Editorial

The immediate response to appeals for entries was not as great as last time, but after many exhortations from members of staff and committee, there was a marked improvement as the closing date for entries drew near.

And now a word concerning the first magazine.  We received a very favourable report in the local press, and financially we kept our heads just above water, thanks to the excellent and efficient management of Mr. Wells and Dennis Elwell.  We are hoping that this time the sale of copies will be greater than last so that the magazine may be a financial as well as a literary success.

The Christmas term is now upon us, and with it comes a change in the activities of the school . Cricket bats and tennis rackets are now replaced by football boots and hockey sticks, whilst plans go ahead for the various winter activities of the school. Preparations are being considered for the parties and dances that are to be held at Christmas, and now that the temptation of long summer evenings is removed, we hope that scholars are beginning to think more about homework than about play.

This year also marks the culminating point in the studies of the 5th and Upper 6th Forms. For the 5th Form, there is, next June, the General Certificate of Education Examination, and for the Upper 6th the advanced level of this examination.  To all those sitting these examinations, we wish the best of luck.

And now, following the path of our first, we present you with our second magazine.

School Notes

At the forthcoming Speech Day in November the speaker will be Mr. P. Lord, M.Ed., B.Sc., the Deputy Chief Education Officer for Lancashire, and the chairman will be Alderman F. Lord, O.B.E., J.P.

During the past term, the enrolment of members for the newly-formed Ex-Students' Association has been taking place.  A social evening was held in school and it is hoped that many other activities will follow as the association grows.  The Ex-Students' Association intend to hold a Grand Reunion and Dance on Friday, 26th February.  Notice of the sale of tickets will be announced later.

In May of the summer term, the school held mock-elections which were very successful and caused a great deal of interest among the pupils.  Voting was limited to the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Forms and eve of poll speeches were given by the candidates in the Upper Hall, with Mr. Higson acting as chairman.  Mr. IX Elwell (Conservative) was the successful candidate with Mr. A. Holt (Labour) close behind.  Mr. F. Brook (Liberal) and Mr. A. Whitehead (Independent) also stood as candidates.  There was a 100% poll, due probably to the fact that polling was held during school hours.

At the end of the summer term, a speech-making contest was held, an account of which is to be found in this issue.

The school sports and swimming gala were held at the end of term, and also inter-house tennis, rounders and cricket matches.  The cricket, however, could not be completed owing to bad weather.

After sitting for the General Certificate Examination, a number of excursions were organised for the Fifth Form. Among the places of interest visited were the A. V. Roe aircraft factory, the Oak Pit, Kendal Milne's, Boundary Park Hospital, the Royal Infirmary, the Coliseum to see a play, and the "Oldham Chronicle" office.

The school received a visit from Mr. Horobin, the M.P. for Oldham (East), who addressed the 5th and 6th Forms. A lecture and demonstration on physical fitness was given by Mr. Bryn Goldswain, and a talk on personal appearance was given to the girls by Madam Lawrence.  Recruiting officers from the R.A.F. also visited the school.

This term, the boys' teams withdrew from the Oldham Schools Rugby League, and Rugby Union and Soccer are now being played.  At the Oldham Schools Inter-Secondary Swimming Gala, the junior boys' swimming team won whilst the senior boys' team drew with Clarksfield.

The table tennis club has increased its membership since last year and enjoys much popularity among the upper forms. The chess club is also flourishing and a programme of matches has been arranged for the winter.

Early this term, the school visited the Electronics Exhibition in Manchester and the visit was both interesting and instructive.  The 6th Form (Science Section) has been to Manchester for a lecture on "Meteorology and Actuary," and some of the 6th Form (Lit. Section) attended .Manchester University for a lecture by Professor Davidson, of Leeds University, on "Greek Tragedy."

In November, the Upper 6th Literature Section are attending a performance of  -  "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," this play being one of their set books.

We should like to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Petford on the birth of a son.  We would also like to congratulate two of our former pupils, Ivan Sharpe, who has gained his Queen's Scout Badge, and Peter Marner, who has represented his county at cricket several times this season.

We should like to mention that one of our ex-pupils, Beryl Pilkington, who went to live in Ceylon, has recently become secretary of the "Ceylon Business Express," Colombo, although she is only sixteen years old.

G.C.E Results, 1953

"A YEAR OF SONG"

The girls who are in the choir willingly stay behind after school to work on new pieces for the entertainment of the parents on their evenings or, as we are now doing, for Speech Day, when we hope to attempt a part song and other selected items.

We ought to thank especially several senior members of our choir -  Norma Timms, Avis Bolton and Vivienne Brooks, who have willingly served as soloists on many occasions.

In the summer holidays we had a choir picnic to Belle Vue, when some of our members spent an enjoyable half-day, returning home happy, tired and penniless.

The Table Tennis Club

Chess Club

     -  SPORT REPORTS

Sports Day  -  Boys

This year Lees House won the Sports with Walton House coming second.

Brook and Bentley carried off first and second places in the senior long jump for Walton House.

Bentley also won the mile from Kershaw and Marsh, although it was a slow race.

Each house won one relay. Fawsitt won the junior relay, Lees won the middle school relay, and Walton won the senior school relay.

C.B., VI Lit.

Rugby Report

Girls' Games

     -  HOUSE NOTES 

Fawsitt House Notes

Lees House Notes

Staff Members:
Mr. K. WRIGHT, Mr. J. L. NICHOLLS, Mr. F. D. PENDLEBURY, Miss BEST

House Captains:
FRANK SMITH, SHEILA KNOTT

Vice-Captains:
J. F. WAREHAM, PATRICIA M. GREENALL

Secretary:
BARBARA J. SUTCLIFFE

Walton House Notes

House Master :  Mr. MARTIN    House Mistress :  Mrs. FORD

Staff Members:
Mr. LIVSEY, Mr. COOPER, Mr. PETFORD, Mr. COOKE, Mrs. KULER

House Captains:
DENNIS ELWELL, JOAN MARLAND

Vice-Captains:
FRED BROOK, JUNE HURST

     -  FORM REPORTS 

  1X  -  Form Report

We have now embarked on a new school year. We have a new form master, Mr. Reeves, and a new form room. We welcomed Olive Shaw into our form this year.

In our form are people interested in various activities. Sandra Holligworth is our form's star gymnast and Olive Shaw is good at netball.  Kershaw, Mayberry, Wild and Dolan are on  the school rugby team.

Veronica Hetherington is our form's pianist and plays in many concerts. Several members of the form are interested in stamp-collecting, and Mayberry and Briggs arc collectors of old coins.

PAULINE MATTHEWS.

Many activities are pursued by the boys. D. Morris, I am happy to report, has represented the town at swimming.  Many of the form play chess, and J. Battersby is on the chess committee.  Several of the boys are keen aero-modellers and others take an interest in cycling.  T. Walsb was top boy in the half-yearly examination and F. Ogden was top of the final one.

 Our form-master is Mr. Handforth.

C. CUNNINGTON.

2G has had a slight change in its members; unfortunately we have lost Olive Shaw, but we welcome Sylvia Fitzpalrick. We also have to welcome Mrs. Kuler, our new form mistress, who came at the beginning of the term to teach French and German.

Our form has something rather unusual about it; it is the only form of girls in the whole school; all the rest, except 2B, being mixed classes.

We have quite a few sportsgirls in the class, and in the school sports we had someone from every house representing her house in netball and athletics.  Our best at netball and long jump is Jean Wright, and the best at high jump and running is Betty Howard.  Our star diver is Joan Fogg and our best swimmer Joyce Deane.  Some of us hope to get on the junior netball team this year.

Several of our members have joined the girls' choir this term.  We are still in the same form room (Room 1) as before; our form captain, as last year, being Jean Wright.

FRANK LAMB.
SANDRA WOLSTENCROFT.

 

 

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3Y  -  Form Report

We feel very honoured in being asked lo write for the school magazine.

In our form we have nine boys and twenty girls and our form mistress is Miss Turner.  We feel the first thing we ought to do is to welcome the return of Tom Whiteley from New Zealand.  We also have a new member in the form from 3Y.  We congratulate Ivan Hibbert on taking the first position in the class, in the end-of-term examinations.

Two of our girls, Avis Bolton and Vivien Brooks, sang at the Parents' Meetings, which were held last term.

Many members of our form take part in sports, Jeffrey Lawton being the captain of the 4th year rugby, and Robert Millward captain of the 3rd year rugby.  Many of our form, both boys and girls, take part in the swimming galas.  The school has hockey and netball teams for girls, whilst there are rugby and football teams for boys.  We should like to congratulate any members of our form who have taken a position on any of the teams.

We hope that in the future our form will always try to do its best, both in sport and lessons, as it has done in the past.

JOAN SCHOLEFIELD.
RITA CONROY.

 

 

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4Y  -  Form Report

This school year we have the horrible experience of sitting for the School Certificate, and from the first week of the Autumn Term we have worked like Trojans.  A few are just concentrating on the subjects at which they are at their best, and others are trying at every subject, with the faint hope that they will just scrape through.

Apart from work there are the sports, and one of our girls, Jean Wolfenden, is on the hockey first XI, and though we have played and lost three matches it is through no fault of hers.  We also have a group which plays table tennis in certain dinner-hours, and though they are only amateurs they are very good.  Also there are two or three of the boys on the football and rugby teams.

Although we are all working hard, we still manage to be one of the worst forms in the school.  We have quite a few famous characters -  Murphy, who manages to push his nose in just before assembly each morning, and Lang, who answers all the class questions and secretly hopes that everyone will forget that he has had all this before.  Then come the "Terrible Twins" - Eileen Barrow and Barbara Corfield - and with all truthfulness we can say that we have never seen one without the other.

Last, but not least, we have an ex-ballerina and a soloist in the school choir. This person is Norma Timms, and though she is not outstandingly clever at lessons, she is quite good at them.

These, and a few more, constitute Form 5Y and we hope that you have enjoyed our story.

The Library is much quieter and more peaceful this term.  Yes, the Science Section have departed to the laboratories, and all we hear of them now is an occasional explosion.

Curiously enough, there have been no broken windows since they left; not that one would wish to suggest that they caused all the trouble.  That should be apparent without any suggestion.

This year there have been additions to our ranks, and we now have a VI Lit. (a) and (b).

Also we have to announce the departure of Joan Wild, last year's scribe, who has left to attend a college.

With the addition of VI(b)  -  alas, all of the feminine variety  -  the odds (this may or may not refer to the girls) have risen to fourteen against two, and so Messrs. Brook and Bentley have to tread carefully in order to preserve a whole (and thick) skin. Already they have had to bribe their way out of several sticky situations (nothing to do with the toffees which the girls eat all day) by promising not to tell of set books left unprepared, or homework not done.

Up to press there have been no casualties to report, but we live in high hopes for next year.

C.B.

The term started with a swing with lessons in furniture removal for all the heftier members of the form. With great difficulty we succeeded in transporting a set of lockers (kindly donated by the Geography Dept.) from the top of the stairs to the Physics Lab.  A beautifully clean rectangle on the wall indicates the former position of the lockers.

 

At the end of the summer term Mr. Higson organised a speech-making contest for members of the Fifth and Sixth Forms. The Junior Chamber of Commerce gave a first prize of one guinea and Mr. Higson gave a second prize of a half-guinea.

The Fifth and Six Forms assembled in the Upper Hall to hear the speakers introduced by Mr. Higson and judged by the Rev. G. M. Wylie and the Deputy Director of Education, Mr. Wilson.

Of the five speakers, Frank McCandlish spoke on "Early School Leavers," Alan Holt on "The Prestige of B.R.M. Cars," Fred Brook on "The Conquest of Everest," Joan Wild on "The Theatre," and Elizabeth Grainger on "The City of Chester."

The judges, after due deliberation, announced that Fred Brook and Joan Wild had been the successful competitors, and they gave some helpful advice to would-be competitors, at the same time mentioning that an excellent start had been made to a series of Speech-making Contests.

   -  VISITS/HOLIDAYS

I think the most impressive thing about exhibitions of this sort is the noise, and certainly this year's Textiles Recorder Exhibition, held in the Exhibition Hall at Belle Vue, lacked none of this.  It was quite a large exhibition occupying the whole of the very large hall and almost every type of textile machine seemed to he on show, although there were no spinning mules.  These machines came from many countries, Germany and Switzerland being two of the most prominent.

 The chief offenders in making a noise were the looms, and these machines always seemed to have a surrounding crowd.  They were all of the automatic type, the shuttle being reloaded by the machine. Most of them were weaving intricate patterns, the shape being determined by a control band.  These control bands were of two types, the continuous fibre belt type with holes in, and the continuous lattice type with pegs.  The holes on the former allowed pegs to drop into them, whilst the pegs on the latter actuated small tumblers.  The final effect was the same, of course.  Those people who visited the exhibition in 1949 would almost certainly be impressed by the Platt Bros. carpet loom.  This, however, was not on view this time, but there was a very sturdy-looking carpet loom turning plain carpet off at an amazing rate.

 There was a magnificent carding machine in the Textile Machinery Manufacturers' display, and it had, incidentally, a traversing creel which is quite a new thing.

 I think the prize for speed should be given to an up-twister spinning nylon.  The spindles on this machine were revolving at twenty thousand r.p.m.  Winding frames were represented by a very peculiar piece of machinery.  Instead of your going to the machine, the machine comes to you, for the cones revolve around a sort of flattened elipse.  As each bobbin arrives at the "control centre" it is discarded and a new one automatically put in by a magazine, which the operator is continually filling.  Although the "ends" are not supposed to break, whilst we were viewing the machine they sometimes did.  We must emphasise, however, that the machine was not a full-size version, and this may have contributed to this defect.

 The dyeing department was well attended, too.  Here there was a large machine called a molten metal dyeing machine, and in view of its name, we studied it with care.  The metal temperature was around 50º C and the metal was "Glauber's metal," probably one of those low melting ones.
Anyway, the cloth came out unscorched, so it could not have been very hot inside.  It did come out beautifully dyed, however, and the machine certainly merits its name.

 As in all exhibitions, the finished products of the manufacturers were not the only exhibits and around the sides of the hall many firms exhibited their inconspicuous but very important wares.  Among the more interesting of these was a dynamically balanced beam made from elektron, and an infinitely variable gear, which was said to he quite positive.  Owing to oil being splashed up onto the inspection panel, however, I was unable to discover how this worked.

 I do not know whether I dare report the last item as it is more appropriate in the electronics section, but being primarily a scientist and not an engineer, I was naturally drawn by the electric motors, and the remarkable thing about these was that they were in section, and yet running under their own power.

A. HOLT, VIa Science.

A Visit to the Electronics Exhibition at

As a special treat, the members of the Sixth Form were allowed at the end of last term to accompany the 5th on their visit to the Electronics Exhibition at Manchester's School of Technology.

The exhibition proved very instructive and entertaining, whilst the journey to the exhibition was rather amusing.  The plan was to leave Clegg Street Station for Manchester on the 8.50 train, and the plan seemed to be going well until on alighting from the train at Victoria Station we discovered that two of the staff had mysteriously missed the train, despite being in the station when the train left.  This entailed a wait on Victoria Station until they arrived by bus, as they were the holders of all the tickets.  Once out of the station we proceeded to the School of Technology where we met Mr. Pendlebury before going into the exhibition.  Once inside, we disbanded, each person seeing as much as he could in the allotted time.

The exhibition was divided mainly into two large halls, and several small rooms, the layout being depicted in a very excellent catalogue which was available.  I attempted to see the exhibition by going around in a set plan, starting off with the room demonstrating tape recorders.  These remarkable machines give amazing clarity, and play for very long periods and, if that is not enough, the tape can be used several times.  From this room I moved to the large hall where I saw, amongst other things, the extra-corporeal heart and lung equipment.  This machine, although as yet only tried on dogs, will do the duties of the heart and lungs during operations connected with these organs.  It consists briefly of two pumps, one for venous and one for arterial blood, pumping blood to and from a large revolving plastic drum, in which the blood is oxygenated. Just to the left of this machine was a metal detector, a machine which rejects any objects containing metal which may be put into it.  Time base generators, Avo-meters and radio valves were in abundance, but not dynamic balancers.  In fact, I saw only one, which was engaged in dynamically balancing a small armature.  I then moved to the other hall which featured among other things a table model electron microscope and a gadget explaining simply how colour TV works.

There was also a large piece of apparatus which had a button labelled "Press to Start." I did as f was told, only to find that there was no "Press to Stop" button.  After watching anxiously for about two minutes, however, I was relieved to see it stop of its own accord.  It was, incidentally, a gadget to show the effect of wiring capacitators into a power circuit.

A film show was given in Reynold's Hall prior to a lecture on discharge tubes in the lecture room.  Both were very instructive.  There were several films' mainly animated and showing the fundamental electrical principles, but one very good film traced the life of a television valve through the Mullard
works.  The lecture was particularly good.  It was given in language which everyone could understand, and it began with the very first principles of discharge tubes, and finished with descriptions of more elaborate trigger valves, etc., which were further explained by demonstrations.

After the film show and lecture, I meandered round, inspecting the X-ray apparatus en route, and at about 3.30 made my way back to Victoria Station where we were due to meet and return home.

A.M., VIa Sc.

Fifth Form Outing to Ingleton and District

For most members of the Fifth Form, Tuesday, April 7th, 1953, is a day to be remembered.  At eight o'clock we left Oldham Market Place by motor coach, bound for Ingleton.  The weather was perfect, with ideal conditions which lasted all day  -  to the obvious delight of Mr. Wells, who had arranged the outing.

But for a half hour spent in Settle, we went uninterruptedly on our way to Clapham, which we reached at 10.30 a.m.  From here we went by foot through the heavily wooded Ingleborough estate, passing by the lake and Clapham Cave into Trow Ghyll.  We left this gorge by a rocky staircase and emerged on the open moors.  After walking through half a mile, of marshy ground we came to Gaping Ghyll, the largest pot-hole in the British Isles, which is 1,350 feet above sea level.  We rested here for a while, admiring the views, and then commenced the climb up the shoulder of Ingleborough, pausing many times to point out landmarks and admire new vistas.  We finally reached the summit, 2,250 feet above sea level, and ate our lunch, looking over the extensive countryside below which included a glimpse of Morecambe Bay.  Owing to the altitude, however, it was very cold, so we began the steep descent without delay.

About two miles from the summit we came to Weathercote Cave, where we saw a waterfall in a pot-hole, and when we reached the road we found the coach waiting, which took us to White Scar Cave. The stalactites, stalagmites, limestone formations and waterfall were pointed out to us by a guide, at the cave, and he explained that some of the stalagmites were known by names, for example, "The Mother and Child," "Father Christmas," and "The Buddha."  The time was then 4.00 p.m. and we made for Ingleton, some of the party going on foot in order to see, en route, the many waterfalls which included Thornton Force, and the remainder travelling by coach.  The waterfall, pouring from its limestone ledge, was a magnificent sight, and had attracted visitors other than our party.  From there we continued on our way to Ingleton along a winding path, through a steep-sided, beautifully wooded valley, in which we saw many smaller cascades.  At 5.30 p.m. we reached our destination and were ready for our teas, which were obtained in the many cafes.  We remained in the village until 7.30 p.m. and then left for Oldham, with a short stay at Gisburn on the way.

The journey back took three hours, and on our arrival in Oldham we felt that we had had a most enjoyable day, thanks to the district, the weather and, of course, Mr. Wells.

BRENDA TAYLOR.
SHIRLEY GIBSON.

The Third Year Trip to Stratford-on-Avon

On the morning of June 3rd, the Third Year, after assembling on West Street site at 8.0 a.m., set off for Lichfield, where we stopped for half an hour.  Some of us made our way to the cathedral.  The cathedral takes its name from St. Chad, the first bishop of Mercia, who had his see at Lichfield.  The one thing which I wanted to see was the tomb of the "sleeping children."  The altar itself is a very fine work of art.  After we left the cathedral we set off for Stratford, passing Warwick Castle.  We also passed Arden forest which was a sign that we were not far from Shakespeare's native town.

The red building of the theatre was the first sight that greeted us.  As we scrambled out of the coach, Mildred and I made our way in the direction of Shakespeare's birthplace.  We paid sixpence for admission and visited each room.  In one room was a small hole in the wall which, the guide said, according to legend was a hole through which members of the family could hold a conversation with their neighbour, which I admit is much more convenient than going into one another's houses.  In the Elizabethan age one wrote one's signature with a diamond on the window pane, and there is the signature of Shakespeare's leading lady, after she had visited the house.  After visiting the birthplace we went to the theatre.  As we were not able to enter we contented ourselves by wandering round its grounds and peeping through the windows.  We also saw the four bronzes of Falstaff, Hamlet and two other of Shakespeare's characters.  Mr. Wells then took us to Shottery to see Anne Hathaway's cottage which is a spot frequented by American tourists.  We saw the old settle which is said to have held William and Anne while he was doing his "courting."  At the foot of her bed is an old box in which Anne Hathaway placed her Bible each night.  Before we left the cottage we signed the visitors' book.

After having seen the cottage we left Shottery and returned to Stratford and picked up the remainder of our party and then went to Coventry for tea.  We left Coventry at 7.30 p.m. After an exciting and tiring day we returned to Oldham at 12.30 a.m.

JOAN SCHOLEFIELD, 4X.

Trip to Ireland

The school camp was in Ireland this year, in the charge of Mr. Nicholls, Mr. Handforth and Mr. Wild. 

We left Oldham two hours late and, making a quick journey, arrived at Liverpool in time. Travelling by boat on the "Minister," which was quite big, was new to us.

We arrived, after a calm sea passage, in Dublin early the next morning.  After walking to the station where we had to wait about half an hour, we travelled by diesel to Skerries Station.  The camp was half a mile from the station.

The camp consisted of fifteen tents, four being big marquees. There was a rustic archway leading to the dining hall, with shop, kitchen and camp office.

Meals were extremely good with an ample supply of everything, including butter.  It was a mixed camp consisting of four schools, which made two sittings for meals.     Each school had fatigues which were washing up, serving, cleaning and scrubbing.

Sleeping was rather cramped and earwigs were frequent visitors.  Our school had two of the large tents.  The sea was 100 yards away, being very cold at that time.  The cinema was frequently visited as well as the amusement arcades.

There were enough grounds on the camp for playing cricket, football and rugby, as well as the camp's special game, non-stop cricket.  We visited Dublin three times.  On the second visit we travelled by coach there.  This coach also took us to the Guinness factory where we were conducted around by a guide.  Everybody wanted to try the free samples, but we were not allowed to have any.  Then we travelled to the zoo, which was well equipped for animals. (We nearly left some of our party in the monkey house).  Photographs were taken with Sarah, a well-trained elephant.  We also visited Dublin Airport and then wandered about round the centre of the town.

Towards the latter end of our stay various competitions and events took place in the camp. Prizes were awarded for the neatest bed in the camp, a fancy dress competition, a table tennis competition, and a talent competition  One of our party, Jeffrey Lawton, obtained second prize in the talent competition for his singing, and also he won the table tennis competition.

On the rainy, thundery day that we left, the prizes for the competitions were distributed.  This was typical of the weather that we had had that week.  Leaving the camp, we travelled by train to Dublin where we had a short stay.

Our journey home by boat was rough, however, but we had got over the novelty of sailing and some of the party slept during the journey.  We had our breakfast in Liverpool and after a short stay there we returned to Oldham by coach.

Everyone arrived home safely on the Wednesday dinnertime, happy but penniless after a very enjoyable holiday.

On May 10th, several members of the school joined a party led by Mr. Wells, on a day's visit to the Lake District, including an ascent of Helvellyn, one of the highest peaks.  Members of the school present were Herr Baldauf, James Marsh, John Wareham and Fred Brook.

We set off at eight o'clock on a rather dull morning and travelled north through Rochdale and over the Belmont to Preston.  By the time we reached Kendal the sun had broken through, but it rapidly disappeared as we reached Windermere, where a halt was called for coffee and to eat our lunch.  We arrived in Grasmere about half an hour later and then, divided into our parties.  The first one was to do a short stroll along the shores of Grasmere and over Red Bank and thence into Grasmere village.  The second, consisting mainly of older people, was to look around the village, then join the first party and go on a tour via Keswick to Patterdale.  The third and fourth parties were to climb up Great Tongue, a large spur, till they reached Grisedale Tarn, where the third party was to cross the saddle and descend the long valley into Patterdale, whilst the fourth party, to which I belonged, was to climb Helvellyn.

We left the third party at Grisedale Tarn and proceeded up the steep side of Dolly Waggon Pike to the plateau of Helvellyn, some 1,000 feet above us.  We attained the plateau after a stiff climb, and then there remained only a gradual incline to just below the summit.  Here we stopped above a great corrie, the walls of which dropped sheer some 600 feet below us, and gazed across at the knife-like ridge of Striding Edge, which we must traverse to reach Patterdale.  After a rest, we climbed to the summit, where we rested before making the descent.  As a summit, Helvellyn is not spectacular, but the view around is magnificent, and the clouds fortunately breaking enabled us to see the surrounding peaks and look down on Thirlmere, some 2,000 feet below us.

Next, we had to do a rather tricky scramble of about 100 feet to Striding Edge, which we reached without mishap. The Edge itself is very spectacular.  Walking along it is rather like walking along a pavement, or to give you a better idea, a table-top.  But if you step off a pavement you land in the roadway, whereas if you step off Striding Edge you fall either some 500 feet into Red Tarn on one side, or some 600 feet into the corrie on the other side.

However, we traversed Striding Edge, after which there was only a long descent into Grisedale Valley and finally into Patterdale.  Here we had a meal, and then met the coaches which had come from Grasmere. Then we went over ihe high Kirkstone Pass into Windermere and so hack home to Oldham.

F. BROOK, Via Lit.

In Search of "Wuthering Heights"

Towards the close of Herr Baldauf's visit to Oldham, as assistant German teacher, he expressed a keen desire to cycle to the village of Haworth to explore the district frequented by the Brontes, especially the parsonage, and the house, "Withins," said to have inspired the idea of "Wuthering Heights."

A cycle, or at least, the nearest thing to one, was very kindly lent to him by Dennis Elwell, with the assurance that "it has a good brake, anyway," and Mr. and Mrs. Wells joined the party, thus solving the map difficulty.  Sunday dawned with brilliant sunshine, and the party, Mr. and Mrs. Wells on their tandem, Fred Brook, Alan Holt and myself, on what might loosely be termed cycles, met to await the arrival of Herr Baldauf.

His delay, so he explained, was due to having to go slowly on account of the brake.  We assured him that this was nonsense; the brake had an infallible guarantee, that of the owner, but no-one accepted Herr Baldauf's offer to try it out.

We soon reached Haworth, by way of Hollingworth Lake, Little-borough, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and over Oxenhope Moor, and had a meal, after which we explored the museum at the parsonage. "Withins" lay several miles away and after cycling part of the way and trudging up hill and down dale, we arrived only to find it a very derelict building.

Disappointed, we returned to Haworth, had tea, and about 5.30 p.m. commenced the return journey by way of another route, a Great Circle route, suggested by Mr. Wells, to keep the outing from becoming monotonous, passing through Keighley, Bingley, Brighouse, Outlane and Denshaw; and soon afterwards, intermittent rain began to fall.

There are those who declare that Bingley is farther from Oldham than Haworth, and there is some justification for that belief, for the increasingly bad weather of rising wind strength and intermittent driving rain certainly made it seem so.  Incidents continued to occur, including Herr Baldauf's hair-raising 20 m.p.h. dash through some traffic-lights in the middle of a descending hill, just as they changed to "GO."  That exasperating brake seemed to pay no regard whatever to traffic-lights or even to "Halt" signs, and doubts about its guarantee rose in our minds.

A howling gale of headwind and driving rain on the moorland road to Nont Sarah's Hotel made us long for the "monotony" of the outward trip, and caused us to string out somewhat.  Alan, in the rear, called for a drink of water at a nearby house (it must be recorded that Alan usually does 20 miles to the gallon of water), and there decided to finish the journey by taxi, arriving home about 1 a.m. thirty shillings lighter.  Fred and myself continued towards Denshaw, whilst Mr. and Mrs. Wells awaited Herr Baldauf at the hotel.  Eventually he arrived, and after restoring his strength with a little food, he was packed off home in another taxi, and arrived nine shillings less.

On reaching the descent into Denshaw, Fred and I struggled on in low gear but were very fortuitously picked up by the drivers of two empty motor-coaches returning to Manchester.  It was learned afterwards that shortly before this miracle happened, Fred's handlebars had snapped, so the rescue was most fortuitous and enabled us to arrive home by 11.30 p.m.  Mr. and Mrs. Wells rode all the way home, expecting to see bodies strewn all over the road, and arrived at about 1.30 a.m.

The following morning, when food and a good rest had elevated the near-tragedy into a glorious epic of bull-dog endurance, Herr Baldauf solemnly observed, "A man could die on those moors at night and no-one, would know."

C.BENTLEY, Via Lit.

      -  CONTRIBUTIONS

An Agricultural Show

Recently we visited one of those cheerful gatherings known as an Agricultural Show.  The day was fine and warm, the birds sang merrily, and a faint breeze whispered amongst the trees.  Slowly, and in the best of spirits, we wended our way through picturesque (though inconspicuous) little villages till at last we neared our destination.

On approaching the show we heard the shrill whinney of a horse, followed by the grunt of a pig. Within a few minutes we had paid the entrance fee and, on discovering that the parade of prize-winning cattle was about to take place, found a good viewpoint and waited.

Round and round the ring they marched  -  cows, bulls, pigs and calves, a truly magnificent sight on that fine summer's day.  At the end of the "procession" were some little calves which won a round of applause all to themselves.  Once this had finished the ring was cleared so that the stands could be put up for the horse-jumping.  Whilst this was going on we discovered, in another part of the field, a dog show just about to begin.  All sorts and sizes of dogs were there, ranging; from Golden Labradors basking in the sunshine, to fluffy little "pekes" busily preening themselves.  After the dog show we watched the horse-jumping.

My last impressions of the show were of the many different animal sounds  -  of the horses, cattle and the dogs. So ended my first, and I hope not my last, visit to a country agricultural show.

JUDITH STOTT, 2M.

Autumn Reigns

As I wandered down a country lane one morning in Autumn, the beauty around me awakened me from my day-dreams. The leaves were turning colour, and it seemed as if all the beauty Nature had was revealing itself . before the sad, dark days of Winter. The leaves fell whirling to the p^ound, seeming to make a carpet for all kingly subjects to walk on. Through the trees the sunbeams danced, throwing dappled pools of light on Nature's royal carpet.

In the fields beyond the lane, crops were being harvested. The golden corn swayed in the gentle breeze and the feeling of everlasting peace reigned over Nature's vast kingdom.

DORIS HARRISON, 2M.

Crossword

On Having a Cold

Suddenly, that heavy, sodden feeling comes on, nasal passages clog up, and the next thing we know is "two days off school with an acute cold."

All night can be heard the croakings and snortings of a person with a cold gently sleeping, and an occasional whistle when some air penetrates through the nose.  Next morning, under the pressure of hot water bottles and whisky, the whole thing blossoms into a ripe cold, plus a glowing red nose.  Meditatively one thinks that Mr. Crookes' Halibut Oil Capsules are really a fraud and do not prevent one from getting a cold, and that prescribed closing of vitamin pills was really all in vain.

Now this stage is reached some attempted diversion is advised.  Ah, yes !  Catch up with that book we are supposed to be reading at school.  A few yells downstairs and the required article is brought up, with many entreaties of "Now keep your arms under cover.  Don't get more cold."  Peace at last, the page found, a comfortable position in bed and reading commences.  But suddenly a tickle is felt in the nose, eyes run, printing blurs and one's whole internal mechanism revs up.  Ears go deaf, breath is held in anticipation of the happening, facial contortions develop and then it happens.  A few quivers of the upper lip and the whole operation culminates in the production of that inevitable part of the cold  -  the sneeze. This is generally repeated several times, rocking the whole of the body in the process.  Then finally operations cease and one again becomes subdued and attempts to read continue.  But after many such efforts to read, one finally gives it up and resigns oneself to a life of blissful nose blowing and attempted sleep.  Finally oblivion comes, and for a few hours rest is attained.

But the worst has yet to come. One awakens to rind the throat parched, swollen with breathing through the mouth, and every time one swallows it feels like the swallowing of one's tonsils. But soon that painlessly passes away (if you haven't done so in the meantime) and now your cold feels a little better.  After that harrowing experience a friend calls from school with the happy and cheering news : "We have done absolutely piles of history notes today, and you had better copy them up quickly because we are having a test next week on all this term's work."  On which you promptly succumb to another sneezing fit.

B.C., VIa Lit.

The Thing

I viewed the thing with deep misgivings. The thing in question was a battered high-powered Morgan of doubtful vintage. Doubtless it would have been the latest model twenty-five years ago.

I began to regret that I had ever agreed to accompany Percy Carrington on his first ride in his newly-bought bus. Percy, only holding a learner's licence, needed someone with a current licence, though why he should have picked on me I don't know. Anyway, the point was, I had agreed to go and now I should have to suffer for my folly.

I had just reached this point in my gloom when I spied Percy galloping down the garden path. Admittedly it took me several minutes to recognise. Percy since he was dressed up like an Eskimo, but his long red nose finally betrayed him.

"What oh! Are we ready?" he trumpeted, yanking on the door handle with such vicious effect that it fell off.

I groaned inwardly, and opened the door delicately, taking care not to cut myself on the jagged edge.

I settled myself and then discovered I had a lovely view of a patch of blue sky.
"It's all right," Percy yelled. "It's got good springs. I borrowed your seat because mine wasn't big enough."  I distrusted the springs intensely, but there was nothing I could do about it.

A peculiar sound now began to intrude itself on my ears, resembling in my imagination the last sounds of a dying pig.   Then I realised Percy was attempting to start the engine. At last he managed to get it going, and we set off like a bomb; very much like a bomb, the smoke effects being particularly realistic.

With the ear-shattering roar in my ear drums,  I grew quite excitedwatching the speedometer gyrate wildly from 20 to 50 m.p.h. and occupied myself by working out the average speed.

I was just looking up watching the swoopings of what looked like vultures waiting for pickings, when a bulky object flashed across my range of vision, missing Percy by about six inches. I peered over the side of the car and discovered it was one of the front headlamps which had been shaken oft by the bumpings.

I glanced upward at Percy. His confidence looked a little shaken but nevertheless he kept on. I admired him for it.

Abruptly the hood shot up next, smothering him. Frantically I heaved on the hand brake and brought the car to a shuddering halt in twenty yards. A pungent smell of burning rubber crept in on the car.  Freeing himself from the folds of the hood, Percy attempted to put it back in place, the supports being unusually stubborn. He succeeded only in enmeshing himself further in it.  Evidently tiring of ever getting it back in place, he threw it over the back of the car, on to the pavement.

Red in the face now through his exertions, and short-tempered, he leapt into the car.  In some ingenious way, he managed to get his foot entangled in the steering wheel. Furiously he struggled to free it, and finished by jerking off the steering wheel completely.  Jamming it back on, he settled himself in the seat, the gear stick somehow disappearing up his trouser leg. Starting the engine, he finished the manoeuvre by making a snappy gear change with the brake lever and banged his foot on the accelerator.  The result of this evolution was that the radiator shot off, coming down with a crash on poor Percy's head.

At last we set off again, and eventually came to some traffic lights. I could tell we were in the centre of a town from the loud and numerous blarings of motor horns round the car.

"Watch me go through these lights at red," he boasted. "Hey, you can't do that," I yelled, quaking.
But before I could stop him the car had shot forward, bringing my head up with a crash against the back panel.  Mercifully I was oblivious of the chaos going on all around me. When I came to, we were out in the country again, Percy looking rather the worse for wear, and with a hunted expression on his face.

The end had to come some time, and after rounding a corner going much too fast for safety, we hit a great stout wooden door, that opened into a country house drive, with a crash that sounded like a young atom bomb going off.  The door was hardly marked, however, and as we were sorting ourselves from the remains of the car, an old gentleman opened the door and enquired politely, "Did you knock, Sirs?"

I.S.

Solution to Crossword

ACROSS .

1, Clinometers;  8, Dud;  9, At;  10, Theme;  11, Maria;  13, Airs;  14, Noll;  15, Susa;  16, Dram;
18, Cape;  19, Dam;  20, Riot;  21, Work;  24, Rate;  25, Ears;  27, I.E.;  28,  Etat;  29, Apes.

DOWN.

1, Cut and dried ;  2, Idea;  3, Numismatist;  4, Oder ;  5, Transport;  6, Rails;  7, Stalactites;  12, Roue; 17, Ado;  21, Writ;  22, Oaf;  23, Keep;  26, R.E.

Answers to Riddle-Me-Rees

                (i)    HOMEWORK.        (ii)    GREENHILL.