1940 Spring

THE QUINTINIAN The Magazine of the Polytechnic Secondary School NUMBER XLV

SPRING, 1940 Editor: C. E. ECKERSLEY Assistant Editor: G. A. SAMBROOK Advertisements Manager: S. MERRILLS

SCHOOL NOTES FOR this number of the Quintinian the Editor has not helped me out by sending a reporter to bombard me with questions as he has done before, but has just asked me to put in a few of the official things concerning the School and has also given me a gentle hint that space is rather precious. The life of the School at Minehead goes on in a very pleasing way. In December we held the usual University of London School Certificate Examination in our own temporary school, with the result that 11 boys obtained the General School Certificate and six the University of London Matriculation exemption. I mention things like examinations just to show that we are quite settled down in our new quarters. *** I think it is safe to say that the School has made its place in the town. On the whole, both the townspeople and ourselves agree that, granted that evacuation is necessary, the Polytechnic and Minehead seem to be quite a good pair of things to put together, but I believe that on both sides there is a feeling that when evacuation can safely be stopped it would be a good thing for all. This in no way belittles the marvellous efforts made by the masters and hostesses looking after the boys, the really splendid efforts made by the boys to keep up the School tradition in their new surroundings, and the wonderful response parents have made to having their sons away from home for the benefit of their boys' immediate safety and future fitness for life. *** quintinian1940spring.pdf

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Many masters are entering in a full measure into the activities of the town. Since we arrived at Minehead several of them have given lectures to the Rotary Club. For example, Mr. Broodbank spoke on France, Mr. Lambert on Switzerland, Dr. Matthews spoke on a subject which the Press recorded as "a talk on quite unusual lines", dealing with scientific discoveries and their application to modern life; Mr. Newman talked on some aspects of evacuation through the ages, Mr. Checkley on modern music, Mr. Merrills on the Gallipoli landing, and Mr. Coates, Mr. Byrne, Mr. Lightfoot and Dr. Haskey have initiated further interesting discussions on subjects which interested them and their audiences. *** Minehead has many societies associated with the various churches, and here again members of the staff have been very busy giving lectures. For example, Mr. Dixon on the History of the Polytechnic, Mr. Hough on Music and Noise, Mr. Lambert on the Polytechnic Chalets in Switzerland, and Mr. Checkley have all made their contributions to the Methodist Guild, and I feel sure that if I were only to search through the press-cutting book a little more assiduously I should find I have given an account of only a small number of the activities of the staff in this pleasant town of Minehead where we find ourselves for the time being. *** The Youth Hostel, our first venture in hostels, continues to be run in a manner which reflects great credit on Mr. and Mrs. Heppel, the wardens, who do not simply "look after the boys", but make it practically their sole concern. The debates which were started by Mr. Heppel and Mr. Broodbank have been very well reported in the local press, and the speakers, in addition to the boys, have included Messrs. Turner, Lightfoot, Beresford, Checkley, Judd, Eckersley, Byrne, and Coleman, some of these gentlemen being very regular attenders and taking part in the debates almost as a matter of course. The Christmas Concert established some of the boys as artistes of merit and a selected number of them entertained the Old People's Party at the Methodist Hall. *** For Easter the general policy was that boys whose parents wished to have them would not be refused permission to join their parents, but, of course, warnings were given of the dangers of air-raids. Many parents approached me for leave for their boys to go home for Easter, and from the excellent way in which the boys and the parents responded at Christmas I trust that no serious harm will come, but that a very healthy result of family re-unions will be evidenced in the vigour of next term's work. *** Again speaking from the staff point of view, the beginning of next term will mean term examinations, reports, and a lot more of these time-taking duties, and I hope the parents will be able to have a report of their sons' work early in next term. *** The new Hostel which is being taken for the boys by the Town Clerk, Mr. Mansfield, acting with the Ministry of Health, promises to be a splendid place. We have persuaded Mr. and Mrs. Heppel to "keep an eye on it", and, with Mr. Judd as School representative, there is no doubt it will be as popular a centre as the Youth Hostel. What Mr. Judd can do with a hammer, or pair of pliers, and a few bits of wire, would surprise the uninitiated. *** The Old Boys' match was played at Chiswick on March 20th, when three masters and Major Galloway and about 50-70 parents and boys saw the School lose 4-1. I was glad to have the opportunity of talking to parents in the old surroundings. *** I propose to continue my monthly visits to the Poly. to see parents. They should write for appointments if they wish to meet me in Town. B.L.W.

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2 with thanks to Harold Beck (1935-42) : www.beck6mw.freeserve.co.uk

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***

CHRISTMAS IN MINEHEAD! TERMINAL Examinations were over and School work was slowing down. The people who were going away for Christmas told us of their plans and busily occupied themselves with their preparations. The amazingly successful series of House Parties had ended. How many of the capable, willing, and jolly people who had made those parties would be still willing and ingenious enough to build a series of Christmas entertainments? Christmas in Minehead? Of course, if the weather was reasonable, there would be some football competitions and walks. But what concerned everybody was the prospects for the Headmaster's party and the School concert. On Sunday afternoon a short Service, with carols, took place in the County School Hall. In addition to the boys and staff a number of visitors were present, and all joined in making this a happy, unpretentious prelude to Christmas Day. Christmas Day itself was spent with our hosts and hostesses, and we must here publicly offer them our thanks for their thoughtfulness and kindness towards us all at this time. The Headmaster's Boxing Day party proved a rollicking affair. Dr. Worsnop had charmed the money for the expenses out of the pockets of friends of the School, and the magnificent tea showed to what purpose he had charmed. The backbone of the entertainment which followed was the series of games suggested and managed by Mr. Dixon and Mr. Smith. The kindly visit of "Lady Dunster" and the tragic episode of the "Lady and the Lion" made amusing breaks in the programme. The evening ended with an hour's film show. A grand evening, satisfying in every way. The Headmaster's financial wizardry procured for us on Thursday a motor-coach trip to Lynton and Lynmouth. The weather was not too kind, but did not prevent us from enjoying some fine views over the moors, including the Doone Valley, various views of the Bristol Channel, and finally the lovely setting of Lynton and Lynmouth. Saturday brought us the School concert. Here we must express our gratitude to the Masters, who devoted so much patience, energy, and time to produce what in the end proved to be an unqualified success. The concert was built round a troupe of nigger minstrels, with G. H. Evans as compere and leader. Material was specially devised by Messrs. Hough, Lightfoot, and Russell. Individual items during the evening were contributed by Scott and Pegrum, who sang; Burton, Evans and Elvery with humorous items; Methley, with his violin; the Smith Bros. with ocarina, whistle, and mouth-organ. Mr. Merrills, with Mr. Andrews as the patient, presented his scene, "The Operation". Messrs. Hough, Russell, Sambrook, and Smith gave a burlesque quartet. Mr. Smith also produced "Blood and Love", acted by Francis, Walsh, and Kerswell, and narrated by Pegrum. Mr. Sambrook wrote and produced (in the "I want to be an actor" manner) a pantomime, "Cinderella". Parts in this were adorned by the interpretations of Dr. Worsnop, Messrs. Hough, Russell, Dixon and Lightfoot. Visitors from the town during the week were Mr. Berry (the Chairman of Minehead Council), Mr. Mansfield (Clerk to the Council), the Rev. A. H. Balleine (Vicar of Dunster), the Rev. A. R. Slater, and Mr. and Mrs. W. Heppell. This account would be incomplete without a warm acknowledgement of the immense amount of work performed in the preparation and serving of the teas by the lady helpers and the Masters' wives, who spent Christmas in Minehead! H.C. *** THE GOALKEEPER (A Miltonic Sonnet) That look behind I often dread to take For fear the thing I sometimes loathe be there: 'Tis brown and round and bloated – seamed with care: It comes to me – a show of pluck I make quintinian1940spring.pdf

3 with thanks to Harold Beck (1935-42) : www.beck6mw.freeserve.co.uk

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To check its rush. My heart in twain doth break If when I jump to meet it in the air, It swerves right round and leaves me trembling there; I turn, and in disgust my head I shake. The whistle blows, we centre off again With hearts forlorn because we're 1-0 down. Dismayed, I think that football's just sheer rot; But then this happy thought into my brain Comes quickly, and removes that deepening frown: Not even Woodley's skill could save that shot. C. ESTERSON, U.6.Mod. WITHOUT COMMENT "The ordinary Sunday collections increased by £100 compared with the previous year." – Dunster Church Magazine, March, 1940. There are now 70 of our boys at Dunster. ***

HOUSE NOTES ANDREWS-HOUGH Captain: G. H. EVANS Despite the trials of evacuation the House has kept up the high standard of last year. On our arrival at Minehead, Evans was elected House Captain and joint School Captain, and we heartily congratulate him on his appointment. Cocks (K.P.) was elected Basketball and Football Captain, with Evans and Reid as respective vicecaptains, and, although basketball has not been on the sports agenda up till now, congratulations to them. Several members of the House have represented the School 1st XI. at football, including Cocks, Humphreys, and Norman, and Scarborough and Gregory have played regularly for the School Juniors. The little House football that we have played has been satisfactory, the Juniors having won two out of the three matches played. I am sure the whole House appreciates the splendid work our foster-mothers, Mrs. Haskey and Mrs. Merrills, have been doing for us in mending large holes in small boys' socks and generally seeing that we look respectable. They have spent a tremendous amount of time and energy in looking after us, and we are very grateful to them and to all our House Masters – Messrs. Andrews, Hough, Haskey, and Merrills – for all the hard work they have put in on our behalf. Our House Concert and Tea, held, as usual, with Broodbank-Stevenson, was an unqualified success, and Mr. Byrne's polished performance will long be remembered. We are confidently looking forward to the Summer Term, and if we keep up the same standard as we have at football, we should do well at cricket, athletics, and swimming. C. ESTERSON, House Secretary. ***

BROODBANK-STEVENSON Captain: J. V. FORSTER AT the end of the last School year we were confident of gaining even greater achievements in the various fields of sport than we did last year. Evacuation conditions, however, have prevented there being any inter-House competitions, apart from two knock-out football championships, both of which we managed to win. There is hope that inter-House cricket, athletics, and swimming competitions will be held next term.

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Although we have lost many boys valuable to the whole School as well as to the House, we were fortunate in retaining Forster as our House-Captain. We must congratulate Forster on his being made one of the joint School Captains. Our House tea, held once more in co-operation with Andrews-Hough House, was an unqualified success, for which we must give our most sincere thanks to the helpers and performers. Mrs. Rowe-Smith deserves our most sincere thanks for her sterling work as House Matron. All members of the House will be pleased to hear that Mr. Stevenson's son is gradually recovering from his illness. In conclusion, we send our best wishes to those who have left us and greet the newcomers, amongst whom promising material has already been discovered. S. T. FAITHFULL, House Secretary ***

HESTER-LOWE Captains: R. H. ELVERY and N. G. LADBROOK ALTHOUGH House activities have not been carried on to the same extent as usual, the House organisation was used for the evacuation scheme, and we owe a great debt of gratitude to our House Masters and helpers, especially to Mrs. Haskey, for all they have done to make us comfortable in unusual surroundings. We have lost several of last year's prominent members, among whom we particularly remember Chesterman, Marlow, and Matthews, and we were sorry to lose at Christmas our new House Captain, Moores. We wish all those who have left success in their careers. We welcome to the House this year all new boys, and hope that they may, in their turn, help the House on to victory. We welcome, too, our latest "helper", Miss Gabriel. We congratulate Elvery and Ladbrook on their joint appointment to the office of House Captain and wish them every success. It is unfortunate that there have been no inter-House activities, but there have been many difficulties in the way of arranging football matches, not the least of which has been the uncertain weather, which has on more than one occasion made the pitches unsuitable for play. It is to be hoped, however, that the overwhelming victory of Squad II (Hester-Lowe) in a knock-out competition at Wedmore shows that Hester's would have been successful in inter-House football. The House concert, held as usual, in conjunction with Russell-Matthews, provided good entertainment and all performers are to be congratulated for their help. We also wish to thank very warmly all the helpers who provided such a good tea for us, which helped to increase our enjoyment of the concert which followed. We hope that cricket matches will take place this season, and in this, and any other activity which may be arranged, I appeal to you to support the House to the best of your ability, and do your best to help to regain for Hester's the Cock House Trophy. E. F. GIBBONS, House Secretary ***

KERRIDGE-SWAN Captain: H. SHAMPAN THE tragedy of War and the upset of evacuation have done little to destroy or in any way perturb the cooperative spirit of this House, and, though rather late in the year, we congratulate Shampan on his appointment as House Captain. Renowned throughout the School for his outstanding bowling performances of last cricket season, Shampan, on coming to Minehead, turned his attention to the formation of a School Table Tennis Team. It is a notable fact that no less than three boys of this House – Shampan, O'Keeffe, and Marlova – have already represented the School at Table Tennis. Shampan is also the new House Football Captain, in succession to G. E. Arthur, whose vigour and speed were such bright features of the School 1st XI. in the early months of evacuation. If Arthur should read these notes, wherever he may be, this is to let him know that the whole House wishes him success in future life. quintinian1940spring.pdf

5 with thanks to Harold Beck (1935-42) : www.beck6mw.freeserve.co.uk

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Not even a "Mad Dog of Europe" can destroy Poly. traditions, and at Christmas, as usual, we thoroughly enjoyed our House tea and concert, allied, as is customary, with Lambert-Newman House. It is a regrettable fact that the Rowing Club has ceased to function during the period of evacuation, for the supremacy of this House in that direction has never been questioned. I am eager to take advantage of these notes to thank Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Gellard for their almost maternal care of the House, particularly of our Juniors, whose domestic mishaps have been readily overcome by their kindness and perseverance. Cricket is now almost upon us, and a successful season can be easily predicted for Kerridge's with such a capable leader as Shampan. As a final note, and I know I have the whole House behind me when I say this, I do want to thank the people of Minehead and Dunster for their unbounded hospitality at this time of national emergency. JOHN D. PEGRUM, House Secretary ***

LAMBERT-NEWMAN Captain: L. G. TRUSSELL THE past two terms have been perhaps the most eventful in the history of the School, but the usual House activities have been almost suspended, though it was possible to arrange a football competition over the half-term holiday. From Lambert's point of view the results of this were very satisfactory indeed, for the juniors emerged winners of the competition (and the Juniors are our future 1st XI.), while the 1st XI. would undoubtedly have fought its way into the final had not our goalkeeper, Gallop, been most unfortunately injured in the semi-final, when we were leading Russell's by three goals to one. But to return to the evacuation. Like every House, Lambert's played its part to perfection. Squad 5 was billeted in Theale, with Mr. Lambert, Mr. and Mrs. Chevrollier, and Mr. Compton, and from what reports I have heard, was as happy there as we of Squad 6 were at Blackford with Mr. Lightfoot and Mr. and Mrs. Newman. Before we leave the subject of evacuation, we must express our hearty gratitude to our lady helpers – Mrs. Newman and Mrs. Chevrollier – who have worked so patiently to keep our socks and trousers whole! The election of various House officials took place at the weekly House meetings soon after our arrival in Minehead and we are now ably led by Trussell, a very worthy and popular House Captain, with Mock and Gallop as House Prefects, and Nabarro as Football Captain. At the end of last term the House Tea Committee worked hard to help Mr. Newman produce a Christmas entertainment worthy of the House, and, as usual, we collaborated with our traditional friends and rivals, Kerridge-Swan. Here again we must pay a tribute to the lady helpers, whose indefatigable efforts provided us with a feast such as we had never dreamed of at previous House teas. The concert itself, I think, was the best of the week, and the audience was both numerous and appreciative. A word of warning: There is no reason to suppose that the inter-House Conduct Competition has been suspended, and I wish those boys who have been going the pace of late would consider their House (as well as themselves) before getting a lot of unnecessary demerit marks, fatigues, &c. I would remind you also that the sports will be taking place early next term, and that you will not be able to give of your best there without a good deal of hard training beforehand. And don't forget the School Exhibition next term, which is to be run on an interHouse basis. When you have an hour to spare, don't complain that there's nothing to do in Minehead. Go for a training jog along the sands, or start designing something for the Exhibition. I think you'll find it well worth while to do your bit, for the football results which I mentioned earlier on, and other indications, give one good reason to believe that Lambert's are out of the doldrums at last and bid fair soon to be Cock House once again. L. S. SMITH, House Secretary ***

RUSSELL-MATTHEWS

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Captain: D. ST. JOHN DURING the past few months Russell-Mathews, in common with the other Houses, has had both its activities and numbers curtailed by evacuation. Such sports as rowing are now impossible, even if we are by the sea; in football, however, we have been successful. The Juniors began the inter-House matches with a victory over Andrews-Hough by two goals to one. This was followed by a decisive victory over Hester-Lowe, six goals to one. Unfortunately we lost by two goals to one in the third round against Lambert-Newman. Well played, Juniors! The 1st XI. were not quite so successful. They beat Lambert-Newman by four goals to three in the first round, but lost to Broodbank-Stevenson by six goals. The House is making a united effort in its studies, and I should like to remind members that this is one of the few competitions in which each and every one of us can help. Let the colours on the Studies Trophy this year be light blue! In conclusion, a tribute must be paid to the wonderful service which Mrs. Fellowes has rendered the House for over six months. Not only has she been ever ready with help and advice, but she has, single-handed, managed the clothing difficulties of some 70 boys. The debt we owe to her is one we can never repay, but on behalf of the House I say, "Thank you". D. ST. JOHN ***

LUCERNE A MEMORY OF HAPPIER TIMES – JULY, 1939 Lovely indeed the mimic work of art, But nature's work far lovelier. – Cowper IT was with much excitement that we gathered together on Victoria Station to be given a final "send-off" by our parents and friends … We were on our way to Switzerland. The ominous notice on the station at which our bad travellers had cast such a furtive glance read, "Sea moderate", so that whilst some scoffed at the idea of seasickness, others began hastily diving into rucksacks for their "Mothersills" and such like. However, all passed off well, and we reached Ostend without a single "casualty." Having two hours to spare, we attempted to gain a hurried impression of Ostend, concluding that it was really only a "refined Margate". And so we departed on the next stage of our journey to Basle. We were fortunate in securing an Italian coach bound for Milan, this being a luxury as compared with the wooden-seated "Continental Thirds". We settled ourselves in the dining car, but the Belgian countryside passing the large windows held our attention so forcibly that it was without great interest that we muddled through our first Continental dinner. We soon reached Brussels, and it was here that our engine performed a "new one" on us … it was shunted on to what had been our tail, and we drew out of the station in the same direction as we had pulled in. However, this topsy-turvy business soon became a habit (performances at Luxembourg and Basle), and we began to think less of it. "Rack and seat" time now approached, and there was a rush for these "luxuries" of Continental night travel. "Now some did but doze and some did sleep and snore", but the express rattled ever onwards through the night to Basle. It was just about 4 a.m. when we seemed to awake instinctively to discover a beautiful French dawn, with the sun just about to rise on our left, and the Vosges looming up against the skyline on our right. At 6 a.m. we left Basle, the great Swiss border town, for the last lap of our journey. At first the scenery was disappointing, but after a while the Juras showed up in the distance like gigantic sugar-loaves, whilst, in contrast, the heat became intense… And so we pulled slowly into Lucerne's magnificent station, only one minute behind. However, we had little time to investigate the charms of Lucerne, for we were immediately relieved of our luggage and bundled into the Poly. bus bound for the Chalets. Our pre-conceived conception of the Chalets, however, were quite unlike the reality, for instead of the large wooden bungalows we had expected to find, four large buildings with green and brown-shuttered windows, and white walls strengthened by heavy oak beams, met our interested gaze. In fact, these Chalets, together with the numerous offices and outhouses, made a small town in themselves, especially when we noted that we had our own railway station and steamer landing stage…. We 23 lads felt quite small when we discovered that there were over quintinian1940spring.pdf

7 with thanks to Harold Beck (1935-42) : www.beck6mw.freeserve.co.uk

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300 people in the Chalets already enjoying themselves, but we soon settled down to a holiday that will stand out vividly in our minds for long to come. It is generally held that "Where there are boys, there will be mischief afoot". Accordingly, we were blamed for the treacherous weather which clouded our first week, beginning with a terrific thunderstorm on our first night. However, the monotonous rumbling of thunder, contrasted with the melodious yodelling of the Champion Swiss Team, made a magnificent introduction to our Swiss holiday. The weather during the first week cut down our touring programme considerably, but the efficient organisation of Mr. Sambrook, and the shrewd accountancy of Mr. Checkley, gave us no cause for regret. In later weeks the outings followed so quickly, and were so packed full of interest, that it was with tired yet sad hearts that we would board the evening steamer bound for our G.H.Q. – the Chalets – and dinner. To relate the various details of our "comings and goings" would require much space, so in these 1,000 odd words we must perforce leave it to the reader to conjure up his own visions of the beautiful pine clad crags and slopes, traversed by funicular and overhead cable railways, and broken by an occasional stretch of green pasture, from which drifts the echo of clanging cowbells in limitless harmony; the vast Vierwaldstatersee, with its endless procession of steamers, the steamers which invariably started us on our daily excursions; the cosy tingling feeling after a bathe in the ice-cold glacier water of the lake, and its counterpart in our luxury bath in the stone sink of the dormitory; the swingboat sensation of the overhead cable railways; the clogginess of the ear-drums on ascending the heights; the tang of the pure mountain air, and the gorgeous panoramas obtained after many a long toil and scramble up the mountains; and that mighty glory of the sunset over the red-rocked Pilatus and its snow-capped partners in the background… These are the things that become indelibly impressed on the mind. There are, however, several other things, which, although we conclude this article with them, should in all sincerity hold first place. Sir Kynaston Studd, with his unfailing interest and generosity in regard to his Poly. boys, once again made us a "present" of the famous Three Passes Tour, an excursion which is the ambition of all Lucerne tourists, and one which was made so unforgettable under the guidance of the indefatigable Mr. Lambert. "Vielen Dank, Sir Kynaston! Und 'toujours' die Polytechnic." Again it is only possible to mention the joy with which we at the Chalets partook of the banquet and various festivities of the annual Swiss Confederation Day, and we feel that we must send our warmest appreciation and sincere thanks to those who made it possible – our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Bailey and their staff, particularly our attendants, Frauleins Martha and Marie, who mothered and treated us so well. Auf Wiedersehen, Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes, And fondly broods with miser-care; Time but the impression deeper makes As streams their channels deeper wear. —Burns CHARLES FORCER, U.6.Sc. *** LOVE SONG Had a magic rod Given my limbs And my brain and my heart For impotence, power That I had been All spirit and light To see and to do, Ah, then, I might Have wrestled with Art, Made mighty hymns, Hewn sculptures of stone,

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Conquered the Ind, Married a Queen, Seen Prester John, Ridden the wind, Built Babel tower, Climbed Everest Hill, Stormed Helicon. Spoken with God. … And – never have known YOU. Then my heart stands still. H.O.C. *** CONSCIENCE JOHN HALL seated himself comfortably in the corner seat of a third-class smoker. He unfolded a newspaper and, after turning a page or two, found the paragraph he was seeking. It read as follows: "The police are anxious to locate John Hall, aged about 30, in connection with the murder of a Mr. Peter Collan. The man was seen leaving the house of Collan last night. He was wearing a brown sports coat and flannels, open-necked shirt, and no hat. He has brown, rather thin hair, and a small moustache. Will anybody who has…". Hall folded his newspaper and smiled contentedly to himself. They would never find him with that description. Since he had strangled Collan he had bought a suit, a tie, a hat, and a raincoat. He had shaved off his moustache and, indeed, he looked altogether different from the newspaper description. He looked around the compartment and noticed opposite him a thin, small, elderly woman, dressed in black. She was staring at him with black, unwavering eyes. What did she mean by it? Confounded rudeness! He tried to look out of the window again, but he could feel the woman's eyes burning into his head. He looked at her again, and she was still looking at him. Her eyes, unreadable, not once blinking, seemed to be boring into his. Lord, this was torture! What did she know about him? As far as he knew he had never seen her before in his life. Time went on, and still the woman stared at him, not saying a word. Heavens, her eyes were exactly like those of Collan, when he lay dead, staring up at him. Yes, that was it, the eyes of Collan. If she didn't stop looking at him with those hypnotic eyes he felt he would go mad. How he'd like to get his hands round her scraggy neck and throttle the life out of her. He was certain of one thing, she was not going to inform a policeman about him. Oh, no. He was getting out of England alive. But still the woman went on staring, staring, staring … The train drew into the terminus. Amongst the confused noise on the platform one could hear the porters shouting: "All change. All change!". A porter passing Hall's compartment, noticed the old lady trying to descend, hindered by her bag and stick. With one hand he took her bag, and with the other assisted her down the step. Hall watched her talking earnestly to the porter. The next moment the porter beckoned to a policeman nearby, and Hall saw him slowly walking over to her. He leapt out of his seat and clattered to the platform. Not if he knew it. He sprang at the woman, pushed her aside, and dashed for the exit. "Not so fast, my lad," said the constable, his great hand clutching Hall's shoulder, "I want you." "But how did she know I killed Collan?" stammered Hall wildly. The constable stared at him in utter amazement. Then, as if struck by a shattering blow, Hall realised what he had said. He looked after the woman, who was walking slowly away, her stick tapping on the platform. Tap, tap, tap, tap …. The woman was blind! A. AARONSON, L.6. Arts. ***

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INNOCENTS ABROAD [RAWLINS, SMITH, and MAY won travelling Scholarships for France, Germany (or Switzerland), and Italy, and here they give an. account of their visits]. A FEW twinkling lights appeared through the slight haze, and the clankings and clatterings of a crane on the dockside came across to us as we drew into Dieppe at 3 a.m. on a July morning. As the gang-plank was put in place dozens of wildly-gesticulating and shouting porters sprang up and began to push and elbow their way through the crowd waiting to disembark. After the stamping of my passport and travelling cards a Customs official, with her cap jauntily perched on the side of her head, attached the necessary hieroglyphics to my luggage, and the first rush over, I climbed into the train which shortly pulled out on its journey to Paris. From the St. Lazare station I had to cross Paris to get to the Gare de l'Est. Here I had two hours to spare, which I spent in having some breakfast (well, rolls and coffee) at the station restaurant. Although it was now only 6.30 a.m., the station was crowded with working people pouring out of suburban line trains, jostling each other along the platforms, and down the subway to the Metro – the joys (?) of which I was to sample later. I arrived at my first place of abode – Strasbourg – early in the afternoon, and, as I was only to stay there three days, I started off on my sightseeing that very afternoon. What I enjoyed most in my brief stay was a visit to the Orangerie - a park, where one could escape from the overwhelming heat of the streets and pass an enjoyable half-an-hour feeding the huge carp in the lake, which would fight among themselves for the food that was thrown to them. The next three weeks I spent at Gerardmer, in the Vosges mountains, a small town whose rainfall in August easily surpasses Minehead in November! The scenery of the surrounding district was very pleasant. Pine forests were everywhere, even stretching down to the lake. Where there were no forests the mountain slopes were covered with bilberries, which the peasants used to pick and sell in the market. Two fetes were held at Gerardmer whilst I was there. One was when the firemen from the surrounding towns came and gave a "display." They very proudly showed off their equipment, and then fixed up their hoses and pumps and played the water back into the lake. The other occasion was when the rowing championships of France were held on the lake, both occasions being followed by displays and fireworks on the lake itself. The three weeks at Gerardmer soon passed. My next "site de sejour" was at Morgat, a little seaside resort near Brest, in Brittany, which from Gerardmer entailed a journey of 27½ hours, from the East frontier to the West coast of France. On my way back to Strasbourg I met a French conscript who was very voluble on the six months conscription in England and the two years in France. He pointed out to me from the carriage window a hillock where, he told me, his father had been wounded in the Great War. Little did he know then that he himself in four weeks might be defending the same mound against the same enemy! Morgat is on the Bay of Douarneney in a region where Breton, a language very much like Welsh, is still the native tongue. The beauties of the coast and wild countryside must be seen to be believed. The high granite cliffs have a regal air about them which is, at times, when viewed from the sea, most menacing. The numerous rocky capes are, indeed, guardians of the coast, for they are nearly always military territory. One day we visited a small island off the Land's End of France. We had to board a small boat at Morgat, which took us out to the middle of the bay, where we were transferred to the larger boat (a converted tunney boat), which made the trip to the Ile de Sein. We left the Pointe du Raz (Land's End) on our left and butted out into the Atlantic. Gradually in front of us the low-lying island took shape. As we approached we could see the hundreds of dangerous rocks and submerged reefs that surround it. No tree grows on the island, which is completely windswept and half submerged in winter; even the grass grows there with great difficulty. There is only one village, the houses of which are square and solidly built to stand against the winds of winter. The women of the island are always dressed in black (they are said to be mostly all widows), and theirs is the only black headdress among the traditional headdresses of Brittany. Whilst in Brittany I was eager not to miss one of the traditional Roman Catholic "Pardons." The ceremony I attended was held at the Church of Sainte Anne La Palue, some 25 miles from Morgat. When I arrived every place was crowded out. On one side of the church a fair was in full swing, with all possible kinds of amusements (people in France always appear to enjoy themselves most on Sunday). At three o'clock the Bishop of Quimper quintinian1940spring.pdf

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gave his address, and then joined in the long procession. Men and women and boys and girls dressed in traditional costumes, and carrying crosses and sacred relics from the surrounding parishes, took part in this most impressive ceremony. Before journeying on to spend a further month at Tonnerre I decided to spend a few days in Paris. But it was not the "Paree, you're captivating" which I had hoped I should find; it was then only five days before France was at war, and Paris was in the throes of A.R.P. Sandbags were beginning to appear, the black-out was being enforced, and the only lights in the streets at night were the subdued blue lamps of the street lighting. The wellknown places of interest were shut; the Louvre was being emptied of its masterpieces, and the stained-glasses were being removed from the Sainte Chapelle. Notre Dame, however, was still open, and one could still walk from the Arc de Triomphe, where the ever-burning flame on the tomb of France's Unknown Warrior was as yet undimmed, down the Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde, with its obelisk and its palatial buildings. Owing to the requisitioning of buses (one saw line upon line of them, together with all other types of requisitioned vehicles, in quiet side streets), I was forced to do most of my travelling in the city by means of the Metro – the equivalent of our tube. You can travel any distance 2nd class (there is no third) for about 2d., or 1st class 4d. The heat is overpowering, the ventilation is negligible, the seats hard as iron, and the din ear-splitting. Friday, September 1st, came, and with it at 8.30 a.m. a telegram from the local Post Office, informing me that when I had obtained a certificate of domicile and had had this stamped at the nearest Commissariat of Police, I could then, upon production of identification papers, receive at the Post Office a telegram that was waiting for me. This said, "Return at once." It was then 9.40 a.m. A train left at 10.29. I caught it, but the Paris taxis are not really so fast! Thanks to a Polytechnic courier I was able to obtain a seat in the very overcrowded train; on the boat I was not so fortunate. At Newhaven the Customs officials were evidently feeling sympathetic and the examination was negligible – they generally take delight in scratching their way through my camera case with their undecipherable hieroglyphics. Not very many minutes out of Victoria the realities of the crisis were apparent, black glistening shapes were floating over the great city, and at the station evacuation directions were still billed up. Where, was the Poly. now? I did not know, and I did not much trouble. I was back in London, and that was the main thing in my thoughts. K. RAWLINS, U.6.Arts. *** IN BERNE, 1939 The journey out to Switzerland, via Folkestone and Boulogne, and the "direct route" to Berne, via Delle, instead of Basle, was comfortable, if lonesome, and was unspoilt by a rough crossing, unfriendly officials, or any other of the bogeys which beset the innocent abroad. I found soon after my arrival that I had struck just the right family, for everybody was very friendly, and during term time I enjoyed the lively company of three other lads of about my own age, who attended the Gymnasium in the town. The town of Berne is smaller than Brighton, but a good deal more pleasant. It has attractions both ancient and modern – a beautiful little cathedral, old gate towers, and arcaded pavements, several cinemas, a good theatre and Kursaal, fine modern shops, a splendid open-air swimming bath, and some excellent hard tennis courts. The country surrounding the town is excellent for walks, with its hills, its woods, and its green-hued, swiftflowing river Aare. A favourite stroll of mine was through a wood on the banks of the Aare, where there is a miniature Whipsnade and a sort of bird sanctuary, where squirrels and birds will go so far as to pluck at one's trousers in their quest for biscuit crumbs and similar dainties. I did not spend all my time in Berne. I made one excursion by cycle to Grindelwald, a beautiful mountain village, from which I walked over the Faulhorn to the Schynige Platte, and another to Merligen on the lake of Thun, from which my friends and I walked along the wild, romantic-looking Justustal Valley. I also spent a weekend at Lucerne while the School party was there. The only shadow was the European situation, which was becoming. increasingly more ominous, The blow came one evening when about half my stay had elapsed. A pleasant evening's table tennis was rudely interrupted quintinian1940spring.pdf

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by the arrival of a telegram curtly ordering me to return at once. That was at ten o'clock in the evening; by 6.30 the following morning I had begun the journey home. In peaceful Switzerland the crisis had never seemed really grave but now my mind was in a turmoil as the horror of imminent war came full upon me. On the journey I was more fortunate than many. Admittedly I had to return via Paris, a change of route which involved an unenjoyable argument with a railway official over a supplementary fare, and went through the unpleasant experience of trying to lug a heavy trunk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord on a hot August afternoon. But that was my only misfortune, and it dwindled into insignificance beside the discomforts of fellowcountrymen, who told harrowing tales of train journeys in the corridor all the way from Cannes to Paris. The last and sweetest experiences of my journey were to land at Dover and hear the homely voices of cheerful British porters, to see a handsome British locomotive unadorned with innumerable pipes and tubes and tanks, and to think that the sleeping countryside fleeting past the train which bore me swiftly Londonwards was England again. L. SMITH, U.6.Arts *** CALA LA TELA ("The Curtain Falls.") I LEFT England for Italy on July 14th, the greasepaint still clammy on my skin, prepared for the holiday that for four years had been my one certain aim. Yet, by the time I had arrived at my destination, I was equally prepared for a hurried return. At the French border there had been a bewildering sense of tension, and all throughout the remainder of the journey I found myself the recipient of many diverse ideas concerning the possibilities of another crisis. Once arrived at Perugia, however, politics once more took a logical position in my life. It is true that never a day passed without some political discussion, but this is only to be expected in a University in whose spacious "aule" students of every race foregather. At the University Student House I held solitary state, rejoicing in the title of "Accerchiatore" or "Encircler" (This was in the days of the bitter Axis attacks on our negotiations with Russia). My title did not, however, cause any international incident, for, being one Englishman alone, I was invited to join the German group. The irony of this lay in the fact that they were continually assuring me of the absolute impossibility of hostilities – just for Poland. Indeed, when I said good-bye to them on September 2nd they asserted that nothing would happen. Perhaps the most pessimistic member of an otherwise joyous party was a Hungarian. As each succeeding week passed he grew more dismal, telling everyone that war would break out at the end of the week. He eventually was conscripted and returned home – still forecasting dire events. Events did not worry the remainder of us overmuch. We seldom read the newspapers; not because of any lack of news, but solely from a feeling of lethargy induced by the intense heat, and nothing troubled our tranquil existence until Herr Forster's speech. From then onwards the events in Danzig crept from the back page to the front headlines, a progress which was to culminate in the confiscation of an over-rash paper which stated, in type 3ins. deep, "Europe on the Verge of War." This was August 29th. Even our quiet town had its repercussions. Army units mysteriously appeared and disappeared, leave was cancelled, and, worse still, all coffee was requisitioned. Sugar, never plentiful, was rationed, and the price of petrol shot up to 7s. 6d. a gallon. Among other measures the Government ordered a hunt for unregistered aliens, and I, who had registered some two months previously, went to the Quaestor's Office with a friend who wished to register. Most unfortunately he asked me for my papers, which were, sad to relate, at home. For this heinous crime I received a severe lecture and the threat of a fine and imprisonment. On another occasion I was ordered to stop singing the French National Anthem. The Army officer who gave this order informed me that this, too, was a crime. The week beginning August 20th was, most decidedly, the most dramatic from our point of view. On the Tuesday we had the first news of the Russo-German Pact, and could notice with rather mortified satisfaction the disgust of the Italians. That pact shook the Axis from its already precarious perch. It had ever been an ideal of extremist elements and had never had popular appeal. On that day it crashed. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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That day, too, marked the first of a series of disappearances. One by one the students vanished. First the Hungarians, then the Jugoslavs. Next came a Dutch mobilisation order; long-distance calls from Berlin poured in, and on September 1st an order was broadcast for all our Swiss to return home. Ships that had sailed from Naples returned there; Italy had closed all frontiers. On Thursday, August 24th, a Nazi rally was held at the University. S.A. men formed a guard of honour, and the Italian traffic policemen put on their uncomfortable full-dress uniforms. For an hour this rally went on, and for one hour all the British students listened to the leading German speaker give vent to a tirade against Poland and England. These speakers were visitors, for the local Nazi agent had gone to Berlin. The only way in which these events disturbed our life was to cause a complete cessation of home studies. We were too busy discussing events in the Caffé Milano to worry about minor details such as this – or, at least, that was the plea. The Italian people in general were against war. They had one enemy, they said – Communism. The extremists, as represented by the junior officers, are pro-Nazi, but by his recent staff changes Mussolini has destroyed what power these might have had. Friday, September 1st, was a day that I certainly shall never forget. At 11 a.m. there was a public broadcast throughout Italy of the Reichstag speech, and at 1 p.m. it was re-broadcast in Italian. Until 6 p.m. time was a nightmare. The tragedy of the Premier's speech was a relief for the small circle of Germans, Italians, and myself as we sat round the radio, whilst our mascot, an umbrella nicknamed "Chamberlain", stood in grotesque oblivion in one corner. That night I cabled home, and two hours later the Army took the telegraphs over. The next night I reached Florence and, for the first time saw preparations for "black-outs." That night, in the shadow cast by Michel Angelo's greatest work, and under a blue light, I ate my last meal in Italy. The Militia was mobilised, and the frontier would not open until mid-day September 3rd. As every hour passed, as every mile sped by in that rapid run to Modane, we awaited the news, anxiety mingled with resignation, hope with despair. We crossed into France at what must have been the exact hour of the Premier's broadcast. The train should have carried us on to Paris, but just deposited us on the frontier, with only the most formal of Customs inspections. After 29 hours of the most uncomfortable and completely reposeless travelling, I arrived in Paris to find that city in a " black-out." Then, for the first time, I felt a refugee ; as much a refugee as those Alsatians and Lorrainians I had seen at Dijon. I had left Perugia at 2 p,m. on September 2nd, and arrived in Paris at 8 p.m. on the Monday following. I had not slept at all, and was just comfortably asleep in Paris when I was hurried into an air-raid shelter – an experience I was to have on two further occasions before finally leaving France. I am certain that whenever I see the word "Abri" again I shall bitterly recall those four cold hours spent in waiting for an elusive signal. At Dieppe I encountered further difficulty. The boat should have left at midnight, but was prevented from so doing "by the presence of hostile craft in the Channel." This unlooked-for delay necessitated a further stay at a hotel. In the pitch darkness a travelling companion contrived to lose a suitcase, and produced me as a witness at the Police Station next morning. It is an experience I never wish for again. Finally, following a zig-zag course, and boasting an escort of British aeroplanes, we reached England. Thus a journey, started so tranquilly, finished. On an evacuation from Perugia and its attendant bitterness – e calata la tela ("the curtain has fallen"). F. MAY ***

THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS ABROAD [Mr. LIGHTFOOT, Mr. BYRNE, and Mr. LAMBERT tell how they returned home]. I LEAVE HOLLAND AND BELGIUM IMMEDIATELY before the War I was in Holland and Belgium. Ironically enough, the purpose of my visit was to make the necessary arrangements for taking a party of some hundred school-children to Holland, Brussels, and the Ardennes next Easter. Talk about "Love's labour lost!" On that never-to-be-forgotten Thursday night, when London teachers were recalled by wireless, I was having dinner in a. Brussels cafe when the order to return came through. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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The return journey (Friday), before we had to report at the Poly., was quite an experience. Our boat, the Prins Badouin, one of the newest and largest on the Dover-Ostend service, was packed as I have seldom seen a boat packed before. Although everyone seemed outwardly fairly calm and collected, I am sure everyone on board shared my own personal relief when we docked safely in Dover Harbour. G.C.L. *** RETURN FROM SPAIN IT was towards the end of August, 1939, and I had had no news from England for more than three weeks, and even the Madrid newspapers were more than a day old when they reached Cadiz. So that it was only by reading between the lines and by a kind of inexplicable flair that I decided that. it might be wise to make arrangements for leaving Spain. But it was easier to come to this conclusion than to put it into effect. My permit to travel was valid only via Algeciras, and an authorisation to pass the frontier at any other point would entail a delay of several weeks, for the existence of military censorship and martial law made any kind of communication a matter of entirely problematical duration. I was content at first to wait until accommodation in the Transportes Generales could be obtained, but an apparently casual hint whispered by the Chilian Consul that it would be advisable to get out of the country without one moment's delay, and not to count the cost in so doing, filled me with some degree of alarm. That same evening, and not without difficulty, I hired a car to make the journey to Algeciras. Reluctantly I left the white gleaming Moorish palace, called the Hotel Atlantico , and murmured adios to the city of Cadiz, set like a walled island in the sea, a labyrinth of narrow, intersecting streets, its skyline a glittering assembly of spires, towers, domes, turrets, smokeless and dazzling against a background of purest azure. The long, straight road across the seemingly interminable salt marshes came at last to an end, and at Vejer de la Frontera began the crossing of the Sierra. Here and there in remote sterile valleys were great encampments of troops, so effectively camouflaged as to be almost invisible, and the only traffic encountered was an occasional train of Army lorries. At Tarifa the military atmosphere was so intense that instead of exploring the "very noble and loyal city" I preferred not even to set foot out of the car for there was not one single civilian in view, and an uneasy thought came to me that perhaps War had already been declared and that perhaps at this very moment I was in enemy country. At last the final ridge was crossed, and thousands of feet below, distant but visible, was the Bay of Algeciras, and beyond it the Rock. In Algeciras the animation was almost terrifying. Hungry and thirsty, for I imagined each moment now to be precious, I drove to the Policia. A special salvoconducto, it appeared, was necessary for embarkation, and how long it would take to obtain this one could only guess. Not more than four hours later, however, I was passing through the Customs, and after the delay of surrendering every coin in my possession at the Banco de la Frontera, I boarded the steamer as the last gangway was being raised. The fact that I should land in Gibraltar without even enough money to pay a gharry to the hotel was a triviality. All that evening rumour after rumour swept through the town, and one confirmed the next day was that the weekly P. & O. would not make her scheduled call. After cabling for urgently-needed funds, I caught the steamer for Tangiers, and only as it drew away from the quay did it strike me how foolish I was, having once reached British soil, so soon to abandon it. On this crowded vessel I felt I must be the sole voluntary passenger, and as the coast of Spain fell astern and the mountains of Africa loomed ahead a depression seized me which all the brilliant sunshine and sense of adventure could do nothing to remove. Once ashore I found quarters which I knew well, but the air of the ancient Moorish city was frankly intimidating. Into the International zone had been dumped every suspect alien of the whole of the Franco-British Mediterranean; therein had gathered wild tribesmen from the Riff; thereto had fled disaffected Moors from Spanish Morocco, refugees from vanquished Republican Spain; hordes of desperate men. Zoco Chico at midnight presented a setting colourful and fantastic beyond description; that mingled every element of Europe and the East; where law and order seemed to have ceased. Only when from the minarets came the cry with which Islam greets the new day did the cafes and bars begin to empty and the doorways and paved, narrow alleys become strewn with sinister sleeping forms. Unable to sleep, I went out very early into the blinding sunshine. I know no town which I would so willingly inhabit as Tangiers, but never anywhere have I felt so much a stranger and an exile as on this bright, hot August morning, when the very air seemed full of the approach of War: and the probability developed that it might easily be a matter of weeks before any vessel sailed for England. Next morning the steamship agency refused all information. A train from the interior brought in its quota of would-be passengers, warned by the Cherifian authorities to make for home, Again on the following day enlightenment as to the whereabouts of the P. & O. Mooltan was unobtainable, but a gleam of hope came in a recommendation to remain within easy communication, and a little later the news was issued that the ship would quintinian1940spring.pdf

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probably call during the afternoon. Very punctually (as instructed) passengers boarded the tender and very patiently (and perhaps anxiously) waited for it to cast off. At last, from an unusual direction, the steamer appeared in the bay, and within an hour the homeward voyage had begun. We were sailing under Admiralty orders, showing as night drew on not one glimmer of light. Portholes were painted and shuttered up, light bulbs removed from all cabins, deck lounges closed; and it became evident as days passed that we had left the usual course. The issue of wireless bulletins was suspended, the bars shut down and sealed. A rumour spread that we were destined for an American port, but the first sight of land proved to be the English coast. On the afternoon before reaching England one heard the sound of firing, and saw on the port bow two grey shapes, from which came dull red flashes, followed by reports. Here and there the water flung itself up in gigantic splashes, and suddenly came the realisation that the ship was being shelled. It was a strange sensation. To watch these flashes and know that a moment later the ship might quite probably quiver and heel at the impact of a shell. But none fell within 200 yards, and after about an hour or so the attackers drew away and, by next day, we had entered the Thames. At Tilbury the newspapers came aboard; people looked at the headlines amazed, unwilling to believe what they read. But that England was at War was soon proved, for before the boat train reached St. Pancras sirens gave warning of an air raid, and the train had stopped in the Essex marshes to give those who wished the chance to take cover. Exactly a fortnight after I had left Cadiz I made contact with a rusticated Polytechnic School by meeting Mr. Eckersley in the village of Wedmore. R. H. G. BYRNE. *** NEARLY THE LAST TRAIN HOME I WENT to the Polytechnic Chalets, Lucerne, the day after the Summer Term ended, and had planned to return on September 10th. Quickly forgetting London, and even my friends of III.A., I was soon enjoying myself to the full. Out there I rarely read a newspaper, nor did anyone else. A quick look at the headings and a more careful look at the fortunes of my favourite county cricket team, which shall be nameless, and the paper was thrown aside. In consequence, I hardly noticed that serious events were unfolding themselves on the Continent until about August 22nd. On August 24th I read several newspapers very carefully, and came to the conclusion that Switzerland was no place for me. I sought out the Manager of the Chalets, told him I feared the worst, and that if trouble came my place was at the Poly. ready for evacuation, and I asked to be sent home as soon as possible. He replied: "Pack now; you can go on the Poly. special to-morrow." Few people can realise the enormous job carried out by the administrative staff in the next 48 hours. Somehow or other, they got a train nearly twice as long as it normally would be, and a great crowd of Poly. clients joined it on August 25th, about 7.30 p.m. In spite of the crowd, everyone had a seat, and we went through to Calais without a change. It was, even then, difficult to realise that War was imminent. Basle Station was crowded with people forsaking Switzerland and hurrying home, many having left home two or three days before. Before leaving Basle all the blinds were drawn and lights dimmed. Crossing Northern France few troops were seen, as mobilisation had been already carried out, but stations were plastered with mobilisation notices. We broke the journey at Boulogne for breakfast, but it was nearly an hour before we could get a cup of tea, and we then went on to Calais, where we joined the boat. I have crossed the Channel over 50 times, but never have I seen such a crowded boat. We left 400 people on the Quay, and the Anglo-Swiss express hadn't arrived. At Dover I and my family were first through the Customs and first on the train, and we arrived at Victoria only one hour late! The next day I went to the West End and called at the Poly., where I found Miss Rumens and Dr. Haskey busily engaged in answering questions and answering the 'phone Then I knew the war was on!! J.B.L. *** PAGES FROM MINEHEAD'S PAST (HERBERT W. KILLE) quintinian1940spring.pdf

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IT is very probable that Minehead derives its name, in the words of an old writer, "from ye Brittaynne's Myndde (or Mynedd), which imports as much as an hill or mountaine." Nearly a thousand years ago, when Aelgar, son of the great Earl of Mercia and of the famous Lady Godiva, was the Saxon lord of Minehead, it was Maenhafod – a small settlement of perhaps 300 souls. It became Manheva, as Domesday Book tells us, after Williarn de Mohun, "the noblest man in the Norman Army," had come into possession of this and over 60 other manors, which the Conqueror bestowed on him. They included Dunster, where de Mohun built himself a stronghold and settled down, and for over 3½ centuries the banner of the de Mohuns floated over Dunster and Minehead. When the last of the male line of the Mohuns died in 1375 his widow, Joan, sold the right of succession to the estates to the Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, of East Quantoxhead, for £3,333 6s. 8d. The Lady Joan de Mohun outlived the Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, and it was the latter's son, Sir Hugh, who was the first Luttrell to enter into possession of Dunster Castle. Under the new regime Minehead developed its port and shipping trade. The building of a harbour, with its beneficial effects, in a few years "so enriched the inhabitants that they begat an opinion in them that they were most fit to govern their own borough." And on their petition Queen Elizabeth granted the town a charter, conferring various privileges, including representation in Parliament. It was a condition of the charter that the townspeople should properly maintain the harbour. They neglected it, however, and it became silted up, so that ships could not call there, so James I. revoked the charter. George Luttrell, in 1584, built a new harbour and Minehead developed into a port of considerable importance. Through the 18th century it did a very extensive trade, and Daniel de Foe, author of "Robinson Crusoe," who visited the town in 1722, described it as being well "built and full of rich merchants." Wool imports brought much wealth to the town, and the herring fishing was also very considerable. Minehead was much afflicted by the Plague, as it had been a century before by a visitation of the Black Death. In 1645 the number of deaths was five times the average. It was about this time that Prince Charles (afterwards Charles II.) came to Dunster Castle out of the way of the Plague, and it seems that he visited Minehead, for the ringers were given beer several times when "the Prince and other great men came to the town." But the loyalty of the men of Minehead soon evaporated, for in the same year we find the bells ringing to celebrate the capture of Bristol by the Roundheads. Minehead people had no good cause to like the Royalists during the Civil War, for on one occasion a party of 500 landed here and "constrained the inhabitants to submit themselves slaves to every base companion to save their throats from being cut," while a little later the notorious Royalist general, Lord Goring, descended on the town with his troops and looted it. Towards the end of the 18th century the port trade began to decrease, and the decline in the town's fortunes reached a climax with the great fire of 1791. Nearly 80 houses – practically all the lower Town – were destroyed and £18,000 worth of damage was done. From the ashes there began to arise the new Minehead, destined to become one of the most popular of West-Country holiday resorts. As early as 1790 the proprietor of the Plume of Feathers Inn, "lately re-built," was advertising Minehead as having "a most agreeable situation on the Bristol Channel," and in another publication it was stated that "a number of persons of fashion have been induced to visit it as a bathing place in the summer season." There is a rather more intimate touch in some doggerel verse written by a resident about 1825. In the course of the poem he tells us that"A post-coach thrice a week from Bridgwater Oft invalids bring to bathe in salt water. In the summer season this place quickly fills With persons in hopes to cure all their ills. Some are cured, some are better, few ever died By making a trial of our famed air and tide." To tell the story adequately of Minehead's past would fill a couple of substantial volumes. But this short paper does present a few high-lights of its history and, to some extent, acquaints the stranger within the gates with some of the more interesting details. ***

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FOOTBALL 1st XI. Matches v. Minehead County School v. Minehead Albion v. An R.A.F.XI v. Minehead Albion v. An R.A.F. XI v. Porlock v. Minehead County School v. An R.A.F. XI. v. Huish's G.S., Taunton v. Minehead Town v. An Army XI v. An R.A.F. XI v. Huish's G.S., Taunton

4-0 3-2 2-2 6-0 2-1 2-0 6-1 1-5 3-2 0-6 5-7 1-5 2-2

W W D W W W W L W L L L D

Played 13 – Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 4 Goal-scorers:- Clark 22 (four "hat tricks"), Patten 5, Woodage 4, Jones 3 2nd XI. Games One draw (4-4) and one loss (2-4) v. Dunster Junior XI. Games Matches v. Minehead County School (2), Minehead Council School (2), and Gainsborough Road (West Ham). All won, 16 goals against 2; 8 scored by Woodage (A.). Other Games A School XI. v. Michael Hall A School XI. v. Minehead P.T. Club

13-1 3-1

W W

Grand total for all Matches:- Played 22 – Won 14, Drawn 3, Lost 5. Goals:- For, 75; against, 43 The first term will certainly go down to history as "Clark's Own". During that term we played 10 games, in the first nine of which Clark never missed scoring, and bagged 19 goals, including four "hat-tricks". Woodage (C.) and Patten also had a "hat-trick" each. Our opponents have been a very mixed lot – Schools, Services teams, and local town and village clubs. But all the games have been played in the right spirit, and our first season in these strange surroundings has been in more senses than one a real experience. Our success prior to the Christmas vacation was largely due to splendid defensive play by Luke, Humphreys, and Speaight, and opportunism on the part of Clark, whose figures probably constitute a record. At Christmas we lost Luke, Humphreys, Moores, Patten, Arthur, and Tapsfield. Their successors are Eagle, Woodage (E.A.), Page, Norman, Jones (D.D.), and Hartley, all of whom have fitted in very well, Jones and Woodage being specially good. The Junior team owes its success almost entirely to Woodage (E.A.), who has scored half the goals from the centre-half position – a state of affairs which speaks for itself. A word of congratulation is due to Faithfull, who has been a fine Captain, and our thanks are also due to Mennell, who has acted as linesman throughout the season, home and away, in fair weather and foul. THE PLAYERS TAPSFIELD (Goal) – Fairly safe in dealing with high shots, but sometimes uncertain with low ones. Rather apt to be "rattled" under pressure. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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GALLOP (Goal) – Has a good sense of anticipation, but is very uncertain with his hands. HARTLEY (Goal) – The last, and perhaps the best of the three. Has a good pair of hands and a powerful kick. Ground shots his weakness. FAITHFULL (Captain, Full Back) – Not very fast, but a wholehearted player with a good tackle and some sense of constructive play. A very good captain. LUKE (Full Back) – A stumbling block to many a forward line. A sure tackler, fast, and plucky, who never gives up. EAGLE (Full Back) – Young and light, but very promising. Tackles well and does his best to feed his forwards. SPEAIGHT (Half Back) – A skilful and determined player with a tendency to go too far forward. A relentless tackler. MOORES (Half Back) – A plucky player who is hard to beat. Rather weak in constructive play, and apt to be erratic when pressed. HUMPHREYS (Half Back) – Undoubtedly the "star" of the defence. Headwork, footwork, and distribution of the ball, all excellent. WOODAGE, A. (Half Back) – The "baby" of the team, but only in years. Tough and sturdy, he has a sure tackle and one of the strongest kicks in the side. PAGE (Half Back) – A greatly-improved player. Headwork excellent. His positional play and footwork have improved considerably. NABARRO (Left Wing) – Very fast, and a fair dribbler. Has a powerful, if somewhat erratic, kick. His centres and corner kicks have been responsible for many goals. CLARK (Inside Forward) – An opportunist who has met with phenomenal success. A good dribbler, with a keen eye for a possible opening. PATTEN (Centre Forward) – Energetic and keen, but lacking in ball control. Shooting at times erratic. NORMAN (Centre Forward) – Clever with the ball at his head or feet. Not afraid of trying a shot, but is apt to wander from his position and try to do too much on his own. WOODAGE, C. (Inside Forward) – The cleverest player in the side. Full of delicate touches that mark him as a real footballer. Opens out the game splendidly. Tackling at times rather weak. ARTHUR (Right Wing) – Fairly fast and keen, but lacking in football sense and ball control. Plays too orthodox a game. JONES (Right Wing) – A successful newcomer. Fairly fast, he is keen and hard working, and his work with Woodage has been splendid. Finishing at times rather weak. G.C.L J.B.L ***

HOUSE FOOTBALL Knock-out Competition, February 19th and 20th.

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*** HISTORIC MATCH AT CHISWICK Polytechnic Secondary School 1, Old Quintinians 4 ALWAYS a big event, the annual School v. Old Boys match, played on Saturday, March 30th, at the Poly. Stadium, Chiswick, had an added interest owing to the School being evacuated. The O.Q.'s (so called after Quintin Hogg, the Founder of the Poly.) had got together a very strong team. The School XI., which included four boys who left at Christmas, took a long time to settle down. The fast O.Q. forwards, aided by two very aggressive wing halves, gave rather an unsteady defence a hard time in the first half and were four up at the interval. The School forwards – possibly overawed by the occasion – were rather lacking in pep and cohesion, and of the whole team before the interval only Barke, Speaight, and Jones (right back, half and wing respectively) did themselves full justice. At half-time the teams were greeted by Sir J. E. Kynaston Studd, president of the Poly. This seemed to hearten the School, who played like a new team. A good run by Jones gave Clarke a goal, and but for some splendid goalkeeping by Wynick they would have scored more and might even have equalised. The scorers for the O.Q.'s were Phelps (2), Cooper and Courtenay. Teams:- School – Hartley, Barke, Luke, Speaight, Humphreys, Faithfull; Jones, Norman, Patten, Clark, Nabarro. O.Q.'s – Wynick, K. Marder, Canter; Lazarus, Tracey, Evans, Mackenzie, Cooper, Phelps, Courtenay, C. Marder. Referee – Mr. G. C. Lightfoot. ***

CADET NOTES 6TH CADET BTTN. KING'S ROYAL RIFLE CORPS (POLYTECHNIC). "BUSINESS as usual in temporary premises." This has been our motto since we exchanged Regent Street for Ponsford Road. We were rather late starting, as it was felt that the School should get properly settled down here before "outside" activities began. Since we got going we have gone ahead steadily, and the present No. 1 Platoon is as smart as any Platoon the Corps has had for many years. Credit for this belongs largely to Branscombe (C.Q.M.S.), whose unfortunate illness we all regret, and Speaight (Sgt.); Hirst, our R.S.M., has been busy with lessons on most midweek parade dates. Through the kindness of Lt.-Col. Lyon, of the Somerset T.A. Association, we have had the use of the Minehead H.Q. of A Coy., 5th Batt. Somerset Light Infantry. Here we were able to do our elementary drill in the new "3" formation under cover, before appearing in public in the School playground and on the sands, which are ideal for work on a larger scale. The Junior Platoon (No. 2). under Sgt. Shuttleworth, though not so far advanced as the seniors, is making steady progress, and I hear good reports from Winscombe of the Crafts Schools Platoon (No. 3), under Lt. Butland. The country here is ideal for field operations, and I hope during the late spring and summer to be able to arrange some pleasant and useful outings. I am trying to collect a register of all past member of the Corps who are serving in any branch of H.M. Forces, and should be glad to hear of any, if there are those who can give me their names. G.C.L. *** ENGLISH EDUCATION AND GERMAN – A COMPARISON A FAMOUS Jesuit padre once said: "Give me a child till he is ten and you can do what you like with him afterwards." There is no more convincing proof of this statement than the German educational system of today. The Nazis have realised that influences of education and play brought on a person in his formative years make him quintinian1940spring.pdf

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almost incapable of thinking otherwise than he has been accustomed to. So the Nazi ideas that might is right, that the glory of the German Reich is everything, the aspirations of which are absolutely sacred, are brought to bear upon the child day after day by wireless, gramophone, cinema, and all the like armoury of modern science, denying him the use of his free reasoning, and creating the idea that weakness is a crime and cruelty a virtue. The English educational system on the other hand has a tradition of "fairness", "playing the game", and "giving a chance" to the other fellow, the very expressions of which cannot be translated into a foreign language. The lack of this spirit of open-mindedness and free discussion, often found in Germany even before the rule of Hitler, largely results from the absence of the Public School tradition. In certain points, however, the German system has, or rather used to have, certain advantages over the English. Their object of education was not so much to make the pupil pass examinations, to push him through a number of subjects, which, when the Matric. is passed, fade so often out of his mind completely, but to make him interested in the subjects taught for their own sake, and to make him work for himself. Thus, the amount of work done in German Schools was generally greater than that in English, before Nazism came, when the study of classics and science was largely replaced by propaganda and "sports," not games, but "Wehrsport", a drill considerably harder than that done in the O.T.C. The new leaders of Germany received great help in their efforts by the existence of the "Wandervogel", or "wanderbird" tradition, the German Youth Movement, which they knew how to bend to their purpose. These pathfinder organisations generally were liberalistic, but with a strong bias to a romantic sort of nationalism, cultivating "wandern", or hiking, with a special view to the beauties of the fatherland, and folk-lore, ancient folksongs, traditional peasant customs, and the like, with a strong general regard to honour and loyalty in a way appealing to every youth. The Nazis fused all these organisations into one National Socialist Youth Movement, vigorously stamping out all liberalistic tendencies and infecting it with their ruthless "might before right" philosophy. The results of this system of education may very well prove to be one of the strongest bulwarks of Nazism against democracy, even if the present German regime should be overthrown after a lost War. The youth turned out by the Nazified School is a boy with a complete disregard for the older generation, his own parents not excluded; a fellow incapable of free reasoning, a cruel (but by no means courageous) S.S. man capable of committing all the atrocities of German concentration camps on all who are helpless or weaker than himself; whilst the English educational ideal is to bring up a "gentleman", the very word for which does not exist in the German language. GANZ, U.5.Bi ***

PUZZLE CORNER (Contributed by Mr. ANDREWS) JONES and Brown set out from their houses, which are two miles apart, and walked to meet each other, Jones walking at 3½ m.p.h. and Brown at 4½ m.p.h. As Jones sets out a fly alighted on his nose, and then flew off and settled on Brown's nose. It then flew back again to Jones, and returned once more to Brown. If it continued to fly in this way from Jones to Brown, and vice versa, till the two men met, how far did the fly travel if it flew uniformly at 12 m.p.h. the whole time? (Solution on Last Page). ***

NATURE NOTES THE BILLETT & THE GREEN-HEADED POLYCAP THE Billett (Mineheadicus Domesticus), that very timid bird of retiring habits, is becoming increasingly rare with the approach of summer for, unlike most birds, he flourishes in the bleaker weather of winter, which keeps his nest free from the danger of capture by the bigger summer migrants.

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The Billett shows a pitiable lack of ability to maintain himself in the struggle for survival. His timidity is such that at the mere approach of the Greater Billett Hunter (Dixonus Parsonicus) he is apt either to take to flight and vanish in the clouds, or to bury his head in the sands uttering his characteristic cry, "Full up! Full up!". It is rather curious to observe in what localities in this district the Billett is found, for though it flourishes in Dunster, Alcombe, and parts of Minehead, it is rarely found on North Hill; in fact there is a quaint superstition held by some of the residents there that when a Billett comes into the house the cook will go. On the other hand, in certain isolated regions the Billett is venerated by the Ivak Yooees (a primitive and troublesome tribe) as an almost sacred bird. Steps are being taken to protect existing Billett nests by the Billett Nest Protection Society. At present the activities of the Society are directed against the migratory Greenheaded Polycap (Polycapilis Viridis). This is quite a charming little bird, except for its cuckoo-like habit of occupying the nests of other birds, and especially those of the Billett bird. The Billett Nest Protection Society has made strenuous efforts to get the Polycap to remigrate, and it is a common sight to see the disconsolate Polycap fluttering round uttering its plaintive cry, "Chucked out", "Chucked out". We are glad to hear, however, that successful efforts are being made to prevent the extinction of this interesting bird. Flocks of them, about 50 to 60 in number, have been gathered into Polycap "sanctuaries"* (though it is said that they have a tendency, under these conditions, to go broody) and, when properly treated, they become delightful pets and can even be taught to be helpful in the garden and to sing "Rule Britannia." "BIRD LOVER" * One of the pioneers of this splendid movement is Mr. Heppell, Alcombe House, to whom sympathisers with the movement may send cheques, postal orders, or even stamps (unused).

***

OLD QUINTINIAN CLUB THE Old Boys' Club continues to function, although of necessity our activities are curtailed in some respects. Our Club Room has been offered to the Committee of' the Poly. War Comforts Scheme for their use during the period of the War. In the meantime members of our Club are entitled to use the Athletics Club Room, which is next door; but some of our Committee have arranged to be in our own room on Monday evenings. New members can be enrolled then or by post, and we hope that present conditions will not prevent those leaving School from enrolling as members of the Club. We are compiling a register of all Old Boys who serve with His Majesty's Forces, whether they are Club members or not, and we shall be glad to receive information, including names, ranks, numbers, &c., of any who are not mentioned in this article. Those members of the Club who are on Active Service with the Forces will be granted free membership until the end of the War. Old Boys who are abroad or on the high seas have had parcels sent to them, and we hope to repeat this from time to time. The Club is co-operating with the Poly. War Comforts Scheme. So far information has reached us concerning the following who are known to be serving:ARMY G. W. Lewis J. B. Galloway H. Pozner J. Chapman R. Peel H. B. Schwartz N. Beaney T. H. Mitchell G. A. Ware E. R. Cox

J. H. Stephens G. P. Stoner E. J. Collman I. K. Geddes D. H. Tyrrell A. J. Smith J. J. B. Andrews L. Wilson-Hasley D. R. Norris K. E. Shaw

T. R. Ryan N. Walden A. Simmons. W. A. Stork. L. G. Short. A. J. Telling. D. Cobb. J. A. Stevens. A. Sargeant

NAVY quintinian1940spring.pdf

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H. Becker D. A. Berrill

J. F. Marlow C. W. Jones

J. V. Ayling C. A. Watts

AIR FORCE E. C. Little F. J. Austin

L. A. Page A. H. Willingham

D. Murray E. F. K. Campling

Of these the following are already abroad:- D. R. Norris, I. K. Geddes, D. H. Tyrrell, L. Wilson-Hasley, D. Cobb, D. Murray, J. A. Stevens, and A. J. Smith are with the B.E.F. G. P. Stoner is in Palestine; F. J. Austin is in the Sudan; J. F. Marlow and J. V. Aylingare engaged in mine sweeping. We very much regret that R. V. Cornelius, R.N.V.R., was killed in the Royal Oak disaster. In view of the difficulty we should have in obtaining a satisfactory attendance during these times, there will be no Old Boys' Dinner this year. The Quintin Hogg Memorial Prize for 1938-39 was awarded to F. May, to whom we offer our congratulations. The O.Q. Basket Ball Section has now received permission to resume its activities in the Poly. Gymnasium, and games are taking place. An attempt to continue running the O.Q.F.C. was abandoned when it was obvious we could not guarantee turning out a team each week. A. C. WILKINSON *** To Old Boys of the School who left from September, 1937-September, 1938, and any others interested. I AM writing to you as Assistant Hon. Secretary of the O.Q.'s, as Ernie Drake, last year's Assistant Secretary, is not able to carry on. I hope that you will join the people who left last year in social evenings similar to those arranged by Drake (maximum cost 3/6 a head), and if you are interested will you drop me a card to the above address, or come in and see me any Monday evening in the O.Q.'s Room, about 8 p.m. If you have not already done so, will you please make sure to renew your membership of the Club by sending your annual subscription of 2/6* to the:Hon. Treasurer, Old Quintinian Club, 309, Regent Street, London, W.l. You have already received an appeal by your Committee on behalf of the Poly. War Comforts Fund, which is providing comforts for members of the Poly. serving with the B.E.F. and other Forces abroad. The O.Q.'s are benefitting more than anybody under this scheme, so will you send me something towards the fund, even if it is only a few pence? Hoping to hear from you soon, Yours sincerely, ERIC G. BAXTER (Assistant Hon. Secretary). * This does not apply to Old Boys who left after July, 1939. I should like them to get in touch with me as soon as possible.

*** CAMBRIDGE As a result of the War there is quite a nucleus of Old Boys here, and we held a successful re-union in my rooms last term. Laderman and K. H. Miller are at Barts., Miller being in college with us. He often pops over to grumble about the lot of a medical student. We support our respective first eights, which is not saying much these days. Marder and Lewenhak are at L.S.E., Marder being a shining light in football, while Lewenhak may often be found paddling about the Cam in a tub, and no doubt thinking of the good old days of the Poly. second eight. Fox, one of our older Old Boys, is lecturing in Engineering. H. F. T. Smith was a prominent second-year man, but, unfortunately, is no longer with us, as a tribunal refused to allow him to continue his studies. I hear he is doing

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Government work in London. Naglosky is at the London School of Architecture. I recently got to know another Old Boy, Dr. Dod Tabor, who has recently presented his Thesis. We hear that the School is facing up to its difficulties in the true Poly. spirit, and we wish it the best of luck. T. NASH *** THE CITY AND GUILDS COLLEGE (Engineering Section of the Imperial College) THIS is one of the few Colleges of the University remaining in London. The building itself is well sandbagged, and some of the laboratories have been converted into air-raid shelters. Part of the Royal College of Science has been temporarily merged into the Guilds, and in consequence Littler, who secured a First Class Honours Degree last June, is now a "Guilds' Man". He hopes to be accepted for service with H.M. Forces, and in the interval is engaged on research work on "Electron Diffraction". The last I heard of W. H. Ward, the previous author of these notes, was before Christmas. At that time he was putting finishing touches to his Thesis for a Ph.D., and was engaged on important work "somewhere in England". A. Simmons, who attained the high distinction of being President of the Guilds' Union last session, has joined the Army Ordnance Corps. J. P. Darke obtained his degree and A.C.G.I. last June. I understand he is now with an armaments firm. With the loss of these stalwarts O.Q. Freshers are urgently required to keep up the O.Q. tradition at the Guilds. Remember the country needs first-rate engineers, and the best place to train is, undoubtedly, at the Guilds! D. J. WOOTTON (We were pleased to hear that Wootton, who gained his degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, was Hon. Secretary of the Radio Society of the City and Guilds College Union – Editor). *** UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, I'M afraid that it would be exceedingly difficult to obtain news from such O.Q.'s as we at University College, London, this year, the College having been evacuated to Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Aberystwyth, Cardiff, and even to such outposts of Empire as Swansea. Kagan is said to be still in London, at U.C. Hospital, and I hear that Gilroy is still playing Soccer at Aberystwyth. I am the only O.Q. in the Faculty of Engineering at U.C. of Swansea, where, unfortunately, there is no rowing. Yours sincerely, R. MITCHELL-LANMAN *** KING'S COLLEGE DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, THANK you for your letter. King's have moved to Bristol (not far from you, apparently – though a good walk!), but I have not gone with them. Owing to the fuller development of the crisis I have been unable to arrange for the continuation of the news service, and I regret that I have no inside information concerning goings-on in Bristol, and nothing of news value about myself. Should anything come through, as they say when they are testing a new gun at Vickers, I will let you know. Meanwhile, here are the answers to some general knowledge questions:(a) Censorship was first introduced in Blue Pennsylvania. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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(b) The Nazis celebrated the scuttling of the Graf Spee by singing the "Lost Vessel" song. (c) Herr von Ribbentrop, before he was a champagne merchant in Hamburg, was only a "beer seller" in Munich. With many apologies, but even more good wishes. Yours sincerely, HUMPHREY G. TYTE *** We were very pleased to receive the following letters from Old Boys and members of the Staff who are not here with us:DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, Many thanks for your letter. I'm glad to hear somebody is struggling to get back to normal. As you may already know, the London School of Economics is at Cambridge, and still has two Poly. representatives – Marder and Lewenhak. The former is very busy working for Finals in the coming July. You may be interested to hear he gained exemption from the Militia by virtue of Indian birth! Lewenhak, whom I saw in Cambridge, is enjoying life, working as the mood takes him. He has written another play dealing with the Jewish problem. I haven't read it, but Burton tells me its "real" Lewenhak. Good luck to him; J. B. Priestley could do with a few competitors! For myself there is little to relate. The outbreak of War found me in Yugo-Slavia, and I was only able to return seven weeks after. I had a grand holiday, mountain climbing and a motor-cycle tour of the whole country. I am working for Finals in July, but in London attending evening lectures, but am decidedly pessimistic about my chances. I hope to get exemption from the Militia until completion of the exams. If it is of any interest, Burton has just taken the Naval Writer's Exam., but up till now he is still ignorant of the result. J. M. Smith has been evacuated to St. Albans with Hambros Bank, while Drake is, I understand, "somewhere in Yorkshire". J. Payne is still working for the Borough Council and has, I believe, given up his Inter.B.Sc. aspirations for the duration. Best wishes. Yours sincerely, A. ILERSIC *** DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, I had a few days leave just before Christmas and went to the Poly. to see any of my old friends who might be still "serving the younger generation". I was sorry not to have seen any of the Masters, but hope you will accept this letter in my place. It seems only a few weeks ago that we met in far happier circumstances at the School v. Old Q.'s cricket match, and yet so many things have happened since then. As you can see, I am now in the Senior Service and having a grand time. But, I suppose, I should start from the beginning of the story and not half-way through. I have been in the R.N.V.R. for almost three years and, during that time, when work permitted, I trained as a signaller. I spent a fortnight on H.M.S. Nelson in 1938, and was called up a week after War was declared. I was sent to H.M.S. Royal Arthur for 14 weeks' "refresher". After five weeks a draft was sent to Chatham – apparently those selected hadn't wasted their time – from where, on the following day we were sent to various ports. I was fortunate enough to be sent to the Dover Patrol. The A— is the parent and repair ship of the Patrol, and the signalmen aboard are attached to a Minesweeping Flotilla and are re-drafted as required. We go out whenever required in the "fishing fleet". This consists of requisitioned fishing trawlers which have the various M.S. duties to carry out. The crews are made up of bonafide fishermen, R.N. seamen, and R.N.V.R. signalmen. The men (Service ratings excepted) get about £4 per week, having given up more lucrative employment to serve. One "mate" told me that in three trips of 10 days after hostilities broke out he earned £150. With few exceptions I have found that although they have little or no quintinian1940spring.pdf

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education – some cannot write their name – they are men. They know no fear, and are always willing to help anyone in need of help. These trawlers go out for varying times, coming back to harbour for a few days "rest" period. This "rest" is necessary as, during the trip, they have a 24-hour working day, sleeping in short spells when "business is slack". The signalman returns to the A— to await another trawler. Sometimes one waits, maybe, 10 days; sometimes you are sent the same day. Life on a trawler is rather hard. There is no room to move about and, owing to the peculiar shape of the craft and the fact that no ballast is carried – it is filled with ice or fish when fishing – she rocks and rolls even in an apparently calm sea. It makes even a hardened sailor wish for dry land. I was sea-sick for the whole four days of my first trip, felt squeamish for the second trip, and have had no trouble since. To balance that side, the food is both plentiful and good – a much weightier argument in their favour, according to my way of thinking. That brings me back to myself. I have grown almost ½in. since I have been here and am now 6ft. 2¼in., and weigh 16st. My young brother is shortly joining me here. He, incidentally, is 19 years old and is almost as tall as I am, although his waist is a lot less. I shortly hope to pass for signalman trained operator, but can hardly hope for further promotion above that. I hope everything is running smoothly at your new headquarters and trust that you, Sir, are enjoying the best of health. Yours sincerely, JOHN V. AYLING 19th January Before I had time to post my letter I was sent out and, consequently, I thought I could add a few more words. We have had almost a foot of snow since the beginning of this week, part of which I spent out at sea. Have you ever been at sea in a snowstorm? It is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. The snow has the effect of deadening sound, and one just stays "hove-to" in a dead silence until it clears away. Perhaps you would remember me to some of my ex-Masters – Messrs. Byrne, Broodbank, Andrews, Lambert, and Kerridge. I would like to hear from anyone who can spare time to write. Yours sincerely, JOHN AYLING *** R.A. Mess, Sunday, February 4th. DEAR Mr. TURNER. I'M afraid I've been rather slack with my correspondence lately, so I apologise for not letting you have some news before. I spent the last year at the Guilds doing some research for an M.Sc. I was working on an I.C. engine with heads of copper, aluminium and C.I., and taking temperature, heat, flow, and power measurements. I tried to get a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship to America, but it did not come off. I then had to choose between some such place as the N.P.L. or R.A.E. at Farnborough, or a post-graduate apprenticeship. I wanted to get some practical experience, if possible, and as the international situation did not look so good, I looked up the possibilities of doing anything in the R.A.O.C. When there was a shortage of suitable candidates two years ago the War Office introduced a scheme to give potential O.M.E.'s straight from Universities a chance to get practical experience after joining the Army. So I filled in my papers and got the job just before War started. I think I did the best thing possible. I have been round the various shops, with individual tuition in each, and have now got into the thick of M.T. maintenance and repairs. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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After Easter we go up to the Arsenal to continue our practical experience before doing the theoretical portion of the O.M.E.'s course. Although nothing has been stated yet, I think we will be at Woolwich for about six months, as in peace time the practical training should last for two years. And all this training, plus 11s. a day, with everything found, and a job when the War is won. As I did not finish the work at College before the end of July, I had little chance to do much before joining up. So I am now spending my spare time writing up my Thesis. Progress is not very rapid as there are occasional breaks when we have Army exams. to cope with, but I hope to get it finished by about May. As for news of O.Q.'s, I have very little. Kurz is in the R.E.'s, and another man, Barbour, who I don't think you came into contact with much, has gone out East with the Signals. My brother is in the R.E. Searchlights, in Suffolk. I'm hoping to be able to see something of you after I get back to London, at Easter. Yours sincerely, ALAN SIMMONS *** December 20th, 1939 DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, IT is now five months since I left School, and I feel I must write to you. After I left School I obtained a post in an advertising concern but had not been there long when the War broke out. Straight from Fleet Street to Fire Station might have been my slogan on Friday, the 1st of September. I left the office at 5.30 that evening with my attache case, and at seven I was standing in the street with suitcase, a gas-mask, a helmet, anti-gas clothes, and heaven knows what else, wondering where and when my new job was to begin. I wasn't wondering very long; we finished up in a 'bus garage-cum sub-station, where we spent the night listening for the telephone bell, which rang almost incessantly all night. After about three weeks at the garage we moved into a School, and there we stayed. I am sitting in the watchroom now. It used to be the infants' room. We removed most of the children's pictures, &c., but even now a camel or a monkey can be seen amongst the maps, the typewriter, and the telephones. I believe Matthews, who left before the end of the last term, is also serving in the Fire Brigade at Euston, but I have not seen him to make sure. I find writing of any description very hard now. In a Fire Station there are so many interruptions; since commencing this letter the bells have gone twice, and I've had to leave in a hurry. After a few weeks one only performs absolutely necessary duties, not through laziness, but just because it's annoying to do a complicated job and have to leave it in the middle because the bells have rung for a fire call or an air-raid stand-by. You must forgive me for not writing to you before, but, as I have said, it's hard to do, and leave days are so precious. Perhaps you would show this to Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Lambert, if they are with you. I nearly forgot, Ogborn U.Va2, is working, as far as I know, at Standard Telephones and Cables, Ltd., and I'm sure he would wish to be remembered to you. I'm not sure which of my former Form-mates are with you, but I often think of them all, of our work together, of the General Schools Exam. in Room 39, and that last day of term, which was also my last day at School. It was the happiest, and saddest. I'm still keeping my little blue sailor cap as a souvenir. All good wishes for the New Year. Yours very sincerely, E. H. H. JOYCE ***

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25th February, 1940 DEAR MR. ECKERSLEY, MANY thanks for your timely reminder about the subscription to the Quintinian, as you know, I greatly appreciate the work of this Magazine in all its spheres, but more especially since I have left School, for by merely picking it up and running through its pages it is easy to recapture that essential spirit of cheerful friendliness that pervades the atmosphere of the Poly. Since my last letter to you I have been extremely successful at the Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd. After I had served my six months probation, the foreman sent in a very good report about me, and on the strength of that the firm signed me up for five years' specialised training. Six more months I spent in the Fitting Shop, making various types of parts out of sheet metal and blocks, and now, with 13 months behind me, I have just been shifted down to the Erecting Shop, and my daily work consists of fitting the Bristol Fairies engine and all its accessories on to the Fairey bomber. As you can well imagine, this is a job calling for great accuracy, because a badly-aligned auxiliary gear-box or vacuum pump might well cause the engine to rip itself to pieces; and so the standard measurements here are limited to 1-10,000 part of an inch. I am sure that many of, the boys of the School would find much to interest them here, and it is unfortunate that the veil of secrecy that now overshadows our industry could not be lifted to enable them. to see such fine machines in the making. Personally, although I feel very tired after a hard day's work fitting the large and intricate array of precision machinery and all the gigantic collection of flexible piping into their respective positions, the work is so absorbingly interesting that even the pitiless blue glare of innumerable mercury vapour lamps fails to worry me and, indeed, I even regret the apparent speed with which the day passes. I have just started studying advanced technical drawing at the Evening School, and in October I shall start on the first stage of the engineering course by taking National Certificate. After that I hope to obtain Higher National as a preliminary to attempting the final goal of all aeronautical students, namely, the Membership of the Institute of Aeronautical Engineering. Meanwhile I must close this letter, and so, whilst asking you to remember me to the other Masters of the School, I can only say that until the great day arrives when it will be possible to re-visit the Poly. at its own rightful home in Regent Street, I will simply say that, I remain, Yours very sincerely, G. PULLAN. *** Friday DEAR ECKERSLEY, THANK you very much indeed for your letter, but I'm afraid there is very little "copy" in my present profession, and writing opportunities are limited whilst manning the guns by day, and impossible after dark with 13 in the hut to one hurricane lamp. We did do some work a couple of months ago; in fact, we were in five sites in four weeks sandbagging. There is practically nothing that I do not know about sandbags in consequence, and at one time we were firmly convinced that we were to be sent to Egypt to sandbag the Pyramids! We filled them and built them up, and pulled them down and put them up again. Here, thank God, we have used bales of them for seats, and at some future date our present emplacements are to be replaced by pill-boxes. We have lived very comfortably, and much less arduously for the last couple of months, in the middle of a marsh, and we shall be very sorry to leave our mud and our small, democratic society for greater comfort and less freedom a few days hence. I've learnt a lot of things in a short time. I was very lucky in that in the early days I was befriended by a pickpocket, who showed me the ropes. Under his guidance we acquired such diverse comforts as a mahogany table, half a ton of coal, a six-weeks pup, and 14 steel-sprung beds. I learnt that spit and polish meant spit and polish. That it is very good for insomnia and the soul to eat heartily, work gently, and consume a small quantity of beer. Frankly, I enjoy myself… I am having the time of my existence. quintinian1940spring.pdf

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With good luck to all the Staff, and best wishes to yourself, Sincerely, C. S. LOCKE *** The following are the names of some of our Old Boys serving with the Forces. We should very much welcome others. Their addresses are with the Editor, who will gladly forward any letters. Sapper E. M. KUR, R.E. Pte. K. L. BARBOUR, Middlesex Yeomanry. Sapper N. SIMMONS, R.E. 2nd/Lt. A. SIMMONS, R.A.O.C., Military College of Science. Aux. E. H. H. JOYCE, c/o Officer in Charge L.C.C. Fire Station 76 " Y." J. V. AYLING, Ord. Sig., R.N.V.R. STERCKX, late Upper 6 Science, is working with the National Mutual Life Association, of Australasia, and hopes to make Insurance his career. F. MAY, who left the U.6. Arts last year, is working as Tutor in a Correspondence College. G. H. NORTON, of last year's U.6 Arts, has been appointed as Clerical Officer to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. He is in the headquarters building in Whitehall Place, and deals with the official publications of the Ministry. As there are no Executive Officers in this Ministry there are good opportunities for Clerical Officers to obtain responsible and well-paid positions. E. J. MILLER (1927-34) has gained his Ph.D. with a Thesis on "The Metabolism of Amino Acids," and is now demonstrator in Physiology at King's College. *** It is with profound regret that we have to record the death of EDMUND AUGUSTINE on September 26th, and of H. CORNELIUS, who went down in the "Royal Oak". Cornelius passed the Conjoint Examination at St. Thomas' Hospital last July, and joined the R.N.V.R. as Medical Officer. He was the first officer of the R.N.V.R. to lose his life. We extend our deepest sympathy to the friends and relatives of both these Old Boys. *** Our readers will, we feel sure, be interested in the following letters from Mr. (now Major) Galloway:A. A. Battery, 20th November, 1939 IT seems rather a long time ago now, but, as far as the A.A. Units of the Territorial Army were concerned, the War started several days before it did for the main body. The A.A. Units were called out in advance and the deployment had been completed before War was declared. From the point of view of the Territorial Army the Munich crisis, with its mobilisation, was of the greatest value, as it gave us a rehearsal of a procedure which would have otherwise been quite new to us. My own particular Battery has seen a great deal of movement as we are being used in the nature of Emergency Troops, to fill gaps as the situation demands. The result is that we are getting plenty of practice at moving rapidly from one point to another, and there are very few places in the Eastern part of England which we have not already visited. We get very short notice of actual time and date of a move, although we generally have plenty of warning that it will take place "in the future". So far, of course, it has been a quiet War for us. The defences are now, in my opinion, in such a state of completion that a raid is likely to be so costly as not to be attempted with impunity. The state of our training is such that all ranks are confident of being able adequately to deal with any situation which can arise. This appears

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to be known to the enemy as well, as all the raids so far attempted have been on the less well-defended parts of the country, and even there there has not yet been a successful raid. March 17th, 1940 Since I wrote the above my Battery continued its nomad life for a month, in which we visited the West Coast and then returned to the East, but this time South of the Thames. We have been for some time now guarding important positions from air attack, but as I write this I hear more rumours of more moves ahead. Dr. Presswood (now Troop Sergeant-Major Presswood) left the Battery a few weeks ago to take up a position as instructor at the Anti-Gas School. Mr. Locke is a gunner in a Battery on the South Coast. He has celebrated a recent leave by getting married! J. GALLOWAY. ***

THE JUNIOR QUINTINIAN Contributed by Forms III, IV, and Lower V. THE MURDER OF JULIUS CAESAR THE audience looked on entranced. Here was a great play, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, magnificently acted. Caesar sat in the chair of honour, surrounded by the Senate, unaware of the death that awaited him. Mark Antony had been drawn aside by Trebonius; then Metellus Cimber presented his suit to Caesar. "Most high, most mighty and most puissant Caesar Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat A humble heart." But Caesar haughtily spurns him, and then the other conspirators crowd round, pleading for Publius, but with their daggers under their cloaks. The audience held their breath with suspense. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the lights went out; the entire theatre was in darkness. For a minute nothing happened, then murmuring voices were heard, increasing into a hubbub. Some people stood up and looked around them, expecting to see something that would tell them the reason for this mystery, but they saw nothing. The noise of voices was so loud that one had to shout to make himself heard, when a voice from the middle of the theatre shouted "Fire". A dozen voices took up the cry, echoing Fire", Fire". There were several screams, then began the rush to get out. People crowded to the exits, pushing and jostling and fighting to get through the doors. The theatre emptied and, from a safe distance, people watched it burning. Slowly at first, and then quickly the flames scorched and burnt and devoured. At first the paper and wood and curtains and then the walls fell, till little more than the skeleton remained. A tragic ending to such a successful evening. ------------------------"A terrible fire. I hope no one was hurt in that fight to get out." "No. All the audience managed to get out in time, but one of the actors, the one who played Caesar, was found dead. "What, burnt to death?" "No; he had a dagger through his heart." RAGHUVANSH VIR, L.5.A *** DEATH FROM THE AIR A COOL breeze fanned the face of Ted Nelson, the six foot skipper of the "Beautiful Maiden", as he stood on the bridge of his fishing boat. The crew had just hauled the fishing nets on board and were now busy sorting their catch. The "Beautiful Maiden" was one of those fishing boats which had just recently been armed to protect quintinian1940spring.pdf

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her from any Nazi machine which might try to interfere with her. Suddenly Ted sat up. In the distance he could see a black, low-winged monoplane heading directly for them. He had been attacked by a similar plane to this before, and this time he was going to take no chances. The crew grabbed their rifles and dashed to their places while the machine-gun was made ready for action. Nearer and nearer came the black crossed machine, and then it began to dive. A bomb struck the water close to the "Beautiful Maiden", and she replied with a burst of machinegun fire. This somewhat surprised the Nazis, and he banked steeply. He hadn't bargained for this. His thoughts were interrupted by another burst of gun-fire from the boat, which wrecked the instrument board. Down on the "Beautiful Maiden" Ted himself had taken charge of the machine-gun, and as the Nazi plane dived again, he opened fire on it. Two more bombs fell in the sea and a splinter struck Ted. He felt dizzy, but even so he continued to fire the gun. Everything seemed to close over him, and then the next thing he knew he was lying in hospital with the sun streaming across the ward. He learned later from one of his comrades that he was the hero of the fight. The burst of fire he had put in just before he had fainted had brought the Nazi 'plane down in flames and won him a medal for courage. S. BAWDEN, 4.C *** THE COBRA HE stood there hypnotised by the cobra's icy stare. Slowly this denizen of the jungle, its muscles rippling under its skin, slid forward with its flickering tongue of venom shooting out. Its hood imperceptibly opening like the wings of an awakening vampire bat. Suddenly it struck. Its wicked head flashed forward. It met the cold glass of its sanctuary in the Zoo, with a resounding thud. A. IRVINE, L.5.B *** A SEPTEMBER MORNING Dawn has broken, the sun is shining, And the milkman has brought the milk. The cat is mewing, the dog is whining, And the dew is sparkling like silk. The trees are swaying, the lark is singing, A huntsman has sounded his horn. The organ is playing, the church bell ringing, And the farmer is cutting the corn. The chickens are cheeping, the hens are feeding, The ducks are afloat in the pool. The fruit wants picking, the garden needs weeding, And I have to go to School. P. SAMPSON, 3A *** MY EXPERIENCES OF NAZI EDUCATION IN A GERMAN SCHOOL SINCE 1933, the beginning of Hitler's rule, education in a German School has, in some ways, been quite different from what it used to be. Discipline is more strict, and the boys are trained to be soldiers, and everything is concentrated on this. For instance, while before 1933 the Master on entering the class used to say, "Good morning, boys." He now says, "Heil Hitler", and the boys have to repeat this Nazi salute and raise their right arm. This has to be done before and after every period, even if the same Master takes the same Form during two successive lessons. During gym., the first ten minutes are spent in marching and singing Hitler Youth songs. When a boy meets a Master in the street he is supposed to give the Nazi salute instead of raising his cap. When the students reach a certain Form, the equivalent of the English 5th or Upper 5th, they have to read Hitler's "Mein Kampf", in order to "understand the aims of the Nazi Party". When we read this book in class, we could hardly understand it, and the teacher had to explain every sentence. In my opinion, reading this book is a waste of time, quintinian1940spring.pdf

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besides filling the German youth with hatred towards other nations and the thought of "Deutschland uber alles". There are other means of propaganda, for every week a so-called wall-newspaper is hung near the front door, so that every boy can read about "British cruelty", or "Roosevelt, the American propaganda maker". If the Masters want to be in the good books of the Nazi party, who keep an eye on everyone, they must wear a party badge and have to be 100 per cent. pro-Nazi. For example, we used to have a special history lesson every fortnight, when we talked about politics and other events since the last lesson. Several boys had to give summarised accounts of these events. Then the teacher would shout and accuse England, or France, of being the cause of all the things that had not been in Germany's favour. Of course, the most frequently used word was "encirclement". During break some of the "strong" Hitler Youth boys would come up to me and say: "Ha, there you see what England has done again, you Dirty Englander". When Hitler annexed the Sudeten and Austria, they even boasted of this and said, "You English didn't even have the courage to stop us." All I say now is, I am glad to be in an English School. G. R. DRIFFIELD, L.V.C ***

REGENT STREET Rest you content, O quiet street, That once rang to our thousand feet, And carried us with books complete Each and every morning. Your symphony of traffic blare, Your motor fumes that filled the air, Is much reduced since we were there, Still, grin and bear it. How quiet and drab it all must seem, We've robbed you of your colour scheme, Those bobbing caps of red and green, Have all departed. Cradled between the hills we stay, Where Severn sweeps the Minehead Bay, But we'd exchange it any day For all your clatter. We'll come back, maybe with regret, Hurrying from 'bus, or tube, or Met., The same old Regent Street, and yet We'll dream of Minehead F. N. GRAINGER, L.5.A *** THE MASSACRE THE Regiment of the K.R.R. marched along in threes along the road, on a route march. They were weary and dusty, and the shuffling of their feet, as they marched, disturbed the dust so that the air was heavy with it. The strains of "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" on a mouth organ, accompanied by the men's voices, wafted through the hot, dusty air. They were nearing the end of their march, when suddenly, without warning, a fighting plane swept down on the Regiment, sending out a hail of death-dealing lead. The unfortunate lay dead in the dusty road, whilst what remained of the previously somewhat jolly, though tired Regiment, sought the cover of the rocks and gullies with feverish haste. The 'plane swept up and turned and came upon them as before, then flew off. The pilot, I expect, was rather congratulating himself. The men ran out of cover and looked at the 'plane as it flew away, some even shook their fists at it.

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Then Captain Lightfoot* and Wing-Commander Gibbs† stepped out from behind cover. "Not a bad manoeuvre", said one to the other, "we'll have to practise it again". Then the "dead soldiers" got up, dusted themselves, and, with a laugh, joined their comrades. R. H. MCCULLOCH, L.5.A. * O.C. Poly. Cadet Corps † O.C. Minehead County School Air Cadets

*** ONE GOOD FRIDAY IT was ten o'clock on Good Friday, when the telephone bell in Inspector Hornleigh's office rang. "A gentleman by the name of Stokes wants to see you, sir." Hornleigh got out of his chair and walked over to the receiver. An agitated voice came over the wire. "Is that you, Inspector?" and, without waiting for an answer, went on, "Would you please come over to Lord Newcastle's estate in Essex. He has been murdered." Right-ho, answered Hornleigh, "I shall be there within an hour." A few minutes later the Inspector's high-powered car was purring its way out of London. Until they got out of London Hornleigh was silent, but when London had been left behind, however, he turned to the Constable at his side and said, "Do you know anything about this Lord Newcastle?" "Well, sir, he had a great deal of money and was a bachelor. That's all I know." Hornleigh nodded his thanks, and they continued their journey in silence. On arriving at the country house they were ushered into the library by the footman, and there they met the butler, Stokes. Having refused a drink, Hornleigh started questioning Stokes. "What do you know about this murder ?" "Well, sir, it was at about half-past eight this morning when the bell for his lordship's room rang sharply, and then stopped. Having presumed that his lordship wanted his usual cup of tea, I waited for a few minutes before taking it up to him. When I went into his room, sir, he was lying on the bed with a knife sticking in his chest. I sent for the doctor, sir, and left everything in the same place. The doctor said that he died about a quarter of an hour before I came into the room." "Do you know anything about Lord Newcastle's will?" "Well, sir, as you know, he was unmarried, and all his brothers and sisters had died. There was a rumour that most of the money would go to a nephew." "Can I see him, please?" "I am afraid, sir, he does not live here, neither do I know his whereabouts." "Summerville!" "Yes, sir," answered the Constable. "Send out a description of this man and tell the police to be on the look-out for him. Stokes will give you the particulars". A few hours later Inspector Hornleigh had a telephone call from Folkstone. It was to the effect that they had seen the nephew and had detained him. He had given his name as Saunders. Not long after Hornleigh was in Folkstone, and in a little office he saw Saunders. "You are Lord Newcastle's nephew?" "Yes. I suppose you want to see me about my uncle's murder." "How did you know?"

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"Well, it's in all the papers, isn't it?" "That's as maybe, but I arrest you for the murder of your uncle, Lord Newcastle." "What the devil do you mean?" "What I say. When I asked you if your name was Saunders you immediately said, 'I suppose you want to see me about my uncle's murder.' That is not all, however. When I asked you where you heard about it you said, 'It's in all the papers, isn't it?' You forgot there are no papers on Good Friday." R. F. PANNELL, L.5.C *** IN PRAISE OF NOISE (I) Give me a rackety, rollicking song A rousing chant as we march along; The rattle of sabre, the beat of drum, The anvil's clank and machinery's hum. Give me the chattering farmyard hen, The steady beat of marching men; The clank of the bell on the townward tram, The honk of a horn and the market's cram. This is the life for a lad like me, With roaring wind and raging sea Give me these for a life of joy, The life beloved of any boy. H. J. SMITH, 3.B (II) I like noise The boom of a gun, the drone of a plane, The crash of the thunder, the beating of rain, The rumble of tanks, the whining of shells, The roar of an engine, the clanging of bells. The moan of the wind, the sound of the sea, The banging of doors, the buzz of a bee, The screech of an owl, the bark of a dog, The clatter of pails, loud horns in the fog, The whistle of sirens, the scream of a brake, These are the noises that make mothers quake, But, I like noise. M. DRISCOLL 3.B D. FREEDMAN 3.B *** THE CLUE INSPECTOR Hornbeam turned to his colleague, P.C. Boom, and remarked, "Scarecrow Hall is our destination, isn't it?" "Yes, sir," answered Boom stolidly. "The 'Squire's lost his favourite dog, Rex." When they arrived at Scarecrow Hall the 'Squire was waiting for them. "Good evening, Hornbeam, this way, please. Here is a photo of Rex," said the 'Squire. "Ah, a cross between a bulldog and a greyhound," muttered Hornbeam. "I see it has curly hair. Where and when did you lose him How old is he? What is his sex? And do you know anyone who would like to steal him?"

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"I lost it at the cross-roads at half-past six last Friday evening…she is seven years old, a female, and the man next door keeps dogs for sale," rattled off the 'Squire. Boom had meanwhile brought six large bloodhounds to track the missing dog. After a pair of the dogs had had a sleep, and Boom had had a cup of tea, they set off. The dogs immediately dived through a hedge, crossed a ploughed field, and went off at a trot, along the main road, with Boom and Hornbeam following. Eventually they reached a large building, and on entering it they saw the curly-haired bulldog-greyhound sitting on the 'Squire's knee. "How did you get here?" demanded Hornbeam. "Why, this is Scarecrow Hall," replied the 'Squire, "You have come in the back door, and here is Rex, he has just come back." "Then I must arrest you," thundered Hornbeam. "Arrest me," quavered the 'Squire. "On what charge?" "When I went to the Hall it was the house on the right of the pigsty, and this is the house on the left. I arrest you on a charge of stealing Scarecrow Hall!" A. MARSHALL, 4.A ***

AUNT KATIE'S KORNER DEAR BOYS, At last the spring has come. Tum, tum. Ye buddes are gailye bustynge. They owls do softly hum. Tum, tum. Amid ye branches rustlynge. Pardon the inaccuracy in line 3. "They owls" is Somerset for "Them owls." "Tum, tum," is not really part of the poem, but just to fill up space. The lytle dogges bark. Wuff Wuff. And wagge theire latter endes, And swete doth synge ye larke. Chirrup. And all the welkin rengs (1). (1) "Rengs," old English for "rings" – very old. Ye lambs do frisk adown the mead, In curly, woolly jumpers. Their mammies mumble as they feed Amid the moles'es humpers (2). (2) Primitive Germanic for those little dirt heaps that moles aren't in. My heart is torn alas in twain, And bangs in fits and starts. And left half's fallen for a swain, The right's in Upper Sixth Arts. His eyes are grey and lamp like. His hair is flowing free. O Tim, the jolly hermite, I've lost my heart to thee. My other love doth frown on me. Will ye no hear my song,

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He swots by day vile historie, And nightly plays ping-pong. N.B. – All the characters in the above, except two, are fictitious. You will wonder at me getting all het up over this Spring business, but you see it makes us young again. Having made that confession, I must hurry on to answer all those nice letters you have written me. You are a LOT OF DEARS. Ah, me!!! It took me so long to answer all the personal remarks you sent. But I trust by now you have all got your replies, and that I did not put too many in the wrong envelopes. Don't forget your poor old Aunt is only too pleased to hear from you. She will console you when "lines" fall thick, and rejoice when you miss 'em. One very nice boy is so worried. He tells me that he got on so well with the physical exercises for men on the Wireless on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays that he wanted to do the ladies' exercises on Tuesday and Thursday. Poor, dear, he has written to ask me if they will hurt him at all. Of course not. All that will happen will be that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays he will be Big, Burly, and Buxum(1) when he comes to School, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he will just be Sweet, Winsum, and Coy, and won't that be nice for you all. Thank you for your lovely letter, E. (L.V.A.). I disagree with you about our Cadets. I think they are splendid. Doesn't Mr. S—h look lovely in his regimentals? I know he's only a Colonel, but I'm sure if he goes on looking so handsome they'll be simply obliged to make him a Corporal or something. Oh, do tell me someone, is Mr. Shuttleworth a Brigadier or a Bombardier? I thought a Brigadier was a Naval man who drove a brig. But there, I'm afraid my military vocabulary is not what it used to be. (1) "Buxum," male form of "Buxom." By the way, thank you, Donald, for the kind invitation. Yes, I'll be outside the Regal at 7.15, April 31st. I like the 3/6 seats, if it's all the same to you; not so low-down, you know and, well, if you must, I prefer those chocolates with. the delicious centres. I'm sorry I can't fix an earlier date, but darning the Masters' socks has kept me rather busy lately. Aren't they a heavy-footed lot? but there, perhaps you don't agree. Then, too, I've had so much illness to attend to. I've only just come home from looking at a little boy who had a german(2) measle on his neck; and now I've used my last bit of elastoplast on it. I hope, Donald, my dear, you'll recognise me on April 31st. I'll be wearing a large bunch of pink carnations in my hair, under my hat. I nearly forgot my competition again. Here it is:How far is it from Minehead to London? First Prize - First part in Mr. Hough's choir. Second Prize - Second part. Third Prize - Third part. And so on, until all the parts, the choir, and Mr. Hough are all used up. So long boys, Love from your Respectable Aunt, KATE. (2) Small "g" for "german," Mr. Editor; at least, for the time being. Thank you! *** SOLUTION Jones and Brown had to travel two miles before they met. Their combined rate was 8 m.p.h. Therefore they met ¼ hour after they started. During this ¼ hour the fly travelled continuously at 12 m.p.h. Hence it covered 3 miles.

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Cox, Sons & Co., Ltd., Printers, Minehead and Williton

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