The Aluredian
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THE ALUREDIAN Contents PAGE PAGE Editorial 3 Literary and Dramatic Society 38 Obituaries 3 Modern Languages Society 38 The Squash Courts Appeal 8 Archreological Society 39 Music Club 39 SCHOOL RECORD School Notes 11 Art Club 40 King Alfred House Notes 12 Photographic Society 41 Carpenter House Notes 13 Natural Science Society 41 Bishop Fox House Notes 14 Astronomical Society 41 Meynell House Notes ... 15 Wireless Club 42 Woodard House Notes 16 Tape-Recording Society 42 Chapel Notes 17 Dancing Club 43 Club Library Notes 18 Badminton 43 Music Notes 19 Sailing Club 44 Subscription Concerts 19 Motor Club 44 Club "Saint J oan" 21 Light Music 44 45 C.C.F. Notes 23 Heraldic Society Pioneer Notes 24 Chess Club 45 45 Rover Crew Notes 24 Conjuring Club 46 Junior Friends of Wells Fishing Club Cathedral 25 Junior House Notes 47 Salvete 25 PERSONAL CONTRffiUTIONS Valete 25 Rover Crew Expedition to House Sport 27 Yugoslavia, 1961 50 K.C.R.F.C. 30 "Beneath the Rubble" 51 K.C.M.R.C. 36 Referendum Day, 1961 51 Fencing Club 36 Col;Tespondence 52 Sheldon Society 37 Acknowledgments 53 History Society 37 THE OLD ALUREDIAN CLUB 54 Francis McDonald Et heri ngton, Priest Provost 1920 - 1932 Somerset County Gazette, Castle Green, Taunton. 24772 THE ALUREDIAN KING'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON EDITOR: J. R. HALTON SUB-EDITORS: J. C. S. HORROCKS, G. C. DARVILL, A. C. HILL VoL. XXX. No 4 FEBRUARY, 1962 Editorial PPRECIATION of the last issue still reaches us from all sides, as A does a small amount of adverse criticism from the less progressive (or more practical) elements among readers and contributors. This adverse criticism, however, is always welcome, for in making these changes we may have overlooked many minor points. We therefore issue an appeal to all readers to swell the correspondence columns of the maga zine with suggestions, protests, support, opinion, or any other printable material concerned with life in general and particularly with the School magazine! We welcome Mr. Bartlett's letter (see correspondence) in which he protests against our publication of an article claiming the inferiority ·Jf the coloured man. His later congratulations .on the last issue of the Aluredian, however, reflect the general approval of the alterations made in that issue; these were intended to abolish the standardized and formal nature of much of the contents, and to put in its place a more liberal and intimate reflection not only of the life and ideals of the School, but of the varied nature of the ideas of the boys, particularly when these are qualified by personal experience. Should a school magazine seek to pull the wool over the eyes of its readers by ·depicting 466 stereotyped social cogs united (stagnant) in the supposed conservative uniformity of The Public School ? Is it not better to reveal that varied opinions are held and discussed by boys at school, even if some of them, such as this one on colour, seem very mistaken ? Too much wool is being pulled over too many eyes in the world at present. Crisis after crisis, discussion after discussion, everything shows up the Cold War for what it is-a phoney war, phoney because both sides have a false impression of the other and are always therefore arguing at cross purposes. Let us, in our small way, show the Public School for what it is and not fot what some people think it ought to be. THE EDITORS. Obituaries FRANCIS McDONALD ETHERINGTON Provost 1920·1932 HE Revd. Francis McDonald Etherington, who was Provost of the T Western Division of the Woodard Corporation from 1920 to 1932, died at Minehead on 6th November, 1961, at the age of 90. Father Etherington, a native of Blackheath in Kent, was an Associate of the University of London, and was made deacon in 1894. B 8 :rhe following year he was ordained priest and spent the next three years mutual friend. To which the Archbishop's reply was-"Then you know m the East End _as curate of St. Judas, Whitecf!apel. There followed a great man." Great indeed in the range of his contact with life and two shorter appomtments, ~ s curate ?f the Kent parishes of Chevening. with humanity. Blackheath and the Estuary of the Thames gave hlffi and then Ch1slehurst, but It was while he was at Whitechapel that h. a love of the sea and sailormen which followed him through life . Bant's first contact with S_omers~t was made. An offer to take a temporary du IS Cam on St. Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, which he rented from ~t Dunster determmed h1~ to accept the position of Vicar of Minehe~ the Admiralty, the boys of the King's Scout Troop have good reason m 1899. He end~ared hm~self to his parishioners, and his departure to remember with joy and gratitude. He enjoyed telling the story of to Lenham, back m Kent, m 1914, was a sorrowful occasion for Mine how on his first visit to the Islands with a friend from Minehead, on head. enquiring for rooms of the serving girl who answered the door of the His ministry at Lenham _ w~s cut short, however, by the First World homely Inn, they overheard the following conversation in the kitchen : War. He beca~e a Chaplam m the West Kent Regiment, and in 1915 "Who's that come in ?" "Don't know, but one of them's the ugliest went <?Verseas wit~ the 5th Mounted Brigade. and saw active service in devil I set eyes on." They looked at each other, but remained the best Palestme. He declmed the offer of an M.C. for his part in this campaign. of friends. One could never be long with Fr. Etherington before some . The war had impaired his health, however, and he resigned his thing or other provoked that twinkle in his eyes and produced some hvmg to c?me back to Som_erset._ In 1924 he felt himself fit enough to good story. A ~reat reader a~d a great_ reader of character-a great become VIcar <?f. Stowey With ~1shop Sutton, and eight years later he letter writer. H1s would be a nch collection who could gather together moved to_ the hvmg of Hawkndge with Withypool, a parish which he Fr. Etherington's letters and publish them. We still await the publica served faithfully for fifteen years. tion of the life of his friend, Charles Marson, and when that sees the light of day the reader will appreciate how great a man moved under . He retired_ in 194~, and he and his wife spent both their golden and of those he was always preferring to himself. Few men so skilfully home in Minehead. cover diamond weddmg anmversaries at their and successfully evaded public recognition . A great preacher-he had the gift of be~g able t? penetrate to th~ heart of his subject and make The Provost writes :- obvious what Is often hidden from the w1se and prudent. He once gave a course of sermons in Lent in King's Chapel on Dickens' characters. \Yhen the Headmaste~ asked me to write an obituary of Fr. was greatest as a Parish Priest. He knew his people I had no doubt that I must do it not But Fr. Etherington Ethenngton for the Alured1an, and loved them and they loved him wherever he served. only as his_ s~~cessor (after two others) in the office of Provost i~ the Western DIVISIOn, but because of the great admiration and affection Only 28 years old when appointed to the living of Minehead at the ~ whic~ I held him. But it did w~igh upo_n me that I had only known end of the last century, he succeeded the Rev. A. F. Luttrell, who had hlffi dunng the last ten years of h1s long hfe. That meant that for all held it for 66 years. 1 he whole town and Parish came to life unde~ him. the active part of his Ministry, with its extraordinarily wide interests, T No side of Civic, Social or Religious life did he not touch and quicken. must depend on information obtained from others. It seems much better To this day he is remembered with affection in the Parish he served so therefore that the main account of his work should be given at first long ago and it was fitting that in Minehead Fr. Etherington should end hand by one who knew him intimately for more than half a century, and his days on earth. No wonder then his record as Chaplain to the Forces I am most happy that such an account, from the pen of Fr. Taylor, from 1915 to the end of the war was distingliished. Officers and men has been made available to the Editor. alike loved him. But Fr. Etherington's popularity was no easily won I will only add my personal testimony as one who knew him during tribute. There was no compromising of the Catholic Faith and religion the last years. He stands out in my memory as one of the really with him. His hold on it, or rather its hold on him, was so secure that great priests whom it has been my privilege to know. He was great in it carried a conviction which his great charm and charity were able to the qualities of patience. humility, and courtesy; great in charity; great interpret in most homely language. Added to which was given him a in firmness of decision; above all, great in the unmistakable note of voice which matched his message in clarity and power and music.