St Bede's Magazine Bradford

ST BEDE'S MAGAZINE BRADFORD SUMMER 1955 VOL. VII. NO.3 CONTENTS page SCHOOL NOTES 105 THE SCHOOL BADGE III FROM THE CLASSROOMS III THE TEDDYE BOY lI8 SCHOOL CAPTAIN'S REPORT lI9 SENIOR SOCIETY 120 CHESS CLUB NOTES 121 SCOUT NOTES 122 PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 124 EUROPEAN SOCIETY 124 SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY 124 MUSIC NOTES 124 SCHOOL CAROL SERVICE 125 THE LADIES' COMMITTEE 126 THE NATIVITY PLAYS I26 THE GENERAL PAPER 128 THE GYM CLUB I29 SWIJ\UvIING 129 TABLE TENNIS CLUB I30 FOOTBALL 130 J\1R O'CONNOR 133 CHESHIRE, V.C. 133 RON-TIKI 134 TREASURE ISLAND 135 A HOLIDAY IN BELGIUM 136 ATOM BOMB 137 A CATHOLIC YOUTH RALLY 138 TENNYSONIAN LAMENT I38 THE PEOPLE OPPOSITE 139 TRAIN JOURNEY 140 MATER SALVATORIS I4° THE GATELOCRER'S TALE I4I SONNET I41 UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES 142 SPEECH DAY-HEADMASTER'S REPORT 149 EXAMINATION SUCCESSES, 1953-54 149 OLD BOYS' NOTES 153 STAFF, 1954-55 I60 Produced by Lower Sixth Arts ~¥=- =-- ST BEDE'S MAGAZINE VOL VII. NO.3 SUMMER I955 SCHOOL NOTES SEPTEMBER After almost eight weeks of a typical British summer few of us were reluctant to return to school and begin a new year on 8th September. One hundred and fifty new boys made our numbers up to 740. We were also pleased to welcome a new French assistant, Fr Lafargue. Owing to the departure of Mr P. Moore there was a temporary shortage of staff in the technical department. We offer our best wishes to Mr Moore in his new post in Bristol. To the parents of John Cudworth we offer our sympathies on the death of their fourteen year old son in Victoria Hospital, Blackpool, following a road accident while on holiday. Many of his old Form IIIc attended the Requiem at St Mary's. On Ioth September the new School Captain, Michael Brear, and some new prefects were elected. Almost the whole of Lower Sixth became prefects owing to the small number of boys in the Sixth. Many of last year's Five Alpha had left to take up various posts, mostly in textiles, and most of the Sixth had left for Universities. The time-table provided even more difficulties than usual but it was gradually sorted out. During the month we were glad to welcome a visit from Mrs McWeeny (nee Dalby), who was known to many of us as an assistant secretary at St Bede's. On the 29th there was a meeting at the School for the parents of Keighley boys. After the Headmaster had spoken they had an opportunity of meeting the rest of the staff for discussion of problems of work at school and home. OCTOBER This month was notable for the welcome revival of the parents' meetings. The lazier among the boys, however, decided they were not so welcome after all. There were separate evenings for Forms I, II and III. The meetings consisted of an introductory talk by the Headmaster after which parents discussed their sons' educational prowess and progress with various masters. It was surprising to see the way in which certain boys appeared not to notice certain masters, even those in the most prominent positions. On the I3th and I4th it was the turn of the Senior boys. ro6 ST BEDE'S MAGAZINE During the month there were various film shows and lectures for the Seniors, including a film by the Missionary Sisters of Mary on their work in Africa, a talk by Brigadier Loring on Army careers and, later, another by Captain Neilson. Thursday, the 28th, will remain for a long time in the memories of Bradfordians as the day of the Royal visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Their great reception at Park Avenue by all the schools in Bradford gave us all a welcome break from school and an unforgettable experience. This was a happy introduction to the half-term holiday which included an extra day on Friday, 29th, awarded previously by the Bishop. October saw also the beginning of a new duty for the prefects. In order to stop the public 'infiltrators infiltrating', as the duty prefect put it, through our school grounds and using them as a short cut the gates were locked during school hours. NOVEMBER So this month of plots, fires and fire-workers opened with a detonation in the shape of the official half-term break. The Fifth passed and, miraculously, the School still stood. The School was busy with much activity owing to the extra tasks entailed for the November Fair on the Sixth. Their work helped to make this function the success it was. The Fair resulted in a net profit of £350. On the 13th the Bradford Catholic teachers attended a Requiem Mass and rally at the School which also included two hundred teachers from the diocese as guests. The Mass was celebrated by Mgr Thomson in the presence of Bishop Heenan, and St Bede's masters formed the Choir. Came the 17th and with it the November G.c.E. exams for some of the Sixth. Long, thoughtful faces entered the examination room-longer, despairing countenances left it. But, as we discovered later, there were many gratifying successes. DECEMBER This month the School was busy even more than is usual at the approach of Christmas, mainly because of the preparations being made for our Speech Days. This year Speech Day involved more than it usually does owing to the fact that three separate evenings were found necessary owing to the growing numbers in the School. Each programme included a play cycle, adapted from the York, Chester and Coventry Mystery Plays. Forms I and II had their Speech Day on Thursday, an d the prizes were distributed by the wife of one of the iOV'errlOr!,,': Mrs Geoghegan. Mrs Dennison, wife of the Secretary of Governors, presented the prizes to Forms III and IV on 17th and on the following Monday, the 20th, the Lord ST BEDE'S MAGAZINE I07 Alderman H. J. White, an old boy of the School, honoured us by his presence. On each day the programme ended with the Nativity Play: given by Forms I and II on Thursday, III and IV on Friday, and V and VI on Monday. The annual staff match was postponed this year from the 8th to the 15th. We hear from an unknown source that the masters overplayed themselves in secret trial matches. It was no surprise that they lost 5-1, after a far more even match than the score suggests. During this month there were two more talks, one by a White Father on the Foreign Missions and another by Squadron Leader Nisbet on the Air Force, during which he showed us a film on the invention of the jet engine. Now an established tradition of the School, the Carol Service, accompanied by readings from the Scriptures, was held before the School finally closed for the holidays. Juniors, Middles and Seniors had their representative readers and all the School sang the popular carols, while the choir treated us to some of the lesser known ones. While some of the prefects were away helping the Postmaster General for the two days preceding the Christmas holiday, a few Fifth Form boys were able to see what was in store for them next year when they became harassed prefects. Mr Robinson, who had kindly stayed on to help us temporarily, left before Christmas but the staff number remained the same as Mr Ashcroft, a Cambridge SCience Student, joined us for a term's teaching practice. JANUARY The New Year started with an important change in the School blazer. The picture of St Bede was replaced by the School's coat-of-arms. The first boys to wear them were gazed at with jealous longing by the rest of the School, many of whom were not long in getting new blazers. The term began with mixed feeling in some of the Sixth when the November G.C.E. results were received. Our congratulations, however, go, not only to those who were successful in the School Certificate but also to David Jackson of Five Alpha, who won a prize of three guineas in an essay competition sponsored by the St Andrew Society. Our condolences go to all other entrants. Our technical staff was reinforced by the arrival of Mr Thorpe and Mr Currigan, both of whom we heartily welcome. 1955 brought also the beginning of an entirely new subject for Forms· Lower Sixth Arts and Science, the General Paper. I08 ST BEDE'S MAGAZINE It was received by the boys with some misgivings as it cut down severely on their so-called study periods. Since then, however, their knowledge of subjects outside their own special line of study has greatly widened so they can now call themselves 'men of learning', and mean it. Their varied course has included Literature, Arts, Architecture, Music, Chemistry, Physics, World History, Psychology and Photography. How we longed for four o'clock during the winter months, waiting for the moment when we could go out into the warmth of the snow and ice, away from the sub-zero classrooms. During the month the annual soccer match against Ushaw took place. St Bede's lost 5-1 to a superior and heavier side. We appreciate the visit of our ex-students who have entered on their great vocations. FEBRUARY During the half term break on the 21st and 22nd, Fr Lafargue went home to Paris for a short holiday. Meanwhile, we imagine the rest of the School made good use of Shrove Tuesday to dispose of an incalculable number of pancakes.

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