Old Peterite News

O.P. CLUB ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting will be held at the School on Friday, 22nd July, at 5 p.m. We learn with great regret that members will be asked to accept the resignation of H. C. Scott from office after many years of loyal and helpful service as Hon. Secretary to the Club. Other items of importance will be on the agenda, and we hope that all O.P.s who can be present at Commemoration will make it their business to attend the meeting.

"THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE"

The arrangements for the Book of Remembrance for those Old Peterites who fell in the two World Wars have now been completed and the work has been begun by Mr. J. N. Dowse, of Newark, and should be completed by Commemoration Day.

The Book will consist of 28 vellum pages, 12 x 9 ins., bound in brown calf, with each leaf separately hinged. On the front of the book will be the Cross Keys in gold and silver, and inside A fly leaf and two title •pages, followed by the lists of the names of the fallen. In the end it was decided that it would be more suitable to keep the two wars separate. It is hoped that the list of names is complete, but some blank pages have been left in case any further information should become available.

COMMEMORATION CRICKET MATCH AND BOAT RACES

Any Old Peterite who wishes to play in the two-day cricket match against the School on Friday and Saturday, 22nd and 23rd July, should apply to J. M. Rucklidge (1933-39) at the School.

The boat races betwen the Old Peterites and the School will take place in the afternoon of Saturday, 23rd July. It is hoped that it will be possible to raise at least three Old Peterite crews. Would any Old Peterite who would like, or would be willing, to row, please communicate with K. H. Rhodes, St. Peter's School? Coxes will also be needed.

OLD PETERITE DINNER

The Old Peterite Dinner will be held at Betty's Restaurant on Friday, 22nd July. It is hoped that there will be a good turn out of all ages. It would be helpful if Old Boys would organise groups of their own contemporaries, and apply for tickets in good time. The dress will be lounge suits and the price of tickets about 7/6.

SQUASH THE LONDONDERRY CUP

After the school's easy victory over Brentwood in the first round of the Londonderry Cup, St. Peter's came up against Harrow, the holders, and were defeated by five events to love at the Naval and Military Club. This result was only to be expected, for Harrow had three Internationals in R. M. Boustead, W. S. Jameson and M. T. Turnbull; one of the best players in the country in P. J. Phillips; and as fifth string Lord Ronaldshay, who plays for Queens Club in the Bath Club Cup and gained a blue at Cambridge. The outstanding performance for St. Peter's was that of J. T. Brockbank, who actually took the first two games off Jameson, a quarter finalist in this year's Amateur Championship, and led him 5-0 in the third—a remarkable achievement for a player who had hardly touched a racket since the Londonderry Cup match of a year before.

St. Peter's reached the last four in the Londonderry Cup in the first year it was held, only going down 3-2 to Eton, who eventually won the competition, but nowadays they lack young players with first class match experience. It is to be hoped that Old Peterites who are able to play squash rackets regularly after leaving School will get in touch with B. A. C. Gray, whose enthusiasm has done so much to keep a St. Peter's team going •in this competition year after year.

This season the Londonderry Cup was won for the first time by Lancing, who beat Harrow in the semi-final and Tonbridge in the final, both 3-2. It is interesting to recall that it was against Lancing that St. Peter's played the first Public School Old Boys squash match, at Ealing in the early thirties.

The details of the match against Harrow are : —

N. W. D. Yardley lost to R. M. Boustead, 9-5, 7-9, 5-9, 5-9. S. G. S. Pawle lost to P. J. Phillips, 3-9, 4-9, 3-9. ., J. T. Brockbank lost to W. S. M. Jameson, 9-4, 10-9, 7-9, 2-9, 3-9 C. K. Hudson lost to M. T. Turnbull, 3-9, 2-9, 4-9. W. J. Oliver lost to Lord Ronaldshay, 3-9, 4-9, 3-9.

ENGLAND v. DENMARK

An Old Peterite played squash rackets for England for the first time when Denmark were defeated by five events to love at Copenhagen. The England team, in order of play, was R. M. Boustead (Harrow and Surrey), P. L. Richards (Charterhouse and Leicestershire), Si G. S. Pawle (St. Peter's, York, and Herts.), D. Dugdale (Dartington Hall and Yorkshire) and H. D. Bradshaw (Rugby and Surrey) (Captain). The School might well have had two representatives, for N. W. D. Yardley was chosen to make the journey, but was unable to accept owing to business reasons. Pawle won his match against B. 0. Smitt in straight games, 9-6, 9-7, 9-3. This was the first official International match between the two countries,

and the England team, in addition to being made honorary life members of the Copenhagen Squash Rackets Club, were each presented with an inscribed cigarette lighter by the Danish S.R.A.

Before the war International squash rackets was confined to matches against America and Scotland, but had Yardley not been so fully occupied with cricket tours he would inevitably have been St. Peter's first international player. As it is the School's only previous link with an International match was provided by Mr. S. M. Toyne, who led the first British team to America in 1924, while he was Headmaster. Yardley has played little serious squash since the war, but he showed brilliant form for the M.C.C. in the Bath Club Cup, and had much to do with his team's promotion to Division I. *

O.P. LONDON COMMITTEE.

Since the list of Officers in the 1949 List of Members does not include the new members of the London Committee appointed in November last, it has been thought desirable to give the full composition of this Committee. The names are : —A. B. Cooper, J. B. Gedge (Hon. Sec.), B. A. C. Gray, S. G. S. Pawle, J. C. Rodgers, J. W. Holroyd Sergeant, N. W. D. Yardley.

THE RISE—AN APPEAL.

The Rise House photographs are now being restored after their disturbance in the "blitz" of 1942, and will hang in sequence on the walls of the new building. Some of the groups, however, were badly damaged or lost, and there are several gaps in the series. It is very desirable to have a complete set from the inauguration of the House, and we should be grateful to any old Risites who would fill the gaps by sending photographs to Mr. D. K. Crews, the Housemaster. The missing groups are : 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1944.

ITEMS.

We congratulate A. S. Rymer (1916-21) on his selection as Sheriff of the City of York for the forthcoming mayoral year His election will take place on the 23rd May, when the new Lord Mayor, Mr. J. B. Morrell, enters on his year of office. Rymer is very active in civic affairs and has recently been appointed Chairman of the Committee for the York Festival of 1951.

A recent leading article in "The Times", discussing the Poster Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was opened by the Prime Minister in April, has much praise for the influence both on the Underground posters and London Transport in general of an Old Peterite, the late Frank Pick, formerly Chairman of the L.P.T.B. "It was by choosing good print and agreeable pictorial designs for posters", "The Times" observes, "that Frank Pick first made his influence felt in the applied arts. Later his application of the same principles to all the architecture and appointments of London Transport set a new standard of order and seemliness in modern cities. . . . The transport service of to-day is the heir of a great tradition, founded by Pick, and not lived up to as fully as London deserves." This is high praise indeed, which O.P.s will appreciate. * * *

Major R. White, Royal Signals (left 1936), who has been on exchange duty with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and has spent the past two years in Canada, returns to England from Montreal on 27th May. His contemporaries may be interested to learn his future address, which will be Ham House, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire. We record below the birth of his daughter during his stay in Canada.

* * * OBITUARY. LIONEL TOWNSEND CRAWSHAW

We regret to record the death, after a brief illness, of Lionel Townsend Crawshaw, on 16th March, 1949. He entered the School in January, 1878, and must have been one of the few Old Peterites who go back to the Headmastership of Stephenson. He was 80.

BIRTHS. BURNETT.—On 6th March, 1949, to Kathleen, wife of N. R. Burnett (1920-23), a son (Paul Nigel Rodney). CURTOIS.—On 23rd September, 1948, at Cornwall Gardens,

Singapore, to Marjorie, wife of Lt.-Col. G. M. Curtois, R.A.M.C.— a son. DICKENSON.—On 13th February, 1948, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, to Adele (nee Stedman), wife of Major J. M. Dickenson, King's

Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (The Rise, 1932-37), a daughter. MORRIS.—On 5th May, 1949, at the Purey Cust Nursing Home,

York, to Joyce (nee Wheldric.k), wife of Gordon Morris (The Rise, 1939-41), a son. WHITE.—On 9th March, 1949, at Kingston, Ontario, to Margaret (nee Palmer), wife of Major Robert White, Royal Signals, a daughter (Elizabeth Anne).

CAMBRIDGE,

April, 1949.

To : The Editors of "The Peterite". Dear Sirs,

As yet another •term draws relentlessly to its close the Old Peterites in residence feel the metaphorical breath of black care perched behind them on the chariot. Already several of us pursue our daily duties with a stoicism rarely seen.. The epicureanism of past terms is gone like snow upon the desert's dusty face and all are 'bewailing their lot. sont les neiges d'antan?" may well be this term's epitaph, for now, as never before, there is cast before us the horrible shadow of things to come. Even the "Granta" reflects the seriousness of our plight, for lack of humour and shortage of material are its salient points this term.

Despite the emphasis on the more sordid side of our education to which we have been forced to pay attention, all has not been toil for the last eight weeks. Several of us have attempted to filch the laurels of the boat above us, and not without some success, we hear.

Our dinner, alas, was cancelled. The date came too near the bumps, and our oarsmen, on being questioned as to their movements after the races, were strangely reticent, but we live in hope of a bigger and better dinner next year. It has been decided to hold it in the Michaelmas Term when matters weigh less heavily upon us. The date has been provisionally fixed as 18th November.

D. Anderson (Sidney). Has been seen but infrequently, and as a result his activities are somewhat veiled. No doubt with the advent of warm weather he will shake the moth-balls from his white flannels and once more display his prowess on the cricket field.

J. H. Amos (Emmanuel). His main interests this term have been on the river, where he satisfies his nautical urge in the Emmanuel 1st Boat. The rest of his days are spent in the Engineering Labs. manufacturing heat.

L. T. Clarke (Clare). To the best of our knowledge is still reading Modem Languages, but may, for all we know, have returned to the peaceful serenity of Japan.

J. D. Eccles (Emmanuel). Another rowing man, although he did not strain himself—never getting beyond Grassy Corner. Finds the national debt perplexing and has great difficulty with the currency problem.

P. Garbett (St. John's). Rowed in Lady Margaret II and won his oar. His disappearance since the Bump Supper surprises no one. We hear that he reads Engineering but are unable to confirm •this report.

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