WHS Janus Autumn 1957

A FEW WORDS must be said in apology for the late appearance of this issue. This, however, is due to the 'flu epidemic which overcame the School at the beginning of term. After the epidemic things took some time to settle down and thus compilation was delayed. We trust that this final article, however, has not suffered as a result of this.

THE FIRST SCHOOL DANCE was held on the evening of July 20th, Speech Day, 1957, and what a successful climax it was to the five weeks of preceding preparation. To quote the Headmaster: "It was first-class by any standards."

The only reason why a dance had not been held before was the low estimate of the number of possible partners. However, about half-way through the Summer Term, our late Head Boy. Ian McCulloch, decided that this obstacle could probably be overcome and approached the Headmaster to see if a dance could be arranged for the end of term. He willingly agreed to the idea and some of the, Staff's wives kindly offered to give us lessons twice a week as the majority of the Sixth Form were unable to dance. To start with we had about only eight partners for the lessons, and between twenty-five boys that is not very many, but towards the end of term the classes ceased to be lessons and became practising sessions to which a few girls were invited to sample our toe-crushing.

To hold a dance there were a number of things we were going to need; namely, someone to dance with, somewhere to dance, some music to dance to and, of course, some refreshments. Our partners for the actual dance began as a mere ten or so names, but by many and varied means the number steadily grew to the required amount. Victor Shreeve wrote out the invitations in his artistic hand, but these were sent to adults only. Other invitations were mainly by word of mouth to preserve as much informality as possible.

At first we had thought of hiring a band, but it was soon realised that the cost would be a great obstacle, especially as the dance was to be on a Saturday evening. The School jazz Club, however. soon provided the solution by agreeing to play for us. There was the leader of the group, Ray Simmons, on the trumpet, Trevor Head on the piano, "Isa" Cummings at the drums, and "Errol" Fletcher on the flute, with Mr .Thomas looking very "gone" strumming away at his double bass.

There were many reasons why it was impossible to use the gymnasium for the dance, two of them being that it was to be used until 6.0 pm. for the Speech Day ceremony and concert and that the floor, although quite adequate for practising, was not very good for the real thing. Mr. Cobb offered us the use of his classroom, which, when adjoined to another by opening a sliding partition, which was in turn joined to Hansons' Common Room, made an ideal hall. The decorating was done mainly by Miss Williams, who completely altered the appearance of the room by means of varied types of vegetation. The only drawback of this room was that the roof leaked considerably when it rained, and, typical of an English summer, it did on the evening of the 20th, so we just had to do our best to steer our partners round the strategic parts of the floor.

I can only describe the refreshments as absolutely magnificent and highly professional. I believe the main organiser was Miss Johnston, who with a few helpers took over the School kitchen and spent most of Friday evening preparing the food. To tell the truth, I was rather annoyed that my partner did not wish to eat a reasonable amount of refreshments - statistical reasons I suppose.

Finally, on behalf of last year's Sixth Form, I would like to thank everybody who helped in any way with the organisation of the dance, and I am only sorry that they were too numerous to be mentioned by name.

CALLING ALL Sailing Club members! This article is meant as an advertisement for those who wish to spend a thoroughly enjoyable week's sailing during the summer holidays.

Last summer, O'Loughlin and I decided to take a chance and spend a week at Waldringfield for the "Yachting World" Cadet Week. The whole thing was in the nature of an experiment - if we liked it, we could go next year and bring more boats and crews, if not . . . . well we had a week's holiday anyway. Needless to say, we greatly enjoyed it, both for the sailing, and for the friendly atmosphere which surrounded us from the moment we arrived.

As far as the actual racing was concerned there were two races a day, with a total of fourteen boats competing, and throughout the week not a single boat failed to start - although many floundered by the wayside, our boat being extremely prominent at first. The cost for the week's racing was a very reasonable ten shillings a boat, which was shared by the helmsman and his crew. The prizes were silver spoons, and perhaps the best prize of all, a really slap-up tea to end the week.

Naturally we all had our moments of panic - especially on the second clay, when "Grumpy" was holed. But thanks to the prompt action of Mr. Poole and "Chippy" Robinson we were afloat and ready in time for the next race. We were not the only boat in trouble, however, for within minutes "Chippy" had another Cadet on his hands.

Apart from these mishaps, and the weather, which was not very pleasant to us, we had some very sporting racing and cheerful Evenings in the clubhouse, sometimes cycling into Ipswich, which is no great distance away, or listening to valuable tactics talks after the races.

Both O'Loughlin and I were extremely sorry to leave at the end of a week, which was crammed full of racing, tactics, learning new rules, and above all, gaining racing experience. One other important point of this week was the fine food we received, supplied by Mrs. Poole, for which we would like to express hearty thanks.

In actual racing "Cadet 1642" finished last. but that did not spoil our enjoyment of a truly remarkable week. So members of the Sailing Club, can we have more crews and boats next year, and send four boats instead of one for a sailing holiday all will enjoy?

THE ISLAND Of Skye had enjoyed a long period of drought until the day we arrived. The journey up was uneventful except for a brief period in a ditch (owing to the narrowness of the roads).

The farmer on whose land we camped generously lent us his barn, in which we cooked our meals during our stay there. The next day we became acquainted with the native language and carried out various geographical exercises, in Portree, the principal town of Skye.

The rain continued to fall, and so we went by coach to Dunvegan Castle, the ancestral home of the MacLeod clan. Here we were fortunate enough to meet Lady Flora MacLeod of MacLeod.

The next day was by far the longest walking trip of the stay, and we trekked across country and climbed The Sorr, 2,360 feet, the highest point in Northern Skye. The problem of descending the cliffs was overcome by crawling down a stone chute and making our way back to our camp.

On Sunday, fearing the wrath of the local inhabitants for religious reasons, we carefully retreated to the hills and removed various boulders as geological specimens.

The next day we had our first experience of the Cuillin Hills. and due to lack of time we managed to reach only half-way up Sgurr-nan-Gillean.

By this time there were so many victims of blisters that the ascent of Sgurr-Alasdair, 3,309 feet, the highest mountain in Skye, was carried out under the leadership of Mr. Hanson. After a thousand feet, cloud made visibility for climbing the rocks poor, and some of the time we were avoiding stray rocks dislodged by would-be mountaineers. We reached the icy-cold summit without injury, meanwhile the remainder were enjoying themselves swimming in the cool waters of Loch Brittle. The journey down was almost a race down the mountain side as the thought of food spurred us on.

By now the party were quite used to wading through peat bogs and highland burns, but we were not yet to be put out of our misery for the day after we again waded across the wet country to find the island's source of electrical power.

Thursday, our final day, dawned bright and clear and we paid a visit to Uig. This is only a village but with a pier which is reputed to be the longest in Scotland.

We left "our barn" at 7.0 p.m. much to the dismay of the local inhabitants and by 9.0 p.m. we were on the Scottish mainland. We traveled through the highlands by night and by early morning we were evading the policemen in Glasgow. The return journey was more prolonged than the trip there and we arrived at School at 11.0 a.m. on Saturday after 35 hours continuous traveling. Several of our number were missing as we had dropped them off on our journey across England. We had time for a meal, a wash and photograph before we were bustled off to London.

Many thanks must be given to Mr. Cobb and Mr. Hanson for organising the journey and for seeing us safely and speedily throughout a most enjoyable trip.

ON OUR FIRST day it was raining at Victoria, but the weather was clear at Newhaven. We had a roughish crossing to Dieppe, and fortunately only one of our party was sick.

Having arrived at Dieppe, we climbed several hills out of the town, then settled down on a long, straight road through the flat, hedgeless countryside of wheat and clover fields.

We reached St. Valery in the evening, and were glad to turn in after a meal and a ride round the town. We wakened next morning at cock's crow, after a restless night on crude apologies for beds.

The days run was to Louviers, with its contrasting modern hostel, and we stopped at Rouen and visited the Cathedral.

The next day we saw the Seine, and passing through Les Andelys, reached Mantes, where we had an amusing experience with a rather droll Frenchman who paid for an eighty-franc bottle of wine in one-franc bits.

From Mantes we cycled to Paris. In the evening, walking along the famous Champs-Elysées, we saw the Arc de Triomphe, gleaming white in the beams of the arc-lamps, and at its foot the eternal flame and the unknown soldier's tomb. We also saw the Place de la Concorde, with the Obelisk, and visited the Eiffel Tower.

We made several trips on the Parisien Metro, which is not as good as our "tube," but has a sensible "all-the-same-price," "two-journey" ticket system.

A trip on the Seine on one of the "bateaux-mouches" afforded those of us with cameras fine shots of Notre Dame while we circled the Ile de la Cité.

I thought Paris a very cosmopolitan town, with its gay cafés, colourful sights and whirling traffic.

Leaving Paris we went to Ergal. visiting en route the Palace at Versailles, famed for its fine paintings, the Hall of Mirrors, and the beautiful gardens. I was most struck by the wall-sized battle paintings in which the smoke and flame of the cannons and the dust from the horses' hooves were most realistic.

From Ergal, we continued to Evreux, swimming in the Eure at Ivry, and enjoying a beautiful run through a forest area. From Evreux we went to Lisieux, from Lisieux struck the coast again at Honfleur, and pushing on to the ferry which took us across the Seine estuary, we soon reached the "Auberge" in the Forêt de Montgeon, le Havre.

We were amused the next morning by the local Sunday morning six-a-side football match, which "antics" also amused a large crowd. We left for Yport, a small coastal town, and from there returned to Dieppe, swimming on the coast at our old acquaintance, St. Valery-en-Caux. At Dieppe we bought last-minute bottles of wine, and made an uneventful return journey. Perry and Roney had made a start in tegestology, collecting beer cards, and Taffy Wright had collected umpteen punctures.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour, and all our thanks must go to Mr. Shakeshaft for organising such an exciting, memorable holiday for us.

IT WAS A wet and dreary Wales that we steamed into, because for the last week it had been raining on and off. But fortunately the, bad weather held off and the next day we proceeded to look around the massive, grey-stoned Caernarvon Castle.

Snowdon was out of sight, as, the next day, we set out to climb it. We climbed it vigorously at first, but after halfway up we continually admired the distance we had come.

Reaching the top we surveyed the marvellous view which was spread out before us. There were lakes, valleys and hills encircling us, reaching as far as the coast. The coast itself was magnificent and we could see a great way up it.

After admiring this view we were surprised by a cloud of mist and we hurried down the other side.

At Bedgellert there was the grave of a dog which had been killed wrongly by its master. It wasn't very interesting, but to make up for this we walked along by the rough beauty of the Aberglacellyn Pass.

We finally landed up at Colwyn Bay after having seen the famous Conway Castle, and then left for home.

As you can see this was an exciting and interesting trip, and I, on behalf of the party, would like to thank Mr. Shakeshaft for making the arrangements and taking care of us.

THE TREES WERE stretching crooked arms towards the sky. Small, black trees, stunted and crippled by the cold. The sky itself was a glowering grey, dappled here and there by hurrying clouds. All around was the snow, thick and white and silent. The vast whiteness was broken only here and there by the black figures of the trees. Nothing moved but the clouds and the rising wind.

They had hunted a long way that day. But they found nothing. The winter was hard and cold and the game was gone. There was little food left and they needed the game. There was really only food for one, but they were brothers and they shared it. Both of them were hungry, and the cold and the snow were all around them. He carried the gun, there was only one. He was the better shot, and anyway they were brothers. They were tired and hungry and there was so little food. The snow was wide and empty. He had the gun. But then they were brothers. The harsh sky was looming over them and the wind was chasing the clouds. His bones were aching and he stumbled in the snow. The gun slipped on his back. But they were brothers. The cold was poking its fingers through his furs and his eyes ached from the snow. His brother moved ahead of him. He was stronger and moved more quickly. There was little food and his brother would live longer than he would. He tripped on his snow-shoes and his brother moved further ahead of him.

Then he slipped the gun off his shoulder and killed his brother. The report skittered out over the snow and was lost in the scurrying sky.

His brother was lying on his stomach. He was small and thin and the heels of his snow-shoes were touching. His arms were stretched out in front of him in the snow. He didn't move. He was dead.

The man with the gun turned and started back through the snow. He moved quickly and looked every so often at the sky, He carried his gun across his back and moved leaning forward on the wind.

There were clouds and the wind was rising. The gun was heavy on his back and the cold was nibbling at his toes. He looked at the racing clouds and then back at the snow. He had a long way to go and he was hungry.

Fine snow was beginning to trickle from the clouds and was carried along on the wind. He looked at the sky and the clouds and moved on more quickly.

He had come a long way and his legs were aching. The snow, falling faster now and thicker, was blotting out their footprints. The flakes were growing and the wind was harrying the formless clouds. His gun was flapping on his back and the sweat trickled down his legs.

He couldn't see the trail and the sky was gone. White shafts of snow were falling all around him and the wind was throwing it, in his eyes. His legs were moving more slowly now and his head was lolling on his shoulders. But he moved on for a long time. His feet were slipping in the snow and the wind was catching him off balance. All around him a moving whiteness. He was staggering and his feet were sinking further in the snow. The sweat was icing up on his legs and he couldn't see. He was alone in a vast, white blindness.

His snow-shoe caught on something soft and he fell on his face, in the snow. The wind was screaming and the quiet snow covered the brothers in a shroud of white.

JOEY WAS TIRED and very drunk, and he didn't care very much who knew it. So most of the people in the bar did know it. The bar- tender knew it, indeed, he had known the same thing every night for the past week; but he didn't care so long as he got paid.

Bill, who ejected the over-boisterous members, knew it. But he never kicked Joey out.

It was, but Joey was such a quiet drunk that he seldom got noticed, and he never caused trouble with the other customers, Not deliberately, anyway. Then one night, things changed.

The girl who came in was pretty, there was no denying that, but to Joey and his drink, well, she looked just like an angel. So Joey went up and spoke to her. But, unlike any angel he had read about, this one seemed very unkind, and very explicit on the subject of drunks. Joey retired, hurt and surprised.

Then the young man came in. He was very handsome and, like Joey, he also admired angels. And it appeared also, that angels liked this particular young man. At least, they seemed to get on very well together.

At this, Joey grew sad, for he liked the angel very much; in fact, he liked all angels. Suddenly he had an idea, an idea that could help a tired old angel-loving drunk. A wonderful idea.

He stepped outside. The headlamps did not pick out the old man quickly enough. Neither did the brakes work very well. So the lorry-driver ran for help. The angel came out.

Looking at the crumpled figure, a tear ran down her cheek. She was partly an angel, after all. But she needn't have worried, Joey was no longer tired or drunk, for he had found those angels.

THE AIR WAS fresh with the scent of pine needles as I rode between the firs standing in ranks like soldiers on parade, each row on a little, moss-covered mound which made the ground look like a giant potato field. Here and there, as bright specks in the gloom of the forest, one could see the huge fairy-tale toadstools, crimson ,covered in white dots, and I half expected to see an elf sitting under one. Everywhere was deathly silence as though the soft earth was absorbing the sound even as it muffled the noise of my bicycle wheels. Even the birds seemed frightened to break the foreboding silence.

It was noon, and the sun was high in the sky though it had difficulty in penetrating the darkness of the forest; only here, and there did a shaft of light break arrow-like through the tree tops and catch in its gleam a sparkling whirl of dust particles.

The very trees seemed to have eyes, and to be staring at me. Now and again a withered skeleton of a trunk, struck by lightning, would point its bony fingers at me. This dark, tunnel-like avenue between the trees seemed to be closing in on me and it seemed an eternity before I reached the small, roundish speck of light in the distance which I knew to be the forest edge.

On leaving the gloom of the forest I was momentarily blinded by the dazzling sun. The avenue through the forest had risen, gently and now I found myself to be on a small hill; no larger I doubt could be found in this part of Germany. Away to my left the forest curved round in an arc, but all I could see of it was the first row of trees. Away on the horizon behind the last dyke I, could see a thin, glistening line which I knew to be the sea.

Open ground sloped away from me to a pair of lakes sparkling in the sunshine. All around the land was purple with the familiar heather of this region, and I made my way down through to the lakes by means of little channels washed out in the sandy soil by the rain.

By now a breeze had sprung up, sending ripples across the lakes, and the air was filled with the rustling of the reeds.

I found myself on a proper pathway which took me in the direction of the sea. I still hadn't met a soul. As I cycled along, the scenery began to change and the ground became flatter and flatter until I found myself in the polder lands of Schleswig-Holstein, known as the "Köoge," land which had been reclaimed from the sea and sectioned off by dykes, the most fertile land in Germany. Now and again I saw one of the typical farmhouses of this area; long, low buildings with emerald green roofs. Each time I reached a dyke I expected to see the sea on the other side, but each time I saw only this flat land stretching away to the next dyke with a few cattle dotted about here and there.

Finally I reached the last dyke, and a small pathway brought me on top of it. I was (at the same time) both surprised and disappointed. The sea was not to be seen except for a glistening in the distance. Instead I saw a flat area of lush grass stretching away, grass so flat and springy that I could well have imagined a cricket match being played on it, if it had been drier. The area was broken up into squares by small canals which drained off the water. Dotted everywhere were hundreds of sheep grazing peacefully in the sun. Looking along the dyke I saw it straggling away into the distance; behind it a narrow expanse of water which had been drained from the land. Some distance out was a small island or rather a sort of mound on which was one house. There are a number of these islands along this coast, but much bigger than this one, known as "Halligs." This one, however, could be, reached by a small dyke, along the top of which ran a concrete path.

I decided to cycle out to it. At high tide I would have been cycling along with the sea on either side, but at that moment there was no danger of falling in. I passed a number of bicycles and motor-cycles piled together, but there was no sign of their owners. I was still completely alone, the sheep being the only sign of life; I saw the first person when I reached the island. It was someone who came out to work the pump and the silence was broken by the rasping of the pump as he worked it. Then he went back into the house and I was alone again, left with the silence, the sheep and my own thoughts. After the noisy towns the silence was wonderful though a little unearthly. Having decided that I shouldn't really like to live out here, I got on my bicycle again and rode back through this dream world of silence, back to noisy reality.

THE MOON SHONE with a bright silvery glow as he made the long drop from the wall to the ground below. He lay still, shivering with nervousness, among the rushes, for a minute,. listening. But only the hoot of an owl met his anxious ears through the eerie stillness of the night. He rose from his crouching posture and strode quickly away.

He eventually reached some neighbouring woods. He made his way in between curses and swearing, through the thick under-growth until he came to a large clearing, in which he could see the dark outline of a car. With a sigh of relief he entered the clearing.

"Hi, sis." he greeted, wiping the perspiration from his brow. "Harry," she gasped, "thank God you made it."

"We haven't got much time," he replied, "got the stuff?" "Yeah, it's in the boot of the car," she said.

He went to the boot of the car and rummaged among an assortment of clothes until he found what he needed. He went behind the car and about fifteen minutes later Mabel, his sister, was confronted by a tall angular woman, of doubtful age, with auburn hair, low-heeled, sensible shoes, and brown tweed costume.

"How do I look, Mabel?" he asked. "Wonderful," she gasped, carried away by amazement. Just then a wailing sound pierced the stillness of the night. It was the siren, indicating a prisoner had escaped.

Harry started., "O.K., Mabel, see you in London," he said. "O.K., Harry, 'bye," she replied.

She entered the car and drove off on a small path which led to the main road, while Harry made his way very cautiously to the nearest railway station.

He asked for a single to London in a high falsetto voice and walked on to the platform. On the platform was standing a grim-looking policeman, and despite his good disguise he began to sweat. He felt at the auburn wig. It had slipped. He was sure it had slipped. He fumbled in his handbag for a mirror but one had not been provided. He imagined the policeman's eyes boring suspiciously into his back. He looked around frantically. Then with a sigh of relief he saw the very thing he wanted. With small, mincing steps he made his way across the platform and entered a marble porch. When he had finished he walked out confidently, straight into the arms of the waiting policeman. ,

"Excuse me, but would you come with me." Harry started indignantly but caught the policeman's eyes gazing at something above his head. He looked up and his heart fell as he read the word "Gentlemen"•••.........

ONE DAY DURING the summer holidays I was lucky enough to tour one of the world's largest railway works - namely the one at Swindon.

The tour started at the erecting shop, where locomotives are given a complete overhaul. Adjoining this shop is a machine shop where smaller locomotive components are manufactured. The larger components are cast in the foundry. The second erecting shop is for completely new work, and it was here that we saw two new Diesel-electric locomotives under construction.

In the wheel-shop we were shown two methods of fitting rims to wheels - namely, pressure shrinking and steam shrinking. After either of these processes, the wheels undergo balancing tests, to find whether the wheel will have a top-heavy motion.

There are three boiler shops, one for new work, one for renovating old boilers and one for fitting safety valves, funnels, etc., to finished boilers.

In the forging shop they forge connecting rods under a five-ton steam hammer and heavier components are manufactured in the dies in the drop-stamp, the heaviest of which weighs six tons.

In all we walked 4½ miles around the shops and saw practically all the processes in the building of a locomotive.

FROM THE NAME "Venezia" some people would understand two things; the more obvious, the city of Venice, the less obvious, the "county" of Venice. The latter is not such a well-known fact as the first, so let me tell you about this most beautiful city. It is reached by three methods, the most popular of which is from the sea; the second is by road, but as there is only one road which goes into Venice, and this stops suddenly at a car park at the entrance of the city, it is not used too frequently by visitors. The third method is indulged in by the idle rich, luxurious air travel.

I chose to enter by way of the sea, and I think that is the way which sticks in your mind for the longest time. Approaching Venice you can make out its outline from a long way off, and as you do this you are filled with a great feeling of curiosity and expectancy. The famous Marcus Church is at first just a blur, but as you get closer that blur becomes the beautiful detail of bygone architecture.

"Avanti! Avanti!" are the impatient calls of the conductors as they usher you off the boat. You have arrived at this city renowned for her canals and Pallazios, and now a wonderful day of sightseeing can start. The first place to go to would no doubt be the so much talked about Marcus Church and Square. There are two reasons for this, firstly because of their fame and secondly because they are nearest to the landing stage. So let us go! Unfortunately being limited in space I can only give you a rough idea of the beauty of this church. Before you go in there are wonderful mosaics in the most splendid colours to be observed on the wall facing the Square. At the foot of this wall there is a most interesting arcade; each of the pillars which supports it tells a story of some walk of life. An example is a spiral of reliefs telling the story of how a baby is born, how it is brought up, its profession and then its death before its own parents. All the other pillars tell some story or other like it. Now let us take a look inside this church.

Standing by the huge door is a guardian of the church, who, amongst other things, ensures that people are dressed properly before being allowed to enter. This means that any casual holiday wear is out of the question, for women's legs and arms have to be covered otherwise entrance is refused. The first impression of the beauty inside this church cannot possibly be put into words. All I can say is that never before in my life had I seen a sight like it. The central part of the roof is a hemisphere, adorned with paintings of the finest colours ranging from fairly early painters to quite modern ones. For those artistically minded this is the best chance of comparing changes of styles of painting in general as the centuries have passed, for here are the works of men whose names are general knowledge to most people, and those are surely the painters that should be compared. The main altar, a dazzle of shining gold attracts a great many people, some interested in the material value of the altar, others in its artistic value, but all full of praise. But this does not mean that side altars are being, neglected, they, too, are the centres of many groups of visitors.

Outside, the much-famed Square is probably known best for the thousands of pigeons that frequent it, resembling, in this way, Trafalgar Square. These pigeons receive the food of the many sightseers who often come to the Square for just that purpose. It is also a habit of many people to be photographed with the birds, and for that reason there are many photographers at the Square who earn their living from the sightseers. In the middle of the Square there is the column of Marcus, once again a reminder of Trafalgar Square, making the Englishman feel particularly at home. Around the Square are many restaurants, some very old, others quite new, but all are the same as far as the prices go. You are liable to pay anything up to 15 shillings for one ice-cream, and that bill is a very nice souvenir, especially as you do not find this out until you have eaten the thing. In the evening orchestras provide music for you if you can afford to listen to them. Again if you can afford it you might do some very good shopping, because there are some shops in this district with the most wonderful goods.

Well let's move on and explore this city a bit more. If you feel extravagant you may go by a Gondola or if you want to keep among your type you'll go by "Valporetto," which is a waterbus, on the Canal Grande up which I am going to take you now. You will observe straight away that this is the place where all the famous Pallazos are, because the buildings arrayed here are all of extreme beauty and look just as if they could not be anywhere else but on the Canal Grande. Only a few of these Pallazos are used privately nowadays, they are usually either embassies or very expensive hotels. Pallazos, though, are not the only attractions on this waterway, there are also for instance museums, which you should visit in the afternoons; but what I really mean are the attractive bridges going over the Canal Grande, because some are quite famous. An example is the "Bridge of the last sigh" or "Ponte Rialto," a small bridge on which shops are built.

By now you should be hungry, after all who would not be after so much excitement? But you must find some food at a reasonable price, so I suggest you get off the "Valporetto" at about station 8 and make your way on foot through the three feet wide alleys to a small but decent restaurant where you can obtain good food and good red wine at good prices. There are quite a few of those places, if you can find them.

When you have finished your food you should go along to an exhibition of some sort for there is always one in Venice. This will take you quite some time, and by the time you have seen everything it's also time to go, and so you get another "Valporetto" and off you go back to the Marcus Square near where you must catch your boat back to the normal world. You are tired, and with a faint smile playing around your lips you say, "I shall be back one day Venezia, to get to know you properly." And all you are left with are the sparkles of illumination to tell you that you have been to Venezia...

HOUSE NOTES

CORNERS

AS FAR AS inter-house competitions were concerned the House enjoyed its best-ever year. No less than four trophies were won - Senior Rugby, Cricket, Athletics and Cross-Country. The latter was perhaps the most gratifying success of all as it was far and away the most concerted team effort. Our first eight runners in the junior event all finished in the first seventeen.

The Rugby and Cricket Cups were won with unexpected ease. The House First XV never had its line crossed while it itself amassed just under a hundred points in three matches. The three House cricket matches were won with the total loss of four wickets.

The athletics match offered the keenest competition, the result being in doubt until the final event, the tug-o'-war, in which for the second year in succession we were successful.

Academically, too, the House had another successful year. I. McCulloch was awarded a place at St. Peter's Hall, Oxford, so becoming the first Woolverstone boy to gain admission to that University, and T. J. Davies was awarded a place at Edinburgh University. Seven boys from the Fifth Form entered the Sixth Form as did six more from the Fourth Form, who took their G.C.E. examinations a year early with extremely good results.

Our boys were well forward in all School activities, not least in the Dramatic Society, where they helped in both production and performance. McCulloch, Davies, Brown, House, Bennett and Durrant all sang solo parts in the Choral Society's production of "The Mikado." About Bennett's admirable performance one can do no better than quote Mr. Woolford's comment in his review of the production in the last edition of "Janus' -"Bennett not only looked well but sounded well as Yum-Yum, a performance at times of considerable verve."

R. Simmonds, who has now left us, showed considerable initiative in forming his own Jazz Group, which not only gave a spirited Concert to the School, but also played the music at the first School Dance, a highly creditable performance which earned both the admiration and thanks of hosts and guests.

We have had the inevitable farewells to make to those boys who left at the end of the last School year. T. J. Davies is now studying medicine at Edinburgh University. I. McCulloch and R. Croucher appear to be having a comparatively enjoyable time in the Army, in the completion of their National Service. V. Shreeve won a Scholarship to study Art at Corsham Court in Wiltshire, and has already started his course, whilst K. Howes is now in the service of the Furness Withy line, as an engineer apprentice. We also said goodbye to a number of Fifth-Formers, to whom we wish good luck and all success as they enter their careers. We hope to see them all back here as Old Boys on open occasions.

Once again, we had a new Assistant House Master. Mr. Pillai, who was with us for two terms, has left us, and in his stead we welcome Mr. Gordon-Cummings. We hope his stay with us will be a happy one, and that it will be longer than those of his predecessors.

SINCE THE LAST report was written, a year ago, the House has experienced a number of changes, the greatest of which has been our move into our new house. The occasion was perhaps slightly spoiled by the unfinished state of the building, but the House as a whole settled down well, and after a few weeks, by which time the workmen had left us, the new routine was running smoothly. Our move into the new building brought with it one change in the House Staff, and we welcome Mr. Smith, who replaces Mr. Cobb as Assistant House Master. I should like, on behalf of the House, to thank Mr. Cobb for all he has done for us in the last five years, and we cannot but feel that he is still one of us.

On the games field last season we did not achieve any spectacular results, but we certainly did not disgrace ourselves. Unfortunately two of our best players, Bauer, the captain, and Thorne, were both injured and unable to play. Hansell captained the team well, however, and all those who played are to be congratulated on the spirit they showed in the face of odds that were, on paper, overwhelming. Once again we must congratulate Corner's on their well deserved victory. In the junior championship, however, victory was ours, and the team, captained by Blair- Hickman, won all their matches, having only five points scored against them in the whole series.

In the other big event of the winter season. the inter-house cross-country, we came second, thus losing the cup to Corner's. Both junior and senior teams ran well, however, and perhaps we shall be able to redeem ourselves next year.

With the coming of the slightly warmer weather, interest turned, for the many, to cricket, and, for the few, to sailing. In the former the House did quite well and came second, once again to Corner's. Of the three matches, we lost only the one to Corner's, although there was a period of anxiety at one stage of the match against Johnston's, when a number of our best batsmen were dismissed for surprisingly few runs. Congratulations go to Poyntz, who, as usual, bowled well, and to Blair-Hickman, a Third-Former playing with the seniors, whose batting and bowling distinguished him in both the House XI and the School First XI. The Sailing Cup, which we have been promising ourselves for some years, was sailed for amid keen competition, and our team acquitted itself well with two firsts and two seconds, thus winning this elusive trophy. On Sports Day, although not doing as well as last year, we were not disgraced, coming third in the final placings.

Last Christmas we said goodbye to our House Captain and the School Head Boy, R. Cox. We congratulate him on his Exhibition to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and wish him every success. This summer we said goodbye to Collyer and Maynard, and we hope that by now they will have settled down in their new jobs. On March the ninth we were very pleased to welcome seven of the House's Old Boys, down for the Old Boys' match.

As is probably the case in other Houses, our Sixth Form has changed considerably, the normal intake of Fifth Formers being swelled by the addition of six Fourth Formers. Both Forms are to be congratulated on their extremely good G.C.E. results. Four former Third Formers are also to be congratulated on their jump into the Fifth Form. The overall picture appears to he one of good academic progress. Cox's departure left the House without any Blues or Prefects, but since then three Blues and one Prefect have been appointed, which makes us equal with the other Houses.

All in all, the year has been a very successful one, and perhaps of greatest importance has been the development of a far stronger feeling of comradeship within the House, largely, I think, the result of our new surroundings.

THE PAST YEAR ended on a very pleasant note with the knowledge that at last we were leaving the old Nissen huts and that next year the House would be starting out on a new venture. With the whole House now together in one building we hope that the community spirit will develop to an even greater extent in the future.

We were very sorry, however, that D. Begg. M. Brown and A. Kuptz were unable to enjoy the comfort of the new house after being with us for so long. We are proud to have three members of the House among the first of the School to enter the Universities. Begg is studying mathematics at Edinburgh University, Brown is taking a course in town planning at Durham University, and Kuptz is studying social sciences at Keele College, North Staffs. The whole House wishes them, together with J. Byford, Campling, Stanton, Fraser-Srnith, Mantell and Lister, the best of luck in their careers.

After winning the Athletics Cup for four years running we finally lost it by a few points to Corner's, whom we heartily congratulate and thank for such an exciting contest. Once again Stirling won both his races and the team spirit was accentuated when our Juniors, quite unexpectedly won the 4 x 110 yards relay. D. Begg, Markham, Stirling, Golebiowski and Blake represented the School at H.M.S. Ganges but unfortunately were unable to compete in the County Championships at Newmarket.

Our performances at rugby and cross-country were rather disappointing and the House cannot afford to depend on just a few individuals. Special congratulations go to D. Begg, who was placed fourth in the Youths' race at the Suffolk A.A.A. Cross-Country Championships. We still continue to put up a good fight in the House cricket matches and were represented in the First XI by Tuddenham, Blake and Markham, who was awarded his colours. We have some very promising individuals in the sphere of sport and provided we work hard as a team the House can he sure of success in the future.

Academically, the House continues to enjoy moderate success, and on Speech Day D. Begg, Dye, Kohler and J. Coles all received prizes. Five Fifth Formers and seven Fourth Formers, who did extremely well in the G.C.E. examinations, joined the Sixth Form this term.

The House is as musical as ever, and while M. Brown and Weinberg are to be congratulated on some excellent singing in "The Mikado," we must not forget Banwell, our representative in the very successful School Jazz Group. The appearance of a wash-board to join his guitar shows that his musical taste is exerting some influence in the House, although the merits of "Skiffle" are somewhat controversial.

M. P. Cracknell and M. Jeffries were appointed School Blues and A. Johnston has been made a House Monitor.

R. P. Bailey tried to race the coaches to school on his motor-powered bicycle at the beginning of the term, and although he did not quite make it, he continues to break the speed limit around the school, and intends making another attempt on the home run at Christmas.

IT IS HARD to believe that it is only a term since we left the Nissen huts to move into our new building. The move brought a great change to the House, a set of individuals became a unified community. However, in being a unified community the House has still kept its individual characters, though the end of the year saw the departure of many of them from the Fifth Form into the outside world. We would like to wish them success in whatever they may be doing. We are also sorry to have to say goodbye to Duncan Glass, whose leadership - strictly post-breakfast - has helped to bring the House so far, and we hope he passes his Chartered Accountant Course with success.

The number of the House still remains at sixty-five, due to the influx of Second Formers from the Junior House and the fact that our Sixth Form is larger than it has ever been. This is due to the good Fourth Form G.C.E. results. The House has much improved academically, both in the senior half and the junior half, where we had a high share of the Form prizes. For this Carter, Mortimer and Baynham must be congratulated.

Congratulations also to Henry Clark on becoming a Blue, and I hope he, A. Glass and Walmsley as Senior House Monitors, and Szepesy, Buckland, Coutts, Tweddle and Rosen as Junior House Monitors will keep the House running as smoothly as it has been so far this term.

Throughout the year Johnston's House has improved in everything except perhaps cricket. In athletics, although coming last, the points gained were not a disgrace, and the same percentage of improvement should see us holding the cup next year. This rugby season was our best ever. We came deservedly second to Corner's, and in the "sevens" surprised everybody by beating Corner's and taking the championship.

Walmsley again gave us the traditional Johnston's first place in the cross-country, and the House as a whole dumfounded everybody by coming third and thus breaking the previously unchallenged tradition of coming last.

For the first time Johnston's House had strong competition for the Sailing Cup and as a result we lost it to Hall's. However, I feel confident that, although we have lost Guest and many of our sailors, the up and coming ones will regain the cup next year.

Let us hope that this year we will not only improve but we shall improve enough to take the cups that Corner's have so far monopolised.

ANOTHER VERY successful year has passed from many points of view, and especially for the present Second Formers who once comprised last year's "Newgies."

On the whole they had quite a good time, and I think that most of them have appreciated the fact that had they come a few years earlier the welcome would have been far different. Some of the boys were more adventurous than the others (as in the case of four of our members who left us for a short time early in their career). There are some people whom I could pick out from the rest as having done something just slightly more special than the rest, but it would not do to pick out any individuals. In rugger we managed to get quite a few of our members into the "Under 'Thirteens' XV," which I think is rather good, and there were many keen players in cricket establishing quite a good team. In the academic side of school life we had many strong points, and quite a few people have very good reasons to be proud of themselves.

Many things were arranged for the First Form during the year which occupied quite a bit of their time and discouraged a lot of moodiness. The various pastimes consisted of treasure hunts, of various kinds; different trips to interesting places (for example, Felixstowe) and many other things which besides helping to stir the imagination and set up a lively interest in the things which one could do in school also helped us to get acquainted with the district. Towards the end of last term four adventurous young people decided to set up a Form newspaper which turned out to be quite a success. The scandal page was exceptionally good.

As I have said before it would not do to mention any individual but special merit has to be given to one boy, J. Cobbing, who excelled both in rugger and cricket and helped to bring credit to the School. I am sure many other people will agree.

There is not much more to add, only that we all wish the present First Form the luck that we all had in the past year.

1st XI FIXTURES AND RESULTS

THE 1ST XI last year was a comparatively young one, with only three regular Sixth Form players, and the results the team obtained are, therefore, very satisfactory indeed. Only one School match was lost, against a strong Colchester side.

The bowling strength appeared to be the main problem at the beginning of the season. Only McCulloch and Pope had bowled regularly before for the lst XI, and yet before the season was very much advanced, Poyntz was regularly taking wickets, and at the very end Tuddenham had appeared to bowl a good, steady length, quite capable of sealing up one end completely. Szepesy at times bowled a useful medium-pace delivery. The striking fact about the bowling was that of the people just mentioned all bowled fast or medium. The School never found a spin-bowler who was able both to turn the ball appreciably and to bowl a good length - Poyntz bowled 120 overs for under 200 runs and took 28 wickets at an average of 7.00. Pope's 21 wickets cost him 8 runs apiece and McCulloch took 14 wickets at just under 10 runs each.

As far as the batting was concerned, stability was not achieved until the latter half of the season. The side collapsed completely on a very soft wicket against H.M.S. Ganges and struggled painstakingly on a perfectly good wicket against Colchester Royal Grammar School. From then on, however, the batting steadily- improved and high scores were made in the last two matches - Blair-Hickman made fifty in his first match for the 1st XI against R.H.S. Holbrook and showed considerable sang-froid for one so young. Smith also scored his first fifty for the 1st XI against Holbrook. Glaysher, Szepesy and Markham each had their moments with the bat, the latter generally scoring runs when they were most needed.

For his timely performances with the bat and his safe wicket-keeping, Markham was awarded his cricket colours, the only player thus honoured.

The fielding was of a lower standard. Slip-catches went down because of lack of concentration. Much of the out-fielding was much too casual. The misfielded ball was sluggishly retrieved. This was possibly due to the fact that the team included various Third and Fourth Formers who had not, yet learned the importance of keen fielding to the results of matches. They must realise that there is a certain amount of hard work attached to the honour of belonging to a School first team, and that there is more to learning cricket than idly spending an hour or two in the nets every other day. It was a pity that only three people attended the Suffolk C.C.C. coaching course, which has now become an annual event, because there is a great deal about the game that can be learned only from people with cricket experience.

This sort of experience has now become much more readily available to the School with, the appointment of Mr Mayes as groundsman-coach. A great advance has already been made in the preparation of wickets, which towards the end of the season played fast and true. In welcoming Mr. Mayes, we wish him a long and enjoyable stay at Woolverstone.

Brian E. Workman

Sunday, May 12 v Woolverstone Park C.C.	H	Woolverstone Park 90 - School 85	Lost by 5 runs
Wednesday, May 15 v Harwich County H.S.	A	School 122 for 9 dec. (Smith 43) - Harwich 107 (Workman 5 for 18)	Won by 15 runs
Wednesday, May 22 v St. Joseph's College	A	St. Joseph's 110 (Poyntz 4 for 20) - School 102 for 9	Drawn
Saturday, May 25 v H.M.S. Ganges	H	School 74 - H.M.S. Ganges 14 (Pope 6 for 6)	Won by 60 runs
Wednesday. May 29 v R.G.S. Colchester	H	School 127 for 9 dec. (Workman 64) - Colchester 130 for 3	Lost by 7 wickets
Wednesday, June 5 v H.M.S. Ganges	A	H.M.S. Ganges 26 (McCulloch 6 for 4) - School 27 for 0	Won by 1 0 wickets
Saturday, June 8 v R.H.S. Holbrook	A	School 140 for 7 dec. (Blair-Hickman 50 n.o.) - Holbrook 48 for 3	Drawn
Monday, June 10 v Old Boys.	H	CANCELLED
Saturday, June 22 v Northgate G.S.	H	Northgate 67 (Pope 4 for 16) - School 68 for 2 (Workman 53 n.o.)	Won by 8 wickets
Wednesday, June 26 v Stowmarket G.S.	H	School 118 - Stowmarket 35 (Poyntz 5 for l6)	Won by 83 runs
Saturday, June 29 v Wymondham College	A	School 76 - Wymondham 53 for 6	Drawn
Wednesday, July 3 v Harwich County H.S.	H	Harwich 60 - School 61 for 1	Won by 9 wickets
Saturday, July 13 v R.H.S. Holbrook	H	School 164 for 6 dec. (Smith 64 n.o.) - Holbrook 56 (Poyntz 4 for 17)	Won by 108 runs
Sunday, July 21 v Staff	H	School 179 for 8 dec - (Workman 44) - Staff 122 for 2	Drawn

2nd X1

Played 8, Won 5, Lost 2, Drawn 1

v. St. Joseph's 2nd XI. Won by 76 runs. Szepesy 44. Poyntz 4 for 6.
v. Colchester 2nd XI. Lost by 7 wickets.
v. Norwich 2nd XI. Won by 90 runs. Smith 47, Brobbel 6 for 4.
v. Woodbridge 2nd XI. Won by 45 runs. Brobbel 6 for 25.
v. Holbrook 2nd XI. Won by 102 runs. Blake 55, Coleman 5 for 19.
v. Northgate 2nd XI. Match drawn. Glaysher 47.
v. St. Joseph's 2nd XI. Won by 9 wickets. Glass 5 for 18, Brobbel 3 for 3.
v. Ipswich. Lost by 33 runs.

THE TEAM, in general, had quite a good season. A scramble was had sometimes in order to get a team together, but we usually managed to get up a fairly respectable team. The strength of the team stemmed mainly from its bowlers, and with many fine feats from Brobbel, supported by the very steady bowling of Coleman, we usually got our opponents out for very low scores. The batting did not quite come up to scratch and once or twice we had some very terrifying collapses in spite of a tail-end consisting of a good few "see-if-I-can-hit-this-one-out-of-the-ground" types. The fielding was sometimes brilliant and sometimes very slack, especially in the air, although I think that some of our bowlers imagined that more were dropped than was actually a fact. Glass led the team with spirit through the whole season, generally declaring while he was batting and running up an astronomical average. His decisions were often criticised although most of them proved right, and his lead made the team a very cheerful one. The season as a whole was quite a good one, in terms of matches won that is, and most important of all, the team enjoyed its cricket to an extent never reached before.

Henry D. Clark

May 18th, 1957 School Sports

OWING TO RAIN in the morning there were at first doubts as to whether the Sports would be held or not, but fortunately the weather cleared and in the afternoon we had bright sunshine.

Although Halls' and Johnston's put up a valiant effort, it was really a battle between Corner's and Hanson's, which was finally decided, in great tension, in favour of Corner's, by the tug-of-war. As can be seen most of last year's records were broken, and it is hoped that this standard will continue to rise.

EACH YEAR MORE Schools have been entering teams in this meeting which started originally as a three-cornered, event, and naturally standards have been rising. This year there was a total of nine teams competing.

Owing to examinations our Junior team (17-19 years) and our Youths (15-17 years) were somewhat weakened, but nevertheless all three teams acquitted themselves well, the Juniors obtaining fourth place, the Youths third place and the Boys third place.

WE SENT A fairly strong team to the Area Sports at Felixstowe, where quite a few boys obtained good enough times and distances to go on to the County Sports which were held at Newmarket this year. Unfortunately the School was in quarantine at that time owing to an epidemic of glandular fever and we were not able to take part.

THE BEGINNING OF term saw the Jazz Club bereft of its founder-member and lead-player. Interest therefore waned and was in no way helped by the Asian 'flu epidemic. The result was too much "rock 'n' roll" and not enough jazz of any real merit.

However, with the Headmaster's backing, it has made a fresh start; under the leadership of Barry Sandland, backed by the old gang Head, Fletcher, Cummins and others. Members, at the moment, are restricted, but only until the Club is really under way again.

The promise of financial aid has considerably encouraged the more business-like members. Sheet-music will no doubt be first on the list, although it must be noted, to his credit, that one player produced an arrangement of "Memories of You" within a few hours of the new Club being formed.

So, if enthusiasm is anything to go by, and I think it is, then the Jazz Club is assured of, a successful run. The ultimate aim, of course, is to play for a Sixth Form dance, and when this comes about, it is proposed to invite Simmons down, to perform as the guest star. This will surely be the final recognition of an ideal.

OWING TO THE large increase in newcomers to the Society, the majority of whom have had no past experience, three separate beginners' classes have been successfully inaugurated. This course affords first-rate tuition to the learners and safeguards the expensive dark-room equipment against clumsy handling.

Utilising the two very fine club cameras, many members have been taking advantage of the recent good weather to further their knowledge of photography and frequently to improve on past efforts. It is extremely encouraging to see many of the younger members mastering the more complicated apparatus and often producing more than mediocre results. It is quite surprising, however, that few members use the fine electronic-flash outfit. bought, at considerable cost, by the Society. Perhaps, when its many advantages in the long winter evenings are realised, more members will utilise this delightful piece of apparatus to their advantage.

Any profit which the Society shows is now being saved to purchase a better enlarging lens in the 35 mm. size. It seems an utter waste to have the results of a fine camera lens impaired by the use of an inferior enlarging lens.

The Society is still affiliated to the Ipswich and District Photographic Society, a very prominent section of the East Anglian Group, but many boys from the School will now find it impossible to attend, owing to the altered timetable. Those members able to go will find the weekly lectures extremely informative and interesting.

During the summer term the Society responded well on Open Day and Sports Day, although the weather was not very kind on the latter. The Society's contribution on Open Day was a competition-cum-exhibition of very high standard, held in the Reading Room.

The quality of the Society's work improves steadily every term, and we all sincerely hope that this term will prove to be no exception. Who knows? We may have a future "Baron" in our ranks.

John P. Williams (VI)

AFTER A LONG period of inactivity the Chess Club reappeared in September, 1956. In the first few weeks membership rose to the forties. Eventually, however, it was only a few old faithfuls who attended regularly. During the summer term the Club underwent another period of inactivity which was due to the good weather.

On our return to school this year we were greeted by the news that we were drawn to play Felixstowe G.S. in the Suffolk Schools' Chess Competition. Owing to the 'flu epidemic, however, the match was postponed. At the moment we are arranging a date for the match, which should be played at home. We hope to do well in the competition, although Felixstowe are reputed to be one of the best schools participating.We must thank Mr. Rowland for placing his room at our disposal, helping to run the Club and also for entering us for the Schools' Competition.

THIS TERM THE Club unfortunately suffered the loss of its founder and patient organiser, Mrs. Ward, and we would like to thank her for the trouble she has taken during the past five years.

The Club was soon under way, and with the assistance of Mr. Johnston, Mr. Goetzee and Mr. Thomas, meetings were held twice a week.

A good deal of new equipment was bought, including bows, arrows and a target stand.

We tried to arrange our first inter-school match, a postal one with Winchester College, but this did not come off. For the Christmas term a similar match, indoors, has been arranged. On Open Day the Annual School Archery Match was almost rained off but eventually it took place on Orwell Side.

I think interest in this sport is growing, although attendance is far from regular. The First Form are showing promise of future ability, which we hope will develop in years to come.

Michael P. Cracknell (VI)

THE PAST SEASON was one of mixed success, being made up of some disappointing school matches, and some good individual performances.

The School team won two matches; one against the Staff by 42ƒcƒV points to 33ƒcƒV, and the other against the Old Boys by 40½ to 37. Both of these were new matches and will become annual fixtures. We were delighted to see M. A. Gordon-Smith and R. Vizard in the School boats, and it was soon clear that neither of them had lost any of their skill, nor, may it be said, had Gordon-Smith lost any of his jubilant eccentricities. A good feature of this match, held on Open Day, was the interested gallery of parents and boys who came to watch the boats being rigged, and the race being started. Let us hope that more Old Boys will take part next year.

The inter-school matches were less successful. At Barton Broad the School sailed very well against Gresham's, and won the match on the water, but unfortunately A. Jones was disqualified as a result of a protest; the final result was therefore a win for Gresham's by 28½ to 25. The racing was full of incident, with the boats being very close all the time. Whittell, of Gresham's, was dismasted, and managed to get under way very quickly, and three boats in the second race were still at the landing stage at the five-minute gun, and there they had to stay! The return match was cancelled because of illness in the School.

The match against Norwich was very close, with A. Jones picking up two places in the last 20 yards before the finishing line, and G. Brown having a very good first place in Sabrina. Norwich won 40½-38¼. But against Ipswich, the School were well beaten at Waldringfield, by 46½ to 33. The feature of this race was the way our boys persisted in racing against each other, so allowing the Ipswich team to get into an unassailable position.

The School team in all the matches was M. Brown (Capt.), G. Brown, W. Bauer, A. Jones, R. Guest, P. A. Williams, H. Leeson.

The House Sailing Championship was convincingly won by Hall's House, with Johnston's second and Corner's third. Hanson's were in the unfortunate position of having novice helmsmen in two races, with the result that they finished last by a big margin.

In individual racing boys have done very well. The School Fireflies won the Harwich

Half-pint Trophy for club racing, and always took part in the club handicaps. Helmsmen were G. Brown, R. Guest and P. A. Williains. In the Keeling Cup, which again took place after a lapse of one year, R. Guest finished third on points, and G. Brown fifth. P. A. Williams was in a borrowed boat, and did not seem to settle down afloat with his very charming crew. And finally we sent one Cadet to the Waldringfield week, and although the crew of D. House and N. O'Loughlin did not shine afloat, they more than made up for this ashore. This visit should again become an annual event, and I hope that more boys will be able to go next year. The "Novices' Plank," competed for by new helmsmen was convincingly won by R. Lewis from A. Glass and R. Gerrish. Finally in the Harwich Harbour Regatta, G. Brown and R. Guest sailed in the Burton Cup for Fireflies; and at the Ipswich Regatta

In addition to the above events, the School Club have had three lectures. The R.H.Y.C. invited 50 boys to hear Cdr. A. Villiers illustrate his very excellent film on his voyage in Mayflower II. Boys also went to a lecture in Ipswich given by Mr. and Mrs. E. Hiscock entitled "Round the World in Wanderer 111" and I'm sure they realised the pleasure and excitement of this kind of adventure in the drab world of the Welfare State. Finally R. Hopkins gave a most informative talk on "Racing Team Tactics" in the Geography Room, and it was soon clear that he had had a very salutory effect on the team's performance. The School Library has acquired several new books on sailing, and these should not get dusty on the shelves. They include books on cruising, handling and racing, and are an invaluable addition to our reading. Two new Y.W. Cadets are being built by "Chippie," and I think it is true to say that, although many things still remain to be done, the Club has reached a most satisfactory state in its development.

The first School sailing colours have been awarded to R. Guest because of his performance not only in School matches, but also in open events, where our reputation is growing. His skill will be greatly missed next year.

THE FIRST Old Boys' Day was held on Whit Monday. It was hoped to arrange a cricket match, which, however, fell through. However, thirteen Old Boys paid us a visit, sailed against the School and lost, and generally, we hope, enjoyed themselves. I have no doubt that the numbers visiting the School in future years will grow and grow, and that our Whit Monday Old Boys' Day will become a firm tradition.

We shall be repeating the Old Boys' Rugby fixture next term and hope for another good if less one-sided game.

The membership of the Association is now over 50. Small beginnings these are maybe, but the growth is steady. I know, too, that many recent Old Boys, on receipt of this magazine, will be stirred from their forgetfulness, and join up.

As time goes on we hear more from the Services. Michael Moss (56) is now stationed at Felixstowe - reputedly a "lost" R.A.F. Station. Robert Cox (57) is living a very busy though somewhat luxurious life in a converted hotel, studying Russian at London University. Fred Moughton (55) is in the Ordnance Corps in Hampshire on a nine months' ammunition course and playing rugby for his unit. Ian McCulloch (57) is a very regular visitor to Ipswich from his depot at Norwich with the Royal Norfolk Regiment. Telephone conversations with anonymous officers are apparently part of his training.

Our contingent in the Merchant Navy continue to flourish. Francis Lyons (53) is carrying bitumen - kept at a temperature of 250° F, and therefore very uncomfortable - and helping to earn valuable dollars in his specially designed tanker. Brian Bass (55) is running between Montreal and England, while Frank Ravenscroft (56) is in Canada and doing exceptionally well with his early exams. David Brown (52) was last heard of en route for Japan and Australia and celebrating his 21st birthday at sea.

Brian Jenkins (54) is coming to the end of his school career in Australia and hopes eventually to visit England before going to University. He suggests we might invite him to bat with a boomerang in the Old Boys' cricket match. Hoping to go to Australia shortly is John Byford (57) at present learning as much as he can about farming in Scotland.

Of recent leavers in London, Donald Doo and James Stringer are with the Electricity Board, Raymond Collyer with the Post Office and Duncan Glass with a firm of chartered accountants in the City. Alan Lister is trying journalism in Shropshire - a likely candidate for writing these notes in future.

News from the Universities is, as yet, scarce. Andrew Kuptz is settled very happily at Keele, and we hear that David Begg does not like Edinburgh architecturally, but likes it very much in every other way. Martyn Brown we know has arrived in Newcastle, as has Tom Davies in Edinburgh. Comparing them with the new boy who forgets to write home, we can only assume that no news is good news! Letters from Old Boys mean much to a School, and the membership of the Association is a thing that only Old Boys can increase.

We wish to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following School magazines.