Oct 1958

of all, must go the credit for the success of the venture. Fortunately the theme of "The Citizen Soldier Through the Ages" gave the production a vital unifying thread. Moreover, the style and voices of the three commentators were well contrasted : Squadron Leader Cummin's laconic tone and dry humour acted as a perfect foil to Cpl. Barton's plummy voice and somewhat high-flown sentiments, while Sgt. Irvin's well-turned phrases and touch of irony admirably bridged the two. Nevertheless, for future reference, one or two constructive criticisms might be made. Firstly, the commentary on certain scenes, notably on the battles, was far too long and smacked too much of the history lesson : a more even balance between comment and action would have paid off handsomely. This tended to give the visual aspect of the pageant an unnecessarily disjointed effect and made one wonder whether a quickening of the action, married more closely to a running commentary, would have been better.

Secondly, some of the entries, when they did come, were too slow.

Thirdly, the floodlight team, Sgt. Crossley and Cpl. Sutcliffe, would have profited from a little more rehearsal time under night conditions.

Most of the performers were well able to master the broad style of acting and miming required by a pageant; but a special word of praise should go to Sgt. Beaumont who surprised us all by his versatility. Another surprise was the excellence of the costumes.

Some of these had been made at short notice by the wearers themselves or their parents; the remainder were a tribute to the ingenuity and effort of Miss Banks and especially of Mr. Gaastra who, over a long period, had arranged form projects to produce a good deal of the equipment from the simplest materials. Mrs. Hall and Mr. Grainger were responsible for the make-up, and Capt. Dodds and J. A. Bygate for the stage-management.

The pageant itself culminated in a scene depicting the founding of the O.T.C. and in a generous tribute to the part played by Major Crews in building up the C.C.F. at St. Peter's since the war. Visually it was rounded off by a strikingly effective rendering of the march of the wounded and ragged prisoners in "The Bridge over the River Kwai", the now famous Colonel Bogey whistle sounding uncanny in the night air as the column emerged from the darkness into the floodlit arena. Immediately they were joined from the opposite direction by the 1C.C.F. Band under the direction of Drum-Major Bellwood. L/Cdt. Brooks sounded the Last Post, the final orders rang out, and as the men receded into the night, we were left wondering why the School grounds had never been exploited before for some such pageant. One thing is certain : the audience felt that this had been a splendid precedent.

B.H.H. 59