C.C.F. Notes

TODAY THE STRUGGLE An anthology of art and literature inspired by the Spanish Civil War, 1936-9, and presented by members of the Middle Sixth.

"None of us are actors," claimed the Headmaster at the start of this dramatic recreation of the Civil War as seen through the eyes of its painters and writers—and at first this seemed unfortunately to be all too true. The cast were grouped on stage in embarrassed informality, the early readings were hesitant and inaudible, the acting no more than a visual illustration of the text, and it appeared the evening would merely prove that theatrical spontaneity is an illusion only to be successfully sustained through very careful rehearsal. Gradually though the cast began to forget about the audience and became involved in the literature —being rather than simply portraying, forging coherence where before had been unrelated action. At the climax of the reading from Auden's "Spain 1937" all simultaneously raised their arms in one dramatic symbol of solidarity. The performers, like the people they were portraying, had become united in a common cause.

After the interval the performance, again mirroring the action, became more disjointed, losing at times both pace and continuity. As the resistance to Franco broke down, so the cast lost its group identity, though isolated moments, like the shooting of the prisoners and the individual's reaction to confinement, were very effective. Technically superb, with particularly impressive lighting effects, the performance was at its best where it appeared most carefully rehearsed and where the cast worked closely together. The final moments echoed the opening in that the whole group huddled on stage, yet the difference summed up the achievement of the evening. No longer embarrassed but rather with the sombre experience of having endured the struggle, the cast combined the dejection of defeat with the spirit of survival in the haunting rendering of their earlier triumph song. By the end the Headmaster's opening words appeared not merely irrelevant but palpably untrue. I.M.K.I.

An important change in CCF policy started in September when firstyear boys seeking the Duke of Edinburgh Award were able to enter the CCF for a preliminary year, with the options, at the end of the year, of entering one of the three Service Sections of the CCF or of leaving to continue their Award training quite independently. It was agreed that a first-year boy wishing to attend a Service camp or course should only do so when he and his parents had accepted his undertaking to remain in the CCF after the preliminary year. Many first-year boys have now "signed on" for full CCF service, but they will continue the broader Duke of Edinburgh Award training until the end of the school year.

This arrangement seems to make the best use of two organisations in the school; organisations of equal value for boys to take part in, but having a different emphasis in their methods. Thus the first-year boy whose wish is to pursue the Duke of Edinburgh Award without any 12

direct connection with the Armed Services has been able to join in night exercises and other Service activities, gaining confidence and experience of obvious value; while the boy who hopes to pursue a cadet training with one of the Armed Services will have a wide range of instruction and activity for his first year, without being tied down to a CCF syllabus.

Mr. D. H. Hamilton, who is in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, took the lead in bringing about this welcome alliance with the CCF; we are very grateful to him and to the masters who help him, and we hope that this arrangement will long continue. We are pleased, too, that the Joint Cadet Executive, the committee of all three regular Services who control the CCF, agreed enthusiastically to this important change in policy. It has always been possible, since the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme was founded, for a CCF cadet to seek the Award within his CCF training; but now the cadet can be positively encouraged to do so, with the advantage of a preliminary year at it before he enters a Service Section.

In general, Contingent training this year has aimed more at outside activity and individual work, and although more cadets are taking advantage of the wide range of Service courses available, parents and boys might be reminded of these courses and of the assurance that no cadet is placed under any obligation to any of the regular Services by taking part in any Service activity.

During the year we have welcomed many Service staff officers, including the Admiral Commanding Reserves; we are again grateful to our visiting instructors of Number 9 Cadet Training Team and to those from the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. On 5th June the Contingent will be inspected by Group Captain J. L. W. Towler, RAF, Officer Commanding, RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

CSM M. J. W. Dimelow was appointed senior Contingent NCO. D.G.C.

ROYAL NAVY SECTION

The Section has had a successful year. We congratulate John Craven on gaining a place at Dartmouth (where we hear he is enjoying life) and we are sure that the service he gives there will be as involved and efficient as it was here. David Hughes has won a conditional Navy Scholarship and we congratulate him also.

During the summer term, under the leadership of UO Craven and PO Bell the Section made much use of Callie on the river and much valuable practical experience was gained in boat handling and maintenance. There is plenty of scope for long-distance river work on the Ouse and perhaps with a more powerful engine to make way against the tidal waters below Naburn an expedition to Hull may one day be possible.

During the summer holidays many cadets made excellent use of the Navy's varied courses in all parts of the country and also at sea in HMS Intrepid. This voyage was most interesting and the Navy laid on a fascinating programme of talks, shooting, and work on the assault craft which Intrepid carries. Other successful courses were sailing near Plymouth at HMS Raleigh and also at Dartmouth. 13

. J. B. Littlefield was appointed Coxswain at the beginning of the Christmas term. The Section enjoyed its annual November visit to our parent establishment HMS Caledonia, and the weekend included a full day at sea in a minesweeper doing a sweep in the Firth of Forth. During this term also the Admiral Commanding Reserves visited us.

We welcome our nine new cadets to the Section and hope that they will fully partake in its many activities, especially during the holidays.

I would like to thank Lt. Bulcock and S/Lt Dawson for their help and QM Feeney for his extremely thorough work in the stores, and also PO Harrison and his group of instructors for their interest and involvement.

J.B.L.

ARMY SECTION

The scheme of joint training of first-year boys within the CCF and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, described in the general notes on the CCF, has brought an entry of over 80 cadets into a CCF Preliminary Year, and the CCF part of their training has been mainly within the Army Section. Senior Army Section cadets have thus had a valuable opportunity to take charge of groups of juniors in such activities as the two night exercises on Strensall Common. The senior NCOs are CSM Dimelow and Sgt. Prowde.

The main part of the training of senior Army , cadets has been in an NCO Cadre run by Number 9 Cadet Training Team.

The Army Camp is arranged for July 15th to July 21st at Proteus Camp near 011erton in the Dukeries. A wide range of exercises has been planned by the Regular Army, including an Internal Security operation, night fighting patrols, and section attacks commanded by selected cadets. There will be various competitions including shooting and assault course. Cadets who are up to the required standard will be tested in the Battlecraft Test for the Army Proficiency Certificate. Obviously Army Camp is the most valuable training for future NCOs of the Contingent, and it is open to cadets of all three Service Sections.

E.S.

ROYAL AIR FORCE SECTION

During this school year the Section has been commanded by Sgt. Moxon, assisted by Cpls. Jones, P. J. T., Tomlinson and Hodge. Under the new examination system Flight A took Proficiency Part 3, all but two passing, and Flight B Proficiency Part 2 with 100 per cent passes, including two distinctions, Atkinson, P. T. and Newstead, A. S.

A new feature of the R.A.F. training programme is the practical air navigation, practical in the sense that it involves plotting routes on charts, and estimating times of arrival from information provided and with the aid of mathematical instruments and a navigational computer. This course can be used as a preparation for an "0" Level examination which it is hoped future senior cadets will be able to pass.

In the preliminary year nine cadets have joined the Section and have been eligible for the annual camp and air experience flying. The latter 14

has taken place as usual at Church Fenton and so far there have been two Wednesday afternoons available each term.

Sgt. Moxon has been able to take advantage of a cancellation by another CCF and enjoy an annual camp at Gütersloh, Germany. It is anticipated that St. Peter's R.A.F. Section will be offered a number of places in German camps during 1974 as part of an official allocation.

The annual camp in the U.K. took place at R.A.F. Turnhouse, Edinburgh, from April 4th to 11th. Fifteen cadets attended and experienced the usual varied programme of Chipmunk flying. shooting, swimming, orienteering and technical visits.

P.L.H.

BRITISH SHIP ADOPTION SOCIETY

Our new ship, the Ben Line's "Benarkle", loaded at Bremerhaven,

Middlesbrough, Hull, London and Antwerp, sailing from the last named on 24th November. She is a conventional cargo ship and the variety of exports from Western Europe to the Far East as shown in the cargo plan is fascinating. The largest single item was nearly 800 tons of fertiliser in bags loaded at Middlesbrough for Bangkok. From Hull for Singapore and Bangkok went relatively small quantities but of a remarkable variety: preserves, tissues, abrasives, sauce, screws, hardboard, mica, wire rope, car parts, linseed oil, surgical goods, creosote, moulding powder, linoleum, disinfectant and mustard. Some other items are distinctly unexpected: toys for Singapore, milk powder for Borneo, shampoo for Port Kelang and milestones for Bangkok.

Besides sending us the cargo loading plan, our correspondent, Mr.

Hildred, sent details of the passages day by day with weather reports which make interesting comparisons with the atlases and text books, and for which we are very grateful but which are too detailed for reproduction here. t1. The homeward cargo consisted mainly of timber, much of it loaded at Rejang in Sarawak, where conditions are reminiscent of Conrad: "it is simply an anchorage in a wide stretch of the river. We loaded 2,500 tons of timber which is brought to us in small river boats. The coolies live on houseboats that tie up alongside or on beds they construct in the alleyways. Food is cooked for them on the after deck in enormous cooking pots over wood fires. There is nothing to see except jungle on each bank, and nowhere to go."

The main dates and ports of call were: called Cape Town, 12th

December; arrived Penang 28th December; called at Singapore, Bangkok and several ports in North Borneo outward; Singapore, Penang and Cape

Town homeward, arriving at Liverpool on 18th March.

A rather sad little postscript: Mr. Hildred tells us that Port Swettenham is now called Kelang, and so there disappears from the map probably the only place named after an Old Peterite—in this case Sir Frank

Swettenham, at one time High Commissioner for the Federated Malay

States and Governor of the Straits Colony. He was one of those mainly responsible for the development of rubber growing in Malaya. L.C.LeT.