M.G.S. Magazine - July 1956
(After a certain memorable occasion, and with apologies).
Magister-------, many a time and oft
In the Form room you have rated us
About our homework and behaviour.
Still have we borne it with a patient shrug,
For sufferance is the badge of all our Form.
You called us horrible and silly kids
And hit upon our derrieres,
And all for use of Latin which is thine own.
Well then, it now appears you need our help,
Go to, then, you come to us and you say
"Four Alpha, I would have your brains:" you say so,
You, that did engrave your Latin on our hearts
And foot us as you do Three Alpha curs
Over your threshold—Latin is your suit.
What should we say? Should we not say
"Hath Four Alpha brains? Is it possible
Four Alpha could have four and thirty brain pans?"
Or shall we bend low and in bondman's key
With bated breath, and simpering humbleness,
Say this:
"Fair Sir, you gave us parts last Wednesday,
Another time you called us bad, and for these courtesies
We'll lend you all our brains."
I had a passport—ready for a trip that had been cancelled—and a little money so I set out with the intention of visiting my uncle in Gibraltar.
Two days later I landed in Calais with £5 in francs and £5 in pesetas and a visa for Spain. My French, a little rusty after six years, became fluent very quickly. It was a pleasant walk from 'Maritirie' to the 'Ville' of Calais. Thence to St. Omer in a medical student's car and on to St. Pol. Here I visited a boyhood friend in the locality with whom I had exchanged visits.
Next morning I took leave of him and travelling 'à l'autostop' arrived in Paris from where I took the train to Dijon. At 2 a.m. this was not the best place to be in but a haystack supplied the answer.
A strong sun awoke me next morning and I was amused to find myself in the middle of a farmyard in which the work was going on as usual. I retired as gracefully as possible and continued through the wine country, on the banks of the Saone, to a fine lunch in Macon, then down the Rhone Valley to Avignon where I slept on the river bank by 'le pont d' Avignon.'
A river boat aroused me quite early, so I spent most of the morning sightseeing and taking photographs. Being Sunday there was little traffic on the roads but walking towards Nimes a French nobleman stopped and invited me to lunch with his family at their country villa near Remoulins. Afterwards they took me to see the Roman aqueduct, 'pent du Card' and the pre-historic grottos nearby.
The following morning they took me as far as Menies. Soon the snowcapped peaks of the Pyrenees became visible. I pressed on hoping to find myself in Spain that night. A German motorist helped me to reach the mountainous frontier from Perpigan and set me down at Gerona, the first large town where I put up at an hotel.
The scenery merited colour photography and the first exposure was made in Barcelona the following mid-day. Just beyond Barcelona it began to grow dark and there being no 'posada' at which to stay the night a kindly Catalan took me into his home and treated me like a son.
Leaving these friends I had a hair-raising ride through rough, mountainous country to Zaragoza. Another short ride brought me to La Miela (a milestone) where I had the usual meal and bottle of wine, bed and breakfast—for seven and sixpence!
A mixture of French, Italian and Latin, resulted in quite a bright conversation with a water carrier next morning on the road to Madrid. A tooth-paste van carried me the rest of the way, but with breakdowns we did not reach Madrid until evening. As the Easter celebrations started the next day (Good Friday) I decided to take a train the same evening for Algeciras in the South. Sight-seeing was therefore limited to the view from the taxi.
By noon the next day a companion, Czech by birth, and fluent in fifteen languages, advised me to get off the train at San Rogue, the nearest point to Gibraltar.
A taxi and half-a-crown settled the transport question to La Linea. From the customs here across to the British customs a small 'bus took us to the Spanish-faced 'bobies'. I arrived 'chez mon oncle' just in time for lunch!
The year 1956 is a milestone in the life of the Mirfield Old Grammarians. This year, at the Annual Reunion to be held in September 22nd, 1956, we celebrate our 21st Birthday and we should like to see a record number of Old Grammarians, of all ages, from far and near, at this celebration. Having survived for 21 years we do hope that the Association will go on from strength to strength with even larger membership as the years go by. This depends entirely on you— ALL OF YOU— if you are members, by renewing your membership each year and if you are not already members by joining the Association now. By doing this and by giving your loyal support to the Mirfield Old Grammarians whenever you can, you can and will ensure that we shall go on for all time as such an Association should.
As all members should know, the Objects of the Association are:— "The bringing together of Former Pupils of Mirfield Grammar School for the furtherance of Personal Friendships and the Interests and Prosperity of the School." To this end we have, from time to time, given things to our school and, to mark our 21st Anniversary, the committee has decided that we should make a gift to the school, worthy of this important occasion. By the time you read this Magazine, an appeal will have been launched by our President for this year, Miss E. M. Young, a stalwart of Mirfield Grammar School, well known to most of you. If you have not already contributed to this Anniversary Fund would you like to do so now? —any donation large or small will be most welcome.
May our Association prosper and may its membership increase, may we by our efforts achieve even greater things in the future— to quote one of Miss Conyer's favourites from Browning— "A man's reach must exceed his grasp or what's a heaven for?"
President: Miss E. M. Young
Life Vice-Presidents:
Miss H. Conyers, Miss M. E. Todd, Miss E. M. Young,
C. C. Bracewell, Esq.
Vice-Presidents:
F. Brearley, Esq., H. Brook, Esq., S. W. Evans, Esq.,
H. Jessop, Esq., W. Hepworth, Esq., H. Lawes, Esq.,
J. Martindale, Esq., W. S. McLauchlin, Esq.
Hon. Secretary: Miss M. L. Sheard
Hon Treasurer: Mrs. M. E. Jessop
General Committee:
Mrs. D. W. James, Miss M. R. Jeffery, Miss N. Hardy,
Miss S. M. Kilner, Miss M. Stead, Miss M. Sheard, G. D. Barrowclough, Esq.,
J. Butler, Esq., B. G. Kaye, Esq., J. Hampshire, Esq.,
M. Storey, Esq., H. Walker, Esq.
8 Brewery Street
Pembroke Dock
1st June, 1956
Dear Old Grammarians,
It is with sincere pleasure that I send you greetings through the School Magazine. I hope that very many of you still read it with the same pleasure as mine. I must admit (pace the Editor and Contributions) that I always turn first to the news of the Mirfield Old Grammarians, which I read and re-read, and then turn, in more leisurely fashion, to learn something of what the School has been and is doing.
There is a special message which I want to pass on to you. We are celebrating this year on September 22nd, at the Annual Reunion and Dinner, the 21st Anniversary of the founding of the Mirfield Old Grammarians. Will all those of you who read this notice, come along and make this a memorable occasion in the history of our Association? You will be sure to meet someone from your own Form and have a happy time talking over "the happiest days of your life." DO COME. I am looking forward to meeting you all again at this very special function in September.
Yours very cordially,
E. M. Young
President of the Mirfield old Grammarians for 1956
Denechild
Castleton
Whitby
Yorks.
1st June, 1956
Dear Editor,
I am glad to send congratulations to the "Old Grammarians" 21st birthday; I have not missed many of the Annual Dinners since the first one in old School Hall (now the Library) in 1936 (if that is the correct date) and although travelling is not for me so easy as it used to be the welcome I always get makes any difficulty well worth overcoming. Feel old? —that is inevitable when the 'little boy' you knew in Form II "X" years ago, brings up his tall daughter to introduce to you and tells you she is now going to the University. I hope that very many of you will try to attend this year's dinner— the further back you go— the better you are remembered. Every so often however an old pupil turns up and that is a great joy. As you get older you only remember the pleasant things of your 'School-marm' days and if you had occasions for scolding they are "Old forgotten far off things of battles of long ago." I look forward to seeing you as I live a rather lonely life being, even after all these years, still a "foreigner" in the village of my adoption. If you know Leo Walmsley's books about "Bramblewick" he gives you a gruesome— albeit very true— picture of the way strangers are treated in these lovely villages "between the heather and the sea." If you tax the natives— they of course deny the truth of these assertions. You must live amongst them to realise it. I often listen to the schools' programmes on the air and wish that I could still have a few lessons with those VIth Forms who were my favourites—as after all these years I may admit. I wish all the present "VIth" the best of luck in their examinations— you cannot command success but you can deserve it and ask any old VIth former of mine for my favourite Browning quotation.
Hoping to see many of you in September,
I am,
Very truly yours,
Hilda Conyers
Births, Marriages and Deaths
BIRTHS
IREDALE—To Mr. and Mrs. P. Iredale, twins, a boy and a girl, on August, 17th, 1955
EDK1NS—To Mr. and Mrs. A. Edkins (Margaret Ingham), a daughter Anne Kathryn, on August 31st, 1955.
LLOYD—To Mr. and Mrs. J. Lloyd (Connie Griffiths), a son, Richard, on Sept. 27th, 1955.
BROOKE—To Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Brooke, a daughter, Hilary, on November 16th, 1955.
HODGSON—To Mr. and Mrs. P. Hodgson (Christine Holt), a daughter, Diane Elizabeth on December 17th, 1955.
WILD—To Mr. and Mrs. E. Wild, a son, Michael Piers, on January 19th, 1956.
LONGSTAFF—To Mr. and Mrs. B. Longstaff, a daughter, Susan Mary, on Jan. 21st, 1956.
WOOLNOUGH—To Mr. and Mrs. B. Woolnough (Sylvia Lawton), a daughter, Alison Mary, on February 14th, 1956.
HODGE—To Mr. and Mrs. S. Hodge, a son, Charles Anthony, on March 6th, 1956.
GARNETT—To Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Garnett, a daughter, on March 20th, 1956.
CHANDLER—To Mr. and Mrs. J. Chandler (Evelyn Boothroyd), a son, Andrew Richard on April 17th, 1956.
ROBERTS—To Mr. and Mrs. W. Roberts (Kathleen Milner), a son, Stephen, on April 23rd, 1956.
ATKINSON—To Mr. and Mrs. D. Atkinson (Bessie Kershaw), a son, on May 31st, 1956.
MARRIAGES
FRANK-PRICE—Alan Frank and Gabrielle W. Price, on Tuly 23rd, 1955.
BURFIELD-UNSWORTH—Rex C. Burfield and Margaret E. Unsworth, on July 30th, 1955.
WILD-BARKER—C. Leslie Wild and Mavis D. Barker, on August 20th, 1955.
BROSCOMBE-GIBSON—Trevor Broscombe and Iris Gibson, on August 27th, 1955.
WRIST-HARLEY—Peter E. Wrist and Mirabelle Harley on September 3rd, 1955.
SYKES-EDDISON—Gerald S. Sykes and Shirley Eddison, on September 3rd, 1955.
HIRST-AUDSLEY—Derek Hirst and Evelyn M. Audsley, on September 3rd, 1955.
BARKER-BOOTH—Norris B. Barker and Freda Booth, on September 3rd, 1955.
BARRY-LLOYD—James F. Barry and Sheila Lloyd, on October 15th, 1955.
ROBINSON-CHADWICK—Peter Robinson and Pamela Chadwick. October, 1955
WALKER-FARNELL—Jeffrey Walker and Janet E. Farnell, on December 20th, 1955.
BURROW-HALL—Ronald Burrow and Jean F. Hall, on December 24th, 1955.
WILKINSON-JACKSON—George B. Wilkinson and Patricia Jackson, on Dec. 31st, 1955.
SINCLAIR-COUPLAND—Robert Sinclair and Betty Coupland, on March 10th, 1956.
BROOKE-DYSON—Gordon N. Brooke and Patricia E. Dyson, on March 12th, 1956.
ASHTON-RICHARDSON—Donald Ashton and Betty Richardson on March 17th, 1956.
KNIGHT-HOWELLS—James Knight and Sheila Howells, on March 24th, 1956.
SENIOR-SMITH—John Richard Senior and Pamela Smith, on April 2nd, 1956.
DIXON-HUDSON—Derek Dixon and Patricia Hudson, on April 3rd. 1956.
BARROWCLOUGH-ELLUL—G. Derek Barrowclough and Rosanna Ellul on April. 4th, 1956
STEPHENSON-HIRST— Eric M. Stephenson and Patricia M. Hirst, on May 1st, 1956.
CROWE-ROBERTSON—W. Norris Crowe and Maureen Robertson, on May 19th, 1956.
BROOKS-DYSON—Richard P. Brooks and Margaret Dyson, on May 28th, 1956.
MILNER-SWIFT— Robert J. Milner and Brenda Swift, on June 9th, 1956.
TURNER-HARTLEY—Reginald Turner and Vivian Hartley, on June 12th, 1956.
We regret the following omission in the last issue of the Magazine:
HALL-WRIST—David W. Hall and Rachel E. Wrist, on January 1st, 1955.
DEATH