(Abridged) - transcribed by Liz McBride

 THE MAGAZINE OF LYDNEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Vol. 2 No.1 School Year, 1962-63

Editorial Committee:
VALERIE BOWEN
JESSIE DODDS
SHIRLEY POWELL
SPENCER THOMAS

EDITORIAL
Looking back at one’s schooldays is like looking at a distant landscape: the details are vague, the outlines blurred, the years merge into one and the events of a particular year become cloudy and uncertain. One purpose, perhaps the most important one, of a school magazine is to preserve the events of any school year so that they become once again distinct and individual in the reader’s mind. This is more particularly its function this year, the School’s Diamond Jubilee Year, recognition of which will be evident from the birthday cover of our issue and a special article written for the occasion, and appropriately enough we feel, by a first-form pupil.
The Speech Day marking this Jubilee was held last October in the School Hall and proved to be one of the most successful of recent years. The prizes, on this occasion, were presented by Dr. Alan Bullock, Master of St Catherine’s College, Oxford, the eminent historian and television personality. His speech, which dwelt on the difficulties of educational progress in the country, was particularly apt as the school has, in the past, been hampered in its efforts to secure such vital school improvements as a new Science block and hard tennis courts. We are pleased to report, however, that the sixtieth year of the school’s history has seen the start of the construction of the long-awaited Science block.
The weather also contributed to making this school year a memorable one. Few people will forget the fearful winter which for a term seriously affected our lives. From January to March many pupils experienced great difficulty in getting to school, some, to their delight perhaps, being unable at times to reach school at all. Any journey of any distance was extremely uncomfortable and usually hazardous.
Our successors may not consider this year an exceptional one in the School’s history, but to us events of the kind we have mentioned here have been important, and we hope that 1963 at L.G.S. has been adequately and faithfully recorded in this magazine.
JESSIE DODDS, SHIRLEY POWELL, VI Arts A.

STAFF NEWS
At the beginning of the school year we welcomed two new members of staff: Miss Croton to take charge of Domestic Science and to help with Junior Biology and Miss Hopkins to teach Junior Mathematics, Physics and to help with Games.
We should like to congratulate Dr. and Mrs.. Howells on the birth of a daughter.
It was with regret that we said goodbye last Easter to Mrs. Clarkson and Mrs. James who had both been on the school’s catering staff for many years, Mrs. Clarkson having been Head Cook for the past thirteen years. We wish both Mrs. Clarkson and Mrs. James much happiness in retirement.
Mrs. Clarkson became our Canteen Supervisor in September, 1950, and officially retired in April, 1963. Throughout that time she showed real love and devotion to the ever-changing stream of pupils and staff, and unselfish and unobtrusive service to the many interests of the school.
Most people will remember her best in her white overall, standing by the hatch and serving with great rapidity the apparently never-ending queue, or signalling that she was ready with seconds, at the same time keeping an eagle eye on the door and the collection of dinner-tickets, but there are other mental photographs I carry. Mrs. Clarkson in the Mistresses Room calculating the hundreds of fractions of pounds and ounces of meat, cheese, sugar etc. which were the official allowance and which had to be turned by her into a fortnight’s balanced and varied meal, or Mrs. Clarkson in her little pantry counting dinner-tickets or putting out supplies for the Head Girl for team teas or at night bottling fruit by the hundred-weight or making fruit-cakes for the Christmas parties or the Old Boys’ Cricket Match or making coffee by the gallon for sale in the intervals of operas and plays. The list could go on and on.
Possibly the fact that Mrs. Clarkson is herself an Old Girl of the school accounts for such service, but I always knew that however difficult or belated the request, after the initial indignation which I grew to expect and even enjoy, she would rise to the occasion and all the arrangements would be smooth and efficient.
She was responsible for a great deal of the success of many of our social occasions, but her real worth was her complete reliability. No matter what happened whether it was no gas for cooking when the Severn Bridge was smashed, or snow and ice holding up supplies, or overwhelming heat in the kitchen, or illness of her Staff we knew we should always be fed, and for this and for her many great kindnesses we are truly thankful, and deeply in her debt.
We hope we shall see Mrs. Clarkson in school again perhaps enjoying coffee at a school play instead of serving it but we know she will always rally round and help if we ask, and that is a comfort now we have officially said Goodbye.
D.W.

SCHOOL OFFICERS

Head Boy: D. Guest
Head Girl: Valerie Bowen
Vice Head Boy: P. Thomas
Vice Head Girl: Jessie Dodds

SCHOOL DIARY 1962-63

AUTUMN TERM

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

CHORAL SOCIETY
During the year the Junior Mixed Choir met on Wednesdays, and the Senior Mixed Choir on Fridays. The Senior Choir represented the school at the first Lydney Schools’ Music festival in the town Hall on April 3rd and the School Concert was given before an audience of nearly three hundred people in the Town Hall on Wednesday, July 17th.
The School Concert was the high water mark of the Society’s work during the year. It opened with the Junior Choir singing two pieces by Schubert and Grieg, and later in the evening the Choir added songs by Herbert Howells, Arne, Grieg and Warlock. Pat Vedmore and Susan Ridler, two promising young pianists, gave praiseworthy performances of contrasting items. Julian D’Aubyn gave a piano solo and was joined by Adrian Morgan in duets in differing moods. In the Woodwind Section Hilary Leach played a piece for oboe by César Franck and then with Ian Thompson, clarinet played some Schubert. In contrast, Linda Thornton and Susan Gardner gave a cornet duet.
The guest artist was Mr David Williams, tenor, accompanied by his wife. He sang an aria from Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ and one from Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine’. Both items were received with enthusiasm. Two unaccompanied folk songs were sung with great feeling by Carol Brown, one of the Senior girls and were much appreciated.
The second half of the concert opened with songs from the Senior choir. Then an Instrumental Ensemble consisting of violins, recorders and a cello supported by a piano gave an attractive programme of well known airs. It is worth stating that the greater number of the members of the ensemble were in their first year as musicians.
Faure’s ‘Requiem’ was the principal item in the evening’s entertainment with Mr. David Williams as tenor, carol Brown, soprano and Neil Brambell, baritone. Mr. Gordon Phillips, himself, conducted the choir, Mr. Howard Pitt accompanying at the piano. After seven months of practice everyone was superficially confident, but no doubt, a little worried subconsciously. After the opening Introit et Kyrie, the Requiem ran very smoothly. The third section, the Sanctus started a little uncertainly, but very quickly picked up. The choir was at its best in the ‘Agnus Dei’, which was thought t by many of the choir to contain the most beautiful melody in the entire Requiem. The final section In Paradisum- was beautifully sung by the sopranos and made a fine climax to the whole work. The effort had been worth while, and the enthusiastic ovation was reward sufficient for much enduring effort.
On behalf of the choir I should like to thank Mr. Pitt, Miss Boulton and in particular, Mr. Gordon Phillips for making such a memorable concert possible.
N.BRAMBELL, VI Sc. B

DRAMATIC SOCIETY
Although there has not been a production of a play this year we understand that the Dramatic Society proposes to go on stage again towards the end of the coming Spring Term. We expect our problems will be considerably eased by the use of a permanent, but movable apron stage that will replace the elaborate and ingenious construction of platforms and tables that has had to serve us in the past. No doubt, this will be a great relief to those members of staff who have got used to losing stature in the eyes of their classes with the departure of their teaching platforms during the period of final rehearsals towards the end of alternate Spring Terms.
SPENCER THOMAS, VI Sc. A

FLASH-BACK
On January 21st, 1903, this school was founded and we thought in this Jubilee year, it would be only fitting to remember something of the early days of the school.

If it were possible to make some device like the Time Machine of H. G. Wells to take us back to the year 1903, there is no doubt that we should view the newly established school in Lydney with some surprise. In many ways it would be different from the school we know today.
Mr. Frank Dixon B.Sc. was the headmaster of Lydney Secondary School, as it was known. There was a staff of three, as compared with the twenty-eight of the present day. However there were only forty pupils and, when the school first opened, only two classrooms.
After the first ten years the numbers increased to about two hundred and only children over eight and under nineteen were accepted for the school, providing that he or she had passed the examination and possessed a good character and good health. It is interesting to note here that one of the earliest pupils was Dr. Herbert Howells the famous musician who composed music for the coronation of our present Queen.
There were basic differences in the design of the school as compared with the structure of the present time. The school entrance was situated near the Physics Laboratories and the changing rooms for games could be found where the drawing office was built on recent years. When the weather was wet and the hockey pitch out of use, pupils practised on the stretch of tarmac which is now covered up by the school hall.
Tennis, hockey and cricket were played in school and so, for a time was Association Football, until someone sustained an injury!
There were certainly more hardships for the pupil to endure. Transport to and from school was not provided, and neither were school meals or free milk. Fees of two pounds per term also had to be paid by nearly all pupils. However there was no school uniform to be provided.
A brief glance at the past reveals the progress the school has made in sixty years. Now there are new projects planned, and it is to be hoped that the school has a further sixty years of growth and achievement ahead of it.
NICOLA REISSNER, 1 G

A WHALE OF A TIME
It has always been a debatable point as to who enjoys the school parties most: the first and third formers for whom they are intended, or the prefects who organise them. Certainly as the weeks go by and the festive season is no longer a distant prospect but a rapidly approaching reality, all the prefects, both boys and girls, become caught up in the general activity involved in the preparation for them.
While the Head Girl hastily searches the cookery books for original recipes, the artistic members of the sixth form are persuaded, willingly or otherwise, into designing the cut out silhouettes which illustrate the main theme of the decoration for the school Hall. It has always been difficult to choose a theme that will fit in with the traditional idea of Christmas; once such a theme is decided upon, however, the greatest amount of effort goes into the masterpiece of artistry which, when the boys have completed it, is suspended from the beams by wires and ropes to dominate the whole School Hall. The past few years have seen such varied objects as a rather peculiar and unsavoury looking Christmas pudding, a sputnik, a bored looking reindeer and an Aladdin’s lamp complete with genie. Last Christmas, as many will remember we lived among the fish for a few weeks with a whale providing the centrepiece.
During the weekend before the parties are held, the woods are invaded by an army of boys who collect great quantities of greenery with which they festoon the beams of the Hall. This, although it may look attractive, has the unwelcome result of giving the school dinners an additional and unrequired flavour that of pine!
At last the day of the first party arrives, usually to find the organisers with many things still to do if all is to run smoothly. Last minute alterations have to be made to the decorations, or the lighting suddenly fails, while invariably there is still a great deal to be done on the catering side.
By the afternoon all is miraculously complete and the first formers begin to pour into the hall. To start with the atmosphere is often rather chilly but all is well as soon as games such as the ever-popular ‘Oxford and Cambridge’ or ‘Stirring the Pudding’ are started. From then onwards, things never look back.
Tea provided at the expense of the girl prefects’ blistered feet and aching backs, is usually followed by a series of sketches. This last year, the school was able to procure, at great cost, the presence of the famous mind-reader, Madame Yusinovitch together with her assistant, and also the fabulous Vernon Girls (bearing, incidentally, a remarkable resemblance to three prominent members of the sixth-form) who entertained us with their latest hit record.
Time flies however, and soon all is over. The tired members of the first form begin to depart, leaving the even more tired prefects with the task of clearing-up and beginning the preparations for the next party.
JENNIFER PHILLIPS, ELIZABETH RICE, V1 Science A.

SIEGE BY SNOW
The winter of 1962-63 proved to be one of the most severe within memory, and certainly I cannot remember another winter when the snow remained on the ground for such a length of time, that is from late December to March. We in St Briavels found great difficulty in getting to school, for the snow had drifted from hedge to hedge all along the main Chepstow and Lydney roads, forming a relentless barricade to any sort of traffic. Underneath the snow was a treacherous layer of ice, for as soon as the snow began to melt in daytime it was frozen again during the night and then more snow fell to increase the drifts.
The difficulties of communication affected all the life of the village. The only road which was not completely blocked was the one to Coleford. Along this road came supplies, but there were no magazines or papers to give us news as to how others were coping with the snow, and there was a shortage of what we most needed, bread and coal.
There were attempts to ease this situation but the snow ploughs and tractors used ror this purpose tried in vain to clear the roads. Several bulldozers were brought into use, but even these failed. It seemed as if the snow was reluctant to leave the land it had blanketed.
We missed many weeks of school because the school bus rarely managed to reach St Briavels, and on the few occasions when it did, there were always delays. It was then decided that the bus should take advantage of one roads not blocked by the snow and travel across the Bream Avenue instead of via Aylburton. However this change of plan was not carried out for long because the Chase road became impassable. So that we should reach school by some means it was decided that two taxis should be hired to carry eight of us to Bream, where we would be able to catch the Bream school bus.
Although the snow brought hardship to everybody in the village, I think what I shall remember most is the way in which we broke through the snow siege in those two taxis.
LINDA VAUGHAN, II A

III ALPHA AT THE THREE COUNTIES SHOW
From the hill above Malvern we caught a glimpse of the car parks, packed with cars, and next to these the showground itself.
The car park was swarming with activity: doors were slamming and people were getting out, while the busy policeman on duty guided other cars and coaches to their places. Much to our delight dogs of all sorts, shapes and sizes were being helped from various cars by their owners. There was evidently a dog show!
Once through the crowded entrance we strolled off to examine the exhibits. The animals being our main interest we soon found ourselves peering into an enclosure labelled ‘DOGS’.
Inside the first marquee we entered, several Alsatians looked at us with mournful, velvety eyes as if imploring us to let them out of the stifling tent. Not all of them however, were quite so subdued and, much to our horror, one set up a fierce barking as we passed.
From the Alsatian-Collie tent we made our way to the one in which the Great Danes were housed. These animals, though so huge as almost to dwarf us by their size, were much more docile and friendly. All were being carefully brushed and combed and we even heard one fond owner say, Come along sweetie, to the largest most savage looking dog we had ever seen in our lives.
The next tent contained the Boxers, Pugs and Bulldogs, the last of which looked like bad-tempered barrels set on sagging Queen Anne legs.
As we looked around, we decided that owners really do grow to look like their pets. An extremely tall lady was escorted by an extremely large Great Dane, while between another lady and the bulldog she was leading there was a startling resemblance.
In the next tent the poodles were being titivated with brushes, combs and even hair lacquer! Weak with laughter we left the Dog Show and went to see the rabbits.
Next the crows, clucks and coos which issued from the poultry tents enticed us in. We were amazed at the great variety of hens and pigeons that either crouched miserably in corners or strutted disdainfully round their tiny cages.
The colours of the flowers in the flower-tent nearly took our breath away. Sections were divided off for roses, fuchsias, lupins and many other types of flowers. It was with difficulty that we tore ourselves away to take one last look at the other exhibits which incidentally included art-work done by pupils of this school.
As we rode home, we discussed the things we had seen; we decided that we had all enjoyed the outing very much but, for tjhose who had seen it, the Dog Show made the day.
DEBORAH TURNER, III Alpha

TRANSPORT OF DELIGHT
Every morning I grab my satchel and rush out through the door, tripping over the dog and innumerable cats on the way to arrive breathlessly at the bottom of our drive just in time to see the school bus breast the top of the hill. My brother is usually seen sauntering along behind me as though he has all the time in the world, with mother rushing along behind him, brandishing a dagger like needle, hoping to replace a lost button on his shirt.
Once on the bus we get the usual comment from the driver, who always appears to have got out of bed the wrong side.
Late again! I should think you had kippers for breakfast.
After giving him a frigid glare, I have to contend with the first obstacle on the Lydney Grammar School bus which runs twice daily between Chepstow and Lydney, a distance of approximately twelve miles. This obstacle is the getting and furthermore, keeping of a seat. Selecting two first formers I proceed politely to broach the subject of moving-up. My plea is promptly returned with either the bold accusation of You moved us up yesterday! or a piece of friendly advice on what to do with myself in the very near future. A large, thick and solid-looking wooden hockey stick lies temptingly on the luggage-rack but, being a pupil of Lydney Grammar School, I seek a less violent aid from the right source. A heavy footfall is followed by, Move up at once! The curt crushing order is grudgingly obeyed for it is not to the advantage of first and second form beings to dispute the decision of those in higher places, and the constantly over-hanging threat of detention quells the revolt of even the most naturally rebellious victim.
Strains of popular songs are being bawled from the back seat and this is not designed to put one in the best of humours. After being hit half a dozen times by paper pellets I drag a Latin book from my satchel and try to absorb a vocabulary which somehow eluded my attention the previous evening.
Some of my companions, however, are content to gaze out of the window at the fleeting countryside while the bus snakes its way over the hills and down the slopes to school. Eventually their sleepy brains register the fact that the building itself is in the offing and they accordingly arm themselves with games kit, football boots and hockey sticks to join the battle for the goal of being first through the door.
Homework is laid aside and I proceed to pick my way through the maze of gondola baskets which are strategically placed, lining the gangway. I cautiously step over one such obstacle only to find my foot destined for someone’s two eggs, half-a-pound of margarine and bottle of milk, which form the requirements of the day’s cookery lesson. Miraculously enough, these objects usually come unscathed through the disorderly exodus from the bus.
As I descend the steps of the vehicle I contemplate my fate in the approaching test and comfort myself with the sincere hope that perhaps he’ll forget to set it!
JUDITH REEKS
With the assistance of JUDITH RYMER, V Alpha