The years 1957-59 saw one of the
periodic flowerings of form magazines at PGS. From
1957-8, I have in my possession copies of 'THREE
B.I TIMES'(Editor R. I. Riley), '3A1 DIGEST
'(Anonymous Editors), 'ZEITUNG '(3A2 : editors
Joe Forshaw, JP Daniel, Gary Easthope, and
featuring a free beginners' course in German),
'COMMENT' (IIIb1: Editorial staff: JAS Green
(Editor), Mick Howarth, Trevor Gray, Pete Glasby)
and the eponymous 'J.K.GUARDIAN' (Editors
G.P.King and P.G.Johnson). Most of these were
very small - a single sheet of A4 folded in two ,
and rather limited in content. 1958-59 however
saw a development in both size, quality and
variety with the field being contested each month
by THE EXPLORER (IIIa1) and THE GLOBE (IVB2). Each of
these was sold throughout the school, and
attracted contributions from sixth formers and
Old Boys as well as members of their 'home' form.
Below are summaries of a typical issue of each.
Fascinating what apparently interested 11 to 13
year-old boys at the time!
The Explorer (111a1 1958-59,
editors Mick Howarth, JAS Green; 10 to 15 A4
pages; price 2d)
Feb 59
issue:
Editorial
Articles on: Development of the Spitfire, Phil
Coulson
The new Austin A55 Cambridge, Keith Brudenell
What Flying Saucers Are Not, Trevor Gray
A Belgian holiday, Mick Howarth
A Trip to Moscow, Alan Acourt (Old Boy)
The Cunard White Star Line, JAS Green
Hydro-Electricity, JAS Green
A Hobby? Try Photography, JM Large
The RAF's Last Fighter? Barry Foster
General knowledge quiz
Collection
of schoolboy howlers ('Vivisection is all right
when practised on dead animals')
A puzzle
A crossword
Part 1 of a thriller serial 'Flight to Freedom'
by Trevor Gray.
Why
Prefects Should Be Abolished, Jeff Blood
There are several reasons for having
prefects abolished, the chief one being that when
members of the Sixth Form achieve the office of a
prefect, they think it is an opportunity to get
revenge on the persons they dislike by doling out
lines or detentions for any and every trivial
offence.
If a boy happens to get an
occasional fifty lines, prefects regard him as an
inveterate offender, and from then on he is a
marked man. When they see him, they say , 'Here's
our trouble-maker. We'll give him some lines.'
A friend of mine is always met by
the remark , 'Don't push your luck!' when he
meets a certain prefect, who shall remain
anonymous.
About three weeks ago, I asked a
prefect how many lines he had given out since the
beginning of term. He said, ' About 750.' This is
far too many when you realise that the Lines Book
contains about sixty pages of twenty-three lines
each, and should be changed about once a term -
and this prefect has a reputation for not giving
many lines!
When I last visited Room 19 it was
said to me, 'Ignorance is no excuse.' So, lines
are given to boys who are doing wrong and do not
know it. There is no quiet warning - it's 'Right!
Name? Form? Take 100 lines.' My friend said to a
prefect, ' Lines cure nobody.'He replied, 'I know
- but it's a bit of fun.' If this is so, who is
enjoying himself most, and winning the race for
giving most lines?
The Globe (IVb2 1958-59, editors Graham Nown,
R Platt, Ron Barston, D. Lee; 10 A4 pages; price
1d) November 1958 Editorial
Articles:
Arundel
Castle, Ron Barston
'We Want an Answer' (Account of an appearance by
a panel of sixth formers on a Granada TV current
affairs programme - putting questions to Dick
Crossman, MP.)
'The Everton Shield 1958' - recounting the school
football team's victory. PG Morgan (Captain)
G. Stephenson, Pioneer of the Railway, R Platt
'We must
not scream with laughter in a manner more
befitting the higher apes than human beings.' - a
thoughtful piece giving strategies for writing,
and avoiding, lines. Anonymous, but I think I
recognise Graham Nown's style - or is it a guest
article by form master Joe Kirk? (It is
'signed'with a green skull and crossbones..)
A maths
puzzle
Crossword
Third instalment of a thriller serial 'Periscope
Down or Die'.
Small advertisements. Prize quiz (Prize - free
copies of 'The Globe'for life)
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