Page Editorial

CONTENTS.

Editorial ...

The School War Memorial ...

Independent Status ... St. Olave's Boarding House Sergeant-Major D. F. Puddick Obkuary—The Rev. George Howard Chilman ,Examination Results, 1945 Scholarship Awards to St. Peter's School, 1945 Old Peterite Dinner

Old Peterite News ...

Valete and Salvete

School Officers

Notes and Items ...

House Notes

The Oxford Cup, 1944.45 The Chapel ... The Library ... The Music Society ... The Art Club ...

Visit to York Gas Works

Early Maps of York ... J.T.C. Scouting Shooting Cricket, 1945 Public Schools' Cricket Week

Rowing Swimming Tennis

The Junior School ... Editorial Notices ...

The term which has just begun has brought some important changes in personnel. Elsewhere in our pages we refer to the retirement of Mr. and Mrs. Ping from St. Olave's and the end which time has inevitably brought to their devoted service to the welfare of so many generations of Junior School boarders, The departure of Sgt.-Major Puddick also receives its due notice. It is a sad thought that we shall no longer have with us one whose loyalty to the School and interest in all that concerned it remained undiminished to the last day of more than twenty years' service, and whose genial friendliness won for him the affection of everyone with whom he came into contact. There will be many Old Peterites who will welcome the opportunity of responding to the invitation which Mr. Rhodes extends in this issue. Time, however, brings not only regrets, and we are pleased to record on the credit side, as it were, the return of Col. K. G. Chilman after a notable period of war service which began with the first outbreak of hostilities. Those whose memories go back to pre-war days will be gratified by his return from S.E.A.C., and we do not suppose that the present-day Olavites will be long in learning to appreciate his vigorous enthusiasm for their affairs. Col. Chilman is the first member of the Staff to rejoin from war-service, and we hope that next term will see others back among us.

Lastly, we Should say something of the Cricket Week which followed immediately on the end of the Summer Term, when representatives of various northern schools were our guests. Perfect weather and some excellent cricket combined to make a festival which aroused much enthusiasm among large numbers of spectators, and, we are glad to say, gave enjoyment to many who have no direct concern with the School. We congratulate the organizers of this highly successful innovation and hope that they will feel sufficiently encouraged to repeat the experiment in future years. The Yorkshire v. Lancashire game in particular revealed some very promising talent and caused us to regret more than ever that the horizon of the selectors for the Lord's match was so limited that they interpreted the " Northern Public Schools" as those immediately north of the Thames. There is nothing wrong with the definition " 'twixt Trent and Tweed," and we venture to believe that its application would not have weakened the Northern Schools' side.

THE SCHOOL WAR MEMORIAL.

On 30th June last a representative meeting of Old Peterites and parents of old boys was held at the School to discuss the form which the School War Memorial should take. The School Architects were present at the meeting and gave particulars relating to building schemes which had been and were being adopted by the Governors of the School. It was stated that a general appeal was soon to be issued in regard to these building plans, but the meeting clearly felt that the most appropriate War Memorial would be some building which formed part of the general scheme.

After some discussion it was unanimously agreed that the new Dining Hall should be the School's War Memorial, and that Old Peterites and other friends of the School should be invited to send subscriptions for this purpose. The Architects mentioned that the estimated cost of the Dining Hall would approach £30,000, though at the same time they felt unable to predict with any accuracy what building charges were likely to be by the time this building could be put up. Full, particulars of the proposed Dining Hall will be circulated in due course with an appropriate appeal and details of our complete building plans will, it is hoped, be ready for inclusion in the next edition of " The Peterite."

INDEPENDENT STATUS.

MEETING OF PARENTS.

At a crowded Parents' Meeting on 2nd June, the Chairman of the Governors (The Very Rev, the Dean of York) explained the future policy of the School

in regard to the Ministry of Education's proposals as to Direct Grant Schools.

The Dean pointed out that St. Peter's School had accepted Direct Grant in 1903, and undertook to admit 10 % Special Place pupils on the nomination of the Local Education Authorities. While the School was completely satisfied with this arrangement, the Governors felt that the new Direct Grant regulations, involving as they did the admission of 50% Special Place pupils, were not intended to apply to schools like St. Peter's. The freedom we had hitherto been able to apply in the selection of the large majority of our pupils would be taken away, and, indeed, the fact that far more than one-half of our boys were boarders meant that the character of the School would be very materially changed if the new Regulations were accepted. The long history of St. Peter's and its undoubted place among the pioneers in education left the Governors in no doubt as to our future. The Dean accordingly announced that from September, 1945, the School would revert to the independent status it had _enjoyed for well over a thousand years, but at the same time pointed out that this policy did not imply any reluctance on our part to contribute towards the national scheme of education, or to support any proposals the Government ultimately made along the lines of the Fleming Report. The Headmaster announced the-new schedule of fees which would become operative on the relinquishing of the Direct Grant, and pointed out that opportunity was being taken to include all extras which could in fairness be spread among all the parents, so that the future fees would be really inclusive.

Many parents who attended the meeting took the opportunity of asking questions, and it was abundantly clear that the meeting heartily endorsed the • decision of the Governors.

ST. OLAVE'S BOARDING HOUSE.

Last July, Mr. and Mrs. Ping retired from St. Olave's Boarding House, which had been under their care for 24 years. A special opportunity for expressing our great appreciation of their long service to the School in this connection will be taken on the occasion of the Junior School Speech Day, to be held on 17th October. Many generations of boys . will remember with gratitude and affection the unfailing kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Ping, and will join in wishing them every happiness in their " retirement."

We are happy to know that Mr. Ping is retaining the post of Master-incharge of the Junior School.

SERGEANT -MAJOR D. F. PUDDICK. ,

It will be with great regret that many generations of Old Peterites hear of the retirement of Sergeant-Major D. F. Puddick.

After 21 years' service in the Army, culminating as senior Sergeant-Major in the famous " Dunster Force," Sergeant-Major Puddick came to the School in the summer of 1923, to help out for a month until a new Sergeant-Major could be found. At the end of the month, the Headmaster, Mr. Toyne, confessed that he had really made no attempt to find another Sergeant-Major, and Puddick has gone on to complete over 22 years' loyal service to the School, as Gymnasium Instructor and Sergeant-Instructor in the O.T.C. and J.T.C.

During that time he has built up in the School a very high standard of Physical Training, and has coached from their early days in St. Olave's many very useful boxers. Many visitors to pre-war Commemoration Days will remember the high standard of the Gym. Squads, trained by the Sergeant-Major, which performed during the tea interval, while those who performed in the Squads will recall with pleasure the work—and play—that they put into the preparations, and all the trouble that the Sergeant-Major took over them. 3