The Junior School

Easter Term, 1947! Mr. Ping says (and he should know) that this has been the worst and most difficult term for a quarter of a century. We started off all right when term began on 18th January, and actually several Winter Aconites in flower were brought to School on 23rd January, making us think that Spring was almost with us.

But then Winter descended on us and on the whole country, continuing until after the middle of March. Illnesses also fell upon the Junior School to such an extent that on 4th March the School had to be closed down and the boarders returned home. Considerable joy, of course, at the extra holiday. School opened again for those boys who were well enough to attend on 17th March until the normal breaking up day.

So it has indeed been a very broken term. Scarcely any football, and we even got tired of snowballing. Sledging has been very enjoyable, and there was a highlight one day when we got Mr. Ping on to a sledge and it went too fast for him. What a crash!

Some of our nature study observations have been sad because of the number of birds found dead, killed by the cold or starvation. But several very interesting and uncommon birds have been brought in by boys. Notably a Bittern found by Simpson in a field near Wetherby, and also a Woodcock, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Brambling by other boys.

The first coltsfoot in flower was brought on 21st March, and the first lesser Celandine on 26th March. These were found by R. J. De Little, who was duly rewarded.

Several boys helped very enthusiastically in the Science Exhibition with the Junior School exhibit of fifteen specimen twigs of local forest trees. Lambert and Fry were specially good in giving explanations to visitors.

A special examination for entry to the Junior School was held on 1 1 th March. Over forty boys attended for the exam, hoping to enter the School next September.

Our number on the roll for this term was 178.

SALVETE

March, 1947 R. D. Beckitt. G. C. Sanderson. (Both Dayboys.)

VALETE

March, 1947 W. A. Calvert. (Returned to Hong Kong.) 42

During the Christmas holidays we kept up the weekly meetings for the Dayboys. This experiment was quite a success in spite of the long and losing battles with the stove in the Scout Hut. There can certainly be smoke without fire!

Although the term was broken up by illness, there is a most satisfactory list of tests and badges passed. No fewer than eight House orderly badges were gained, most of them during the enforced holiday in March. It is to be hoped that the passing of the badge was of mutual benefit to both cub and household. We tried out several new games, and our semaphore is improving steadily.

The following are to be congratulated:- 2nd Star—Saville and Johnson. 1st Star—Kirk, Pegg, Dodsworth and Marsh. Badges—Toymaker, Homecraft, Team Player and House Orderly: Quickfall. House Orderly: Saville, J. Howat, Hick, Coates, Pegg, Johnson and Kirk.

In the competition, Blue Six beat Green by one point after a truly Homeric struggle. Earlier in the term, Blues were leading quite comfortably, but Quickfall's four badges put Green ahead. By some very hard work in the last week, however, Marsh managed to put the Blues once more in the lead, and a Green success in a beangrowing competition was not quite sufficient for them to repeat last term's victory. It must be remembered that the other two Sixes are composed largely of Boarders and that they were more handicapped by absence than the Blues and Greens.

We welcome to the Pack, Stubbs (Blue) from Dringhouses, Harrison (Yellow) from Clifton, and C. Howat (Red).

J. Howat (2nd, Green Six) and Phillis (Sixer, Yellow Six) have left us, and we wish them good hunting in the Scouts.

The day after we broke up we had a grand treasure hunt. It was a miserable morning, so only five appeared at the start, but it cleared up in the afternoon and, with the help of our old Pack Leader, C. Moore, now in the Scouts, Akela had us careering all over Clifton before the treasure was unearthed in a flower bed down St. Peter's Grove. We were almost too weak to use the spade which happened to be close at hand

HOUSE NOTES

Albany House.

It's really a matter of opinion.

If you like snow—lots of it; or a few days in bed; or having a relapse when you thought you had recovered; if you enjoy being 43

isolated, sympathetically attended and visited by harassed sisters, matrons, nurses and others; or if you rejoice at an early finish to a term which has scarcely even started in earnest; if you really relish such an existence, you've had a super, or even a wizard term.

But if you prefer to go home feeling that you've done the odd spot of work, have played some good games, or have kept fit, you will draw a veil over much of the Easter Term, 1947, and swear a solemn oath that you will redouble your efforts next term.

You will try to forget the time when you rose to boiling-point, died in the night and were resuscitated in the Infirmary. You will try to forgive the unidentified jokers who stealthily planted a packet of assorted germs healthy and active enough to defy the combined efforts of Jack Frost and the Clerk of the Weather.

You will, however, remember Mr. Walshaw's generous gift of table tennis equipment; the Epiphany Service; the talk on the history and the architecture of the Minster; that Yardley is a splendid Test Captain—he won the toss and gained us a holiday; and that you were excited by "Beau Geste" and fascinated by "The Time Machine."

St. Olave's.

At the end of last term we looked forward to fun. Of course if your idea of fun is two months of ice, frost, snow, winds, wet, chicken-pox, flu, and others, then, in the words of the R.A.F. "we had it"—lots of it; every day, from morning till night. Only three babies—Percy, Grainger, and Metcalf—did not have anything, and only Howard avoided chicken-pox—we managed to get rid of that nuisance for all other parents, so we do apologise to Mr. and Mrs. Howard—we did our best. Finally, nearly all the adults acquired chicken-pox, too, and since the weather made it impossible to get really fit, the boarders went home early in March, as disappointed as could be.

With great regret we said goodbye to Miss Hancock. She has done great work in her short stay and has matroned about like anything. This term in all the illness she has been splendid. We are very sorry to lose her, and we wish her well.

We owe great thanks, too, to Mrs. Jeffs, who nursed our sick for some weeks. Her efficiency, calmness, and cheer were like a tonic, and we give her our thanks and good wishes.

Sir A. P. Herbert has told us that English is a language always growing, and adding to itself from its experiences. Our term has produced a new phrase of insult, "You blebby spot"—born from the particular plague we've had. It is not "nice," but on occasion, satisfying and expressive. In fact, without much difficulty we have adapted the eternal thoughts and words of Shakespeare to modern 44