Stouts Hill Magazine 1968, #27
Contents
Boys who have left, and new boys
The Fete
The Dance
MUSIC
A Report, The Carol Service, Harvest Festival, House Music Competition, Evening Service at Hawkesbury, Westerleigh Visit, The Cheltenham Festival
ACTING
WRITING
Upper Sixth Irregular, IIIa Magazine
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BOYS
Crime Prevention Talk, The Christmas Feast, A New Boy, Preparations for the Fete, Climbing Club, My most exciting home, The R.A.F. Lecture, The Walk for Christian Aid
ACTIVITIES
Association Football, Rugby Football, Cricket, Athletics, Tennis, Swimming, Squash, Sailing, Shooting, Riding, School Gardens, Projects, The Printing Society
MISCELLANEOUS
A Royal Institution Australian Science Scholarship, The Poetry Society, Prizes, A Description of The New Wing, Some Hard Work, The Library, Gifts, Old Boys
Comment
Five of the boys in the Sixth Form have been taking scholarship examinations this year. Robert Mills went to Sherborne, in March, and obtained three Betas, but no award: He then went on to Stowe, with a similar result, but he has obtained one of their special bursaries, based on character and general ability.
Emile Farhi and David Povey went to Malvern. Farhi got an excellent report for his French, but no award; Povey was offered an exhibition, but was allowed (as he was under 13) to try and improve on this at St. Edwards, in May.
Azad Shivdasani went to Harrow in March where he obtained Betas in English and one of the Latin Papers, and an Alpha Beta in the second Maths paper, but unfortunately no award. We think his comprehension of English is improving so rapidly that he should stand a reasonable chance at a later stage. This remark should apply also to Farhi.
In Common Entrance there was a competition between John Charles-Jones and Charles Llewellyn to see who could get the best marks. Llewellyn with an average of 69.7 (Charterhouse) beat Charles-Jones (St. Edwards) by exactly one per cent in the nine ‘A’ papers, and was also a bit ahead in the ‘B’ papers (57 to 53).
Donald Wynn did some good papers for Malvern; Digby Macpherson passed into Pangbourne, Jonathan Hill-Smith into Dean Close and Richard Wilson into Bryanston. Unfortunately Bobby Maidlow was told by Malvern to do the examination again owing to several weak papers.
In the Summer Term David Povey obtained an award at St. Edwards, Oxford; and David Quinn (placed 8th on the scholarship list at Cheltenham) was offered £150 a year, but was unable to take this up and will be trying elsewhere next March.
It was necessary for Crispin Partridge to take an examination earlier than expected. He is a clever boy, but not sufficiently prepared in some subjects to cope with the entrance scholarship at Rendcomb. However, he has won a place and should do well there.
Three of the four Common Entrance candidates in Shell Form were under 13 in April, but they averaged slightly under 60 per cent and were not unduly worried by any of the papers. Naveed Iqbal was considered clever enough by Harrow to be placed in the middle school, where he will probably compete with some of the exhibitioners. The three candidates in Remove Form were also successful, obtaining the sort of pass mark required during the past five years. Rapid changes are now taking place in the curriculum at preparatory schools. Latin is considered a suitable subject for boys who are good at it, but not for everybody. In Languages, a thorough grounding in French (especially orally and with visual aids) is preferred. This can be supplemented later with another modern language. With a rearrangement of the timetable, the time saved (which is astonishingly large over the years) can be given to other subjects; particularly mathematics and science.
These two have had a radical change in method recently. The introduction to science (the first two years of the Nuffield Course) provides essential teaching in preparation for the secondary work, and will soon be a compulsory paper in entrance examinations. The modern approach to mathematics is more interesting to the majority of boys than the old as it seems to provide clearer reasoning and more intelligible methods. Euclid, however, is not entirely forgotten and a systematic and accurate grasp of basic facts is as necessary as ever. Most schools are making an effort to spare sufficient time for hobbies and personal interests. As this magazine shows, we are doing our best to keep as many out-of-school activities going as we can manage.
Stouts Hill, 1935-1968
Mr. and Mrs. Angus began to look for a suitable house for the school in the summer of 1935. Many large houses were carefully examined, including two which are now occupied by well known preparatory schools. They were very pleased to get Stouts Hill, which only had 17 rooms, at a moderate rent. This school is part of a large estate belonging to Miss Olive Lloyd-Baker. She immediately arranged for any necessary alterations and improvements. Time, however, was rather limited, and when the school commenced in September 1935 with about a dozen pupils there were still more than 20 men working on the alterations.
The school grew quickly and was fortunate in having from the first some enthusiastic and competent men and women on the staff. At first the work took place in what is now the Gym. The stables were converted into two classrooms, a squash court and carpenters shop. Then in 1939 a wing, containing a large dormitory and four classrooms, was added. This was followed by two more classrooms and a staff common-room. A swimming pool had already been dug, at small cost, in the garden. Many of the old boys will also remember the ponies, particularly the Shetland Winnie. In those days the school also possessed a few Jersey cows. Later the cow stalls were converted into a shooting range. Much work had been done on the grounds, and games (soccer, rugger, cricket and tennis) began in earnest. Swimming, shooting and riding were also cultivated. There are 30 acres round the house, a small lake for boating and fishing, and the school has the use of 100 acres of woodland, this last was very popular in the early days for “cops and robbers” and riding games.
The building itself (which is partly very old and partly quite old) is ranked as historic because of the “quite old” section, in the style of Horace Walpole. It has an underground passage (with a deep well) within the bounds of the house which is supposed to have led to a chapel. There is a tower at one end, in which former enterprising inhabitants brewed beer. The old part, was sometimes grandly referred to as a hunting lodge belonging to King John, until a discrepency in the dates was discovered.
A pleasant bedroom has been built in the middle section of the tower, and it is hoped that later another can be added at the top.
The work and games began to go quite well, and also acting, music, painting, writing and particularly shooting. There has always been an effort to increase the out of school activities, and these now include printing and sailing.
The changes in the lay-out of the school have recently been extensive, and the house now seems to have most of the things necessary in a prep. school. One of the most important changes of course occurred when it became a Charitable Trust in 1965.
At the end of the summer term, 1969, Mr. and Mrs. Angus will retire from the active administration and this will be chiefly in the hands of Anthony and Susan Cromie, with Anthony Cromie as Headmaster. Mr. Angus may continue to do some teaching.
Mr. and Mrs. Angus have found this house a delightful place to live and work in and they hope very much that their own family, also several hundred boys (and a few girls) and all those who have worked in it, have found it equally pleasant. They like to think that this is just the beginning of its career.
Stouts Hill School Trust Ltd.
Stouts Hill School is now a charitable trust, recognised as efficient by the Secretary of State for Education and Science. It has a board of ten Governors of whom four are from Public Schools. Mr. Crisp (formerly of Marlborough) knows the school well as his son, Richard, was here (1955-60); Mr. Llewellyn (Charterhouse) frequently visits us as his son, David, was here (1960-65); Mr. Lewis (Malvern) has a number of our boys in his House No. 8; Mr. Smith (Denstone) was at Sherborne with Anthony Cromie.
The Chairman, Mr. Gleed, was at Caius College with Mr. Angus, and has been a constant visitor. Mrs. Cullen has had three sons here. Dr. MacArthur also knows the school well, as his son, John, was here from 1954 to 1958. Mr. Wilson was here as a boy from 1942 to 1947. Dr. Huins was for many years the school doctor. We greatly regret that Mr. Milroy finds he has too many commitments to allow him to attend meetings, and has resigned.
The object of the Trust is to provide stability and continuity in the running of the school; and the income and property of the Trust will be devoted solely to achieve this.
Governors
Richard Gleed, Esq., M.A.
S. E. Crisp, Esq., M.A.
Dr. R. S. MacArthur, M.D., D.Obst., R.C.O.G.
Mrs. T. H. Cullen, J.P.
Dr. J. P. Huins, O.B.E., M.R.C.S.
Philip Smith, Esq., M.A.
John Wilson, Esq., B.Sc., A.R.I.C.S.
John Lewis, Esq., M.A.
W. B. J. Llewellyn, Esq., B.Mus.
Secretary: F. C. Penley, Esq., B.A., Ll.B.
Headmaster:: R. W. ANGUS, M.A. (1935 Cambridge) (Maths.)
Deputy Headmaster: A. J. CROMIE, M.A. (1955, Dublin) (History, French)
Member of I.A.P.S.: M. F. KEMP, B.A. (1947, Oxford) (Maths.)
Assistant Masters and Mistresses
T. BIRCHALL, M.A. (1957, Cambridge) (English)
J. L. W. FLOOD, F.R.G.S. (1956, Aldenham), (Science, Geog., Script.)
C. K. PORTER, Diploma d'Etudes Francises (1949-1957) (1968, Poitiers) (French)
J. W. G. BRUCE, B.A., Dip. Ed. (1966, Oxford) (History, English)
T. J. HEMUSS, B.A. (1966, Durham) (Music)
MAJOR A. C. C. DOBSON, M.A. (1967, Cambridge) (Science, Geog.)
C. COLEY (1968, Cheltenham) (English)
G. H. WHITE, B.A. (1968, Birmingham) (Latin, Greek)
Mrs. J. L. W. FLOOD, B.A. (1954, London), (English, French, Script.)
MISS R. BURLINGHAM (1967, Teachers Cert., Bristol) (English, Maths.)
Boys who have left
December, 1967
J. Gibbon — Charterhouse, Shell, Prefect. Rugger XV, Sailing, Printing.
G. Holmes — Clifton, Remove, Prefect. *Soccer XI, *Rugger XV, *Cricket, *Swimming VIII, Tennis VIII.
P. Streat — Wycliffe, Remove. Riding.
P. Davies — Allhallows, Remove. Swimming VIII, Choir, Music, Sailing, Pottery.
N. Ireland — Stowe, Remove. *Soccer XI, *Rugger XV, Cricket XI, X-Country, Squash, Athletics.
R. Blair — Tutor, Remove, Prefect. Rugger XV, Soccer 2nd XI, Cricket 2nd XI, X-Country, Painting, Shooting.
New boys
September, 1967
Matthew Wootton, Simon Murphy, Graham Bell, James Darell, Tim Alsop, Mark Burridge.
Boys who have left
March, 1968
C. Llewellyn — Charterhouse, Shell, Prefect. *Rugger XV, Music, Carpentry, Reading.
J. Charles-Jones — St. Edwards, Oxford, Shell, Prefect. Music, Choir, Shooting, Sailing, Carpentry, *Chess, Printing.
D. Macpherson — Pangbourne, Remove, Head Boy. Soccer 2nd XI (capt.), Rugger XV, Cricket 2nd XI, Swimming VIII, Shooting VIII.
D. Wynn — Malvern, Shell, Prefect. *Soccer XI, Rugger XV, *Cricket XI, *Gym, *Squash, *Tennis IV, *Table-Tennis, *Swimming VIII, Shooting VIII, X-Country, Chess.
R. Wilson — Bryanston, Remove, Prefect. *Soccer XI, Rugger XV, Cricket 2nd XI, Swimming VIII, Tennis, Athletics, Music.
J. Hill-Smith — Dean Close, Remove. Soccer XI, Rugger XV, Cricket XI, Swimming VIII, *Squash.
R. Maidlow — Tutor, Remove, Prefect. *Soccer XI (capt.), *Rugger XV, Cricket XI, *Table-Tennis (capt.), Swimming VIII, *X-Country, Athletics.
E. Farhi — Malvern, Sixth Form, Prefect. Sailing, Table-Tennis, Pottery, Carpentry, Drawing.
A. Shivdasani — Harrow, Sixth Form, Prefect. Rugger 2nd XV, *Chess, Table-Tennis.
New boys
January, 1968
Laurence Robinson, Julian Tytherleigh, Richard Madley, Mark Deakin.
Boys who have left
July, 1968
R. Cullen — Felsted, Shell. Rugger 2nd XV, Cricket 2nd XI, Tennis VIII, Carpentry.
E. Vere-Hodge — K.C.S., Remove. Soccer XI, *Rugger XV, Choir, Painting, Carpentry, Shooting.
A. Marchant — Malvern, Shell. *Shooting VIII, Choir, Music, Carpentry, Sailing.
M. Mills — Stowe, Remove, Prefect. Sailing, Choir, Model Making, Swimming VIII.
P. Everett — Malvern, Remove, Prefect. Soccer XI, Cricket XI, Shooting VIII, Tennis.
N. Iqbal — Harrow, Shell, Head Boy. *Soccer XI, *Rugger XV, *Cricket XI, *Tennis IV, *Riding, *Squash, *Table-Tennis, *Chess, Swimming VIII, Athletics.
D. Povey — Scholar, St. Edward's, Oxford, VI, Prefect. *Cricket XI, Tennis VIII, Choir.
R. Mills — Stowe, VI, Prefect, Choir, Sailing, Printing, Chess.
C. Partridge — Rendcomb, Shell. *Cross-Country, Carpentry, Cricket 2nd XI.
C. Darell — Monkton Combe, Shell Choir, Chess, Cricket 2nd XI.
New boys
May, 1968
Philip Bond, Michael Sanders, Michael Lawson, Colin Richards, Martin Porter, Russell Carson, Jonathan Bisset, Dexter Pryor.
Mr. C. Knight
Mr. Knight joined the school in 1937 and can therefore look back on most of its existence. Several of us have grown up with him here and will continually miss him. Sometimes he has been depressed at the thought that the study of Latin and Greek has gone from the top to the bottom of the academic list. But whatever the situation, his teaching has remained as keen and efficient, as friendly and sympathetic as ever.
He has always liked horses and riding, and here too he has been able to give a great deal of pleasure to a large number of children who might not otherwise have discovered how much they enjoyed it. This too can be said of the shooting which has flourished very efficiently for the whole of the period.
Mr. Knight prefers as little said as possible, but I am sure that he will be glad to know that everything he has done for us here has been sincerely appreciated and that we are hoping to see him here frequently.
Staff changes
We shall greatly miss Lt. Commander Peter Stavely, who has been teaching most of the French here for the past nine years, and very successfully. He has also taken his share of the riding and sailing. It has been a pleasure for staff and boys alike to work with him, and we hope he will continue to be happy and successful and come back frequently to see us. His place has been taken by Kenneth Porter, who was previously here from 1949 to 1957. Mr. Porter took a diploma in French at the University of Poitiers, and has taught languages in both foreign and English schools. We especially welcome him at this time, partly because we know him well, and also because of the growing importance of oral French.
Mr. Kirkus was very ill in his first term here, and as there appeared to be no chance of an early recovery, he left at the end of the term and was successfully replaced for one term by an Old Boy, Richard Annandale who was seeking a university place; he in turn was replaced equally successfully by Adam Price, who has now gone up to Cambridge.
Christopher Coley helped us for the term in the summer of 1967, and has now joined the permanent staff. He was at Cheltenham College, where he obtained ‘A’ levels in three subjects, and is now working for the I.A.P.S. teachers' certificate. He is a keen games' player and has reached a high standard in at least three team games. Graham White obtained a good honours degree in classics, and is also well qualified to help with the games.
The new building
Everyone who uses the new building is delighted with it, and we appreciate very much the gifts and good will which enabled us to have it. Work is now going on in the Playrooms (the stable block classrooms) where boys keep their personal possessions, and various games.
Also a new biology room is being prepared next to the existing science laboratory, and an extra period has been provided for each form in this subject. Donations have been made by various industries for science equipment, and this help too has been greatly appreciated.
The Appeal
The Appeal was launched 2 years ago with a target of £20,000. After the plans had been approved by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Fire Precautions experts had been consulted, and with the economic problems it soon became obvious that the cost could not be less than £24,000 without the furnishings.
The financial problems weighed heavily upon us. There were months when the target just seemed to stand still. Then a day would arrive with one of those little appeal envelopes amongst the post bringing us perhaps a generous covenant, cheque, small donation or a few dollars, but whatever it contained the red line moved and we had fresh hope that the Appeal was not dead.
Once the building had commenced of course the builders had to be paid. As the covenants go on for 7 and 10 years and with tax slow to claim the necessary amount of money was not available. Several parents came to the rescue helping us with this problem by paving fees in advance and we are indeed grateful to them. By July this year we had reached £19,000 and with the magnificent effort on July 20th we raised the last £1,000 required and more.
I can never express what I really want to say but as 1 write these few lines my thoughts and gratitude go out not only to those who have contributed and who are on the Appeal list, but to our great many friends who have sent us gifts of all kinds and worked for us. The help, kindness and enthusiasm everyone has shown during the past 2 years has been overwhelming. I cannot honestly say I have enjoyed the task of begging for the Appeal but this I would not have contemplated if it had not been for my great affection for Stouts Hill and wishing to see the school safe for the future and housed under one roof.
The Appeal is not of course being closed at once because we know there are still a few old boys and parents who have promised to donate and wish to be included. New parents and future parents, whose sons will benefit greatly, may also like to contribute by sending a small donation or covenant. A list of donors has been included here and we would be grateful if you would advise us of any error as this list will finally be recorded in the new wing as a permanent record.
Joan H. Angus
Long list of donors omitted
Stouts Hill Fete — July 20th, 1968
Omitted for the time being
The Dance
Omitted for the time being
The old 11-plus
Sometimes parents wonder what has happened to the old 11-plus examination. As there are now a growing number of comprehensive schools, the examination (in Gloucestershire called “Verbal Reasoning”) is in the nature of a general intelligence test.
Where a selective examination is required, this can be taken (in Gloucestershire, and probably in a number of other counties) at 11-plus or at 13-plus.
For about 15 years at Stouts Hill all boys of the appropriate age have sat the examination. The plan now is for those boys who wish to enter grammar or comprehensive schools to state the fact as early as possible so that the necessary arrangements can be made with the County concerned. All boys at Stouts Hill do an annual National Verbal Reasoning test as this is often helpful for “placing” purposes, and it could of course throw light on any boy's chances of getting into a grammar school should he wish to do so.
Results at Stouts Hill were found recently to resemble the county groupings, with possibly a few more than usual in the upper limits.
Composition fees
It is difficult to find out in general terms how much can be saved by paying a lump sum in advance, but our own insurance brokers say that the return is approximately 5½ per cent per annum net.
Although not high this compares favourably with the rate paid by a Building Society. The attraction depends on the individual tax situation and also on the fact that the single premium is immediately freed from Estate Duty liability. This school, just now, will pay an attractive rate of interest, as the capital sum (although repayable on demand) provides necessary money while covenanted contributions to the new building are coming in. If the school can help parents who are interested either in our own plan, or in the various arrangements that can be made with insurance brokers, we shall be glad to give the necessary details.
The fees may go up during the period, but there is always a hope that no increase will be necessary, providing the School remains full. We are very grateful to those parents who mention our existence to others and thus help to keep the school full.
Music
This year has been very active for both instrumentalists and singers. All the extra-music boys joined in a small concert during the Christmas term, and all played very well. I. Wallace must be congratulated on passing his Grade 1. piano exam last December.
The end-of-term Carol Service was well attended and we sang a few new carols as well as old ones. “Personet Modie” was a particular favourite with boys and grown-ups alike.
During the Easter term everyone worked hard at rehearsals for The King and I the performances were of a high standard and J. Evans as Anna, N. Iqbal as the King and J. Charles-Jones as Lady Thiang excelled themselves in their singing and acting. Most of the little children were members of the Junior Choir, and their singing in the School-Room scene was most enjoyable. The high-light of the evening was Anna and the King dancing the polka.
The Senior Choir during the Summer Term were hard-worked and well deserved their outing to Bristol Museum and the Cathedral, followed by a picnic tea. They gained a certificate at Cheltenham Festival for their singing, and their leader Joey Evans won a silver medal in the Boys' Solo Class for gaining 2nd place out of ten entries. Besides the choir there was quite a contingent of our boys taking part. T. Alsop and N. Charles-Jones played well in their respective piano classes, and among four recorder players C. Sangster earned a certificate.
The Senior Choir sang for two church services; one at Westerleigh for the annual Patronal Festival, which was celebrated by a Festival of Flowers (the decorations in the church being most impressive), and the other at Hawkesbury. The boys were joined on both occasions by some members of the staff who sang the harmony. We must thank and congratulate the ladies and gentlemen for their help and singing, particularly in the anthem which we sang at Hawkesbury.
The annual House Music Competition was held again this term and was adjudicated by Mr. Adams (organist and choirmaster of Dursley Parish Church). All the competitors achieved a meritable standard of performance and the winning house was Panthers.
Throughout the year the school singing has greatly improved and everyone looks forward to the enjoyable hymn-singing sessions on Sunday mornings.
The Carol Service
The Carol Service was held at St. Giles' Church, Uley, in December. The choir was made up of the senior choir and members of the staff. The Junior choir sang two delightful carols by themselves, Mr. Hernuss, who played the organ, had trained the choirs.
The lessons were read by members of the school representing the choir, the prefects and the higher forms, and the rector. Traditional carols were mixed with new ones which made it a very varied and enjoyable service.
Harvest Festival
On Saturday afteroon we laid out the vegetables and fruit and arranged the flowers. Chef had very kindly baked some bread in the shape of loaves and fishes. A boy had grown some marrows and cut them off the plant for the festival. We brought some flowers from our gardens and made posies to put on the piano and on the bible rest. We thought it all looked very good.
Because it was Harvest Festival the choir processed up the aisle singing, which we do not often do. Also we sang an Anthem.
I. Wallace and B. Fitzmaurice
The house music competition
At half-past-two on Thursday afternoon Mr. Cecil Adams arrived to judge our house music competition. A pianist from each house played a piece of music to begin the contest. The Wasp pianist played first and to be candid it was not as good as it could have been. The pianists were reasonably good on the whole, but the recorder players who followed were often weak. Then came the soloists who were very good, especially the Panthers. The soloists were followed by the open round which is a round in which you sing or play an instrument. The Otters' cellist achieved the highest marks in this round and in the whole competition.
Then the choirs from each house sang. The result of the competition was added up wrongly to start with, but it was later discovered that Panthers came first followed by the Kingfishers, followed by Otters and lastly by Wasps.
P. Truell
Music competition
Everyone assembled in the Gym, and the competitors took their places in the choir pews.
First of all it was the piano class, then the recorder class, and then my turn came. I was a little nervous and was glad when I had finished. I thought everyone else played the pieces very well, and I was pleased with my result. The Panthers house won the shield with a fine musical display by their choir.
D. Perks
Evening service at Hawkesbury
On Sunday, July 7, we went to sing at Hawkesbury Church. The church dates from 1200 (approx.) and the walls are bare.
First we had choir practice until about 6.10 pm when we went and changed into our cassocks. The service was Holy Communion with the new prayers.
Some of the staff sang the parts of bass, tenor and alto and we all sang a four-part anthem (unaccompanied), called “Lord, for thy Tender Mercies Sake” by Farrant. The sermon was very good and even Mr. Cromie liked it.
Afterwards we went and had some food up in the vicarage. This consisted of chocolate cakes, sausage rolls, coca-cola, trifle and raspberry mouse for the boys, and dry sherry for the staff.
A. Marchant
Westerleigh visit
We had a nice journey to Westerleigh in the coach. When we arrived everything was set out very well, and there was a strong odour of flowers in the air. The service was very nice and the Archdeacon of Bristol gave the sermon. Afterwards we went to the vicarage and ate all the masters' chocolate cakes. Then we went back to school.
G. Staight
Cheltenham Festival
That day, 1 woke up at 6.30 am to get some practice in. It was not so bad after all as Charles-Jones was coming with me. Sister and Mr. Hemuss were accompanying us. On the way I felt very nervous and not a word was said between us.
On arriving I bought a programme and found that I was number 23 in my class. Time slipped by and soon it came my turn. After two minutes it was all over. How glad I was!
T. Alsop
The choir visit to the Cheltenham Festival
The choir arrived at the town-hall. We were in a class of three schools and we sang “The Knight's Song” and “Yarmouth Fair”. When we arrived we heard that J. Evans with his excellent voice had received a medal for singing “A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea” (he came second). We waited for our turn then we sang our songs without a hitch, except for a slight mistake in “The Knight's Song”. We came 2nd and earned a certificate.
Then we went into a restaurant and had a coca-cola and some biscuits before returning to school.
D. Morgan
The Cheltenham Festival
Six boys went to the Cheltenham Festival of whom 4 played the recorder, and the other two sang. We set off at 8 am. J. Evans and G. Staight sang in the morning, and when they had finished we went to Cheltenham Museum, which was very interesting. Later we visited a milk bar for something to eat, and after wandering through the town had some lunch at a Wimpey Bar.
We played our recorders in the afternoon and G. Sangster gained a certificate by getting 80 marks. J. Evans came second and won a silver medal. The other two were J. Finder and D. Porter.
K. Gretton-Doidge
The King and I
A critic is generally allowed to see the performance only sometimes he gets a preview, but when I drove up to the school and saw a coach full of foreign children and Asians I wondered whether there had been some mistake and it was not after all a performance by the boys of Stouts Hill. So excellent was the make-up that I failed to recognise my own son, and the fair ladies, which I assumed were girls from the local village, turned out to be boys too.
I have nothing but praise for the production of The King and I. For a boys school to even attempt such a popular musical is credit enough, but to incorporate an orchestra of seven pieces, four of the instruments including a trumpet played by the boys, is quite an achievement.
Right from the start when Anna, played by J. Evans, began to sing we realised that we were in for an afternoon's entertainment. Her, or should I say his, singing was delightful and his approach to the part as a rather straight-laced governess was good. We had the right impression of strictness tempered by love and kindness, which became all too obvious when playing with the children and later with the King in the bed-chamber scene near the end.
The King was most aptly played by N. Iqbal. He commanded when he should command, he gave in without loss of face, he enjoyed his part and his enthusiasm and energy penetrated through to the audience so that we enjoyed it with him. A long and powerful performance well executed.
I do not pretend to know music but can always enjoy clear singing. The tunes from The King and I have frequently been heard. I must, however, say how much I enjoyed “Don't Cry Young Lovers” and the duet “Shall we Dance”, which were so enthusiastically sung and danced they were rewarded by at least two encores.
The children were quite enchanting and their opening scene when they were first presented to the new Governess was extremely well portrayed. One would like to pick out everyone for special mention but there is no space here to do so. I would particularly like to commend Tuptim, played by G. Staight, a delightful part which Staight managed convincingly.
Lady Thiang could have perhaps been a little more forceful and some of the non-speaking wives should learn to keep still on stage when the focus of attention is elsewhere. The Kralahome was good, A. Needham gave an almost faultless performance. The King's eldest son and heir, played by H. Carson, was rather slow to warm to his part, but towards the end of the show really found his feet and his performance when his father lay dying was excellent and most moving.
It was obvious that a lot of work went into the production. To stage a musical of this magnitude on a small stage with an adult cast would prove difficult enough, but to do so with small boys and succeed reflects great credit on the producers Mrs. Flood and Mr. Cromie, backed by the musical director, Mr. Hemuss, and his wife, who was responsible for the choreography. As a stage director myself I found it difficult to see any faults and much credit should go to Mr. Flood, the stage manager, and his staff.
A word on lighting, I felt the footlights were too bright and often the players faces fell into the shadow, one or two front-of-house flood lights would have prevented this. Perhaps I am being unfair as I did not see the lighting equipment that was available on the stage.
As an “old boy” and proud father, may I say on behalf of the audience “well done and thank you for a splendidly fresh and lively production of The King and I”.
Characters
(in order of appearance)
| Captain Orton | E. Vere-Hodge |
| Louis Leonowens | I. Wallace |
| Anna Leonowens | J. Evans |
| The Interpreter | A. Shivdasani |
| The Kralahome | A. Needham |
| The King | N. Iqbal |
| Phra Alack | E. Farhi |
| Lun Tha | C. Llewellyn |
| Tuptim | G. Staight |
| Lady Thiang | J. Charles-Jones |
| Prince Chululongkorn | H. Carson |
| Sir Edward Ramsay | D. Wynn |
| Princess Ying Yaowlak | C. Darell |
|
Royal wives Slaves |
Royal children Deckhand |
Stout Hill's production of The King and I seemed to be a great success. The production entailed a huge amount of hard work and rehearsal, hours of “free-time” was, as it seemed at the time, wasted, but now I realise that those tedious days spent in rehearsing were not in vain for the outcome was most satisfying when it all came to an end.
J. Yarnold
The King and I — March 1968
The entire cast
The Palace School Room
‘Shall we dance’
Photos courtesy of F. Bailey and Son Ltd., Dursley,
Glos.
Unfortunately the quality is very poor because of the method of
printing
Painting and handwork, 1967-8
No competitions were entered this year. The first part of the year was spent in trying out new handicrafts and experimenting in different painting media such as water, charcoal, wax and combinations of these.
During the second half of the year all our efforts were concentrated on the fete. The thought of having an entire stall of handicrafts made by the boys filled me with horror. I went to all the local handwork shops and filled the Art room with cane, wool, canvas, sea-grass, lampshades, raffia, leather cloth, plaster of Paris and anything else I could find which might interest the boys.
They chose what they would like to make and production started. For a time it was a case of the boys chivying me to remember to re-stock wool, raffia, glue, etc. Towards the end the situation reversed. I had to do the chivying as the weeks turned to days before fete-day.
Eventually everything was ready and all our efforts were rewarded by the marvellous support we got — largely from parents who had been bullied into buying whatever their sons had made.
Upper Vlth Irregular
Things to do on a rainy day
You will probably find, like myself, that there is nothing to do on a rainy day. But if you think about it, there is plenty to do. First of all if you are quick enough to get the Tennis Table in the gym, you can have great fun playing games with someone, or if you can obtain a few more rackets you can play round the table. But if you are not so quick and just feel lazy, the place for you is the music room. There you can read a book, or if you want to go to sleep listening to music. If you can persuade Mr. Flood, you will probably be able to have some extra carpentry for those who want to get on with their things. If you are feeling very lively the best place for you would be the squash court, where you can let go all your reserve energy. But if you can't move from your classroom at all, why not make a marble ramp, or even play cards if you can find enough people.
Places to go on Sunday
The Severn Bridge has made a lot of difference and now such places as the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean are quite accessible. These places are very pretty and there are a lot of attractions. Chepstow Castle is a fine example of Norman architecture, but it is now in ruins. Why not pay a visit to Symonds Yat? This is a very pretty village situated on a horseshoe bend of the Wye. It boasts of several hotels, and also posseses a land ferry. (This is a punt which is hand-operated by a wire stretching from one side of the Wye to the other). Or how about Bourton-on-the-water? “The Venice of the Cotswolds” as it is sometimes referred to. The village can also be seen in the model village. This was constructed in 1936 by the local landlord. Birdland is well worth visiting, it is situated at Bourton-on-the-Water. Here tropical birds mingle with our own native songsters. Beau Nach's Bath can still be seen, the famous Georgian town is very beautiful, and Pulteney Bridge with its little shops and the American Museum are both worth visiting. Bibury with the Arlington Row of Cotswold houses by the River Colne is a pleasant site for a most enjoyable afternoon. Good eating places are the Hare and Hounds at Westonbirt and the Swan Inn at Wotton-under-Edge.
J. Charles-Jones, and J. Gibbon
Write a description of a wheelbarrow
(in one sentence)
A wheelbarrow is used for carrying any sort of loads in the way of garbage and suchlike, which is equipped with a kite-shaped, high-sided, open container of metal, with a front wheel on a metal frame (or wood according to what the wheel is made of), with two long curved legs at the back for support when resting on the ground, and two long handles for your use; (phew!) (The wheel at the front makes the fulcrum, with the weight in the middle and the effort at the opposite end which halves the weight between it and you: as Physics tells you.
D. Quinn
IIIa Magazine
The new building started in the winter term. A digger came and made a road through the gardens. When it got to the lawn the road was covered with stones and sand. It then dug up a big beech tree and pulled it away. In the spring term it had the roof on, and the digger is now digging for pipes to go to the building.
It took about a month to do the foundations. So far the builders have been here for 28 weeks, and the machines they use are two dumper trucks and one mechanical digger. The building is square, and a little crane with some ropes tied onto it is used for sending buckets of cement and water to the top. When the builders have finished there are going to be new classrooms, new dormitories, a new library and lots of other new rooms.
Altogether it has got 17 rooms and one long corridor. The rooms down the hill will be playrooms.
T. Weston, H. Smith, R. Fitzmaurice
The polar bear
Polar bears have a population of 23,000. They live in the cold and ice of the arctic. They live on seals. The enemy of the polar bear is the killer whale, and when the bear is swimming about the whale gets hold of him and pulls him under. Another enemy is the walrus, which is twice the size of the polar bear. But the walrus is very stupid, and when he is asleep the bear knocks him on the head with a very hard piece of ice, which kills him automatically. The force of the ice breaks his skull. Polar bears have often been seen sliding down steep hills and slopes. They have thick skins and a lot of hair.
H. Smith
Words in various languages
In the far north of Siam, Chang means elephant. I know a few other Siamese words, but not many. It is also very hot in South Siam.
P. Ingall
The present tense of Amo is amo, amas, amati-plus. This last means a marmalade spoon. Amatis, amant, translates as a too-fat cat and some ants.
I like Latin as I like to talk in Latin to IIb.
J. Quinn
In translating “where are the troops hurrying to?” the hard bit is “where”. Some think this should be “ubi”, but see ex. 50 and following exercises.
R. Dutson
Science
One of my best lessons is learning about electricity and magnets. If a magnet is put under a piece of paper with nail filings on it, it makes a pattern. If a magnet is rubbed the same way against a soft nail, the nail will turn into a magnet. All steel bars are made of molecules, and if all the molecules are the same way round it is a magnet.
P. Ingall, R. Dutson
Games
I don't like watching cricket matches. We watch from 2.30 to 3.40, which is an hour and ten minutes. Some take notebooks and write the score down; some do nothing. But as I am in the middle fourth game, I go for a swim. My favourite game is monopoly, which is about money. Grown-ups like it as well.
R. Fitzmaurice, P. Ingall
Gardening
My hobby is gardening and I am saving up for a motor-mower. I have a lot of tools and an old fashioned wooden barrow, which is rather bouncy. I shall buy £4/14/- worth of flowers, shrubs and vegetables. We have a very big garden and I shall look after it in the holidays. I have my own green house and am going to have my own orchard and vegetable garden.
R. Fitzmaurice
Stouts Hill
At the top of the drive is the school which is built on a hill. It looks like a castle, and some people think it is. If you enter by the door from the car-park you find yourself in a long corridor, with four doors opening on the right. The first one belongs to IIIa.
S. Murphy
Contributions from boys
Crime prevention talk
On Tuesday, the 6th of March the police arrived. We thought they might postpone the talk because of snow and ice, but the conditions evidently did not deter them.
The slides were very interesting, showing how easy it is for a thief to steal things if you leave your garage doors open or the key in the door. This should be obvious, but is not always so. The police also told us to make sure at a public swimming bath to hand our belongings in to the attendant and not leave them lying about.
This, with other warnings, caused everyone to think more carefully, and many questions were asked but time ran out before they could all be answered. It occurred to me that a beginner could have learnt quite a lot about the pitfalls in his profession, and altogether it was a very instructive afternoon.
W. Annandale
The Christmas Feast
At the feast we had crackers and turkey and we had chocolate men. With the turkey we had roast potatoes and brussels sprouts, bacon and sausage. The masters served us. We had a Christmas tree in the corner of blue dining-room. There was one candle on each table and we all had paper hats. We had for drink lemon and orange squash. At the end chef came in and we cheered hip hip hooray.
M. Wootton
A new boy
The first thing that I liked was football and then on Friday we had to go into the gym and say what sort of hobby we liked best. I said model making — it is down in the carpentry shed. There are quite a lot of other hobbies. There is a new building going up and we have to pay £2,000 and then we have paid for it. We have got one horse and six ponies. We do PT every day except on Saturdays and after that we have milk and buns. Then it is play. We have cross-country runs at the end of winter terms and in the summer we play cricket.
M. Wootton
Preparations for the fete
A great deal of hard work is going on in our form for the Fete. We are making rugs, baskets, tapestries and also doing leatherwork and knitting. Usually two or three people are doing rugs together in a group, depending on the size of the rug. Tapestry is a slow job and takes time and patience. Leatherwork is quite an easy job really, but if the holes are punched wrongly that piece of material is completely wasted. Lampshade making with bottles and raffia is fun and they are all different shapes and sizes.
S. Tytherleigh and C. Mead
Climbing Club
Every Friday afternoon. Mr. Bruce takes some boys on climbing expeditions. When we arrive at the appointed tree, Mr. Bruce usually climbs up it first in order to help the slower ones up. One day we chose a large sturdy lime tree. We bent down one of the lower branches and climbed up holding the above boughs, from there it was simple. At the top there was a lovely view of the cricket-pitch, where we could see an exciting game going on. When we clambered down,I went a different way down the tree; then followed blank horror as there were no branches beneath me; so I had to go up a bit and then down the other side. In spite of the fact that there are many tricky moments climbing trees, it's great fun, and I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.
Climbers: Everett. Maxim, Pain, S. Fry, K. Gretton-Doidge, Mott, Laing, R. Darell, Giles, Alsop, Pinder.
My most exciting home
When I was in Malaya I lived in a house with a flat roof, and we had a swimming-pool near us. Sometimes we went swimming and played with our friends called Peter and Simon. There was a big hill beside us and we climbed up it. On the top there were some elephants and they ran after us but we got down before they caught us and went back home. We had a Frau who worked for us, she slept in the kitchen and when she was asleep a snake came in and got in the bed. She did not know until the morning and then she got up quickly and took it out. Another day we lit a fire in the garden and it was a big fire and we could not get it out. We had to get Peter and Simon to help. One night a robber came and my daddy had to chase him away.
J. Darell
The R.A.F. Lecture
On the 4th May Flight Lieutenant Oswell came with some uniforms and equipment used by RAF pilots. (E. Vere-Hodge and A. Bown were used as models).
First of all Ft. Lt. Oswell put a thin flying suit on Bown and told us what the pockets were used for. He also told us why pilots wore special suits for flying. Then he put a helmet on him and told us that the lead running off it was a radio link with base and other planes.
Next he told us that at great heights the pressure is much less, so pressurised suits are needed, so he put one on Vere-Hodge. Then he put a special helmet with an automatic pressure increaser. When the pressure gets too low, a visor shoots down, stopping your body pressure going down. Then he connected the leads on the helmet to the leads on the suit. There were two leads, one for oxygen and the other for a radio link. Round his own waist he put a rubber tube which inflates and pushes inwards on the pilots stomach stopping all the blood going into the stomach and causing a black-out.
Then he showed us a large orange package (which could be used for a seat), which contained a dinghy, some food and other necessities. All drinking water is carried in your flying-suit. Among these necessities was a balloon of fibre contained within a polythene balloon, which made sea water into drinking water, as long as there is sunlight within 500 yards of cloud. Then he blew up the dinghy and put Vere-Hodge in it.
Last of all he showed us a life-jacket which is worn by pilots everywhere. It contained a may-day beacon which works non-stop for 48 hours after being turned on. Then Igbal stood up and said, “On behalf of the school I wish to thank Flight Lieutenant Oswell for his interesting lecture.” This was followed by a loud burst of applause.
D. Cameron
The walk for Christian Aid
A party of twelve boys and some members of the staff were among the 200 people who set off from Dursley to walk to Cirencester at 4.30 am.
The first stage up a long steep hill was fairly tiring especially for the ones who treated it as a race. This stage began to separate the sheep from the goats and at the top the group had already spread out. The sun came out and it was a very beautiful morning, not too hot for walking. Nothing very interesting occurred until the first check point where our sponsor cards were signed, except that the field spread out more with some walking quite slowly and others trying to catch the leaders. I was towards the front and it was very enjoyable chasing after the first people. At the second check point, roughly fourteen miles from Dursley, we had a refreshing drink but it was at this stage and from then onwards that the strain began to tell, especially on the feet and legs. The last five miles or so seemed to take ages but the thought of refreshments at Cirencester kept us going.
At last we sank exhausted at the finish and gratefully accepted the reward.
Age mattered little, for there was an old man of over sixty who nearly managed to complete the walk. All in all we agreed unanimously that it was very good fun and would like to do it again even though stiff for a long time after.
W. Annandale
The Dursley–Cirencester walk
Once again a number of boys volunteered for the walk organised by Christian Aid, to raise funds for charitable projects in under-developed countries. Each competitor obtained ‘sponsors’ who paid so much a mile for every mile walked.
This year's walk was about 20 miles (about 5 miles longer than last year's Stroud–Cheltenham walk) and a dozen seniors obtained their parents' permission to enter. Several members of the staff joined in.
From the start a small group of boys (led by Iqbal, J. Evans and Annandale) worked their way near the front. They walked quicker and also frequently jog-trotting and were among the first to reach the appointed finishing spot at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. All the boys and staff completed the full twenty mile course and a total of about £24 was raised for Christian Aid.
Walkers: Iqbal, Annandale, Evans, R. Fry, C. Darell, Marchant, Hodge, Black, Cameron, Hawkins, Everett, A. Porter, Mr. J. Bruce, Miss M. Longman, Miss J. Angus, Mr. A. Price, Mr. C. Dealey.
Activities
Omitted for the time being