I '

THE

SHIRBURNIAN

SHERBORNE : AT THE ABBEY PRESS

VOL. XLIV

MICHAELMAS

No. 3

1954

------ -t--~---

THE

SHIRBURNIAN

MICHAELMAS

VOL. XLIV

1954

No. 3

Editorial

School News

O.S. News

Societies The Duffers In terpretes Les Polyglottes Green Ribbon Club ... James Rhoades Music Club The Wildman Society The Band ... Ornithological Society Photographic Society The Museum The Golf Society Fishing Club The Alchemists The Sailing Club The Philatelic Society

Correspondence

Comment

CONTENTS Frontispiece I

Frontispiece 2 87

89

90

92 92 92 92 92 92 93 93 93 93 93 93 93 94 94 94

94

M.D.T. 95 G.T.W. 95 Shirburnian Census 96 Tweseldown 1954 98 W. L. Creese 99 Concert Club, October 9th 100 Concert Club October 30th 101 Upper School Lecture," The U.S.S.R." 102 The Third Man 102 The Sound Barrier .. . 103 Odette 103 Memories of the Sherborne-Cambridge Spitzbergen Expedition 1954 104 The Ashridge Course 105

Literary Camp Memories 106 The Editor 107 A Parish at Work 108 Reflections on the County of London A.C.F. Camp at Felixstowe 1954 108 Report to the School on the Progress made in the erection of new

classrooms in the Courts 110 Evening 111 War Graves ll l Helen Ill The Book in Attack 112 Message 112 From Dorset to Connecticut (3) An Observation... ll3 Sherborne-asjohn Masefield would see it 115

Games Cricket ll6 Athletics 119 Tennis 120 Shooting 120 Rugger 120

Valete 124

J

EDITORIAL It must be, we suppose, the habit of most editors to spend a number of laborious minutes

in the woody mustiness of the Lower Library prior to undertaking their Editorial, in the hope that in wearily delving into the remoter numbers of this venerable magazine they may come across some likely material, which can safely and inconspicuously be modernised. We followed this practice, and began with the first, the original Shirburnian, dated March, 1859 ; we got no further. These were the words which laid down the authentic policy of the magazine ... " we have begun because we thought a favourable opportunity was afforded us for giving to the School an outlet for its wit and also an easy means of printing all its News ... " And clearly those original editors were worried about and concerned with the same problems that confront us to-day, for they liken themselves to the builders of a ship ... " So they persevered, and as they laboured, one by one difficulties yielded, till at length the good ship was built ; and there she lies, sea-worthy enough, but short of hahds ... " There seem to have been an astonishing amount of editorials which have utilized very many words in saying what an editorial should say, what an editorial should be, without either saying it or being it themselves. This, however, is just intended to remind us of those far off words which can well afford to be once again pushed into the limelight, especially in view of the recent Questionnaire. You are the hands who man the ship. This is your magazine ; its whole existence depends upon you and your accomplish­ments ; it is the body, the framework, but you are the blood which gives it life and movement. If you criticize The Shirburnian, you are criticizing yourself, you are criticizing the School and its ingenuity. We, the editors, are dependent upon you, we can do nothing without you, we are in your hands, under your governance ; in the trenchant words of Terence : " You have made this hash ; it is for you to swallow it all."

88

COMMENT

" If you wish in this world to advance, Your merits you're bound to enhance ;

You must stir it and stump it, And blow your own trumpet,

Or, trust me, you haven't a chance."

THE SHIRBURNIAN

How aptly does Sir W. S. Gilbert state the case for advertisement. We have this term received two requests for a little blowing of the trumpet : from such widely different sources as a lady stamp-dealer, and the National Coal Board. Would they interest you ? Do you consider you or the School would benefit from their inclusion in this magazine ? Should The Shirburnian cater for advertisements ?

Weather must of necessity appear in this section, but on this occasion it does not deserve more than the briefest mention. We would do well to remember an old proverbial saying which runs : "As the Devil said to Noah : ' It's bound to clear up'." Let us hope that we will for this once be permitted to believe the Devil, though we are well entitled to remain sceptical.

"Striving to better, oft we mar what's well "-words of great wisdom, and ones which all those concerned with the new building projects would do well to remember. Progress, we feel, is the key word for many of the recent activities which have so intrigued us. Around us as we stand in the Courts today ferment and crystallize the seeds of a new surrounding : true, as yet this has entailed for the most part merely pulling down various ancient blots on the Shirburnian landscape, but ideally, and we are reassured that these ideals are by no means false, we are given to understand that the proceedings which disrupt School House and our eyesight, will even­tually end as the completion of the rectangle of classrooms. We wish them well.

This bid for progress is making itself felt in other ways too-mainly fostered by members of the Staff. Many of us heard at the beginning of the term with astonishment and not a little concern of the experiences of certain of our Staff in some foreign and barbaric land. We heard, too, and doubtless approved of the powerful campaign which was launched to obtain a full explanation and apology for the wrongs and hardships incurred. We were greatly encouraged and stimulated by such action, and this feeling was increased when another member of the staff chose to enliven the proceedings on Field Day, by firing a Verey light into the middle of a haystack. This was a highly ingenious way of providing a refreshing touch of the unexpected and original, without which Field Day would become so very dull. We must thank these Masters for helping to foster anew, to re-awaken a spirit of enterprise, and for adding to this spirit of progress in an entirely novel way.

Many people lament the apparent loss of the School television set, and indeed they have good cause. It seems that our most insistent demands to have some particular programme switched on are overlooked, and when eventually the authorities are quite mysteriously moved to allow us a fleeting glimpse of this tantalising machine, we are informed that it has broken down and this will not be possible. We do not take long to come to the conclusion that it has broken down at this moment because, quite simply, it is not used enough, and that it is merely rotting into useless and passive decay.

The time having now reached 5.30 a.m. it is to be hoped that the full implications of the duty of an editor will now be beginning to be understood. This is the last night before the first proofs are sent to the printers, there has been an electricity cut from midnight to 3.30 a.m., which caused us to revert to genuine candle-light. However when pondering as to what to say in this Comment-considering the matter quite dispassionately if not altogether intelligently at this hour-it seems generally to have been a singularly uneventful term, though there are still several laps of the marathon yet to be run, That is the trouble with such a long term-the longer it is, the greater the risk,

THE SHIRBURNIAN

Head of the School School Prefects ...

Editors of The Shirburnian

SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL OFFICERS

R. G. F. FINN (a) T. a. a. GILCHRIST R. PRESTON ]. C. KEY R. P. H. MERMAGEN (b) J.B. B. COCKCROFT J. A. LLOYD (c) M. J. STONE (d)

J. B. BLACKSHA W D. W. HARRISON D. W. R. WHICKER (J) D. EVANS C. G. HEAL (g) R. S. O'BRIEN J.B. BLACKSHAW (h) I.J. SPURR

I.J. SPURR C.G.HEAL R. S. O'BRIEN

89

D. M. SUMMERSCALE (h)

Captain of Football Fives and Squash Boxing Shooting

Chapel Prefect ...

R. PRESTON R. S. O'BRIEN G. P. GENT (J) M.J. STONE J.C. KEY

We congratulate :-D. W.R. LEWIS, J.M. MACNAIR, M. MONTAGUE-JONES, J.M. LONSDALE,

and M. J. STONE on winning State Scholarships. C.J. CHATAWAY, on setting up a world record for the 5,000 metres (see O.S. News). Mr. WALFORD and Mr. WATKINS on their appointments to Abbey House and Abbey­

lands, on the retirement of Mr. WESTLAKE and Col. RANDOLPH, at the end of the Summer Term.

The Rev. T. C. P. BROOK on his appointment to Elmdene to replace Mr. WATKINS.

We would like to sympathise with R. PRESTON, who for the second year running has been unable to complete the season in the 1st XV, owing to illness.

90

Apr. '54 Oct. '54 July '54

Oct. '54 Aug. '54 Oct. '54 June '54 July '54 Oct. '54 Oct. '54 Oct. '54 Oct. '54

THE SHIRBURNIAN

O.S. NEWS OBITUARY

BUTLIN, Rev. Thomas Mowll Herbert (c 1903-1909). CATT, Noel (a 1908-1912). CHURCH, Colonel Arthur John Bromley, C.M.G. (Wood 1880-1886). FRASER, Bonamy Haswell (Wil. 1885-1888). GALPIN, Stanley Ingram (Rh. 1886-1891). JEUDWINE, George Gordon (f 1927-1931). KINCAID, Charles Augustus, C.V.O. (a 1882-1887). LLOYD, Walter Edwin, Barrister-at-Law (Pr. 1885-1888). LOWIS, Alfred Edmund, J.P. (Bl. 1883-1887). MARSHALL, Malcom Charles (Rh. 1887-1891). PEDDIE, Graham (Wil. 1886-1889). ROBINSON, Francis Harry, M.B., D.0.M.S. (Wild. 1899-1903). SMITH, Robin Hugh Foster (a 1943-1947). WEBB, William Edgar Kenneth (b 1909-1912).

J.M. GELSTHORPE (c 1945-1950) was awarded a First Class in History at Oxford. G. S. P. PEACOCKE (c 1945-1950) was awarded a First Class in Modern Languages at

Oxford. Sir DONALD C. MACGILLIVRAY, K.C.M.G.,M.B.E. (b 1920-1925) has been appointed

a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. H. B. STALLARD, M.B.E., M.D., LLD., F.R.C.S. (g 1914-1919) has been elected

Hunterian Professor, Royal College of Surgeons. G. G. BRIGGS (h 1928-1932) has been appointed Attorney-General, Nigeria. C. J. CHATAWAY (d 1944-1949) has represented Great Britain in the Empire and Euro­

pean Games, on winning a gold medal in the former and a silver one in the latter and on setting up a new world record time of 13 minutes 51 ·6 seconds for the 5,000 metres.

By way of a tribute to C. J. Chataway, we thought we could do no better than reprint the following letter published in the Sunday Times shortly after his triumph at the White City.

CHATAWAY'S FEAT Sir,

There was a general mmmur of sympathy and relief on Wednesday evening at the White City when it was announced that Mr. Harold Abrahams was well on the way to recovery. In his unfortunate absence, I feel, as a close friend of his, that I might be allowed to pay tribute to Chataway's triumph. I do this also because of the way in which Chataway and I have been closely associated in past efforts.

Zatopek's supremacy over 5,000 metres ended with his defeat in the European Games at Berne a month ago. The crown which then seemed within Chataway's grasp was snatched from him by Kuts, with his brilliant run-away victory. It is ironical that Chataway should have been so dominated by his rivalry with Zatopek that he was out­manoeuvred. This was a challenge to his greatness and on Wednesday evening he rose to it. Though Kuts may lack Zatopek's finishing speed and grimacing antics, he is nevertheless an iron man. Chataway has steel-drawn courage in addition. Together they gave a long-distance race the intensity of a continuous sprint. If Kuts is the only runner in the world who could repeatedly double his pace to shake off an opponent whose finishing burst he feared, then only Chataway could respond and refuse to be shaken off.

That evening we identified ourselves with Chataway and Kuts, not only as champions of their countries, but as two men possessing qualities which in some small measure we hope we share. Forty-five thousand people were thrilled and inspired by two men in a struggle of great power, even beauty. Neither took measure of the cost. The record book states only the time taken. It was also a world record in courage, determination and endurance and a!l who saw it will be proud to tell the story.

Harrow. ROGER BANNISTER.

(Reprinted by kind permission of Dr. R. G, Bannister and the Editor of the Sunday Times).

THE SHIRBURNIAN

SHERBORNE PILGRIMS' CRICKET TOUR 1954

Pilgrims 237-6 dee. (K. A. O'Connor 45). Canford Cygnets 115.

Pilgrims 183 (C.R. Dawnay 55, K. Ball 8-72). Sherborne Town 135-8.

91

Pilgrims 197- 8 dee. (P. M. Lewis 91 not out). Somerset Stragglers 116 (J. Parsons 45).

Pilgrims 254-5 dee. (D. I. Gillespie 92, M. W. Pailthorpe 57 not out). Dorset Rangers 92 (P. H. Wakely 5-22).

Pilgrims 223-5 dee. (D. I. Gillespie 110). Devon Dumplings 81 (D. C. P.R. Jowett 6-28).

Wiltshire Queries 224 (C. Cutforth 111, P. H. Wakely 4-34). Pilgrims 170 (D. S. Milford 4-47).

Hampshire Hogs 102 (P. H. Wakely 4-33, H.]. C. Bashford 4-48). Pilgrims 110-2.

Old Wykehamists 219-8 (D. R. Guard 84, A. P. Doggart 50). Pilgrims 95-5 (R. F. S. Chignell 41 not out).

Pilgrims 196-6 dee. (B. H. Lock 60, L. N. Reynolds 4-39). Old Tonbridgians 157 (R. M. Skinner 6-37, D. S. Kemp 56).

92 THE SHIRBURNIAN

SCHOOL SOCIETIES THE DUFFERS

The first meeting this term was held at Lyon House on October 10th ; when the Chairman read a most enter­taining paper entitled" Fat and Lean". On October 24th, at Abbey House, R. P. H. Mermagen talked on Ernest Hemingway. This paper was very stimulating and well composed. The final meeting took place on November 14th at the Green, where Mr. J. W. P. Garrett, Headmaster of Bristol Grammar School, told us why he liked Shakespeare. He was clearly a great authority on Shakespeare, and his paper put forward some interesting arguments and sugges­tions. We thank Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, Mr. and Mrs. Westlake, and Mr. May for the most generous hospitality we received. J.C. KEY,

Hon. Secretary. INTERPRETES

At the last meeting of the summer term the Interpres Maximus D. G. M. Boyd read on Tacitus with particular reference to the Agricola ; the Society were very glad to haveJ. P. Baker present, a student of more modern languages. So far this term we have had papers on Lucretius by the Logothetes, and on Greek naval tactics by D. W. R. Whicker, at the first of which Mr. Roberts was made welcome and at which he was persuaded to read a paper on his travels through Greece during the summer. This he has done and it proved to be a most entertaining and interesting evening, with some magnificent anecdotes on hydrogen bombs and continental travel. We have two more meetings this term one of which will be a rather more festive occasion when a past Int. Max., R. M. Harrison will read about his travels

·in Greece and Italy. We are very grateful to Mrs. Morrison and the Logothetes for their hospitality.

LES POL YGLOTTES

J.B. BLACKSHAW, Int. Max.

The Society started the term with a reading of " Der Prinz von Hornberg " by Heinrich v. Kleist, which was greatly enjoyed and provoked lively discussion.

We were fortunate in having Mlle. Gaultier to read the part Dona Sol in" Hemani", our next play, by Victor Hugo. This was well read and appreciated, especially as we had read" Ruy Blas" by the same author last term.

We have embarked upon a reading of Grillparfer's cycle of three tragedies "Das Goldene ", to which we wel­comed members of the German department of the Girl's School for the female roles.

The Society wishes once again to record its very grateful thanks to the President for his very kind hospitality. M.J. STONE,

Hon. Secretary. GREEN RIBBON CLUB

For the first meeting of the term the Club heard a long and competent paper on " English Literature and the Civil War" from Elizabeth Light at Wingfield House. On the 13th November,]. Saltmarch Esq., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, addressed us on " Geography and the Discoveries in the Middle Ages " adding to a distinguished and brilliantly read paper, a most strking presence. C. G. Heal's paper on History, read to a joint meeting with members of the Girls' School, in the Headmaster's Study, was profound and involved, but promoted a heated dis­cussion. The Club is very grateful for the ever generous hospitality of Miss Crichton-Miller and the Chairman, Mr. Hart. R. G. F. FINN,

Hon. Secretary. JAMES RHOADES

This term something of a precedent has been created : members who have graduated to the "Duffers" have retained their James Rhoades status and consequently the Society now has no less than nineteen members-a record.

So far this term we have had one modern verse play-" The Shadow Factory '', by Anne Ridler, and Marlowe's "Faustus". For the latter meeting H. H. Brown Esq., was our guest and he treated us to a most moving reading of the part of Dr. Faustus himself. The reading on this occasion was of a very high standard and it was generally voted to be one of the most successful evenings for many terms.

As always, our thanks are due to Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan for their overwhelming hospitality ; without the sanctuary of their home, Mrs. Buchanan's magnificent refreshments and the Chairman's guiding influence, the Society simply could not exist. R. S. O'BRIEN,

Hon. Secretary. MUSIC CLUB

On Monday, November 8th, the Club met at Nowell Cottage, where we were once again entertained most generously by Mr. and Mrs. Ferry, to whom we are very grateful.

D. E. D. Gordon read a paper, with illustrations on the gramophone, on Faure's Requiem, which he provoca­tively described as the greatest Requiem since Mozart's. The evening was both enjoyable and voluble.

On November 29th there will be an informal Concert for the Club at Abbey House, at the kind invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Westlake. J.C. KEY,

Hon. Secretary.

THE SHIRBUR.NIAN 93

THE WILDMAN SOCIETY

The first debate of the term took place on October 2nd. The motion that " One Englishman is worth two foreigners " was admirably proposed by the Chairman and R. S. O'Brien, and opposed by Mr. Runge and N. A. B. Gray, who in particular spoke with great fervour. After a lively and interesting debate the motion was lost by a close margin.

On October 23rd the Society debated the motion " This House considers that American foreign policy is in­competent". The main speakers were]. M. Macnair,]. M. Kitchen, R.Jordan andJ. M. Lonsdale. The debate was a success, and showed that the Society is capable of debating seriously, yet without lack of enjoyment.

A third debate is planned for November 27th when it is hoped that some representatives of the Cambridge Union will speak. J.C. KEY,

Hon. Secretary. THE BAND

The Band made a considerable impression when it attended the C.C.F. Camp this year, for the first time. It was congratulated by the G.O.C. Aldershot, Major-General Campbell on its performance for the Service and March Past-it is the first Band from any school ever to have played at a Drumhead Service. It also played on the Route March and in the Camp Concert. With several new members, this term's work has centered on the building up of our repertoire. The Band now operates as a separate unit within the Corps, and from this term will have its own Staff Sergeant. P. J. Weston will be Drum-Major next Summer. R. G. F. FINN,

Hon. Secretary. ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

This term the Society has had four lectures. The first was by an O.S., Dr. J. A. Gibb, and dealt with the latest scientific methods in ascertaining the feeding habits of small birds. ·It was extremely interesting but possibly a little too technical for many members. Next the R.S.P.B. showed their film "Birds of the Orkneys and Shetlands", which was very much appreciated by us all. Then came a lecture on the Bridgwater Nature Reserve by E. P. Kelting Esq. which was especially interesting to us as regular trips are paid by the Society to this area. Lastly Dr. K. B. Rooke gave a short talk on Bird Migration and turned the meeting into an informal discussion. This was very successful and it is hoped we may do this more often.

During the term Mr. Gibson has taken two parties out in his car. One to Bridgwater and the other to Studland ; we are very grateful to him for devoting so much of his time to the Society.

R. A. WILSON, Hon. Secretary.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Unfortunately the Society has not been able to meet for any lectures this term as is customary in the winter term. We have great hopes that this will be remedied in the future.

The new darkrooms are proving to be as efficient as they are brilliant, and the Society's sincere thanks are due to Mr. Stevenson for their layout and bis guidance of the Society during the term.

R. G. F. SWANTON, Hon. Secretary.

THE MUSEUM

Activity this term has been restricted owing to lack of financial aid, but it is hoped that a school grant will be obtained in the near future. However the endless task of tidying and sorting has continued, unabated by this draw­back, and it is hoped to replenish some of the specimens of local fossils later in the term. In this sphere I would like to extend my very grateful thanks on behalf of the School to Mr. Fowler, the local geologist, who has so kindly donated many valuable specimens. J. F. BERRY,

Curator. THE GOLF SOCIETY

Two matches were played at the end of last term ; in the first the School and Staff lost unexpectedly heavily to the O.S.G.S. by 7 games to 2, three being lost on the last green. The second match was against the Masters, who beat a weakened School side by 5 games to I. The O.S. Prize was won by Bulpin (f) who defeated Kemp (f) in the final by 1 hole in a very level match.

This term there is a ladder, but the bad weather and a lack of players with handicaps have prevented the running of any competitions. It is hoped to restart the golf lessons next term as there have been a number of enthusiastic enquiries. A. C. I. BuLPIN,

Hon. Secretary. FISHING CLUB

Officials of the Somerset River Board have visited our water again this term and used their electrical equipment to considerable success. The combined efforts of the Board and Mr. Runge have greatly improved our machine so that during the early part of the term, it did account for a pike and several other coarse fish. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Mr. Runge for all the work he has put into the machine.

A fair number of roach have been caught this term and it is to be hoped that some more pike will soon be removed. J.C. F. HOD!AN,

Hon. Secretary.

94 THE SHIRBUR.NIAN

THE ALCHEMISTS

The fact that the Society has not met this term has left much time for individual research, the fruits of which may, we hope, be more apparent next term. J.M. MACNAIR,

Hon. Secretary. THE SAILING CLUB

Last term Lyon House won the Edmond Cup ; School House B were a close second. Unfortunately the fixtme against the Old Shirburnians had to be cancelled owing to bad weather.

This term great progress has been made in sandpapering the six Y.W. Cadets and preparing them for painting them next term.

New members have been elected for the coming season. R. M. SALKELD, Hon. Secretary.

THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY

On October 3rd the Society held its inaugural meeting, which was well attended. Fifty members joined and Mr. Hey consented to become chairman.

So far this term the Society has heard two lectures, both given by members of the Town Society, and held two exchange meetings. The first lecture on" Early French Stamps and Napoleonic W"ar Covers" by Mr. V. L. Skinner, was remarkable for the excellent writing up of the sheets which should be an example to all. The second on "Great Britain Commemorative Issues" was given by Mr.J. R. Brighton and a great deal of interest was shown. Attendance both times was high and it is hoped this will be kept up for our final lecture this term on December 4th.

R. c. M. MALIM,

CORRESPONDENCE To the Editors of The Shirburnian. Dear Sir,

Hon. Secretary.

The Seven-a-sides at Richmond have become increasingly popular in the School during the last few years. Would it not be possible to have a House Seven-a-side competition ? This would give to anyone who was chosen to play for the School at Richmond a far better idea of the game, since it is in many ways tactically different from the normal fifteen-a-side game. It could either be played in the Michaelmas term after the Juniors Competition, or in the Lent term after the Three-Cock. In either case it could be played off very quickly using the system employed at Richmond. The result would reflect on the training of a team, as well as on the brilliance of its players.

Yours, etc., R. P. THOMPSON, E. M. VINE, G. GREGORY-SMITH, R.J. TORONTOW, w. R. A. WATHERSTON, A. R. D. NORMAN.

Dear Sir, Much has been said in the last few years about " Old Shirburnian " dress, but little seems to have been done.

Some of the garments are agreeably pleasant. But why, for instance, are there no recognised cuff-links, and, as the blazer is now most unsuitable, could not something be done to provide crested buttons for adding to reefer jackets ? I am not advocating that we should go to the other extreme and have old boys braces as at one celebrated school, but I think there is room for more initiative to be shown in this line. Yours, etc.,

J. A. LLOYD.

Dear Sir, Now that there is a Games Committee, it is time that some investigation was made into the present system of

" allocating " sports equipment. The prices of all articles would surely drop to a more reasonable level if the various shops concerned had to compete for the trade of the School as other shops do. The present price of a 2nd XV fez, for example, is £2-5-0-surely exorbitant. The present arrangement could well be described as " a deal in the spoils of the School '.'. Yours, etc.,

EXPLOITED.

Dear Sir, I would like to record for more general consideration a feeling that has often been voiced, but never to my

knowledge officially expressed. This is the suggestion that there should be an Inter-House Dramatic Competition. The drawbacks are obvious-how could it be judged, and where could it take place, and when ? But these can be fairly easily overcome : not every House need or would want to enter ; the judging could take place over some space of time-each House performing at the traditional occasion (if necessary Houses would be asked to give more than one performance, so that they should not clash). The judges-a judicious selection of dramatically-inclined masters­would then reveal their decision at the end of say the Easter Term. Many people in the School derive great pleasure from acting, and this would, I feel, act as a stimulant of enthusiasm and keenness achieved through competition, which would make performing in a House Play still more enjoyable and worthwhile.

Yours, etc., M.S.D.

THE SHIRBURNIAN 95

COMMENT

M.D.T.

Meredith Dillon Thomas, who retired last term, joined the staff in September, 1921, freshly married and almost straight from a Prisoner of War compound. These circumstances enabled him from the start to see the School, and himself, from a slightly detached point of view, so that he seemed never to be ruffled by the petty worries of a Schoolmaster's life. A man of wide sympathies, he at once joined the newly formed Sherborne Branch of the British Legion and made himself known in the Town as one who was willing to work for a deserving cause. He will perhaps be remembered best by the hundreds who have passed through his form as a man who had something, because of his wide humanity and experience of the outside world, to give in addition to the formal instruction of the hour. Others will remember his early fostering of Athletics or his characteristic chairmanship of the Games Committee. Perhaps, most of all, he will be remembered with affection by all of the School Community for his independence of dress and manner, his fancy waistcoats in days when such things were never worn, his monocle, his button holes, his twirling malacca cane, and for his invariable courtesy to boys and colleagues. It is with real pleasure that it is learnt that he is building a hidden house at Long Street so his familiar figure will still be seen in the streets of Sherborne.

Mr. Thomas, or" M.D.T." as we invariably call him, has been with the School for thirty years (missing the century in terms by one) and most of us ordinary members of the School have witnessed not more than four or five of these. We feel, however that some tribute should be paid to him by the boys who have passed through his hands. What are our recollections of this particular Sherborne institution ? We remember M.D.T. as a man of many parts, an artist, justly proud of his work, a cricketer and an athlete, a keen participant in the affairs of town as well as School ; but for us "in statu pupillari ", he is above all the man who could discuss subjects ranging from the fourth dimension to the Lake District in his English, Latin, or Divinity periods with equal command and equanimity. He managed to infuse his normal school routine with the power and variety of his personality, and the extent of his experience, to make the dullest grammar sparkle, and the weariest Chaucer live. The man of colour, of the well-twirled moustache, the errant monocle, the deftly flourished cane, the waistcoat, the hat, and the blossoming buttonhole, we remember him with gratitude and affection, and wish him every happiness in the years to come.

G.T.W.

It is often easy to classify schoolmasters even without the guidance of Ian Hay and Ronald Searle. But Tom Wright's colourful figure defies such treatment.

He arrived at Sherborne after the war with a background of achievement anyone might envy. High academic distinction as a biochemist came his way and an all round athletic ability led amongst other things to the captaincy of the Cambridge Rugger side, which but for a knee injury might well have been crowned by an international cap. Add to that a host of other interests including a taste for exploration in distant lands. The record was a formidable one but such was his unassuming nature and district of success that this was the very last epithet to apply to him.

In the School he taught at all levels with enthusiasm and enjoyment, equipped with a quick and sympathetic understanding, and a refreshing informality, though not always one suspects a scientific methodicalness. It was perhaps his most notable quality-that though holding strong and often unconventional views he was always interested in other people's opinions and en­couraged individual judgement and initiative wherever possible.

Rugger and Athletics took up much of his spare time and many have been grateful not merely for his ready advice but for his carefree outlook which made success the more enjoyable

96 THE SHIRBUR.NIAN

and failure the less disappointing. But it was in less conventional activities that he really found an outlet for his remarkable energy. The exceptionally large and active Ornithological Society is only one legacy of his infectious enthusiasm as a naturalist ; and one wonders how many have followed the progress of his expeditions to Spitsbergen (with interest or humorous toleration) have reflected on the prodigious drive and thought needed to organise and equip such parties starting from scratch, or indeed the powers of persuasive casuitry required to obtain the interest and support of so many hard-headed businessmen.

In saying good-bye however many of us will remember first the open hospitality provided by him and Mrs. Wright and the warm welcome to all and sundry. They will be greatly missed and our very best wishes go with them.

SHIRBURNIAN CENSUS

The results of the second Shirburnian Census make most interesting reading and it is note­worthy that the School " wags " again failed dismally in their attempts to distort public opinion. " Truth will out," no matter how great the obstacles, and here it is.

A most dramatic change has occurred over the last three years in our Daily newspaper following. In far away 1951 the Daily Mail was the most widely read (36% of the School), followed by the Daily Telegraph (21 %). Today however the position is almost exactly reversed­Daily Telegraph 36-4% and the Daily Mail 22·7% ; next come the Express and, surprisingly enough, the Times. 12·5% of the School apparently read no newspapers regularly. John Buchan proved, as formerly, to be far and away our favourite author. This time however he was followed home by Conan Doyle, Paul Brickhill and the inevitable Nevil Shute. Buchan's popularity was almost universal in the middle and lower School, while a substantial sixth form vote brought Ernest Hemingway into rather unexpected prominence.

Happily there seems to be very little agreement over our favourite poet-indeed the pre­fectorial body of one house found it necessary to invent a poet, an American citizen with a German name. On the whole though Tennyson, followed by Kipling, Wordsworth and Pope, in that order headed the field, with Hopkins very near the rear with a mere twelve sixth form votes: 21·5% of the School either dislike poetry intensely or failed to decide between their favourites, thus registering a " no opinion " vote. Our memory for films seems to be singularly short as 64% of the School had extracted most pleasure from films seen during the term, e.g. "Third Man" and" Sound Barrier". The former, it is interesting to note, was voted number one in 1951. After these two came" Knock on Wood"," Genevieve"," Quo Vadis" and the "Wages of Fear". ·

Our feeling about early morning School in the summer remains constant : 83·8% of us are prepared to leave our beds, while the 12% who dissent, do so mainly because their feelings about cricket are far from charitable. Similarly an overwhelming majority (76·5% against 22%) feel that corps should be compulsory and this would seem to tie up well with the opinion (as expressed by 60% against 22·5%) that two years national service is valuable training for later life, rather than a complete waste of time.

Confidence in the Conservative Government is growing and our predominant shade of blue becomes darker still. 474 of us, or 86·1 % support Sir Winston Churchill (an increase of 3·5%), Labour polls a mere 2·73%, while the Liberals raised only 14 votes. By and large our parents approve of our choice and differ with us in only 43 cases.

A real cause of optimism is revealed by the question of the world's future ; in 1951 a mere 12% considered that the last major world war had been fought. Now however exactly 40% of us foresee a peaceful future. Of the remainder, 21 % decline to prophesy, 5·45% expect war in five years and 33% in ten years. Very few of the sixth form were rash enough to venture an opinion.

The cost of living rises steadily and so do regular parental contributions to our holiday welfare : average weekly pocket money for forms IV, V and VI has risen by IOd. to 6/1, while the third forms receive 4/-, the II's and I average only 2/2. Even in the VI forms, the system of regular pocket money seems more popular (with the parents perhaps ?) than annual allow­ances, and what allowances there are range from £10-£125 per annum. The School's average

THE SHIRBURJIIAN 97

weekly tuckshop expenditure proved a walk-over for the Census wreckers as it was impossible to decide which answers were meant to be taken literally and which were intended to be dis­regarded. Nevertheless, as far as it was possible to judge, the scale would seem to rise steadily in step with growing incomes as we move up the School. The average was somewhere between I Od. and l /4.

We do not lay over-much emphasis on athletic prowess ; this was decided by a vast 67% majority and the opinion was further endorsed by 69·2% of the School who would like to see their house win the Three Cock more than any other competition.

Next in this particular list come Music Competitions (lumped together), P.T., Senior Shooting, and Hockey. Following on logically from these results, 47·4% of us maintain that Rugger is our favourite game, 22·9% favour Cricket, and 13·9% are staunch Hockey fans. Tennis and Squash run Hockey very close though, each receiving 12·6% of the whole. Poker received one vote or 0·02%. Athletics is far and away the most important " minor colour " (28%) followed by boxing (22%), tennis (14·7%), squash (7%), and shooting (7%). Harper House appear to favour squash while over 70% of the Fives votes could be traced to Lyon House.

Clifton is easily the most vital of our 1st XV struggles (38·7%), followed by Dartmouth, Marlborough, Downside, the O.S.S., Blundells and Taunton, in that order. One humourist suggested " Giggleswick 1898 ", did he mean Castle Cary ? While on the subject of public schools your correspondent notes that the predicted decline in the number of public school educated fathers has begun. A drop of 6% has occurred and the figure now stands at 73% of which 15·8% are O.S.S.'s (a 5% increase). Our own choice of public schools had Sherborne never existed was Marlborough first, followed by Clifton, Charterhouse (strangely incompatible with the results of" our favourite game" enquiry), Rugby and Wellington.

Space dictates that the remainder of the results be compressed still further-here they are : only 61 % of us have decided upon future careers, and of these, business, the services and agri­culture claim nearly three quarters. Both education and the clergy would seem to have increased their adherents, though we cannot say for certain as the total number of definite answers is down on 1951. Our fathers, though, clearly tend to be business men, while 75 mothers have a full, or part-time, job, other than housewife-invariably education, medicine or secretarial work. We approve of compulsory boxing for the under 16's, corporal punishment and our fagging system (in the last cases, there was a 16% opposition only, of which 33% were them­selves fags !).

By and large, until we reach fourth-form standing, we never open a School library book ; we compensate for this, however, by reading 7 house library books on an average each term. The VI forms, combined average 12 School Library books, but the History and English group alone average 21.

It was very gratifying to know that as many as 140 members of the School are utterly satisfied with the work of the Editors (perhaps this only applied to last term's, though !) and a mere 10 want to sack or shoot them. Various suggestions for improvement were made but these only served to emphasize the old tag "You can't please everyone"-" lower prices" was the usual plea. In conclusion then your correspondent would like to thank the team of Sunday workers, whose calculations have made this article possible, despite acute shortage of time. We can evidently look forward to a brighter future and it seems that the accent will be on the humorous side of life-led by the wits of Westcott and the " would-be " wits of Abbeylands.

FROM THE SHIRBURNIAN OF FIFTY YEARS AGO :

" . . . The Corps now numbers about 140 and we are glad to see that several members of the School who had not formerly joined, have at last seen their mistake in not doing so and have given in their names. At last the red uniform has been done away with, so that we now always parade in the more serviceable khaki ••• "

98 THE SHIRBURNIAN

TWESELDOWN, 1954

Rain threatened but tactfully held off until the column of two hundred cadets, headed by the Band, had swung into the Digby Road under Mr. Hey's authoritative traffic direction, and given an " Eyes-Left " to the Headmaster opposite the Digby Hotel. The Contingent piled into their special train, the Band instruments were piled into their lorry (Mr. Ullman being unwilling to risk his precious freight to the charge of British Railways) and set off under Sgt. Ross to keep an R.V. in four hours time and one hundred miles away with the Contingent

. marching from Fleet Station to Tweseldown Camp. Here, at the Crookham cross-roads, a quarter of a mile from the Camp, Sgt. Ross duly appeared with one minute to spare and, whilst recces were carried out to ascertain the most spectacular route into the camp and the whereabouts of the Sherborne lines (and Major Bruce and his Advance Party were astonishingly difficult to find), the Band married up with their instruments again and the remainder tightened their slings. Then, to the stirring strains of the Carmen and to the amazement of a passing Major­General and sundry army cooks, D/Major Baker hove into sight with Sgt. Gubbins thumping, others blowing, and the Platoons marching grimly to attention past the race-course grandstand and so into the Sherborne lines. If the occasion of the Contingent's entry into Camp failed wholly to attain the dramatic effect long envisaged by the Commanding Officer, the fault lay not in our own efforts but in the motley and unsatisfactory nature of the casual audience.

The first morning's breakfast, distributed to a thousand cadets from one serving point only, was a protracted affair of an hour and a half and provided all ranks with a perfect example of army administration at its worst. But the gloomy mutterings of" Another Castlemartin " were quickly stifled by the presence on the scene of the Camp Commandant himself and his wrathful delivery ofrockets ofreal quality to all and sundry. Things improved rapidly and the culminating culinary achievement was perhaps the stupendous meal which greeted us after a night operation at 01. 30 hrs. Tweseldown, 1954, in fact, passed the first and acid test of all camps-'' The food was O.K."

The training was good, too. Not for nothing is Aldershot the home of the British Army­the country is really superb for all forms of fieldcraft and even crawling at night takes on a new quality when performed on the comparatively painless heather and springy turf. Sherborne, in accordance with tradition, did two night schemes ; in the first, some of the stationary lanterns assumed curious will o' the wisp tendencies for the section leader with a poor bump of direction, whilst others, of course, went out mistakenly before they were put out purposefully and occasioned D/Major Baker's stentorian shouts across Long Valley : " My lamp is out. lam the hurricane lamp." In the second scheme officers were " rescued ", albeit reluctantly, from the confines of the Foresters Arms, whilst other patrols amused themselves in helping to put out a fire which had started in the camp car park area. Daylight activities included Bren and Rifle firing on the open Range, an all-day battle against St. Edward's, Oxford, and a ten mile route march which provided the Band with another opportunity for playing the Contingent, marching with some relief but in great style, into Camp. A display of parachute jumping from balloons occupied one morning, and on another day The Green platoon gave a night fighting patrol demonstration to the rest of the Contigent, earning high praise from the Director General of Military Training who was a chance visitor to the proceedings.

Within the Camp Area C.S.M. Dunning, who had been kindly lent to us by the O.C. Depot of the Dorset Regt., did much to improve the standard of drill on Contingent Parades and also helped to drill and coach in its duties an outstandingly smart Camp Guard under Sgt. Spurr. At other times he was to be discovered in the ranks of the Band providing 2/Lieut. Ullman with welcome reinforcement to the wind section. The character, however, whose presence always pervades the activities of the Contingent in the Camp area, is, of course, that of " the Major" and it was a happy action on the part of the "Tweseldown Times", the camp newspaper, to publish the following short resume of the career of the oldest soldier in camp :

"Capt. A. T. Brown, M.B.E., will complete forty-eight years of service on August 10th, 1954. He joined the Dorset Regt. in 1906 and served during the First War in France, Gallipoli (where he was twice wounded) and Italy. He was posted to Ireland during' The Troubles' and was promoted R.S.M. to the Depot of the Dorset Regt. in 1922: from there he joined Sherborne in 1928. Commissioned in 1940, he not only continued his work with the Training Corps but

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acted as Training Officer and general Daddy to the 4th Dorset Bn. Home Guard. There are now sixty boys of the Contingent in Camp, whose fathers ' the Major ' trained in their time."

If Capt. Brown made news, so too did the Contingent itself when it came tci the Sunday Church Parade Service. For, in the absence of any regular military Band, our own Band was invited to play the voluntary and four hymns for this service and thus became, so far as we know, the first school Band ever to do so at a C.C.F. Camp. Sherborne's part in the service did not end there, however. The tannoy loud speaker system, set up by some signallers of the Royal Corps, broke down fifteen minutes before the service was due to start, and only some timely improvisa­tion by the imperturbable Major Runge saved the day and enabled an excellent sermon from a Sherborne parent, Col. the Rev. K. C. Oliver, O.B.E., to be heard by all. 2/Lieut. Ullman's vigorous conducting, too, ensured that the musical side of the service showed a considerable improvement on the normal standards achieved on these occasions.

The Contingent's principal performance, however, was reserved for the March Past at the conclusion of the service. This time the dramatic quality of the occasion was fully realised for, thanks to 2/Lieut. Ullman's insistence at a conference that "it was traditional" for Sherborne to march past last, we arranged to have a gap of a hundred yards between the rear of the preceding school's column and our own to enable the Band to change their music from Old Comrades to the Carmen by the time that Sherborne reached the Saluting Base. So, in their seven house platoons, and with Sgt. Blackshaw at their head, the Contingent strode by in thoroughly con­vincing fashion. Major-General A. D. Campbell, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., Cmd. Aldershot District, who took the salute, described their marching as being" Quite outstanding" and on that exciting note this account may fitly close.

It had been a satisfactory Camp, perhaps the best since the war, and Castlemartin had been effectively buried in the process. It ended in traditional Sherborne style with a concert at which Major Runge once again invited us to savour the delights of sugar-candy mountain, and the Band, quite fittingly, had the final word when they banged, blew, boomed, and blasted the old grey mare's reputation to shreds.

J.D.B. W. L. CREESE

Before next term, Creese will have left the School to take up an appointment elsewhere, and our community will thereby experience a great loss. In his various capacities--drill instructor, head groundsman, cricket professional-Creese has exerted a considerable influence on the life of the School, and his cheerfulness always met with a ready response. During his seven years here, he achieved a mastery of the peculiarities of the playing fields, and although often handi­capped by a dry April or a wet Summer, he never failed to have the grounds at their best­and this the result of hard and willing work. Few people realize that a school's playing fields, in daily use as they are for three months at a time, make the most exacting demands upon the ground staff.

But it is probable that Creese will best be remembered as a cricket coach. He was a fine player, and his beautiful bowling action was a model for all young cricketers. But he had other assets-more important ones. Chief among these was the fact that he was as happy coaching junior teams as he was the 1st eleven-and only those who know the average run of cricket professional will realize how fortunate we were in this. He also knew how to handle tempera­mental batsmen and bowlers, and was full of patience and understanding for the difficulties of small boys. His belief was that the ball was to be hit, and more than one promising batsman has been summed up-" All very nice, Sir, but he can't hit it past mid-off." He himself would strike with frightening power, and, on the rare occasions he could be persuaded to have a net, would soon have balls whistling to distant parts of the Upper.

We shall, indeed, miss him very much, and to him and Mrs. Creese we wish every success and happiness in their new sphere.

We take off our hats to : The new Corporal on Corps. who, noticing some men without rifles, cried : " Those without arms put up their hands." The master who claimed : " Tou should have hem penalised for coming out of the ball with the scrum in your hands ! "

100 THE SHIRBUR.NIAN

CONCERT CLUB, October 9th

The eighth season opened with a very spirited concert given by the Dennis Brain Wind Quintet with Wilfrid Parry, pianoforte, to a large and enthusiastic audience in the Big School on Saturday, 9th October. The wind instrumentalists, all of whom, with the exception of the oboeist, are members of the Philharmonia Orchestra gave a display of ensemble playing and tech­nique of the highest quality.

One could have wished for something more substantial than Beethoven's early Quintet in E flat for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, and Piano, but the repertory for wind instrument combinations suffers from an astonishing preponderance of the most meagre fare, with a few exceptionally valuable works thrown in. Too much of the music shows a purely mechanical interest in the instruments, although this is perhaps inevitable, partly because as a rule only those who have been trained to play write effectively for them, and they do not happen to be fertile as well as mechanically resourceful composers, and partly because of the ingenious develop­ment of the mechanics of the instruments since the second half of the eighteenth century thus promoting to a remarkable degree the technical potentialities of the performer. Mozart's Divertiments No. 14 in B flat, arranged by Baines, which opened the programme, was written at the beginning of this development period. The work was originally scored for two oboes, two horns, and two bassoons. It was the custom in the eighteenth century to write for wind instruments in pairs. The clarinet was not available in Salzburg at this time although it was used to some extent in Germany. The performance of this Divertimento was not wholly con­vincing, but was, in my opinion, a good choice for gaining what is perhaps the first essential for any concert performer, namely the " feel " of an audience. In this case the result must have been most encouraging.

In the Beethoven Quintet which followed, the wind quartet fight an unequal battle with the piano. This is no fault of the pianist, who requires tremendous skill to grapple successfully with the prodigious task set by the composer. It is a common error of judgement, even with the greatest masters, to overwrite the piano part in a combination of this kind and the utmost restraint is required of the wind players, without which the result savours of the fairground. These diffi­culties were skilfully overcome and it was one of the most satisfactory performances of this rather unsatisfactory work that it has been my pleasure to hear.

The second half of the concert was devoted entirely to contemporary French composers. The French are very happy with wind instrument combinations and although, generally

speaking, they have very little to say, they say it delightfully. It was a happy idea to let us hear as soloists the two outstanding performers of the combination, Gareth Morris, flute, and Dennis Brain, horn. The display of virtuosity with which Gareth Morris presented Faure's Fantasie for Flute and Piano was quite remarkable. His outstanding breath control, the major problem in flute playing, and the tremendous power of his low register, another major difficulty, provided a rare experience for the audience and they were not slow to acknowledge it. The matchless musicianship and dexterity of Dennis Brain himself was illustrated in Vilanelle for Horn and Piano by Dukas. It was difficult to connect these Vilanelle with the original Neopolitan madrig;ils but they were so beautifully played that somehow it was only the performance that mattered. In obedience to the ovation of the audience Dennis Brain gave as an encore a tradi­tional French dance with the purity of musicianship, charm, and technical perfection that only a great artist can bestow on a tiny miniature without giving it an air of unnatural pretentiousness. Milhaud's Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon does not fall so harshly on the ear as some of his chamber works. This was indeed the comedy act, illustrating the peculiar rather than the particular characterteristics of the instruments involved, and on the whole the performance was most convincing, so much so that he Concon (finale.) was obliged to pay a return visit.

The Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet by Poulenc is one of numerous works of the French school which provide more enjoyment for the player than the listener. Poulenc has shown a special predilection for wind instruments and this sextet although not by any means his best work is an excellent example of his thorough knowledge of the technical facilities of the instru­ments employed. The extremely intricate patterns were woven with skill by the performers who in spite of the demands made of them never lost their sense of ensemble, to an encore and in

THE SHIRBURNIAN IOI

conclusion the wind quintet played the first movement of a suite by Ibert, based on a French folk dance.

I have seldom heard the Dennis Brain Ensemble to better advantage, mainly due, I think to the tremendous enthusiasm of a school audience which is quite naturally reciprocated.

CONCERT CLUB, October 30th

DENNIS MATTHEWS

D.U.

Wherein lies the real essence of music ? Surely it lies in the relationship of sounds-their relationship in pitch, in time and in stress. One found speculations of this kind passing through one's mind during the recital of Dennis Matthews to the Concert Club on Saturday, 30th October, for it was soon apparent that here, primarily, was a musician who happened also to be a pianist -and a first-rate one ; one who had evidently devoted at least as much time to the training of his mind as to the training of his fingers. It was consequently as satisfying recital musically­satisfying according to the quality of the music itself and the appeal which it made to the extremely acute and penetrating intellect of the performer.

Mr. Matthews excels within a broad but nevertheless restricted field. His outlook is essen­tially classical. Within that field he is particularly successful in the transference of harpsichord and clavichord music to the modern piano. This was at once evident in his playing of a group of Preludes and Fugues from the second book of Bach's " Forty-eight " and in Haydn's C Minor Sonata. Here in particular was Bach playing of a very high order. There was ample variety of touch and tone to cater for the organ-like sonority of the C minor and the vocal sostenuto of the D major fugues, the trumpet-like brilliance of the D major prelude-one of Bach's most con­siderable movements-the lightness of the C major fugue and the almost " ftantando " delicacy of the G major. All was crystal clear and easy to follow, and one was left wondering whether, in spite of the claims of the historical purists, the modern piano is not after all a better medium for the presentation of this music than the original harpsichord and clavichord. Only at the end of the D major fugue did one disagree, when, after the magnificent four-part stretto, it seemed that the music was allowed to disintegrate and its masonry to become all too obvious.

One was grateful for a particularly fine performance of Beethoven's late A flat Sonata, opus 110. It was, however, the classical rather than the romantic aspect of the work that was empha­sised, the famous" Ariosa ",for example, being delivered with the utmost severity and restraint. The fugue was particularly successful, but for the excessive pianissimo which marked the appear­ance of the inverted version of the subject. One can hardly believe that when Beethoven dis­played his technical ingenuity he wished the point to pass unnoticed. If, superficially, his fugues seem puerile beside those of Bach, one can, nevertheless, hardly gainsay the tremendous power and effect of a movement like this.

The " Barcarolle " of Chopin which followed the interval was the one disappointing item of the evening. The player's temperament and his predominantly percussive touch seemed ill-suited to this music, and Chopin's characteristic wistfulness and charm were lacking. The "Four Bagatelles" of Alan Rawsthorne were brief but interesting. Apart from the fact that the first had begun in C there seemed no particular reason why the last should finish on that note, for nowhere was a feeling of key-centre allowed to take root. Yet the pieces held together by virtue of their rhythmic patterns relentlessly pursued. The last and least pretentious was, one felt, the best. Here at any rate it was clear that atonalism can be the vehicle ofreal emotion.

The Suite, " Pur le Piano " of Debussy is an early work and hardly representative of the composer, the Prelude and concluding Toccata being little more than studies in a somewhat vapid pianism. Here again the least pretentious movement-the Sarabande-was the most interesting, harbinger as it is of much that was to come.

In response to a well deserved ovation Mr. Matthews was induced to contribute two encores, which added little but length to a programme that had already provided ample food for musical thought. The recital will long be remembered for its uninterrupted half-hour of Bach and for its Beethoven.

G.E.W.

102 THE SH/RBURNIAN

UPPER SCHOOL LECTURE, "THE U.S.S.R. " BY THE RT. HON. THE EARL OF VERULAM, on November 6th

Those who expected to hear the latest revelations about power politics in the Kremlin, the liquidation of Beria, impending rows between Malenkov and Mao Tse, about religion or atomic energy in Russia, were disappointed. Lord Verulam's purpose was a very different one. He had been to the Soviet Union twice within the last year or two, he had, in spite ofrepeated threatened or actual arrests, taken a series of pictures, and had kindly come to tell us about what he had seen. There were no Marxian dialectics or conjectures on the proletarian revolution, but just a few glimpses of Russian every-day life.

We were taken on an illustrated Cook's Tour of Russia ; or rather of parts of it, as Lord Verulam and his trade party had only" done" Moscow and Stalingrad. Although he described Moscow as an" utterly dull city" and Stalingrad as "completely razed to the ground" he had managed to collect some very interesting material in his thirty or so coloured slides. In picturesque confusion we saw shots of the Kremlin, of the Stalingrad Planetarium, of Russian imitation Buicks, of the Moscow Zoo, of shoddily dressed Russians queueing for hours to get a brief glimpse of the embalmed bodies of Lenin and "Uncle Joe", of Russian ice-cream carts and popular amusements. But Lord Verulam's interests lay not so much with these sights as with the average Russian citizen, the individual men and women that stand behind the vast facade of the Com­munist State. He described their lives as tough, in a climate that changes from intolerable heat to intolerable cold ; often squatted together in the ruins and cellars of bombed houses ; working very hard but always told that paradise is just round the corner if they only work a little harder still. And, worst of all, their lives were overshadowed by a merciless, never ceasing system of propaganda that grips and dupes them from cradle to grave, paralyses any individual thought and in the end convinces them that black is white.

Though not new, all this was interesting and easily acceptable. A series of other statements by Lord Verulam, however, seemed more questionable. Again and again he described the Russians as utterly inefficient, naive, easily duped and barbaric people. Having met innumer­able Russians in 1945, I find this a trifle sweeping. Lord Verulam claimed that Russian democracy was a complete sham, but he did not explain that the Russian concept of" democracy " is very different from ours. He said that the Russians despised the spirit of competition in athletics as "bourgeois" and decadent-which makes it a bit difficult to explain why the Russians have set up so many athletic records. He maintained that the Russians showed a similar contempt for all craftmanship and quality-which must surprise anyone who has ever come across Russian tanks or jets.

However there were some very amusing touches. A series of pictures of the Moscow " Park of Culture and Rest " in which neither culture nor rest had any place ; patriotic " peace hymns" sung by curiously mixed choirs in the glaring heat of a summer afternoon to enthralled audiences in a monstrous open-air theatre ; descriptions of a vast feast with repeated "bottom-up" vodka toasts and four hours incessant American Jazz in honour of the guests of the Western Hemisphere. All this was funny enough, but whether it helped to give an objective picture of what the U.S.S.R. is like today, seem more dubious.

No one, however, would deny that this had been very good entertainment. In that case, why was it an" Upper School" Lecture ? Form I would have loved it.

M.H.

"THE THIRD MAN", Saturday, September 25th

This film had been released at a time when the new realistic films from Italy-" Bicycle thieves ", " Shoeshine ", etc.-had captured the cinemas of Europe. " The Third Man " was a worthy reply to that challenge. It proved an immediate success both here and on the continent and even the " Critics " sounded quite human when they discussed it.

It tells the story of an American who comes to post-war Vienna to contact an old friend of his, Harry Lime. He arrives just in time for his funeral. Harry Lime had been run over by a car, but under highly suspicious circumstances. Not two but three men are said to have picked up the dead body, but no one can identify the third man. The American suspects that his friend has

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been murdered and begins the search for the third man. What he finds is different : The sordid story of Harry Lime's criminal past ; his girl friend whose stubborn and instinctive love for Harry Lime increases in direct proportion to the revelations of his villainies ; and finally Harry Lime himself who is lured from hiding and killed when he is trying to rid himself of his unwelcome American friend, who had found out that the coffin didn't contain Harry Lime's body but that of one of his stooges.

What makes this such a good film ? The authentic post-war atmosphere in a defeated European capital ? The brilliant direction of Carol Reed ? An international cast of the first order ? A good story ? Yes, but other films had all these, like" The Man Between" or" Four Men in a Jeep" ; yet, by general agreement, they were inferior. Part of the answer no doubt lies in the superb script of Graham Greene-the way in which, for example, the presence of the powerful but evil personality of Harry Lime casts its spell over events and actors alike long before we learn that he is not dead, And then, of course, the music. It is said that Anton Karas, the zither player, became a millionaire over night. Well, if so, he deserved it.

THE SOUND BARRIER, Saturday, October 16th

The title reeks of the very essence of science fiction ; of mysterious professors, secret papers, incomprehensible formulae and scientific jargon. Yet this film's greatest merit lay in the fact that it always dealt in human values, and the proportion was always maintained by human emotions and relationships. The story is the conquest of the sound barrier, with the mental strain and the mechanical stresses implied. In places the story is really exciting, and the atmos­phere of tension is most convincingly maintained. The central figure, the hard, unfeeling capitalist who counts the lives of his test pilots, and of his son, merely as cogs in the irresistible machinery of aeronautical progress and tradition, is played superbly by Sir Ralph Richardson. He combines the single mindedness of the great aircraft magnate with the somewhat pathetic reality of the lonely and despised father. Anne Todd in playing the unbelieving and rather frightened daughter, gives an admirable performance. The rather incongruous designer, the test pilot to whom everything was " a piece of cake ", the terrified son-all add up to making a story in which the aircraft and the machines play second fiddle to the lives behind them and the great overshadowing challenge of the sound barrier. "Why do we want to go through it ? " Susan asks. "Just because it is there." "And beyond it, what then ? " "Just space, and time."

The production is good and the flight scenes agreeably authentic. The question is finally left unanswered, for the words " The End " never appear. The conquest of the sound barrier is the beginning, not the conclusion.

J.M.M.

" ODETTE ", Saturday, November 20th

A difficult film to assess. To compress five years of constant activity into two hours is enough to give the best producer a headache. Possibly a great deal of its merit lies in the fact that the climax comes in the middle, with Odette's arrest and torture, a great improvement on most films, when even the music tells us we are coming to the end. The acting was superb throughout: Anna Neagle was, of course, terrific, and Peter Ustinov deserves special mention for his masterly handling of a lesser part. Criticism seemed to be, on the whole, of the type of film, not the film itself :-" A bit gruesome," said some. For me-it was the first time I had seen it-it was a film which had to live up to its reputation. It did.

We take off our hats to : The P. T. Instructor who ordered : " Point your toes everywhere."

The master who said : " I will now give you a test on common grammar mistakes ; see how ma'!Y you can get."

104 THE SHIRBURNIAN

MEMORIES OF THE SHERBORNE-CAMBRIDGE SPITZBERGEN EXPEDITION 1954

We left Tromso on the evening of July 30th in the Lyngen bound for Spitzbergen. It was one of those evenings so typical of the far north, the setting sun firing the sky with the most beautiful oranges, yellows and pinks silhouetting the islands to seaward and reflecting its lurid colours on the calm waters of the fjord. On our starboard side we passed the Lyngen Mountains, jutting their great jagged snow-covered peaks out of the still waters, where they lay mirrored in the calm waters. The setting sun turned the snow to a roseate colour and the glaciers could plainly be seen as great green ribbands of ice. All round us puffins were swimming and diving as the boat approached. It was in this atmosphere that we said goodbye to Norway and turned in for the night.

The next day was a fine one, but there was a keen wind, and I for one was in no fit state to appreciate the wonderful gliding flight of the myriads offulmars. It was not until a day later that we had sufficiently recovered to take an intelligent interest in our surroundings. That evening the breeze dropped, and a queer orange haze enveloped us. We saw the first real signs of the Polar regions-little auks were seen swimming in the water and also a glaucous gull accom­panied the kittywakes that followed behind us.

Our first view of Spitz bergen was not inspiring-a rather ramshackle jetty which ended in a few wooden huts and then everything was lost. in the fog. We walked up as far as the Radio Station and then the fog lifted. Snow-covered mountains rose all round us and at the head of the valley in which Longyear is situated there were two glaciers ending in morrain.

During the afternoon we sighted the bird cliffs of Diabassoden where Martin Walker and I were to be left. By this time the fjord was pretty choppy and the boat which came out to meet us carrying Doctor Wright, James Goodhart, Russel Webbe and Fred Bolin had great difficulty in coming alongside, especially as the engine was temperamental and refused to stop at the crucial moment. However, after a good soaking all round, Martin Walker and I and all our kit were put safely ashore, and the others on board the launch to continue their journey to the Non Post Glacier where they were to contact the survey party at the base camp.

Once organised upon shore we met Colin Pennycuick, the expedition's zoologist and had a meal consisting of porridge, a mixture of dehydrated chicken and tinned meat with pemmican. Then we donned our rucksacks and set off for Sassendalen, twelve miles up the fjord, to spend a couple of days ringing geese. That night was the first time Martin and I had seen the midnight sun, which streamed up the valley, giving the moss a wonderful green shade and making the snow on the mountains glitter pinkly.

After pitching camp and a good sleep the next day was spent chasing geese and although we saw plenty, after twenty-four hours bog-bashing over tundra, through icy rivers, and soggy moss in which you sink above your knees, we ringed only nine. It was at this juncture that we said goodbye to Russell who was trekking off to the Non Post to join the survey parties, leaving us to spend ten days studying the local plant, animal, bird and marine life. When our time was up there, leaving Colin and his guillemot cliffs, his bottles of specimens in formulin, we trekked off for the Non Post to join the others and help with the survey work. After crossing the Sassen we spent one night in Moise's Hut. We had heard that it was a veritable palace and after going into the Sassen up to our necks we heartily agreed. This is what I wrote in my diary.

"From the 'Drawing Room' window we can watch little icebergs floating by line astern under the shadow of the great flat-topped Temple mountain across the fjord and all around the mountains rise around us with great snow filled gashes in them. Away to our west the light strikes the mountains weirdly. A leaden sheet of cloud touches their tops while the grey sea touches their feet but the mountains themselves sparkle like crystals. The exposed rock appears to be a beautiful rich chocolate brown while the snow reflects an orange pink glow. Between the peaks you can get glimpses of an ice pale green-blue sky. We noticed some most remarkable lighting effects yesterday on our way over. We watched a rain-storm pass up the north side of the fjord drenching the mountains on that side, but leaving us dry. It was night so the sun was shining through from the north and it appeared as if, in patches, it was raining gold ".

Outside the hut there is absolute shambles, the remains of reindeer, musk ox and whale vertibrae like tree trunks, piles of drift wood and two huts. One is where the sledge dogs were

THE SHIRBURNIAN 105

kept, full of bones and smelling to high heaven, and the other is full of skis, traps, dog-harnesses, sledges and spare runners, and lastly, believe it or not, a privy-a real two-holer with lace curtains. It amused us very much, and looked extremely out of place.

It was wonderful watching the icebergs being formed. Suddenly you would see an enormous piece of ice slide sedately into the water and a gigantic spume of spray, sometimes over a hundred feet high rise into the air. Then the terrific roar of the breaking ice would reach us where we stood about a mile away. Where the split had occured, the ice was a deep greeny blue. We were warned about the ice cap by Tim Liardet, of the moulins which swallow the melt streams, and of the crevasses which await the unwary.

When the weather cleared we sledged up onto the ice and spent five days cairning moun­tains, experiencing a wide variety of weather from the most perfect sunshine, blue skies and sparkling snow, to a blizzard in which the temperature dropped to - l0°C. resulting in drifts all round the tent of two to three feet.

Eventually all the survey parties met up at Base Camp where we were taken off by the Governor's launch on August 27th, and returned to Longyear where we remained for four days until the Lyngen arrived and took us back to Norway.

On our arrival back in Norway we all had to find our own way home on trawlers or wood or iron ships. I for one went on a trawler to Grimsby and a better crowd than those trawler men I have yet to meet. That trip was an experience in itself. R.A.W.

THE ASHRIDGE COURSE The Public Schools and Industry

Any boy who is contemplating, or even only interested in, a career in industry would enjoy and benefit from this course. The course lasts for only two days and consists of eight or nine lectures with one or two industrial films. The lectures we heard were on such varied topics as "The Manager's Task", "Factory Life", "Openings in Retail Distribution", (Woolworth's is a "Retail Distributor") and "Careers Overseas", the Films being on the Coal and Steel Industries. The lectures were extremely interesting and gave a good idea of the personal require­ments necessary for success in industry. The organiser of the course is Mr. Hugh Lyon, former Headmaster of Rugby and Director of the Public Schools Appointments Bureau.

Summer Term CHAPEL COLLECTIONS July 4th (Commemoration). Divided between Sherborne

Sherborne House, Southwark July 11th Sherborne Abbey Organ Fund July 18th Sherborne Church School Fund July 25th Testimonial Fund for Mr. W. E. Wearden

Michaelmas Term Sept. 19th Sherborne House, Southwark Sept. 26th Church Missionary Society Oct. 3rd St. Francis' Home, Batcombe Oct. 10th Church of England Children's Society Oct. 17th. Sherborne Youth Club Oct. 24th Diocesan Quota of Sherborne Abbey Oct. 31st Royal National Lifeboat Institution Nov. 7th (Remembrance Sunday) Earl Haig's Fund Nov. 14th Cancer Relief Fund Nov. 21st Historic Churches Preservation Fund

Abbey and £ s. d.

145 15 0 7 19 5 9 17 4

21 8 3

11 13 7 9 1 4 9 16 0 9 1 5 9 14 0 9 9 0

13 12 9 22 6 l 15 8 8 8 9 4

On Sunday, September 19th, at the morning Service the Chaplain dedicated a Prayer Desk in memory of Arthur Wyatt-Smith (Town and Wit. 1895) and. a Communion Service Book in memory of Michael James Lamont Hosgood (a, 1953-54).

106 THE SHIRBURNIAN

LITERARY CAMP MEMORIES

To those who had experienced the rigours of Castlemartin, the camp at Tweseldown was a pleasant change. Last year the army was only too obviously thankful to thrust us out into the uttermost parts of South Wales and thereafter took no notice of us. We were left to our own devices amongst the thistles which were not exactly conducive to good leopard crawls, and the sun-baked troughs of tank-tracks which made short work of knees and tempers.

At Tweseldown however, we are- immediately made to feel at home. The army seems almost pleased to have five hundred or more pimply cadets as its guests. There are no posters outside the gates informing us that we will enjoy our sojourn at sunny Tweseldown but the efficient holiday-camp atmosphere is there nevertheless. We do not take part in communal rhythmic exercises, or in camp sing-songs-at least until the last night-but the same beneficent care is taken to see that we do not become bored.

Demonstrations are arranged almost every afternoon ; National Servicemen in the Scots Guards gave a very near perfect demonstration of precision drill. to the accompaniment of the mournful skirl of a solitary piper and throat-tearing rasp of their clockwork sergeant ; Despatch Riders, fresh from the Royal Tournament, thrill and amuse, and the demonstration of the fire­power of a platoon both impresses and terrifies ; the dummies at the other end do not look any too comfortable as the immense volume of red-hot lead speeds into them. Also there is a static exhibition and a vehicle park. Apparently most of the tanks and lorries that were on view were driven away more or less intact at the end of camp. This of course should not be taken to mean that our inspections of them were reprehensibly cursory.

Before every camp there are veiled references to food. The less thin among us are noticed to grow a shade paler as the old campaigners describe with relish the army biscuits soaked in greasy washing-up water which comprise one's porridge, and the lumps of gristle swimming in soupy fat which pass for stew. Here again Tweseldown is a surprise. We do not have to fortify ourselves merely by looking at the food-this time we eat it. The army's tea is up to its usual superlative standard ; it is indeed a magnificent beverage if one does not think of it as tea ;­if one does ..••.•

Besides organised entertainment, and included in this category are the Route March, field-training, night operations and lines inspection, there is also much off-duty time in which to

THE SHIRBURNIAN 107

enjoy oneself. Cinemas in Aldershot and Fleet are the main attractions with the N.A.A.F.I. a close second. " The Tweseldown Times ", produced daily and including cuttings from the headlines, articles of camp interest and military quizzes, published the astronomical figures of all cooked meals, bottles of coca-cola, packets of chewing-gum, cigarettes, ices, and numerous other commodities which were bought at this institution.

Even more enjoyable hours can be spent within the lines. Most of the chores of the day are over and the Corps. is settling down for the night and preparing for the next day. The sky is heavy with driving clouds lined with the glow of the setting sun and the tent flaps are waving dismally to and fro. Inside the tent, people are blancoing, polishing, straightening out blankets or reading. Only another quarter of an hour till lights out and everything is feverish activity in the gathering gloom. Oil lamps are being turned up and from a tent over the way come the strains of a guitar and raucous voices.

The lonely howl of the Last Post dies upon the thickening night, the rustle of voices ceases, save for a few muffled " Vivats ! " of the Carmen .....

THE EDITOR (with the usual apologies)

0 that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew-I cannot touch my toes as once I used to do, Nor even see them, though I never wear a belt.

I am grown so rank and gross in nature I cannot kneel to weed my garden, Once my chief delight-But have to watch it grow to seed While I sip orange-juice, and sit and read "The Turkish Bath", my "magazine for fuller figures'', Take my evening strolls through the covert sniggers Of those whose time is yet to come. Yet-In their spotty suburbs, stewed in the scum Of smog and soot from the city stacks, They will fatten on scraps Of capitalist hand-outs ; Fatten at their ease, Fatten, and wheeze As they clamber up the escalator, Snuff a porcine snuffle As they stamp and wheeze, and stamp and shuffle Outside the cinema door.

They will fatten, snore by snore, Become more bourgeois and obese, Exude in the office a thick pea-soupy grease Which fingers stiff white collars, Sends them to the wash ; And, in a word, will grow fat.

And I, after all, will have the last laugh, For they will read my magazine, " The Turkish Bath " ......•

J. M. LONSDALE.

Woo.

108 THE SHIRBURNIAN

A PARISH AT WORK

It is now several weeks since seven Shirburnians were invited to attend the third of the biennial Public School Conferences at Bristol. The subject of this year's conference was " A Parish at Work", and as the parish in question is run by Canon Mervyn Stockwood, we looked forward to an interesting weekend. It would be a masterpiece of understatement to say merely that our expectations were fulfilled, and it would be a masterpiece of precis-writing to describe or even to mention all the experiences and enjoyment we had during our stay.

The conference was attended by members of thirteen boys' schools and two girls' schools, so that in all we were over sixty. Yet in spite of this large number, the parishioners greeted us from the beginning with warm and enduring hospitality. Our programme was divided between serious discussion and entertainment ; both proved equally enjoyable. On the first morning, the Bishop of Bristol spoke about the work of the Church, with particular reference to his recent visit to the Anglican Conference in America. The Vicar followed by describing his own job in the Parish. The ceaseless flow of repartee which he carried on with his Lordship added to the liveliness of proceedings. We soon began to realise how many and vast were the activities which this thriving community pursued, and how dependent was their success upon every member contributing his own share to its life.

The afternoon provided many attractions, but most popular was the Bristol Rover's soccer team-we all agreed after the match, however, that rugger remains a much cleaner game than soccer can ever aspire to be ! We held a group discussion in the evening on controversial and religious problems, and the conclusions which each small group reached were compared by the Vicar the next day. We attended two services on the Sunday : the impressive and colourful Parish Communion, and an evening service at which the Vicar preached one of his usual dynamic sermons. Our weekend finished with a sherry party at the Vicarage-Etonians seem to possess countless anecdotes and a remarkable thirst.

The value of the conference was immense. It gave all of us who are sometimes inclined to be idealistic over our religion a chance to see the success which practical and sincere Christianity is achieving todfly. It proved how important are all distinctions of means or "class" in the light of a common faith. It was an experience we shall long remember, and our only hope is that we shall be able to accept the Vicar's invitation to return at any time to the Parish of St. Matthew's Moorfields, for it is indeed a parish at work.

P.J.W.

REFLECTIONS ON THE COUNTY OF LONDON A.C.F. CAMP AT FELIXSTOWE 1954

(Three boys from this School attended this Corps. Camp with cadets from Sherborne House, (Southwark).

Reveille. The brown tents stir and are silent. It is six o'clock, more or less-Just depending when the bugler awoke. Silence. It is ten past six. The C.S.M.'s walk down the lines. The brown tents are stirred and are noisy. Cigarette smoke curls upward in the morning mist, And battledress pyjamaed figures Creep to the washhouses. " 'Ere you," into a seemingly empty tent, " Get up, wash good and proper-or else ! " Noise, chatter, swearing, and cigarette smoke. "Two more cases of dysentery took.'' " I feel queer.'' "I'll do for you.'' "Sam 'ere was drunk all last night." The figures are clad. Own battledress, Ne..'>t door neighbour's right boot, own gym shoe,

THE SHIRBURNIAN

No belt, and no cap badge, no discipline ; so what ? The tents rolled up or fallen down, lines done To the orchestral accompaniment (forte) of swearing And shouting.

Breakfast. Long lines of figures, with plates unwashed From last Thursday's breakfast-" We get so Little, Sir-I was trying to make me food last-" Crawl across to the mess tents Eat, and return to their lines. " I feel queer."

Sick Parade. " All those reporting sick One pace forward." As one man, the battalion Moves forward. Sortings. One man goes on the sick list ! The others resolve to do better next time.

Roll Call. "Where's Smith ? " "Run away ? " Never mind, " There'll be more room in the tents. " Phone his ma ".

Prayer Parade. One battalion lost on their way to the ground. Insincere prayer ascending with illegal cigarette smoke. On, on to the training. A disorganised scrabble for lorries and trucks. "You come in 'ere and I'll knife you." "Do we get any blanks ? " " Me rifle's got blocked," Surging, jolting movement. Silence and brakes. "The plan for today •.. " On Patrol-" Can I smoke, sing, talk, whistle ? " "Why not ? " " I've seen a man." "No, you ain't." "Over there-enemy." "That's a cow ! " " I'm gonner fire my blank." " Wher's the enemy ? " " I'll knife you." " What's camiflage ? " " I see a man." "That's an orficer." " Oh". No enemy, no amusement, just three hours of tactical boredom.

Lunch. " I feel queer." Long lines of figures Eating and walking and swearing.

Afternoon. Demonstrations with demonstrators fighting For possession of Bren rounds and mortar shells With hordes of yelling cadets. Then peace-all work over-until the night When the customary spate of drunks must be coped with. And so to bed with cigarette smoke, swearwords and nightmares, With knives and knuckledusters and bugs And four more in the tent than it was designed to hold.

109

D. E. D. GORDON.

We take off our hats to : The Master who declared: " It doesn't matter which way you are going, you are always at right angles to Heaven." The History Master who stated: " The Opposition have a tradition of-opposition." The boy who said that a member of the first XV had not yet extinguished himself. The Maths. master who, when explaining" surds ",said: " Oh ! rou can't do that or you'll get a root on the bottom."

110 THE SHIRBURNIAN

REPORT TO THE SCHOOL ON THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE ERECTION OF THE NEW CLASSROOMS IN THE COURTS

FINANCE.

COSTS

Wages

Approx. Estim. Cost Cost, to date

£15,000. £15,000.

Maintenance of Red night lamps Tea

Total Materials

SITE SURVEY

£ s. d; 14,950 0 0

45 0 0 5 0 0

15,000 0 0 -£400 (Demolished stone, slates, etc.

mysteriously removed by the builders).

The survey was somewhat complicated by the fact that the extent of underground pipelines, etc. under the site were unknown. An old diagram of the pipelines was produced, but ignored. (Fig. I).

The builders, at small additional cost, undertook the survey themselves and produced the plan as shown in Fig. 2.

This being compared with the old document convinced the builders that a further survey, at a small additional cost, should take place. Having " redugup " all their previous excavations produced Diag. 3.

It was then decided, at enormous cost, to call in a Surveyor who produced Fig. 4. (Cf. Fig. I) .

' ' ,'

' .. , \ ,•'[],''··-·-' ' ,' .......... - ~ .-·'· O' ------mr-. 0 __ ... ~ ............ 0 .. ..

CHl!t>E' • • ••

DEMOLITION OF EXISTING BUILDINGS

. ' , .. ---. ,. ... , . ~ ""./ .... --, .. --........ .. ..:... -·. ; t £]".. ; ! ~ (j ' ;

,!. .. ... ,,,,.·:. -- : ~

l ' ... ..,' ·. G : ~ ,' \. . ,< ..... :

·:. .-"' : .:; ·· ...

Progress was unfortunately slowed by the fact that only one workman was able to balance on the wall at one time, while the remainder (Aprox. 12) were forced to remain well away from the area in order to avoid flying dust particles ; which they are prohibited from breathing, by

THE SHIRBUR..NIAN 111

law. (Vide. Sect. 29/AX/54.Act.78900/4.Sept.194 ,) (i.e. "Rest for employed labourers Act" 194 ).

Despite these difficulties the wall was demolished in about 2 months. (A large section fell down due to sound vibrations caused by "Handclap" on P.T.). ·

DIGGING THE FOUNDATIONS Allowing for, Tea Breaks, Lunch Breaks, Rest Periods, Silent Moments, and Under-Time,

the men have been hard at work digging down for non-existent rock foundations. According to the School's resident Geographical expert, there is a large subterranean reservoir under Sher­borne. It appears that, if they dig any deeper, the Courts will be supplied with running water as well as new classrooms.

BENEFITS OF PROJECT (1) Joy at local Taxation and Rating Depts. (2) A workman has been able to pay the final instalment on his TV. set.

AssETs. NIL.

DRAWBACKS, Innumerable. At the present rate of building it is hoped that the classrooms will be completed by the end

of this century, by which time they will be out of date, and new buildings will be projected.

EVENING The deepening dusk creeps now o'er dale and hill, The human hum of day is passed away ; The dwelling place of men is dark and still, And timeless nature holds again her sway. In mellow moonlight, creatures of the night Asleep by day, come forth ; with ghostly flight The owl, dread hunter of the twilight gray, Swoops silently to snatch her timid prey. The beauty of the evening, calm, serene, Envelopes me with overwhelming awe ; We are but actors in one fleeting scene Of life Eternal. Now and evermore Nightfall in the woodland casts its spell On those who in its precincts chance to dwell.

WAR GRAVES Only a human comes and gives Marble angels to a world of peace. Let the dead bury the dead,

W.E.D.

N.H.C.

Line after line in neat forms, Shining headstone give the clue To an unminding forgetting wind. Rains splatters casually, What do the winds and the waters care ? Leaves fall remorselessly.

God I hate her Placid eyes in a marble face Shining and polished, That pure face when it smiles And remembers past conquests, Clear feet and thighs Moving in peerless precision. I could not love this maid

HELEN Even if she were laid On roses And a gopher four poster. Tear her flesh, Ruffle her hair, Throw her into a world of Jazz and winter rain.

J.M. KITCHEN.

112 THE SHIRBURNIAN

THE BOOK IN ATTACK A summary of some recent research on basic Hostmanship.

Working from a thesis of C. Wick, who suffered at the hands of the perpetual Nicholas Ply the debacle so well remembered by the Pioneer Lifecorps (Croydon area), Margery Spirit has produced results probable in the extreme, and hitherto unpublished, dealing with the use of the Bookshelf as a silent ploy to disconcert the typical guest from the start. The zealous Miss Spirit, a Lifegirl of great seniority and no little skill in the more predictable phases of play, who still walks everywhere with undiminished fortitude, and is everywhere applauded for her fre­quency, has revealed that the force of this technique depends on books.

1. written by a person absolutely ON at the time of their employment. 2. having the author's name printed externally in large effective lettering. 3. " PEACOCK " books are found to be of solid worth here. Carefully printed on positive

paper, they exude ONness and, provided that they are not mishandled or actually read they will last well. Many titles that are both O.K. and ON for 1955 may be bought in this edition. Their purchase can be safely recommended. Before buying, however, ensure that the titles are too plainly printed for even the most competent Lifeman to ignore convincingly.

Never expose identifiable translations from any language you might apparently know, or from Portuguese ; this has been perennially ON since Gunner Link-Maxim first brought it into action with devastating effect in 1926, and shows no sign of weakening. Surtout, avoid any book whose title is unknown or readily comprehensible. Keep all such books in a drawer or under a loose board. Shrewd choice and display can gain you about four points outright ascendancy, leaving your guests prone to an early rout.

Although it is as yet too early to say with any certainty, the confident prediction of our Bureau is that the following will be ON during 1955, if not categorical Master Cards :­

Lewis Carroll Boccaccio Shakespeare.

Wooden blocks can be supplied, back with washable false " PEACOCK" covers titled in undeniable print with the above names and a selection of 0.K. Immortals, together with a matching "LUDICROUS" Brand bookshelf. Elementary By-Play ;

Welcome the guest with a copy of the " Studio" rolled up, with artificial carelessness, under the arm, title outwards.

If the rest watch Television, retire, letting it be known that you are going to listen to the Third Programme in some obscure and miserable corner of the house.

§Printer's error.

MESSAGE

Made my bark from a snail-shell Sails as frail as Autumn leaves Stitched it with a spider's web Fresh-woven and dew-tingled.

Filled my bark with a cargo Cargo of bee's wax and tears. Blow a breath into the rigging : "Go hopes ! Go Fears ! Go to her ! "

Saw my fragile bark sea-tossed Saw my little love-boat pound In the caverns of her eyes Saw my snail-shell run aground. Rigging shattered, tears upset. Alas, my soul, I love her yet.

PICA.

THE SHIRBURNIAN

ESCHATOLOGICAL MUSHROOMS? As an ape laughs, So man laughs.

But how can he tell With his feeble sense of smeh Whether there's brimstone round the corner Or beds of lilac and the performed fauna Of Paradise ?

He doesn't know, he doesn't care-He's forgotten that hell's still there ; Worse-he doesn't remember Heaven. Instead, he's off to the flicks at seven With a slip of a skirt and shampoo'd hair To watch for a seamy hour or two Queer two-legged, tailless creatures With bronzed or thick-painted features Which ought still to be in the zoo. Man and his floozie Blink short-sightedly, Grunt an ape-like laugh.

He makes love On a petrol dump, Pulls out a smart fag Although there's a slump And there's nothing to do But make love. Flicking the match over his shoulder, He gives an uneasy wakening laugh,

· Grows amorous, bolder ; The question takes shape in his mind. He will open his mouth to speak But will find Instead That he's dead. The eruption Mushrooming hellwards, Flicking the match to one side, Will burst with a light-headed laugh.

FROM DORSET TO CONNECTICUT (3) AN OBSERVATION

113

Woa.

If you had been able to read the May 8th edition of the Pontefract-our school newspaper­you might have read Emlen the Gremlin's sports column. This is word for word how the first three paragraphs appeared :

" Spring being a time of changes, bright colors, and other extraneous happenings, duly has put the whammy on the Pomfret sporting scene. One such person so ethereally touched is none other than John Paine, our English exchange student.

Obviously yearning for his long missed game of cricket, Paine has formed a temporary society of cricketeers (!),bolstered by many faculty members interested in combating the middle aged spread.

As with all flash in the pan notions the snag was turned up. Where could one obtain the necessary bats, wickets and official attire. Turning to the Longwood Cricket Club for the afore­said implements and current criteria governing play of the fine old game, Paine met with disaster.

114 THE SHIRBURNIAN

It happened that the last time a cricket game graced the Longwood premises was in 1904. Except for some relic bats and antiquated traditions concerning the game, cricket is extinct at the cricket club. As this edition goes to press, it appears that Pomfret cricket will remain only a daffy idea and not a reality. Paine is currently enjoying the game of tennis, while other enthusiasts have decided to stick to more commonplace sports."

At least one cannot accuse me of not trying to inculcate a little civilisation into this baseball­ridden realm !

New York is probably one of the most irritating places in the world ! Last Easter several evenings a week I could only get reception from nine of the thirteen television channels then operating ! Even worse the steam-heat sometimes let the temperature drop below seventy degrees! As a matter of fact such situations do exist, and are quite typical of New York's standard of living, a standard which has gone completely out of all proportion, and which is giving birth to a peculiar type of society.

I spent a week in this paragon of Piccacesque living after graduation. Graduation cannot be fully understood until one has been to an American school. The Bannernight ritual indulged in at Pomfret smacks definitely of the primitive, as groups of half clad students parade with torches round a large bonfire in which they plunge their form banners. The graduation ceremony differs little from most prize-givings, though the applause grows noticeably fainter as the ump­teenth boy ascends the rostrum to receive his diploma : the audience then settles down to hear the new graduates being warned of the dangers of McCarthyism. Few need to be warned !

America has " crazes ". At present the " craze " is for English motor cars-noticeably Jaguars and M.G.s-and sailing, and so I was not surprised· to find myself propelled boatwards in a tiny car during my week on Long Island, before I started my seven thousand mile tour of the United States. Perhaps a description of some aspects of the tour will enhance the reader's under­standing of the fantastic vicissitudes of American topography and climate. I left New York by road on June 13th, arriving twenty four hours later in Chicago. There, on the shores of Lake Michigan, the temperature was ninety five degrees with high humidity, and any form of physical exertion was unpleasant. Chicago cannot fail to make one feel a little apprehensive after seeing two hundred gangster films with identical plots, set in a Chicago which I assure you does not exist today. Beyond Chicago is the farming country of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and after a further twenty four hours travel one eventually reaches the Wild West. Unlike Chicago the West is very much as Hollywood portrays it : there actually are people called cowboys who wear large hats and wander into bars and drink whiskey in a single gulp. The country on the whole is dry, bleak and mountainous, and the only vegetation (except by the streams) is sage bush and coarse grass. After a stay in Cody, Wyoming (named after Col. William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill), I visited Salt Lake City, and on my way there passed through one of the world's most fabulous national parks-Yellowstone. Here the country closely resembles Switzerland, but contains many geysers and hot springs, while the forests give shelter to black and grizzly bears, buffalo, elk and moose, which are often easily seen from the road. Salt Lake City is an exception­ally well planned and clean city whose principal inhabitants(like most of Utah) are Mormons. Beyond the city lies a twelve hour drive to San Francisco through the Nevada desert. I stopped in Reno for a few hours, but without a marriage to dissolve and no money to gamble I felt a little lost. California of course is a flourishing fruit growing state, and San Francisco a quaint cosmopolitan city of considerable charm. The last stage of my outward journey was an over­night drive to Los Angeles. As one approaches Southern California the land becomes drier and hotter, and vegetation is not possible without irrigation. Here abound palm trees and orange groves, while the Mexican border beckons a hundred miles away, and the thought that here one is the same distance from New York as London is, enthrals the mind.

Here on the Pacific coast my host was an ex Abbey house school prefect, and eavesdropping Californians looked askance at these weird strangers who spoke of people as being " wet " and "oidle ",and referred in hushed tones to an obscure night-club called the" toey" !

Time passes quickly in the States, and it only seemed like a few days before I was speeding thru Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma back to the East, where her majesty R.M.S. Qy,een Mary was once again at my service. So ended an invaluable and enjoyable year, but my return was made pleasant by the knowledge that it was a return from Connecticut to Dorset.

J. A. PAINE.

THE SHIRBURNIAN

SHERBORNE-AS JOHN MASEFIELD WOULD SEE IT

Brown-coated beauty queen from Sherborne School for Girls Walking, handbag on the arm, up to Bradford Road, With a mind full of nylons, Boy Friends, hockey sticks, " 0 " level cookery and dresses a la mode.

Elevated six-former, brolly just for show ; Tassel on his head attracting eyes of all ; With a mind full of the verse above, Study periods, theses, Privileges, rugger-caps, and fags at beck and call.

Inky, grimy prep-school boys screeching round the town, (No high angelic thoughts for these little brats) With pockets full of toffee-papers, Stink-bombs, conkers, Chewing-gum, spaceships, and Dan Dare hats.

115

116 THE SHIRBURNIAN

GAMES CRICKET

1 ST XI RETROSPECT

It was a term of cold, wet weather and slow wickets-not suitable for batsmen or bowlers, or for general enjoyment in the field. All the same some good cricket was played, mostly against Club sides. The wins against a strong M.C.C. side and the Somerset Dragons were very good efforts, but weaknesses were shown up in certain School matches. The batting relied too much on Gent, Tucker, and Blackshaw, and whenever two of these failed a collapse followed. The bowling lacked hostility, and this was made more noticeable by the dead wickets which prevailed. In Club matches, with batsmen attacking the bowling, wickets fell all right, because the bowling was generally accurate and the fielding first class. But against School sides, who batted in a more defensive manner, the bowling never looked penetrating. A glance at the bowling averages confirms this ; the runs per over were low, but the runs per wicket high.

Again the best feature of the side was the really excellent fielding and throwing, which reached a peak in the Marlborough match. Much of the credit for this must go to Pickering, who set a very good example himself, and took endless trouble with fielding practices which he made both instructive and enjoyable.

lsT XI CHARACTERS

A. D. PICKERING. Captain. He has a good knowledge of the game, and made an excellent captain. His fielding was quite first class, and his slow medium bowling was most accurate. His batting still lacks solidity.

G. P. GENT. His fielding improved greatly during tl).e season. His batting shows certain technical faults, but he has a good eye, the right temperament, and played some very good innings.

R. PRESTON. For some reason he lost much of his ability to spin the ball, and as a result he never looked hostile. He became much quicker in the field, but as a batsman he remained the coach's heartbreak.

J. D. F. TucKER. His wicket keeping improved, though he still showed a lack of concentration at times. Once he started going in first, he showed real ability as a batsman, and played some excellent and attractive innings.

J. J. BARBER. He started the season excellently ; his new ball bowling was lively and accurate. Later some­thing seemed to go, and he was rarely hostile ; this was partly due to slow wickets. His fielding improved, and he will make some runs in future.

P. D. COWELL. He had rather a disappointing season, though the promise still remains. At present he allows himself to get unduly worried if things do not go well, and this effected his performance in all departments.

J.B. BLACKSHAW. He became a most accomplished batsman, but did not make anything like the number of runs he ~hould have done because of an alarming and fatal habit of swinging wildly at anything on his leg stump. He is still rather slow in the field.

J. LAWRENCE. He started the season badly, but later regained his confidence and form. He bowled with intelli­gence and increasing life ; his batting improved, and he became by the end of the season much quicker in the field.

J. N. FRANKLIN. A useful outfielder with a very good throw, As a batsman he is very much a fast wicket player, and conditions could hardly have been less suitable for him.

M. B. WILSON. He is naturally quick on his feet and is a good hitter of the ball. At present his defensive tech­nique is rather unsound ; if he can improve that, he should make many runs next season.

J.P. DEVITI. As a batsman he has the right temperament and a sound technique, and will make runs when he gets stronger. He is a lively and promising fielder.

THE SHIRBURNIAN 117

SCHOOL V. MARLBOROUGH, 10th j uly, 1954 S1rnRBORNE

J. D. F. Tucker, b Coke Wallis J. B. Blackshaw, b Tress G. P. Gent, c Hogg, b Tress A. D. Pickering, c Cartwright, b Tress Lawrence, st Hogg, b Tress Franklin, b Anderson P. D. Cowell, b Tress Wilson, not out Devitt, lbw, b Anderson J. Barber, lbw, b Tress R. Preston, run out ...

Extras (13 byes, 2 leg-byes, I wide)

Total

Bowling Analysis : 0 M R

Coke Wallis 13 4 33 Paterson 3 IO Tress 28.4 II 41 Anderson ... 23 9 35 Sheppard ... 2 5 Morris 2 I 9

Marlborough won by 3 wickets.

w I

6 2

7 34 30

I 3 4

13 27 14

0 0

16

... 149

Av. 33

6.83 17.5

MARLBOROUGH M. J. C. Tress, c and b Preston 32 R. M. Paul, b Lawrence 8 N. M. Stratford, c Cowell, b Lawrence I P.R. M. Anderson, c Blackshaw, h Lawrence 81 C. A. Morris, b Barber 6 J. M. Cartwright, c Blackshaw, b Lawrence 8 A. H. T. Paterson, c Pickering, b Barber 6 N. R. C. Marr, not out I R. C. Coke Wallis, not out 2 C. A. Hogg \.. D"d b t B N Sh d

{ 1 not a . . eppar

Extras (6 byes 6

Total (for 7 wickets) ... 151

Bowling Analysis : 0 M R w Av.

Barber 23 6 61 2 30.5 Lawrence 17.4 7 26 4 6.5 Preston 9 3 19 I 19 Pickering 14 I 39

SCHOOL v. THE o.s.s. THE Sc1100L

J. D. F. Tucker, b Thompson J. B. Blackshaw, lbw, b Wakely G. P. Gent, c Wakely, b \Vaterfield Devitt, b Waterfield Terry, c and b Wakely Franklin, b Waterfield

27 44 29

3 4 4

T1rn O.S.S. Wilson, lbw, b Lawrence Glennie, b Barter ... C. R. Dawnay, b Lawrence D. \V. Kenyon, b Barber Eglington, c Cowell, b Pickering K. A. O'Connor, not out

A. D. Pickering, c Glennie, b \Vaterfield P.A. Cowell, b Waterfield ... Lawrence, c Waterfield, b \Vakely J. J. Barber, not out

14 0 0 1 0

I. Gillespie, not out B. E. C. Thompson A. R. Waterfield M. Earls-Davies } Did not bat

R. Preston, b Wakely Extras

Total

Bowling Analysis : 0 M

N. Wakely 18.5 5 A.J. R. Waterfield 20 6 Thompson 6 O'Connor 8

The O.S.S. won by 48 runs.

R 36 41 21 26

w 4 5 I

20

... 146

Av. 9.00 8.20

21.00

P. Wakely Extras

Total (for 5 wickets dee.)

Bowling Analysis : 0 M

J. J. Barber 15 2 Lawrence 14 I R. Preston 7 I P. D. Cowell 11 I A. D. Pickering 12 5 G. P. Gent 2

CLUB MATCHES

SCHOOL v. EsHER. Result-Drawn. School 170 for 9 dee. (Lawrence 67, Blackshaw 46).

Esher 169 for 6 (Pring 3 for 39).

SCHOOL v. SOMERSET DRAGONS. Result-School won by 8 wickets. School 148 for 2 (Gent 92 not out).

Dragons 147 for 9 (Preston 5 for 36).

R 46 37 32 38 22 II

w 2 2

5 63 42

9 I

39 27

8

... 194

Av. 23.0 18.5

22.0

118

G. P. Gent ]. D. F. Tucker ]. B. Blackshaw ]. Lawrence ... M. B. Wilson P. D. Cowell A. D. Pickering ]. N. Franklin ]. P. Devitt ]. ]. Barber R. Preston

].].Barber A. D. Pickering R. Preston ]. Lawrence ... P. D. Cowell

We congratulate the following : lsT XI A. D. Pickering.

6/6/54 G. P. Gent.

lsT XI AVERAGES BATIING

No. innings Not out Runs

13 1 418 13 l 345 14 1 300 6 2 77

11 2 157 12 3 145 13 1 148 12 3 109 4 I 20 7 3 16 8 I 24

*Not out

BOWUNG Overs Maidens Runs 186.5 47 473 114.4 25 279 179.l 40 506 98.4 28 205

183.4 43 430

Co LOURS

8/6/54 R. Preston, J. D. F. Tucker,].]. Barber. 16/6/54 P. D. Cowell,]. B. Blackshaw. 14/7/54 J. Lawrence,]. N. Franklin, M. B. Wilson,]. P. Devitt.

2NDXI 6/6/54 Boyd, Eglington, Terry, Record, Betts.

20/6/54 Mennagen T., Tindall. 6/7/54 Dew.

10/7/54 Lloyd. 23/7 /54 Rowe, Pring.

3RDXI

COLTS

6/6/54 Mermagen R., Kirkwood, Gubbins. 20/6/54 Castle, Pirie. 14/7/54 Henfrey, Hoar, Maclagen, Maley. 23/7/54 Osborn, Kenyon, Mmnford.

3/6/54 Eglington C.R., Carwardine. 24/6/54 Robbie, Whittaker, Gregory-Smith, Quick.

SENIORS FINAL Result :-Harper House 294 for 7 dee.

Lyon House 176 and 230 for 8.

THE SHIRBURNIAN

Highest score Average 98 34.83 82 28.75 56 23.09 67* 19.25 41 17.44 51 16.09 39* 12.33 32"' 12.11 14 6.66 9 4.00 8 3.42

Wickets Average 24 19.70 14 19.98 25 20.22 10 20.50 17 25.29

Lyon House, who came through the preliminary rounds easily, attributed their strength to a balanced combina­tion of players-six 2nd XI, and a remainder who had all played in School tea!IlS; Harper had two !st, one 2nd, and two colts.

The toss was won by Boyd who elected to bat first. After a good start by the two Eglingtons, who opent>d the innings, Lyon House never looked like scoring many runs and a collapse was only averted by a seventh wicket stand by Pring and Gaul. Though the bowling improved, the Lyon House batsmen were unacquainted with the Upper pitch, which was lifeless and easy paced, and they made the bowling look more difficult than it really was. Lawrence, having taken 6 for 56, Lyon House were all out for 176, leaving Harper House about three quarters of an hour to bat ; but Lyon House failed to use this period to their advantage. The score was 28 for 1, with Tucker and Lawrence batting confidently at the close of play. The next day these two continued to put on runs till the score was 161, doing so in 86 minutes. Tucker was then stumped off the bowling of Tindall. He had batted well making 81, his driving to the off being particularly aggressive. Lawrence hit his wicket after another 7 runs had been added to the total, having made 69. But any hopes that Lyon House had of a collapse were dispelled by Betts and Carwardine, who made 40 and 53 respectively. Harper declared on the second day with 297 for 7 on the board, leaving Lyon House about half an hour's batting time, during which time they lost their opening batsman with no runs on the board. The overnight score had been 18 for l ; the total was then pushed forward amidst a tense atmosphere by Gaul and

THE SHIRBURNIAN 119

Eglington P., who put on 62 before Gaul was bowled by Betts. Attlee then completed the double. Maley, batting No. 5 with his characteristic ferocity, started to make runs, and Lyon House were soon out of trouble; Maley scored 56 and Eglington 53. They were followed by Pring and Boyd who scored 30 and 26 respectively. A draw was inevitable. Although keen in the field Lyon House were ineffective because of faulty positioning, due probably to the fact that they lacked experienced !st XI players. In the first innings when Harper were on top Tucker handled his team well, but on the last day his consistent changing of the bowling in an attempt to unsettle the batsmen gave his bowlers little chance of becoming accustomed to the wet and greasy ball. Once again the time factor on the Upper prevented a decisive result.

Teams:-HARPER HousE-J. D. F. Tucker,J. Lawrence, Betts, Ireland, Porter, Carwardine, Hill, Maclagen, Woodward,

Oliver, Chadwick. LYON HousE-D. G. M. Boyd, Eglington P., Terry, Attlee, Gaul, Tindall, Pring, Eglington C., Holman, Rowe,

Maley.

j UNIORS FINAL Result :-Draw. HARPER 207 for 6 declared (Carwardine 104, Hill, 54, Hunt 4 for 71), and 112 for 4 (Hill 62). LYON 171 (Eglington C. 89, Ireland 4 for 52, Carwardine 4 for 54), and 50 for 5 (Taylor 29 not out).

ATHLETICS After the departure of Mr. Anderson to Eton, the Athletics have suffered another sad loss. Dr. Wright, who was

in charge of Athletics this last year has gone to Marlborough. All athletes here, and in particular the field events, owe him a great debt of gratitude ; and the outstanding success of the last season is a great tribute to his achievement.

With the exception of a triangular match at Allhallows where we were narrowly defeated by a strong Millfield side, the Seniors won all their matches, usually by a comfortable margin. The Juniors were again unbeaten. The School was particularly strong in the field events, hurdles and short sprints, whereas the medium and long distances left something to be desired. This is at least partly explained by the fact that the School is notoriously indifferent to cross-country running in the spring term.

By a new agreement with the Cricketers, School athletics were run on a different and far more satisfactory system last term. A limited number of senior boys opt for athletics as their major game and take over the main part of the organization and coaching of athletics in the School. By rearranging age groups clashes between different games were avoided and every boy was thus able to spend about one afternoon per week on the athletic track. As a result the sports were run off very smoothly and the general standard was remarkably high owing to far more regular training.

On the whole this has been a most successful season and a word of special praise should go to the captain, D. R. Harrison, who has borne the main burden of both coaching and organization. It is a relief to know that he will still be with us next year.

Results of School sports :-Senior Athletic Cup-School House Band Harper. Junior Athletic Cup-Harper House. Relay Cup-School House B.

School Matches :-June 5th v. Clayesmore (away).

Seniors-won 69-44. Juniors-won 37-22.

SCHOOL MATCHES

July 8th v. Millfield and Allhallows (away). 1st Millfield 78! 2nd Sherborne 73 3rd Allhallows 31 !

July 17th v. Downside (away). Seniors and Juniors combined-won 114-49.

July 24th v. Canford and Bryanston (home). Senior :-!st Sherborne 90 Juniors :-1st Sherborne 35i

2nd Canford 52 2nd Canford 27! 3rd Bryanston 24 3rd Bryanston 14

New Records :-D.R. Harrison Weight (12 lb.), 50 ft. 11 ins. R. H. Philp 100 yds., 10.2 (equals record). Cassidy, A. 100 yds. (Intermediate), 10.8.

Colours were awarded to :-D. F. Mallam, A. Hooper, C. M. Payne, R. A. Haines, N. J. Manson, G. A. H. Deakin.

M.H.

120 THE SHIRBURNIAN

TENNIS

The Tenni~ VI kept up its good performance and remained unbeaten in School matches throughout the 1954 season. In the Youll Cup at Wimbledon, the School reached the last 16, but were then beaten 3-1 by Dulwich. Special mention should be made of the second pair, R. N. Spink and D. M. Summerscale who played extremely well through­out the competition. Fortunately, both will still be with us next year and we are looking forward confidently to the 1955 season.

The House Pairs Cup was won by Westcott (D. M. Summerscale and A. J. Flory) who beat Lyon House (S. J. Attlee and L. B. Turner) in a close and exciting five set match. The final of the School Singles Competition was played this term, in which D. M. Summerscale beat R. N. Spink 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 after a hard fought game in which a high standard of play was reached.

SHOOTING

Our trip to Bisley this year for the Ashburton Shield did not realise our fullest hopes, although N. G. Barden, shooting at 200 yds., set us a brilliant pace with a possible. We lay 7th at 200 yds., but were somewhat disheartened by the inevitable rain at the further range only R. P. H. Riley really shooting well to score 34. Our final position out of about 90 schools was 17th. The cadets, Cumberlege and Stone, both shot well to score 66 and 60 respectively­Cumberlege's score being one of the highest of the day.

Back on Crackmore we ended the term with a very exciting shoot in the House Pairs Competition, which was won by Harper House after a close shoot-off with Lyon.

Scores:-200 500 Total Tie-shots

Harper: M.J. Stone 34 30 64 8 J. M. Macnair 31 30 61 9

Lyon: M. W. Meikle 31 30 61 7 P. N. B. Shaddick 34 30 64 8

The Martin Smithwick cup for the highest match aggregate was won by R. P. H. Riley, and the prize for cadets by Cumberlege.

M.J. STONE.

A RuooER TouR OF SWEDEN

Many interesting observations were made by" The Frogs" (Grodorna), a private party of Shirburnians who made a ten day pre:~eason tour of Sweden in September. Matches were played against :-Attila Rugby Gang, Vikings, Puma, and Alaso, which are four Stockholm clubs.

Apart from being short of support, of backing, of grounds, of balls, the Swedish players still maintained their enthusiasm and play an annual international against Denmark. Grounds are the biggest problem. They use soccer pitches and lash extensions to the posts to provide uprights. When the game was first started in Sweden it was received by the most idiotic opposition from the press which quoted statistics of deaths in American football (which they thought was the same as rugger).

Rugger is played all the year round in Sweden, the only closed season being imposed by the weather, the grounds being baked hard in mid-summer, and flooded for use as ice rinks in the winter. In effect therefore, the game is played chiefly in early summer (April, May) and in the Autumn (late July to early October).

The Education Authorities are not eager to introduce the game into the schools. They consider that rugby football is-" Too brutal and too dangerous to be played by School boys". These ideas apparently are based on what they have seen of American Football in films.

Nevertheless there are several boys sides in Stockholm. One," The Vikings", whom we played, consisted of boys between the age of 17 and 20. They had the unique idea of taking a " Penalty Kick " by " Place-Kicking " for touch. When playing against them we burst the ball (for the third time during the tour). Play was held up for about ten minutes while another ball was fetched by a spectator in his car.

One night we were invited to attend the Attila Rugby Gangs' training, expecting to be taken to their playing fields. We were rather taken-aback when we arrived at the" Kloster Brau", a pseudo Bavarian beer hall. There we saw them training--on Pilsner ! We were highly amused to find our matches billed as-" Internati~nell, Attila Rugby Gang v. The Frogs, England". The Frogs beat Attila 8-3, Vikings 37-0, Puma 24-0, but lost to Alvsjo 0-3.

We were presented with some fine trophies and we will never forget their magnificent hospitality. "Many thanks to Johny and Sigurd and the' Boys'."

The Frogs intend to expand their membership and play different games in various parts of Europe. Team-Euman M. N. C., Best G. A., Eglington C.R. J., Haines R. A., David A. C. M. B .. , Fisher T. R.,

Thomas R. T., Hoar R., Watherston R. S. H., Sammons]. H., Lambe]. L., Pavitt N. R., Hodgson R. J., Cowell P. D., Betts M. G. I., Eglington P. C.

THE SHIRBURNIAN

RUGG ER

CLUB MATCHES

Blackheath 2nd (Lost 6-13). Dare 1, David I. Richmond A (Won 14-3). Thomas I, Harrison I, 2 penalties converted by Gent. Harlequins A (Won 19-6). Hooper-I, Pavitt I, Pirie I, Best I, I penalty and 2 converts by Gent.

SCHOOL v. TAUNTON (Lost 0-8)

121

Conditions at Taunton were good for the first school match of the year, and that admirable referee Mr. Basil Hunt helped to produce a fast open game.

The School team was depleted through the loss of Preston and three of the forwards and was never allowed to develop stride or confidence. Taunton, as usual, were very fast about the field. Their forwards excelled at the quick loose heel and made the School forwards look slow by comparison. Their threequarters were quick up in defence and the School midfield players, who were rather slower runners, had neither the individual nor collective skill to develop dangerous movements. On the run of the play the Taunton score might well have been higher and the School defence deserves considerable credit for the way they held their more lively and opportunist opponents. No­one who saw the game could grudge Taunton their victory.

There was a sensational start. The School kicked off and a Taunton player tried to open up, his pass was inter­cepted by the intelligent boot of Thomas and the ball went over their line. The School only lost the touch by a matter of inches. Thereafter play was reasonably even territorially, though Taunton had more of the ball and several times looked likely to score. Mallam's covering saved one certain try and a fine tackle by David prevented another. Taunton eventually scored after a threequarter movement and an inside pass, and the try, far out, was well converted.

After half-time the School supporters were encouraged by more aggressive forward play, and there was a general assault by forwards and backs for some minutes. The School heeling was slow and the threequarter movements never promised much, though one good burst by David nearly led to a try near the posts by Thomas. The attack petered out and thereafter Taunton were never in trouble. With a few minutes to go one of their centres dropped a good goal and with that disappeared the last chance of saving the game.

Gent had a good match at full-back, the forwards did quite well individually particularly Harrison and Mallam, though as a pack they were not fiery nor well together. The shoving and binding in tight and loose will have to improve ; the line out play was fairly successful. The halves and threequarters looked listless in comparison wiih their opponents. Dare ran fairly well on occasions, but lacked confidence and dash. The centres were unimpressive, though they persistently hunted and tackled their man. The whole team will have to improve on this showing if they are to win any matches.

Team-Gent, David, Pirie, Gaul, Best, Dave, Cohu, Katz, J. N. Franklin, Thomas, D. R. Harrison (capt.), Sammons, Hooper, Mallam, Cowell.

ScHOOL v. R.N.C., DARTMOUTH. Lost by eight points (One goal, one penalty) to Nil This was an odd match, in which the School outplayed Dartmouth in almost every department, attacked all the

time except for one or two short spells, and yet got beaten. Dartmouth only had two chances to score and took both of them, whereas the School threw away endless chances by dropping the final pass. And three or four penalties were missed, including one very easy one. In fact, the result was decided by a very heavy rainstorm just before the

game. This made the ground very wet and the ball difficult to handle, and this was the cause of the bad handling and kicking. All the same, some of the chances, which were engineered by three quarter play of a much better standard than against Taunton, should have resulted in scores. Too often the final pass was badly given, and the taker was looking at the line instead of the ball.

The School attacked from the start and the forwards heeled well from the tight. The three quarter line moved quite well, though only Heal looked like breaking through. Two penalties were missed from fairly easy positions by the School, and then Dartmouth made their first attack ; a School forward was penalised for offside and a very good goal was kicked. Back the School came and there were a number of scrums near the Dartmouth line ; Cohu and Dare nearly scored near the posts, and first Payne and then Heal were well tackled near the corner flag. On the other wing, Best dropped an awkward pass when he might have scored. Halftime came with no further score.

In the second half the Dartmouth forwards did better, particularly in the lineout, but the School line was never threatened. Then, all against the run of the play, Dartmouth scored again. Cohu was tackled after a run in the Dartmouth half ; Dartmouth heeled from the loose, found the School centres out of position, and no fonvard covering, and eventually scored a good try which was converted. Again the School maintained pressure and appeared to score a push-over try ; but, at the same time as the try was scored, the referee saw a Dartmouth centre offside under the posts, and awarded a penalty; and even this was missed. The Dartmouth fonvards thereafter tried to keep the ball close and largely succeeded. All the same the School had two more scoring chances, but each time the final pass went astray.

The fonvards played well in this match, and Harrison was outstanding ; Mallam and Payne also did well. The only weakness was a failure to form a loose scrum quickly, and bind and shove hard. Outside, Cohu did better, and Dare ran well at times. The three quarters moved better and Gaul and Heal fitted in quite well in the centre ; the latter made a number of good breaks, but often finished badly. The wings showed a sad lack of speed, and their handling was uncertain.

Team-Gent, David, Heal Gaul, Best, Dare, Cohu, Katz, J. N. Franklin, Thomas, Payne, D. R. Harrison, Hooper, Mallam, Pavitt.

122 THE SHIRBURN!A.N

ScHOOL v. BLUNDELLS (Lost 0-6)

It was a grey day at Blundells and the ground was heavy, but there was no rain during t.he actual play. The School were at full strength (apart of course from Preston), for the first time, and eager to win a school match.

The first half was full of incident and good football and both sides came very near to scoring. Blundells were the first to attack and for some ten minutes the School were busily occupied in keeping them out. Their threequarters handled well and ran hard but did not look very likely to break through and the nearest they came to scoring was from a shove-over. Having fended off this assault the School began to attack and the forwards showed signs of getting on top. Haines made two good openings and Dare another but first Best and then Heal was tackled just short of the line when looking likely to score. Gent had a kick at goal from a penalty, but missed, Dare and Gaul put in several promising kicks ahead but always Blundells were able to get out of trouble and on occasions turn defence into counter­attack.

By half-time it was apparent that two very level sides were engaged, and that the mud was making decisive three-quarter play impossible. Someone would probably score a lucky try and so decide the match. The second half was ding-dong all the time, but Blundells were more threatening because their kicking was more powerful and better placed. The forward battle was fairly even but whereas Dare's kicking tended to go to the Blundells backs who ran and kicked back with interest, the Blundells kicking was always testing Gent and the coverers. With twenty minutes to go Blundells scored a lucky but none the less good try. An attempted kick through by Haines rebounded from a Blundells threequarter and the latter found himself faced only by Gent with forty yards to go and the ball at his feet. Various defenders tried to fall on the ball but the dribbler using his feet cleverly managed to touch down near the posts ; the kick was missed. There was still plenty of fight left in the School, but their raids were sporadic and mainly throuh kick and rush tactics by the forwards. Gent had another chance of a penalty goal but missed, Hooper had a run for the line but was unsupported, and still there was always just a chance of equalising. Some ten minutes from the end Blundells scored again. Good kicking brought them near the School line and after a loose maul near the posts a Blundells forward picked up the ball and selling two dummies ran over under the posts. The kick was again missed. That was really the end. Try as they did the School never looked like saving the game, though they came near to scoring at least once.

Here was a game which might have gone either way, which was distinguished by good handling and good tackling. Once again the School were not good enough to seize their opportunities.

In a hard forward struggle, from which the School emerged with credit, one noticed Hooper, Mallam, Pavitt, Payne, and Harrison who worked like a trojan in the line-out. The threequarters played better than in any earlier game without ever looking likely to get the better of their opponents. The heavy ball was too much for Dare's boot, and much of his kicking served only to give the ball to the other side. Gent had a good match, though he tended not to find touch in the second half. A fine game in which the School played good spirited football and were by no means disgraced.

A word of praise too for a very good referee.

Team-Gent, Best, Haines, Gaul, Heal, Cohu, Dare, Thomas,J. N. Franklin, Cockroft, Payne, D.R. Harrison (capt.), Hooper, Mallam, Pavitt.

ScROOL v. DOWNSIDE. Draw (One dropped goal to one penalty goal)

The weather was fine, but the Upper was greasy from the start. Downside came with a good reputation, and from the kick-off they showed that they had a powerful and fast team ; the forwards were light, but lively, and one of the centres looked dangerous whenever he had the ball. But from the beginning the School's tackling was first class, and few movements made any ground ; Haines in particular tackled very well, and this early Downside pressure did not look really dangerous. But the west wind and sensible kicking kept them in the School's 25 most of the first twenty minutes ; the School's relieving kicking was poor and the forward rushes were badly finished. Even­tually Downside were awarded a penalty for offside and kicked a fine penalty from far out. After that the School outsides got a plentiful supply of the ball, particularly from the lineout, where Harrison and Payne were outstanding, but as usual there was a lack of penetration in the centre, though Haines did break through once and a score might have followed had his final pass not been delayed.

Half time came with no further score, and one felt that the School, with the advantage of a light wind and a heavier pack, had a very good chance of winning. And certainly they had the better of the second half ; but far too many handling mistakes were made, and there were few periods of prolonged pressure on the Downside line. Fifteen minutes from the end Dare dropped a goal to level the score, and from then till the end play got more and more exciting. The Downside forwards improved and made some fine handling rushes ; once indeed the School line was in danger, but the tackling and covering remained sound till the end.

A draw was a fair result. Downside were a good side, but were slightly outplayed forward, and at half; but again the School three quarters were just not quite good enough to finish off successfully some quite good movements. Their defence, however, could hardly have been bettered. The forwards played well individually, particularly Harrison and Mallam, but they failed to play as a unit and so take advantage of their greater weight and strength. Outside the scrum, Dare could usefully have been more ambitious in attack ; Gaul had his best game to date, and Haines too played his part, but was inclined to hang on to the ball too long.

Team-G. P. Gent, Best, Gaul, Haines, Heal, J. J. R. Cohu, M. H. Dare, Thomas; Cockroft, J. N. Franklin, C. M. Payne, D.R. Harrison (Capt.), D. F. Mallam, Pavitt, A. Hooper .

. ,

THE SHIRBURNIAN 123

SCHOOL v. MARLBOROUGH (Lost 0-6)

Conditions for this match at Marlborough were good ; a windless day, the rain held off and although the ground was heavy the ball was never difficult to handle. The School started sluggishly and for the first ten minutes the Marl­borough fonvards and backs seemed to be able to run as they liked. They started like a confident and successful side, as indeed they were, whereas all the School seemed able to do was to keep them out, often at the very last minutes. Marlborough scored a good try within a few minutes after a break through supported by forwards ; the kick was unsuccessful. Shortly afterwards they scored again. Marr, a Marlborough centre kicked a loose ball ahead, Gent failed to gather an awkward bounce, and Marr gathered and scored halfway out ; the kick was again missed. This seemed to rouse the School from their lethargy and thereafter play was much more even. The School began to get a good share of the ball, but sluggish heeling resulted in Fisher, deputising for Cohu, being often tackled in possession. However it was the School now who did the attacking. Heal and Best both beat their men and supporting forwards kept the attack moving. Just on half-time Harrison was nearly over but was well held.

For the first twenty minutes of the second half the School continued to improve and Marlborough supporters were beginning to look anxious. Gaul made one good break, but waited for support instead of going hard on his own. Best twice rounded his man and a try would surely have followed one of his runs had he been able to give an even reasonable pass to the unmarked Hooper. Heal picked up from a kick ahead and made a lot of ground and the resulting forward onslaught was only just held. Gent was short with a penalty, which might more profitably have been used as an" up and under", or kick to touch.

Nothing came of all this, and Marlborough no doubt relieved to discover that the School could not finish off attacks, swept back to a general assault. In this last period of the game the School tackling by forwards and backs was superb. It seemed inevitable that Marlborough would score again, but their every effort was held and the ball was back at half-way when the whistle went.

This was a fine match. The Marlborough side was large and fast and certainly their best since the war. Their forwards were every bit as large and heavy as the School's and only in the line-out did the School have a clear advan­tage. The School team as a whole, apart from the start, played as well as they have ever done this year. Their defens­ive play was superb ; their one failing, so apparent all the season, a lack of penetration in midfield. They never allowed this good Marlborough side to develop their full potential. No Shirburnian need grumble at the result. Gent played well once again ; the threequarters, particularly Haines, tackled relentlessly ; Harrison played a fine game and was best supported by Hoooper and Mallam.

Team-G. P. Gent, Heal, A. P. Gaul, R. A. Haines, Best, M. H. Dare, Fisher, N. R. Pavitt, Cockroft, A. Hooper, Thomas, D.R. Harrison (capt.), D. F. Mallam, C. M. Payne,J. N. Franklin.

Sir,

COLOURS We congratulate the following :

1st XV 10/10/54 D. R. Harrison, J. N. Franklin. 7/11/54 G. P. Gent, D. F. Mallam, C. M. Payne, M. H. Dare, J. J. R. Cohu, A. Hooper.

14/11/54 N. R. Pavitt, A. P. Gaul, R. A. Haines. 21/11/54 C. G. Heal,J. B. B. Cockroft. 28/11/54 R. T. Thomas, G. A. Best.

2nd XV 24/10/54 David, Katz. 30/10/54 Deakin, Cowell, Euman, Gray. 7/11/54 Sammons, Pirie, Mermagen, Carwardine, Holman, Spurr. 7/11/54 Fisher, Eglington C., Rowe.

3rd XV

COLTS

30/10/54 Weston, Whicker, Hodgson. 7/11/54 Wilson, Henfrey.

14/11/54 Gerry, Hoar, Pring, Oliver, Hayward, Rix, Allen. 21/11/54 Murray M. F., Lambe, Bawtree.

17/10/54 Taylor, \Vatherston, Farmer, Thompson, Gregory-Smith. 24/10/54 Norman, Murray M. D., Parry-Jones, MacDonnell. 30/10/54 Masters, Cassidy A., Whittaker, Hill, Honnywill.

I would like to express my thanks to all those members of the Staff who have helped to coach the various football teams this term. I would also like to thank Creese and his staff for all the work they have done to keep the grounds in such excellent condition.

Yours, etc., D. R. HARRISON,

Captain of Football.

124 THE SHIRBURNIAN

VALETE SCHOOL HOUSE

R. G. F. FINN-came 19501-VI (Group II H. & E.)-Head of House ; Upper Sixth ; P.T. Instructor ; Hon. Sec. of Green Ribbon Club ; Member of Duffers, Wildman, Music Club, Daubers ; Junior Longmuir Prize '52 ; Senior Langmuir Prize '53 ; Bowen History Prize '54; Sgt. in C.C.F. ; State Scholarship '53. To Army and Oxford.

T. C. C. GILCHRIST-came 19493-VI (Group II M.L.)-School Prefect; Upper Sixth; House Rugger Colours '53; Trebles '51 ; P.T. Instructor with badge; Member of Wildman, Polyglottes; Sgt. in C.C.F. To Army.

R. PRESTON-came 19502-VI (Group II H. & E.)-School Prefect; Upper Sixth ; !st XV '52, '53, Capt. '54· !st XI Cricket '52, '53, '54 ; Trebles '51 ; P.T. Instructor; Sgt. in C.C.F. To Army and Business. '

J. J. R. CoHu-came 19503-VI (Group III M.S.)-House Prefect; 2nd XV '53 ; !st XV '54; P.T. In­structor ; Member of Daubers ; P.O. in C.C.F. (Naval Section). To R.A.F. College, Cranwell.

M. H. DARE-came 19511-VI (Medical)-House Prefect; 2nd XV '53 ; !st XV '54; P.T. Instructor; Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Agriculture. .

C. S. KATz-came 19502-VI (Group II H. & E.)-House Prefect; Upper Sixth; 2nd XV '53, '54; Trebles '52 ; P.T. Instructor; Member of Green Ribbon Club; Aston Binns Prize '53 ; Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Cambridge.

G. A. BEST-came 19503-VI (Group III M.S.)-House Prefect; !st XV '54; Fives Team '53; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Business.

J.M. KITCHEN-came 19503-VI (Group II H. & E.)-Upper Sixth; P.T. Instructor; Member of Duffers, James Rhoades, Green Ribbon Club, Wildman, Music Club, Daubers ; Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Business.

W. E. DAVIS-came 19503-V (Group II H. & E.); L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To Business.

N. T. OsBORN-came 19512-VI (Group II M.S.) ; 3rd XI Cricket '54; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To further studies. B. J. BAWTREE-came 19521-VI (Group IIIA) ; 3rd XV '54 ; A.B. in C.C.F. (Naval Section). To R.N.C.,

Dartmouth.

THE SHJRBURNIAN 125

ABBEY HOUSE

R. P. H. MERMAGEN-came 19502-VI A (Group II H. & E.)-Head of House; Upper Sixth; 2nd XI Hockey '54; 3rd XI Cricket '54; P.T. Instructor with badge; Member of Duffers, Wildman, James Rhoades, Green Ribbon Club ; Sgt. in C.C.F. To Army and Cambridge.

J. B. B. CocKROFT-came 19502-VI A (Group II H. & E.)-School Prefect; 1st XV '54; Athletics team '52, '53 ; P.T. Instructor; Member of Wildman; Sgt. in C.C.F. To business.

M. N. C. BUMAN-came 19503-VI B (Group II H. & E.)-House Prefect; 2nd XV '54; 2nd XI Hockey '54; P.T. Instructor; Cpl. in C.C.F.-To business.

R. V. S. CASTLE-came 19503-VI A (Group II H. & E.)-House Prefect ; 3rd XI Cricket '54 ; P.T. In­structor; Member of Wildman; Cpl. in C.C.F. To business.

THE GREEN

J. A. LLOYD-came 19501-VI (Medical)-Head ofHouse ; 3rd XI Cricket '52, '53, 2nd XI '54 ; P.T. Instructor with badge; Member of Wildman; A.B. (Naval Section) and Sgt. in C.C.F. To Seale-Hayne and business.

J. W.R. WESTON-came 19502-VI B (Group 111)-House Prefect; 3rd XV '54; gym. colours '54.; P.T. Instructor; P.O. in C.C.F. (Naval Section). To R.N.C., Dartmouth.

M. W. T. NoTT-came 19502-VI (Group II H. & E.)-House Prefect; P.T. Instructor; Member of Music Club ; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To business.

HARPER HOUSE

M. J. STONE-came 19503-VI (Group II M.L.)-Head of House ; Upper Sixth ; Shooting VIII '52, '53, capt. '54; P.T. Instructor with badge; Hon. Sec. Polyglottes, member of Duffers, Wildman, Music Club; Huish Exhibition; C.S.M. in C.C.F. To Army and Oxford.

R.H. CLARKSON-came 19503-VI (Group II M.L.)-House Prefect; Upper Sixth; gym. colours '53, '54; Athletics team '52, '54; P.T. Instructor; Member of Polyglottei;, Music Club; Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Cambridge.

T. P. CRIPPS-came 19511-VI (Medical) ; Shooting VIII '53, '54 ; Trebles '52, '53, '54 ; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To R.A.F.

ABBEYLANDS

A. C. I. BuLPIN-Came 19503-VI (Group II M.L.) ; L/Cpl in C.C.F. To business. J.M. GODFREE-came 19501-VI B (Group III)-House Prefect; House Rugger Colours '54; P.T. Instructor;

Cpl. in C.C.F. To further studies.

LYON HOUSE

N. R. PAVITT-Came 19501-VI B (Group Il)-House Prefect ; 1st XV '54 ; Trebles '51, '52, '53' 54 ; P.T. Instructor ; Member of Wildman ; Sgt. in C.C.F. To Army and business.

T. N. PRING-came 19503-VI B (Group III) ; 2nd XI '54 ; 3rd XV '54 ; P.T. Instructor ; Sgt. in C.C.F. To business.

M. F. MURRAY-came 19512-V (Group II H. & G.) ; 3rd XV '54 ; Cpl. in C.C.F. To further studies and Royal Marines.

WESTCOTT HOUSE

I. J. SPURR-came 19502-VI A (Group II H. & E.)-School Prefect; Editor of Th Shirburnian; Upper Sixth; 3rd XV '53, 2nd XV '54; P.T. Instructor with badge; Member of Duffers, \Vildman, James Rhoades, Green Ribbon Club ; Sgt. in C.C.F. To Army and Oxford.

D. W. R. LEWIS-came 19493-VI (Group 1)-House Prefect; Upper Sixth; 3rd XI Cricket '53; P.T. Instructor; Member of Duffers, lnterpretes, Wildman, Music Club; Cpl. in C.C.F. To Army and Cambridge.

J. N. FRANKLIN-came 19503-VI A (Group 111)-House Prefect ; 1st XV '53, '54 ; 1st XI Hockey '54 ; 2nd XI Cricket '53, 1st XI Cricket '54 ; Boxing Team '51, '52, '53, '54 ; gym. colours '54 ; Fives team '54 ; Trebles '52, '53, '54 ; P.T. Instructor ; Member of\Vildman ; L/S in C.C.F. (Naval Section). To R.N.C., Dartmouth.

J. O. H. RAY-Came 195!1-V (Group II H. & G.) ; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To business and Army. J. B: M. DUNCAN-Came 195!2-IV A; L/Cpl. in C.C.F. To R.A.F. and the Gold Coast. C. A. SOUTHWELL-SANDER-came 195!3-VI (Group II H. & E.) ; Member of Wildman. To Cape Town

University, South Africa. J. H. LAWRANCE-came 19513-IV A. l'o business and Army.

CONTEMPORARIES

The Editors of The Shirburnian would like to acknowledge the receipt of many other school magazines,

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

All Letters and Articles intended for publication should be sent to the EmTOR, Sherborne School, Dorset.

The Annual Subscription is 13/6 (including postage). The Shirburnian is published three times in the year, once each in the Lent, Summer and Michaelmas Terms.

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If an article is to be continued in successive numbers, the whole is to be sent in at once.

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