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1951

LETTERS FROM THE UNDERWORLD
Appleby and Hackworthy have been commended by Scotland Yard for giving information leading to the apprehension of some criminals. While praising their public-spirited action we cannot
help echoing the awful warning, "Remember what happened to Nicky the Nark!"
S.O.S.
Would someone please tell the Editors what on earth they meant by the crack about the economics candidates being issued with a new pair of boots? [Please ask Mr. Couch: he knows, he knows!]

REARMAMENT PROGRAMME
The School has been troubled of late by a spate of terrorists armed with Jolliboy water pistols (140 squirts per refill) until rounded up by what we may euphemistically call the Sheriff's posse, who confiscated the weapons with suspicious eagerness.

NO REWARD OFFERED
Would anyone care to solve the mystery of the footprints on the Prefects' Room ceiling?

TWELFTH NIGHT
Still doggedly seeking after culture, even members of the Science Sixth went to see Twelfth Night at the Old Vic. There is to be another visit to Bartholomew Fair: it's a pity the Old Vic. aren't doing The Alchemist.

TRIPLE HONOURS FOR MALLINSON HOUSE
During the Summer Term Mallinson House won the Cricket Championship, the Athletic Sports, and the Workman Cup for School Work for the year. Congratulations!

FILM SHOWS
At the end of the Summer Term the School saw Michael Redgrave, Emlyn Williams and Margaret Lockwood in The Stars Look Down. The performance not what it might have been owing to the poor acoustics of the Hall, but the new sound board should vastly improve reception at Christmas of Bush Christmas.

SIR GEORGE MONOUX WEATHER STATION
Those who have paused to wonder at the knot of boys on the front lawn at five to nine may like to know that they were watching a contingent of 1s,1g,or 2c geography set, taking meteorological readings. Daily records of rainfall, wind and temperature have been kept since the 1st October. Such great keenness has been awakened that other forms are likely to participate.

GEOGRAPHY PRIZE
Colin Steers of St, Whitehall Gardens, Chiugford, now in FormVI, was notified last term by London University that he had won the Arthur Simmons Memorial Prize. The prize fund, administered by the University of London, is in memory of an Inspector of Secondary Schools for the University and provides two prizes annually. These are awarded to the boy and the girl who submit the best work in Geography at the Midsummer General School Examination. As between 19,000 and 20,000 candidates take the Geography paper at that examination, Steers's achievement is a remarkable one.

THE BULLETIN
Yet another series of Bulletins has begun to appear, this time under the editorship of Turner and Silvester. Journalistically it is (if rather less controversial) rather better than its forerunners, though deficient in witty Bullets. It carries a flourishing Readers' Letters column, always a sigu of readers' interest, and has appeared very regularly.

GERMAN VISITORS
Four German schoolboys spent part of last term in Walthamstow as the guests of Clark, Collins, Patterson, and Whiting. They attended School each day and took part in the general activities. They returned to Germany in October much impressed and pleased by their stay with us.

OPEN SCHOLARSHIP
As we go to press we learn that R.E.Durgnat has just obtained an Open Scholarship in English at Pembroke College, Cambridge. This fine achievement rounds off in excellent fashion an outstandiug School career, which included Distinctions in both French and English at the Higher School Certificate Examination in the summer. The initials R.E.D. at the end of many contributions, including much sound dramatic and film criticism, will be very familiar to readers of the Monovian. May we see them later in journals of greater repute and wider sphere!

FIELD COURSE AT JUNIPER HALL
Last Summer members of the Geography VIth attended a Field Course at Juniper Hall, near Dorking, in Surrey.
Juniper Hall, one of the centres of the Council for the Promotion of Field studies, is pleasantly situated on the edge of the Box Hill National Trust property and is excellently sited for geographical and associated studies of the Wealden area.
The party was privileged to have as its leader, Mr.C.G.Fagg, an acknowledged expert on Wealden geography. Under his guidance a strenuous and most instructive week was spent. It is to be hoped that this Field Course will become a regular feature of VIth Form Geography.

THEATRE VISITS
The Sixth Form has continued its programme of theatre visits under the efficient stewardship of Mr. Miles, who sets about collecting everyone's money twice over with unparalleled enthusiasm. Recent outings were to Electra and Henry V.

PREFECTS' ROOM PABULUM
A slow but steady improvement is observable in Prefects' Room literature. Once we had the Times, the Daily Mail, the News Chronicle and Lilliput. No one read the Times (however much awe and respect it got us at the newsagent's) which was used chiefly as wadding by those who forgot their football pads. A general reshuffle brought us the Daily Mail, Lilliput, Argosy, Reader's Digest and R*v**ll*. Now of these only the first (on account of Flook) and the last remain.

METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
We have been trying to think of funny remarks about the Meteorological Society, one member of which may be seen slipping out on to the lawn every morning to look at the rain gauge with all the enthusiasm of an explorer discovering the North Pole or of a biologist on the scent of a corpse pickled in alcohol; but all have been appropriated for describing the B.B.C. Weather Reports. Readers are. however, asked to imagine Mr. Howden dashing out to his beloved rain gauge, disciples racing after his wind-billowed cloak like a troop of chickens after their mother.

From England's Shore to --
We are asked to note Scates's and Durgnat's hitch-hike trip to Rome last year: down to Rome and back to Paris for £10 each. The trip lasted a month.

PARIS
We quote front a very interesting letter to the Old Monovians Section of the last issue: "Paris certainly is a wonderful city but I would not go into such rhapsodies over it as the chaps from School who were there last year. I still remember I am a Londoner." We can assure the author that the implied rebuke and example are duly noted and have been appreciated to the full.

AIDS TO SINGLE FILE.
Pickets are urging the installation of turnstiles every ten yards in the corridors to ensure single file.

CHAMPION OF ENGLAND
We heartily congratulate D. P. Scott on the splendid achievement of becoming schoolboy champion of England in the 10st. 8lb. Clas. He began boxing four years ago at the Chingford Boxing Club, and won the Club's All-Round Cup for one year. Of the eight contests up to the final Scott won five by a knock-out and three on points.

FILM SHOW

The end-of-term film show included Good-bye, Mr. Chips. We hope this will be an example to the Staff. Mr. Hyde was heard to remark at the end of the film that he hoped that, when he retired,
He would have hair as long and beautiful as Mr. Chips's! We can assure him that already he is on the way to fulfilment of his ambition, and we shall watch his future efforts with awe and wonder.

SIXTH FORM ENGLISH
Master : "There is a theory that Poetry can only be properly appreciated when read in certain positions. For example, J-- how do you react when reading poetry with your mouth open?"
Boy: "I dribble, sir."

BLUSHING VIOLETS DEPT.
"Nevertheless, I think Mrs. Burford as the adolescent, 'Pussy,' was best in a good cast. She swung her legs . . . ."-Our dramatic critic.
At last we know the secret of the popularity of the Monoux productions of Shakespeare. She parts are played by boy actors who all wear tights!

FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"Of course, between productions, they use the stage as a gymnasium mother."

VISIT TO SPAIN
At the end of last term Mr. Durrant, the Spanish Master, took a party of boys to Spain, where they spent an interesting month. An account of their stay from the pen of Mr. Durrant appears later in the magazine.

HISPANIC COUNCIL PRIZE
The Hispanic Council holds an annual examination for Spanish pupils in schools throughout the British Isles and offers a number of prizes for successful candidates in three different age groups. The examination for senior pupils comprises unseen translation into Spanish, translation from Spanish into English and a free composition.
In the the senior age group there are four first prizes of five guineas and we offer our hearty congratulations to A.W.Morley who has won a first prize for the second year running. The prize money has to be spent on books and is thus of particular value for an advancedstudent.

DRAMATIC SOCIETY VISITS GERMANY
The School Dramatic Society with that of the Wanstead County High School was chosen by Miss Cobby, the Essex County Drama Adviser, to illustrate the work done in drama in English schools at an international drama festival. This festival, a full account of which appears later in the magazine, was held at Weilburg in Germany under the auspices of the German Ministry of Education.

TEACHERS' REFRESHER COURSE
The School had two days holiday towards the end of last term on March 15th and 16th, when the Walthamstow Educational Fellowship used the building for a Refresher Course for the teachers of Walthamstow. Lectures were given by eminent educationists, including Sir Fred Clarke, Dr. W. P. Alexander, P. Wilson. Esq.. H.M.I., and E. R. Hamilton, Esq., and there were in addition exhibitions of books and audio and visual aids, a film show and a party dance.