2 minute read
"Oasis"
from Oct 1960
by StPetersYork
of the Revolutionary Study of Chopin. This fabulous piece needed more control than it received that day, but Anfield made most of the traditional points.
Most of the Houses had ample choice of talent for items which were suitably varied. Some, however, found difficulty in providing a piano accompanist to an instrumental soloist. Early planning can to a certain extent cure this, but there is no doubt that some Houses could make more of the opportunities that exist for learning instruments like the clarinet, horn, trumpet, violin and 'cello.
CAREERS
Very few boys from this School have gone into light or precision engineering and with this in mind a visit to Smith's was arranged last term. This company has always been in the forefront as far as recruitment and training of apprentices is concerned and it is certain that they offer first-rate opportunities to boys with the right qualifications and aptitudes. In this they are typical of many British engineering companies, whose training schemes offer excellent alternatives for boys who do not want a University education or who find it impossible to gain a University place. Full details of many such schemes are available in the Careers Room, together with many dealing with commercial training for the non-scientist, and all boys approaching University entrance standard would do well to familiarise themselves with the schemes.
An account of the Smith's visit follows.
VISIT TO S. SMITH & SONS, LTD.
At first our visit seemed ill-fated, for twice it had to be postponed owing to force of circumstances, the first time in December last year, and the second time in March this year, because there was a strike of cleaners in the factory and naturally the authorities did not want us to see it in an untidy state. But the third time everything went well and on 18th July eighteen of us found ourselves, still half asleep, waiting in a very damp York station for the 7-43 a.m. London train. Once on board the train, however, we dried out and revived ourselves with coffee and biscuits. After a rather long journey we arrived at King's Cross, where we were met by a coach, which took us out to the factory at Cricklewood, where we arrived just before midday.
Our first port of call in the factory was a very attractive permanent exhibit in the reception hall, displaying the variety of goods manufactured by the Smith's combine. Normally one thinks of Smith's as being the manufacturers of clocks, watches, car radios and heaters, and all types of dashboard instruments. But as well as these their products include automatic transmissions, radar equipment and echo sounders for fishing vessels, automatic piloting and landing