St. Michael's College Magazine Hitchin

Volllllle xxx , N111T1 hel 7. . SUllImer, 195r;

EDITORIAL

T HE quietest steam-roller on record we called her. She was probably the quieter for not being run on steam. She was a good quiet colour too; Cambridge blue, sign

of the town of her provenance. The finishing touches were being given to a long year's work on the new e xtensions and olterations. As our pet monster rolled to and fro we ieJt thal here months of labour and transformation were heing pressp.d in 10 become part of the life of the College.

Prosaic as a list of the new works may seem- new wood work room, showers, sanitary block, changing-rooms, locker­rooms- -such developments mean much to the boy who will spend his waking hours (not to say years) in the College Half an acre of tarmac will hardly send a " man of the world" into ecstasies; so many of us take for granted the vast ribbons of road and runway which are the arteries of commerce. Bul our half-acre means countless ball-games when the field is wet, it means the glorious scent of tar when the sun warms it, il means (though mum's the word) much- watching from class 100D! windows as the heol -haze rises frol1l it heckoninq li S

Ic) p lay.

Why wax wordy? This might be named a schoolboy fantasy. Yet beneath the Ilow of dreamy prattle one may detect, if one has the ear for it, a note of pride and of vision.

, Few know the real depth of sentiment in the careless phrase, " Not sll ch (J hml old plm:e yO\l know

f'lSHER HOUSE NOTES

ALTHUUGH lhis year we have nol beell ::;u lur lunule ClS

in previous years we have endeavoured to maintuin the high standards of the past.

The House-points position has improved; hardly any lost points are ~anded in now. The deficit of the Christmas term is slowly being made up. As usual Craigen and McCarten of Form IV are helping to make up our total, and Form II as a whole are working hard.

In the Football League and Cup we came second . TII(~ I::;l XI won both its Cup matches, but competition was un­iortunately too stiff for the Under 14t XI.

What the Juniors lost in football they gained in the cross country by winning the Junior race. Bourke ran extremely well to come in a very close second to Rudd. .

The Inter-House Athletics trophy was carried off by FisheJ IlJi ::; year. The high-jump was an all-Fisher event, the Isl, 2nd and 3rd places being taken by members of the House. M. Lynagh won by jumping 4ft. lOins. Other grand individual efforts were made by Browne in the Seniors, Stary in the Intermediates, and Atkinson ii in the Juniors. Barley also did extremel y well in the Junior sprints, with I st prize in both the I [JO and 22[J yds. Since then Stary has represented North l-ierts for the discus and high jump in the County trials.

Browne is the captain of school cricket, and other mem bers of the House in the School 1st XI are Mitchell i and Mooney, with Leeder putting in occasional appearances, and Stary playing for either the 1st or Under 14t XI, where he is joined by Bourke and Gavin.

In the non-::;porting field Fisher gained 2nd place in the Hobbies Exhibition. T!1is year it was a trial event but we hope that it becomes an annual event, and on behalf of the House wish Fr. Peter bigger and better Exhibitions.

We are looking forward to fresh uchlevements for Fisher ill the following academic and sporting year and wish the llIembers of the House taking G.C .E. this year every success.

A. LEEDEK (Captain). L HOMAN (V ice-Captuin) .

MORE HOUSE NOTES

NOT an outstanding year as far as More House is con­cerned, but we have scored successes on one or two occasions. Our Third Eleven was the most successful;

among the outstanding players were Patterson, Jones, Mason, and the goalkeeper, O'Leary ii; of these, the first three have represented the School. The Second Eleven tried very hard, notably O'Connor, Smith, O'Leary i, and Magillo who, J~ seems had never played football in his life before. What marred the Second Eleven's chances was the reluctance of some to repre­sent their House on the field, though they were quite good players. Our First Eleven did not do too badly, for in it were four School Eleven players, Lukaszewicz, Smyth, Butler, and Thomas, the goalkeeper who, at times, played very well. However, we look forward to future years, for we have some very promising juniors.

A true More House spirit could be seen in the cross-coun­try, for Howitt and Rudd gained first places in the Senior and Junior events, and in the final points total we were less than a half dozen behind Stone ('twas the stragglers).

The gaining of House points seems to have been left to an immortal few, in particular, Buckel, who already at the time of going to press has gained forty-five House-points. But, it would be wrong for me to say that only one dr two do the work, for on the whole, everyone has tried fairly hc:ird, and if some diverted their efforts from losing House-points to gain­ing them, we would be in a very comfortable position.

The Hobbies Competition was off to a flying start, and though we came last, it was perhaps that we lacked quantity rather than quality. Those who made efforts to exhibit their particular hobbies are to be commended. Jbhn Howitt's en­couraging appeal for entries must have stirred many a mem­ber's heart.

On Sports Day our Juniors again showed up quite well, and to mention one or two, Salter and Patterson. We won the Inter-House relay, by what must have been the thickness of Butler's running vest. Thomas beat the School record for the 440 yds., in what has been the fastest time in the County this year. It is unlikely that there will be an Inter-House cricket competition, though we would certainly stand a very good chance if there were (no remarks from Fisher or Stone who deign to read this page). There is no tennis on the School courts this year, nor has there been any table-tennis. So, finally, T down my pen with hopeful heart for the coming 'i ar J. A. SMYTH (CoI->tainl

-3

STONE HOUSE NOTES

OUR success in the House points battle during the Christ­mas term was continued-for we won the contest again last term with a more substantial margin. With

only a month of the present term left we are well placed for top House for_ the whole year.

The Easter term saw the finish of the soccer season and with it the Inter House Football competition-which Stone won. It was a well earned victory in which all three teams played well.

The House cup for sports left home on sports day (the oldest surviving pupil cannot remember when Stone first won the cup) but all who entered for events tried hard to win them. In spite of certain miscalculations individuals in the House ran very _ w,ell indeed. W ~ congratulate the winning House.

Following our own example in gaining the Cardinal , Griffin cup we were the first winners of the newly established Hobbies competition. The trophy, a shield, was made by two Stone members. Our thanks go to Diamond for his successful organisation of Stone's entry.

Finally I wish both the Houses and my successor every good wish for the future .

G_ JEA VONS CHouse Captain)

SCHOOL CHRONICLE FOR EASTER TERM, 1956

January:

Mon. 9th: Boarders return _bringing with them a cute little rag -doll mascot for the 1 st XI.

Tues. 10th: Class starts with snow and slush everywhere. Snowballing is rife. Fr. Peter goes into hospital. (No Connection).

Wed. 11th: It has rained hard I but there is enough snow about to make one walk warily round corners.

Thurs. 12th: Fr. Richard's Riot of Raffles. Proceeds in aid of the Chapel Fund. The first of many boxes of chocolates goes to Fr. Philip.

Fri. 13th:

Sat. 14th

Tues . 17th:

Thurs. 19th :

Sat. 21s t:

Sun. 22nd:

Mon. 23rd :

Tues 24th :

Wed . 25th:

Thurs. 26 th :

Fr. Bonaventure is 70 years old (or young) to ­day. A lucky day for somebody obviously.

Holes in the floor of the Common-room. Some member of the Vth or VIth is cut out for an oil ­boring career.

Fr. Kevin Fox, A.A., superior of Walsworth House and beloved teacher at the College, died at 3.50 p.m. to-day.

Low Mass in the Parish Church offered by Rev. Fr. Austin Treamer, in the presence of the whole School for the repose of the soul of Fr. Kevin .

Fr. Kevin's burial-service. Representatives of the College attended at the grave-side. R.I .P.

It seems that our Scouts motto is " better late (for tea) than never. "

Visiting Fr. Bernard put his foot in it yesterday. In what? In wet concrete! We thought he had already left his mark on the School .

Round and round the dorm my b()ys. Round and round it goes, If you can't guess what it is, Ask Fr. Gerard- he knows. (Clue-as clear as crystal) .

French class quotable quote, Wrong-chetti ."

Fr. Richard goes to the bank to see the Chapel Fund amounts to now. raffles it should have gone up in ban-bans.

" You're

how much After four leaps and

f'ri : 27th: Modernising Knox? "And the gate of Hell shall not prevail ... " Is it safe to go out? Some boys think so and get as far qs Letchworth where" A Murder has been Arranged."

Sat. 28th: A new invention. On Saturday mornings we now " Get a potato clock. "

Mon. 30th: Form V extra French. " Haut les mains" means " Halt the train. "

Tues. 31st: Inquiry in the Hall. Who's taken the hammer? Nobody saw? That's a chisel. Can't nail it down (Planfl?) .

February:

Wed. 1st:

Thurs: 2nd:

Hard frost. Fr. Gerard on a sliding-scale on the tennis-courts. Frosted glass in the dormitories? No, frozen glass.

Fri . 3rd: Hair-cuts here, hair-cuts there, Hair-cuts, Hair-cuts everywhere, Lynagh, Stary, Browne and Homan, Is this a good weather omen?

Sat. 4th: Last day of the freeze-up. At last we can resume throwing stones in the workmen's water-tank.

Mon. 6th: Order-' The School must mount the stairs one by one." O'Regan, H Who supplies the saddles?" (disorder) .

Tues. 7th: Tramp, shuffle, tramp. Vth Form up the stair­case, H Walking to rule."

Wed. 8 th: Mason and Crew -Gee have a haircu 1. They also have a scrap. This is called going at one another Bald-headed.

Thurs. 9th: Vth Form art-group go to Letchworth to see an exhibition of art. They remain unimpressed by the impressionists and consider the cubists \\ squares,"

Fri. 10th: Afternoon ranks-H The bus leaves at 9.0 a.m. anyone coming after that time will miss it."

Sat. 11 th: Choir sings Mass at the, Carmelite Convent for a jubilarian. By all accounts she was very pleased. So was Fr. Philip ..

Mon . 13th: 'Flu casualties are increasing. Several are transported to the Infirmary. A case of flying bed-steads.

Tues. 14th : Boarders and a few day boys take the Shrove Tuesday half-term to go to Lakenheath Ameri ­can flying base. Fr. Sebastian conducts the tour. Before we started we waited half-an­hour while Debenham donated a gallon of blood. (Paying through the nose?)

Wed. 15th: Imposition of ashes. Lent begins. Thurs' 16th ' Exams: b eg in (see above)

8

FJI . 1/111. 20 hoes, ' 1 mus t wash m y shelf p roperly" ( My boy, flat-top!)

Sat. 18th: Snow and films . "Tiger in the Sky "- Some of

Mon: 20th:

Tues. 21st:

Wed. 22nd:

Fri . 24th: Mon. 27th:

Wed. 29th:

March:

the prep. boarders quite expected to see Teear zooming about. Senior examinees rudely awakened by alarm playing false. FT. Bonaventure puts a firm hand on it. But it still works. ' Halt! Major road-races ahead. And with Beard on the sledge there 's nothing to be seen but snow-spray. A White Father gives us a film -show about missionaries. More White Fathers? No, it's snowed again. Extra classes after tea for Vth. A" pash" for maths. Everyone is " craning " his neck to see the new machine on the Sc hool field. A mechanical drag (ger) .

Thurs. 1st: The hunt IS up. Another Ariel bites the dus t.

Fri. 2nd: His Holiness the Pope's 80th birthday. We cele-brate with a football match. Day-boys and Boarders. The latter win 3-0. Benediction follows in the Parish Church. "God Bless our Pope."

Sat. 3rd: 1st XI won 5-1. Thanks to the strong-voiced support of Fr. Philip. The goal-keeper" teed­off " from a different mole-hill every time.

Sun. 4th: The sun comes out-so do the boarders. Foot-ball, Ring-the-Stick on the New Field. Cross­country (walk-up! walk-up!) . Harding tries an out of season dive from a Stout Transporter.

Mon. 5th: A Staff meeting, must be a stick-y affair for the Mast-ers. (Fr. Sebastian please note. 3 puns in one sentence and sustained at that! Influence of Canterbury Tales?)

Wed. 7th: Stary wants to know how many feet there are in a square foot. All depends whose feet!

7

Fli. g tlt . Gambling m History class? Fr, RogeJ, we ure surprised! No, just having a " lottery" for a test. Anybody want my ticket?

Mon, 12th: Gudgeon loses his blazer, " Was it marked?" " No, but the coat-hanger was,"

Wed, 14th: "Oh lor! It's kipper night" we sigh, But stay, what is't that meets the eye? For every lad a piping hot meat-pie!

(after Sweeney Todd) . Thurs , 15th: Well-thumbed catechisms take a final frenzied

battering. Fri, 16th: X,D, exam, followed by a half-holiday for the

Vth Form, A clear case of Innocents Abroad, Mon, 18th: Fr, Roger's feast-day, Whole holiday, Glorious

day, A general amnesty is proclaimed. What can we get up to next?

Thurs , 22nd: Seniors (what again?) go to Letchworth for a film-strip lecture on " Wild America," Alianac returns furious. " Nothing but a lot of old birds," Well, the Indians must have got their feathers

from somewhere. Fn .

Sa l.

Mon: Tues.

23rd:

26th

26th: 27th:

Large party goes to see Gerard Verrill taking the name part in "The Winslow Boy" at the Town Hall. Enjoyed by all concerned. Of course it rains on our Cross Country run , Howitt steams in first for the Seniors, Plucky Rudd is champion of the Juniors, Pandemonium, Packing, " Home, James, and don't spare the 9, 17."

CRICKET REPORT

Hitchin Grammar School. away. S.M.C. 35. H.G.S. 36 for O. SI. Christopher 's, away. S.M.C. 37. SI. Christopher's 95 for 5. Becket School, home. S.M.C. 36. Becket School 37 for 5. Luton Grammar School. home. S .M.C. 45, L.G.S. 47 for 3. Hitchin Police, home. S.M.C. 82. Police 83 for 9. Sherrardswood, away. Sherrardswood 18. S.M.C. 19 for 1. Letchworth Grammar School. away. L.G.S. 104 for 5 declared.

S.M.C. 33. Letchworth Grammar School, home. S.M.C. 62 . L.G.S . 48 . Old Boys Match. Past 53, Present 43 . N. Herts Police, home. S.M.C. 63 for 3. Police 59.

A few fixtures remain still to be played. Not a particularly brilliant season this. Our 1st XI was

almost completely new. Tarran, for instance, was a late dis­covery as wicket-keeper. With more experience lower down in the School he would have been absolutely impregnable this year. As it was he did very well this term. The bowling maintained a brisk pace throughout, though accuracy is a question of long practice, again a matter for the earlier years. The team spirit was there all the while; no small factor in the shaping of sportsmen. Even in the most hopeless of positions matches were played to the bitter end- and without bitterness.

As always the Junior XI shows great promise. There are several nice bats, a good keeper, and one or two vicious bowlers. No names at present for we expect them to have the next Summer issue to themselves. All we do now is to exhort them to vigorous training for next season. The New Field is being opened up even wider. More power (and room) to your elbows.

INTER-HOUSE HOBBIES COMPETITION

THE /irs t Hobbies Exhibition was held this teml, and in view of its success it is hoped that it will become an annual affair. Remarkable talent was shown in the

posters announcing the exhibition on the House notice boards, forcefully urging boys to bring their hobbies. Up to the last moment mysterious objects were making their appearance in the art room .

9

A great variety oi hobbies were on display, including a tortoise, stamp albums, cigarette cards, a steam engine, p hotography apparatus, an astro compass, a home-made one valve radio set, and even a cake.

A home made wooden shield was contributed by Stone House bearing the School badge in pewter. The pewter work was w ell executed by Macnamara of the third form .

The judges, Fr. Gerard and Mr. Mortimer, proclmmed Stone House the winner, and Fr. Roger presented the trophy in the hall.

J. DIAMOND (Organiser for Stone House) .

HORSE RIDING

ENTHUSIASM on the part of C. (Clop Clop) Hoefkens nas led to the formation of a horse riding club at the College. So far it has been a great success. There are already

eight of us-B. Smith, C. Kotowski, C. Salter, Boxall i and ii, and Moron, besides the instigator and the writer. We are gently chaffed about our hacking jackets and jodhpurs, but we grin and bear it. We so look forward to our weekly canter. If the boys have not been in the saddle before, Mr. Cunning ham, the owner of the riding·school stables, takes them into the meadow and gives them lessons. When he thinks they are "road-worthy" they go out under the eye of a more experienced boy or girl. We ride to Charlton and Oughton Head. There are other rides but those are the two favourites. Next year we hope the patter of tiny hooves will increase in volume as more boys join the merry mounted band.

M. CREW -GEE, lIB.

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, LONDON

ON 29th June at 9.00 a.m . our cheerful party set out from school -to the station where we boarded a slow train for King 's Cross. On reaching King 's Cross we went

by Underground to Hyde Park Corner, where we were sorted out into various groups, each group having one of the staff in charge.

We then made our way to the Serpentine through Hyde

]0

Park. Some of us went on the boats in which we showed whether we had inherited the skill of " uncle w~o rowed for Eton." Incidentally, Fr. Peter showed us the right way. Some of the party preferred swimming, and although the water was warm Fr. Gerard was reluctant to join them, but with the aid of Kitchin's hand he was soon splashing (merrily) with the others. The rest of the party were content to sit and laugh at the would-be sailors.

When lunch-time came we went to the open-air restaurant and ate our sandwiches in the grounds . MacNamara said he saw Terry Thomas riding in Rotten Row. After lunch small groups broke away from the main party to go to various places of interest, while the others passed the afternoon pressing buttons, etc. in the Science Museum. At a quarter to five we descended upon Baker Street to visit Madame Tussaud's. Those who did not wish to visit the waxworks went to the News Theatre.

Inside Madame Tussaud's Gudgeon wasn't fooled by the waxworks attendant. In the Hall of Kings there were all the British kings and queens, and in the Hall of Tableaux we goggled at Nelson's death and the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots. Sportsmen and sportswomen included: Drobny, Stanley Matthews, Peter May, Trevor Bailey, Len Hutton and Don Bradman, Bobby Locke and Pat Smythe. In the Chamber of Horrors there were all the tortures used in bygone years including life-size hanging and guillotining ceremonies. Even heads with noses cut off and eyes hanging out did not please the more blood-thirsty of the group.

We finally departed for King's Cross where everyone assembled, and we caught a fast train to Hitchin, where wearily we tumbled out of the train and went our separate ways home. I'm sure all the boys will join with me in thank­inq thp. fothers who moriA it so enjoyable.

I rr.DTr.AN r nrm 111

THE RECORD CLUB

W ITH the help of Fr. Sebastian, the record club has now the most up-to-date equipment which is used with enthusiasm and care by the members. The times of

playing have been extended, to the delight of everyone. N<lturnlly no linlp j :~ wflslpd onc! pvp.ry hrprrk. Ihp ~;jrajn:; (,j

E

music can be heard drifting through the School. The classical section has the privilege of using the

Fathers' long-playing records and does so with eagerness. for there are some fine examples of beautiful music to be had.

The strictly Jazz circle has collected a good forty records of which nearly half are long-players. This has been rather heavy on the pockets. but it only goes to show the true interest in this kind of music. These members have also had the help of a few old boys who kindly lend out their records. As a " visual. aid," our trip to see " The Benny Goodman Story " was ranked very low.

Next term with no School Certificate to sit, the Recorrl Club will again go into full swing .

W , THO MA S, Vth

SPORTS DAY, 26th MAY, 1956

STAGGERED starts were a new feature this year . There were a few staggers at the tape too, but we need hardly say that these were not foreseen. One turn, with its

criss-cross of tracks, became known as Clapham Junction, and it took quite a clear head to negotiate it safely. How­ever we were thankful that the lines were visible at all since rain washed out John Howitt's first three attempts at marking . The sun eventually shone on our efforts .

There were only three milers this year. Sturgess won it, closely followed by Jeavons. Butler was the plucky third . Thomas ran a brilliant and exhausting quarter mile and had the satisfaction of breaking the School record. Sturgess broke the mile record at a later meeting irt the Herts . County trials .

The Challenge Cups were won by Atkinson ii (Junior), Stary (Intermediate), and Schefer (Senior) . Lynagh won the high jump at 4 ft. 11 inches, though he could not have been in top form since he had cleared 5 ft. 3 inches at practice jumps. The Senior House Relay went to the More team, Thomas. Butler, Howitt and O·Connor. Stone won the Junior Relay with its team, Gregory, Franklin i, Rhoderick ii, and Kitahin .

For the first time in eight years the Present won the Tug­of-War, but the Old Boys hit back by winning the Past v. Present relay.

The exciting and enjoyable afternoon ended with the presentation of prizes by the Rev . Fr. Austin Treamer, A.A.

C PAARDEKOOPER Vlh.

l~

lOO yards: Under 12: Under 13: Under 14: Under 15: nndpl 1 G

M. Lynagh sails over to win the Senior event.

SPORTS DAY RESULTS, 1956

Hall, Smith iii, Boxall i. Time or length .

13.2 118 Salter, Brown ii, Atkinson ii .

Barley, Smith ii, Patters on i. Gregory, Franklin ii, O'Connor.

12.4 l?.l

ThcIIJl<J!:i, 1\ tkinf>nll I (J' M( I.hu llF'Y 11 Cl

13

220 yards Under 12: Under 13. Under 14. Under 15: Under 16:

440 yards:

Hall ii, Smith iii, Boxall i. Sze.remata, Atkinson, Salter. Barley, Smith ii, Patterson i. Franklin i, O'Connor, Crew Gee. Schefer, Leeder i, Browne i.

Junior: Paterson, Atkinson ii, Rogers. Inter: Gregory, O'Connor, Davidson. Senior: Thomas, Schefer, Atkinson 1.

880 yards: Inter: O'Connor, Rudd, Gudgeon. Senior: Stutges, Jeavons, Leeder 11.

]I n' .onn,,] wins th . half mill"'

1-!

31.6 31.2 30.2 28.5 26. 4

71. 62.5 58.5

3.33.2 228 .6

MJJe. !::ieJlJuJ. '1111 Lj(;!j , JeUV U JJ:J, J3uli (;J. 0.31.'1 Hig h Jump:

Junior: Donovan and Hucklesby, AlkinsoJJ ii Inter: Story, Kitchin and Mason tie. Senior: Lynagh, Beord, Homan.

3ft. llin. 4ft. 7in. 4ft. lOin.

Long Jump: Junior: Salter, AlkinsOIl ii, DOnUVUJl Inter: Story, Kilchin, Davidson . Senior: Scheler, Browne i, Smylh .

Cricket Ball: Junior: Atkinson ii, Adamson i, Guvin . Inter: Story, Bourke, Hasselt. Senior: Browne, Butler, Schefer.

[)iscus: Inler: Story, Kitchin , Slurges Senior: Beard, Browne, Howilt.

P. V. Schefer at the long jump.

15

131t. 3tin. 14ft. llin 17ft . Iltin

64 yds. 2ft. 4in. 69 yds. 2ft. 2in. 71 yds. 2ft. 2in .

112ft. 99ft. 6in .

llouse Heluy . Junior: Stolle, Mure, 1-'1s iluJ Senior: More, Fisher, Stone.

Consolation: Junior: Hassett, Mason. Senior: Gudgeon, Owen.

Obstacle: Rhoderick ii, Renih n J, llcr se ll . School Relay: Past. Tug of War: Present. Inter-House Trophy:

Fisher 77 pts . More 64 pts. Stone t>8 pts. Inter-Form Cup:

2. 33 .~ 2. 21.9

Form V 41 pts. Form III 3S pts. Form IB 33 pts . Raban Cup, Quarter Mile, Senior. Thomas. Leete Cup, Half Mile, Senior: Sturges. Junior Challenge Cup: Atkinson ii . Inter. Challenge Cup: Stary. Senior Challenge Cup. Schefer. Burns Cup, Mile: Sturges.

SWIMMING

P Tarran was the captain of the lirst team St. Mlchael's has ever entered for the Annual Schools Swimming

• Gala. Competing against eleven other North Herts . schools we showed a steady preference for third place in eight events. In the overall results our 15-18 age group team came third. Fr. Roger was well pleased at this first attempt.

Butler, Craigen, O'Connor and Stary struck out strongly. Our Juniors such as Kotowski. Davis and Miles tried very hard and s;"lOuld shape well for next year.

Swimming is a regular feature of our summer term pro­gramme. From the Prep. School upwards there is a strong band of season-holders; a pointer if ever there was, to greater success in the future .

CONTACTS

The Editor acknowledges the following exchanges: The Mitre; Letchworth Grammar School Magazine; Hitchin

Grammar School Chronicle; St. Christopher's Magazine; The Ratcliffian; Us~aw Magazine; Sherrardswood Magazine.

16

CYCLING NOTES

T J::N boarders brought their "machines " back for the summer term and have made regular trips round the county. On only three occasions did the sun really

beat down on us; though bad weather kept us in only once. Our first ride was a warm one and Arlesey Pits looked

really inviting. The longest ride yet took us thr'ough Stevenage a nd Welwyn- more by accident than design-since we losl our way.

The Preston countryside enchanted us on more than one occasion. We also discovered Deacon Hill near Hexton to be ideal, weather permitting, for sun-bathing and photography.

So as not 10 devote ourselves entirely to Nature-Worship we manage to " take in " a Church or two. Really interesting examples abound in the county. Old Warden has been the most picturesque so far.

We are becoming very proficient in map-reading as we gel to know the beauty spots around Hitchin, but our motto will ever remain the same, " To travel is better than to arrive ."

M. Mc HA TTIE, IrA .

CHESS LEAGUE RESULTS

THJ::SC: battles of wits were fought quif;ltly in odd corners during the last term.

-" Black Knight. "

Division 1: Jackson i. Runner-up, Schefer.

II : Torrance i. Runner-up, Gaskin.

I III: Kitchin. Runner-up, Jac~son ii .

IV : Desmond. Runner-up, Rhoderick ii .

V: Barrett. Runner-up, Hayward ii.

17

At SI. Albans.

JUNIOR CLASSICAL SOCIETY

T HJ::HJ:: huve been no meetings this term, unle~~ yuu CUll

call our outing to SI. Albans a meeting. We certainly learnt m ore there in a day than we can hope to in all

our lectures and debates. . Next Easter a party is going to Rome. For the time being

we have to content ourselves with" Rome at home." Here follow some accounts of our trip.

The Trip to St. Albans

I T wu~ on enjoyable trip into SI. Albans, for It wus 0 ~ullny day, and the countryside was beautiful. In the excite ment the journey went quickly. The first thing we did when we arrived was to visit the

cathedral. The architecture was very interesting. Painted

18

un the wa ll ::; l!1elllselves weJe some plclures. They llaJ wllli s lood time. their colours still showing clearly. There were many galleries leading off the main aisle. It took quite some lime to see the whole cathedral.

We then travelled across some fields to see the remains of the Roman wall. It was still mainly intact, built of stone and mortar. At occasional intervals there were lines of tiles. It was obvious that much had been damaged by interfering sightseers. The next place we visited was the " hypocaust." This was the Roman central heating system. Air was heated in a furnace in another room and travelled through a tunnel, to come up through a vent into the room where the heating was needed. The floor was of mosaic, but the walls of the lunnel had been completely robbed of tiles.

We then visited what we thought was the most interestiny place . The Mus:mm. Here we saw old Roman pottery, knives, nails, bricks, metal dishes, and even the skeletons of two babies found under the floor of a room. Unfortunately, we did not have time to see it all.

Lastly we visited the Verulamium, or Theatre. It was a grass arena, surrounded by terraces of brick. It was well nigh intact.

On the way back we had another look at the cathedral. Altogether it was a very successful day.

B. PEARCE, lA. J. HUCKLESBY, m .

.. Notes on a President's cuff "

Fare 2/ 8d. Thirty boys and Mr. Devereux. Arrived al SI. Albans about 1.30 . . . Bartlett sick on the way .. . Saw Abbey and tomb of England's first martyr . . . Roman Wall . Souvenirs collected (against rules) ... Hypocaust-shower area or Turkish (?) bath ... Roman museum. Two skeletons of children, six to nine years old. Full-scale replica of ancient Rome ... Amphitheatre. Attendant very helpful ... Sandwich lunch. Continuous bartering of spam for tomato and vice versa . .. Afternoon free at boys ' expense . . . Back at College at 7.30 p .m. contented with ourselves, Mr. Devereux and the world.

J. TORRANCE, Form III.

19

SCHOOL CHRONICLE FOR SUMMER TERM. 1 ~:'6

April: Wed.

Thurs. Fri.

Tues.

Wed.

Thurs.

Fri .

Sal.

Sun

Mon.

May:

Tues.

Wed.

Thurs. Fri.

Mon.

18th :

19th 20th:

24th:

25th:

26th:

27th:

28th:

29th

30th:

K. and B. arrive in England. Boarders Illt Hitchin. Hilderbrand breaks his arm. High jinks in Monte Carlo. We begin school Chronicle washed out while Chroniclers wash up. We hear the sad news that Matron los t her husband to-day. RI.P. Gag. There's more in an Eskimo than meets the ice." Boarders learn to play base-ball the American way. thanks to an interested spectator from across the road. " Quo Vadis, Gentlemen?" Bro. Dennis Roberts calfs round for vocations. " More haste less speed," says Vassiliou as he pulls his pyjama trousers over his head. Alianac takes a header off a bicycle. Mudguard trouble. Sports day entry list up. The W orrall twins put themselves down for th e Junior Voi ce Throwing .

1st: " Done your Twelfth Night, Hoefkens?" ,. No, only got as far as number eleven." Boys help Fr. Roger to paint the newly-installed bell Same one as before, only spruced up.

2nd:

3rd: 4th

7th:

A Naval Commander tells us about life in the Navy. Derby Draw launched. "They're off!" Miles is bumped.W ell, the tarmac is being dug up soon anyway. Huck1esby ties Hi1derbrand's tie for him every day. "He will have his little choke."

Wed. 9th Rogation procession before Mass this morning. The Becket School beat us in the Annual Match despite Mooney's "Long Player" tactics.

Th urs. 10th:

:2U

l',i Iltll f\. few JuJ'Juy bomJe, ~ .. tv " the w d C I ut t[IC; baths.

MOll . 14th: Fr. Roger goes mining outside the chapel. A bedraggled man in black conducts nig ht prayers.

Tues. 15th: Brilliant colour in Woodwork room . Sunshine Yellow they call it. (On a ccount of the beams?) We cannot help thinking of canaries. (" Cage

W d . loth :

Thurs. 17 th:

Fri . 18th:

as Cage can "? ). Sports Eliminations illuminating. We think Howitt uses " Jetex " for the long jump. Fr. John suggests that Adams ' tortoise would make

a good mascot for some of our runners. Appetising smell from somewhere. Chocolate wrappers, cheese-labels, chemical concoctions, balsa cement and oil paint. Hobbies Exhibition in the art-room. Prep. Eliminations. A plethora of small three­legged monsters roll on the ground. Upper forms go to see Richard Ill. Whitsun holidays commence .

Mon. 21st: Small boarders who remain go under heavy escort to the Zoo.

Tues. 22nd: O'Connor is here at 7.30 a.m. During the day he spreads malicious rumours about bleary­eyed boarders. " Early bird is watching you."

Wed . 23rd: Trench for a power-cable along the side of the New Field. Gossip has it that next year the cane is to be replaced by the more hygienic electric chair.

Thurs . 24th: If many more boys are " illuminated " we shall he having a bill from the Gas Board.

Fri . 25th: The object of the Cricket Draw- To give Mr. Jones the (paper) slip as - many times as possible.

Sal. 26th: Sports day. Fr. Austin Treamer presents the prizes. Some boarders' lockers look like baronial banqueting tables laid for high tea. (What, no saucers?).

Mon. 28th: College represented in the county athletics trials a t Stevenage. The erstwhile concrete patch re­minds some of the Somme.

21

Tues, 29lh English apprecialion, " The phra::;e ' the walel has an elbow in it," means- Mummy was getting my bath ready," (Chronicler's flight of fancy,) Bue we did have an authentic version - " It has a hair-pin bent in it" (mind those bare feet),

Wed. 30th : 1st XI lost to the Police by 3 runs . We lenl them 45 runs and Franklin,

Thurs. 31st: Corpus Christi, Junior Classical Society and " hangers on " go to St. Albans. A delegation goes to the procession at Roxley Court. Fine weather finds most of us in the baths, Sturges: beat the school mile record at Stevenage by 17! secs,

June;

Fri . 1s t:

Mon, 4th: Tues, 5th:

Wed, 6th:

Thul's. '/th:

Mon. 11th:

Thurs, 14th:

Fn , 15th

Sat. 16th:

Odd medley of authentic Roman Hemuin::; shul fie round the school. We expect the St. Albans Secret Police to pounce at any moment now. Derby draw drawn, " I gotta horse- I think." Author of " The Thirty-nine Steps "7 Victor Sylvester. A colonial agricultural expert gives us an en thralling talk on the Fij i Isles, Among other things we learn that the inhabitants are not known as "Fidgets," Half-term, Boarders leave this evening, Howilt is seen trying to thumb a lift to Cambridge on a blue steam-roller.

A new development in the building programme. A brick-field has sprung up where the concrete was, They are all growing the same way too! Prefects announcement, " Will the prep, boys please stop throwing bricks about. The workers are finding it hard to pick them up, Fr. Ignatius rolls the table with a steam-roller. rE Test team has a cricket ball rolled in the process. Small queue of Seniors outside the sweet-shop. Later there are complaints about munching noises at a Classical Concert.

22

Mon. 18th:

Tues. 19th:

Weu. 20th :

F'ri ??nd:

Sat. f3rd:

Sun. 24th :

Mon. 25th :

Tues. 26th:

Fr. Richard lectures with a film-strip on frogs. " Frogs pawn- Fr. Richard raffles.

Some of tbe new lockers painted red. In future strawberry jam may be spread with impunity . (We always use a knife.)

G.P.O. T.V. interference spotters find that our washing machine is a nuisanoe. We have thought that for years!

Stary proudly displays his vest for Herts. trials with H.27 in big black letters. We think it should be Con. 99. (And the event--stone­breaking.)

Test Match at last. IB all out for 17. lA made 49-all out. Stary comes second in the high jump.

Old Boys ' Match- lost to them by 43 runs.

New bot-water pipe worms its way along the dormitory. Talking of worms- it would make a good earth . Shhhh l

" What IB does does on Saturday, England does on Tuesday." (Lost at Lords.)

Thurs. 28th : Swimming Gala at Hitchin Baths. We carry off seven " thirds," not bad for the first time we have entered.

J ri 29 th : Horde of a hundred invade London. We splash

July: ~'l1n

in the Serpentine and muse round museums. For the ghouls there was blood at Mme. Tussaud's .

1s t· G.c.r::. in a week's time. Chroniclers beat Cl

hasty re treat.

C . PAARDEKOOPER, Vth . W G THO MAS, Vth

A HOLIDA Y WITH SKIS

T HIS Easter I went on a school trip to Norway. There were eighteen of us-seventen boys and our leader, Fr. Peter. We were going to learn to ski.

The place where we stayed was a small mountain c halet. It was the home of our instructor, Mr. Calle Mathiessen. The chalet was called "Cal1ebu"" in other words " the house of Calle."

We began our joumey from King's Cross and had a very long train ride as far as Newcastle. We had no trouble with the customs there, but as I went through I heard one officel say, " There go some little crooks."

The boat was called the s.s. Leda, of the Berqen line. Our cabins were good~but unfortunately we were on the lowest deck where the vibration of the propeller proved a dis turbance to some of us. The voyage of 410 miles lasted two nights and a day. Some of us were sick, o f course, although the crossing was not too rought.

The Leda stopped at Stavanger, where we went on shore for a while . It was good to feel our feet on land again. When the boat left in the evening we still had sixty miles to go to Bergen. We woke next morning in dock. Our pass­ports were checked and we left by train on the last stage of om trip to V oss. In two and a half hours we were there .

Mr. Mathiessen was waiting for us. He packed us into ,two taxis to Callebu, two miles off. Once there we were soon fitted out with skis and boots, and after lunch went for our first lesson. We learnt first of all to ski down-hill without the use of ski-sticks. The slope on which we did our training is a n Olympic Games ski-ing track, complete with slalom, jump u nd ski -lift. It is only two minutes from Callebu.

Thus began a daily routine which did not vary much for the rest of our stay. Fr. Peter said Mass in the lounge- thereby making history. His were the first Masses said in that corner of Norway since the Reformation. ,

Breakfast was at eight o'clock. Ski-ing from ten to half past one. Lunch and rest hour. Then more ski-ing till six; no tea but a high supper. After that we could do as we liked hut could not make too much noise fo r Ih en'~ wrrs Cl rrlnn lh old b,rby in th l"' hou ~;e

2-i

The meals were very different from ours. At breakfast we had porridge, various kinds of sandwiches, milk, tea or coffee. Lunch was nearly the same, but without the porridge. Dinner was a large cooked meal.

We soon learned to ski quite well. Incidentally. we made more history by being the first English visitors to Western Nor­way to learn to ski to music. Imagine the picture- we swooped and swirled against a background of snow and the Beverley Sisters.

One day our instructor took us on an eight-mile cross­country on skis to Mjolfjell. We stopped on the way to record our impressions for the B.B.e. commentator, Mr. W. Latto, who helped us a great deal in the planning of this holiday. F. Renihan and myself both spoke. You may hear the recording during the " Holiday Hour" programmes this summer.

The weather was fine except for three days rain. Normally the sun was very hot. Some boys were confined to barracks with sun-blisters, while in England you were shivering! We all developed a healthy tan.

The whole party made an attempt on the first star test of the Norwegian Ski Association. Fr. Peter and eight boys succeeded. Mr. Mathiessen is acknowledged to be the best coach in Western Norway; he must have been to do anything with us. He was very pleased with our efforts.

We went only twice to the village of Voss. All of u s bought presents-knives, plates, mouth-organs, musical-boxes and suchlike paraphernalia. We had difficulty in packing them all safely for our journey back. "Plates indeed!" said Fr. Peter.

And so the time came for us to leave our mountain paradise. Our journey back was quicker since we did not call in at Stavanger. The sea was rough and some of us, I'm afraid, were not good sailors. We were glad to arrive at Newcastle again and board the train for King's Cross.

Thus ended a wonderful holiday. Next year I hope the College will orqanise another trip to Norway- and I, for om'! , w ill he t hp.fp.

r KfT(;IIfN. r orm If I

26

.. SIC TRANSIT GLORIA POND! "

(LulIlents for that feature of College life which is beiny filled in and levelled as part of the plans for extending

the area of the New Field.)

The Pond was green and small, The trees beside were tall, ' The newts that swam about Accompanied no trout. The cricket balls of bygone dayt; Are hid forever from our gaze, So let us with our sorrow mute Lost balls, lost trees, iost newts salute .

P. RENIHAN I, IB.

The IJoIld, the pond, the 5lulIY POJlJ,

Where newts and frogs did play, Where Prep-boys fished with bended pin, And marvelled at their prey.

The island tree that stood aloft . Full many a lengthy year, Was felled within a too-brief day, And no-one shed a tear.

A last farewell to our dear pond, Fond gathel er of the rains, Though " vital space" must needs be found, Y our memory remains.

H. P. O'NEILL, HA.

THE ROMAN ROAD MARKET

T HE " Roman Road" is long and narrow, thinly p a ved, and badly guttered. Its function in life? Like so many other long narrow roads of London, it is a market place .

The official business days, if one can call them that, are Tues­days, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: But one is sure to find half a dozen stalls in the road at any time of day or night on Clny day of the week.

As early as half past six in the morning, the Roman Road is alive with hurrying people. These are the stall holders, busily erecting their stalls. Barrows are wheeled into place, pieces of wood are hastily knocked together, or pieces of wire hurriedly bent into shape. These form the supports for the many coloured canvas stall tops . In winter a very Heath Robinson electricity system is also erected, enabling the market of Roman Road to continue into the night. This fre ­quently does happen .especially when Christmas or Easter is approaching .

By nine o'clock buying and selling is in full progress. The goods are dispatched with great rapidity by the nimble­fingered hands of the sellers. By then the Roman Road has become an extremely colourful spectacle; a spectacle many times portrayed in the pictures of enthusiastic painters, who sit at the windows in the Roman Road doing their " works of Art." Their main subjects are the stall holders themselves, dressed as they are in brightly coloured and oddly matched clothes, so obviously somebody else 's rejects.

Barrow boys in their old army coats sell their g oods with g reat gusto and most are kept very busy. The less successful o f them try to boost their trade with their bois te rous and un ­melodious voices .

Roman Road is the centre of trade for a larg e number of boys of the poorest class. These urchins come along to the market when school is over (that is if they g o to school a t all). and earn r;noney by selling fruit boxes as firewood , or by running to and fro with cups of tea for the stall holders. These are the most innocent of their activities. Many of them become pick-pockets and goods snatc hers, which more often than not leads them to the juvenile courts, a nd Borstal. This is the sad side of Roman Road life .

28

lJut tile uest thlJlY, III lllY UyllllUll, u Lout the kUlllUll Houd IS the atmosphere, which remains unparalelled anywhere else in the world. It is one of intense activity, with the hurrying scurrying crowds, the hoarsely shouting stallholders, the ever­shifting stream of barrows, the rowdy urchins selling their wood and iIIgotten goods. Yet it is one of intense happiness also. For everyone greets everyone else as a long lost brother. The crowning factor of all is of cou,rse that these people are cockneys, and there is no one like them for creat­ing such a gay busy atmosphere.

M. STURGES, Form V.

Fr. Ignatius and County Award winners, 1956.

2\J

CHARLES THE MAN OF BLOOD

Brave he was and brave he stayed, His fearless face turned up. He sbod upon the black clothed stage To drink a bitter cup.

He laid his head upon the block, Steel glinted in the sun. We heard the sound of crowing cock, A brave man's soul had gone.

T. MASON, Prep. Ill .

THOUGHTS ON GEOGRAPHY

The world is big and complicated In the atlas to-day. With all the towns all over the page, And lines all over the place. It is as bad as counting sheep Looking for a town.

The sea is 'shown as blue as a rule, But a s~ip or two in it would be a help; They did it in the old days, Why not now?

M. PENNELL, Prep. Ill.

30

NATURE STUDY

My favourite study is Nature, With birds I'd like to stay, But every time I go too near, They screech and flyaway.

The flowers are very delicate, With pretty colours gay, But every time the frost doth come, It withers them away.

D. TREDGET, Plep llf

DUCKS

Beautiful comical things Swimming, or curled Their heads beneath white wings, By water cool. Or eating curious things Deep down in glorious mud Beneath the pool.

r HOEY. Prep. TIl

3l

ST. MICHAEL'S COLLEGE BUILDING FUND

DERBY DRAW

(Reslllt,; or. qu o ted from" The Times" o f 'ilh Tllne, 10SfI. Late London Edition)

1st Prize (£50)--Lavandin, won by M. Banks, 21, Conquest Close, Hitchin.

?nd Prize (£25) - Montaval, won by N, Langley, Ass . Electri cs, New Theatre, Cardiff, .

3rd Prize (£10) - Roistar, won by E, M, Mains, 1, Harvard Roa d, Chiswick, W.4,

All other runners drawn take a prize of 10/- each, and were won by:

Miss Catherine Reynolds, of Killester, Dublin (Affiliali on O r'def)

E. Kirkham, of Letchworth. (Al -Mojannah ,)

H. M. Saunders, of Stevenage. (Articulate .)

F. Harding, of Welwyn Garden City, (Alios )

C Bedford, of Lutort (Birso Boy.)

M. A. Cannon, of Hitchin. (Buisson ArdenL)

C F. Davidson, of Luton. (Cash and Couraye.)

A, McCaffrey, of Luton, (Chilham.)

Mrs. Rose Mohan, of Bed.ford. (Full Measure.)

S, Day, of Holwell, Nr. Hitchin. (Gilles de Retz )

p, J. Bollard, of Royston. (Hornbeam ,)

V. Smith, of Hitchin, (Idle Rocks,)

W. Parker, of Rye Park, Hoddesden, (Induna.)

E, H. Madgin, of Stevenage. (King David n,)

M. Doody, of Welwyn Garden City, (Monterey.)

A, Jeffrey, of Drgswell , Welwyn. (Pearl Oroma)

G, Sharpe, of Purwell, Hitchin. (Pirate King.)

K. E. Bass, of Luton. tRoya1 Splendour)

M Gihson. of T .11lon (SarTe Blell )

'32

Miss R. Froggatt, of Camp Hill, Birmingham. (Stephanotis.)

P. Kotowski, of Farcet, Nr. Peterborough. (Stoney Ley.)

H. Dutton, of Hitchin (Tenareze.)

Mrs. M. Cooper, of Ealing, W .S. (Thunderbolt)

Miss Jean Stevens, of Hull. (Nimrod 11.)

The following horses drawn were non-starters:

Ardent Knight. (F. C. Smith, of Henlow.)

Fighter Pilot. (G. F. Ruddock, of Hatfield.)

Goodheart Green. (Mrs. M. Game, of Luton.)

Many thanks to the friends of the College who, by their co-operation, helped us add a tidy sum to the money needed to pay for the good work done this year. You were able to see for yourselves on Open Day how much has been achieved. We have not finished yet. Not by a long chalk . . as the leacher said .

33

NEWS OF OLD BOYS

· BALLERINI.- Public Auditor.

• BOURKE {j .).- Hertford Bank.

· CHICK (H.), '47.- Teaching at London Oratory (Central)

• CURTIS, '53.- Takes the Inter for his articles in Law this luly.

· CLARK (K.).- -Vauxhalls.

-CULL (D. A.).- Married. Involved in an accident with Princess Margaret's chauffeur. His Bond Mini-Car came off worst. He was unhurt.

• GUDGEON.-Colonial Bank at Dusseldorf.

• FORSYTH (G.), '55.- Apprentice Eng ineer. Timkins Rolle! Bearings.

'HALL-FOX, '55.- Agricultural Student. Brought his big boots for Tug of War. (See Fesult.)

,HALL (B. V.).-Murphy Radio; electronics department.

'JAMES (P. J.). '49 .- I.CI ., Supply buying.

'lAMES (R H.). '54.- Apprentice electrical ma inlenonr.e engineer

'KEEGAN, '49.- Elec tronic Engineer at Tab.

• KITCHIN (1.), '55 .- Apprentice Industrial Chemist. Plessy works.

'LUCAS (H.).--Teaching at Willbury schoo l. P 01 her cl i Ad recently. RI.P.

• MASTERSON, '52.- Shipping aqen t for Unilever

'MURPHY (K. E), '49 .- National Service. R.A.F.

,MURPHY (D. M.) .- Lincoln Electric. W.G.e. Married .

'OWEN (S.), '55.- Luton Tec. Science side . RA.F. soon.

'ROBBINS (" Buster " ) - I.e.I. Apprentice electrician.

, 110BSO N 0,) , '55 - Liv &wir f! in Lel chwollh di ~l lri c l GrtnlJ ,'how

34

,: jAIL (D,) /\q1 InillllJul ~uJl e<Jp.. C ll cenc:cGler

, SAIL (Jack).- Emigrated to Australia,

• SMAHT (John) - Wholesale Meat Execulive. LOlldutl

• SALISBURY (M,). - Stevenage New Town Council olfices, Ilwl started a beard when last seen.

' SLATER (E,), '3 1.- Rev , Fr. Gabriel. Attached to Provincial office at Bethnal Green. E,2.

-TAYLOR (E , B,). - Draughtsman at De Havilland. Married ulld two childen,

,TRUMAN (G.) .--N.S, Usually farming.

\ WALACH (F ,).- Now Walace. Murphy Radio. T,V, laboratory assis tant.

--._- - ---------" Timf5" PrintinE J¥orks; 57 Chancery Lane, Retford, Notts .