BON.IS . ARTIBUS - THE COTTONIAN No 1 2 1 1972-73

Centenary Number 1873-1973

4

SANCTUS WILFFUDUS

CONTENTS Editoral

Pages 1

Salvete 1

Through my Windows 2

Birmingham Old Boys 7

London Old Boys

Anthony Dillon

Obituary

Gifts to the School

School Year 1972-73 15

School Officials 16

Thoughts on the Centenary 17

Centenary at Cotton 22

Pr ize List 27

Literary and Debating Society 28

54 Society 28

Music Notes 29

House Notes

Sixth Form Talks

Plays: 'Witness for the Prosecution? 'Tons of Money l 'Happy Landings1 'Running Riotf

Sport

Valete

Obituary of F r Fulcher

Examination Results

COVERPHOTOGRAPH:

The Procession for the Centenary Mass

SAXON UM APOSWUIS

EDITORIAL SALVETE

The high-light of the year nras the Centenary of the J T Barnes, G SV Barre t t , S C Barre t t , A J Bray, J G School's coming to Cotton f rom Sedgley Park. On 8 and Bridges, J P Carroll , 0 E Chatin, J W Clnncy, D Deva- 9 June thirteen bishops, including the Apostolic Delegate, ney, AT Dodcls, M W Donrler, P A Dre~!~, J Ferguson, distinguished guests, members of the Association, Old J P Flanagan, A1 Forshan., D P Gosling, I< i\I Harradine, Boys and their wives joined us in our rejoicings. R W Hill, 21 J Hughes, G I Ingram, T D James , R J

Jefferies, J Lehnert, A P J> in~ , 0 A1 Lynch, J AIaguire, Two members of the Staff a re leaving at the end of the R F Alandy, C A AIiddleton, P AIilner, C P AIoney, V Summer Term. Father D F Keniry, nrho has been P r e - Noual, N OtBrien, W A1 OISei l l , A1 J Ormsby, P C feet of Discipline for the past three years , i s changing Pere ra , 'iS' D Phillips, C C Power, T PrcSton, A Rudd, places with Father C J Bester (OC 1952-60), Assistant J Saldanha, C J Shanr, S R Siclu.ell, P A Smith, F G Smyth, P r i e s t at St Michael's, Wolverhampton. SVe should like T Stubbins, I< Sullivan, T L Taylor, E IS' SSTalton, F A1 to thank Father Keniry for all his work at Cotton. In SValton, F \S7ilby, A h1 SVillis. addition to h is many duties a s Prefect , h e has taken a very active part in Rugby, cricket and hockey, and i t i s thanks to h is interest in golf that lve a r e able to include an ar t ic le in the Sports Section on that worthy game. D r J F Tilney-Bassett i s leaving to take up another appointment. We shall not forget in a hurry his sterl ing 45 in 'The Doctor's Match1. We n4sh them every success in the future and at the same time welcome their succes- sors . In addition to Father Bester , hlr A Woodham, B Sc, of the University of Kent nil1 be joining the Staff to teach Chemistry. He has been teaching in the Is le of Wight, and we extend additional good wishes to him a s h e i s being marr ied during the summer holidays.

Through the good offices of the Headmaster and Father Round, Gilbert and Sullivan have returned to Cotton. During the year various audiences enjoyed performances of 'Trial by Jury1 and 'Patience'.

Mr David P r i m e ('Davt) i s retir ing this year after work- ing a t the School for nearly fifty years. He is of course well-known to a l l Old Boys under 60, and to many over that age a s well. We a r e s u r e you would all like to join us in wishing him a happy retirement in his new house a t Cauldon Low.

We acknowledge with thanks the following magazines received during the year : 'The Ampleforth Journal', 'The Edmundianl, 'The Mountaineer', 'The Ratcliffian', 'The Firefly ' (Newcastle HS), 'The Nottinghamian', 'The Ushaw Magazine1, 'The Oscotianl, 'The Douai Magazine1, 'St Bede's Magazine, Bradford1, 'The Venerabile', 'The Oratory School Magazine' and 'Baeda' (St Bede's, Man - chester) .

We offer our congratulations to Paul and Patr ic ia Tubb on the birth of Paul Henry, a brother for Maryanne and Charles. His birthday was 1 August 1973.

Through my Windo~vs

on? of the fo~ultling monks t h o r e \\.lie c a m e f r o m 1Iarecl- s o u s (Dom C o l u m l ~ n 1 I a r m i o n ' s ;il)ljey). Don1 I lubert Ivas one of the s e v e r a l Belgiall r e f u g e e s n-110 c a m e t o Cotton tluriilg t h e F i r s t G r e a t TV;ir and h e ~ v c s :I c l a s s - m a t e of C a r d i n a l Griffin. IIe a l s o cnrluireti about AIgr F r a n k Davis ancl I.'r Clilforcl I Io~vcl l . IIe sa id that the l a t t e r al\tr:~gs d e c l a r e d that he ~voultl b e n J e s u i t .

On 24 S o l - e m h e r F r Coync, toge ther n-ith the Itt Rev, AIgr 11 F o s t e r , n.110 1-eprcsented the H e a d m a s t e r , sa id a ~ ~ u l ~ l i c Requiem 1 1 ~ 1 s ~ f o r STiliee11t Connor ~ v h o s e ob i tuary a p p e a r s on a ~ o t h e r page in th i s m n g a ~ i n e . T h e AIass n.as sa id a t Aughton P a r k \\ .here I I r s C o r a l Connor , Vincent 's wife, i s l I c a d m i s t r e s s . A felv evenings prel- iously a t BljThc Hall , Ormslcirk, t h e r e had been a Rcquierll filass f o r Vil~cel l t be fore h i s bur ia l a t Al in i s te racres , and alnongst t h o s e p r e s e n t \ \ e r e F r Davicl Cous ins , D r T o m RIawdsley, LIr H B a r l t c r , LDS, aiicl the H e a d m a s t e r , P e t e r P a p e , 11-110 n.as in Vincen t ' s y e a r a t Cotton, n.as v e r y s o r r y not to h e p r e s e n t .

Geoffrey P e a r s o n i s off t o E u r o p e for s i x months, At p r e s e n t h e i s t h e P r i n c i p a l Budget Accountant fo r Is l ing- -

toll ancl h e h a s been seconcied to t h e Counci l of E u r o p e a s 111 i.:~sc. l. 'r Si ins i s teml~tecl to rcnl ind m e that th i s i s a a consultallt Local finance. ~i~ main task Centc1nal.y X u l n l ~ e r , p c r h : ~ p s I should begin by mention- be to develop ~ ~ ~ ~ d ~ ~ ~ l i ~ ~ d E~~~~~~~ ~~~~l ~~~~~~t~ 1 1 1 ~ somt ' of the r e p l i e s \\-c hirrl to t h e c i r c u l a r v.hich F r RllC, to ill n,hich can be shal.ed . \ i ~ ~ n i s h ; i \ \ . kindly sen t out to a l l o u r Old Boy p r i e s t s . F r betweell ,ulci local authorities, .\l(>x:intlc~r G i t s , SJ,is no\\- a t St Aloysius, Glasgon,ancl Do11 Xicel l , n.110 emigrateci t o South Afr ica with h i s I , ( . 11, r o t c to s a y that :I bacl hip prevented h i m f r o m t r a v e l - three or four years ago, has fro111 1111; : ~ n d that i t w a s a m c r e 7 1 y e a r s s i n c e h e \vas a boy LIarkts High ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ 1 , bhabane , in ~ ~ ~ ~ i l ~ ~ ~ l , H~ i s school a i Cotton 11211. FIc promisecl to s a y AIass f o r L I ~ on 8 June, ~ ~ ~ t ~ i ~ ~ there alld s t i l l Tvallts ver. much to be a p r ies t , ;is tlicl FI . I s a a c Savin [\rho i s no\\- in Sot t ingham. F r TVil- s~~~~~~~~ elsc Tvho ,\.ill shortly be in soutl1 ~ f ~ i ~ ~ is l ianl I Icnry ilIcDonaltl, nolv semi- re t i rec l , i s a l s o in RIichael Cudahy n ~ h o h a s accepteci a management pos t in Sottingh:lm and hopes to c o m e up to Cotton ~ v h e n h c g o e s the footIvear industry out there. to s tay \\.ith r e l a t i v e s in Stoke-on-Trent . F r Theodore F r F r a n k Gorclo~l had t h e joy of see ing h i s nephew John Bcrl tc ley, OCR, ~ \ - r o t c fro111 JIt St Bcrnarc l ' s to say that priest at St AugLlstillels, Latchford, Warrington, Cotton \\oulcI Ije v c r y much in h i s p r a j r e r s . F r Fran l t on 7 July. St August ine 's i s F r Gordon's ow11 p a r i s h I I ~ i y c r i s no\\, 89 and l ives a t St i \ Ia ry t s P r i o r y , F e r n h a i n , church . Fr John, n h o w a s a t Cotton f rom 1961-67, w a s F :~r ingdon , ailcl S i s t e r fiIary IIilda, OSB, v e r y I t i n d l n-rote a s s i s t e d a t h i s Ordinat ion ilIass, a f t e r Ordinat ion, by I-Iis on h i s bchalf. IIe c a m e t o Cotton ~ v i t h Canon F r a n k Drinlt- Lordsh ip Bishop G r a s a r , by s e v e r a l p r i e s t s including ~ v a t e r in I897 and \vishcd to b e r e m e m b e r e d to h i s olcl AIgr P e r c i v a l R c e s , S'G, F r David C o u s i ~ l s and t h e Head- fricntl. X c o r o n a r y t h r o m b o s i s unfortunately p revented ,5qmm+n-.

I l l l l i l L C l .

1.1. J ) c . ~ ~ i s l I c l 1 1 l l : ~ n C ~ I I I ~ I I ~ 111, ~ I . < J I I ~ 51 ~ . : L ~ I I I L ( I ~ ~ ~ ' ~ , ~ C I L ~ L I I -

:rml)ton. 111. C h r i s \\'Iiiti.llolisc~, \\.ho looltc.tl :tltc\r the. gc,ncr:~l ; ~ ~ ~ ~ . ; ~ n & c ~ r n e n t s f u l l ~ u n ~ < h on J u n c , scwt 11s on a l c , t t ~ , ~ , t t . 0 1 1 1 I I r FI.CYI ( ' r i1~11s \ \ . I IU l i \ .cs 111 l l a ~ ~ I t . s i l i ~ l ~ . I.'l.c*cl \ \o l~ l ( l h:ivc Io\.ctl t o ~ , o r n ~ > i ) . l ~ l ; :1g:1i1i :i11(1 L.l~t.cIi 111s u l c > l ~ ~ o ~ . i t s uf lir'c :ct Cutttm tlul,ing the. I.'il.st (;rc'.rt 1\':,1' I)ut ~ i n f o l ~ t ~ t n : ~ t c ~ l y h i s \\ifc' fcxll 111. \\'ct :ill holie th:jt 1 1 1 . ~ C ~ ' i l ) l ~ s i.; l'c~c'linx :.\\ell ;tg;[in.

\i'(, ill\.~tc,tl :ill thc p r ic ' s t i \\hc) h : ~ l t:,ilght :it (.'otton to L Y J I ~ I ~ , ; I I I ~ I c o t l ~ c ~ l ( ~ l ~ r : ~ t c \ \ I L I I u3 011 9 < J L I I I ~ 11111 I I I L ~ \ ~ ~ ~ ; I I J I J . solnl, \ \ C . I . L < 1)rl~\.c~ntotl f r o m joining 11s. Fl. 'l'iln I l c . : ~ l ~ ~ \\.,ts 31 ill t c,;lt,tling on t h : ~ ~ tl:ij . ;it thes (.'1,11\.~nt 3 ~ h o o l at E l ~ s o r n , 11~11 1l t . i* L~ol~i i t ig 111) f o r :I \ \ ' ( ' ( ' I < it1 l:ttc, . JLI~) . . 3 1 ~ 1 . 1 . o l i l ~ Ash~\ .o r t l i a t Grange-over-Sands \vas preventecl by the i l l n e s s ol h i s I ~ r o t h e r , but h e turnetl up s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e Centenary :~ncl s l ~ c n t sonic enjoyable h o u r s \\.it11 u s . H i s fr icnt ls \ \ i l l b e ~ ~ l e a s e t l to h e a r that h e i s looliillg \7e1-y \\.ell intlc'tul :~nd tlrfying thc j.e:lrs m o r e success fu l ly than many of us .

Sc \ \ . s of ano ther Cottoninn l ~ r i c s t h a s eolllc fro111 F r John Coyne \vho taugllt n1:iny priests f r o m Cotton. 011 a vis i t to ( ; l ens t :~ l iIl111ey in Co. L i m e r i c k , h e n-as sho\\?l over t h c A l ~ l ~ c y :~ncl School 113 1.'r I I u l ~ c r t J n n s s c n s , OS13,

ORDINA T lON DA Y Fr H Francis Gordon, R t Rev W E Grasar (Bishop o f Shrewsburyl, Fr John F Gordon. (John has since heen appoined to St Alban's, Liscard, Wallaseyi.

(Photo by courtesy o f the Warrington Guardian Series)

C h r i s t o p h e r and John Iiudd have cer tainly ven tured ~ v h e r e no son of Cotton h a s gone before . They have spon- s o r e d t h e 3I id lmd Golf P r o f e s s i o n a l Match-Play C h a m - pionship at Gay Hil l th l s y e a r . It w a s k n o n n a s t h e

Calypso DIY tournament. According to a long nrticlc in the 'Birmingham Post ' i s was all due to Chris ' s son, a lso named Christopher, asking for a birthday present of a se t of clubs.

Two of our Old Boys figure prominently in thc world of valuing and auctioneering. Petei- s e a l e r , FSVA, whom we were delighted to s e e during the Centenary celebra- tions, i s the Chairman of the Education and Examinations Committee of the Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers. He i s also the elected member for Berks, Bucks and Oxon, while Osmund F Nicholson, FSVA, i s the elected member for South Yorkshirc. In a recent edition of 'The Valuer' there was a photograph of Peter and an ar t ic le by Osmund.

It is now th ree yea r s since we last printed news and a photograph of John Kilgallon. He and his wife Kathleen and their seven sons now live at Redcliffe, Western Australia, where John is teaciiing the 9-13 year olds. Recently we saw a photograph in the 'Express and Star ' of John and his family who w e r e all in his swimming pool together, with the exception of Kathleen who was keeping a tight hold on their dog at the side of the pool. John has since written to us to say how much they a r e a l l enjoying life down under.

John Russell i s the manager of the F W Woolworth's s to re at St Andrews and offers a welcome to any Cotton- ians who a r e golf-keen. He has two boys and a g i r l and this year he i s president of the Round Table up there, which he thinks i s quite an achievenent for an English- man.

David Fielding, whom I remember was a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, has now moved hous to Salisbury Avenue, Cheam. We had a very welcome visi t from Patr ick Moore (1940-2) who lives at Shipton- under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire. He wished to be put in touch with Justin Grealy who is the Headmaster of a school in Nottinghain and, per impossibile, st i l l enjoys a game of rugger. Justin came to s e e us one evening during the summer holidays. Someone from whom we

I have not heard for a long t ime i s John O'D Kelly. He i s now living in Romford together with his wife and Moira, Sean and Nuala.

A very faithful Old Boy who has been unwell is Fred Edwards. He would have dearly loved to come up for the Centenary but did not wish to disturb his welcome re turn to health. Another Old Boy who has been unwell i s John P Eaton but he i s , thank God, once again hard at work. John gaincd a F i r s t Class degree in Physics at Leeds and was awarded a scholarship to research in Physics. This scholarship \\,as transferred to Birmingham so that he could study Reactor Physics in nrhich he now has a Ph D. H e i s st i l l busy lvith Reactor Physics and lives

near Wigston with his \vifc and thcir two children, David and Rosemary.

Tony Sanford i s now employed by thc Church of England a s Assistant Secretary at the Ecclesiastical Insurance Office which spccialises in thc insurance of churches, schools and hospitals. There a r e , hc: hopes, imlnincnt prospects of promotion but he doul~ts whether he \\rill ever become Managing Director.

Philip Har r i s was of very great service to the School during the Centenary and, after writing and publishing a very attractive booklet which was given to all those who attended the Celebrations, he was also r c s ~ o n s i b l c for the very good p ress we received in the Catholic and other papers , particularly the 'GuardianT and the 'Sentinel' which ran repor ts on our activities on four succcssive evenings. Photographs of the boys taken with their own Bishops appeared in nine provincial papers. His mother has reminded me of the long connection that the Har r i s family has had nrith the School. T\vo of hcr great-uncles were at Sedglcy Park and her brother, Fabian Camacho, was also at Cotton.

John Gold \mites to say that he has r isen to the eminent position of Assistant \i70rks hlanager, but he could think of a more suitable title. Petei- Holland has spent tlvelve months already training to be a financial consultant with a London f i rm of brokers, Messrs Hobbs Padgett. Martin Finneran i s now ni th Watney Alann; his wife comes from the West of Ireland and they have a baby daughter, Michelle.

On 6 January Peter IGlgarriff was ordained priest by Archbishop Dnyer and I am s u r e that we shall all remem- ber him in our prayers , Ad hlultos Annos. He was ordai- ned at home in St Joseph's, Chasetorin. The Headmaster was prevented from being present by a family bereave- ment but Fr David McGough tells me that he and F r J im Ward were able to put off their return to Rome until after the Ordination.

Rev P Watson, Fr P Kilgarriff, Fr T Brain. Rev T J Brain. The Archbishoo.

Despite breaking a tew r ibs on the ruggel- field, F r J i m Ward has now gained his degree in Cnnon Law, and F r David McGough has only another twelve months before his Doctorate in Scripture Studies. David Evans has set- tled down very well in Rome. Kieran Conry i s also there , and Ger ry Murray has only two Illore yea r s to Ordination. D . V . IIc is 3C prcscllt ill ~ 1 i ; ~ r g c 01 the btudclltb' I J ; u ~ ~ c

and i s very much au fait with the vagaries of the dollar, the l i r a and the floating pound.

It i s now 77 yea r s since Cecil Hanley left Cotton for University College, Nottinghan~.whei-e he read engineer- ing. During the F i r s t Great War he was n signaller in the heavy art i l lery and \\$as in the Ncnr East no st of thc time. He has been in New Zealand for 111:my yea r s and lives at Palmerston North which i s the tonn that Air and

h f r s Noel C l a r k e c o m e f r o m . The Phi losophers ' P l a y a t Oscot t l a s t November inclu- F r A r m i s h : ~ ~ bapt iscd Joanna M a r i e Duffy on Sunday ded s e v e r a l Cottollians in the c a s t of 'A Man f o r All

17 June. She is t h e f i r s t child of R o b e r t and P a t r i c i a Seasons ' . Michael Cot t re l l w a s St Thoillas h lore , Al ice Duffy but the third grandchi ld of F r a l l c and M a r y Duffy, M o r e w a s played by John hIcEvoy, Ealnon P r i e s t l e y !\?as s i n c e T c r r y and M a r y Owen a l r e a d y have tu70 daughte rs : M a r g a r e t M o r e and David h lc loughl in : T h o m a s C r o m - I Ienr ic t t a M a r y and Louisa F r a n c e s . well. The p a r t of the Ambassador w a s played by G e r a r d

R u s s e l l McCrimnlon h a s ~ ~ ~ r i t t e n f r o m Pennsylvania. H a n ~ n l o n d , the Woman \?as Bi l l hIcEvoy and t h e A r c h -

I IIc h a s been in A m e r i c a s i n c e 1957 and gained a B E d I ~ i s h o p : G e r a r d hlcGove1-n. B e r n a r d Hcdderman a s s i s t e d f r o m Ducluesne Univers i ty , P i t t s b u r g h . He l ives a t 153 in the construct ion of t h e s e t and F r a n k O'Keil l w a s busy h?c:ido\vbrook D r i v e , Be the l P a r k , Pennsylvania 15102 with t h e lighting. I an1 told that it lvas v e r y well done. and any Cottonian v i s i t ing in t h e a r e a iS a s s u r e d of a T h i s i s an excel lent opportunity f o r rile to.thank those g r e a t n ~ e l c o m c . Old Boys f r o m Oscot t who c a m e t o s i n g i n t h e Choi r on

F r J a m c s D Cr ich ton becan le t h e Edi to r of 'L i tu rgy ' the f i r s t day of the Centenary and t o s a y how welcome in 1952, and f o r 2 0 y e a r s h e h a s continued a s Editor of n r e r e a l l t h e 18 \vho c a n l e that day. And speak ing of serni- t h i s magaz inc which is no!\, h o ~ v n a s ' L i f e and Worship1 n a r i a n s , Timothy Halves f r o m Ushaw c a m e t o s t a y a but cont inues t o b e t h e Quar te r ly of t h e Society of St night \ ~ i t h u s dur ing t h e s u l ~ l n ~ e r hol idays. G r c g o r y , In t h e January i s s u e F r Joseph Connelly paid Richard Ran-cliffe sen t m e son le publicity f o r h i s f i r m , eloquent t r i b u t e t o F r Cr ich ton who now f e e l s that the C o i ~ ~ n ~ u n i c a t i o n s S o f t ~ v a r e , but it h a s been duly mis la id . Q u a r t e r l y should have a nel\l Ed i to r . We s h a l l m i s s h i s H e tvrote to s a y that the l a s t i s s u e of t h e 'Cottonian' E d i t o r i a l s but I fee l s u r e tha t h e ~ v i l l cont inue t o w r i t e enabled h im to r e n e w t h e acquaintance of C h r i s Willnot for t h e Quar te r ly . F r J a m e s kindly w r o t e a s h o r t a r t i c l e and h e w a s duly gra te fu l . A s h e s a i d , ' I never r e a l l y on t h e Centenary proceed ings in t h e 'Tab le t ' anti we a r e bel ieved that t h e thing w a s any u s e before ' . v e r y gra te fu l t o h i m f o r that. H e noticed that o u r p r o - It is nol\ R u s s e l l h l c C r i m m o n l s tu rn t o r e a l i s e tha t h e ccss ionnl c r o s s w a s shelving s i g n s of i t s a g e and h e i s h a s a fello\v Cottonian within 60 ln i l es of him. Ph i l ip v c r y generous ly a r ranging t o have one m a d e for us . AIciIIahon h a s been living f o r t h e p a s t t h r e e y e a r s a t

H i s many f r iends wil l b e v e r y s o r r y t o r e a d e l sen lhere 3510 Niles Cort land Road, Cor t land , Ohio 44411). C o r t - i n the nlagazine of t h e dea th of Bil ly Alaln who died f r o m land l i e s halfn.ay between Cleveland and Pi t tsburgh. a h e a r t a t t ack suf fe red on h i s way t o hzlass on the F e a s t Phi l ip s a y s that h i s t h r e e chi ldren have benefited t r e - of t h e E p i p h a ~ y . F r P i e r c y \vent donm t o Holy C r o s s mendously f r o m t h e e x l ~ e r i e n c e of living in England, C h u r c h , Carshal ton,for t h e funera l . Your p r a y e r s a r e Canada and the United S ta tes . a l s o r e q u e s t e d for t h e r e p o s e of t h e sou l of P a u l Icennedy's Ian Tod sen t a photograph of Augustus Welby Pugin, nlother a ~ h o h a s died recent ly, a s you might expec t , to s a y h e w a s coming t o s e e u s , but

T h e Hcacl i l~aster on 2 9 Ju ly l ~ a p t i s e d at Sn3?lnerton nre haven' t s e e n h i m . O u r b e s t ~ v i s h e s fo r h i s happiness C h r i s t o p h e r P a u l , t h e second child of C h r i s t o p h e r and and that of h i s b r i d e go to Rober t C a r t e r who recen t ly Ann Rlyatt. n l a r r i e d hI iss Anne E s p i e at St 1Vinifred1s, Neston. The

C h r i s t n l a s brought i t s usua l ba tch of b r ie f l ~ u t \yarn1 ce lebran t w a s F r F r a n c i s Pu l len , Bishop G r a s a r l s s e c - m e s s a g e s . F r John E l l i s s e n t a gift on our behalf t o r e t a r y , u,ho w a s ~ v i t h R o b e r t i n R o m e . Roher t h a s just 'Shel ter ' , F r John is s t i l l chaplain in HMS 'Raleigh1. p a s s e d h i s l a s t exan ls to beconle a qualified C h a r t e r e d DI- G e o r g e nnd M a r g a r e t R J ~ ~ I I announced t h e b i r t h of Accountant and h e i s ~ t~or lc ing f o r T r i s c a F i l m s in B r a i n - C a t h e r i n e on 3 0 October . John hIoores is r e c o v e r i n g t r e e , E s s e x . It n.as R o b e Y t 1 s g e n e r o u s gift nzhich enabled wcl l fl-om n hrni-t nttaclc and h a s r e t u r n e d t o l ~ u s i n e s s , u s t o s t a r t on t h e P A T and House-Captain b o a r d s , which while h i s wife B a r b a r a i s doing a B Ed in Special Educa- have been much admired .

tion a t L i ~ ~ e r p o o l Universi ty . Jona than , t h e i r s o n , i s F r i e n d s of h3gr Tin1 Healey and Wing Coinmander enjoying h i s Copy-nrriting c o u r s e a t t h e Watford School Alfred Ho\vell wil l b e i n t e r e s t e d in a photograph taken of Ar t . Superintendent Tilllothy F i t z p a t r i c k faithfully recent ly a t St J o h n ' s P r e p School w h e r e they a r e both s e n t h i s u s u a l ca rd but we have s i n c e s e e n hi111 a t t h e G o v e r n o r s . S i s t e r Ph i lomena h a s had t h e l a b o r a t o r i e s

Centenary , fo r which h e re tu rned f r o m Hong Kong. rebu i l t v e r y quickly and t h e G o v e r n o r s w e r e t h e r e f o r

Andrei\, Col l ins hopes t o get t o Liverpool Univers i ty t h i s the solemil b less ing and opening. The o ther l aymen i n y r a r , and we had qui te a f e ~ v l i n e s f r o m M r s F r a n c e s the photograph a r e M r Vincent McKnight, who enables

I%nrvcy \vho i s nolv in with h e r husband in o u r S i s t e r s t o go each y e a r t o h i s holiday house i n North

C i r e n c c s t e r . P a t r i c k i s s ta t ioned in Y o r k s h i r e and h a s Wales,and Colonel J Haigh. T h e b l e s s i n g w a s given by

t ~ v o ch i ld ren : Alexandra and J a m e s . t h e Rt Rev AIgr C y r i l F a y , CBE.

John hlanion h a s nolv fully qualified a s a C h a r t w e d Accountant. T h i s supplements h i s d e g r e e in Economics OPENING OF LABORATORIESATALTON

zu~d he no\\! t e l l s m e that h e wishes t o t a k e up teaching a s a c a r e e r . In Sep tember h e \\7ill b e going to St M a r y ' s , S t rn \vbcr ry Hil1,and nre ~ v i s h hiin e v e r y s u c e s s in h i s p r e p a r a t i o n f o r h i s new c a r e e r .

Sub Lt C h r i s t o p h e r Whitchouse, a t p r e s e n t on board J-IhIS 'Whitby', w i s h e s t o b e r e m e m b e r e d t o h i s con tem- p o r a r i e s a t Cotton. At the t i m e of wr i t ing h e w a s in Singapore but hoped t o be h o m e t h i s s u m m e r . He enjoyed h i s 1 s t copy of the 'Cottonian'.

James A Preston, who lives in Crosby, Liverpool, has had a bad illness but i s feeling much better. He has writ- ten to the Editor and helped to lessen last year's deficit. In the 1920's he used to write the 'School Chronicle' and possibly one .or two underground publications a s well, but i t t ~ o k Frank Roberts to remember those.

Christopher and Edith Allen had a son, Patrick Chris- topher, in August last year. Tony and Shelagh McAtamney announce the birth of a daughter, Helen Elizabeth. Tony is now a company solicitor in the Worksop area. The number of dioceses in Peter Ross's care, a s far a s their covenants go, has risen to 27. Eight of these a r e Angli- can and the writer of the relevant article in the 'Catena1 could only conclude that computers a r e essentially ecu- menical. I notice that the figure for the Birmingham diocese was £347,566 from 19,033 covenants.

Edmund Abbott wrote from Deganwy to express his appreciation of the recent changes at Cotton. He has been unwell but i s now better. We were sorry to hear of the

I death of Paul Grosvenor's mother. May she res t inpeace.

In October Christopher Bowyer married Miss Eliza- beth Hemey. During the wedding reception at the Park Hall Hotel, Christopher took the opportunity of inform- ing his guests about the hotel's earlier existence a s Sedgley Park School at which his paternal great-grand- father, Mr Bowyer, was a master. Mr Roberts tells me that Alban Bowyer was also the first or second secretary of the Old Parkers ' Association.

Christopher Williams paid us a lightning call one after- noon in July with his wife Annick. They have a baby daughter, Nathaly Karine. They live in Brussels where Chris i s a member of the accountant firm of Price, Waterhouse and Co. The mention of a firm like that reminds me that John Forrest is now a partner in the firm of Kinchington Little and Partners. This has meant a move by the Forrest family to Harrow.

Mrs Keates keeps us informed about Nigel's activities. He is stil l teaching and playing in London but visits Bir- mingham each week to teach at the Birmingham School of Music.

T P Drinkwater was a recent welcome visitor - t h t f i rs t time he had been back for 30 years. His father, Henry Corveser Drinkwater, also an OC and now 90 years of age,saw 'The Ghost' outside the 5th Form Common Room during his time at Cotton. Tom promised to inter- rogate his father more closely on the subject and send us the details.

Edward Harding, who left Cotton in 1916, has written to us twice during the past year and w e were very sorry to hear that he has had a stroke but he still writes very legibly from his home in Nottingham. We thought readers would like to see a photograph of Edward in his uniform a s a member of the Royal Flying Corps.

David Finn wrote to ask us to say Mass for Damien Flynnls father who died suddenly at the end of last Sept- ember. An honorary Old Boy, Jack Hewins, was buried on 7 September and the Headmaster lost his mother on 3 January. May they rest in peace. Jack Hewins's Requiem Mass was said by F r s Woodward, Ryall and Pargeter and other Old Boys present included Joe Trin- ham, John Garrett, Joe Hickin, Eric Blakemore and Cuth Myatt (who must surely be an Old Boy by now). We would also ask your prayers for Gerard Grant's father who died on 29 July. Amongst the concelebrants at his Requiem Mass were F r Bernard Anwyl, F r Christopher Thornton and the Headmaster.

Stephen Middleton has a practice a s a dentist at Melton Mowbray. He was distressed to hear that the boys had gone home at Easter because he did so very much want to come over to the Easter Vigil ceremonies. We did our best to explain to him about Easter being late and the shadow of the Public Exams but we all have the fear of losing one of the most important of our traditions.

Edward Harding in 19 19 The Wedding of Craig Grewcack and Miss Caroline Townshend

When Peter Lloyd and James Conry were marr ied , David Finn was present, a s is his wont at Old Cottonian weddings. He feels that with each successive wedding bachelorhood i s a more distinctive status. This reminds me that last October Craig Grewcock marr ied Caroline Marv Townshend at Christ Church, Fulwood. Michael Coyne was best man and Paul Watson gave the blessing. Caroline's uncle i s vicar in Norwich. Cr iag now has his MA for a thesis on local history ; Caroline was also a t York University where she read Biology. They now plan to spend next yea r in Northern Italy, teaching English a t Ondine and no doubt learning a great deal of Italian.

David Flynn and his wife Fiona with their two daughters and son came to tea during the Easter holidays. David i s off to Khartoum for two months a s a visiting professor when he will lecture on the various i l l s that beset child- ren. Fiona, who i s a gynaecologist, will join David for the second half of his stay and she i s to give five lectures on her own subject.

I must apologise for not previously congratulating Victor Hermolle on being appointed Headmaster of the St Edmund Compton Comprehensive School (635 on the

I rol l at the moment) in Wolverhampton, where h e i s now living on Goldthorn Hill.

At the beginning of the summer holidays, John Cornwell called in on his way to Dove Cottage, Grasmere. He i s the author of several books, including one on Coleridge, a copy of which he has kindly presented to the School

~ Library. His work a s a free-lance journalist has recently taken him for six months to South America where he was working for the BBC Overseas Service. He frequently has ar t ic les in 'The Guardian' and 'The New York Times'.

We a r e very proud to learn that W R (Ray) Doherty i s President of Moseley RFC during their Centenary year. The Centenary dinner will take place a t the Grand Hotel, Birmingham,on 28 September, and Ray has very kindly invited the Headmaster to attend a s his personal guest.

I may now move into the ca ree r side of these notes.

I Michael Williams h a s a B Sc in Physics f rom Birmingham University. Michael Bar ry is now LL B. Congratulations to them both. Peter Campbell is busy qualifying a s a quantity surveyor and he tel ls us that his s i s t e r Marie trained a s a teacher a t Christ 's College, Liverpoo1,with Andrew Poole, Damien Flynn and Patr ick Mercer. Tommy Kinsella is a t UMIST and taking a course in Business Studies.

Richard McGowan-Scanlon came up a t the end of the Summer Term. He was s o r r y he couldn't come for the Centenary but he was busy with his exams a t Portsmouth Polytechnic. Thomas Baxter h a s now passed his Final Exams for the Law Society. He was articled to a f i rm next door to Martin Davies, Bernard Martin and Oscar Weston. Roger Chadwick came up for a night las t July. He i s now qualified a s an Accountant.

Nicholas Williams gained a BA in Poli t ics a t Exeter University. Hugh Davies learnt how to programme a com- puter but s o have too many other people and he i s now putting f resh hear t into Lloyds Bank Ltd. Francis and John Lowe have been in touch with us from Dublin. John has been skirmishing with Shamrock Rovers but has now settled for rugger. Francis hopes to get into Trinity College this October.

Mark Feeny suddenly arr ived one Sunday afternoon with the Jeff r ies brothers. With two 'A' grades in Econo- mics and Sociology, Mark chose to go to Kingston Poly-

technic for an Honours course in Social Studies but he still wants to teach. John Jeffries i s just finishing his f i rs t year at the Salforcl College of Teclmology, where he i s studying to be a food confectioner. He i s playing a great deal of rigger with lnuch success and has been tempted fNoi-th', a s they used to say. IIe met Brendan O'Connor, who i s at the University, af ter a game of rugger.

Manchester University i s also the temporary home of Peter Byrne and he i s doing a course in German and French, a s we shouldexpect. The other twin, Paul, i s doing a s imi lar course a t Bangor University after a year a t Oscott. Gerald Grant nowhas his degree from Leices- t e r University and has been accepted at York University for h is Graduate Certificate in Education. Nicholas F e r r i e i s now at the Royal Naval School a t Chatham and i s su r - viving everything very well, including the haircuts. Peter Kiely is now living in Malta where he i s e~nployed by the Department of the Environment. He will probably be there for three years.

Nelson Carvalho in Mitcham has been receiving the occasional let ter from Paddy McKinney at Oscott. Nelson i s hoping for a University grant this year. Noel Stack gained a good Second in his B Sc from Imperial College, London. His full title i s B Sc (Eng), ACGI. I knew the Engineering par t , but was glad to know that the second se t of le t ters stood for Associateship of the City and Guilds Institute. He has now a post with Lankro Chemi- cals in Eccles where h e is a technologist who ensures that the plant behaves a s i t should. He tells m e that Paddy Kavanagh, after his degree a t London, now works with Legal and General. Kevin Ilsley continues his friendly way through life a t St Thomas's Hospital where h e has been joined by Steven OIMalley. Steven tells me that Kevin has been very helpful with books and general advice, and that he has been enjoying his rugger on the wing for the Hospital 1s t XV and has scored some t r ies . Michael OfMalley, after h is degree in Geography and Zoology at the Lanchester, i s off to read Dentistry a t Liverpool University.

James Conry has passed his final examination of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and has taken up a post with the well-known Coventry f i rm of Robinson, Osbourne and Moules. Robert Law gained a second c lass B Sc degree a t Lanchester Polytechnic. David Sheppard is going to St Peter ' s College, Oxford,to read English. Michael Hearn i s due for Southampton University to read Physics. Michael Coyne is accounting, Philip Coyne is working for his M Phil a t Leeds University and doing some tutoring. H i s thesis has to do with dockers. James Long i s reading Medicine at Birmingham University. When he finishes there, he wants to specialise in facial surgery. Vincent Edkins is the General Manager in India of an electrical f i rm which specialises in hospital work. Daniel Want wishes to become a PE specialist. Dona1 Deneny i s returning to his f i rs t love: teaching,and has re-applied to Newman College, Birmingham. Another future teacher i s Vincent Ford who is going to St Pe te r ' s College, Saltley, Birmingham.

After acquiring f resh qualifications, Michael Coffey i s about to embark on a new ca ree r but even though I had to supply a reference for him and he came to s e e me I have forgotten what i t is. F r Owen tells me that Martin Keay i s at Reading University and spends his vacations

in Norway n~itll fcl lon~ archaeologists. Michael McGee has now left his post at Bristol Universitjl for one in London. Petcr Torino, thc source of the las t piece of information, tel ls me that al l i s well at Bristol , and Andrew Kennedy and Pe tc r Rogers bring s imi lar good ncxvs f rom BiFmingham and Warwick Universitics r e s pectively.

We should lilce to congratulate John and Jane Trinham on the ar r ival of J e remy Charles on 23rd July.

To end on a connubial note, Gerard Blaltemore mar- r ied Miss Norma Lapper in thc School Chapel on 6 July. This i s the f i rs t recorded marr iage of an Old Boy in thc School Chapel and wc \tlczre all delighted that this was really the c!loicc 01 ths bridc. The Llass was con- celebrated by Frs Pargeter , Sims and the Headmaster. The School C!-Lc)ir was in fine fettle, conducted by Fr Round - they were probnl~ly inspired by the s t i r r ing music to ~vhich Norma entered the church . A i ~ o i l ~ s t the guests were Peter Thorpe.and Hernard Si1;gleton with h is ~vifc.

BIRMINGHAM OLD BOYS' DINNER

Once more through the good offices of Alessrs J im Quinil and Jolm Trinham, a large and I?dp~y gathering of Old Boys dined at the Berrolv Co~ui-1 Ilotel, Edghaston .. on :: October last. During the course of thc cvcning, 'Thc Cottonian', with the p r in te r ' s ink st i l l wet, ~ v ; l s

distributed and much-ncedcd funds accumulated. W c should like to thank Llessrs hlichacl Staples and RIichacl IIurphy for their very kind gift of c1l:lmpnjinc which \\'as offered for a raffle after the brandy and cigars. Oddly enough, the chaml~agne wcnded i t s v.ny bnCk to Leicester- sh i re , hence it had come, when Philil) 1Iar r is produced the n2inning numbcr!

This yea r ' s dinner will be again at the Berro\v Court Hotel: on Tuesday, 2 October - 7 . 3 0 for 8.15p1n. We hope that the numbcrs ~ v i l l continue to increase , s o please get in touch 'ivith John Trinham at 29 Crosbic

Road, Harborne, Birmingh:lisi 17 : telephone numbers : Home: 021-427 -6513; Office: 021-454-4456. JimQuinn's address i s S1.'.neyard Cottagc, Lineholt, nr Ombcl-slcy, , \Vorcs n71<9 OLQ: telephone numbers: Ilome: Ombersley 519: Office: I<idcferminstcr (5G2) 2451.

The Old Boys' Rugby match against thc School ]\rill take place on Sunday, 21 October (Trafalgnr Day! ) t h i s year . P lease niake a note of this date if you intend to play o r watch. You \\rill be most welcome.

Last yea r ' s Old Boys' team was: M Davies, E Murphy, G Bar ry , R Brolvn, D Devenney, A Tnsltcl-, I< Middle- ton, P Alott, A 1 Ba r ry , J Grealy, M Borg, R Duffy, J hlott, AT Devaney, F Shipman.

A fill11 of the centenary will be sho\\m and Ihc spc.ci:~l centenary brochure will be given to those who ~ \ ~ c r t unable to come to Cotton in June.

LONDON OLD BOYS' DINNER

With last yea r ' s successful revival of thc London clinncr in wind, a healthy gathering of Old Boys once again assembled in hiarch this year. Bcforc thc dinner, how- ever , the Headmaster and Father P McSwiney gave them Benediction at Brompton Oratory after a talk on F r Faber. The spiri tual needs talten c a r e of, they then sallied forth to the Challonel' Club to ca ter for thc material requirements of man. So cnsued a convivial reunion.

The following were present: The Headmaster, R F Brun~by , J M Bambriclt, B Batchelor, I1 F Bizley, R A H Chadwick and guest, D De Ville, F J Duffy, A Grace , J H Guyler, I< Ilsley, D r J D Miller, W P hlnnn, G P N Pearson, Rev P Nightingalc, Rev I' F hl McSwincy, J A hi Sims, Rex7 AT W ~ t o l t c s , J E Trinham, T D Taylor, J F Walsh, C S Whitehouse and N Wi1li:~ms.

Apologies were 'eceivcd from: J A Dillon, Rcv E A Neary, N A Kcates, J Haynes, C J Williams, W I< Dohcrty, R J Simner, N F Radford, B L Thomas, N

Taslrper nnd M Fielding. Our thanks to Richard Brumby who very kindly orga-

nised the Benediction and the dinner. IIis ncw address i s 22 AIanor Court, Harrolv, AZidcllescx JIAl 2LD: tclc- phone number: 01-863-4721.

The Wedd;ng of Gerard Blakemore and Miss Norrria Lapper

J ANTHONY DILLON

President of the St Wilfridls and Parke r s f Society, 1973

Tony Dillon was born at King's Heath, Birmingham,in 1922. Before coming to Cotton in 1934, he was educated by the Sis ters of Charity of St Paul a t St Dunstan1s Con- vent. He left Cotton in 1940 and, after a very short spell in the Civil Service, joined the Royal Artillery. He took par t in the Normandy invasion with the 15th Scottish Infantry Division, but, just prior to the fall of Caen, he returned to England and, after spending some months in hospital, was discharged from the Army. He had by now, however, made a complete recovery and s o served in the Birmingham Police until the end of the war with Japan.

In 1949 Tony marr ied Jean Barker whose three bro- the r s were educated a t Cotton. They have seven child- ren: four daughters and three sons. Their eldest son, Richard, was Public Man he re last year and Nicholas, their second son, i s st i l l a t Cotton.

After serving in the Colonial Service a s a District Officer in East Africa, Tony returned to England at the end of 1961. He started in business on 1 January 1962, and no doubt many Cottonians will have seen 'Dillon's shopsf throughout the country. During these years he a lso farmed six-hundred a c r e s in Warwickshire, started off a f i rm df insurance brokers and was co-founder of a group of re ta i l chemist shops. Through one of his investment companies he has become a keen follower of the Stock Exchange, taking a particular interest in futures on the commodity market. Indeed at present most of his t ime i s devoted to the 'Market'.

During the yea r s since their re turn from East Africa, both Tony and Jean have been supporters of National Hunt Racing and we a r e delighted to state that their horses have won many good races . Although they now live in the Channel Islands, they a r e currently looking f0.r a stud fa rm somewhere near Dublin. We should be very proud to see an Old Cottonian leading in the Grand National winner a t some future date!

OBITUARY

MONSIGNOR BERNARD MANION (1904-1910)

Master: 1920-1929 Headmaster: 1929-1941 On August 16th a t the Requiem Mass for Mgr. Manion in the church of St George and St Teresa , Dorridge, Bishop Anthony Emery spoke of him as follows:

"If I were asked to point to the dominant feature o r characterist ic in the life of Mgr. Bernard Manion, I should have no hesitation in saying that it was his love for and appreciation of his sharing in the Priesthood of Christ , and his loyalty to it. He was proud of his priesthood; not in the sense of personal pride, for he knew that i t was his priesthood that was important, not his own person; he was proud of the grace and honour of being an instrument of Christ: a dispenser of the myster ies of God, and especially of the Holy Eucharist in the Sacrifice of the Mass. It would please him much more to know that we a r e present and participating in this Requiem Mass ra ther than paying tribute to h is life and work.

However, it i s fitting that I should pay tribute to h im and that I should do so first ly on behalf of the Archbishop and of Bishop Cleary who a r e unavoidably away from the Diocese at the present t ime; on behalf of the Metropolitan Chapter of which Canon Manion was a member for 15 years and an Honorary Canon for 12; on behalf of the Prela tes of the Diocese to whose number he was appointed by the Holy Father in 1950: and on behalf of us all whom he served so well.

Monsignor Manion was a pr ies t for 54 yea r s , being ordained in Rome in 1919. He had gone to Rome to the Venerable Beda College to complete his theological studies which had been interrupted by 3 years a t Oxford when he took his Master 's degree and then by a spell a s a deacon on the Staff of Cotton College, He remained in Romo for a yea r after ordination to complete h is studies. For the next 47 yea r s he served Christ Our Lord and the Church in our Archdiocese with great zeal and a remarkable sense of duty and responsibility. Of the 47 yea r s , he was a t Cotton College for 21 yea r s , 12 of them a s Headmaster when he was responsible for the schooling and early training of many future splendid p r i e s t s and outstanding Catholic lay- men. Cotton was undoubtedly his f i rs t love, he cherished the memory of his fruitful yea r s there and kept a special place for h e r always in h is heart .

He left Cotton in 1941 and for the next 26 yea r s was Par i sh P r i e s t h e r e a t St George and St Teresa , Dorridge. Those who were parishioners during his f i rs t 7 years know the energy and apostolic zeal with which he gave himself to the parish. Indeed the boundaries of the parish could not contain his zeal and i t burst through to establish very soon the Chapel and Mass Centre of St Philomena at Balsa11 Common.

In 1948 the Archbishop entrusted to him the mammoth task and responsibility for the planning and organization in the Diocese of Catholic Education, required by the Education Act of 1944. Monsignor Manion gave himself with characterist ic dedication and spent himself in carry- ing out h is new responsibilities. It was with considerable trepidation that he did so , a s he confided to m e la ter , for this was completely new ground; there were no precedents to guide him. It involved a thorough study and knowledge of the Education Act; i t necessitated a detailed knowledge of the geography of the Diocese, of population and i t s movement into new housing a reas ; it involved personal neg- otiations with 15 Local Education Authorities and with the then Ministry of Education. To say that he burned the mid- night oil is an understatement; he turned night into day on many occasions. Our Diocese owes him a debt of gratitude fo r the wisdom, foresight and energy he gave to the planning and provision of our Catholic School system in the decade 1950-1960. Those were crucial yea r s in which the founda- tions had to be raid for the unprecedented development which took place in the 1960's and which i s st i l l continuing in the present decade. Thank God that, under His Provid- ence, Mgr Manion was equal to the task, but you know how the work took i t s toll of his health and strength.

F rom 1952, when the f i r s t blow struck him down, he fought h is physical disability with remarkable courage and fortitude and amazing resilience. Another severe attack in 1962 brought him to the point of death for sev- e r a l days, but he rallied with characterist ic courage and determination. This attack, however, left him with severe disability which forced his retirement in 1967, after 26 y e a r s of devoted s c r v i r e to Dorridgr, Tlnlsall Common and to the Diocese

'God has put him to the t e s t and proved him worthy to be with Him. He has tested him like gold in a furnace and accepted him a s a holocaust'.

And all the while Mgr. Manion relied confidently on the prayers and protection of Our Blessed Lady for whom he had great love and devotion. He lived over and over in h is mind his many pilgrimages to h e r grotto at Lourdes. He put into h e r c a r e all that he did for the Catholic educa- tion of our children. I know that she will ca re for him now and ask h e r Divine Son to say to h i m 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the Kingdom prepared for youf.

For this reason this is not an occasion for sorrow, but, on behalf of the Archbishop, Bishop Cleary and all of us, I offer our deep sympathy to his s i s t e r , to Father Manion and to all his family. They have the great consolation, indeed the joy, of knowing that the dark clouds of death have a glorious lining and that he is beginning now his rea l and eternal life in the glory of God of which the Holy Eucharist is the pledge: 'He who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will r a i se him up on the las t day'.

And may I thank all those who have generously cared for him, especially during his l a s t and long ordeal when he depended so completely on the goodness of others; Canon Smith for h is constant c a r e and devotion, the nuns, the nurses and others, but especially h is own s i s t e r f o r the extraordinary love and unfailing c a r e and attention she gave him.

I commend him now to your prayers a s a good, faithful and loyal pr ies t who gave himself and his life to Chris t Our Lord and His Church for the glory of God. No doubt, like all of us, he hkdhuman failings, but I personally knew him to be a pr ies t of deep but uncomplicated faith: h e was meek and humble of hear t and he will find r e s t for his soul. Good Lord, we pray, se t Bernard Manion, your faithful and devoted priest , for ever in the radiance of your light in the company of your saints in Heaven, a s you a r e merciful. "

On the following day, a t the Requiem Mass preceding Mgr. Manion's burial a t Cotton, Mgr. Gavin spoke of him in the following words:

1' 'In fact I was a s full of duty towards God a s you a r e today' 'I- the words of St Paul, Acts of the Apostles XXII.3.

I had hoped that when the Rt Reverend Monsignor Canon Bernard Manion died i t would be during term-time when the boys could have joined in today's ceremony, but in fact he has slipped away quietly as he would have wished, just a s he slipped away quietly f rom Cotton when he left a s Headmaster in 1941. This ceremony, so close to the Feast of Our Blessed Lady to whom he was so devoted and among you who have come s o f a r to pray for h i s soul and to honour his passing, would have met with his instant approval. That he would be buried a t Cotton was something he rightly presumed, and I know that i t would have given him great pleasure to realize that his grave would be in the shadow of the great extension to this church in 1936 of which he was so proud and which he regarded a s h is greates t achieve- ment a t Cotton.

When men die full of yea r s and the sense of fulfilment that hard work brings, only a r a sh man would s t r ive to act a s chronicler, but I should like to remind many of you of the window in the Reference Library which holds the illu- minated c res t of St Charles Borromeo. It i s a silent witness to the pr ies ts who seemed to go to and from Oxford and brought Cottonfs teaching into the 20th century: men like Archbishop Thomas Williams, Canon William Dunne, Father Maurus Rudman, Father Billy Warner; and now with the death of Bernard Manion we witness the end of an e r a . What they had in common was fa r more important than how they differed a s individuals. They all possessed a great love of God and i t led them to use all thei r great talents and capacity for work in His service.

As boys we watched Bernard Manion busy about many things. He was generally in church before us f i r s t thing in the morning and we sometimes left him there las t thing a t night after the evening Meditation points which made so many of us persevere to be priests. He taught us Greek and Roman IIistory with skill, great assurance and author- ity, and we knew that, if only we listened, al l would be well. We saw him helping to extend the Rugby fields and the

CANON ARTHUR GEORGE WALL (1691-1896)

s w i m m i n g pool and ~ v c Icnew h i m a s a coach t o a F i r s t XI7 tvhich rcmainecl 11nhe:lten throughout a s e a s o n . I \vas too young t o s e c h im s u p e r v i s e t h e huilding of St T h o m a s ' s , but I a m s u r e he did s o with the s a m e g r e a t c a r e wit11 n3lich h c m:~tched t h e extension of the c h u r c h . He s o lo\,ed the g l o y of t h e l i tu rgy that h e Ivanted the Choi r in i t s p r o p e r p lace i n c h u r c h and h e s o m e t i m e s joined i t nihenever h e could; we l i s tened expectant ly d u r i n g t h e s inging of the 13assion until h c s a n g t h o s e w o r d s of Pont ius P i l a t e : 'Quocl s c r i p s i , s c r i p s i ' .

P e r h a p s we s e n s e d even in t h o s e d a y s tha t t h e s e w o r d s s u m m e d up thc s t reng th of t h e m a n , b e c a u s e B e r n a r d Mmlion w a s :I m a n of s t a t u r e ; And that meant that men n70uld d i s a g r e c wit11 h i m , l ~ e c a u s e such a dis t inct ion i s r e s e r r e d f o r nler. of worth. H o ~ v e ~ ~ e r , h e p e r s e v e r e d with h i s po l ic ies \vhich helped t o keep Cotton a good school , and h e had t h e fo res igh t to s e t up an Endowment F ~ n d nrhich h a s enabled p a r e n t s t o send t h e i r l ~ o y s t o Cotton nihen otherlvise they would not have been a b l e t o afford i t .

With tha t s e n s e of s t a t u r e t h e r e n ras a g r e a t c h a r m mltl a rcacly ~ l n d e r s t a n d i n g of ano ther ' s diff icul t ies nrhich won h i m many f r i e n d s aniong the D i r e c t o r s of the Local Educat ion Author i t i es 1vit11 ~ v h o n ~ h e had t o deal n71~en in 1948 h e l ~ e c a m e t h e f i r s t C h a i r m a n of t h e Diocesan Schools C o m n ~ i s s i o n . A s P a r i s h P r i e s t of D o r r i d g e , I I e a d m a s t e r of C r o s l ~ g EIal1,Preparatory School and no\\. \\,it11 t h i s ass ign- m e n t a t t h e s a m e t i m e , h e could t r u l y be sa id to l ~ e full of duty tom:lrds God. Honrever, the a s s i s t a n t p r i e s t s a t D o r r i d g e w e r e of g r e a t a s s i s t a n c e t o h i m , l l g r IITilfric~ Moore toolc o v e r a t C r o s b y Hall and B e r n a r d Manion could c o n c e n t r a t e on forming t h e complex organizat ion that made p o s s i b l e the building of s o many schools dur ing the per iod f r o m 1950-1960, and e n s u r i n g that they could eventual ly I could copy a long calendar of his l i fe from the year be paid f o r . boolis, but, af ter nine y e a r s a s h i s c u r a t e , I should l ike

All t h i s w a s t h e f ron t h e presen ted to t h e nxorld: being t o thinli of as a llulllall being. His father a soli- I ~ u s y about many th ings , but there Tvas ano ther s i d e to h i s citor ill Stourbridge, descellded from st ~~i~~ 1 ~ ~ 1 1 , and c h a r a c t e r . P a r i s h i o n e r s s t i l l h e r e a t Cotton nrill te l l you horn a Doctor !vall, famous for his part in the illtroduc- of l o t s of l i t t l e k indnesses ~ r h i c h h e did f o r t h e m nrhile h e tioll of 130rce,aiJl to l~ol.cester. w a s h e r e , and I a m s u r e t h e s a m e i s t r u e of D o r r i d g e . He \:.as R ~ . e r y ab le p a r i s h p r i e s t , not r e a l l y in te l l ec - I I c had a g rea t loyalty to h i s r r i c~ lds and I rcmeml>cr the tual I,~, t,] sollle taste iol. \-isual al.ts and litel.utul.e. ~ b a t t e r e d bre \ r ia r ies h e w a s proud to u s e l ~ e c a u s e they H e \\.as a l s o tone-deaf. The h o u s e in Banbury w a s once belonged t o F r O ' C o u n o r , h i s g r e a t friend a t the Coleshi l l haulltecl by the lllurmur of a llluch flattened of EIomes. I c a n a l s o r e c a l l h i s d e e p d i s t r e s s a t the sudden ID!ye Jollllpecl I. later appeared to heell a I

dea th of h i s life-long f r iend and Oxford col league, F r p r a c t i c e f o r t h e next Sunday's ' I t e J l i s s a E s t ' . &Taurus Rudman, and I know too h i s d e e p love f o r h i s s i s t e r great I\.as for country life: the horse, the Winnie, who h a s done s o much t o d e s e r ~ e i t , and f o r a l l dog, the glm alld rod. so it ,,.as, in a characteris- , h i s fami ly to whom we extend o u r synlpath! m1d lIra!.el.s. t i c s c e n e , tILat h e r e c e i v e d h i s appointmellt t o Ba1bul-y.

On T u e s d a y , t h e day a f te r B e r n a r d hlauion 's dea th , He told m e the s to ry . He w a s in h i s oldest c lo thes , h i s t h r e c of thc p r i e s t s \vhom h e had helped t o t r a i n sa id h l a s s gun under his a lIag over his shoulder. H~ \\.as f o r h i m : ~ t Cong, a ple:xsaut l i t t l e v i l l age along the s h o r e s iust goillg out for nn \\.ith the and ill \\.alked

4

of Lougll C o r r i b , t h e a r e a f r o m which h i s pare l l t s Came, Arch)3is]lolJ \\.illiaJlls. He had paid off olle l a r g e debt, and they thanked God f o r having given B e r n a r d l l a n i o n t o there in Bed\\-ortll: in those d a y s h e n.as good a t that sor t t h i s Diocese and t o t h i s School, and I a m s u r e that it i s in of thing. H~ had beell asked to talte a silllilar job ill t h i s s p i r i t that we a r e h e r e today. T r u l y i t c a n he sa id of ~ ~ ~ h ~ ~ ~ . alld a t f i r s t had delllurred. r ~ ~ t h ~ ~ , I ha\,e collie

h i m tha t by the g r a c e of God, a s t h e P s a l n l i s t h a s wr i t t en , to ask ,.,, again i f you n.ill go t o B ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I , tile ~ ~ ~ h - 'Wc spend o u r y e a r s a s a t a l e to b e told. ' " bishop i m ~ n e d i a t e l y c a m e t o the point in h i s clipped and

b r u s q u e I\-ay. -Arthur 1Y:lll clitl a s h e \\.as told. The m o r a l \\.as pointecl a t h i s young c u r a t e .

In Banbury the debt n-a$ heavy, the o ~ t l o o l i dis ln:~l . He told m e h e los t :I n.hole s tone in n.eight in that f i r s t s i x n-eelts, anti a s tone off AGTY n.as a mighty lot. I-Ic \ \-as 21 man o f sound judgement , i f a l i t t l e over -prudent ,

and never a gambler. It was this t ra i t , exaggerated by old age, that hampered further activity in an ever-grow- ing parish, and this, I think, nlorc than m e r e physical weakness, lcd to his retirement to Aston Hall at the age of eighty -four.

He was a simple, contented man, placid, enduring and very temperate. He never appeared to eat too much, to drink too much, to worlc too much, to play too much; his whole life seemed to be governed Isy a built-in clock. Each activity had i t s own time. IIc was conlpletely mctho- dical. If his rigid adherence to his own way of life made him just a little selfish at t imes, he was yet amazingly tolerant and flexible. I should like to have heard some of h is common sense answers to questions and problems in the Church today. However, for the last few yea r s i t had become increasingly difficult to malie contact with him. At ninety he was very deaf, and he complained that he was unable to concentrate on theological ar t ic les a s he used to; a t that t ime I had to explain. to him the worli- ings of the 'Interim Prayer of the Church'. The s i s t e r looking after him at Aston Hall said that, even up to the last few weeks before his death a t ninety-four, he would not r e s t nor open the daily paper till she had found his 'P rayer of the Church1 for him and told him what day of the week i t was. Then he would say i t faithfully with attention to each par t a t the right time.

This was the pr ies t who influenced several parishes, with his manly piety centred round the Blessed Sacra- ment and the liturgy. He was a Inan of prayer , loyal to authority and never a rebel. I-Ie loved the sick and the poor; he was kind to the rich. He had a sense of history and he enriched the future with no less than six churches o r chapels of ease. Thc last was a rebuild. In Wroxton village the old corrugated iron chapel had become a rusty eyesore, and the Canon with a group of laity se t out to r e s to re it. It had glass from bombed churches, a Norfolk reed roof, and the front porch was surmounted by a fine statue of St Thomas of Canterbury. When the statue was commissioned, the question arose: What did St Thomas look l ike? The chairman purloined a photo- graph of the Canon. So, for a s long a s stone las ts , you will see , beneath the mitre, the features of AGW without h is spectacles.

How a man so se t in his ways could sett le anew in Aston Hall speaks well for the kindness of the s i s t e r s there, Perhaps his rigid ways were only skin deep, o r g race went more deeply still. He soon began to write a short history of Aston Hall. He read, he slept, and he prayed, and the fish in the strearns grew less and less. And Arthur Wall waited for the good Lord to call him. I was so grateful that I was told in t ime, some days before he died, and saw him drifting between sleep and rosary . And then the last t ime, laid out in his vestments, when I bade him a fond farewell. H e oncc said to a group of people: 'I taught hiin most of what hc knows, so youinust blame rile for his Iaults'. Ilad tllc 1,ul.cl ol'l'crcd 11lc a

package deal, I should have been proud of his faults for some of his qualities.

Peter Heath

Arthur Wall was born on 6 January, 1879. He was a t Cotton froin 1891-1896. His five brothers, Edward, Charles, J a m e s Oswald, Frederick and Bcrnard were

he re too. Arthur was ordained on 18 March, 1905 and served successively a t St Chad's Cathedral, Chasetown, Colcshill, Bedworth and Banbury. I I c w:ls at Banbury from 1'338-19C;:c; and in 1963 was made IIonorary Canon. So passes the oldest priest in the Archdioccsc :ind our oldest Old Boy. - ED.

WILLIAM FREDERICK MANN (1908-1914)

Will Mann came to Cotton in 1908. F rom 1912 to 1914 he was a membcr of the 1st Football XI, and in 1913 and 1914 was in the 1s t Cricket XI. He was an all-rounder a t cricket, for he won the fielding prize, opened the innings and also took his sha re of the bowling. In fitct he went on playing cricket until he was 55 yea r s of age. In 1914 he went to Oscott College, where he except for a short spell in the Royal Marines, until 1919. In those days he and his great friend Louis Maxwell (later Canon) were Cantors at Oscott, Erdington Abbey and Boldmere. When Will left Oscott he st i l l maintained his link with the college for he went to daily Mass thcre for many yea r s aftcrwards, since he lived nearby. In fact hc went to daily Mass until only about six yea r s ago when he was advised by his doctor not to go out ear ly in the morning. In 1958 hc had the honour of being thc f i rs t layman lo be President of the Oscotian Society.

IIe was cmployeil by the Dtmlop Rubl~cr Conipany (as i t was then known) and was for many yca r s 1'crson:~l Assistant to the Group Accountant, before retir ing in 1962 after 42 years ' service. 'The Dunlop Gazette1 wrote of h im: 'A St:rffordshireman, he joincfl For t Dun1013 in i t s carly days, being f i rs t attached to the Insurance Dcpart- merit and thcn to the Chief Account:tntts Dcpxrtmcnt. In 1934 he moved to Head Office where for mnny yea r s , among other responsibilities, he was particularly con- cwned with consolidated accounts of thc Company1.

When his worlc brought him to 1,ondon in 1934, Will became President of the 1101~ Cross , C:rrshnlton,Con- ference of the Society of St Vinccnt de P:iul. A shy and

reserved man, he was nevertheless dynamic in directing his many talents towards spiritual purposes. Although he might have been excused some conservatism in view of his years, he gave whole-hearted and unremitting support to the parish clergy in implementing the changes evoked by the Vatican Council and in fostering the inter- es ts of Ecumenism by his membership of the Carshalton Council of Churches.

As a member of the parish choir at Carshalton from 1934 until his death, he was well-versed in plainsong Palestrina or Gelineau and .was never heard to express any preferences. A past warden of the Guild of the Bles- sed Sacrament, he pioneered and participated in the introduction of lay readers at Mass. When Parish Coun- cils were introduced, i t was Will Mann who was elected to be the f i rs t Chairman and, on relinquishing office, he continued to serve a s a parish councillor for several years with colleagues junior to him in age. In the closing years of the war he had engaged in promoting the case for proper provision for Catholic schools in the Education Bill of 1944 by working with the Catholic Parent and Electors Association in contacting Members of Parlia- ment and lobbying them at the House of Commons. When Covenant schemes became popular, he put to good use his professional skills in accountancy and started the parochial scheme which he managed single-handed until a year ago.

With all his other activities, Will pursued his Vincen- tial work in a quiet and unobtrusive way. Only in the last year of his life was he obliged, because of his health, to cut down on his efforts. Before that he was ever-present at particular council meetings and only if transport were

not available did he miss a quarterly festival meeting. Visitation, particularly on one case which he had looked after for many years, occupied him together with his representation of the Society on the local Heart and Chest Committee, the members of which valued his advice and co-operation in looking after their cases, some of which were also on the conference register. After he retired from work, i t was not unusual for him to have to receive itinerants on the last lap of their jour- ney to London at his own doorstep, which, because of his association with the Society, was on two occasions used a s the repository for a sizeable cash contribution from an anonymous donor towards Christmas extras for the needy of the parish.

A family man and a man of prayer, he was often to be seen telling his beads in an otherwise deserted church. It is perhaps coincidental that he was on his way to the 10 o'clock Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany when he had a heart attack, and a passing motorist who came to his assistance realized that all was not well and took him and his wife to the local hospital where he died eight days later. For one who helped so many needy during his life, was his reward starting in the charitable act of that Samaritan motorist?

His death, on 14 January at the age of 75, brought many tributes, the most heartfelt from those he had helped. One parishioner described him a s a great Catholic gentleman, which he surely was, and, a s the parishpriest said at his Requiem Mass, 'The Catholic world i s better by far because of the efforts of such Catholic gentlemen a s Will Mann'.

We express our deepest sympathy to his widow Lucy;

his five sons, two of whom, Peter and Louis, were at Cotton under the headmastership of Canon Dunne, a con- tsmporary of their father; his daughter and his twelve grandchildren.

FRANCIS CASSERA (1906-1909)

Frank Cassera was a Handsworth man who came from an illustrious line: his mother was a Leighton, sister of Archbishop Williams's mother, and two of his uncles, Genaro and Martin Cassera, had been pupils at Sedgley Park. He also had eight sisters. His working life was spent with the family f i rm of spectacle-frame makers from which he retired around 1970.

A kind, generous, friendly man, Frank had three great loves in his life. They were his wife, Cotton, and his garden, in that order. He was always very proud of Cotton and his associations with the School, and became President of the St Wilfrid's and Parkers ' Society in 1953. Most of his spare time was spent in the garden of his house at Stonnall, Staffordshire. It was time profit- ably spent, for the garden bore striking witness to the wonderful greenness of his fingers.

He died in February this year at the age of 78. We extend our deepest sympathy to his uncle and nephews.

JAMES STEPHEN GlLHOOLY (1917-1923)

J im Gilhooly died in the Cottage Hospital, Bromsgrove, on 13 February last, in his 70th year, and was later buried at Oscott. He had been suffering from poor health for many years, a long-standing bronchial complaint finally affecting his heart. His wife had died in 1963.

As a boy at Cotton he was always remarkable (though the remarks from the smaller boys may not always have been polite) for his neat and dapper appearance. He was talented: always among the prize-winners: good at Athle- tics: Captain of Cricket and Captain of the School in 1923. He was Cotton's first 'Captain of the School1; the titlehad previously been Public Mant, to which it reverted in 1955. As an opening batsman he cultivated style rather than aggressiveness, but on occasion was quite an effective bowler.

On leaving Cotton, he was sent to continue his studies at Fribourg University. However, he later abandoned

thoughts of the priesthood and commenced a long career He retired from the bank in 1964 after 44 years1 se r - in the Public Health Department of Birmingham Corpora- vice, 30 of them in Weston. tion, attaining the rank of Chief Inspector. During thewar He died on 23 January this year at the age of 68. We he had served with the Royal Artillery. should like to express our deepest sympathy to his widow,

He was a long-serving member of the Catenian Associa- Esther, and his son and daughter. tion, being initially a member of the Birmingham (9) Circle. In 1950 he was a founder member of the Droitwich Circle, becoming i ts President in 1955 and again in 1961. WILLIAM MORETON MORRIS, DFC (1922-1923)

I

In 1961 he was also the President of the No. 6 Province. He i s survived by two sons, Michael and Stephen, and

two daughters, Helen and Philippa, to whom we extend our deepest sympathy.

R A Eccles

CHARLES PEVERELLE (1918-1920)

I ~ I

A native of Edgbaston, Birmingham, Charles Peverelle came to Cotton in the last year of the Firs t World War. In 1919 he was a member of the F i r s t Cricket XI and the following year kept goal for the F i r s t Football XI. Hewas I" common with his family and many those Of us

often among the prizes too, for in his last year he tookthe who knew him at Cotton and in later life were grieved

~ French, English and Commercial prizes. to hear that Bill Morris had died, aged 65, on 14 Novem- ~

He entered the service of the Midland Bank in Birming- her,

ham in 1920 and in 1934 was transferred to Weston-super- He entered the school in rather Older

Mare, where he became a popular personalityo When the and considerably bigger than the average new and

Second World War broke out he volunteered for the ARP made his mark as a genial and popular person,

R~~~~~ and Control centre at the Town Hall in Weston. In nicknamed from his favourite ejaculation 'Strike a Light1,

~ the f i rs t air raid in January 1941, an incendiary bomb fell later abbreviated affectionately to 1ke. ~e stayed only inside his home and exploded as he was trying to deal with for a year but in that time developed a lasting affection

it. The injuries he suffered left permanent blindness. He for the as the place did for ~

later learned Braille and touch-typing, and became profi- When he left he joined his brother in the family firm

cient in Braille shorthand and the operation of a telephone Of Morris & Sons, of Smethwick, importers of seeds

switchboard. Thus he was able to return to the Midland and things do with and pets. ~

Bank in January 1943 and work at the enquiry from his war service he continued in the f i rm until he

Charles became an indefatigable worker in helping to and his brother sold the business and retired in 1967. He

ra i se funds for the blind. Among his numerous successful living in West Hagley at the time his death.

ventures in this respect were the staging of a boxing tour- He Was an Old Boy of whom we can eapecially

nament which raised nearly £900 for the National Institute proud, both as a man and an after he left

for the Blind, and his address to Somerset ~~~d Table in school, flying became his absorbing hobby, and he made 1953 following which they collected e l O O O for extra ameni- his f i r s t solo flight in 1928. He was one of the pioneers ties at a new home for the blind in Wellington, Somerset. of the sport in the Birmingham area, being a founder of

It was his ambition that a Garden of Fragrance for the the Midland Aero Club, of which he later became chair- Blind should be provided in Weston and, in 1958, his hope man. four Years previous to the outbreak of war he became reality when the garden was established on land had been an officer in the RAFo, and naturally joinedthe adjoining Grove Park, the bulk of the money being raised RAF in 1939. By the time hc was demobilised in 1945 h e

by Weston Round Table members. had reached the rank of Group Captain, won the DFC

Before losing his sight, he had played for Uphill Castle (1941)s and been mentioned three times in despatches, Cricket Club, and even afterwards maintained his inte- serving in Bomber Command in North Africa and Italy,

res t in the game, becoming the team secretary and a and finally as Area Commander of Rome 'and Southern

member of the executive of Weston Cricket Club. Hewas France*

also a member of the executive committee of Somerset This tribute would not be complete without a personal

County Association for the Blind, and a member of the note. In 1944 I had the good fortune to be present at an

Constitutional, Unionist and United Services Clubs. audience of Pope Pius XI1 in the Vatican. Three or four 1

13

rows in front of me I saw what looked like a familiar After curacies at Brentwood Cathedral, Canning Town figure, and, at the end, when His Holiness came and ming- (during the Blitz) and Southend, he was appointed Par ish led with thc audience, my surmise was proved right. P r ies t of St Patrick's, Walthamstow. His curate a t Wal- Bill was luckier than I was in that he talked with the Pope thamstow for six years and at Saffron Walden for one for ;I fcw moments. Afterwards, I made a bee-line through year was Father Francis Wilson, another Old Cottonian. the throng and got hold of Bill. Normal exchange of news Father Curran was appointed Par ish Pr ies t of Upminster followed, and I found that he was stationed near San in 1952 and remained there until 1965, during which t ime Severo, :md received a warm invitation to drop in at h is the pr imary school was built. He did not enjoy robust aerodrome whenever I was passing, which at the t ime health and was to have several spells in hospital. seemed an unlikely event. However, a few weeks la ter , In 1965 he went to Canvey Island a s Par ish Pr ies t , and my regiment was at San Severo, so I persuaded my Battery then on to Maldon for a year. His health yras deteriorating Commander to drive over to the aerodrome. When we rapidly and, after a short t ime in the comparative quiet arrived Bill was out in his command plane, but expected of Ingatestone, he had to retire. He spent the last yea rs back soon, so we were invited into the mess and very of his life at St Joseph's convent, Wanstead,where the Convent hospital2ly entertained until he returned. The r e a l point Sis ters of Mercy offered him hospitality. He suffered of this reminiscence is that his officers all showed the dreadfully but always showed great fortitude and, although greatest regard and admiration for him, both a s a man i t took him hours to get ready and caused him tremendous and their commanding officer, and this opinion was discomfort, he continued to offer daily Mass. The Sis ters clearly genuine, and not put on for my benefit a s his were edified by his faith and courage in saying Mass with friend. It was a very happy evening, though all too short. great devotion even though at t imes he literally had to

Bill kept up his interest in flying after the war and in struggle to the altar. Finally he entered Harold Wood 1948 he won f i rs t place in the Armstrong Siddeley Chal- Hospital for yet another operation, but complications set lengc Trophy, a par t of the National Air Race, open to the in and he died on 4 July at the age of 63. The Bishop had

whole country. Soon afterwards he gave up piloting visited him the previous day. himself. We met only two o r three t imes after this, Father Curran was a gentle, kind and patient pr ies t

but he rem'ained the same old unchangingly friendly with a good sense of humour. He always liked the liturgy

type. to be carr ied out with great dignity, and would tolerate

Our loss in great, a s i t is to Mrs Morris and their no shoddiness in anything that was used a t the altar. He

two sons, to whom we offer our most heartfelt sympathy. had tremendous love of the Blessed Sacrament and deep devotion to Our Blessed Lady. News of defections among

F G Roberts, pr ies ts and religious o r any sign of disloyalty to the Holy Father dismayed and distressed him.

FATHER PATRICK CURRAN (1926-1930)

Patrick Curran was born in Forest Gate, London,on 1 July, 1910. F rom there the family moved to Wanstead and he went to St Ignatius' College, Stamford Hill. before going to Cotton a s a student for the Brentwood Diocese in 1926.

At Cotton he played a leading par t in School affairs. He appeared in the School productions of 'Macbethf and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'; he gained Colours at Iiugby football and cricket, being Captain of Rugby in the season 1929-30, and top of the bowling averages and third in the batting averages for the summer of 1930. He had taken the School Certificate in 1928 and the Higher Certificate in 1930. From Cotton he went on to the Col- lege of Propaganda in Rome where he obtained a doctor- a te in Philosophy and was ordained in the Lateran Basilica on 2 1 December, 1935.

A concelebrated Requiem Mass was offered for Father Curran in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead, on 9 July. A sign of his self-effacement was the fact that, in h i s will, he requested that the re be no panegyric. The Bishop was the principal concelebrant, and our former Bishop, Bishop Wall, was also present. We should like to offer our deepest sympathy to his brothers and sisters.

Andrew G Dorricott

VINCENT ANTHONY CONNOR (1945-1952)

At centenary celebrations there is a temptation for p r ea- chers and speakers to extol an institution's ideals and achievements. At the recent Cotton celebrations, Icaught myself thinking: 'Sir, you do protest too much1. But such unworthy thoughts were abolished by the consideration that the ideals had been achieved. For the surroundings

of chapel, corr idors and Bounds brought back memories of Vincent Connor who died on 1 2 November 1972, aged 37. He embodied to a great extent the fine words spoken in chapel and dining tent.

Speakers told of the solid Catholic faith, centred on the Mass and the sacraments. Such a faith Vincent had recei- ved from his parents. It was strengthened and developed by Cotton. It brought h is wife to the Church and i t created a fine Catholic family. Unpretentious but deep was his

faith. And i t was finally proved by a well-prepared death. Cotton prepared men, w e w e r e told, not only for the

Church, but for the university and professions. Vincent had a good mind and examinations were never a great hurdle fo r him. After leaving Cotton he studied for den- t i s t ry at Liverpool. He practised a s a dentist despite the limitations imposed on him by illness.

A school such a s Cotton, i t was said on that centenary day, built up the character and resourcefulness of i t s pupils. One never ceased to admire Vincent's courage and strength of character in the face of severe and hope- l e s s illness. While still studying in his early twenties he had the f i rs t signs of multiple sclerosis. This affec- ted his legs, on occasions reducing him to a wheelchair. He never played ball with his children o r chased around with them. It always threatened his hands and grip, cru- cial to the future of a dentist. Yet the re was humour, courage and a determination to live a full life.

Cotton has every reason to be proud of this son. Our condolences go to Vincent's wife, whose strength

and courage matches his and whose energy knows no bounds; to his children and to his mother.

D Cousins

JOHN HEWINS (Honorary Old Boy)

Crichton. Continued generous assistance with paint from John

and Chris Rudd from their Calypso DIY stores. A legacy of £500 from the estate of the late Mr Frank

Cassera.

SCHOOL YEAR 1972-73 HEADMASTER The Rev hIgr T J Gavin MA

STAFF

Jack Hewins, who died in hospital at Wolverhampton las t September at the age of 71, although not himself an Old Boy of the School, will b e remembered and missed by many Old Cottonians, both clerical and lay.

Through his membership of the Catenian Association, Jack came into contact with a number of Old Cottonians in the Midlands a rea , and la ter , when his grandsons became students a t Alton Castle, he developed a love of Cotton, totally unexpected in one who had no direct affili- ation to the School.

He had a tremendous capacity for friendship, a strong sense of humour, a generous nature and was a complete Christian. Forthright in manner and ever ready for an

Rev A P Piercy, Bursar Rev V L Armishaw MA, Prefect of Studies Rev F J Grady MA, Master of St Thomas's Rev E M Stewart BA STL, Bowdon Housemaster Rev P Pargeter , Milner Housemaster Rev A G Sims BA, Challoner Housemaster Rev D F Keniry, Prefect of Discipline Rev W A D Round BA L W WarnerE sq, KSS PhD BA F G Roberts Esq, KSS BA J Brennan Esq, LRAM ARChl T P Ouren Esq, Cer t Ed L R Robinson Esq

argument, he could always appreciate the other man's point of view whilst not necessari ly agreeing with it. He was ever ready to 'have a gof, and when the Wolverhamp- ton Committee formed itself to provide the new cricket pavilion and later to s t a r t the running t rack he took a leading par t and was always there with his characterist ic impetus. For his participation in these efforts he was elected to Honorary hlernbership of the St Wilfrid's and Parke r s ' Society, an honour which he never ceased to appreciate.

He i s survived by his widows and two marr ied daughters to whom we extend our deepest sympathy.

Joe Hickin

M A Y THEY REST IN PEACE

GIFTS TO THE SCHOOL We should like to express our gratitude for the following gifts:

An anonymous gift of £ 6 0 0 to the cost of repairing the Running Track.

A gift of £5 for the same purpose from Fr Joe Rowland - a piece of thoughtful generosity on the day after our Flood.

A gift of £ 5 0 from an anonymous priest towards the Honour Boards.

A further £5 towards the Honour Boards. Some very much appreciated help for the Photographic

Club from Mr R F Vitoria. Statues of St John Fisher and St Thomas More, and

the repainting of the Lady Statue - hZr and hLrs JOrmsby. A gift of books for the Library from the Very Rev.

Canon J Welch. A gift of copies of all his writings by the Rev. J D

P W Tubb Esq BSc Mrs T Prince BSc P P ~ a s t i l l e Esq BSc Mrs P Castille BSc N R Clarke Esq, MA BA @con) J F Tilney-Bassett Esq, PhD MA

Stage Managers

Bursar 's Assistant

Prog Shop

Lavs Monitors SCHOOL OFFICIALS

Public Man and Captain of Milner Captain of Bowdon and Captain of

Hockey Captain of Challoner, Captain of

Rugby and Athletics Prefect of St Thomas's and

Vice-Captain of Milner Vice-Captain of Bowdon School Prefect Captain of Cricket Captain of Tennis Reference Librarian Mcmorial Librarian Agsistant Librarians

Sacristans

Secretary L and D S Secretary 54 Society Study Place Assistants

J J Storey

T A Devenney

A J Byrne

A C Simmonds R J Northard C M Allen A G Trinham A G OIMalley L G Watkins P E Kaczmarczuk O T Smyth A G OIMalley P P Denieffe M B Price S B Murtagh M W Northard F J Ferguson S B Murtagh R G Edwards K G Devenney 0 T Smyth J N Burchnall B E Purfield P J PAcDermott

Common Room Curators

Laundry Men

Laboratory Technicians

Faber Dormitory Monitor St Thomas's Monitors

L G Watkins J Ferguson H D Murtagh P D Scott

O T Smyth M B Price M D Butterfield G Finucane A G Trinham R F Schwarz J D Tuite A J Bibby D R Allen M Kennedy P J Heeley P J McElroy S J Ormsby P A Harradine S D Jefferies R J McKay N D Dillon G J Grewcock J Forshaw P J Carroll T F Mahoney C D Collins I T Crean G J Cusack R B Fahy S J Gould S D Jefferies K S Mulchinock R J McKay W G Pilley S P OfBrien J D Murtagh G M J OIHanlon

1 THE ARRIVAL OF THE APOSTOLIC DELEGATE

THE CENTENARY

THOUGHTS ON THE CENTENARY It 's curious that we should feel a kind of compulsion to mark the passage of t ime with celebrations. I suppose that we a r e really congratulating ourselves on surviving for the moment the ineluctable consequences of man's

, f i rs t disobedience, knowing that we live on borrowed time at best. To mark the centenary of something, however, takes us beyond the personal scale of achievement into the historical. Such a celebration i s a tribute not to our- selves, but to our predecessors.

'There Ilonour comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the turf that wrqps their clay. '

This sense of indebtedness was much in evidence during the events of 8 - 9 June, an awareness of our being the reapers of other men's sowing. I a m sure that indebted- ness of another sor t was felt by us all for the presence of Archbishop Enrici, the Apostolic Delegate. How well the Holy See chooses i t s representatives! Once again I was impressed by the charming combinatioll in i t s senior diplomats of sophistication and simplicity. Compare the pomposity that prevailed in an enrlier age among thc empurpled when, for instance, in 1835 the young Wiseman, Rector of the English College in Rome on his f i rs t stay in England for some years , wrote to n friend: '1 intend to quarter myself upon such of the nobility or gentry of these rea lms a s can sufficiently appreciate such 'an honour1. And this from a mere monsignor!

rIow gracious of the Delegate to recall in his luncheon address the close links over many centuries between English Catholics and the Papacy. It i s not a coincidence that two of our most revered martyrs in the cause of the spiritual supremacy of the Pope, Thomas Becket and

Thomas More, were each in their day head of the legal profession. Obedience to lawful authority has long been understood instinctively by a people gifted in law a s a protection of freedom.

His Excellencyvs presence occasioned other reflections too. In 1873 Pius IX had been Pope for twenty-seven years , and had five more still to come - the longest pontificate in the history of the Church. The Church was just emerging from the 18th century into the new Liberal Age heralded by the sound ,and fury of the French Itcvolu- tion. The natural sciences had replaced theology a s the mark of intcllcctual provenance, (Darwin's 'Origi of Species1 was published in 1859) and political l iberalism, whether Gladstone's o r Garibaldils, became the new crced. It was Leo XILI, successor to Pio Nono in 1878, who guided the Church into coming to ternls with the world of the 19th century. H i s essential message was simple and direct: the Catholic will bc h l c to live in and contribute to the new society only to the degree that he is s u r e of his faith and able to discriminate betwcen the ephemeral and thc permanent. Otherwise, the Church must remain irrelevant and ineffective. I'ope John preached the same theme in our own day.

The removal of Sedgley Park to Cotton was itself symptomatic of the shift in the outlook of thc Church. The old, unhappy far-off days of the penal laws Isrere gone for ever. There was need now for e q ~ a n s i o n and revival, especially in the sphere of education. The adult generation of pr ies ts and parents had to make the diffi- cult mental effort of regarding a society which had for so long been wholly indifferent towasds them, if nct actively hostile, a s a natural context for Catholic living. L£ the Church were to survive, the younger generation must accept the challenge of reconciling the sacred and

His Excellency The Apostolic Delegate arriving at Cotton The Headmaster and Councillor Arthur Cotton Lord Mayor of Sloke-or]- Trent

17

PROCESSION OF DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

the profane in their lives, and the only safe preparation for such a task was a good Catholic education. It was natural enough that for a generation after Catholic Eman- cipation, English Catholics should be content simply to breathe the air of freedom after three hundred years of proscription. With the restoration of the hierarchy in 1850, however, they were beginning to move hesitantly out into the light of day and tread the unfamiliar paths of public life. The arrival of the Sedgley Park boys at Cotton was one small instance of the slow progress from the old order to the new. Bishop Ullathorne's instinct was sound. Ironically, his policy concerning Cotton illustrated that the Church, so often criticized by con- temporaries a s obscurantist, was in advance of the Liberal Society in the matter of education. It was only three years since the 1870 Act had introduced virtually compulsory primary education in the country; it was less than thirty years since the state had made any kind of provision for the training of teachers, and it would be another thirty before it contributed anything financially to secondary schooling,

It i s intriguing to~speculate on what topics of conversa- tion engaged the members of the Staff at Cotton a s they read their breakfast copies of 'The Times1. In the autumn of 1873 the first and memorable ministry of Mr Glad- stone was drawing to a close, leaving the ministers, a s Mr Disraeli observed in the House, like a row of extinct volcanoes. The description was apt if unkind, for in the space of the previous four hectic years the Liberals had projected the country into the modern e ra with a whole litany of reforming statutes.

The Catholics in this country, greatly increased in number since the influx following the Irish famine of 1846-8, must have discussed with interest the Irish Land Act of 1870 which sought to cure the basic insecurity of the native tenant. Notice must have been taken, no less, of the adverse comments of the Irish bishops, pointing out the likely abuses that would ensue.

Of even greater interest was the Forster Act of 1870. The State, it seemed, was coming to the conclusion (more belatedly in England than elsewhere in Europe) that the traditional reliance on the churches and charitable bodies for elementary education would no longer suffice in an

industrial society and a rapidly growing population. The state must take at least a share in the responsibility.

commendable a s this was in principle, it did raise difficult questions about the place of religious teaching in State schools, and about public financial aid for deno- minational schools. It was the beginning of a long struggle by the Catholic community which still continues, though its character has changed. In 1870 it was a matter of winning recognition from a public and a government that at least believed in the unity of religious and secular learning, while now that belief has virtually disappeared. A C F Beales, writing in 1950, rightly remarked that 'the Catholic schools a r e more than ever missionary schools. Their problem is to avoid any return to the isolation and introversion of 19th century Catholicism, while yet rejecting the pervasive secularism of contem- porary society. In this respect, the future is likely to prove more difficult than the past.

In academic circles, the abolition of the religious test for entry to Oxford and Cambridge was widely discussed in 1871. Catholics and othcr Dissenters could now avail

of higher education, although the Catholic bishops gene- rally remained deeply suspicious of the universities for a very long time to come. The harsh irony of Catholics being tolerated by a Protestant establishment in two -

universities wholly owing their existence and much of their fame to Catholic patrons and scholars cannot have escaped attention at the time.

The liberal policies of the government were not altoge- ther popular, however, and increasing taxation for mili- tary defence following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 (from € 3 million to El6 million in one year) broughtdown Gladstone's ministry in 1874. It was his own opinion that 'we were borne down in a torrent of gin and beerr because the new anti-liquor law of 1872 had been very badly received in the country. The subject was doubtless venti- lated thoroughly in the 'Star1 at the time, together with another act passed in the same year providing for secret balloting in elections. This marked the end of the ancient English custom of securing votes with the unsubtle bribery of ale.

Abroad, there were many things happening to engage the attention of the new Sta£f at Cotton. They would have

PROCESSION FOR THE CENTENARY MASS The Apostolic Delegate, Fr Stewart, Archbishop D w w , Archbishop Murphy

viewed the activities of President Grant in the United States with distaste.<md compared him with his former chief, the already legendary Lincoln. Much mor c sadden- ing was the Catholic situation in France. There, the Church was striving to adapt to the new Liberalism (which was more than could be said of the kingdoms of Austria o r Spain) and the difficulty of the process was well illustrated in the condemnation in 1832, in Gregory XVIfs 'Mirari Vosf, of such ardent men a s La Mennais and, by implication a t least , h is collaborators Montalem- ber t and Lacordaire. And in Bismarck's recently united Germany a se r i es of laws passed between 1871-5 depri- ved the Church there of the control of i t s own schools, expelled the religious o rders and confiscated the semi- naries. In 1873 there were several bishops and many pr ies ts in prison for their refusal to implement the new l:1ws.

The reference by the Apostolic Delegate to Pius IX sending his blessing for the transfer of Sedgley Park to Cotton prompted some reflections on that pontificate. In his early years a s Pope, Pius IX startled and even horrified his contemporaries in thc Curia with his reforming decrees for the Papal States. Their condition a t h is accession was such a s to test the charity of even the best-disposed histori'm. The situation was indeed

farcical when the Pope had to call in the army of Austria against h is own Catholic subjects who were in revolt against the wretched system of government of thc papal ter r i tor ies , while French forces occupied the papal port of Ancona lest the Austrians grow too strong in Italy under the cloak of religious loyalty. The Austrians, for their part , had old scores to pay off against the a rmies of France since their defeat by Bonaparte in the 1790's.

While Father Faber was a t Cotton hc would have heard of the revolution in Rome, the flight of the Pope to Gneta, and the occupation of Rome by Frcnch troops in his sup- port. But by the time the boys arrived at Cotton from Sedgley Park in 1873 the Italinn nationalist movement had triumphed and the temporal sovereignty of the Papacy was finished. Pius IX refused to let the world think that he or his successors were subjects of the new Italian mon:rrchy. : ~ n c l so hcgan t h c fifty years pcriorl of the

'prisoner of the Vatican1 papacy, until the concordat of 1929.

At one time, Pius M had threatened with excommunica- tion those who greeted the loss of the papal temporal power a s a good thing for the Church. Nevertheless, t ime has pro-~ed it so. The moral stature of the papacy today, particularly against a background of power-politics and the widespread disillusionment many feel about i t , i s

higher than i t was a century ago. If Wiseman's flamboy- ankphrases no longer ring true, i t i s simply because they a r e no longer necessary. This change was vividly reflected in the High Mass concelebrated by the bishops on 8 June. Gone were the Byzantine osculations, the pseudo-im2erial obeisances, the encrusted artificialities. In their place we saw twelve brothers in C h i s t carrying out his command to 'do this in memory of mef with fitting simplicity. If it i s t r u e that the Romm liturgy on such occasions formerly was suggestive of a richly bejewelled medieval missal , i t is also- t rue that ra ther more attention i s now devoted to the text. To amend Alexander Pope:

'Liturgies, like coins, grow dear a s they grow old; It i s the rus t we value, not the gold. '

Looking hack over a century, then, what a r e we to con- clude about the School? That there have been great changes i s obvious, just a s the world of 1973 i s vastly different from that of 1873. It i s st i l l faintly startling for some of us to discover ladies in the classrooms expoun- ding the myster ies of scaly o r finny corpses , though we have long since grown accustomed to the sight of nuns giving out the food in the Ref. Indeed, i t becomes diffi- cult to remember when they were not there. It i s not at a l l difficult to recal l the days when there were no coffee b a r s and television se t s in the common-rooms, no t ransis- to r s , no 'gear ' proliferating like poppies in a cornfield, no study-bedrooms for seniors , and precious Little hot water for anyone. It i s no longer assumed that playing Rugby football i s essential to moral o r physical educa- tion, and alternative diversions like golf, judo and riding have respectable status in the school.

I doubt if we ever dared to cadge a lift from a master (not that more than two o r three of them had c a r s then anyway) - or invited them to a rubber of bridge, or stood them a beer on the last night of the school year. I don't remember having asked for, let alone being given, leave to hie me to my fa ther ' s house lest I die of wretchedness and hunger, or even for such tr ivia a s twenty-first birth- days o r si lver weddings; come to think of it, not even for an ordination. I had to wait until I reached Oscott before

I saw one, and a mere six yea r s later i t was my oum turn!

Examples of this kind could be multiplied to include the changes in the organization of the studies, the pro- g r e s s in teaching methods, the arr ival of athletics a s a serious but enjoyable part of leisure activities. The changes have even extended to mat ters spiritual, what with only one Mass on Sunday for the boys, allowing them an extra hour in bed, evening Mass each Wednesday, and group Masses for each class once a week o r so. I do not agree lvith those who tell us that ' there were giants in those days', meaning that they were a better breed of men than their successors , and that the School, o r the world, has gone to pot since they were here. If i t i s so, i t i s much more likely to be their doing than the present generation's. But for a l l the changes, indeed possibly because of them, Cotton retains an open and friendly atmosphere. It was not always so when the clerical pas- sion for good order , almost at any cost, held sway.

What endures beneath the changing appearances of Cotton? Do the basic values and convictions remain unimpaired? I believe firmly that they do, though their expression may well have changed in the course of a hundred years . For example, discipline i s no l e s s highly prized today than i t has always been. Our regard for i t i s one of the features that at tract parents to us when they a r e selecting a school for their sons. Discipline, however, no longer i s simply and conveniently equated with physical punishment for al l but the most tr ivial misdemeanours. Fundamentally, discipline means ensur- ing that the boy b o w s very clearly what i s right and what i s wrong, what i s allowed and what i s not. And that he understands the reasons. Otherwise he will feel insecure, and that breeds social problems. It i s also good to recognize, at the same time, that there i s nor- mally a time-lag between the precept received and the practice, a s there i s in nature between planting and flowering. It i s sometimes hard for the teacher to remember that the young a r e at school exactly because they need to be taught.

I 1 THE CENTENARY MASS

Sr Mary Malone, Sr Patricia McGauley (Rev Mother), B J Orrell, Sr Mary Earls, B~shop Alexander, Sr Winifred McCoy, THE SISTERS OF COTTON Mere Francoise Pecquereux, Sr Joan Lockwood, Mother Beatrice Upson, Sr Enid Davies.

The final assessment, however, must concern the and yet misplaced, a s Pope Pius X made clear. But his 'religionif of the School motto. Has Cotton changcd in exhortation to frequent reception, especially by children, this respect a t a l l? Are we affected in any way by the must have troubled innumerable excellent Catholics. I s general state of the Church after the Second Vatican i t not somewhat the same today with the reduction of the Council? Probably more than we think o r can easily fasting before Holy Communion to a point which many define. After all , the council was intended to inaugurate consider regrettable? Compared with the practice of changes in Catholic lifc, and i t would be no compliment even a generation ago, the post-conciliar relaxations in to the School to suggest that i t ought to continue in the matters of joint worship a r e extraordinary, to mention old, well-tried ways. The sabbath was mudc for man. another even more significant instancc. While i t remains t rue that the tradition of unaffected love It is clear enough that the trend of the general changes of God manifested in a certain friendliness and helpful- in the Church, whether in the liturgy and the canoniza- ness in daily l ife st i l l pers is ts among Cottonians, a s tion of the vernacular (and what heresy we thought such does a very rea l attachment to the Holy Father, - there an idea a mere thirty years ago! ) - or the teaching of a r e also signs of the general transition. religion o r the quiet forgetting of all that complicated

Any such pcriod throws up difficulties of adaptation stuff about censures, or the discipline of seminarics and between the old and the new in the domain of the sacred s o much else, has been towards grentcr personal r c s - no less than in the secular. The perturbations of our own ponsibility. This may well be somewhat unnerving for age fade into insignificance compared with the c r i ses of anyone brought up in an ear l ier ethos (with i t s own parti- the past among sincere Catholics. To quote one example cular virtues and weaknesses) but i t has to be faced. So only, the cherished attitude of extreme reverence for the fa r the full working-out of the implications of the Coun- Blessed Sacrament to the point of receiving Holy Com- ci l in our situation he re has hardly begun. I a m pretty munion only a few t imes each year was totally s incere s u r e that we tend to hold on to pre-conciliar ideas and

I THE BISHOPS AND DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

I customs no l e s s than the f i rs t Cottonians tended to hold on to thc traditions of Sedgley Park a s valid and secure. F rom our vantage point a century later, i t i s easy to s e e that this was misplaced loyalty and that a new e r a had begun. IIow shall we appear in 2073 to our successors?

F Grady

CENTENARY AT COTTON I<cn~ote preparations for the celebration of the Centenary of the establishment of the School on i t s present s i te be- gan long ago, a s the Headmaster told us in h is foreword to the excellent brochure produced through the kind offi- ces of Mr Philip Har r i s to commemorate the occasion. Quitc a large number of Old Boys were especially con- cerned in ensuring that the celebrations would be on a suitable scale, not least Mess r s Tony Dillon, John Rudd and Christopher Whitehouse. Various Committee meet- ings were held, ideas proposed, some of them accepted, othcrs rejcctcd. Eventually the pattern of events took shape and it i s my pleasant task to record just how they matcrialised. Chr is Whitehouse, aided by his wife, agreed to 11e the chief liaison officer and a splendid job he made of i t all.

On the home front the Headmaster began to be very busy in October for i t was then that he began sending out le t ters of invitation to the distinguished guests he hoped to have with us for the festivities. The good r e s - ponse encouraged.him in his early efforts to make the occasion worthwhile. On the Association front F r Parge- t e r sent out advance information at least one year pr ior to the date, a s indeed did the Old Boys' Committee to the ineinbcrs of St Wilfrid's & Parlters ' Society, and both groulls wcre kept weil informed.

Morc proximate preparation began in the Summer Term and a s the dates June 8th and 9th drew near and incidentally a s the weather brightened, things became morc and more hectic. Squads of boys, notably H Mur- 1ag.h G Finucane, and the legalistic-sounding f i rm of

P Heeley, R Sch~val-z & T Preston, spcnt hours in refur- bishing the fabric; Mr Billy Allen & the Bursa r floated parachutes in the Sports Hall; L Watkins, T Preston and many others produced their posters which Mr and Mrs Castille attached to the walls of the Sports Hall. Every- where thc domestic staff were hard at worlc tidying up the grounds so that the entire place should look presentable.

The silence of the evening of 5 June was shattered by the work of one man and his machine, a compressor, which drilled holes in the surface of Top Bounds in readi- ness for the marquee. Unfortunately the wrong measure- ments were given so that when on the following day, a team of men arrived to put up the two large tents, new holes had to be made. The weather remained perfect. Final preparations included a good deal of work in the Sports Hall and on the stage in the Academic Hall.

Thursday, 7 June, was declared a dies non s o far a s c lasses were concerned - a blessed relief to all. On the principle that many hands make light work, the Prefect had teams of workers everywhere disported. In the after- noon the beautiful display of flowers and shrubs in the entrance hall and at suitable places throughout the school was arranged by Mi- Hawthorn and Mr Harrison, his assistant from the Stoke Parks ' Committee. Reverend Mother, assisted by the Matron and some boys, worked for the greater par t of the day arranging flowers in vases for church, marquee and refectory. A practice with brougham and pullers took place after lunch and the Choir tripped merri ly from 'Trial by Ju ry ' practices to those for the Mass. The general impression could not be avoided that something was about to happen!

The f i rs t of the distinguished guests, Archbishop John Murphy of Cardiff, his Auxiliary Bishop, Mgr Dona1 Mullins, and the Superior of the London Oratory, Fr Michael Scott-Napier, arrived in t ime for supper,

Work in the marquee by the ca te re r s from Ansells did not begin until after supper so that it was m r y late before the ladies re t i red to their temporary home in the cricket pavilion.

TA LKlNG RUGGER? Mrs P Dole, Dr K Mullen, The Headmaster, Mrs K Mullen

2 2

T h e f i r s t d:ly of t h e Ce lc I~ l~ : l t ions , k ' r i t l : l~~, 9 J u n c , w a s ill C:lrdiff, n4gr ,James McCuinncss , Coatljutor Bisho11 of f o r t h e benefit of the n l c m b e r s o f t h e St W i l f r i d f s :~ncl Nottinghani, h lg r John B r e w e r , Auxil iary in Shrewshury , Par lcc rs ' Society and t h c i r n ~ i v c s . Quite :I number of M g r R l c r ~ ~ ~ n Alcxnnder , Auxiliary in Clif ton, and t h e t h c m a r r i ~ r c d in t i m e to join t h c St:rff ant1 boys in t h c i r I{e:ldmastcr, M g r T J Gavin. Fr S tewar t is M a s t e r of cvclconlc of the. chief gucs t s . Most o f thc visitin:: I ~ i s h o p s <:cl-ononi(,s. ArchhisIiop D ~ v y c r 1)rc:ichcd. IIoly Communion w e r e a l s o p r c s e n t when at 10. 25 the benutifully d c e o ~ . : ~ - lv:ls distriIluted under both ltinds whils t the Choi r s a n g tcd brougham i n t h e c:lp:~ble h:lnds of Mr Alan E a s t , T y c ' s "Ci l~av i t i l los", M o z : ~ r t ' s "Avc v c r u m " ant1 "0 Sacrun Manager of t h e 'Yew T r e c ' a t Cauldon l,on., ant1 pullcd convivium" l ~ y F a r r x n t . Very fittingly, n f tc r t h e T e Deum by thc Publ ic Man, J ~ u m c s S torey , and five o ther s e n i o r c n m c t h e roof-raising: "Fai th of o u r Fathers", 12r F a b c r ' s boys , C Allen, T Devcnncy, V Noual, I{ Northartl and I, m o s t famous humn, composed whils t h e w a s a t Cotton. Watkins, caiile round t h e c o r n e r by the church. T h e Head- M r 1' Tubb helped o u r v e r y a b l e L'rcss OfTiccr, MI' m a s t e r and Archbishop Murphy w c r c t h c r c t o g r c c t o u r Ph i l ip H a r r i s , to o r g a n i s c d i f fe ren t g r o u p s f o r sl,ecial chief p e s t , H i s Exce l lency the Apostolic D c l c g : ~ t e !o souveni r photographs, and t h i s n c c e s s : ~ r i l y r a t h e r long

I G r e a t B r i t a in ,ArchbishoI ) Dorncnico E n r i c i , who, : ~ c c o m - drawn-out p r o c e s s w a s cnclurccl with thc g r c a t c s t good panied by o u r own Archbishop, D r George P a t r i c k D \ \ y c r , humour by a l l involved. Eventual ly the m a j o r i t y d r i f t ed had t rave l led i n t h e b rougham f r o m t h c 'Star ' c o r n e r t o off - s o m e t o cof fee i n t h e I t c fec tory , o t h c r s t o t h e s h o r - t h e collegc. Although thc ATV cn1ncr:rs did 1101 a r r i v e i n t e s t Annual Meeting of t h e Old Boys ' Society on r e c o r d . t i m e and F r A r m i s h a w had t o a r r a n g e a d u m m y r e - r u n Soon a f t e r one o 'c lock evcryone w a s i n t h e S p o r t s 11x11 l a t e r On, t h e r e w e r e many m e m b e r s of t h e P r e s s p r e s e n t w h e r e shel.ry w a s s e r v e d and where thcrc w a s a chance t o photograph t h i s link ~ v i t h F a t h e r F W F a b e r who i n fo r pco11le to m e e t each o t h e r . 1,unchcon f o r o v e r 500 1847 w a s s i m i l a r l y g r e e t e d by t h e lncn of the p a r i s h on followed i n the m a r q u e e w h e r e condit ions on t h i s v e r y h i s rCtuL.11 to Cottoll a f t c r h i s ordinat ion 1 0 t h e priesthoocl. hot d a y w e r e somewhat t ry ing even wit11 t h e t e n t f l a p s The a r r i v a l of t h c a r c h b i s h o l ~ s tvas followed by that of t h e r a i s e d , T h e sea t ing p l a ~ ~ , c a r c f u l l y arrangccl by M r White- Right Worshipful t h e Lord Mayor of Stolte-on-Trent, house :rncl no l e s s ca re fu l ly promulgatccl, m a d e i t e a s y f o r Counci l lor A r t h u r Cotton.:~ncl then by that of t h e Deputy t h c g u e s t s t o find t h e i r p laces , and i n no t i m e :lt a l l Mgr L o r d Lieutenant of S ta f fordsh i re , Major H S Angus IInrdy Gavin w a s leading i n t h e Top Table occupants . A p a r t f r o m 'and M r s Hardy. those a l r e a d y mentioned, t h e g u e s t l i s t included M r David

T h e M a s s w a s t h e t r u c high-light of :I m e m o r a b l e day . l h o x , ~p for Leek, M r and M1.s D B:lgshaw, t h e o w n e r s T h e c h u r c h , rcsp lendcnt with f l o ~ v c r s , w a s a t its m o s t of nearby Alton T o w e r s , Mgr R F r a n a , Counse l lo r a t t h e beaut iful : t h e congregat ion, p r e l a t e s , c lergy, s i s t e r s , Al)ostolic Delegat ion, Mgr C D F a y , CDE, P a r i s h P r i e s t l a i ty and boys w e r e qu i te obviously llloved by t h e solein- of Allon, ~ 1 . ~ ~ ~ h e r t Condron, Provincial of t h e P a s s i o n i s t ni tg of t h e occas ion : t h e C h o i r ,augmented by s o m e Old Congregat ion, M e r e F r a n c o i s e Pecquercux , Mother B e a -

. Cottonian Oscot ians , p e r f o r m e d splendidly, par t i cu la r ly t r i c e Upson, S i s t e r Enid Davies , Mothcr M Ignat ius , i n t h e rendering of t h c m o t e t s : E l g a r ' s ' E c c e S a c e r d o s Mother M hIalachy and Mr and M r s Dcnis Ityan. magnusf and IIaydn's 'Veni, spons:rf. The M a s s w a s a Thc lnenu n.ns p r in ted on a v e r y a t t r a c t i v e c a r d , b e a r - vot ive M a s s of the Annunciation of o u r Lady. H i s Exce l - ing photoyL,aphs of \loth scdglcy P a r l t and Cotton. F o r lency thc Apostol ic Delegate , Archbishop E n r i c i , w a s t h e the record, this n,as t h e menu: chief conce lebran t and t h c o ther conce lebran ts w e r e S h r i m p Cockt:lil: Cold R o a s t S i r lo in of Bccf , Sa lads , Archbishop G e o r g c Dwyer of B i r m i n g h a m , Archbishop Le t tuce , Tonl:~to, C u c u m b e r , Po ta to Sal:id, C o l e Slaw, John Murphy of C a r d i f f , Bishop Eclwarcl E l l i s of Netting- Crusty Brc:lcl 13utter; Sherry Trifle; Cheese and h a m , Bishop E r i c G r a s a r of Shrewsbury , Bishop P a t r i c k or with fresh cream). case^ of Brentwood, M ~ r Joseph 'leary and Mgr Aftcr the l,,cal, the tonst of A h n M;lter was given by E m e r y , Auxil iary Bish ips of Bi rmingham, M g r Joseph the I'rcsiclent of the St Wilfricl's & I ' a r k e r s f Society, Mr G r a y , Auxil iarv in L iverpool , M g r Dona1 Mi l l ins , Auxil iary

I COTTON V I L L A G E GUESTS

E

J Anthony Dillon. In an excellent speech, Mr Dillon s t res- sed the loyalty of all Cottonians not only to the Church but also to the Holy Father. He spoke in a highly cornpli- mentary way of the spirit at present found in the School and asserted that much of this was due in no small part to the work of Mgr Gavin.

The Headmaster in reply found himself with the plea- sant task of thanking people, but before doing so he paid tribute to the work of each of his predecessors in office, stressing in each case their contribution to the spiritual life of the School.

To propose the health of the Guests was the lot of one of the School's oldest and most distinguished Old Boys, the ever-youthful Fr Patrick F McSwiney,and this he did in his own felicitous and elegant manner. He too stressed the loyalty of Cottonians to the Holy Father and to the Crown, singling out the presence of the Holy Father's representative in England and that of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant as indicative of this attitude.

On behalf of the Guests, Archbishop Enrici replied. He spoke of his happiness at being at Cotton where amongst

so many events F r Faber had written the hymn 'Faith of our Fathers1, one which His Excellency had come to asso- ciate a s the distinctive hymn of Catholics wherever his own diplomatic travels had taken him, in Australia, in Ireland and now in England. His Excellency stated that his presence at the celebrations was evidence of the desire of all there to share this happy occasion with the Holy Father. One hundred years ago Pius LX had sent his blessing on the transfer of Sedgley Park to Cotton - he was there to deliver Paul VIts message in person. It was fitting that this should be so because of the very ancient English tradition of loyalty to the Holy See, reach- ing from King Edward the Confessor, who dedicated his new abbey at Westminster to St Peter, through St Thomas More and other English martyrs, who died for the spiritual supremacy of the Holy See, down to our own day when English Catholics had so conspicuously abided by the wishes of the Holy Father in a difficult time. His Excel- lency mentioned also the links between Cotton and Rome through F r Dominic Barberi, F r Faber and Cardinal Newman. He ended his speech with renewed congratula-

THE CONGA 3

I WE'RE ONLY HERE FOR THE BEER!

tions and thanks. The great volume of applause which greeted his speech must surely have convinced His Excel-

I lency how honoured we al l felt at his great kindness in being with us.

After the meal, the Public Man, James Storey, pre- sented a commemorative plaque to the Apostolic Delegate and similar scrolls were given to the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent and to the Deputy Lord Lieutenant.

The boys and guests moved to the front of the College in order to see the departure of the chief guests. F r

L Armishaw a c c o m p a e d the Apostolic Delegate and Mgr Frana to Stoke station. Tea was served iinmediately and the opportunity to relax was much welcomed. For the scientifically minded, Mr and Mrs P Castille together with Dr J F Tilney-Bassett had prepared in the labora- tor ies a 'demonstration by the boys of the fruits of some of their scientific studies including Microwave radio communication, Lasers, Breathing, Bacteria, etcn. The musically inclined were entertained in the Hall to a performance by F r D Round and the Choir of 'Trial by Jury'. Others gathered into sundry common rooms to catch a glimpse of the proceedings on the ATV News - fleeting, indeed, but nonetheless there.

The evening's entertainment was a great success. Having supped, the boys from the Fifth Form downwards watched 'Puppet on a Chain1 in the Hall, which F r Stew- a r t very kindly showed. The Sixth Form joined guests, Old Boys and their wives, members of the Association and friends at a highly enjoyable dance in the Sports Hall. The Band's performance was first-class and the tunes played were sufficiently various to suit everyone's taste. The bar tenders were kept very busy and no doubt they too welcomed the official break for the Buffet Supper in

the marquee half way through. Many very generous bene- factors had been persuaded by the indefatigable Mr Alan Grace to provide excellent prizes for the raffle, the win- ning tickets for which were drawn by our chief guests at the function, Dr and Mrs Karl Mullen. Photographic evi- dence shows o d y too clearly that the Sixth Form were not only there for the beer! There was much reluctance to end the proceedings at midnight o r thereabouts, but another daunting day lay ahead.

Inevitably the second day's proceedings, those for parents and members of the Association were on a quieter note though the enjoyment was sustained in spite of the break in the weather which brought rain and so for the sixth successive Speech Day prevented tea on the lawn.

High Mass began at 11.30 with His Lordship Bishop Joseph F Cleary, Auxiliary in Birmingham, a s the chief concelebrant. Together with some priest members of the Staff were former members, Mgr W J Moore, F r J Connelly, F r A J McIver, F r P Cooney, F r A V Owen, F r D J Manion, F r P J Ryall, F r D M Egan, Fr T J McGuinness and Fr T W Dennison. Bishop Cleary prea- I ched, taking a s his theme 'Courage', the virtue neces- sarily practised by our forefathers, not only in the dark days of the persecution by Henry Vm, Elizabeth I and

I James I, but also in the twilight days when the foresight of Bishop Challoner resulted in the founding of Sedgley ~ Park. Now too in the troublesome and disturbed days which a r e besetting the Church i s there needed courage and t rust in the help of God. Once again the Choir sang with great beauty and enthusiasm.

1 The luncheon in the marquee followed the Reception of ~

our chief guests in the Sports Hall. The conditions were distinctly cooler on the second day and this in a way

AT THE CENTENARY DANCE Mrs J Walsh, Mr J A Dillon, The Headmaster, Mrs J A Dillon, Mrs K Mullen, Dr K Mullen.

made the meal much more enjoyable. The five hundred tions of some years back. or so people certainly appeared to be happy and showed By now well-accustomed to being on his feet, the Head- much enjoyment at the sparkling wit of Dr Karl Mullen master followed, this time confining his remarks to a who, drawing on his past experience a s a Captain of the brief recapitulation of the year 's events. In particular British Lions and of the Irish team in which Mgr Gavin he mentioned the good that had come out of the violent played, delighted his audience with a fund of anecdotes. summer storm of last July which had washed away some But in proposing the health of the School and the Head- of the Running Track and immersed the boiler room and master, Dr Mullen showed a serious vein also. He stres- lower common rooms. He spoke too of the new boards sed the importance of stability in the home and at school containing lists of former Public Men and House Captains and the need to inculcate into boys a correct attitude to which have been put up on the walls near the Badge. For life. The applause which greeted his speech showed how these he was grateful to an Old Boy, Robert Carter, whose much his words had been appreciated. generous gift had given the impetus to the pojec t , and to

In reply the Headmaster welcomed our guests, in parti- Mr and Mrs J Ormsby, whose firm had made them. Mgr cular the High Commissioner for Zambia, the Hon. Amock Gavin also expressed his thanks to Mr F J Duffy whose Phiri. He thanked Dr Mullen for his proposal of the toast regular Monday visit from St Albans had done so much and then proceeded to recall some of the fine days of his to sustain the interest of the boys in Judo. He ended by youth when he was a member of the Irish team. Having thanking all who had taken part in the celebrations and thanked Bishop Cleary for presiding at the Mass and the for making all our efforts so worthwhile. visiting fathers for joining in with us, Mgr Gavin went A new streamlined method of distribution of prizes on to reassure parents that our aim at Cotton i s to pro- left the Headmaster gasping, but the fortunate prize duce Catholic young men whose goodness would be tried winners were able to put right their losses once they had in the furnace of disbelief, and he hoped not found want- left the public gaze, and all ended happily. The final ing. The Headmaster ended his speech by thanking the speech by His Excellency the High Commissioner for Sisters, Mrs Mary Allen, Mr Harold Prince and the Zambia, the Hon. A I Phiri, MP, was a very generous domestic staff and all who had contributed to the success tribute on his part to all that Cotton stood for. He explai- of the celebrations. ned why so many in his country were keen to have their

Torrential rain accompanied the Headmaster's words children educated at Cotton and then gave a brief survey

but fortunately all was clear by the time the Staff pro- of the history and geography of his country SO that we in cessed into the Academic Hall for the annual ceremony England could get some idea of the high ideals aimed at of the Distribution of Prizes. As customary, the Prefect and achievements already realised in the ten-year exis- of Studies, F r Armishaw, began the proceedings with his tence of Zambia a s an independent country. Report. In it he confessed that, though the Public Exami- Tea in the marquee followed and it i s pleasant to record nation results last year were not a s good a s usual, there that the sun was shining once again a s the boys left with had been some good individual performances. He outlined their parents for their brief but well-deserved half-term the proposed new Sixth Form examinations and professed break, so leaving the College to recover from all the his lack of enthusiasm for them even though they were a excitement in its own way.

distinct improvement on the suggested Q & F examina-

PRINCIPAL GUESTS ON JUNE 9TH Or Karl Mullen ME., BS., MRCOG., His Excellency the Hon A I Phiri, MP, High Commissioner for Zambia, The Rt Rev J F Cleary, VG., Bishop of Cresima, and Mrs K Mullen.

A photograph of the Irish Triple Crown Rugby side which Dr Mullen captained and in which the ~eadmasterplayed in 1949 can be seen in the background,

SIXTH FORM English History Latin French German Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology

FIFTH FORM A F o r m

Latin French English History Mathematics Biology Doctrine

P P Denieffe P P De~iieffe A C Slmmonds 0 T Smyth A J Byrne A J Byrne V Soual A C Sinlmoncls A C Sinimonds

P G Slater P G Slater D J Lan-lor A H Curtis B E Pusfielcl P hI Butterfield P G Slater B E Purfield

B F o r m P J Heeley General Class ics A RI Robinson English P J Heeley History A G Trinham Mathematics T C Lilley Biology T C Lilley Doctrine A G Trinham

Alternatives: Scripture P J Heeley Greek P G Slater German B J Or re l l Geography B E Purfield Physics A H Curt is Chemistry A M Robinson

FOURTH FORM A F o r m

Latin French English History Mathematics Biology Doctrine

B Form Latin French English History Mathematics Biology Doctrine

A E Fitzpatrick A E Fitzpatrick S J Gould J N Burchnall A E Fitzpatrick J N Burchnall P M Byrne A E Fitzpatrick

S P Jcf fr ics S P Jeffries J J Fra in S P Jeff r ies K P Mulchinock V Pollard S P Jeff r ies D M Lake

Alternatives: Scripture Greek German Geography Physics Chemistry

THIRD FORM A F o r m

Latin Greek French German English History Geography Mathematics Science Doctrine

B F o r m Latin French English History Geography Mathematics Science Doctrine

SECOND FORM A Form

Latin French German English History Geography Mathematics Science Doctrine

B F o r m Latin French English History Geography Mathematics Science Doctrine

FIRST FORM F o r m Latin French English History Geography Mathematics Science Doctrine

W B Fahy E Ssulsby I T Crean K P Mulchinock A Lim J N Burchnall

R J McKay M A Blatch S P 0 7 B r i e n M A Blatch M A Blatch K D Scott R J McKay C P Pa rkes M Dodds R J McKay R J McKay

H J Smith D J Kavanagh D J Kavanagh A A Thompson A A Thompson R J Smith J P Ryan J P Ryan R J Smith

M T Smith M T Smith M T Smith J C Hollerton S J Carey B A Murtagh P E Lilley J P Martin M T Smith P McCrystal

P J Wilson J A Halton P J Car ro l l M A Vyvyan P J Wilson P J Wilson M A V yvyan M A Vyvyan P J Wilson

D P Gosling D P Gosling J W Clancy G I Ingram G I Ingram W D Phillips D P Gosling D P Gosling A J Bray

SPECIAL PRIZES

THE STAFFORD AWARD (presented by the Lord Stafford) J J Storey, A J Byrne, A C Simmonds

KEMBLE PRIZE (presented by the Rev J Rowland &

L Ross Esq KSG) P J Akerman

O'DOWD DRAMA PRIZE S F McGill, 0 T Smyth

ERIC PARTRIDGE ESSAY PRIZE (not awarded)

ARCHBISHOP GRIMSHAW MEMORIAL LATIN PRIZE (presented anonymously) (not awarded)

JOHN BYATT ELOCUTION PRIZE S J Gould, P McCrystal

I

RICHARD WEST MEMORIAL HISTORY PRIZE (not awarded)

I LODWIDGE MUSIC PRIZE A C Simmonds

NEILSON MEMORIAL VIOLIN PRIZE ~ (presented anonymously) B A Murtagh

MATHEMATICS PRIZE (presented by B Clarke Esq) J J Storey

JUNIOR ART PRIZE (presented by P R Wright Esq) D G McHugh, M Delf

~ U LLATHORNE MUSIC PRIZE (presented by the Rev P Sankey) A J Byrne, A C Simmonds

LITERARY AND DEBATING SOCIETY

During 1972 up and down these Brit ish Isles there has been a number of meetings where speakers have been denied the opportunity to express their views. An uproar created by a minority in the hall, hooliganism outside, militant chanting inside, o r even physical violence have been used to this end. Amusingly enough, i t i s the case that many of these speakers were well-known for having an attitude of intolerance to others; yet i t was against their views that intolerance was shown, and by people who would maintain that i t was they who were the enlightened, civilised and liberal-minded ones.

Against such a background, and with some of these in- the-dark, barbaric and closed-minded brethren in our very midst, the continuance of debates may seen an opti- mistic venture indeed. However, in the faith that reason and logic will be of use and importance in tomorrow's world and that they should be practised and combined with the power of persuasion and an ability to listen, debates have indeed continued.

At the f i rs t meeting the empty tradition of clapping for the purposc of nothing but to break a record saw Mr Clarke accept the chair vacated after one year by Father Round amid scenes that should indicate welcome accep- tance and popularity. Did the compulsory nature of the Society lead to a desi re to eke any enjoyment possible from an exercise s o out of character with SO m'any?

The following te l lers were elected: Messrs J Ferguson and P Gardener. The Secretary was Mr O Smyth and i t is appropriate here to record that h is minutes were looked forward to, and started each meeting on a very good plane of accuracy, telling expression and wit. - -

The motion 'That this House believes co-educational boarding schools to be not only viable propositions, but also more educationally sound' was of course carried, and the proposers: Messrs Tuite, Allen and Gardener won by 23 votes to the 13 of Mess r s Pr ice , Denieffe and Scott. 14 abstained (often a euphemism for 'being unpre- pared to think and then commit themselves'! )

'That this IIousc bclicvcs going into the Common Mar- ket will have more adirantages than disadvantages' was won by the proposers: Messrs R and M Northard and Watltins, by over 39 votes to the 10 of the opposers: Mess r s Byrne, Kavanagh and Robinson. Few abstained. Too little information was available to both speakers and audience alike, and this debate showed the woeful ignor- ance of many on the pros and cons of one of the most important steps in our history.

More on something they knew was the motion 'That the ideal boys' boarding school, with moderate fees, envisaged by Messrs Bibby, Trinham and Lee i s more the school responsible parents would prefer to send their sons to than that envisaged by Messrs Devenney, McDermott and Heeleyl. The former three won over the latter three by 30 to 9 (11 abstaining) after a meeting shortened by the Headmaster's inhibiting influence on any post-debate dis- cussions. Ideas to emerge (whether practical o r optimis- tic!) were: c lasses could be smal ler if the number of '0' levels taken were decreased; Fifth Formers may well prefer flogging to having privileges stopped; F i r s t and Second year Sixths should be taught separately to provide a stepping-stone between '0' and 'A' level; greater con-

tact with other schools (card evenings, 'get-together-for- a-pint evenings1); more variety in food and sport and more co-operation between masters and students (invol- ving, evidently, allowing internal poilution, i. e. smoking).

A sor t of Balloon Debate ended 1972's meetings. One family of the two in a life-boat had to be thrown over- board. The artificial nature of this probably caused the large number of abstentions: 19. The 'younger1 family of Messrs M Butterfield, Orrel l and Kennedy lost to the 'senior' family of Messrs Murtagh, Curtis and McElroy by 14 to 7. I doubt whether this expressed a view that evident maturity were better than potential.

By far the best debate was on the motion 'That Britain is no longer a viri le and inspiring nation1. It was Mr McGillls speech, delivered without notes, full of sound common sense and brooking no interjections o r manifest lack of interest , that won the day for his team which inclu- ded Messrs Edwards and P Butterfield. Thus the propo- se r s : Messrs Simmonds, Tickner and Lawlor lost by 34 to 5, with only 2 abstaining. Of course Mr McGillls team had chauvinism on i t s side.

A close but l e s s interesting debate followed: 'That the r i s e in c r ime in this country demands more Draconian measures from the Government1. The proposers: Messrs Kaczmarczuk, Daly and Preston lost to Messrs Ferguson, Lilley and Meehan by 1 0 votes to 9 (14 abstaining). Some poor speeches spoilt the better ones and so the following meeting moved away from the debating to the l i terary aspect of the Society.

Minor papers were delivered a s follows: M Noual spoke on French Life, Mr Bibby on Physics, Mr Byrne on German Literature, Mr Tuite on English Literature and Mr J Ferguson on Practical Christianity. While these talks were very informative, they lacked the delivery techniques that were shown in the following meeting.

Here we had, to finish off the year more on a note of quality, the following four interesting talks: Mr Denieffe on Dick Turpin, Mr Smyth on Voltaire's 'Candidel, Mr Simmonds on Behaviour in Biology and Mr Scott on Chemistry.

The year must be considered a success because of the good speeches delivered, especially by Messrs McGill, Denieffe, Smyth, Noual, Lilley, Murtagh, Devenney and R Northard. However, the year would have been more enjoyable had there been l ess harassment of speakers and l ess of a desi re to turn attention towards oneself. To return full-circle, this is the so r t of malaise present in society a t large and bodes ill for our country's democratic future should the presence of the malaise in our own Society be chronic.

54 SOCI ETY In spite of a power cut, the f i rs t meeting was well atthn- ded for the highly topical subject 'That there is no future for the Olympic Garhest. Messrs M Hayes and S Ormsby in support of the motion claimed that the Games were becoming too political though perhaps they did not make sufficient use of the recent events a t Munich really to dr ive home their point. Mr S Cooper, opposing the motion, spoke quite well though it was really Mr R Murray's bril- liance that swayed the voters. 44 voted against the motion, 4 for i t , and 1 2 people abstained.

The next meeting discussed whether 'Compulsory mili- tary service should be re-introducedf. This brought in the question of atomic wars. Mr McGowan-Scanlon, seconded by Mr M Rudd, pointed out that whilst wars were being fought at the moment none was in fact using

I atomic weapons,so that an army was essential. For the opposition, Mr J Crowley stated his belief that the next

I war would be an atomic one so that an army would be use- less, whilst Mr G Morris's clever use of statistics on

I the results of the world's first-ever atomic bomb brought

I supporters over to his side. The discussion afterwards

I ranged from the sensible to the stupid; it produced the

I calculation that 24,349 Christmas cards could be bought

) with one year 's army pay! The voting was close: 26 for

I the motion, 23 against, and 7 abstentions.

I For the third meeting on 24 October we had a visiting

I speaker. F r D Cousins very kindly took us around Malay- sia, Thailand, Penang and Singapore with an interesting and colourful talk and slide-show.

I There was a poor attendance at the next meeting - the Third Form's first venture - as to whether 'Modern Arts a r e of greater aesthetic value than the Classical Artst . Mr M Blatch tried to convince us that the Modern Arts represent the object of modern man's search for fulfil- ment whilst Mr A Duckett claimed that 'concrete with a hole in the middle' is very attractive. But these two gentlemen could not hope to win the votes when Mr K Scott cried out 'Splash here, blot there - modern art! and Mr R McKay, in a very well-reasoned speech covering all branches of the Arts, gave us many good reasons for believing in the superiority of classical learning. In spite of a plea from the floor on behalf of Modern Arts by the eloquent Mr Dodds, Messrs Scott and McKay won by 35 votes to 11 with 9 abstentions.

'That too much publicity i s attached to Sport and Sports- men' was the first topic to be debated in the Easter Term. Mr P Teebay spoke well and his companion, Mr H Soulsby, gave u s startling examples of people whose reputations have been boosted and private lives ruined by press and television. Mr E Nevin, for the opposition, delivered his speech clearly and his second, Mr J Ryan, based his case solely on the cry that 'Sport is the greatest entertainment in the worldf. Unfortunately this was one occasion when the voters appeared to have gone into the meeting with their views already formulated, so a mere 11 members supported the motion whilst a massive 41 voted against. 10 abstained.

F r Peter Dennison gave us a very interesting talk and slide-show: 'The Life of Christ a s depicted on Coins'. He showed us slides of coins used in Our Lord's time or closely connected with His teaching. It is a pity more were not present.

Our next meeting was a Balloon Debate. M r R Smith spoke with authority and interest about Yuri Gagarin and claimed 28 votes for his pains. 20 votes went to Casanova, Mr A Thompson, not at all inhibited by his surroundings, who gave us a startling glimpse of his life and habits. George Best (Mr D Kavanagh) had a difficult job to con- vince his audience that he was a responsible citizen and only found 14 ardent supporters on the terraces. Mr Simon Schwarz spoke about Muhammed Ali's life and, though he had done a good bit of research, only managed to collect 6 votes, probably because much of his speech was virtually inaudible.

The year 's session ended with the Trial of Henry VLU. For the Prosecution, Mr P Byrne and Mr A Fitzpatrick recalled his life and wicked deeds, dwelling particularly on the brutal executions of some of his wives. The Defence, however, was most ably conducted by Mr G Cusack and Mr E Soulsby who, wisely overlooking some of the more prominent faults, stressed the positive achievements of the man and his reign. However, in spite of their efforts, Henry was judged guilty by 20 votes to 15. Monthly Mark Tests appeared to be responsible for the poor attendance - which was a great shame a s the four speakers had spent a considerable amount of time and energy preparing their briefs. Mr R Fahy for some reason was chosen to repre- sent Bluff King Hal.

The Secretary for the season was J N Burchnall. I

MUSIC NOTES

F r Sankeyts departure has been keenly felt by us all. The hours and energy he expended on music, liturgical, secu- lar and instrumental, a r e now beginning to bear fruit in the lower half of the School. This i s most noticeable in the generous and enthusiastic spirit in which Choir mem- bers give up their free time to practise for concerts and the yearly round of music for the liturgy.

As a boost to musical interest in the School we intro- duced a stage production of 'Trial by Jury' in place of the traditional St Cecilia's Day concert. On a suggestion from the Headmaster, we took the production to Eccleshall, to l

one of the temporary camps set up to receive Ugandan Asians. The performance was enthusiastically and noisily received and we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The operetta received its third performance during the Centen- ary celebrations.

In May the Cheadle and District Choral Society and Orchestra very kindly brought over their production of 'Patience' which was currently running in Cheadle. The enthusiasm with which the performance was greeted was a surprise to everybody, not least the performers. Per - b p s it came a s a shock to some of the boys to realise that classical music can be fun.

Instrumental music continues to flourish, chiefly in the lower half of the School. I hope that next year we shall have sufficient players to form a small orchestra.

In the field of liturgical music we have attempted little new this year, a s thechoirmaster has had to familiarise himself with the traditional Cotton repertoire. We did experiment with Responsorial Psalms from the recently published 'Simple Gradual', but quickly abandoned them a s lacking in rhythm and melody. Eventually we decided to draw on the Church of England's great treasury of liturgical music, adapting the Grail Psalms to the beauti- ful harmonies of the Cathedral Psalter. In this excursion into unknown waters I have been greatly assisted by the advice of M r Fenna of Cheadle.

May I close by offering my sincere thanks to Adrian Simmonds and Stephen McGiIl for their unstinted coopera- tion, which has made this first year with the Choir so much easier for me.

House Notes

BOWDEN HOUSE

House Master: F r E M Stewart House Captain: T A Devenney House Vice-Captain: R J Northard

We were more successful this year, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

We prdved that we were generous gentlemen by winning the Pancake on Shrove Tuesday. We also won the House

I Cricket by defeating Milner in the final, thanks to the tre- mendous bowling of Perera. Milner had already beaten us in the Rugby, and the less said about the cross-country the better.

In the hockey final we were leading Challoner by two I short corners at full-time. However, it was decided to

play extra time, during which Challoner scored the only goal of the match. We did much better in the House

Athletics thanks largely to the efforts of Perera and Burchnall, who were Victores Ludorum in Middle and Lower Schools respectively; and R Northard, McElroy, P Byrne and Drew. Our House play 'Tons of Money1, a very appropriate

title in view of our record offer for the Pancake, was suc- cessful thanks to excellent performances from 0 Smyth

i and Akerman. We had outstanding individualists in Rugby and cricket

with R Northard and Perera respectively gaining Full Colours. R Northard was also awarded Half Colours for hockey and athletics, McDermott Half Colours for cross- country and cricket, and P Scott Half Colours for cricket. Only three regular members of the First XV were Bow- don men, but two had Full Colours. However, we made up at least half the side in both hockey and cricket First Elevens.

House Colours were awarded to P Scott, 0 Smyth, S Murtagh, P McDermott, G Finucane, B Orrell, P McElroy and P Perera for their efforts in making this a success- ful and happy year.

T A Devenney

CHALLONER HOUSE

House Master: Fr A G Sims House Captain: A J Byrne

Although we had a new broom in the person of F r Sims as our new House Master, we did not sweep the board clean this year. It was, however, a fairly successfulyear.

In the House Rugby we again won the bye but were bea- ten 0-28 by Milner in the final, owing to lack of posses- sion and some bad tackling. The House play 'Happy Land- ings' did not land as happily as we should have liked, but the audience found plenty to be happy about even if Messrs Cargill and Beale had not included these items in their version of the play.

The Hilary Term was our time of triumph. We won the cross-country, thanks to P Ingram, A Robinson, Kennedy and A Byrne who came first and second equal respectively in Upper School; and to D Kavanagh, second in Middle School; and all the others who made such a sterling effort. After beating Milner at hockey by 2-0 in the first round (goals by K Devenney and Young), we met Bowdon in the final. When the final whistle blew the score was 0-0, although Bowdon had gained two short corners. After an umpires1 consultation it was suggested that d e play for another ten minutes, in which time Young scored the goal that gave us the trophy.

In the Trinity Term we were unable to repeat last term's sucoess. In the House Cricket we played Milner in the first round. We put them in to bat and they made 117. When it was our turn to bat some days later, the wicket had changed for the worse and we were all out for 63. In the House Athletics, owing to a very small number of qualifications and a small Upper School, we were last. Milner again took the Sports shield. They also narrowly won the tennis, beating us by 14 points. Our congratula- tions to Milner and Bowdon on their successes.

House Colours were awarded to: P Ingram, also awar- ded Full Colours for cross-country, R Schwarz, A Robin- son, K DeveMey, P Harradine, D Young, G Cusack, J Ferguson and T Preston.

A J Byrne

SIXTH FORM TALKS

MILNER HOUSE

House Master: F r P Pargeter House Captain: J J Storey House Vice-Captain: A C Simmonds

This year Milner has had its usual triumphant run, both in sports and entertainment. The Rugby produced a hard tussle with Bowdon in the first round, despite the fact that we had nine members of the Firs t XV playing for us. We won 18-7. In the final, against Challoner, we had an easier task: 28-0.

The House play, 'Running Riot' by Derek Benfield, was well produced; McGill gave an excellent performance and was ably supported by Purfield. In the Hilary Term we came a good second to Challoner in the cross-country, with only six points between us. P Butterfield deserves a special mention for winning Middle School. At hockey, after losing the bye for the second time this year, we lost 0-2 to Challoner. The Pancake unfortunately did not reach the ceiling; Bowdon's contribution did, however, and so our usual generosity was not quite enough.

In the Trinity Term we again lost the bye at cricket. However, we beat Challoner in the first round, but, against a very strong Bowdon side in the final, we lost by only 10 runs. Our thanks a r e due to Price for deputising a s Cap- tain. We won the Athletics Shield for the 8th successive year, with a record lead of 119 points on the old scoring system. C Allen gave a very creditable performance to become Upper School Victor Ludorum, so did S Milner to tie for the Middle School Victor Ludorum.

We retained the Tennis Cup thanks to the efforts of C Allen and O'iMalley, School Tennis Captains for this and last year, and Gould, who won Upper School Singles. To prove that we have brains as well a s strength, we also retained the Carney Cup for Studies.

Finally we should like to thank all those who helped the House in all respects this year, but especially Simmonds, C Allen and McGill. Despite the loss of many of Milner's leading lights, there i s great promise for the future.

House Colours were awarded to: A Bibby, P Denieffe, F Ferguson, M Price, K Delf, S Carter and P Butterfield.

J J Storey

On 15 September 1972 Dr George Ryan gave a very interes- ting and humorous talk about the medical profession and his own experiences a s a doctor. He mentioned that s t ress was the cause of many diseases, also the use and misuse of drugs. A good doctor needs to be very interested in human nature and one was given the impression that Dr Ryan, an Old Cottonian, was just such a doctor.

On 21 September Mr Peter Blood, a provincial auction- eer, came to tell us something of his job. The secret of auctioneering i s a hammer, a good sense of humour and a smile: Mr Blood brought all three with him. This was the secret of selling things to people who don't really want them.

The final talk was on 3 November and was given by the Cr,lholic Marriage Advisory Council. Four of i ts members (three ladies and a man) gave a preliminary talk on the break-down of marriages and then split u s up into three groups. We talked about child-parent relationships and school life and very interesting discussions followed from which I'm sure we all learned a great deal.

There were not many Sixth Form talks this year but we do appreciate them and thank those who give up their t ime to come and speak to us.

0 Smyth

School Play 1973

'WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION'

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Greta Mr Mayhew Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC Detective Clerk of the Court Alderman Usher Judge's Clerk Foreman of Jury Woman Juror Policeman Policeman Dr Wyatt Janet McCabe The Other Woman Carter Leonard Vole Inspector Hearne Romaine Mr Justice Wainwright Mr Myers QC Warder Firs t Barrister Second Barrister Third Barrister Fourth Barrister Fifth Barrister Sixth Barrister Mr Clegg

P J Fownes B E Purfield S F McGill S Carter/H D Murtagh B J Orrell A J Bibby S Carter/H D Murtagh P L Ingram N T O'Hara K Harradine P A Harradine H D Murtagh/S Carter P D Scott P McCrystal J P Flanagan J D Tuite S J Gould A H Curtis P J Akerman A J Byrne 0 T Smyth D J Lawlor P M Butterfield K G Devenney G Finucane A G Meehan A M Robinson P G Slater S B Murtagh

'Wl TNESS FOR THE PROSECU TIOW

The se t w:rs dcviscd by F r A P Piercy who was h e l p d by "11 very well in a detective story, you can always read i t

1 I1 D Murtagh, S Car te r and T Preston. again to make s u r e you read i t properly the f i r s t t ime, but The s e t was paintcd by L G Watkins and J Ferguson. not in a play. The boys handled the scene very well, but i t Wigs by Fr E M Stewart, was a considerable task and one he did very competently Stng'c M'magcr and Prompter: S B Murtagh. for Jonathan Flanagan, a s the murdere r ' s mis t ress , to

Property Man: A G O1Malley. appear and convince the audience that 'she1 could possibly

1,ights: M n P r i c e and M Iienncdy. have supplanted the formidable Romaine in Leonard Vole's We a r c very grateful to Mrs Mary and Mrs Joan Allen for 2ffections. My next objection to the play is levelled against

the ladies' d r c s s c s which they provided. the impersonation scene when Romaine re turns to the law-

We arc very grateful also to the Sis ters for their kindness ye r ' s chambers in the guise of a C o c k e y lady of very lax

in providing food for thc cast a t a l l hours. moral standards instead of the German emigree that s h e really is . In the film version, Miss Marlene Dietrich would

It must sccrn a little strnngc to read an i s sue of 'The have fooled no one, let alone an eminent barr is ter . What

Cottonian' without a review of a Shakespeare play with F r ilWc then had Pe te r Alterman?

Vincent Armis1i:lw as i t s producer, but he has produced But once I have said this, I should hasten to say that I one cach yc:rr sincc 1959, with the exception of the year F r Was full of admiration for Pe te r ' s performance. His Ger-

Philip I':lrgctcr produced 'Murder in the Cathedral', m,-J man accent was impeccably maintained both before and he felt i t w:ls time for a change, excellent though his produc- af ter h is Cockney scene, his simulation of anger and su r - tions have continued to bc dowl the years , When onc aslts pr ise excellent, he moved very well, and his hands were

the IIcac1m:~stei~ why he went b:rck to the producer's chair , Part of the female ro le he was talung. And, above all, you he n ~ e r c l y rcpl ics that sorncone had to do i t , but, if one could hear every word he said. The Headmaster was indeed rcmcmbcrs that hc produced the School Play for ciglit yea r s very fortunate to have such an actor in the School, but in and i,cvived the S11altespeari:m tradition in 1958 with 'Mac- fact he was similarly blessed with the boys in the other beth', i t i s cvidcnt that an old love was reclaiming him. female roles. They a l l looked attractive, and no great

In cnclcnvouring to rcvicIv 'witness for the Prosecution1 demands were madc on our charity. Peter Fownes, a s by Agath:, C:hristic, one has f i r s t to consider the play in Greta, was an admirable secre tary; the apparently care-

i tself \*th thc problems i t presents to any cast and PI-oducer. less way with which he closed the door with an elegant heel ~t i s very 1.ash of me to say this, but i t docs to m e an when carrying a tea-tray was perhaps typical of the consi-

inhcrcnt wcakncss in a play that las ts well ovcr two hours dci-atiOn he had given the part.

for i t s denouement to occur in thc final two minutes. It i s Paul McCrystal, a s Janet McCabe, had a more difficult

problem than Peter Fownes. Unless my memory fa i ls me, 'TONS OF MONEY' Janet was originally a Mackenzie f rom the North of Scot- by Will Evans and Valentine

land, but Paul must have settled for the North of Ireland Presented by Bowdon House. 23 October 1972

and changed the name to McCabe. No doubt this was to ensure a genuine accent and this was just a s well sustained Cast: a s Peter Akerman's German one. We soon realized that Sprules (the Butler) A H Curtis Miss McCabe was a very formidable person indeed and her Simpson (parlourmaid) R Mandy venomous attitude to the defendant was a joy to the defend- Miss Benita Mullett J Forshaw ing counsel and to a l l the audience. Louise Allington P J Akerman

Gallantry has led m e to consider the female roles f i rs t , Aubrey Henry Maitland Allington 0 T Smyth but the play depends more-on the effect created by the men: Giles (the gardener) D R Allen the inexorable nature of the law which allows leading coun- James Chesterman (a solicitor) S I3 Murtagh se l to smile and yet be i r r i ta ted by another's idiosyncrasies. Jean Everard S OIBrien If Stephen McGill, a s Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC, had any defect Henery P D Scott i t was perhaps in this respect. He seemed to have no fail- George Maitland B J Or re l l ings a t all, whereas Oliver Smyth, a s Mr Myers QC, could a t t imes be a figure of fun with his strange throat-clearing We had seen this play twice before over the past thirty operation which contrasted starkly with his f ierce in terro- yea r s and let i t be said a t once that it fully justified yet gation, particularly of Leonard Vole. This of course may another revival. In the review of las t year ' s Milner Play have been deliberate, because Stephen McGill drew a pic- i t was observed that the age of the House play was not dead: tu re of a highly efficient and vocal ba r r i s t e r fighting against on the evidence of this one i t i s very much alive and well. defeat, presented with a winning ace in the form of Romaine's This is not to say, of course, that everything was perfect , forged le t ters , only to lose in the end because he suddenly only that the general impression was one of competence realized (and how suddenly! ) that he had been defending a and good preparation and the will to do the occasion full murderer . Both Stephen and Oliver were meticulous in their justice. delivery and made their arguments c lear to everyone in the A fa rce needs a juicy plot and he re we had one. The back rows of sea t s in the Hall. Anthony Byrne, a s the impoverished Aubrey inherits a fortune and, to avoid having Judge, was a s majestic a s h is office demanded, and his to pay his credi tors , he fakes suicide s o that he can re turn slow, measured tones made a good foil to the swift, rapier- a s the second legatee, his cousin, George, whom he (wrongly, like questions of the ba r r i s t e r s and the flustered answers of course) supposes dead in Mexico. The brilliant idea i s of the witnesses, who a l l created a n excellent impression. his wife's: she i s full of briliiant ideas but unfortunately

Another legal and very impressive character was Brian they seem to lack variety. So that, by the t ime he has Purfield, a s Mr Mayhew the solicitor. His diction was faked another suicide, to dispose of George - so that h is faultless and there was a stilted precision about i t that wife can now move in on the loot - and with the situation reminded u s that men can lceep o r lose their lives through further complicated by the appearance of another fake verbal impetuosity. Both counsels had no such prc-occupa- George and finally the r ea l one, not to mention n wife no tion: they could easily re-phrase a dangerous remark, but one ever knew he had, what with one thing o r another Mr Mayhew cleverly underlined the comparison. Louise's ingenuity i s a t breaking point and Aubrey is for-

There can be little doubt that Stephen Could, a s the ced into appearing a s Harpo Marx impersonating the local acquitted but later (much la ter) self-confessed murderer , Sir Topas. The final curtain falls on the line, 'Aubrey! I've Leonard Vole, had the most difficult ro le in the play. He got another idea.. . ' There was plenty of secondary detail had to give the impression of a young man innocently invol- and the usual in-and-out-of-the-doors-and-windows busi- ved in the murder of a r ich old lady and st i l l very much in ness to keep the thing going at a fair clip most of the time. love with his wife Romaine. That he managed to do this On two occasions only, when each of the impostors, George, very competently indeed and completely deceive the audience began to indulge in reminiscences, did things begin to flag: is a great tribute to his ability, and i t was the judgement of on the second of these occasions even the cast felt the s t ra in many others who saw the play that Stephen's duel in the and became somewhat ragged for a t ime but once the pas- witness-box with Oliver Smyth was the high-light of the play. sage was over they were able to finish the third act in good

F r Sims assures m e that he always prints a l l the credits , style. but I should like to finish this review of the School Play by Smyth and Akerman, of course, carr ied the play between saying how impressed I was with the se t which F r Piercy them and in general had more than adequate support. If devised. In l e s s than two minutes we were translated f rom they had a fault i t was perhaps that they failed to feed the the Old Bailey with i t s handsome and ponderous-looking punch lines to the audience pointedly enough for them t o legal furniture to the softer outlines of the office of the grasp the significance of what was being said. You have to defending QC. A good se t gives great hear t to a cast and make the caviare look like bangers and mash for i t to go this one gave them al l the confidence they needed to give u s down. Akerman gains in fluency every t ime and Smyth was a l l such an enjoyable Association Day. full of confidence in a very exacting par t , and between them

they had the whole thing well wrapped up. Twelfth Man.

They received good support from Curtis , and Allen, who found no difficulty in doing Giles to the life, and also from Scott. Mandy looked promising and Forshaw seemed to enjoy telling repeatedly that he was not deaf. Murtagh looked every inch a solicitor and O'Brien1s appearance was such

a s to give Louise Allington some cause for a larm when the f i r s t fake George met his long lost 'wife',

One persistent and annoying fault was thc old onc of not snapping up the cues and in this respect even Akerman was not beyond cr i t ic ism at times. But this is perhaps the most difficult thing to learn in the rough and tumble of prcparing any IIouse play. We enjoyed i t enormously and everyone concerned i s to be congratulated on a very successful per- formance.

'HAPPY LANDINGS' by Patrick Cargil l nnd Jack Beale Challoner House. 20 November 1972

Cast: Briggs A J Byrne Arthur P E Kaczmarczuk Albert A Trinham Rose, Albert 's wife M McGowan-Scanlon Eve, Albert 's wife 1' Fo~vnes Michael, Arthur ancl Eve's son P Harradine Doreen, Albert and Rose's

daughter A Duckett Mr Allnutt M P Butterfield Mr Fotheringay -Deed R Fahy

Mrs Fotheringay-Deed H Soulsby

A pleasant title and a very plcasant looking set . But this review i s no place for further pleasantries. It i s unkind, in any case , to damn with faint pra ise so let i t be said a t once that 'Happy Landings' was not the happiest of drama- t ic experiences. It i s not enough to learn the scr ip t of a play (almost) perfectly and to say the lines so that they make sense - taken separately: it i s the paragraph, the speech and finally, the part , that have to make sense.

The central failing of this production came into sharp focus when Arthur (Lt Col, Indian Army, Retd) exhorted Albert (well-to-do-butcher from Hackney) to ' t ry to appro- ximate a little more to the King's English' if he could. Throughout the play, up to that point, Albert had been much closer to the King's English than Arthur and Kaczmarczuk had made no rea l attempt to impersonate a retired Indian Army Colonel. If you t rea t a character part like that, no matter how good your diction i s and despite a l l the gusto with which you play it, the part will break under the s t ra in: the same cr i t ic ism applied to Trinham. It was a pity to s e e so much sheer effort and enthusiasm wasted.

Fownes, when we could hear him, sounded a s though he had weighed the part up well and knew exactly how it should be done, ancl M:lrradine showed flashes of under- standing here and there. Byrne was far and away the most successful and gave easily the most convincing performance like Trinham and Kaczmarczuk he was perfectly audible the whole of the timc.

It i s difficult to pass judgement on any of the remainder sincc we could hear vcry little of what was said. In the final line-up for the curtain call we were somewhat s u r - prised to s c c the Fothcringc~y-Deeds among those prcsent; their entrance, just before the curtain, had been so unobtrusive a s to escape the notice of most of the audience.

Needless to say this cnthusiastic cast had been well served in the matter of se t , costumes and properties, al l of which had reccived scrupulous attention. All in all , a night we shall long remcmbcr - and so will they.

'RUNNING RIOT' by Derek Benfield Milner IIousc Dcceinber 13th 1872

Cast: Nicolette Felix Agnes Podmore Basil Trent Bruchik Miss Hackett Humphrey Podmore Pauline Maryot A Visitor

J Flanagan S Car ter E Soulsby S McGill C Allen K Harradine B Purfield P McCrystal S Gould

The lasting impression i s that the cast deserved a much better play. One recal ls an essay written some consider- able t ime ago on the subject of the improbabilities - in the ordinary sense - in 'As You Like It ' , and the remark of one juvenile cr i t ic to the effect that anyone could have seen through Rosalind's disguise, especially when there was a r ea l g i r l there to compare 'him' with.

Shakespeare was at least working within accepted con- ventions and there a r e conventions even for modern farce: you have to feed the audience tit-bits of information and half clues so that they can remain that little bit ahead of the characters in the play, s o that in this case they can s e e some reason, e. g. why a weedy, seedy, Stepney green- grocer , standing about five foot one, can be mistaken for one moment, by anyone short of a certified imbecile, for an Olympic 5 , 000 metre runner. The play ran for a total of 1 0 0 minutes: eighty minutes had elapsed before we were let into the secret that there was more in this than met the eye and that an international spy-ring had vested interests in maintaining the illusion for their own dark purposes. The improbability was only the more apparent when the horsy, hockey-playing type female t ra iner , who persisted nauseatingly in referring to thc impostor a s her 'baby' (Joyce Grenfell could have brought this off perfectly), did not discover on the occasion of his f i rs t training run that he'WAS an impostor. But enough of this.

Purfield i s to bc congratulated on a very fine effort in the part of the greengrocer; though the Cockney accent was f a r fi-om faultless this was acting and enjoyable to watch. McGill suffered, perhaps more than most, from having not enough to get on with but what he had to do he did manfully and in the manner wc have learned to expect.

Flanagan and McCrystal werc also full value for money in making more rea l sense of their par ts than most, with perhaps Flanagan the better. Allen added some of his own peculiar charm in short flashes.

Car ter was off-key most of the t ime, much too heavy and deliberate and moving along a line parallel with the part . We can safely assume that someone who says 'Bon- jour' 300 t imcs in 100 minutes i s French, even if thehotel he runs i s 'somewhere in Europe1, but Car ter seemed full of good heavy German beer rather than champagne. The only thing n s l i e t l of Could was that he should make a few brief drunken appearances and hand out some of the subtly risky lines, with which the text was sprinlilcd, in his more lucid moments.

Whilc pretty well 100%; of what was said was clcarly audible and thcre wcre no prompts that one can recal l , yet :it the same time the dialogue lacked that quality of

crispness so essential for good farce, whenever the less experienced members of the cast were involved: McGill and Purfield stood out a s exceptions in this matter.

The set was pleasant and evocative of the sor t of vague location the author had in mind, somewhere lazy and very sunny. There was no reason for any of the audience to question the note on the programme to the effect that all the characters and events were fictitious and that any similarity between these and any real Olympic games would be unlikely and unintentional.

SPORT RUGBY 1972-73

FIRST F IFTEEN

Played 14 Won 0 Lost 13 Drew 1

The following boys played: D Want, M Price , A Simmonds, D Allen, C Allen, M Northard, A O'Malley, F Ferguson, P Denieffe, A Byrne, P Kaczmarczuk, R Northard, T Devenney, J Storey, A Trinhain.

RESULTS v Adams1 GS v St Bedels College v Burton GS v Wolverhampton RUFC v KES, Birmingham v King's, Macclesfield v Old Boys v Mount St Mary's v Ratcliffe v Nottingham HS v Trent v Newcastle HS v Oscott

Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Drew Lost

Once agsin the report i s a disappointing one. The resul ts were poor, but at t imes the XV's Rugby was not so poor a s the scores suggest. The adage: 'A good big Iun will beat a good little 'un' i s st i l l t rue , especially if there is a significant difference in age and skill a s well.

It seemed that the XV played matches in fits and s ta r t s , that concentration was lacking for long periods causing poor handling, bad tackling and bad positioning. This was the .result of lack of experience a t Firs t XV level; things happened in matches at a speed neither expected nor even imagined. However, the standard of play did improve during the season.

The covering and cover-tackling of the back row was good, but if this aspect is noticed too much it suggests

RUGBY X V

35

that the tackling of the backs was not up to standard, Accordingly against Trent we started well, the pack played thofigh M ~ o r t h a r d at fly-half i s exempt from this charge, tightly, the backs handled confidently, probed and often The front row was competent in the set-pieces, but there broke through - and we won. was no flair. Byrne and R Northard in the middle row

So far much progress had been made. Unfortunately it were good in the loose. Want at full-back kicked well but

could not be maintained against KES, Birmingham as their goal-kicking chances were missed. The three-quarters

pack lifted ours time and again, so that we were losing were poor.

0-26 by half-time. It was therefore a courageous rally Byrne was Captain of the XV and it was much to his

that ensured a scoreless second half. During the final that the team's standard of play improved and that

match, against Newcastle HS, we lost the threequarter only once did our opponents run riot.

Milner through an ankle injury. This plus their hard-

RESULTS v Abbotsholme 1st XV Lost 3-50 v St Bedels 2nd XV Lost 4-30 v King's, Macclesfield 3rd XV Lost 8-12

With no surplus at all this year from the Firs t XV squad, the Second XV was really the Under 16 XV with a few older, and not necessarily more capable, players included. It differed little from the Third XV. Against Abbotsholme and St Bedels our young and weak sides suffered two heavy defeats against sides that were stronger than they were last year. The Third XV match against Macclesfield, however, was closely fought, with our lighter pack pushing their heavier one and providing Schwarz with two good forward tries. The game was lost in the last minute.

UNDER 16 FIFTEEN

The following boys played: P McDermott, R Schwarz, K Devenney, P Butterfield, P Harradine, R McKay, S Mil- ner, G Grewcock, D Tickner, C White, G Finucane, A Robinson, D Young, P McElroy, B Orrell , R Edwards, A Curtis, P Slater, K Finan, P OrBrien, M Kennedy, P Byme, R Smith.

RESULTS v Ellesmere Lost 6-39 v Mount St Mary's Lost 6-26 v Nottingham HS Lost 0-14

v Trent Won 24-0 v KES, Birmingham Lost 0-26 v Newcastle HS Lost 4-21

As can be seen by the results, this was not a successful year at all. Some of the strongest running backs were from the Under 15 (Milner, P Butterfield and R Smith); a good back, in Harradine, was injured early in the season; two good forwards (Grewcock and McKay) were also very young and the rest of those of age lacked fire and experi-

breaking wing-forwards i d our unusuai lack of steam resulted in a bad loss.

Colours were awarded to: P McDermott, an excellent hooker and fine captain, and to R Schwarz, a solid, useful forward.

UNDER 15 FIFTEEN

The following boys played: P Butterfield, A Curtis, J Lee, B Orrell, G Daly, P Byrne, S Gould, C Collins, G Cusack, K Finan, V Pollard, R Fahy, G Grewcock, R McKay, S Milner, R Smith, C White, N Dillon.

RESULTS v Adams' GS H Lost 0-36 v Burton GS H Lost 11-40 v King's, Macclesfield A Lost 6-92 v Mount St Mary's H Lost 0-32 v Ratcliffe A Lost 0-38 v Abbotsholme A Lost 4-18

v Trent A Lost 4-58

We began the year with a relatively inexperienced side: some were comparatively new to the game, others lacked experience. In the first match against Adamst we were handicapped by the injury to White after a few minutesf play. The tackling left much to be desired and we were defeated. Against Burton we took a long time to settle down during which time 25 points were scored against us. When we began to play more coherently, Gould and Butterfield scored t r ies and Cusack landed a penalty. Our tackling against Macclesfield was so poor that the opposing backs wcrc ablc to exploit practised and unpractised moves. White scored a t ry for us, converted by Gould. In the next two matches the tackling improved, but even then it was left to a select few. Against Abbotsholme Gould scored a good try and the final score was more respectable. In the last match we were heavily defeated in spite of a good opportunist try by Milner.

In view of the improved standard of play seen towards the end of the season we look forward to more successful results next year.

I ence. Against Ellesmere we met a well-drilled team that ran UNDER 14 FIFTEEN 1 through our experimental three-quarter line. The second RESULTS

half was played more tightly and showed more promise. v Mount St Mary's A Lost 4-12 This, however, was not realised against Mount St Mary's, v King's, Macclesfield H ~ o s t 0-12 where we scored f i rs t and then lost control in the pack. v Trent H Lost 12-25 This problem was solved by the next game for, against Nottingham HS, we lost only three scrums, had a great deal

A highly encouraging season; it must be said immediately

of possession, but our trial back-line frittered away all that, for a team with only three matches to play, it dis-

opportunities. Harradine, the only good back to date, was played great team spirit and enthusiasm. Well led by

injured before this match. By the next match the main McKay, the forwards were the outstading section of the

remaining problem, that of a back-line, had been solved team, as indeed they must be. O'CO1mOr and

by moving up younger players and changing positions. OrRiordan were two forwards who were always swift at getting the ball off the ground. McGowan-Scanlon also played very well and Fitzpatrick improved and became more determined as the season went on with its frequent

36

games against older boys from the Third Club. G Barret t found it a very strange game at f i rs t , but he should be very good before long, once h e channels all his energy and speed into doing the right thing. Lee was an excellent wing-forward; a l l h e needs is some extra weight.

In the three-quarters we had a strange mixture of flair and indecision. Parkes improved daily and now revels in a sticky situation near the scrum and line-out. Kavanagh has a lot of talent but must get his passing right. Byrne deserved much more support in the centre where h e r a n and tackled very well. Carrol l did some very good things, but h e has to so r t out h is tackling. Correia on the wing probably showed more dash and determination than any- one, and we expect a great deal from him in the future. Perhaps this is the most important thing about this side which F r Round and the Headmaster coached: they a r e going to be good, and very soon.

UNDER 13 FIFTEEN

The following boys played: S Correia, T Mahoney, J For- shaw, P Milner, J Hollerton, P Carroll , J Murtagh, G OtHanlon, S Barret t , P Smith, P Wilson, S Halton, BHickey, M McKenna, S Schwarz, C Cooper, M Lynch, T Stubbins.

RESULTS v Bishop's Court A Lost 0-28 v Alderwasley H Lost 4-12 v Barlborough Hall A Lost 0-32 v Barlborough Hall H Lost 8-12

Only three t r i e s were scored by Cotton in this season (Carroll 2 and McKenna). Perhaps this i s an indication that the attack lacked some fire. In the three-quarters, however, Correia, the captain, gave a lead both in defence and attack, and Smith showed promise. Some of the pack, a t t imes a t least , played with drive and determination. But the high number of points against Cotton must suggest some weakness in defence, one of the main faults being to allow the opposition to gather speed with the ball before trying to tackle, instead of meeting them a s soon a s they get off the mark, if not before.

In fairness i t should be noted that half the team consis- ted of boys playing their f i rs t season of Rugby, and that the opposition was in each case the 1s t XV of a prep school.

HOCKEY 1973

FIRST ELEVEN

Played 7 Won 1 Lost 6 Goals for 9 Goals against 24

The reason for our lack of success this season can be attributed to the inexperience of a very young side. It would be fa i re r to judge the success of this season on the resul ts of next year and the year after. The experience gained this season will be invaluable then.

Some very good hockey was played at t imes. Against Denstone, Clakamoor and the Old Boys we were completely on top in the f i rs t half, but unfortunately were not able to maintain the p ressure in the second half. The Old Boys were impressed and remarked on the improved standard of hockey a t Cotton.

Half Colours were awarded to K Devenney and P Harra- dine, two very promising players. Full Colours were awarded to Storey, who was outstanding throughout the season.

SECOND ELEVEN AND JUNIOR ELEVEN

The following boys played: A Bibby, P McDermott, D Young, R Schwarz, R Edwards, C White, F Yerguson, B Orrel l , S Gould, M McGowan-Scanlon, J Lee, N Dillon, G Cusack, A Curtis, N OIISara, S Jefferies, P Heeley, P Byrne, D Mannion, G Allen, S Milner.

RESULTS v Newcastle High School H Lost 2-4 v Denstone College H Won 2-1 v Abbotsholme A Won 4-2 v Ratcliffe A Lost 6-0

In the f i rs t 2nd XI match Ferguson took two chances well in the second half to bring the scores level, but then a disastrous mix-up in the Cotton goal-mouth led to two more goals against Cotton. In the second match the play- e r s were much more conscious of the need to keep in position, perhaps too conscious, because i t took them some time to warm up and move to the ball. However, the result was a victory. The f i rs t junior match was a clear victory, with McDermott and Young each scoring two goals. But in the next one, with a team weakened by 1st XIdemands, a l l t h e worst faults of the season were demonstrated - poor marking, no effort to be in the right position to receive the ball o r intercept an attack, sending the ball ac ross the goal-mouth, all the players crowding into the same area , thus leaving attack o r defence lacking. But this was in the main an inexperienced team, and in gene- r a l considerable promise was shown throughout the sea- son, and there a r e some very good players there.

CROSS-COUNTRY 1973

The season proper for us always begins in the t e r m after Christmas, and our opening match usually is against New- castle HS. This year, for a change, i t was a triangular match, being against St Joseph's College a s well. How- ever, i t was not a change in that we were just start ing our cross-country season whereas other teams (the two in question for example) had already had one t e rm ' s running. Despite this our team put up a good performance, coming third by one point to Newcastle, although al l but two of the team were under 16 (the usual case for the r e s t of the season). St Joseph's excellent team won easily. However, in this triangular match, both the U15 and U13 teams won comfortably, the youthful t r io of Kavanagh, Gosling and Stubbins running very well indeed.

Unfortunately the School was now struck by an influenza epidemic which destroyed the value of the necessarily hasty build-up already carr ied out, while a t the same t ime laying off completely from training a good number of runners. With unfit but courageous runners we came, a poor third in the match against Repton and Ellesmere, with P Butterfield again being the f i rs t of our senior team home. Our young U16 team (the best of this age- group being in the l s t s ) came a meritorious second, with the young Kavanagh only six seconds behind the leader. The 'pick-up' U14; team came a close third to El lesmere despite the fact that i t included some U13 members(! ) in Gosling and Stubbins. Or re l l showed his c lass here by leading the team home.

I The senior team ran a s expected a t Rugeley: hard, but

with l i t t le success, five of the six to count being U16's. I

Coming 17th out of 20 schools gives us a challenge for next-year, when our members will be much the same. In fact on the same day a s the Rugeley race, our younger runners showed again the promise in the School by beat- ing Barlborough Hall.

However, the senior team were to receive little encouragement at Lichfield where, after unabated enthu- siastic training, the captain,Byrne, ran into a good posi- tion and then twisted his ankle. The other three members of the relay could not make up the leeway, firlishing 17th out of 17 schools.

The Northern Schools Championships provided a day for all age-groups to run necessarily against their own age-groups. Hence we could not run a senior team. In all races over 90 schools took part, and so the U16's showed their potential and the experience of training for older teams by coming 26th. The fact that our first run- ner home, Robinson, was 116th shows how much of a team effort this was. The 'Coltsf also did well in coming 29th, and Kavanagh showed his real worth in coming 29th in the individual places. The 'Cubsf team showed us that we had an ordinary year in this age-group a s they came 76th. However, the 'Curlewsf did the best of all teams in coming 20th with Gosling a fine 53rd.

At Mount St Mary's we scooped the pool, winning easily at Senior, U16 and ~ 1 4 4 levels. Robinson and Ingram broke their senior record, our first five in the U16 came in abreast and we should have done the same in the ~ 1 4 i had some of our front runners not added a bit to the course!

There was no stopping our young teams now. The seniors split into A and B teams and both beat Trent; the U16's and U14's also won. In this match Ingram showed his steady development by running over Upper School course in 34 minutes 45 seconds. We also saw P Butter- field getting into form after a bad middle patch that came about through hard running on top of a cold and little training. In the U16 race Purfield, in taking the indivi- dual honours, showed what an asset he will be to the senior team next year.

The finals of the season was the Inter-House day. Here Power confirmed the promise he had shown against Trent by easily winning the Lower School race. Per- haps the fact that he was in Challoner House was prophe- tic, for that House was to win Lower School convincingly. In the Middle School race P Butterfield showed his run- ning maturity by coming in a comfortable 34 seconds ahead of Kavanagh with Purfield third. Again this was prophetic, two of the first three being from Milner House, for they won the race very convincingly. The Upper School race was a closer affair, Challoner win- ning from Milner by six points. Their first four runners saw to this; Byrne, Kennedy and Robinson came in second equal and Ingram cut ten seconds off his time of two days before against Trent to be first in the good time of 34 minutes 35 seconds.

A review of the season shows that it was a poor year at senior level, despite a lot of hard work put in, espe- cially by the unstinting captain, Byrne. However, the development shown and the potential in Ingram, Robin- son, P Butterfield, Purfield and Kavanagh, and the experience of Kennedy and McDermott, bodes very well for next year. At younger levels it was an exceedingly succcssful year. The outlook i s bright.

RESULTS Cotton v Newcastle ZfS 'Aq v St Joseph's 'A'. Home.

'At teams: 1st St Joseph's 29 pts, 2nd Newcastle 47 pts. 3rd Cotton 48 pts. U15: 1st Cotton 45 pts. 2nd St Joseph's 59 pts. 3rd Newcastle 72 pts. 1119: 1st Cotton 43 pts, 2nd S'c Joseph's 52 pts. 3rd Newcastle 92 pts.

Cotton v Ellesmere v 1lt:pton. A i Hepton. 'Af teams: 1st Keptorl 30 pts. 2nd Ellesmere 57 pts. 3rd Cotton 86 pts. U16: 1st llepton 26 11ts. 2nd Cotton 73 pts. 3rd Ellesmere 88 pts. ~ 1 4 9 : 1st Repton 29 pts. 2nd Kllesmere 73 pts. 3rd Cotton '76 pts.

Ernest Munn filter--Schools Cross--Country. At Rugeley. Cotton 17th out of 20,

Cotton U13 v Barlborough Hall. Home. 1st Cotton 36 pts. 2nd Barlborough Hall 42 pts.

Inter--Schools Cross-Country (4x2 mile) Relay. At Lichfield.

Cotton 17th out of thc 17 to finish. Northern Schools' Spurts Association Cross-Country Championship. At Disley.

Juniors: Cotton 26th; Colts: Cotton 29th; Cubs: Cotton 76th; Curlews: Cotton 20th.

Cotton v Mount St Mary's. Away. 'A' teams: 1st Cotton 25 pts. 2nd MSM 60 pts. U16: 1st Coitor~ 15 pts. 2nd WISM 53 pts. U148: 1st Cottori 269 pts. 2nd MSM 599 pts.

Cotton v Trent. Home. 'A1 teams: 1st Cotton 'A' 12 pts. 2na Cotton 'Bf 30 pts. 3rd Trent 36 pts. U16: 1st Cotton 36 pis. 2nd Trerii 42 pts. U14: 1st Cotton 32 pts. 2nd Trent 53 pts.

P Ingram or? his way to victory in Upper .%hool Crm-Country.

I \

i

I HOUSE CROSS-COUNTRY

Lower School won by Power in 17 mins. 18 secs . I 1st Challoner 109 i pts.

2nd Milner 708 pts. 3rd Bowdon 32h pts.

I Middle School won by P Butterfield in 23 mins. 18 secs. I 1s t Milner 106 pts. I 2nd Challoner 67 pts.

i 3rd Bowdon 42; pts.

Upper School won by P Ingram in 34 mins. 35 secs. 1st Challoner 89 pts.

I 2nd Milner 83 pts. 3rd Bowdon 385 pts.

OVER-ALL TOTALS 1st Challoner 265h pts. 2nd Milner 259; pts. 3rd Bowdon 113i. pts.

Full Colours were awarded to A Byrne and P Ingram. Half Colours were awarded to Storey, Denieffe, Kennedy,

A Robinson, P Butterfield and McDermott.

ATHLETICS 1973

Last year ' s 'Cottonian' stated 'the new t rack and a sum- m e r that cannot b e worse mea.n that we can only look forward to next yea r a s a yea r of progress ' . Both aspects of this have been fulfilled. Last year there was a total of only 133 qualifiers, whereas this year we had 326: This was largely because of the availability of the new t rack right through the seasun and the very good weather. Both,

however, stimulated interest , and 'last minute1 opportuni- t ies saw a rush of qualifiers. However, things could s t i l l be better. We gained half a s e t of hurdles and ended up with three hurdlers in Middle School. A full s e t of hurd- l e s and steeple-chase jumps would mean that we could compete more on equal t e r m s with other schools. Secondly, the re will presumably not be major flood-dam- age to the t rack again, and consequently we should be able to so r t out some things before Easter . This should give us a better s t a r t to the season.

In the inter-school fixtures we lacked the numbers in the Senior School, and among those only a few were really natural athletes, Overlaps with cricket fixtures did not help and there should be no excuse for lctting our hard-training teams suffer by the removal of key men in this way. Different t imes for the two activities i s the only answer that i s fair to the boys. However, some very good individual performances were put up. Against Rat- cliffe and Ampleforth our Third Form 'senior1, S Milner, ran 400m in 55. 6, only coming fifth. but very promising considering his age. Delf high-jumped 4ft l l i n ; the fact that h e also came 5th showed the high standard of the meeting. Northard achieved a fine 2nd in the shot-putt (10. 32m) and Denieffe a good 3rd in the discus (91ft 7in). Against Repton Storey courageously pipped their man to come a good 2nd, while C Allen won the javelin with a throw of 40.34m. At Mount St Mary's in-a match disor- ganised partly through rain, Kennedy ousted Ingram a s out best middle-distance runner to come a good 1st in the 1500m, while McDermott showed his improvement in winning the high jump, and Northard and Denieffe took full honours in the shot event.

Our Under 16 team had much more success , beating Repton and Ratcliffe and coming a close 3rd in a triangul

I A Robinson winning the 400 Metres.

match at Denstone. Against Itepton P e r e r a won the hur- dles, Robinson the 400m (in the good t ime of 57. 0 secs) , Ingram the 800m, Kennedy the 1500m, Gould the long jump, O n e l l the t r ip le jump, Fitzpatrick the discus, OIHara the shot, Cusack the javelin, and the spr inters rounded it off by winning the relay in 50.6 secs.

At aenstone P e r e r a improved his hurdles t ime in corn- ing 2nd, Kcnnedy won the 1500m and came 2nd in the 800m, Butterfield came 2nd, though unfit, in the steeple- chase, Gould jumped 2nd farthest, McDermott 3rd high- es t and O'fIara put the shot 3rd farthest. Against Ratcliffe P e r e r a improved his hurdles t ime to 15.9 secs. Some good non-winning achievements were Robinson's 2nds in both the 400 and 800rn, Ingramss 2nd in the 1500m and Thompson's 5ft in the high jump for a very good 2nd.

The Undcr 15 a t Denstone had i t s best members in our Under 16 tcarn, but s t i l l did quite well. Thompson gained a promising 3rd in the hurdles, Pollard two 3rds in the sprints, Kavanagh a 2nd and a 3rd in the 1500 and 800m respectivcly, and Fitzpatrick and Cusack 3rds in the dis- cus and javclin. The best performances though werc Gouldls winning long. jump and Thompson's winning high jump, At Mount St Mary's we had an older team than they (our administration fault) and so won easily but unfairly.

1 RESULTS

Cotton v Itatcliffe v Ampleforth. At Ratcliffe. Open: 1s t Ampleforth 121.5 pts. 2nd Ratcliffe 107.5 pts.

I 3rd Cotton 46 pts. Cotton v Repton. Ilome.

Open: 1s t Repton 92 pts. 2nd Cotton 46.5 pts. U16: 1st Cotton 80 pts. 2nd Itepton 59.5 pts.

Cotton v Denstone v St Joseph's. At Denstone. U16: 1s t St Joseph's 123 pts. 2nd Denstone 95 pts. 3rd Cotton 80 pts. U15: 1s t Denstone 116.5 pts. 2nd St Joseph's 99 pts. 3rd Cotton 82.5 pts.

I Cotton v Mount St Mary's. At Mount.

Open: 1s t MSM 56 pts. 2nd Cotton 47 pts. U15: 1 s t Cotton 2nd MSM

Cotton v Katcliffe. Home. U16: 1s t Cotton 73 pts. 2nd ltatcliffe 66 pts.

HOUSE SPORTS A THL ETICS TEAM

The House Sports took place on two good afternoons. The Upper School showed our weakness compared with last year , a s , out of twelve events, only three were bet- t e r performances than in 1972. However, more interest was shown: 82 qualifying compared with 62 las t year. Middle School showed the promise and depth in the School; ten out of the twelve events provided better per- formances than in 1972 and 145 qualified, comparedwith 44. Lower School seemed a little l e s s strong than last year, a s , out of ten events, only three gave better per- formances, though 99 qualified compared with 27 in 1972! The best performances in Upper School were Pr ice 's 24. 8 for the 200m, Ingram's intelligent win in the 800m, McDermottls 5ft 2in high jump win and Nor- thardls winning 12. 02m shot putt. Middle School saw Milner do 11.6 for the loom, OINeill 4 mins 51.8 secs for the 1500m, Gould 17ft l l i i n for the long jump and 37ft l i i n for the tr iple jump, and Cusack 34.45m for the javelin. The best performances in Lower School were Drew's 4.51m long jump and Carroll 's 9.30m triple jump. For all the Sports the system of points decided upon was 7, 5, 4 , 3, 2 and 1.

Half Colours were awarded to: C Allen, A Simmonds, R Northard and M Price , and thanks a r e due to our cap- tain, A Byrne, for his willing help in a busy season; to Father Keniry for help in providing the hurdles and to Father Piercy for 'unflappabilityr, a landing mat for the high jump, a shot-board, etc, etc.

RESULTS

UPPER SCHOOL 1 0Oin 1. P r i c e 12.2

2. Robinson 12.3 3. Allen 12.5

2 00m 1. Pr ice 24.8 2. Robinson 25.7 3. Allen 25.7

400m 1. Robinson 56.1 2. Storey 57.0 3. OIMalley 58. 0

800m 1. Ingram 2. Storey 3. Robinson

Discus 1. McGowan- Scanlon 26.75m

2. Slater 26.42m 3. P e r e r a 24.60m I

I 15 00m 1. Ingram

2. OIMalley

i 3. Kennedy Shot 1. P e r e r a 10.46m

2. S Milner 10.40m 3. Musker 9.85m

High Jump 1. McDermott 2. Delf 3. Murtagh

Javelin 1. Cusack 34.45m 2. P e r e r a 32.71m 3. S Milner 24.90m

Long ~ u m p 1. Allen 2. Simmonds 3. Northard

Relay 1. Milner 50.5 2. Bowdon 51.2 3. Challoner 52.7

Triple Jump 1. Allen 2. Simmonds 3. McDermott

Victores Ludorum S Milner and P P e r e r a 30 pts.

LOWER SCHOOL 100m 1. Burchnall 13.9

2. Carroll 14. 0 3. Correia 14.75

Discus 1. Denieffe 2. Allen 3. Finucane

Shot 1. No--thard 2. OIHara 3. Denieffe

200m 1. Burchnall 29.2 2. M Smith 29.3 3. Carrol l 29.35

400m = 1. Burchnall 65.85 2. P Milner 66.1 3. M Smith 66.4

Javelin 1. Allen 2. Northard 3. Denieffe

Relay 1, Milner 2, Bowdon 3. Challoner

800m 1. Derrington 2:34.3 2. Gosling 2:36.4 3. J Forshaw 2:39.15

Victor Ludorum C Allen 34 pts. High Jump 1. Teebay 1.25m 2. Barnes 1.225m 3. Cooper 1.16m MIDDLE SCHOOL

100m 1. S Mi.lner 2. Gould 3. McElroy

Long Jump 1. Drew 4.51m 2. Mahoney 3.92m 3. Burchnall 3. 85m

1. S Milner 2. P e r e r a 3. McElroy

Triple Jump 1. Carrol l 9.30m 2. Drew 9.20m 3. Teebay 8.97m

1. S Milner 2. OINeill 3. P e r e r a

Discus 1. Hollerton 25.62m 2. P Smith 21.18m 3. Correia 20.00

1. OINeill 2. P Byrne 3. Kavanagh

Shot 1. Hollerton 9.65m 2. Mahoney 9.38m 3. Drew 8.79m 1. OINeill

2. P Byrne 3. Purfield

Relay 1. Bowdon 58.5 2. Milner 59.25

High Jump 1. Thompson 2. Finan 3. Gould

Victor Ludorum Burchnall 25 pts.

HOUSE RESULT 1. Milner 462 (148 qualifiers) 2. Bowdon 339 (101 qualifiers) 3. Challoner 242 (77 qualifiers)

1. Gould 2. C White 3. McElroy

Long Jump

Triple Jump 1. Gould 2. Or re l l 3. C White

TENNIS 1973 CRICKET 1973 The tennis in the School h:~s been of a vcry high st:~ndard this ye:lr, p:~rticularly in the 4th :md 5th forms and i t i s a pity that this age group has only had one fixtul-c this scason. This w:is :in UIG fixturc against AIount St Mary's on 1:I June. The team was: 1) D Lawlor/D Young; 2) I' F3uttcrficlcl/M I<cnnccly; 3) G Cusaclr/R Fahy. Cotton won by :In easy 7-0 m:~rgin (two matches were not p1:iyed). In this match Lawlor and Young revealed their t rue poten- t ia l and \\.ere in the F i r s t ' s for the next match. They play wcll togctlicr from thc back of the court but a s yet a r e :I l ittle uncertain when volleying close to the net. They hnvc playccl consistently good tennis throughout the season and undoubtctlljr constitute the 'finds' o f the season. Unfortu- nately not al l the potential in this age group w:ls sccn in School m:~tchcs l ~ e c a u s c of the dcmands of the cricltct and the ;~thlc t ics tcams. In particular it would halve I~een good to see C White playing for the School and :ilso S Gould - the winner of thc Upper School tennis tournament.

Thc 1st Tcnnis also suffered (though to a l c s sc r clcg.rcc) at thc hands of criclcct nncl were clcprivecl of the scrviccs of P Scott. Only two of thc four fixtures were played this year . The f i rs t against Mount St Maryls which Cotton won by a margin of 6-3. The team \vas led by A O'ILIal-- ley and C Allen. Out of the three matches they played they lost only 7 g:imcs and nevcr came anjrn~herc near losing :1 set . C Allcn played consistently well taking full advantagc of his height when playing up to the net. P e r - haps the rnost outst:mding feature of his game nr:ls his serving. tIe servecl very well a11 season, varying his s e r v e repeatedly, and the irregular bounce of his second scrvc surprisecl many am opponent. Simlnonds :und T Devenney, playing for the f i rs t t ime together, clicl well to win one match and wcrc unlucky in another. OIIIara nnd I<cnnccly won two out of their three matches but never really p1:lycd to thcir full potential and their tempera- ment let them down on more th:m one occasion. Against Rntcliffc Young and Lawlor rcl~lacecl Devenney ancl Sim- moncls but they had to facc a very strong Ratcliffe siclc - Cotton l o s t 2-7. 1Jnfortun:rtcly wc did not plny tio-I,rc,nks. Allcn :nri OfMalley were understtu~dnbly below p:xr af ter a mammoth 17-15 sc t and clid not play a s wcll a s they had done. Incidentally i t was only after this se t that Allen hacl h is services broltcn lor the f i rs t t ime this sea- son 'and that was against the vcry good 1s t llatcliffc pair.

On thc whole then a satisfactory seasori nncl a great deal of promisc for the future. A lot of the credit for the smooth running of tennis in the School must go to the captain, A 07Mallcy, xvho orgnnizal the tennis within the School cfficicntly ,and was a v:uluable member of the team a s an inciividual player :me1 a s a captain.

SCHOOL TOURNAMENTS Upper Doubles A OIMnlley & C Allen bcat D Young

& D Lawlor 4-6. 6-0. 6-3.

Uppcr Singles S Could beat I-' Scott 3-6. (j-2. 6-4.

Lower 1)oubles I< Bolger & M Scanlon beat K Scott & M Whitc 6-3. 9-8.

Lowcr Singles M Scanlon bcat I< Bolger 4-6. 6-0. 6-1-

Insta opportune, importune! 'Stay in, and the runs will comc' seems an appropriate motto for this yea r ' s team. After last year ' s washout of a season (cf. 'Itorate caeli! ', previous number) we began the t e rm with almost virgin material , drawn chiefly from las t year ' s Under 15 side. Predictably, then, we werz treated to fine displays of dcfensivc batting but litlle ;~ggress ive stroke-play.

An eager side, under the enthusiastic leadership of Trillham, got off to a shaky s t a r t against Mount St Mary's , being dismissed for 28 runs. The following day, however, the same side defeated the Old Boys by 3 wickets, thanks to fine ~ ~ e r f o r m a n c e s by P e r c r a (32 and 3 wickets for 3 )

The match against Oalcamoor was a new fixture and one we shall be glad to retain. The School lost an excit- ing match by 13 runs in the lust over of the day.

Victory over Nc\vcastle HS by the comfortable margin of 60 runs provided much needed confidence for our f i r s t r ea l test against Ratcliffe. Our opponents batted well against tight bowling to s c o r e 156 for 8, leaving an hour ancl 20 minutes to lmock oPf the runs. Failure in the middle-order batting brought us near to defeat, but d6ggecl innings by McDermott (27 not out) and Scott saw us through to the respectable total of 1 0 0 for 6 before stumps mere drawn.

The follon~ing day we hacl a convincing win over Wol- vcrhnlnpton CC by 8 ~vicltets, M r P Ti-inham making 51 not out ancl giving the side the confidence of a good s tar t .

Staffordshire Gentlemen brought up a strong side and gave a fine display in the field 'and with the bat. Diplo- matic bowling changes ensured that the School received useful batting practice and thc team learnt a lot from the gamc, \vhich i s the purpose of such matches.

A side \vcakened by exams drew with KES, Stafford away, McDerlnott again batting intelligently with coura- geous support from Carroll.

The nnnual fixture with Cotton CC provided the shocks we have come to expect, solid defence in the lower order turning a rout into creditable defeat.

Fine howling. hy M r A cleVille (5 for 18 in 20 overs) brought us a handsome victory over Staffordshire Green- flies by 7 miclcets, P e r e r a making a colourful, if a t t imes wild, 53 not out.

The Second Eleven, drawn from non-cricketing seniors and the Under 15, played 2 matches, beating Newcastle IIS and losing to Mount St Mary's.

Of individual performances P e r e r a 1 s 277 runs (av. 30.7) and 39 wickets (av. 7.6) were the main ingredients of a successful season. Trinham with 30 wiclcets (av. 11.3) i s a vastly improved bowler and quite a s hostile a s any- thing we have seen from opposing teams. His enthusias- t ic captaincy on and off the field drew a heartening r e s - ponse from the r e s t of the squad. Now that they have gained confidence and experience and KNOW they can hold out if necessary by defensive play, I hope they will open thcir shoulders and punish the bad balls , too many of which were allowed to go through to the wicket-keeper with a sigh of relief that thc ' s t r iker1 was 's t i l l there1.

The fielding was, for the most part , poor. Lack of concentration resulted in many dropped catches; players ambled to their positions between overs, and failed to move in with the howler o r scuttle about the field in a business-like manner. With so mnny keen players coming

CRICKET X I

Old Boys (H). Old Boys 80 (Trinham 4 for 41) Cotton 81 for 7. (Perera 32) Won by 3 wickets Oakamoor CC (H). Oakamoor 108 for 9 dec. (Trinham 4 for 27). Cotton 95 (Mr P Trinham 38). Lost by 13runs. Newcastle HS (H), Cotton 117 (Perera 36, Purfield 23) Newcastle 57 (Perera 5 for 23). Won by 60 runs. Ratcliffe College (H). Ratcliffe 156 for 8 dec. (Trinham 4 for 53). Cotton 100 for 6. Drawn. Wolverhampton CC (H). Wolverhampton 136 for 9 dec. (Perera 5 for 37). Cotton 140 for 2 (Mr P Trinham 51 not out). Won by 8 wickets. Staffordshire Gentlemen (H) Staffs Gents 201 for 5 dec. (Trinham 3 for 58). Cotton 150 (Perera 59). Lost by 51 runs. KES, Stafford (A). KES Stafford 116 for 8 dec. (Perera 4 for 36), Cotton 54 for 8. ~ r a A .

Royal Wolverhampton School (H). Cotton 106 for 9 dec.

(Scott 22), Wolverhampton 46 (Perera 5 for 12). Won by 60 runs. Cotton CC (H). Cotton CC 101 (D Critchlow 48) Cotton 69 (Perera 30). Lost by 32 runs. Staffordshire Greenflies (H). Greenflies 105 (Mr A

Perera bowling against Staffordshire Gentlemen.

up from the Under 15 next year there will be stiff com- petition for places in the Firs t XI, and fielding ability will be the criterion of selection.

A special vote of thanks i s due to Mr Blakemore for his generous assistance with improvements to the wicket, to Mr Flack of the Edgbaston ground-staff for the hours he spent up here in rain and blizzard scarifying and tin- ing the square and finally to Paul Kaczmarczuk, whose devoted labours throughout the season a s groundsman and umpire contributed so much to our success,

deVille 5 for 18). Cotton 106 for 3 (Perera 53 not out; Won by 7 wickets.

THE DOCTOR'S MATCH

The groundsmen had not been idle. A specially shortened boundary ringed with seats and closely resembling a Roman amphitheatre facilitated spectator-participation, and brave was the umpire who would flaunt the wishes of plebs at such close quarters by an unpopular decision.

The Under 15, a s custom demanded, batted first and

RECORD: Played 11 Won 4 Lost 4 Drew 2. Pseudo-Gallus opened the bowling for the Staff with the statutory wide, the scorer (his wife) tactfully crediting

RESULTS him with a maiden over. 'A house divided against itself. . I .

v Mount St Mary's (A). Cotton 28. MSM 29 for 3. Runs came thick-edged and fast till worthy Glendower, Lost by 7 wickets. surveying vantage, collected a scorcher at cover and hur-

led it with disrespectful velocity at mighty Jove. 6 cruda deo viridisque senectus! The latter side-stepped deftly, revealing the wicket. 34 for 1. Two more run outs followed quickly. Antipodes, his broad brow flashing defiance at half-hearted Phoebus, achieved a lightning stumping which was greeted with a respectful hush by the scoffers on the fine-leg boundary. Gallus, told off in utter bewilderment to 'patrol square-leg1, adopted a Rodines- que pose for the benefit of the mid-wicket photographer and all but heid on to a sizzler. The Under 15 amassed 165, (a mere 12 of them wides) and retired smugly to the pavilion, conceiving their task already accomplished.

The Prefect, opening for the Staff, with suppleness of wrist born of his occupation, dispatched 4s off successive balls, while warlike Antipodes, not to be outdone, lofted one hard and high first bounce onto his beloved running track.

Pseudo-Gallus, mustachios streaming like Piglet's e a r s in the wind, rashly attempted a dissection of silly- mid-off and was duly caught, Rector Optimus scythed two enormous sixes over long on and was out florescens senectute at a third. 41 for 5.

And then came the Doctor. Silence fell a s he took guard, peering from beneath an enormous golfing cap, his ample form accentuated by a bulky sweater. ~ w e e d l e - dum-like he laid about him to right and left among the hapless fielders and the score began to look respectable. The Under 15 coach, a s i s proper on such occasions, was bowled without scoring, and his place taken by the Ancient Mariner. The latter, far from 'stopping one of three', restricted his scoring shots to 6s and 4s, though no less a person than the athletics master had offered his se r - vices a s a runner.

Too short was the life of Hottentotenpotentat: the action-replay shows his wraith-like figure shaping daintily for the hook a s a 'shooter1 finds its way to the leg stump a good fathom below the bat. Gallus, averting the dreaded canard dlor by a delicate tickle for 4 between the legs, swiftly departed. To thunderous applause, exit shortly afterwards the Doctor, with 45 to his credit. Ichabod! 29 to win and one wicket to fall. Tea-time was upon us, but Rector, suave and benign as tradition demands him to be, decreed an extra quarter of an hour. The cudgelswere out. Scriptor collected 4 off a full toss to the head, Glen- dower ran leg-byes off strategically placed pads until, with 2 runs needed for victory, he attempted a sweep to a long-hop on the leg stump. The ball flew high off the back of the bat, fine leg collided with the sight screen a s he ran for the catch, and the ball trickled over the boundary, A fitting end to a memorable game.

JUNIOR CRICKET The following boys played: D Mannion, S Gould, S Jeffe- r ies , P Carroll, N Dillon, G Cusack, A Curtis, M Rudd, E Soulsby, C White, M White, M McGowan-Scanlon, R Fahy, G Allen, J Barnes, A Duckett, K Scott, SCorreia, K Bolger, I Crean, A Fitzpatrick, C Parkes, N Carney, R McKay, J Forshaw, S Schwarz.

I UNDER 15 RESULTS v Mount St Mary's (A). Lost by 2 wickets.

Cotton 66 (C White 14, Soulsby 14, Cusack 12). MSM 67 for 8 (Carroll 3 for 18, Gould 3 for 21).

v Ratcliffe (H). Lost by 6 wickets. Cotton 52 (Mannion 13 not out) Ratcliffe 56 for 4 (Gould 2 for 11).

v KES, Stafford (A). Lost by 8 wickets. Cotton 21. KES, Stafford 22 for 2.

v Royal Wolverhampton School (H). Lost by 6 runs. Royal Wolverhampton School 103 for 9 dec. (Rudd 3 for 12). Cotton 97 (Carroll 19, Scott 22).

UNDER 14 RESULTS v Mount St Mary's (H). Lost by 75 runs.

MSM 125 for 8 (Carroll 5 for 33) Cotton 50 (Rudd 11, Carroll 19).

v KES, Stafford (H), Lost by 8 wickets. Cotton 25 (Scott 15) KES, Stafford 26 for 2 (Duckett 2 for 9).

With six defeats from six games, this must be deemed a disappointing season. However, with six of this age group playing for the Firs t Eleven, three of them through- out the season, a number of boys played competitive cricket who otherwise would not have had the chance.

That only two of the matches were closely contested i s an indictment of our batting. There were wholesale failures of the batsmen, allied to some poor running between wickets which led to vital run-outs in no less than four matches, with Carroll twice being the victim with his score at 19 each time and threatening to win the games on his own. Each of the main batsmen made some runs at least once in the season, but never in concert. They had a remarkable tendency to get themselves out when set for big scores.

As a result of frail batting, the bowlers never had a reasonable total to bowl against, and the spinners, Man- nion and Rudd, bowled only 19 overs between them for their 6 wickets. The seam bowlers were not a s effective as had been hoped, since the dry, hard wickets did not assist their swing and seam a s did last season's wetter conditions. Since batting was so much easier this sea- son, our own poor performances at the crease seemed al l the more disappointing.

Finally, a word of thanks to Mannion for the cheerful way in which he led the side; also to Lake for a neat and accurate score-book.

UNDER 13

The following boys played: S Schwarz (captain), J Barnes, J Forshaw, S Correia, J Saldanha, K Harra- dine, P Smith, R Jefferies, J Bridges, P A Milner, J Martin, J Hollerton, T Mahoney, 0 Lynch, J Carroll, D Devaney, P Milner, D Phillips, T Stubbins, F Smyth.

RESULTS v Alderwasley (A). Drawn.

Alderwasley 126 for 9 dec. (Hollerton 3 for 17, Mahoney 1 for 3). Cotton 77 for 5 (Correia 26, Forshaw 16, Barnes 12)

v Alderwasley (H). Lost by 9 wickets. Cotton 20. Alderwasley 21 for 1.

v Alton (A). Lost by 7 wickets. Cotton 53 (Devaney 17). Alton 54 for 3.

We paid our usual pleasant visit to Alderwasley in May, and the home team amassed a big score for boys of that age. The reason was the short boundary and the early

looseness of our bowling. Sald'anha bowled very well and managed to contain the aggressive batsmen, but Hollerton had the best analysis. Whcn we batted our prospects looked bright when Barnes hit a six off h is f i rs t scoring stroke. The f i rs t three batsmen made 54 between them, which was indeed a good start . There was then a mild collapse, but a t the close of play Schwarz was batting confidcntly and we had five wickets left.

We always seem to do better a t Alderwasley than a t Cotton, and the pattern was repeatcd this year. We bat- ted f i r s t and collapsed in the face of aggressive, but nevertheless short , bowling by the visiting captain who took 5 for 7. We were a l l out for 20, with slight r e s i s - tance coming f rom only Schwarz, Smith and Mahoney.

Against Alton we fielded a team composed of the F i r s t Form, a particularly keen cricket form this year. All except Devaney batted scrappily and seemed afraid to hit the ball, even the loose one. Alton's two opening batsmen almost lcnocked off the runs between them. Their s ty le was agricultural and several boundaries came off the edge, but they hit the ball and deserved to win.

Schwarz captained the full Under 13 XI during the season. He is a promising young cricketer, but must not overbowl himself, especially when wickets a r e not falling. Barnes, Forshaw, Corre ia and Devaney were the pick of the batsmen; Saldanha and Hollerton the best bowlers.

JUDO Several Judo fixtures -were arranged this year , but only Ratcliffe and the Royal Army Cadets came to gr ips with US,

Despite a weakened team against Ratcliffe (both the captain and Delf were down with 'flu), the senior side put up a very good performance, only losing the match on the las t fight when P Scott, acting captain, was thrown in the las t minute by a brown belt judoka, three grades higher than his.

The juniors, however, with a full team, evened the score by beating a much bigger side 30-27. Their cap- tain, S Jefferies, fought twice, but, a s had been originally decided, h is second bout had no bearing on the result.

We met the Army on our own mat with our full team and, despite their weight, wc beat them by 90-17. Every- one fought well proving that the bigger they a r e the ha rde r they fall.

One cannot thank Mr Duffy too much for the trouble h e goes to in travelling up from London every Monday to teach u s the 'gentle art ' . Thanks a r e also due to Brian Jacks and Angelo Par is i , both Olympic bronze medallists, for coming up with Mr Duffy on several occasions. There a r c fcw clubs who have the privilege of learning from such eminent judoka, They also helped to organisc a gradings in the Eastcr term, and Brian Jacks remarked on the good spiri t of the club.

The club, though only two years old, i s certainly not lacking in enthusiasm, and we a r e a l l hoping for a good s e t of fixtures next year.

0 Smyth

GOLF The past School year has secn the re-introduction of golf to Cotton. The fact that we can look back on the year w t h considerable satisfaction i s duc in the main to thc efforts of Mr Michacl Brjdgcs, whose younger , brother is in Form One. Wc a r e very gratcful to him for the weekly journey he maltcs f rom and to Sutton Coldfield to give lessons lo the boys.

In the Autumn t e r m lessons werc hcld in the Sports Hall, whcrc the boys grasped thc elementary a s l ~ c c t s of the game. They improved markedly whcn they were able to move outside in the Summer Term. On Monday evenings Lowcr Field was talccn over a s n driving range, and the sand in the practice long-jump pit proved ideal for bunker practice.

The measure of Mr Bridgesf success can be secn in the number of boys who practised on Lower Ficld in their f r ee time, Thank you, Michacl, and we wish you every success in the futurc.

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL The following boys played: J Forshaw, M Forshaw, P Carroll , Maguire, Corre ia , J Carrol l , McKenna, Stubbins, F Smyth, Devaney, Lynch,

In the f i r s t match Alton beat us 3-2. Wc opc:ncd the scoring when Devaney took the ball up the wing and centred for Stubbins to score. Alton thcn scorcd two goals through defensive lapses on our part. We cquali- sed when Smyth beat four men and passcd, via Carrol l , to Stubbins who scored his second goal. IIc scored again a few minutes later from a pass by Corre ia , but was ruled offside. Alton scorcd oncc m o r e and so won the game. In the re turn match we gained our revengc by beating Alton 3-0. Our goal-kcepcr only touched the ball four t imes throughout the match. Stubbins scorcd a hat-trick in this match, thus scoring a11 our season's goals.

S Corre ia

VALETE

BOWDEN HOUSE

T DEVENNEY (1966-73) - House Captain mcl School Prefect 1972-73. GCE 0-Level 1971, A-Lcvel 1973. Rugby XV 1971-73, Vice-Captain 1972-73, IIockcy XI 1971-73, Captain 1972-73, Criclcet XI 1971-73, Half Colours 1972-73. Cross-Country Team 1971-73. Tennis Team 1973. R NORTHARD (1968-73) - Vice-Captnin and School Prefect 1972-73. GCE 0-Level 1971, A-Lcvel 1973, liugby XV 1072-73, lkll Colours. IIockcy XI L07:3, I I a l f

Colours. Athletics Team 1972-73, I-Ialf Colours. J TUITE (1969-73) - GCE 0-Level 1971, A-Levcl 1973. Plays: 'Rope', 'Coriolmust, 'Lord Arthur Saville's Cr imef , 'Witness for the Prosecution'. D ALLEN (1967-Christmas 72) - GCE 0-Level 1972. Rugby XV 1972-73, Hockey XI 1970-72, Cricket XI 197 1-72. Plays: 'Dry Rot', 'Tcn Little Niggers', 'Rope', 'Lord Arthur Saville's Crime' , 'Tons of Moncy'.

I> IIEE1,EY (1968-73) - GCE O - L C V C ~ 1973. P McELROY (1968-73) - GCE O-Level 1973, IIockey XI 1973. Athlet ics Team 1973. P O'UltIEN (1969-73) - GCE O-Level 1973.

CHALLONER HOUSE

A J BYItNE (1966-73) - Ilouse Captain 1972-73. GCE O-Lcvcl 1971, A-Lcvcl 1973. Rugby XV 1971-73, Cnptnin 1972-73. Cross-Country T c a m 1970-73, Cap- tain 1973. Cr icket XI 1972-73, Vice-Captain 1973. Athletics Tcam 1973, Captain 1973. P lays : 'Ten Littl Niggcrs t , tCoriolanus', 'The Ghost Tra in ' , 'Happy I,nndingst, 'Witness for the Prosecutiont . D T WANT (1969-72) - GCE O-Level 1972. Rugby XV 1972-73, IIalf Colours 1972-73. IIockey XI 1972, Colo 1972. Criclcet XI 1971-72, Play: 'The Ghost Train ' . D It YOUNG (1972-73) - GCE O-Level 1973. Hockey > 1973. Tennis T e a m 1973, D 1' TICKNEIt (1971-73) - GCE O-Level 1973. Play: tTwclfth Nlghtt. V NOUAL (1973) - GCE A-Level 1973. J FEIiGUSON (1972-73) - GCE O-Level 1973. 0 E CIfATIN (1973)

MILNER HOUSE

J 3 STOItKY (1966-73) - Public Man & House Captain 1972-7:). GCE O-Level 1971, A-Level 1972 & 1973. Itugby XV 1972-73. Hockey X i 1971-73, Colours 1973. Cross-Country Team 1973, Athletics Team 1973. I-'lay: 'Posthorn Gallop'. A C SIMMONDS (Eas ter 1968-1973) - Pre fec t of St Thomas t s & Vice-Captain 1972-73. Organist . GCE

O-Lcvcl 1971, A-Level 1972 & 1973. Rugby XV 1972-73. Athletics Tcam 1971-73. C M ALLZN (1966-73) - School P re fec t 1972-73. GCE O-Level 1971, A-Level 1973. Rugby XV 1972-73. Athle- t i c s Teain 1971-73. Tennis T e a m 1971-73, Captain 1971 -72. L'lays: 'Posthorn Gallop', 'Running Riot'. S F McGILL (1966-73) - GCE O-Level 1971, A-Level 1973. Organist . P lays : 'Without the Pr incc ' , 'Wild

Goose Chase ' , 'Hamlet', 'The White Sheep of t he Family ' , 'Coriolanus', 'Posthorn Gallop', 'Twelfth Nightt, 'Run- ning Riot', 'Witness for the Prosecutiont . L G WATIGNS (1971-73) GCE O-Level 1972 & 1973. P P DENIEFFE (1967-73) - GCE O-Level 1972. Rugby XV 1972-73. Cross-Country Team 1973. Athletics Team 1973, P lays : 'Posthorn Gallopt, 'Twelfth Night'. 1' GARDENER (1970-Christmas 1972) - GCE O-Level 1072. Cross-Country Tcam 1971-72, Colours 1972. F J FERGUSON (1968-73) - GCE O-Level 1972 & 73, Itugby XV 1972-73. Cricket XI 1973. M W NORTIIARD (1968-Christmas 1972) - GCE O-Level 1972. Rugby XV 1972. Criclcet XI 1971-72. D J I,AWL,OR (1968-73) - GCE O-Level 1973. Judo Team 1971-73, G J MORRIS (1970-73) N J CARNEY (1970-73) 1' J WILSON (1971-Easter 1973) A MARIE (Scpt-Oct 1972)

FATHER MONTGOMERY ROBERT PERCY FULCHER (1928 - 1934)

It was with deep personal shock that we learned of the sudden death of Fa the r Montgomery Fulcher. On 29 July h e said the 8 a m Mass a t Stoke-by-Nayland, but on a r r iva l a t Nayland fo r the 9.30 Mass he collapsed and in a few moments went t o h i s e te rna l reward.

Born in Norwich in 1915, Fa ther Monty studied fo r t he priesthood a t Cotton and Valladolid and was ordained in St. John's , Norwich on 1 May, 1940. He served a s cu ra t e a t Wellingborough and AyIesbury before being sen t t o Marlow to s t a r t the miss ion a t Bourne End. Some of the children who were a t Marlow School in those days may r e m e m b e r bringing a spoon, a knife, a cup, etc. t o help h i m furnish the presbytery when he was appointed to Stoke-by-Nayland 23 y e a r s ago. These l a s t 23 y e a r s w e r e spent in ministering to a spa r se ly inhabited a r e a of South Suffolk with few and sca t te red Catholics, whilst h e himself lived in isolated and a t f i r s t very difficult con- di t ions. He used to say that h i s next-door neighbour was a qua r t e r of a mi l e away, the nea re s t bus stop two mi l e s away, and the bus r a n only once a week! The delivery by a council c a r t twice a week of oil l amps and drinking wa te r sounds incredible t hese days , but such was Stoke until a few y e a r s ago. Monty, however, never complained. Always cheerful , zealous and apostolic, he quietly and unobtrusively m n t about h i s Master ' s bus iness ca r ing f o r h i s sma l l and scnt te rcd flock. IIc had th rcc churc1~cs in h i s par i sh : Stoke i tself , one of the oldest in the d iocese , Nayland and Hadleigh, where he was responsible f o r t he fine new church opened in 1966 to replace the hut destroyed by f i re . He in teres ted himself in a r t , painting and sculpture, and some of h i s work, including the Stations of the C r o s s , may be seen in Hadleigh church.

F o r s eve ra l y e a r s he had suffered f rom suga r diabetes, but came to t e r m s with i t . Although he was offcred a move by the Bishop, he felt that he had found h i s miss ion and s o asked to s tay in t he par i sh . Some of u s thought h is talents w e r e wasted and could have been employed in a wider field. However, t h i s was h i s choice and maybe i t was the r ight one. IIe was happy going round the countryside catechising children and adults , one he re , one there . Certainly h i s par i sh ioners will m i s s h i s warm-hearted c a r e and personal in teres t in t he i r sp i r i tua l welfare, and s h a r e the so r row felt by h i s mother , b ro the r , s i s t e r and fr iends. E a s t Anglia can ill afford the l o s s of such a devoted pr ies t .

Edward McBridc

EXAMINATION RESULTS I

I Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board I

I General Certificate of Education 1973 1

I ADVANCED LEVEL I

Byrne A J -

Devenney T A - McGill S F -

Noual V J - Simmonds A C - Smyth O T - Storey J J - Tuite J D -

French, German, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, General Paper English Literature, General Paper English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, General Paper Mathematics, Physics Chemistry, General Paper French English Literature, General Paper English Literature, History, General Paper

ORDINARY LEVEL

Butterfield P M - English Language (2), English Literature (5). History (4), French (6), Additional Mathematics (5), Physics (6 ) , Chemistry (4), Biology (6).

Car te r S - English Literature (5), Geography (3) , Physics (5), Biology (5).

Curtis H A - English Language ( I ) , English Literature (3), History (6), Latin (6), French (4), Additional Mathematics (6), Physics (5), Chemistry (5), Biology (4).

Ferguson J - Religious Knowledge (4), English Literature (3) , History (5).

Finucane G - English Language (4), English Literature (5). History (5).

Ingram P L - English Language (4), History (6). Kavanagh K M - English Language (4), English

Literature (5), History (2), Physics (6). . Lawlor D J - English Language (3), English

Literature (3), French ( I ) , Lee J - English Language ( I ) , English

Literature (5), History (3), French (5). McDermott P J - English Language (4), English

Literature (5), History (6), French (6). Meehan A G - English Language (3), History (6) ,

Geography (4), Grench ( 5 ) , Mathematics, (6) Biology (6) Murtagh H D - English Language (6), Geography (3)

Biology (6). OIBrien P J - English Language (4) OIHara N T - English Language ( I ) , English

Literature (4), History (5), General Classics (5), Physics (3), Chemistry (5), Biology (5).

1 Orre l l B J - English Language (5), English Literature (4). History (3). Latin (G), French (5) ~ Purfield B E - English Language (3 ) , English

Literature (3) , IIistory ( 5 ) , Gcogi-nphy (I), I3iology (6)

Robinson A M - English Literature (5), History (6), General Classics (6), Mathematics (6), Chemistry (5), Biology (5).

Slater P G - English Language (3), English Literature (6), History (6), Latin ( S ) , French (G), Biology (5).

Daly G D - Religious Knowledge (6), English

Edwards R G - Religious Knowledge (3), English Language (6 ) , English Literature (5), History (5), Geography (3).

Farley A E - Biology (4). Heeley P J - Religious Knowledge (4), English

Language (I), English Literature (3). Kennedy M - English Literature (3), Geography (6). Lilley T C - English Language (5), English

Literature (4), Geography (4), Biology (6). McElroy P J - English Literature (6). Pres ton T P - English Literaturq (6), Biology (5). Schwarz R F - English Literature (4), Geography (6). Tickner D P - English Language (6), English

Literature (4), History (5), Geography (5), Physics (6), Biology (5).

Trinham A G - Religious Knowledge (3), English Language (4), English Literature (3), History (6), Biology (6).

Delf K J - English Language (6). Additional Mathematics (6).

Liu E - Mathematics (3), Additional Mathematics (6).

The following boys took German with the Joint Matricula- tion Board:- Butterfield P M (5), Cuk.tis H A (3), Lawlor D J (5), McDermott P J (3), OIHara N T (5), Orrel l B J (4), Robinson A M (3), Slater P G (4).

Literature (5), English Language (5 ) , Biology (6),

ST WILFRIDfS & PARKERST SOCIETY This i s the oldest Society of i t s kind in the country, having been established in 1839. It exists with the object of bringing together, yea r by yea r , Pas t Students of Sedgley Park and Cotton; of renewing and perpetuating old associations; of fostering and stimulating by gifts and prizes the sp i r i t of the College Studies; and of maintaining and promoting the general welfare of Alma Mater.

PATRON: The Most Rev George Patr ick Dwyer, DD, Ph D, BA, Archbishop of Birmingham

PRESIDENT: The Right Rev Joseph F Cleary, VG., Bishop of Cres ima

PAST PRESIDENTS: The Rev Mgr P Rees (1962) The Rev L W Jones, DD, Ph D, B Sc (1964) J C Singleton, Esq. , (1965) The Rev J W Griffin (1966) Joseph Trinham, Esq. , (1967) The Rev C Howell, S J (1968) R A Eccles, E s q . , OBE (1969) The Most Rev Anthony J Emery, VG. (1970) Henry F Bizley, Esq. , MCSP, JP (1971) The Rev Monsignor H F Davies, MA, DD (1972) J Anthony Dillon, Esq. , (1973)

ELECTED COMMITTEE : The Rev Mgr F Thomas, STL The Rev J Daley, Ph L. , STL The Rev J Rowland The Rev J A Brisland The Rev J Roper The Rev P J Reilly M r J Walsh M r C S Whitehouse M r P Rochford, B Sc M r B Wordley, L1 B M r A Grace M r M Staples

There is an Annual Mass for all Members and the Holy Sacrifice is offered for every Member deceased.

Annual Subscription is £3. Old Cottonian Crested Ties £ 1 . 3 8 ~ Old Cottonian Crested Squares £3. School Wall Plaques £ 1.50 Cash with Order: postage extra, to The Bursar , Cotton College, Nr Oakamoor, via Stoke-on-Trent

A11 Information, and Subscriptions -made payable to: The Secretary & Treasurer , Mr R J Simner, 9 Nutmead Close, Childe Okeford, Blandford, Dorset, Phone: Childe Okeford 277

WOODLAND WORKS

542 Southport Road, Scarisbrick, Nr. Ormskirk L40 9QQ Tel. SCA 294 & SCA 6 11

THE HOME OF CHURCH WOODWORK

Church furniture is made on the premises by our experienced Craftsmen.

We have a permanent display of Woodwork, Plate, Brasswork and Vestments in addition to one of the largest selections of Ecclesiastical carvings in the Country.

Why not pay us a visit, we shall be delighted to welcome you.

No parking problems.

COMPLETE CHURCH FURNISHERS.

F o r all your requirements in BOOKS - STATIONERY - ARTS CRAFTS - TOYS

s e e the displays on four f loors at

The Midland Educational Co Ltd 104 - 106 Corporation Street , Birmingham B4 6SZ

Tel . 021-236 2741/5

OPEN SIX DAYS EACH WEEK

-

T. A. KING B CO. (Prop . J. TRINHAM)

F r i a r Street , Hereford. Tel: 2784

Monumental and Architectural

Masons MEMORIALS IN

GRANITE MARBLE SLATE

and LOCAL STONE

ALL LETTERS CUT BY HAND

ONLY BEST QUALITY STONE AND WORKMANSHIP

FIREPLACES

GARDEN ORNAMENTS

HOUSE NAME PLATES

RESTORATIONS, ETC. A magnificent old window renovated by ou r Craf tsmen. ANYTHING IN STONE

Coffee, Lunches, Teas

BRIDGE HOUSE A L T O N , N. Staffs.

(Prop. Mrs. K. BELFIELD)

- Phone : OAKAMOOR 338 -

Bed and Breakfast

DISCOUNT PRICES!

C'""

LYNG LANE

for dinner Take one of the prettiest pubs in Stafford- shire, garnish it with a menu filled with fine food, sprinkle liberally with superb service and add elegance for decoration.

Serve in a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of comfort. That's the successful recipe

they use at the Wild Duck.

Their customers love it. So will you. Call in for lunch o r dinner - find out just how satisfying a really good meal can be.

THE WILD DUCK, ALTON, STAFFORDSHIRE Telephone Oakamoor 218

Brian & Barbara- their first year at

I National Westminster I

Get the Whole Picture! One advertisement Girls', or call i n a t your local branch. For your about two people's first year with N u t West can't part we'd like to think that you'd be able to show give you the whole picture about your opportunities us some pretty good exam results. with us. B u t post this coupon for one of our To: Malcolm Fortune, National Westminster brochures-' Your Career i n Finance with National Bank Ltd., PO Box 297, Throgmorton Avenue, Westminster' or 'Meet the National Westminster London ECZP 2ES.

I I Address ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. I I I I I have takenlpassed IJ '0' 'A' CSE I I

National Westminster Bank

It's after you start work at Barclays

that you choose your career,

Barclays is a vast, complex banking organisation. In one way or another, it's involved with every sort of business : with supermarkets, stores and shops ; with farms, food companies and breweries ; with airlines, oil companies and car manufacturers ; with national and international trade.

Our job is to help our customers invest, expand and make profits. Eventually, this will be your job. You'll have to know their b~sine-ss, ai well as be a specialist in your own. (You'll certainly be given all the training you need.) How fast you progress is very much up to you-our new graded salaries structure means you're paid.and promoted according to your ability, not your age.

To start with, you need at least four '0' levels. But preferably, two or more 'A' levels, which apart from anything else will put you ahead on starting pay.

For more information either see your Careers Teacher or local Barclays Manager.

Or write to: The Local Directors, Barclays Bank Limited, P .O. Box 34, 63 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BY.

CONVENT SCHOOL of the

HOLY CHI LD JESUS 39 Sir Harry's Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham

021 - 440 - 4103

Independent School for Girls aged 5 - 18 years 5-1 1 years day pupils

Recognised as efficient by the Department of Education and Science

Conveniently situated in extensive grounds, the School offers a wide range of subjects and prepares girls for G.C.E. examinations and University entrance.

Entrance to the Senior School is normally by examination a t the age of 10 or 11 years but a number of places throughout the School are reserved to cater for girls who are unable to enter a t the usual age.

For prospectus and other matters relating to the School apply to the Headmistress.

Luncheons, Gr i l l s & Steaks

Fe @Ibe Crakun Betel WATERHOUSES, NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE

Halfway between Leek and Ashbourne on the A523 3 miles from Cotton College

(Denis and Prue Fraymouth) Tel. WATERHOUSES 204

Bed and Breakfast.

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