Knowl County Magazine 1951

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Knowl County Magazine 1951

I was ten when I won my second swimming certificate. I had to swim two lengths breast stroke, two lengths back stoke and to dive into at least five feet of water, this being easy.
There was a judge present named Mr. Berry. Also there were other boys and girls there and I am glad to say that all who went in for the certificate succeeded in passing the tests held at Heckmondwike baths.

One fine day in June, my father and I decided we would put our fish in the pond outside to breed. We lowered the fish into the water and away they swam.
The pond is like a fish without ventral, anal pectoral and dorsal fins. The sides of the pond slope outwards to prevent the frost cracking them. At the deep end is a gorgeous white lily.
The fish we put in were a pair of multi-coloured shubunkins (also some smaller ones) a double tailed fantail, also a web-tail and a cut-tritails. Each night after a hot day, we poured a canful of tap-water into the pond. A week later our efforts were rewarded for we found spawn. We put the eggs (which are about the size of a pin head) in aquaria.
The eggs hatched in about three to five days and the young fish were like pieces of black cotton with nearly transparent flesh round them. When their yolk sack was used up we fed them on infuscria in the morning and fry grain at night.
The youngsters usually get their colour at a year old but ours got theirs at three months.
By now the fish were half an inch long and nearly big enough for selling.
There were also a few goldfish amongst the youngsters. Young goldfish are a brownish-black colour and as they grow up their colour goes red. When they are a half inch long we start feeding them on finely chopped earthworm and daphnia (water flea).

Under the spreading cocoanut tree
The blacksmith played his fiddle
A cocoanut fell from the top of the tree
And parted his hair in the middle

One day in June, Professor English said to me "Jim, I have decided to try to reach Mars now that someone reached the soon last week".
"What gave you that idea?" I gasped.
"Nothing" he said "but I just want to go. That's all. You had better go and think it over."
The next day I said to him "I will go with you, but where are you going to get the rest of the crew?"
"Leave that to me" he replied, "but you must build the space ship and call her Red Flame".
The ship was built in four months and the Professor gathered a crew in two months. In seven months we were ready to depart, but the police would not allow us to go. However the men who had helped us to build the craft, kept them away until we had set the engine at full speed.
When we reached our destination we found that Mars was inhabited and the Martians attacked us with ray guns and paralysing guns but we drove them back with machine guns.
The next day we saw hundreds of flying saucers coming and the Martians fled. When the saucers landed some "batmen" got out. One of them talked toward us and said in pure English, "Why have you come here?"
The Professor replied "We have come to see if there is any Uranium in the land."
The batman said "No there is not, so go back to the earth or you will be destroyed."
That night we got on the 'Red Flame' and went back to earth. When we get back, everyone crowded round us and asked us questions. When we were alone I said to the Professor "I wonder how the 'batmen' learnt to speak English."
The Professor only smiled.

Wendy Andrews.
"Stories from Japan" is a book for boys and girls. There are six different stories. One can get it from the library. Written by F. Tapsell.

John Laverton.
My favourite piece of literature is "Shakleton in the Antarctic" by Sir Ernest Shakleton. This book can be found in the Mirfield library. It is packed with daring adventures and thrilling moments, but sometimes there is disaster. It should interest any boy.

Harry Whiteley.
"Jackanapes" by Mrs Ewell is in our class library. It is interesting and most people like it.

David Schofield.
The book "Ivanhoe" is by Sir Walter Scott. It is very interesting and worth borrowing or buying.

Barbara Home.
"Stories from India" is in the school library. It was written by F. A. Tapsell and makes enjoyable reading.

David Robert Wright.
"The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is about three explorers and one reporter. They ventured to a place where there were prehistoric animals. This book can be found in Mirfield library.

Brenda Eagland.
The book I recommend is "Little Women" by Louise M. Alcott. It has a sad beginning but a happy ending. It is about four girls named "Little women" by their father.

Maureen Stansfield.
I like, a book; called "The tale of Two Mysteries" I find the events in it most interesting. The author is C. Heward.

Terence Fearnley.
"Westwaird Ho" by Charles Kihgsley is a book which I can highly recommend for boys. It is exciting and enthralling.

Kathleen Levin.
"The book I enjoyed was "Wonderful Travels in Wonderful Lands" by E. C. Horniblow. It is about Tom and his uncle Mac. They travel to other lands in an aeroplane and they have a wonderful time.

Roy Middleton.
"Five Weeks in a Balloon" is a story about three men who go up in a balloon. It is most enjoyable to read.

Alan Beaumont.
This book is exciting, thrilling and adventurous. It is "Roof of the World" by Kingsley Foster. This is a book in our library at school.

Michael Batty.
An interesting book is "Martin Rattler" by R.M.Ballantyne. I like this book because it is full of adventure.

Tony Stewart.
A book I can recommend is "Tales of the Time of Cavemen" by Stanley Waterloo. It can be found in the school library.

Brian Thurlow.
The book I like is "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. It is about animals - Rat, Badger, Toad and Weasel.

Michael Bowness.
A book I would choose is "Tom Brown's Schooldays" by Thomas Hughes. This book may be borrowed from Mirfield Library.

John Pinder.
An interesting book to read is "The Castle of Adventure" by Enid Blyton. This book may be found either on the school library or Mirfield. It is about two boys and two girls who get involved in an adventure in a castle and then are rescued by a friend.

David Clegg.
The book I enjoyed most was "Swiss Family Robinson" about a family who land on an island and have adventures. It was written by Wyss, not well known as an author.

Maurice Coop.
My favourite book is "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. It is about an old miser named Scrooge.

David Brook.
"Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell is a book for people who like horses. It tells how one should treat horses. It is in our library.

Kenneth Smith.
One of my favourite bocks is "Just William". It is written by Richmal Crompton and can be found in the children's library down in Mirfield. The book is full of laughable incidents.

Stanley Bowman.
"Top All Book" by John England is an interesting one and should be read by every boy and girl.

Graham Schofield.
"Oliver Twist" is a very interesting book. Charles Dickens wrote it to show how people in workhouses were treated.

I was walking down a country lane when a squirrel darted up a nearby tree. It paused a little to gaze at its surroundings and disappeared into its drey. I scrambled on my hands and knees in the undergrowth and shrubberies to have a closer view of the rare sight.
In its drey could be seen the squirrel's young ones and its "store room". The squeaking of the young squirrels attracted my attention. I started to climb to the squirrels' hiding place only to be rewarded by finding no footholds. The squirrel had certainly used some intelligence.
I contented myself with satisfactory thoughts of what I had seen. I sat down and ate the sandwiches I had brought with me. Joining at intervals Laddie my dog for the mayflies were tickling him. He is a cross between an Alsatian and a collie.
Home was my next intended destination, so while Laddie cross-examined a rabbit burrow, I bent my steps homeward contentedly.

The most poisonous snakes are as follows:
The mamba, the puff adder, (both natives of Africa), the cobra from India and the Malayan King Cobra. There are also poisonous snakes from the New World.
The spitting cobra from South Africa has a queer method of squirting two streams of poison at its victim. If the poison enters the eyes of the unfortunate enemy it will mean temporary blindness. If entering a scratch or scar it will mean instant death.