·"Concordia"'

The OffiCial Organ of The Clapham Old Xaverians'· . Association _

Vol. III OCTOBER, 1949 No. 10

FOREWORD This year the Qld Boys' Association comes of age. and · Concordia, its mouthpiece, begins its 21st year with the -present number. Having assisted ·at the birth of the two sturdy babes, now grown to. manhood, I feel a very sincere· pleasure and a certain almost proprietary interest in offering my congratulations. May both the Association and the magazin_e continue to until they attain at least that desirable age at which a l_?enevolent · State restores in· \yeekly doles some of whaf it: has long and· prudently .extracted from a carefree democracy. · - , The foundation and prosperity of any are due in general to the_ efforts of a devoted few. We have been happy . in that the Association arid ·concordia have never lacked patient 'and capa}?le helpers who have believed in their wo.rk. \ :I stress . the long-suffering pertinacjty of our officials, because they have persevere9 ·through the war and its sequel. (for- whiGh I have no adequate ·name), through periods of effervescence and ditchwater . flatness, unruffled and confident. · (Any gentleman familiar with 'the behaviour. of -modeD;l bottled beer . will see the appositeness of .the. above.) · · · .. Old boys and go; some fall by the wayside, others among thorns--which lapse, I suppose, here indicates matrimony -but the :nucleus remains, and to ·everyone who has worked for us ·during these years, :whether as secretary, treasurer, editor, committee-man, sports or entertainment organiser, or as . that humble, invaluable unit, the member who has taken an ' interest and paid ·his sub., we are deeply gratefuL If I do hof mention names; it is because I· am loth to omit. any. I suppose I, ought to exhort the rank and file. to sontinue doing their duty · or to doing it, but it is useless to scatter platitudes in the presence of the converted, as those· who have read tlius far · should -be. . . One of the most attractive .features .of to (and, I sure, to everyone else) is the notes on Old Boys and their \. . domgs, and I hope Editor. 'Yill be kept well supplied; .. · i .

:\ .

. \ My old ft:iend Bill Madigan, to whom Concordia ·_owe:? so. . much, reminds me that I supplied a foreword for. the first He · is willing: to re-insert it as a . museum-p1ece or h1stoncal document, but· the Committee think I ought to be given a chance to try again. Having refreshed my memory and sighed -over the Jost ebullience of my middle fifties, I agree with the Committee.

BR. C.F.X.

RES PARVJE ·. We are· grateful to Brother Bernardine for answering our call once more and writing the encouraging foreword ' to this coining-of-age number. In thanking him for his congratulations ·to the Association on reaching this important milestone, we know .that members of the ·Association would like us to. record our deep appreciation of the lively interest he has displayed· in our affairs .throughout the years. I'

Why not make this, the year of our 21st. anniversary, a really memorable. one? Do· your best to support the functions arranged by your Committee and if. you cannot: attend them all, · at least come to_ one or two. The winter programme (on _page 7) · .gives the actual dates and now is the time to make a note of them. As a start, please try -to come to the Annual General Meeting at the College on· Sunday afternoon, 23rd October, 1949.

When we went to press, Bob Dowd, our indefatigable soccer secretary, was busily engaged in compiling fixture lists for the two XIs· he hopes to run this season; aided and abetted by his match secretary, Wally· Palmer.· He is also striving to· obtain . the hire of a ground for the season or a limited number of- home games. We wish him .luck. and, in doing so, would remind members that if they know or hear of a ground which we· could hire-:-if ?nly for a ,few Sat_urdays-would they 'please tell us soon .. . - .. . We. were delighted to learn. that .the ·College had passed flymg colours the last" June by a team .of mspectors from the Ivflmstry of Education. · We never doubted that they would, but an. inspection _of this nature marks an ·important_ phase in the life of the College and we congratulate . the Brothers, lay masters and boys on obtaining· a first-class· report. ..

.2

,- ,1 The AnntJal l\'lass £or deceased Old Boys will be said the College Chapel on Sunday, 6th November, 1949. One of our priest ·members will say Mass and we hope there will be a good attendance. The time of Mass-10.45 a.m ....,-gives members who live some distance from the College a!llple time to get there ..

I . Subscriptions have come in quite well during the past year, , but even. the Secretary and Treasurer have spent a great deal· of time, stationery and postage stamps in rounding up the forgetful ones. It has been suggested that the enclosed Subscription Remittance Note might act as a convenient form of reminder. Moreover, when you send in your sub. (by the way, the sooner the better), the note would be self-explanatory and you would be relieved of writing except-we jot down some news or gossip for, possible inclusion Personalia·.

College Building Fund has now reached the total of approximately £3,490: As explained in the last issue of Concordia, a good method of lending a hand is to complete a Deed of . Don Mulvihill will be pleased . to· send you one on request. .·

Those who want Old Boys'· Squares· or Ties may obtain them from Messrs. Martin and Co., 7 Irving Street, W.C.2 (Whitehall 1319), at the following prices:.. . · Sqpares - 19/6 each. Ties 9/6 and 6/6 each. Irving· Street is a turning off the end (Jf Charing Cross Road. · -... J. - • . Finally, if you \vish to 'write to. the Secretary, Treasurer or_:, ·Editor, their addresses are: · .. Derrick. Jones (Secreta1y), 112 Poplar Road South, ·:rvrerton Park, · . -S:W.19; telephone No.· LIBerty 4518; · .· . :O.on Mulvihill (Treasurer),_10 Nightingale· Square, S.W.12. · Bill Madigan ·(Editor), 8. Egerton Road, New Surrey; . , telephone No. MALden 4748.

OBITUARY .. ..'. It is with. the deepest regret ·that .we have·· recently heard of the death. in August, 1947, of J. D. ·He had lived ,-, in the Falkland Isles for many years and returned to. to undergo an_, operation from which. he died. · · 3

.. ' . _· ... ·I

' .... -- . , .. PERSONALIA -- .. JOHN CULLEN (1934-1939) wrote from· St. Mary's College at Strawberry Hill. He hopes to be teaching by July next year. Two of his contemporaries, GORDON PRICE and ANGEL, finished their courses last July. · . ·We recently : met A. A. BELLAMY,. A.R.I.B.A., A.M.T.P.I., who left the College about 1932. He is a senior architect with the Ministry of We recall the excellent portrait of the late Jack O'Donohoe which he contributed in 1933 for . in Concordia: :We still have room, inter alia, for ·that type , of contribution-any offers ? Congratulations to TED FIDGEON on his to Miss Patricia Sumner on the 23rd April, 1949. We deeply regret that PETER MARSHAM, whose conjuring displays at pre-war Garden Fetes will be remembered by some, is going blind. He is· .a trained P.B.X. telephone operator. He at present has a temporary job, but if anyone is aware of a vacant situat!on: now or in :the: future, please Jet him know direct-his address is 35 Liberia Road, High bury Corner,. N.5. . . GERARD LORRIM.AN has been Medical Adviser with C.I.B.A. Laboratories, Ltd. , Horsham, Sussex, since· July, 1948. He is married and has a son aged two. · DENIS IDCKS has left the L.C.C. and is now employed as · Electoral Registration Assistant with the Willesden Borough Council. One. advantage is. that the job .is on his doorstep at Cricklewood.·· He is still an enthusiastic rambler and occasionally .acts' as' leader. · · · .. · · · · · · · · Congratulations to ERIC FOTI on his marriage . in· August to Miss Winifred Constable. The Press- gave considerable prominence to .the event, commenting on their· proposed attempt next Novem- ber, to journey by car from Algiers . .to Capetown. They will be in a party of four who hope. to. cross the Sahara and go through · the Belgian Congo ·in 20 days and thus. break the existing record . by four days. Best Of luck-you will certainly need _it ! : . ·FATHER WARJ.liLOW sent a welcome note· from Quarr Abbey, Ryde, I. of W. ·He mentioned that he had a letter last Christmas from DONA:LD BEESON (1924-25) . from · New York, who wanted all the Clapham news and was full of of old · · Congratuh1tions to JOHN REIDY, M.A., on his mar·riage to Miss Elizabeth Williams, M.A., at St. ·Mary's Church, Worksop, on the 2nd ·August, .1949. We believe that they left for ·Canada last month, where John is to take up the position of .Jecttirer in English Literature at London, Ontario University. Congratulations to CAS.. BOUNEVAILLE on his recent engagement to Miss Margaret Smith, of Rayleigh, Essex. This important event was sandwiched between incessant flights on the Berlin air-lift with successive spells of four weeks in Germany and one at home. · . RON IDLL demobbed , from the Royal Corps of in 1948. He is Managing· Clerk to a firm ·of solicitors . and is now engaged on · an intensive ·course of · study. He ·is married. 4 When JOHN VEASEY_)eft the R.A.F. he joined the Civil ·Service, but subsequently. left for a job on a large coffee estate in Brazil. He is at Camberley, ncar San Paulo, and t,horoughly enjoying his · new life. He now speaks Portuguese fluently.· He will be home on leave in· about two years' time. · · · BILL COLLINS went to about last March lo JOin the R.A.C. Good luck, Bill, mid best wishes, especially from the soccer lads. ' We were pleased to. hear from A. TAYLOR,· who lives at · Sidcup, Kent, and gratified by · his reference to the supper held . at the College la:st January. We intend to make the one just as so be sure to attend. Congratulations to: . BILL and MARGARET :MADIGAN on the birth of a son, Anthony Bruce, on the 30th May, 1949·; · SQUIRES and his wife on the birth of a daughter,. · Alici8c Mary, on· the 20th· August, 1949 (their son, Patrick Timothy, has not been mentioned by us previously so we must do so And JOHN .and MARGARET JONES on the birth of a daughter, Anne •-Margaret, on the 23rd August, 1949. MICHAEL HADIDA has apparently tired of civilian life and volunteered for seven years' service in ·the Royal Navy. -He .expects_ to join in November. · FRED NICHOLS (1922-27) is one of the representatives of the National Union of Teachers to the ·Camberwell Road Safety · Committee and also a .member of the Voluntary Schools Advisory. Committee .of .the London Teachers' Association. · When we last heard from B. CENTENARI he was· on the verge of' an examination. We hope success has crowned your efforts. He mentioned that GERRY HOY is studying Ubrarianship at Brighton· Technical College and that JOHN DOYLE is touring the country at the expense of a firm of· accountants. Congratuhitions·· to BERNARD SULLY on the degree of Doctor of Phllqsaphy (Faculty of Science). ' CHRIS IDGGTI'fSON'S naval duties have talten him to Bermuda. RON COURSE turned out for us at cricltet versus the. Salesians. The fact· that he was in the throes of a 78 weeks' R.A.F. signals had no apparent effect on his ever-cheerful outloolt-nor on his rate of consumption of beer ! Besides playing cricltet for Ashstead, JOHN WOOLLARD also ttirns out occasionally for the exclusive Romany Cricket Club. In his spare time he works for the National Coal Board. We are told that. DOUGI..:AS WOODRUFF is still studying to be a· doctor. He plays. cricket for St.. Bartholomew's Hospital and also· the -Nomads. · · One of the Old Salesians' XI; JACK CORCORAN -recalled the days· when he attended Clapham College about 1916/18, with particular reference to the· idiosyncrasies of the late Brother Cuthbert; _ Congratulations ' to GERARD ORAWLEY and . FREDDIE BALDWIN on passing the. Solicitors' Final ex·amination and on their admission as solicitors. · TONY PAGE lias left the . Yorkshire Electric Power Co. and ' is now Manager. of Thorne's Electrical, .. Leeds. . He is· about to start his son, Michael, at the preparatory school; "St. Francis Xavier", run by the Brothers at Deeping St.. James. 5 ·,

JACK WILLCOCK· was joined in August at Kuala Lumpur by his wife . and two children. . We hope they are all well · and happy. . rn· ·June, .1949, TERENCE BURKE left the important job· of -Club Room manager and joined the R.A.S.C. Hope you lllte the 'life, Terry: we shall miss you on Wednesdays this winter. . . - · · :MICHAEL and JOHN PRINCE have now been demobbed from . the Army and PADDY BRENNAN and FRANCIS ::MULVIHILL are en route from East ·Africa and. will .have been demobbed also by the time the magazine is issued.

HON. GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT From \vhat remains. of the knowledge_ ·painfully acquired at the over 20 years ago· and from casual newspaper reading · since, I have formed the impression that all the truly great, such ·as the. bards and the leading trade uni9n officials, . gained· their inspiration in the places of the earth. I· had_ vainly, hoped that inspiration might come in such surroundings. to lesser mortals, for I am writing this long after it should have ·been done . (so much so that if I do not· catch this afternoon's post I shall _most certainly incur t_he Editorial displeasure!), perched on a . rock overlooking Falmouth Bay. - · My lack of inspiration is the more regrettable inasmuch as this issue of Concordia ·coincides with the· 21St anniversary of the forming of the· present Association, and I would . have lil{ed to do justice to such ai:I occasion. · Any body which achieves· its majority, despite ·normal ups · ·.._ · downs and the incidence of a second World War. (though it is only fair to· admit this in the long rU:n did to ·strengthen the· can feel some co,nfidence in its o\vn power of survival. As you· may 'know, we are·finding it difficult to. become as active as we would like; there are several- reasons for this, such as the lack of a ground, the gap left by the war years and the totallY. different interests and training and prospects of boys· now leaving school as compared with those in the pre:-war period. Nevertheless, membership, after allowing .for . almost inevitable drop after the war years, has beep . · tamed at a considerably greater. level than in pre-war years. This,· of largely as. the result of ground\vork already done. before and dunng the war...... ·. I think we can Claim, too, that the essential nature of the Association has been preserved, though, in our adherence to. that, ·we have had to part with. some good friends. · . . · · · I would like to be able· report· on· a more active summer; Cricket is rep·orted on elsewhere; ·tennis, I am afraid, was a non- .starter:· The absence of a Garden Party ··\vas _'regrettable but u11avoidable, owing to the timing of the ·inspeCtion· at the College by the Ministry of Education inspectors. · i·· 6

I •,

\ . _·I.' You will find at the end of these notes the winter· diary ... Please do try. to cqme to these functions. You will notice that we have arranged two dances, and hope that results will justify our action .. We have· great difficulty in· finding suitable M.Cs· for our· dances. We were lucky last winter,· but we cannot call upon the same people all the. time. · ·We should like to hear a lot of" :views on this question at the .A.G.M:· (also on the quest!on of bands). My own feeling is that the 1'I.C's job is a highly specialised one, and that·this is even more so when we have so .many regular supporters who do need a little bit of. coaxing to transfer to that part of the premises set aside for dancing. We should like to see a record crowd at the A.G.M. this year: If is the only bccasion during the year when members' views can be satisfactorily. aired. ·As usual. we shall be . required to find several new members of the Committee and it would be a great help 'if some volunteers to take over could· be found.

DERRICK. JONES 11.2 Poplar Road South, Merton Park, S.W.l9.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 1949. 23rd September Fridays} Table Tennis- College Hall- .7 ... ,.· Wedi1esday, 12th October (and · Room ___: Cl!1b (1st Floor in Hollywood) 7 p.m. Sunday, 23rd October · · Annual Meeting - College Hall - · 3 p.m. Smiday,, 6t'1 November · ' Annua) Mass - Cha'pel --=- 10.45 a.rri. Friday, '18th' Novemher , ·. ·nance __:_.Bedford Hotel, Balham. ·1950 \. Sattirday, 14th. January Supper - College Hall. \ ··, r.· ..··. ) '.' • o 'I ., Safurday, :18th February ·'J '. ·, \ . Dinner/Dance - Bedford Hotel, Balham. '-" ·Saturday,· 15th April · Dance ___: liedford Hotel, Balham. Further details of social functions wi.ll be circulated later.

_, .... ,. ' .7

l __ , f.· CLUB. ROOM

· . The Club Room, which will be the same room as last year on the first floor of Hollywood, will re-open on Wednesday, 12th October, 1949, at 7 p.m:. Thereafter it is proposed to open the room on Wednesdays throughout the winter . . . At the ·end. of iast winter, this room was regularly attracting a good crowd, and_ we are confident that this state· of affairs will continue. There is always a good fire and, though last year everyone seeme9. content ·to sit and ta)k, .we should be interested to hear of any suggestions from . members for . · ·· · . · Terence Burke, who looked after the Club Room so well, has been called up and we have to find a successor. I should be pleased. to hear· from anybody interested. · (Ring LIBerty 4518 or· write _to me.) DERRICK ] ONES

·- FOOTBALL . '1.' .l' at the tiine .·of going::· to "·press, _it is not possible to set out a full fixture of matches. arranged, but for those interested in soccer, you can rest assured that as the season some 30 matches will have been ·arranged: Our 'success this season must, however, depend on the keenness you show and the support ·which you give throughout the season. I think· you will agree that the matches arranged last 'season (29. in all) ' provided excellent games. with well-known clubs.· . . _This· season we look forward to great things from our match winning · wingers, Leri Powell and Dennis Hook, and hope the latter -has fully recovered from his bad acciden:t last season. -Much will be expected from·- Bernard Fincham, who has -the makings of a fine centre-for\vard, while Bernard· Farrell is on top of his form· in goal. Ron Weshvood, Wally Palmer and Derek Rowe will be expected to . 11 flatten ',. our . opponents' attack. Another match winning player in the making is Ted Newman,- fine display against the College a·nd Old Salesians' Jast season is well ·remembered. So, brimming over with optimism; I look forward to things. · I ' ' Section Secr.etary: BoB Down, 74 Forthbridge Road, S.W:ll ·.Match Secreta!y: W. G. PALMER, l6 Narbonne Avenue, S.W.4 (telephone No. Tulse Hill 1476) •• 7 P" mr

CRICI;CE1'. So ends yet another cricket season with some of the best weather we could have ever wished for. If we had been playing competitive cricket we should probably be at the bottom of the league, but despite our poor results, we have had an enjoyable season_ on and off the field. Out of nine. matches arrangf!d, seven were played, of which six were lost and· one drawn. Twenty-six .Old Boys took part in the games at some time or other. Although there were few . exciting finishes to our . the openings were usually breathtaking. . Imagine our horror, . for instance, in the first match .of the season against the College, when our score stood at nought for five wickets! We lost this match by an innings, and although Hughes bowled extremely well for the school,. I am afraid his figures were flattered by some poor• batting. In_ the following games we fared moderately but were never strong enough ,to force a win. Lack of practice· was . ciur main trouble and our skipper, De1Tick Jones, had to make experiments on the field which would normally have been made· at the nets. The highlight of the season was the grand innings of 91 made by John Woollard at Englefield .Green in July, out of a total of 116. This was our nearest approach to -.a win as our opponents had batted first and'· scored 125. Another good perlormance was that ·of . J. J . ;wnson, who seven Johnson Matthey batsmen for 32 runs. . . If we are to keep the fixtures we have and add more to the list, it is. essential that we improve our playing strength. While it is too early to say at the moment, I hope to arrange practices early next year,· provided, of course, that a fair measure of support is · jOHN ·joNES 178 Queen Anne Avenue, Bromley; Kent.

·TABLE TENNIS . I am very _grateful to be able to that shall. be allowed the use of the ·coLLEGE HALL during ·the coming winter, on Fridays, commencing 23rd September. · · · .·

. I I am sure.· that all Old Boys. wifl appreciate this' that those ·taking advantage of it will show their appreciation by ensuring that no damage is caused, that :play ceases at 9.45 ·p.m. and that everybody· is away from the College by 9.55 p.m. sharp. · Membership of this seCtion will be restricted to Association members. ,,

;.\ '

'.,"' -' There is eve.cy reason to believe that will 'become a very live section. · · At the Annual General Meeting we. shall be electing a sec- retary for this section, and hope that we shall find a keen ·and volunteer ·for the job. . . DERRICK JONES ' I.

COLLEGE NEWS ,,

Ministry of Education Inspection A general inspection was undertaken by a team of seven inspectprs from the Ministry of Education during the period · 13th -17th June, 1949: the last inspection was made as long · ago as 1932. The inspection provided a delightful week, during · }Vhich the inspectors, masters and boys entered into ve.cy friendly discussions. . . · . . . . '- The inspectors were especially. impressed with the friendly attitude of the hays, their gobd behaviour inside and outside the school, and the excellent but unobtrusive dis9ipline. The · Governors of the school consider the. report an excellent one in every respect.

Staff Changes Mr. W. Bambridge, after 25 years devoted service. in the

Gymn_asium and on the Playing Fields, retired on 19th July .. \ . . · Never absent, riever late, . Mr. Bambridge· was an excellent example to all. We the fine gym displays given at · the . Garden Parties before the· war. The School Captain . (D. · Hughes) presented Mr. Bambridge with a cheque on behalf of the boys and later the Headmaster presented another cheque on behalf of the Staff. We all wish Mr. Bambridge much happiness in the business he has undertaken in his active retirement. The Art Master (Mr. Le Fetivre) also left on 19th July to take .a ·full-time appointment at Blackpool Technical College: though- he h<1:d been with us only ·one year, we had found him a ve.cy pleasant and enthusiastic master. · Four new joined in. September: Gym-Mr. C. W. J. Cocks, B.A. (Hans. Hist.) and Carnegie . . . College. . · . · · · Histo.cy and .. G.· P. · Olive, B.A.· (Hans. Hlst.) · . · Cantab ...· .. .L. lVL St. Quintin, B.A. -(Hails. Hist.) Oxon. Art__:_Mr. ;E. W. Tho,mas, Diploma, .Slade School of Fine Art. ·10 . .. ' : .. 1

House · Positions ·' The scholastic year ended ·with Canterbury· House ·in first place, winning the Inter-House Challenge Cup. House Master, Mr. 0. Smith;· Captain, Bryan G. Saward. ;· -The other Houses came in order: 2. Walsingham 3. Charterhouse ' . 4. Glastonbury .

. ·Certificate Examinations . The 70 pupils who sat for the H.S.C. and S.C. in June were awaiting their results with mixed feelings at the time Concordia went to press. Some 25 ·of the S.C. entries hope to proceed to VI where the School year will find 35 'members, numerically the biggest Form VI the Cqllege has ever ·

)"· ,

Mountaineering Four members of Form VI, headed by Br. Joseph, spent the first three weeks of the summer holidays acting as leaders in North Wales. The second three weeks were spent in the Lake District where they were joil!_ed by some 15 members of Forms VI and V for the usual holiday course. We should like to send· throtigh '' Concordia '' heartfelt . congratulations to the recently consecrated Auxiliary Bishop· of Lancaster, M£r. T. B. Pearson, D.D. ., _As President of the Achille Ratti Mountaineering Club he is L known to our past and present pupils who have spent many happy · 'days in his companionship -in the Lake District.·' Ad multos ahnos.

·,/,. Tennis . . More· was evinced this year since we used the hard courts on Clapham Common twice a week for. four hours. Next year we hope to begin Inter-School matches. ll .

/ .....-

Cricket Thanks to the zeal of . Br. Damien and · ·Br. Dominic the School Cricket. to improve and many interesting Inter:- .' Schools games were enjoyed. A' complete list oLresults· for the 1st Xl is given below with batting and bowling averages for Inter- Schools gaines. The 15 XI- played five games, three and lost two, and the under 14 XI played nine. gaw'es·, won four, . lost four, the remaining game being drawn.·

FIRST XI May 7 School 66 St. Joseph's College, Beulah Hill, 100-9 Lost 14 School 76•- 9 (dec.) Salesian College, , 53- 9 Drawn 21 St. Aloysius' College, Highgate, 37 Schoql 45-9 Won June 4 Clapham College Old Boys 20 and 45 School 73 Won, , il St. Olave's 194-8 (dec.) School 67- 9 ... Drawn 18 Battersea Grammar School 100-!7 (dec.) School 74-8 Drawn· 25 Henry Thornton School 55 School· 59 - 5 ...... Won July 2 John Fisher School 119-9 School 36 'Lost •' Batting AveraJ:CS for Ofllcial Inter-School Games· (Qualifying ., average 10) No. of innings Times not out Total runs Highest score Average P. 9 2 112 38 16•00 P. 8 3. 76 28 n.o. . 15"20 B. 6 0 83 31 13"83 . B. Collins 6 0 70 19 11·67 D. Hughes 7 0 75 29 10"71

Bowling Al'Crages for' Ofllclal Inter-ScJ{ool Games ( Qualific;ition 10 wickets) Overs Maidens· Runs · Average C. Scott 19·5 11 .. 22 ' ' . 13 . 1'69;. B. Collins 56•4 . 21' 92 "!!6• ,. 3•54. B. qaY.ton. . 71'3 118 29 . 4•07 J. Rogers 26•1 7 60 11 . 5·55. J. Simmons 54 18 107 19 5·63 D. Nicholls 81 25 162 28 5·71- · D. Hughes 66 21 146 21 8·11 J. Mal1oney 32 8 101 10 1o·io

......

12

i .•