Old Peterite News

A meeting of the O.P. General Committee was held at the School on Saturday, 7th March; the Head Master was in the chair and there were 24 members present, including the President, Dr. Marcus Clegg.

The ad hoc Sub-Committee appointed by the General Committee to consider the finances of the O.P. Club, in accordance with a resolution passed at the last A.G.M., presented its report and after some discussion it was decided to recommend to the A.G.M. to be held on 25th July next that thereafter as follows :- 1. The life subscription for membership of the Club should be increased to £10 except for any Old Peterites who left the School prior to July, 1946, who shall continue to be admitted to the Club on payment of a life subscription of £5. 2. All life subscriptions received shall for a period of 7 years be loaned to the School free of interest but less a deduction of 1/50th of the total accumulated life subscriptions received at the end of each financial year, which shall be transferred to the General

Fund. 3. The 1952 arrangement for the School to pay £60 per annum to the Club be continued for a further period of 7 years.

'COMMEMORATION, 1959

Old Peterites are again reminded that Commemoration weekend will be held from Friday, 24th July to Sunday, 26th Jul)s, but the C.C.F. will be presenting another pageant on Thursday evening, 23rd July, at 10-0 p.m., which will be repeated on. Friday evening, the 24th, at the same time. The O.P. Dinner will again be held at the School on Saturday evening, the 25th, following the Annual General Meeting of the Club at 6-30 p.m.

R. A. Stratton, Glendye, Portland Road, Bowdon, Cheshire (Altrincham 3445), will again be responsible for organising the O.P. cricket team and K. H. Rhodes at the School will, as usual, arrange the boat races. All volunteers please communicate accordingly.

P. Crowe, 95 Stockton Lane, York, has kindly undertaken to organise the O.P. Golf Meeting at the York Club, Strensall, on Sunday afternoon, 26th July, and any O.P. who is willing to support this new venture is asked to send his name to him as soon as possible.

Full details of Commemoration are circulated separately with this issue.

NORTH-WEST OLD PETERITE DINNER

As usual the area Dinner was held on the first Friday in March, i.e. the 6th March, 1959.

The venue was changed for the first time from the New Millgate Hotel to the Portland Hotel, Fallowfield, and to be precise, held in what is known as the Cabin Club. 58

We were sorry that, in view of the opening ceremony of the Scott Building taking place on the following day, we were unable to have Mr. Dronfield with us; he decided that he had better remain in York. However, Mr. Rhodes came along and gave us the "gen" from School and brought with him our own "Mr. Chips", none other than A. Wentworth Ping, who, despite his ulcers, ate, drank and was as merry as the rest.

Record has it that no water was asked for, there was no room for cheese although plentiful, and the coffee got lost behind the beer barrels.

We are not an area for speech making, but we were very pleased to hear from the O.P. Secretary, T. J. Lewis; K. H. Rhodes for the School; and A. W. Ping "for old times' sake"; during which, in the background, we had the "chit-chat" and tune from the cabaret ballroom (arrangements have been made to switch this off next year, and to have increased ventilation). Twenty-four Old Boys were present and we hope to be able to welcome far more next year, so please note to carry forward in your diaries the first Friday in March.

The following is a list of those present :-

1920-24 Atkinson, E. G. B. 1943-46 Matthews, P. G. 1922-31 Blackburn, W. D. 1938-44 McKinley, R. J. 1948-53 Booth, A. T. 1921-55 Ping, A. W. 1944-50 Buttrum, A. P. 1944-50 Ratcliff, K. M. 1938-43 Caley, Dr. J. P. 1914-20 Rhodes, K. H. 1927-31 Dalton, Major E. L. 1935-43 Stratton, R. A. 1932-37 Graham, Dr. G. E. L. 1920-23 Troughton, A. P. 1939-46 Gregory, V. B. 1950-55 Shirtcliffe, J. R. 1940-47 Hardisty, D. 1945-53 Smith, P. Master Jackson, G. F. 1943-53 DeLittle, R. J. 1923-26 Lewis, T. J. 1953-56 Chadwick, C. I. 1921-29 Mac Ildowie, A. B. 1940-47 Dobson, R.

THE OXFORD LETTER

OXFORD. Hilary Term, 1959. Dear Sir,

Each of the three terms of the year seems to have its own distinct character. Michaelmas Term is for freshmen a term of discovery and the first sproutings of wispy beards, while second and third year men rediscover what they were in danger of forgetting during the long vacation. Trinity Term is the term of contrasts; the unfortunate "schools" men, haggard and thin in the pursuit of learning, while the rest get tanned and healthy pursuing pleasure in the Parks or on the river. Between these two comes Hilary Term, a term of activity in every field of university life; ambitions succeed or fail in the clubs and societies, vocal bodies of supporters follow their college teams in "cuppers" matches, and tutors find their pupils' minds more receptive.

It is also the term of dinners, and the Oxford Old Peterites, not to be outdone by schools of less historic standing, held a highly successful 59

dinner in B.N.C., to which we welcomed the Head Master and Mr. Harding from School and an intrepid band from East Anglia. In reply to the toast of the School the Head Master surveyed the progress of the last year and urged O.P.s to support the building of the Memorial Hall, on which, we were glad to hear, work is soon to be started. Robbed of the chance of a classical opening, Mr. Harding replied to the toast of the Guests in the vernacular, a source of relief to those present whose Latin has become rusty.

Oxford's victory in the boat-race should not pass unnoticed in this letter. As this race epitomises the rivalry between the two senior Universities, every undergraduate, whether oarsman or not, identifies himself with the fortunes of his crew, and we O.P.s are no exceptions. The joy of victory is sweet, and still sweeter after the disappointments of previous years.

But what of individuals? How do they spend their time? None would admit to the fact of working, indeed few admit to any facts at all, but your correspondent has managed to glean the following news :

The Keble Espresso Bar and Left Luggage Office is still presided over with unfailing good humour by M. J. Baddeley, and freshmen have found it difficult to discover who of the various people seen occupying his room is the actual owner. His election as President of the Music Society gives him a position of some importance in the college.

The towpath during Torpids was no safe place for O.P.s. A pistol thrust into one's ribs was a sign of the presence of M. T. Carter, who would then disappear at great speed howling unintelligible war-cries, which one gathered were some form of encouragement to his college, Queen's. Presumably this is his method of releasing the repressions fostered by philosophy.

During the dinner there was frequent laughter from one end of the table, where I. G. Cobham and a medical friend were regaling each other with esoteric jokes reminiscent of "Doctor in the House". He also exhibited with pride the Oxford O.P. scarf mentioned in a previous letter.

Events in Cuba at the beginning of the year so disturbed K. Gosling that he decided he could no longer emulate Fidel Castro, and he therefore shaved off his luxuriant beard. Though for a couple of weeks he passed unrecognised on his way between St. Edmund Hall and the labs., we soon grew accustomed to his hitherto unrevealed physiognomy.

Last term we forgot to mention the arrival of D. A. Haxby to study Social Science at Barnet House. Though he wouldn't himself admit it, no doubt his object this year is to fill up the gaps left by a Cambridge education.

The brothers Jenkinson, when asked about each other's activities, are always reticent about themselves, but eager to spread scandal about the other. Richard has scorned delights and lived laborious days in the library at Worcester, whence he finally sallied forth to display his 60

learning to the moderators. We hope he gains a well-deserved reward when the results come out. Tim has explored the science labs. to good effect; or is she from the Radcliffe?

His rigorous "Clean up the Oxford Letter" campaign having proved completely successful, R. M. Kirkus no longer awaits with trepidation the publication of "The Peterite". We heartily congratulate him on his engagement, announced last Christmas, and hope that the responsibilities of his new status will not restrict his exuberant hospitality. The seriousness with which he now approaches his work is witnessed by pockets bulging with texts of Voltaire and Racine.

Worries pile up for A. M. Marsh as his final year draws to an end. Those who meet him find their ears assailed either with a tale of woe about his prospects in "Schools" or with a discussion of the relative merits of working for De La Rue or Rowntree's. Baddeley administers soothing cups of coffee, interspersed with words of advice.

The progress of R. D. Wheatley through the University becomes more meteoric as each term passes. On a wave of popular enthusiasm he was elected seceretary of Brasenose J.C.R., and to his own surprise, though his friends quite expected it, he was also elected to the Standing Committee of the Union. He proved himself an energetic and efficient organiser of the dinner.

Last term's "Peterite" announced the engagement of P. G. Taylor, an ex-member of this select band. We would like to extend our congratulations to him through this letter.

Finally may we say how mindful we are of the debt we owe to the School, and it is therefore with real sincerity that we send our best wishes for next term and the future. Yours sincerely,

THE OXFORD OLD PETERITES.

LEEDS LETTER

LEEDS. Easter Term, 1959.

The Editor. Dear Sir,

The weather has been remarkably fine this term. It has certainly been a pleasant change from other Easter Terms we have had to endure and sport has not been hindered in any way. This is borne out by the award of Club Colours to Jim Knapton.

Turning to the boating world, it is refreshing to see Robin Field and his confederates rowing and training so hard for the coming regatta season. There are others, however, who do not believe in too much hard work. David Wilson and Brian Heap are rowing in a strictly social crew, striving for "elegance" rather than "vitesse" and limiting their outings to one a week. A fiancee and final examina-

tion revision, in fact, leave Brian with very little time for rowing. Regardless of coming examinations, we have had three formal Balls this term—Engineers, Textiles, and Houldsworth Society (Chemical Engineers), all extremely successful. The latter, incorporating Johnny Dankworth, was the most successful for some years. Other famous musical visitors to Leeds included Count Basie, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong with his "All Stars", and Sir John Barbirolli with the "Halle". In addition, the Inter-University Jazz Contest was held in the University Union.

Other functions in the Union included the A.G.M., held in a traditional hail of mothballs and abuse, the Presidential Elections and a Special General Meeting, followed by a march in protest against the Bill for Racial Segregation in African Universities.

Finally, we send all good wishes to those taking exams. next term and we hope to hear of another whole day's holiday being earned. Yours sincerely, THE LEEDS OLD PETERITES.

ENGAGEMENT

BULMER—MILNE. The engagement is announced between Harry Clive, only son of Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Bulmer, of Riccal House, Nunnington, and Maureen Margaret, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Milne,

Ryegate, Helmsley. [Manor, 1950-54.]

MARRIAGES

ANDREW—GEMAYEL. On 18th February, in London, John Keith, younger son of the late Mr. Herbert Andrew and Mrs. R. A. Andrew, of York, and Marie Therese, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michel Gemayel, of

Beirut and Teheran. [Temple, 1933-43.] BLACKBURN—APOSTOLAKI. On 2nd May, 1959, in York, John F.

Blackburn, of Teheran, and Sophia Apostolaki, of Crete. [Temple, 1936-46.] SNEESBY—REID. On 3rd January, at Swanton Abbot, Alex Howard, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Sneesby, Crown Inn, Kirk Hammerton,

York, and Susan Elizabeth, younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. S.

Reid, The Thatched Cottage, Swanton Abbot, Norwich. [Manor, 1950-55.]

BIRTHS

BAKER.—On 15th April, at Aldershot, to Sally, wife of Capt. I. H. Baker,

Royal Tank Regiment, a son. [School House, 1941-45.] LENNARD.—On 28th November, 1958, at Edinburgh, to Mary, wife of John

Lennard, a son (Mark Robin). [Manor, 1942-46.] MACPHERSON.—On 14th April, 1959, at the R.A.F. Hospital, Wegberg,

Germany, to Jacqueline Mary (nee Nicholson), wife of Ian Stewart

Macpherson, a brother for James. [School House, 1942-46.] O'DONNELL.—On 5th March, 1959, to Jacqueline, wife of Guy O'Donnell, a son (John Garth). [Manor, 1946-50.]