K. C. Brown, R. C. Lynch ; I. D. C. Morison, H. A. Milburn; J. H. Butler, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, G. P. G. Stephenson, R. M. Chappell, M. S. Douglas, A. C. W. Ping, P. B. Cockburn.
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. MR. R. F. HARDING'S XV. Played at Home, Saturday, October 8th. Result—St. Peter's School 12, Mr. Harding's XV 10. Owing to the cancellation of the fixture with the York and Lancaster Regiment, Mr. Harding got together a scratch side, comprising ten " Tigers," as the soldiers call themselves in moments of excitement, Mr. Bendall, Mr. Stead, Mr. Crews and Mr. Wrenn. The School back division had undergone several changes since the previous Saturday: Milburn was indisposed and Morison omitted, giving rise to a new half-back combination, while Cameron came in at centre. The match, as most others with the local military, began with a prolonged period of skirmishing in mid-field, which benefited neither man nor boy. The School took up the initiative, however, when Graham found touch inside the " 25." From a loose maul the ball was whipped along to Brockbank, whose only possible policy was to run hard. This he did, and scored near the corner. The School went further ahead when Brockbank intercepted a pass in his own " 25," jinked his way past Mr. Stead and scored under the posts. The kick sadly lacked magnitude and direction. The visiting forwards were lively, but could not supply Mr. Bendall and Mr. Harding with scoring chances, though once Mr. Harding nearly scored when his kick-ahead just rolled into touch with the defence beaten. Just before halftime, Cameron kicked diagonally ahead, and taking advantage of a defensive fumble, picked up the ball and went over seven yards from the flag (9-0) . In the second half the " Tigers" forwards showed much more dash in the loose, and the School pack did very well to hold them. And then, after a quiet period, the School launched another attack. The forwards, notably Douglas and Ping, took the ball to within five yards of the line. After 43
the resultant scrum, Dickinson worked the blind-side to give Brockbank an easy try. From a narrow angle, Douglas went just wide with his kick. Within ten minutes the complexion of the game had turned completely as a result of two beautiful swerving runs by Mr. Harding, one of which he completed himself and the other of which paved the way for a try near the corner. Both these tries were converted by Rodgers in a very assured manner. Mr. Harding's XV continued to press and seemed likely to score again. That they did not, was due mainly to the forwards, together with a slice of luck. And so, when " no-side " did come, the School were still in possession of their two points lead. Team :—G. C. Brown; J. T. Brockbank, T. F. Cameron, P. R. G. Graham, R. C. Lynch ; K. C. Brown, E. N. Dickinson; J. H. Butler, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, A. C. W. Ping, R. M. Chappell, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. DURHAM SCHOOL. Played at Durham, Saturday, October 15th. Result—Durham School 3, St. Peter's School 3. With Milburn back at scrum-half, the School went to Durham with a will to erase from memory the ignominy of last year's defeat. The condition of the field was perfect, and the sun was shining when Graham kicked off down the slope. At once the School forwards began to bustle their opponents in the loose, and also to heel beautifully in the set scrums. More than once the School backs executed movements, but from a wild inside pass during one of these, Burchnall intercepted, and running strongly for forty yards, evaded Brown, and scored well out on the left—too far out for Orwin to convert. This renewed memories of the past, but the pack was not disheartened, and soon installed itself well inside the Durham half. The ball came sharply from Milburn at the base of the scrum (once or twice a little too sharply for the liking of Mr. Holmes), but the backs lacked penetrative power. In addition to this the School conceded too many penalties, which Orwin invariably dispatched with great vigour to gain forty or fifty yards. However, the School eventually did score. The pack, with Ping and Stephenson in the fore, bored its way to within striking distance: Out came the ball to Graham, who, 44
partially breaking through, passed to Cameron, who in turn passed to Brockbank. He dived over the line, just getting the touch before defenders, Brockbank, ball, corner-flag and all went in a heap into touch-in-goal. Thus elated, the School controlled play until half-time with the score 3-3. Afterwards the Durham backs came into their own, mainly owing to the thrust of Orwin and Burchnall. Continuing to dominate the scrums, the School forwards checked them, but instead of opening the game up, Milburn chose to kick and nurse his pack. This he did with commendable effect. And so it went on, until the closing stages, when the School defence was sorely tested. Orwin tried to drop a goal with no one in the immediate vicinity, and failed ; Burchnall twice executed the scissors with territorial, if not tangible success ; and once when away on his own on the right was well tackled by Brown (G. C.) . But when " no-side " came (and to prove how enjoyable the game was, it came quickly) the forwards were back rollicking in mid-field with Ping, Douglas, Stephenson and Robson leading the way. After the match, Ping was re-awarded his colours. Team :—G. C. Brown; J. T. Brockbank, T. F. Cameron, P. R. G. Graham, R. C. Lynch ; K. C. Brown, H. A Milburn ; J. H. Butler, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, R. M. Chappell, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. KING'S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY. Played at Home, Wednesday, October 19th. Result—St. Peter's School 6, K.O.Y.L.I. 8. In a match notable for hard scrummaging, yet containing few constructive movements, K.O.Y.L.I. beat the School, a goal and a penalty goal outweighing two penalty goals by 8-6. At first the School defence, which had weathered the storm so well on the previous Saturday at Durham, was rather shaky, and provided openings for a strong-running, though not exceptionally clever, three-quarter line. The fly-half made a spirited dash for 20 yards before being bottled by Douglas and Robson inches from the line. After some desperate scrimmaging the School took the ball away. The School gradually dominated the set scrums and gave the backs a liberal supply of the ball, which, it must be admitted, was wasted. 45
The soldiers retaliated with a grand rush, overcoming a temporary stoppage by Milburn to end up well inside the School " 25." Before the defence had become reorganised the ball was out along the line and a try duly recorded under the posts, followed by an easy conversion. Subsequent play was of the ding-dong nature, but the School were penalised for off-side some forty yards from the posts, from which a very fine goal was kicked. Milburn broke through on the blind-side and, not receiving any assistance, kicked ahead to the full-back, who was promptly collared inside his " 25." A scrum formed round and eventually the School were awarded a penalty three yards from the touch-line, which Douglas kicked with a brilliant shot. After half-time the School were given another penalty, this time under the posts, presenting no difficulty to Milburn. Having been raised to within two points of the K.O.Y.L.I. without apparent effort, the School were encouraged to fight harder, and for some time remained on the attack; Milburn sent out some good passes, giving Brown a lot of room, but the line lacked cohesion and was easily smothered. The three-quarter defence, however, was good, especially on the wings. The forwards continued to fight inch for inch with their heavier opponents, and in the loose, Douglas and Ping were the best on the field, but no further score resulted. Team :—G. C. Brown ; J. T. Brockbank, R. M. S. Parker, P. R. G. Graham, R. C. Lynch ; K. C. Brown, H. A. Milburn ; J. M. Couldwell, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. v.: * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. DENSTONE COLLEGE. Played at Home, Wednesday, October 26th. Result St. Peter's School 0, Denstone College 6. On this, their first visit to York, Denstone beat the School by two tries, scored late in the game, to nil, after an exciting struggle between two very strong packs of forwards and two rather stolid back divisions. At the beginning it was all St. Peter's. Cameron broke through, and finding himself unsupported, kicked ahead, but the situation was saved by Deighton, who was cornerflagging faithfully. Thus established, the forwards tried their hardest to stay in the Denstone " 25," and before relief came, the defence was sorely pressed. 46
The Denstone forwards, though lighter, were every bit as lively as the School's, and got the better of the scrums, but despite Cunningham's quick and accurate passes, the centres wasted their chances with unimaginative running. The game closed up as time wore on, the forwards loosing blast and counter-blast at one another. Milburn very nearly scored by dashing after a loose ball bouncing near the Denstone centres, but near the posts he tripped up, and a defender got the touch. And so, with slices of luck, each side had maintained its defensive reputation by half-time. In the second half, fortunes continued to fluctuate with exciting frequency, and the School nearly went ahead when Cameron, intercepting in his own half, kicked ahead, only to be beaten by a fraction for the touch by Burrow. More ding-dong play followed before Butler, after a fine run, crossed the goal line, only to find himself unable to come to earth, as the whole Denstone pack had temporarily nullified gravitational force by combined effort. A scrum formed in the very corner of the field with the three-quarters aching for a quick pass, which did not arrive. Denstone fought back with a rush and the danger was averted, and in a trice they were right on the School line, due to a run by Cunningham. After some scrimmaging the ball went along the line to Gandy, who shot over the line near the corner. The School tried hard to draw level without success, and Denstone came again, and after some good backing-up Cunningham scored 25 yards out on the right. The writing was now on the wall, as but five minutes remained for play, and try as they would the School could make no impression upon an invigorated Denstone. The forwards played well with Ping, Butler, Robson and Douglas outstanding. Milburn struck an unlucky day, the three-quarters defended well, and Brown (G. C.) played coolly and well. Team :—G. C. Brown; J. T. Brockbank, T. F. Cameron, P. R. G. Graham, R. C. Lynch ; K. C. Brown, H. A. Milburn; C. M. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Couldwell, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. HEADINGLEY " A." Played at Home, Saturday, October 29th. Result—St. Peter's School 3, Headingley "A" 0. The School team showed two changes from the team beaten three days before, Rucklidge coming in for Couldwell in the front row, and Shillitoe for Brockbank on the right wing. 47
Immediately, play was lively and both sets of backs executed movements without getting anywhere. The Headingley three-quarters moved quite fast, but passed rather wildly. Then followed a quiet period in mid-field ; at one scrum Milburn had to put the ball in seven times before it was heeled correctly. A good Headingley run took play into the School " 25," and after a dangerous attack a five yards scrum was given. More classical scrummaging followed before a forward rush, led by Stephenson and Ping, cleared the danger. A beautiful kick by Brown (K. C.) found touch near the line, and a forward passing movement in the course of which six members of the pack handled the ball ensued, but at halftime neither side has scored. Headingley started again with a vigorous attack. St. Lawrence was quick at outside-half and set his threequarters going well, but the School defence was dour and easily covered them. The School came again, and good backing up produced a promising movement on the right, but Lynch, who had moved over from the left wing, was tackled short of the line. Five minutes later, however, a similar movement led to a try at the same place ; Milburn ran, and passed by way of Graham to Cameron, who, handing off Crear, scored in the corner. Douglas made a good effort to convert from this narrow angle, but was just short. As time wore on it seemed rather doubtful whether this would prove the winning try, for during the closing minutes Headingley hammered away. The ball went back and forth across the field with their three-quarters. Sometimes it was a matter of inches which decided whether or no the School Maginot Line was pierced, and at other times, a matter of opinion. The forwards played heroically, and the loose scrums were like Bedlam let loose. However, no-side came with the score still 3-0, and with relief to all. Team :—G. C. Brown ; J. B. Shillitoe, T. F. Cameron, P. R. G. Graham, R. C. Lynch ; K. C. Brown, H. A Milburn ; C. M. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Rucklidge, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * *
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL. Played at Home, Saturday, November 5th. Result:--St. Peter's School 40, Giggleswick 3. Despite the overwhelming margin by which 5 goals and 5 tries exceeds one solitary try, the game in mid-field was surprisingly even, and most of the School tries were scored 48
from movements initiated well outside the Giggleswick " 25," which exposed great defensive weaknesses. The game was virtually won and lost inside ten minutes, for in that short time the School had crossed their opponents' line no fewer than three times. Milburn dived over for the first after Stephenson and Douglas had worked the ball up into the " 25." Douglas converted with an excellent kick. Brown (K. C.) scored the second in the left corner after the Giggleswick pack had been hard pressed to stop a forward passing movement on the right. Brown also made the running for the third, scored by Cameron. The School were then forced on to the defensive, and after one or two breaks through by Taylor, Murgatroyd took advantage of a fumble and raced over twenty yards out. Play was even for a while and fine forward rushes, led by Robson, Ping, Stephenson and Cockburn, staved off impending danger, but once, when all seemed lost, Douglas came out of the blue to kick dead from the feet of a Giggleswickian. Just before half-time play was back in its rightful quarter, and Shillitoe, snapping up an opportunity, ran down the left wing to score in the corner. Half-time came with the School in possession of a 14 3 lead. In the second half, playing down the wind, the School ran riot, and with little ado scored four more tries in a quarter-of-an-hour. They were due to good backing up, and the scorers, Stephenson (2), Ping and Douglas, raced quite clear of the defence in each case. Douglas converted one of these with a long kick, and Milburn kicked two others from less spectacular angles. The Giggleswick pack retaliated admirably in the face of chaos, and put in some spirited rushes, in addition to serving their backs, who were not similarly disposed as regards dash, and were consequently of little danger to the School defence. Brown (K. C.) scored a brilliant try 11 minutes from time by cutting past his man on the half-way line, running to the left, and then jerking to the right, landing up between the posts. With the formality of conversion over, the score was 37-3, but just on time, Cameron kicked a loose ball from half-way and went over well out on the left to make it 40-3. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, P. R. G. Graham, J. B. Shillito ; K. C. Brown, H. A. Milburn; C. M. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Couldwell, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. 49
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. YORK. Played at Home, Saturday, November 12th. Result—St. Peter's School 3, York 6. Though the York match has, in recent years, been a hard and close game, there have been few in which the issue was in doubt until so late in the game, as this, when a scrambled try four minutes from time upset the equilibrium between a penalty goal and a try. York kicked off towards the School and immediately began to press. Their forwards, however, were sluggish and cumbersome, and heeled too slowly for the backs to find openings. The School pack was not lacking in spirit, and Stephenson and Ping took play down to the right corner, where a huge scrum formed almost on the line. A five yards scrum was given, but, with the inspiration gone, the danger was quickly cleared. Back in mid-field again the School conceded several penalties for scrum infringement. Lockwood was yards short with one shot at goal, and, profiting from experience, exploited the subtlety of kicking a little way along the ground and picking up again, with his next. Two School forwards, however, bristling at the thought of deception, deprived him of the ball in no uncertain manner. Two minutes later, York broke through the middle and scored beneath the posts. The School soon drew level through Douglas, who placed a fine penalty goal from 40 yards. Close upon this a bout of passing culminated when Milburn, with several ,players backing up, kicked ahead twenty yards from the line. The ball pitched near the corner, but bounced abnormally high and was scrambled away into touch. In the second half, York had slightly more of the play, and the advantage of weight in the pack began to tell on the School. The School forwards fought well and in the loose gave nothing away. The three-quarter defence, too, was sound, and neither Barton nor Wanke was given much liberty. What opportunities came the way of the School were taken heartily; a fine run by Lynch and an inside pass on the left touch line nearly sent in Stephenson, and this was followed by a mass attack by the forwards, which York survived with the aid of a " 25." On the other hand, a dropped kick grazed the wrong side of the School upright. With but four minutes left, Shaf toe kicked the ball over the line and won the race for the touch some eight yards out. 50
In what time remained, the School pressed, but the minutes sped by too quickly, and no-side came with the score still 6-3. Team :—G. C. Brown; J. T. Brockbank, T. F. Cameron, R. C. Lynch, J. B. Shillitoe ; K. C. Brown, H. A. Milburn ; J. M. Couldwell, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * *
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. MOUNT ST. MARY'S COLLEGE. Played at Home, Saturday, November 19th. Result—St. Peter's School 3, Mount St. Mary's 3. Lacking the services of Douglas, Cockburn and Brown (K. C.) in the important positions of wing-forward and outside half, the School were considerably weakened for this match. Positional changes were many; Holt and Steele came into the back row, while Graham returned to fill Brown's place. Lynch went back to the wing, whence he came instead of Brockbank, another casualty, with Parker in the centre. The School began slowly, and the first signs of life were checked by a penalty award. Another penalty kick, adjudged to be within range, fell woefully short to Cameron, who found a good touch in the Mount half. The threequarters saw quite a bit of the ball, but failed to impress either the spectators or the Mount defence, though Shillitoe twice came near to scoring. Aided greatly by School infringements, Mount St. Mary's attacked for most of the time during the first half, but looked dangerous only when their right centre broke through. On one occasion his kick ahead presented the wing with a gift of a chance, which was promptly knocked on. No sooner had Butler and Stephenson dribbled back into midfield when a " foot-up " infringement gave away an easy penalty goal. In the second half it was a different story. The School forwards gained the ascendancy in the loose, if not in the tight, and began to live up to the reputation they acquired in the Durham match. With Ping, Stephenson, Robson and Hunter always in the fore, the pack frequently made storming raids and were unlucky on one occasion not to score, when the Mount back got the touch after a collective dribble. An equalising try seemed inevitable, and after a scrum under the posts play moved over to the left. A loose scrum 51
formed on the line. The ball stuck in the back row for a time, but eventually Milburn dived over on the blind side. The kick failed. With ten minutes remaining, the battle waxed fast and furious. The forwards rushed and the three-quarters ran and kicked, but they could not pierce the Mount defence; Graham broke through, but was outnumbered, when a pass to Stephenson might have been more productive. But, altogether, the attacks showed too little guile to beat a very alert defence, and as no one was sufficiently imprudent as to concede a penalty within goal-kicking range, the scores remained level. Of the forwards, Ping and Robson were the most prominent, though Holt and Steele made promising debuts. Shillitoe was the most dangerous of the backs. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, R. M. S. Parker, J. B. Shillitoe ; P. R. G. Graham, H A Milburn; M. C. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Couldwell, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, H. G. Holt, G. P. G. Stephenson, F. F. Steele.
*
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. TRENT COLLEGE. Played Away, Thursday, November 24th. Result—Trent 11, St. Peter's School 0. this, the second away match of the season, the In School was beaten by 1 goal and 2 tries (11 points) to nil. The game began with some peculiar scrumming during which the School forwards were pushed off their feet and could only reply by wheeling, with the result of a useless maul. Trent heeled better and at once looked dangerous ; a passing movment between Scott and Hackney sent the latter over near the corner after four minutes. The School heeling suddenly improved, but the back division lacked speed and resolution. The , game was punctuated with penalties, which affected play considerably as the ground was both dry and small, and the ball, consequently, light. Play, on the whole, was scrappy, but the forwards on both sides played hard football. Ping and Stephenson were outstanding in the School pack, and Milburn kicked well to touch from the base of the scrum. Trent went further ahead when Charles, gathering a loose ball outside the School " 25," ran with astonishing determination and skill to score half-way out, a distance not beyond his goal-kicking powers. 52
In the second half, the School heeled better, and Milburn and Graham set the " threes " moving in a more determined fashion. The game stayed mostly inside the Trent half, and several opportunities came the School's way, but none were exploited to the full. The heavier Trent pack rallied, and though still beaten for possession, supplied Scott with enough of the ball to pin the School on the defensive, and, after one movement right across the field, Hackney scored in the corner. (The details of the try are left to the imagination as the writer's nose was firmly embedded in the ground at the time.) Thenceforward the School defence was severely tested, and found relief only by sterling tackling and penalty kicks. Even so, Hackney got over, only to be adjudged to be in touch. Having weathered the storm, Douglas and Hunter took the ball into the security of the Trent half, where Shillitoe made a good run down the wing, and Cockburn a dribble down the centre. But the Trent defence remained firm and and all effort was vain. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, R. M. S. Parker ; J. B. Shillitoe ; P. R. G. Graham, H. A. Milburn ; J. M. Couldwell, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, H. G. Holt, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. WORKSOP COLLEGE. Played Away, Saturday, November 26th. Result—Worksop 22, St. Peter's School 0. Playing with fourteen men for all but thirty seconds of the game, the School were faced with great difficulties in holding the fast Worksop backs on such a dry ground. What suspicions Brown (K. C.) had concerning his ankle were fully justified, for in the first minute it went again, demanding the withdrawal from the pack of a lot of weight, in the person of Ping. Despite this early set-back it was the School who attacked first, but Pinkney intercepted a pass and ran dangerously over half the field before being tackled into touch by Brown (G. C.). Thenceforth the Worksop " threes " showed themselves to be fast and nippy in attack, and, after a fine corkscrew run, Evans ran in on the right, conversion being effected with ease. Worksop continued to dominate the game, and went further ahead when Rhodes kicked a penalty goal from 53
thirty-five yards. The seven School forwards showed considerable dash and spirit in the loose, but in the set scrums 'weight told and Worksop heeled the more often. At half-time the score was 11-0, increased by a scrambled try in the left-hand corner. Immediately after the resumption of play Worksop came away with a rush, forcing a five-yards scrum, and Rhodes, coming in at outside-half, slipped inside the covering forwards and went clean through. Robson, Stephenson and Hunter were very lively in the loose and propelled their way to the Worksop " 25," but the School passing was too stereotyped to be of any use, and the main method of progression became the kicking of Milburn, and occasionally Graham, together with close rushes. There followed, as a result of these tactics, a slow period notable for nothing, but Rhodes kicked another penalty goal, and Worksop were in an impregnable position. The School, however, rallied strongly, but could not penetrate a sound defence. Just before time Pinkney broke through the centre and swerved round Brown to score ten yards out. The scoring was completed with Rhodes' conversion. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, K. C. Brown, J. B. Shillitoe ; P. R. G. Graham, H. A. Milburn ; J. M. Couldwell, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, A. C. W. Ping, J. H. Butler, J. G. Holt, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn.
* * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. AMPLEFORTH COLLEGE. Played Away, Saturday, December 3rd. Result—Ampleforth 15, St. Peter's School 8. At Gilling, the School lost to Ampleforth by three goals (15 points) to a goal and a penalty goal (8 points) after a fine, fast, open game. In the first half, Ampleforth played down the hill, while the School had the sun in their eyes and faced a slight breeze. After some inaccurate play around the half-way line, the Ampleforth pack came away with a dribble which was checked only five yards from the line, but a loose scrum formed round and the ball went quickly along the line, for the right centre to cross the line about fifteen yards from the left-hand corner. Sutton converted with a fine kick. The distribution of the ball in the set scrums was even, but in the line-out Douglas was prominent, giving the School backs more chances. But though Milburn threw out
54
accurate passes, the " threes " were unable to break through or score. The second Ampleforth try contained an element of luck, as Brown's charged-down kick bounced with extraordinary friendliness for the forwards, who were backing up. Just on half-time the home fly-half went in on his own underneath the posts with two sharp side-steps. Both these tries were converted, giving Ampleforth a very flattering interval lead of fifteen points. The School resumed with considerably more fervour, and soon it was evident that fifteen points was not too big a total to sit upon, taking into account the gradient of the field. Several times the Ampleforth line knew fortune, but after thirteen minutes Douglas kicked a magnificent penalty goal from forty-five yards. Thus encouraged, the School renewed their efforts, and after a grand rush, Stephenson dived over between the posts, and Douglas kicked his second goal. The home side recovered from these shocks well and forced the School on to the defensive. In one nasty spell the School posts became plastered with penalty shots and drops at goal, none of which went over. The School came again. Shillitoe made a fine run down the left and the pack nearly forced its way over with a concerted rush, but no further scoring was registered. It is an interesting point that all the scoring was done by the side playing down the slope. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, R. M. S. Parker, J. B. Shillitoe; P. R. G. Graham, H. A. Milburn; J. M. Couldwell, J. H. T. Hunter, C. M. Robson, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * * ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. YORKSHIRE WANDERERS. Played at Home, Wednesday, December 7th. Result—St. Peter's School 0, Yorkshire Wanderers 32. In their last match before Christmas, Yorkshire Wanderers defeated the School by four goals, a penalty goal and three tries to nil, after having enjoyed an eight points' lead at the interval. The severity of the defeat was due to a rout in the last quarter-of-an-hour. The School forwards more than held their own at the outset, heeling the ball regularly to Milburn, who set the line running smoothly, but without penetration. The first Wanderers' try was snapped up by Jones on the right, and 55
the second by Lister on the left. The School defence, however, dealt adequately with orthodox passing movements, and a close struggle seemed inevitable. In the early part of the second half, the School pack played magnificently. Douglas, Ping, Stephenson and Robson excelled in the loose, and Douglas in the lines-out. This forward power seemed the only instrument of scoring. But as time wore on, the heavier Wanderers' pack assumed the command and the rout began. Their backing up was magnificent and their dribbling fast. Behind, such speedy backs as Jones, Holderness and Heaton exploited the School centre weakness to the full. Time and again Heaton broke through, providing Holderness with two tries and Jones with one. By full time the total amounted to 32 points, but the School forwards stuck to their job to the end and can in no way be blamed for such a reminder of the cricket season. Of the backs, Milburn played well, but Graham ran across the field too much. Team :—G. C. Brown; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, R. M. S. Parker, J. B. Shillitoe; P. R. G. Graham, H. A. Milburn; C. M. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Couldwell, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn. * * *
ST. PETER'S SCHOOL v. LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL. Played Away, Saturday, December 10th. Result—Leeds G.S. 3, St. Peter's School 5. In the last match of the season, the School defeated Leeds Grammar School by a goal to a try after a very exciting finish, when the School rallied and scored a goal in the last four minutes. Leeds came away with a rush, and the first scrum was formed ten yards from the School posts. The first ten minutes were all Leeds', whose forwards were making the most of the slope. The School defence was good, and the forwards' covering excellent. Just as the School were beginning to fight back, in the form of forward rushes led by Douglas and Butler, a kick-ahead by Holdsworth was followed up, and in a race for the touch the Leeds player just beat Brown to land a try in the very corner. A School revival was due, but until after the interval, the Leeds forwards dominated proceedings. The School pack stuck in well, however, and with Milburn often finding useful touches from the scrums, the game developed into a mid-field struggle. 56 •
After half-time it was the School who pressed. Playing in this half down the slope, the forwards were much more lively, and took the initiative from Leeds, who, for a time, lapsed into mediocrity. By this time the ball was rather too much like a piece of tripe for the backs, who always frolic better with a nice dry ball, and so, by the process of elimination, a forward struggle began. Leeds came again and actually crossed the line, but were pulled back for a forward pass. After' some anxious moments on the line, Robson and Cockburn dribbled clear. As time went on, the School got more and more on top, but seemed to lack the necessary scoring power. So far, Carter, the Leeds full-back, had been a stumbling block, but with four minutes remaining his kick was charged down by Shillitoe, and Cockburn, backing up furiously, found himself high and dry with the ball at his feet about three yards from the line. Realising the responsibility and the time at his disposal, Cockburn studiously urged the ball over the line and then fell flat upon it, to place the issue beyond doubt. the task of conversion fell to Douglas, who kicked a beautiful goal from half-way out with the extremely difficult ball. Now it was Leeds who were fighting back. The forwards swept down the field in a fine rush, but were firmly checked and driven back, the whistle going for time during a School attack. Team :—G. C. Brown ; R. C. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, R. M. S. Parker, J. B. Shillitoe; P. R. G. Graham, H. A. Milburn; C. M. Robson, J. H. T. Hunter, J. M. Couldwell, J. H. Butler, A. C. W. Ping, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, P. B. Cockburn.
2nd XV MATCHES. 2nd XV v. YORK " B." Result—Won: 2nd XV 3, York " B " 0. Played at Home on October 15th. Morison won the toss and the School kicked off towards Clifton. The ball, however, went straight into touch, and from the scrum-back, York heeled quickly. The ball did not pass far along the York " threes " before it was dropped, and the School forwards took the opportunity of a good rush, which brought the ball into touch in the York " 25." After this, the play remained in this half for most of the time. 57
The chief feature of the game was the loose scrums, in which neither side excelled, and it was in one of these that York were penalised on their own " 10 yard " line. Hodgson took the kick, and the ball sailed smoothly over the bar for three points—a magnificent kick. For the rest of the first half, the School " threes " were prevented from scoring by Cross, the full back, whose tackling and kicking was good. Once, however, Shillitoe broke through, only to run right over the dead ball line. In the second half, York attacked, and it was only the " unorthodox," but successful School tackling that prevented their scoring. The School pack had been very successful in the set scrums (due especially to Taylor's good hooking), so after the interval Couldwell took scrums instead of line-outs. York continued to attack, and were awarded three penalties between the posts, on about the School " 25," all in the space of seven minutes. All failed, the last due to a good jump by Steele. After this, the School pressed on by quick forward dribbles and also good dashes by Dickinson and Morison. When the final whistle went, the School were well inside the York " 25." Team :—F. J. Hornby ; C. N. S. Killick, R. M. S. Parker, J. I. Sleight, J. B. Shillitoe; I. D. C. Morison, E. N. Dickinson; J. M. Couldwell, H. Taylor, J. M. Rucklidge, P. A. Andrew, J. G. Holt, F. F. Steele, G. E. Shepherd, E. Hodgson. * * *
2nd XV v. DRAX G.S. 1st XV. Result—Lost: Drax G.S. 1st XV 39, 2nd XV 11. Played Away on October 19th. There were two changes in the team which played York on Saturday : Chappell came in for Couldwell, and Wright displaced Steele, who was unfit. Drax kicked off and found touch. For the next five minutes, play remained in the York half, until Drax were awarded a penalty on the " 25 " line. The kick failed, but a few minutes later the home " threes " broke through to score a try, which was ably converted by Womack, the Drax captain. From the kick-off, the School pressed hard, and after a quick heel from the half-way line, Shillitoe broke through to score under the corner flag. Drax scored another goal soon after, but the School equalised again with a fine try by Killick beneath the bar. Hodgson found no difficulty in converting it. Before half-time, each side scored another three points, Shillitoe scoring again for York. (Score 13-11.) 58
In the second half, the School kicked off with a renewed hope, which was very soon dashed by Womack, who scored two magnificent tries on his own, and further, converted them both. Unfortunately, he was injured some minutes later, and had to be taken off. He soon returned, however, and scored twice before the whistle went. The tackling was very poor all round, which probably accounted for such a heavy defeat. Among the backs, Shillitoe, Sleight and Morison were outstanding, while among the forwards, Rucklidge was good in the line-outs, and some good dribbles were led by Andrew and Hodgson. Team :—F. J. Hornby ; C. N. S. Killick, J. M. Walters, J. I. Sleight, J. B. Shillitoe; I. D. C. Morison, E. N. Dickinson; R. W. Wright, H. L. Taylor, J. M. Rucklidge, J. G. Holt, R. M. Chappell, P. A. Andrew, G. E. Shepherd, E. Hodgson. * * *
2nd XV v. DRAX G.S. 1st XV. Result—Won : 2nd XV 12, Drax G.S. 1st XV 11. Played at Home on November 16th. There were two changes in the team which had played away a month previously, the newcomers being Greenwood, and Belchamber. Soon after the start, Drax scored an early try under the posts, which was easily converted. Both sides then pressed hard, until Drax scored again. Soon after, however, Killick received the ball after a good three-quarter movement on the home " 25," and, running like a hare along the touchline, scored a magnificent try. Before the interval, Drax scored another unconverted try, to bring the score up to 11-3. In the next half, the School played with renewed spirits, attacking the visitors' defence with countless forward movements, and then heeling to give the backs a chance to score. The next try was scored by Killick, who just managed to touch down after a short dribble.. Although the Drax forwards heeled more often from the set scrums, their backs, especially Womack, were never allowed to get going, due to the experience learnt in the previous match. In the last ten minutes the School forwards pressed hard, and their efforts were rewarded when Dickinson carried the side to victory by scoring twice from loose scrums, on the blind side. Final score :-2nd XV 4 tries (12 points), Drax G.S. 2 tries, 1 goal (11 points). 59
Team :—A. S. Clephan ; C. N. S. Killick, R. M. S. Parker, J. I. Sleight, E. P. Bulmer; I. D. C. Morison, E. N. Dickinson; P. A. Andrew, K. Greenwood, G. E. Shepherd, J. M. Rucklidge, J. G. Holt, F. F. Steele E. Hodgson, ; H. Belchamber.
* * * 2nd XV v. YORK " B."
Result—Lost: 2nd XV 0, York 3. Played at Home on November 19th. For this match, the side was considerably weakened, as three regular players were required for the 1st XV. The game was played on a quagmire of mud, there being scarcely a blade of grass in the centre of the field. Morison won the toss and York kicked off towards Clifton. From the start, it was obvious that an open game would be impossible, for both sides found difficulty in catching the ball cleanly. Both in the scrums and line-outs, in the first half, the School forwards backed the ball more often than their opponents, but the three-quarters never took the opportunities given them. Consequently, Morison changed the tactics, and he and Dickinson made a lot of ground by some good touch-kicking. Shortly before halftime, York were penalised some forty yards from their own try line. Hodgson, however, failed to score with such a wet ball. In the next half, the School forwards pressed hard with some useful dribbles, but too long a kick enabled Richardson to pick up the ball and run through to score an unconverted try. In the last ten minutes, the School kept the ball well inside the York " 25," nearly scoring twice. Team :—A. S. Clephan ; C. N. S. Killick, J. I. Sleight, J. R. Walters, E. P. Bulmer; I. D. C. Morison, E. N. Dickinson ; J. M. Rucklidge, K. Greenwood, H. Taylor, G. E. Shepherd, R. M. Chappell, E. Hodgson, P. A. Andrew, H. Belchamber.
* * * 2nd XV v. RIPON G.S. 1st XV.
Result—Lost: Ripon G.S. 30, 2nd XV 0. Played at Ripon on November 23rd. Once again, the strength of the School team was weakened by two injuries, both of whom were forwards. Morison won the toss and decided to play with the wind, which was blowing strongly downhill. Soon after the start, Ripon scored a try beneath the posts. The kick failed against an impossible wind. The play almost throughout
60
was a forwards' game, both sides making use of dribbles and rushes. At first the School forwards were superior in both the scrums and line-outs, but the opportunities resulting from good backing were never used to the best advantage by the three-quarters, who found difficulty in holding a sticky ball. Before the interval Ripon scored again twice. Score:-9-0. The School were then faced with a strong head wind. Of the seven unconverted tries scored by the home team in this half, not one was the result of a three-quarter movement, but of vigorous kicks ahead and of forward dribbles. Some of these could have been prevented if the School had fallen on the ball better. Dickinson and Morison both did some valuable work behind the scrum, making a good deal of ground by finding touch from the line-outs. In the scrum itself, all the forwards played hard, notably Steele, Rucklidge and Andrew. Team :—A. S. Clephan; C. N. S. Killick, R. M. Parker, J. I. Sleight, E. P. Bulmer; I. D. C. Morison, E. N. Dickinson; H. L. Taylor, K. Greenwood, W. B. Smyth, J. M. Rucklidge, R. W. Wright, P. A. Andrew, E. Hodgson, F. F. Steele.
COLTS XV MATCHES. COLTS XV v. WORKSOP COLLEGE COLTS XV. Played at York on October 22nd. Result—Lost: Colts XV 8, Worksop 17. The School kicked off after Parker had won the toss. The good backing up of the forwards kept the ball well inside the Worksop half, and after about a quarter of an hour, Bulmer fought his way over and touched down on the corner. Soon afterwards, Worksop equalised with an unconverted try. For the rest of the first half the game was equal and open with no further score. Soon after half-time the School were awarded a penalty almost beneath the posts on the Worksop " 25." Steele, however, failed to score. Worksop then increased their efforts and succeeded in scoring a converted try. The School, however, were not daunted, and Bulmer scored again after a magnificent run from the half-way line. Walters converted. Although the play was fairly even for the rest of the game, the visitors scored twice: once by a good drop goal by one of the centres, and again with a converted try beneath the bar. 61
Among the forwards, Bennett and Steele were outstanding, while Bulmer was magnificent on the wing. Team :—A. S. Clephan; C. N. S. Killick, J. R. Walters, R. M. S. Parker, E. P. Bulmer; P. Frost, F. N. Buckler; J. H. Motum, G. M. Cave, H. Belchamber, L. W. Bennett, R. W. Wright, W. Child, N. A. Chudleigh, F. F. Steele. * * * COLTS XV v. AMPLEFORTH COLTS. Played Away on November 2nd. Result—Ampleforth Colts 34, Colts XV 3. Ampleforth kicked off and attacked strongly. They kept the ball well inside the St. Peter's half, and eventually scored an unconverted try. Ampleforth continued to attack, and succeeded in scoring three tries and a goal before the whistle blew for half-time. The visitors, however, never gave up hope, and, shortly before the interval, Bulmer scored after a splendid run from the School " 25." The kick failed. In the second half, St. Peter's pressed hard at intervals. However, the ball did not remain for long in the " home " half, and Ampleforth repeatedly broke through the School three-quarter line. The success of the Ampleforth backs may be due partly to the bad tackling of their opponents, and partly to the fact that their more experienced pack had the better of the set scrums. Team :—A. S. Clephan; E. P. Bulmer, R. M. S. Parker, J. R. Walters, C. N. S. Killick; A. Broadhurst, F. N. Buckler; R. W. Wright, G. M. Cave, H. Belchamber, S. Garnham, L. W. V. Bennett, F. F. Steele, J. H. Heppell, W. Child. * * * COLTS XV v. GIGGLESWICK COLTS. Played at York on November 12th. Result—Won : Colts XV 25, Giggleswick 8. The School kicked off towards York against a light wind. From the start, it was obvious that it would be an open game, the play never stayed long in one part of the field. Bennett scored the first try, after following up a good dribble by Garnham, who also converted it. Giggleswick equalised ; but soon after, Bulmer scored under the flag from a quick heel. Again the visitors equalised, bringing the half-time score to 8-8. In the second half, the School had some good threequarter movements, from one of which Bulmer scored a splendid try. Bulmer scored again on the blind side from a five yards scrum. The forwards then showed more life, and 62
t
Child scored after dribbling over half the length of the field. Bennett converted. Killick, who scored one try, would have scored more, had it not been for the good tackling of the Giggleswick back. Brown showed promise in the centre. Team :—A. S. Clephan ; E. P. Bulmer, R. M. S. Parker, A. C. Brown, C. N. S. Killick; J. R. Walters, F. N. Buckler; R. W. Wright, G. M. Cave, H. Belchamber, J. S. Garnham, L. W. Bennett, F. F. Steele, G. A. Heppell, W. Child. * * * INTER-HOUSE RUGGER. CLIFTON RISE I v. SCHOOL HOUSE I. The semi-final of the 1st XV House Rugger was played on Wednesday, 9th NoiTember. Morison kicked off, and from the start the House pressed hard. The Rise soon proved themselves to be the better team when Shillitoe, after receiving a pass from Ping on the half-way line, scored beneath the posts. This was repeated three times before half-time, bringing the score to 14-0. In the second half, the Rise continued to show their superiority by scoring five more tries, by Cameron (2), Ping, Stephenson and Douglas, the latter kicking two spectacular goals from the touch line. Shortly before no-side, the Rise were penalised on their own " 25," and Milburn thereby scored the only points for the House. The Rise might have scored more had their " threes " got rid of the ball sooner, but they well deserved the victory of 35-3. * * * TEMPLE HOUSE I v. CLIFTON RISE I. The final was played on Monday, 14th November. The day was perfectly fine and calm, but the ground was somewhat soft, making the scrums a little unpleasant. Cameron kicked off towards Clifton and found touch. From the line-out the Rise backs got the ball, and after a good three-quarter movement, Shillitoe scored an unconverted try by the flag. For the next ten minutes, Temple pressed hard, and they nearly scored through Bulmer, who unfortunately ran into touch close to the try line. The game was then fairly open, until the Rise pressed again shortly before the interval, and Shillitoe scored on the blind side from a five yards scrum. Douglas converted. Before halftime, the Rise scored again, bringing the score up to 13-0. In the second half, the Rise backs had more of the ball, due to the superiority of their heavier and more experienced 63
pack in both the loose and set scrums. The ball, however, was never allowed to pass far along their three-quarter line, owing to the good tackling of their opponents, especially Lynch and Brockbank. The Rise scored again through Stephenson (2) and Douglas, who backed up well. The Temple defence was considerably weakened ten minutes before no-side when first Brown, and later Brockbank, were injured. Of the forwards, Cockburn and Robson, who led many good rushes, were outstanding, while Brown fielded well at full back. Score:-3 goals, 4 tries (27 points) to nil. Rise Team :—G. C. Brown; W. E. Veitch, T. F. Cameron, A. C. Ping, J. B. Shillitoe; I. D. C. Morison, R. A. Wright; J. M. Couldwell, C. M. Robson, H. Taylor, G. P. Stephenson, J. II. Butler, P. B. Cockburn, F. F. Steele, M. S. Douglas.
Sat., Feb. Wed., Feb. Wed., Feb. Sat., Feb. Wed., Feb. Sat., Feb. Wed., Feb. Sat., Feb. Wed., Mar. Wed., Mar. Sat., Mar. Sat., Mar. Wed., Mar.
HOCKEY FIXTURES, 1939. 4th. 8th. 8th. 11th. 15th. 18th. 22nd. 25th. 1st. 8th. 18th. 25th. 29th.
Ben Rhydding... Ashville College 1st Ashville College 2nd XI Leeds University ... York ... Bootham School ... Styx ... Scarborough ... Worksop College Clodhoppers ... ... ... ... Hull Leeds Corinthian H.C. Old Peterites ...
Away Home Home Home Away Home Home Home Home Home Home Home
THE JUNIOR SCHOOL. We shall all remember the Christmas or Winter Term of 1938 for the succession of unusual events which happened during the term, and we must try to set down our record in what is called a chronological order. At the very beginning of the term we found a goodly number of new boys to lick into shape as Olavites, the total number of boys in the Junior School being 87. We also found a new and rather different time table of work, with Mr. R. F. Harding to take us in physical exercises instead of Sgt.-Major Puddick. We would like to thank Sgt.-Major Puddick on behalf of past and present boys in the Junior School for all the patient and untiring work he put in with us during the years he has taken our " drill." 64
Miss M. Mason also came on to the Junior School staff, and of course she had to get used to our little ways ! We are sure that most of us have learnt a good deal from her vigorous teaching. However, we were all nicely settling down together when, quite suddenly it seemed, a National Crisis appeared, and Major Chilman had to go " somewhere in Yorkshire " to look after his Anti-Aircraft Battery, whilst we helped to dig trenches near the Baths. It was a great relief when the shadow of danger passed away and the Headmaster gave us a half-holiday to prepare for regular school work again. Then for the Boarders the long-hoped for roller skating track was put down and completed. The workmen who mixed and laid the concrete were (to us) most aggravatingly slow, and even then we had to wait until the cement dried. But at last the Opening Day came Saturday, October 15th, and Mrs. Dook, who happened to be on a visit to the School, kindly cut the string to allow a ' string' of boys to make the first circuit of the track. At lunch we celebrated the opening by special toasts of fizzy drinks, provided by Mrs. Ping—Oh, they were really special ! The concrete track has proved a great source of enjoyment and exercise, and we think practically all the Boarders possessed roller skates, so that it was not possible to allow other rather envious Olavites to participate—at any rate not regularly. November 5th this year fell on the half-term Saturday, so that almost all the Boarders had their fireworks elsewhere, which was really a good thing as some of the " bangers " are becoming very dangerous amongst a crowd of bogs. Most old Olavites will remember their general interest in Nature Study of various kinds, and will recall the excitement which occurs when something unusual is seen or found in the School grounds. It will, therefore, not be difficult to picture a 12-15 p.m. episode on November 18th, when several boys came running to Mr. Ping to say they had seen " an animal " in the bushes. The animal was believed to be a rat, so Mr. Ping quickly picked up his musket, and after a bit of a " to do " shot the animal, which proved to be a weazel ! From time to time it has been very interesting to notice the various birds and animals which have visited the School grounds ; we call to mind the hedgehogs we saw last year, the covey of partridges which used to wander about the cricket pitch in August, and the solitary grouse which was caught near the Chapel. This is the first occasion we have seen a weazel. 65
Talking about visitors, we have been very pleased indeed to see quite a number of Old Boys of St. Olave's during the term, some of them bringing a wife to the scene of boyhood days. Will Old Boys please note that they are always welcome to come and see how St. Olave's is doing, and this includes fellows who were in the old Clifton Grove. There was just a little doubt whether we should be able to hold our Annual Gymnastic Display, partly owing to the different physical exercises Mr. Harding was teaching us. However, Form JIII was chosen to do their bit, and to take part in a varied programme (on page 68) of Music, Exercises and Recitations, followed by a French Play, which has now become a regular feature for the end of the Christmas term. Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Cooper again worked very hard to produce an exciting and amusing little play. We should like, here, to congratulate and thank everybody concerned for their efforts, which resulted in a very entertaining performance, and perhaps particularly we should like to mention the Percussion Bands, trained by Mrs. Baird. The small boys kept time remarkably well, and, of course, thoroughly enjoyed the novelty. As usual, there are many other items of interest to us which might be recorded in detail, but we must stop and only say that we finished up the term by having our School examinations as usual, and we very much enjoyed the School Play, " Journey's End." We all thought the acting was marvellous. At our Assembly on the last day of term, J. K. Andrew, as Head Boy of St. Olave's, congratulated Mr. Dronfield on his recent engagement, and (very nicely indeed) expressed the good wishes of the boys for future happiness. And so we now look forward to a successful New Year and wish everybody Good Luck in 1939.
JUNIOR SCHOOL GAMES. For the first time for many years the Senior Thirty or so in St. Olave's have played Rugger this term, and will do so again next term. Unfortunately, we have not had a Rugger match yet, but we hope to get one or two during the Easter term. However, we had a successful Soccer match against Terrington School, whom we beat 6-1 on their ground. It was a very keen and even game up to half-time, when the scores were level at one goal each, but during the second half we got on top and ran out comfortable winners. 66
The remainder of the School have had Soccer games on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The following represented the School in the Soccer fixture :—Price, goal ; Bulmer and Taylor, backs ; Smith, A., Steele (Capt.) and Duffield, half-backs ; Hart, Dawson, Harnby, Walker and Garth, forwards.
CUB REPORT. We welcome the following new Cubs to the Pack this term—Davidge, McDermid and Fawcett to the Yellow Six; Andrews and Taylor to the Red Six ; and Howlett to the Blue Six. We have been very busy this term in spite of the fact that there have been no new stars given. Owing to the Crisis and the French Play, the Big Wolf found it very difficult to fit in extra times for tests, but we hope to do a lot of hard work next term. In the Competition the Blue Six leads, closely followed by the Red Six. We hope that next term the Yellow Six will use its weight and catch up to the others. On the last Friday of term we broke a number of balloons and had crackers. We then attended a show at the Clifton Cinema because it was really too wet to do anything else. LA LEGION CHEZ MAGINOT. This play, the fourth of a series of light comedies, written by Mr. Cooper and produced by Mr. Rhodes, was quite as successful as any of its predecessors. The songs, owing to the able coaching of Mrs. Baird, were well sung, and the costumes were not only gay, but also definitely recognisable as French uniforms. A word must also be said for the excellence of the make-up, which converted several members of the caste into remarkable desperadoes and dagos. It was extremely difficult to find time for rehearsals, but the parts were well known and the acting was good in spite of this handicap. The pronunciation was excellent with the exception of an occasional howler, and the cast managed to impart a truly French atmosphere to the scene. It is difficult to single out any particular stars, but F. L. Duffield, as the General, and P. M. Steele, as the Sergeant, spoke clearly and with conviction. R. M. Garth, as Jerry the Mole, proved a sinister spy, and was ably abetted by 67
A. G. Reynolds and P. Boocock; all three showed courage in adversity and died most realistically. Finally, all the legionnaires proved sterling defenders of the Line, and their Lieutenant fully deserved the congratulations of his General. In short, the play was good, clean fun and should have reminded everyone that French is a living language and not evolved solely for the annoyance of the Junior School.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
PROGRAMME. Thursday, 8th December, 1938. JIII Percussion Band Performance JIV and JV Folk Songs " Admiral Benbow " " Golden Slumbers " " Mowing the Barley " J. Taylor, G. Janes, N. Haugh, Recitations R. Davidge, G. Dench Jill Physical Exercises JIV and JV Songs " The Keeper " " Over the Sea to Skye " " William IV " P. Turner, M. Fawcett, R. Wyman, Recitations G. Langdon, M. Graham JII Percussion Band Performance Adjourn to Big Hall. A Short Play in French" La Legion chez Maginot " " God Save the King " LA LEGION CHEZ MAGINOT.
Characters in order of their appearance. J. K. Andrew Le Lieutenant Dubois P. M. Steele Le Sergent Leblanc G. Wilson Wo Hung Loo G. B. Pearson Juan Fernandez F. B. Hamby Bill Sykes John Fitzwilliam Legionnaires J. D. Bulmer A. G. Reynolds Adolf Schultz W. H. Wellburn Jacob Jansen J. D. Taylor-Thompson Hiram Potts R. F. Dawson Ivan Popoffskivitch F. L. Duffield Le General Feu-de-Joie R. M. Garth Jerry le Taupe P. Boocock Mlle. d'Armentieres Directrice de Musique : Mme. Baird 68
Story of the Play. The Foreign Legion has, for some reason, been put on duty in the Maginot Line. Jerry the Mole, a famous spy, is at the moment trying to probe its innermost secrets. He is aided by two accomplices, one a soldier in the Legion, and the other a beautiful, but badly-behaved female. Owing to the cunning, audacity and general smartness of the troops, he is foiled in his dastardly plan and perishes miserably with the other enemies of France.
CONTEMPORARIES. The Editors acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following publicOons, and apologise for any omissions :The Reptoniaff, The Babu Lal Jaiswal High School Magazine, The 'Haileyburiah(The LeodiensiArf, The Ashville Magazine, The Artists' Rifles Gazette, The DenstonianV The Ousel, The Johnian, The Bootham Journal, The Brighton College Magazine, The Sedberghian, The Malvernian, The Merchistonian, The Stoneyhurst Magazine, The Ampleforth Journal, The Limit, The Birkonian, The Monktonian, The Giggles wick Chronicle, Danensis, The Dolphin Magazine, The St. Peter's College (Adelaide) Magazine, The Cranleighan, St. Bees' Magazine, The Eastbournian, The Framlinghamian, The Dovorian, The Journal of the Honourable Artillery Company, The Worksopian, The Nottinghamian, The Draxonian, The Scardeburgian, The Eagle, The Hurst Johnian, The Dunelmian, The Journal of the Royal Air Force College, The Cantnarian, The Hymerian. S., Pr TE.YeS C OU-t c&'■'(- 0 k\;
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EDITORIAL NOTICES. " The Peterite " is the magazine of St. Peter's School, York, and is conducted by the boys. The Editors solicit literary contributions and general correspondence from past and present Peterites. No notice can be taken of anonymous correspondence. Contributors may, if they prefer it, send their name in a separate envelope, which will not be opened unless the contribution is accepted. Where the contributor's name is not intended for publication, his " nom-de-plume " should be enclosed as well. All articles should be written on one side of the paper only. The subscription to " The Peterite " is 3s. Od. per annum, payable in advance, i.e., before the issue of the first number of the year (January). Members of the O.P. Club, to which the subscription is £1 per annum, receive " The Peterite " gratuitously. " The Peterite " is published three times a year, at the beginning of each term. If any members of the O.P. Club should not receive their numbers of " The Peterite," the Editors would be obliged if notice could be sent at once to Lt.-Col. H. C. Scott, Secretary of the O.P. Club, 1 Clifton Green, York. The Editors of " The Peterite " are P. B. Cockburn, T. F. Cameron, P. A. Andrew, M. C. Robson, G. W. Vero, L. W. Bennett. The Editors of " The Peterite " will be glad to supply any past numbers which they may have to those desiring them, at the price of 6d. per copy. Applications for advertising space to be made to The Bursar, St. Peter's School, York. 70
