CGS memorabilia 1958 - 63 - literary stuff

(1959) -

A SHORT JOURNEY

I was travelling on the train one day from Colyford to Axminster when a rather amusing incident occurred.

I got on the train at Colyford and was surprised to find, when I entered a carriage, only one occupant: because, during midsummer, many people travelled from Seaton after a day on the beach. All the other carriages were full to the brim and I was soon to know why this carriage was nearly empty.

The other man was small, well-dressed and middle-aged, with a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles, balanced precariously on his thin, beaky nose. giving a rather gloomy touch to his long, pale face. On the seat beside him was a large object like a box with an iron-barred front. The man himself was engrossed in a copy of The Times, and hardly noticed my entry.

Then, out of the clickety-clack of iron wheels, came pandemonium. A shrill whistle split the air, and hardly had it died from my ears when a terrific snarling and whining noise came from the "box" which promptly cracked in two pieces. The middle-aged gentleman dropped The Times with a start.

"Albert! Albert!" he cried, "stop at once. Oh, you bad, wicked dog". I stared in amazement as a sleek, dog-like form shot from the box like a rocket.

The animal answered with a snarl as it dropped cowering on to the floor.

"Catch him, quickly!" exclaimed the man, and pulled the emergency cord. I was horrified. Then, with great presence of mind, I seized the beast by its body and lifted it into one half of its cage.

The train stopped with a jerk. A guard came rushing along the corridor shouting, "Who pulled the emergency cord?" Then followed a long explanation, and the train went on.

"I am a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society. Yesterday I had the great good fortune to catch this rare Tasmanian Devil in Morganhayes' Covert, and I'm taking it to London."

"Awfully sorry, old man," I said. "This is Pongo. He's no Tasmanian Devil. Poor Mrs. Smith of Colyford has been wild with grief ever since she lost him three days ago."

Robin Cottrill IIA

(1960) -

MY FIRST VOYAGE OUT OF ENGLAND

One day during the summer holidays I awoke very early. It was then that I remembered today was the day for my first sea-trip.

I hurriedly dressed and had breakfast. After that, preparations were made for a cold journey. Over my shirt I wore a thick pullover, a blazer and a mackintosh.

My parents and I left on the thirty-six bus from Kingsteignton to Newton Abbot. There we boarded a bus to Torquay,
already waiting. The ride was very pleasant for, as it was so early, there was little traffic on the road.

The morning was cold although bright, with a mist hanging over the sea at Torquay, so the first thing we did was to find a cafe where we could have a hot drink. Then we saw the ship. It was a fairly large British Railways Steamer called the St. Julien. Passengers were already embarking so we made our way over to where the ship was moored, at Haldon Pier.

After all the passengers had embarked, there was a deafening roar as the ship's siren sounded. The engines throbbed into life, and soon we were under way, steaming into the English Channel. From the deck, after we had gone some distance, we were able to see as far as Lyme Regis. As we moved clear of all shelter, the weather grew bitterly cold and windy, and spray was thrown up into the wind to make matters worse. I had soon explored the ship and discovered where the rugs were kept. For this we were very thankful.

After about three and a half hours at sea, land was sighted, and we could ice Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, very small on the horizon. Four and a half hours later the ship was rounding the rocks, which abound on that coast, and we were heading for the entrance of St. Peter Port harbour, where stands the old fort, once held by the French, and the lighthouse painted black-and-white. After disembarking, we climbed into a Guernsey Motor Company coach, and as we were travelling along, I noticed that all the telephone kiosks are painted yellow.

The first place we visited was the "Little Chapel," which was built by Les Vauxbelets. it is constructed entirely of clinker and shells, and is very picturesque. The altar is very small but beautiful. To enter the Chapel you must bow your head because the doorway is so low; there is room for only about ten people at a time.

Wherever we went we saw greenhouses, but a strange thing about Guernsey is that there are hardly any trees. There are many beautiful bays, however, and Vazon is about the largest. But alas! The German occupation has left its mark. In almost every bay or cliff there is a concrete look-out post or gun position to mar the exquisite scenery. Another sign of the German occupation is the underground military hospital which was never used, and probably never could have been, for lack of sunshine and fresh air. As we were returning to St. Peter Port we re-passed the Guernsey Airport which has been tarmacadamed and enlarged to take Viscount aircraft. This is a great improvement. We had tea at an hotel, and the milk was a thick yellow colour. The cows, once exported, are never imported again; this is to keep the breed pure.

As it was nearly time to set sail again we re-embarked and spent the rest of the evening on the Saloon Deck. It was a good thing we did because the sea roughened and it started to rain, but we were warm. At about 9.30 p.m. we went up on deck, and a glorious sight met our eyes. We could see the coloured lights of the entire coast from Berry Head Light right to Torquay. It was one of the most striking contrasts of the whole day - the darkness of the sea and the welcoming lights of the shore.

John Stephens (IIIA)

1962/3 -

THE TELESCOPE PROJECT

This scheme, an off-shoot of the Mathematical Society, was initiated in the Spring term of 1962 with the object of making an astronomical telescope and building a permanent housing for it.

It was decided that, as a precaution against possible faults, the first part of the scheme would involve the telescope's being built merely on a wooden plank and mounted with facilities for swivelling the telescope and altering its angle. Thus any difficulties arising from inaccurate location of the lenses could fairly easily be corrected! Later a hexagonal wooden casing would be fitted, when the first trials were completed.

To give a few technical points about the telescope itself: the finished product would incorporate both the Newtonian and Gregorian systems. The principal parabolic mirror is 74 inches in diameter, which combines with the eyepieces to give magnification of up to 200 times - a useful power for amateur study. The telescope would be sited on the school field in such a position as to give the best possible view of the sky, without causing obstruction to the games.

Construction was started in January, and thanks to the enthusiasm of those concerned with it (comprising some ten people of the 4th and 5th forms), under the guidance of Mr. Hemmings and Mr. Pumfrey, the telescope was serviceable by mid-April. Good views were then obtained of the moon and other heavenly bodies, and the few corrections which were necessary were easily carried out, interesting observations were made with the telescope in its first stage; these included observations on sunspots. The various "seas" and craters of the moon could be seen in very good detail. Several of the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn could be seen when conditions were favourable.

The telescope project can be seen to be a success, and prospects for next year are bright, with an increase in membership. There is a wide scope for amateur work of this sort in astronomy; and apart from the interest of studying the universe, such work can be of considerable value to those interested in Mathematics.

R T Cottrill 5A

1961 -

HIGHLIGHTS OF MY HOLIDAY

There are three relatively modern sports which I have always longed to indulge in, but until this holiday I had never been given the opportunity.

The chance of water ski-ing unexpectedly came when I was staying in South Cornwall because two young men, as a business venture, were teaching people to learn to water ski. The basis for successful water ski-ing is on no account to bend the arms if or when the rope slackens. Moreover, the position for standing is a normal stance with the knees slightly bent. When the rope tugs violently the skier comes to an upright position automatically. Skidding across the white frothy wake is exhilarating. Spray lashing the face, wind tearing the hair, rugged cliffs rushing by and the sense of power over the sea produce deeply satisfying thrills. The skier when brought to these heights of sensation tends to forget one of the basic rules and becomes unbalanced only to fall into the depths below.

During my holiday in Cornwall I was fortunate enough to go to Fistral Bay where I learnt to surf ride. Surf riding itself is not difficult but the timing is very important, as a fraction of a second too early or too late will spoil the whole ride. The board should be placed on the water with the arms stretched out on it. Spring on to the board just in front of the roller and the foam will do the rest. The water rushing forcefully to the face gives the whole body a tingling effect and makes the surf rider run back into the bubbling foam to try again.

One of the main holiday attractions in Bournemouth is the ice-skating rink. This is a different sport from the previous two but is nevertheless full of excitement and fun for the newcomer. To watch ice-skating it may seem that the front foot pushes forwards, but it is the other foot which pushes back so that the front foot glides forward. At first, after seeing everyone else gracefully skimming I found it rather depressing but on the ice rink everybody is friendly with nationalities forgotten.

I proved all these sports easier than they appear, the only drawback being expense, but I found the money I had spent was well worth foregoing the usual holiday pleasures.

M. Blackie (IVA).

1963 -

In case you have forgotten your O-level results, here they are:

Jacqueline Berkley (7) el, f, m, b: Meryl Blackie (7) e, el, f, h, rk, m, gs; Maureen Brown (7) e, f, g, co, gs; Mary Burrow (7) e, el, f, h, b, co, m; Diana Churchill (7) g, m, gs, n; Mary Colby (7) e, el, f, m, adm, p, c; Sally Jones (7) e, el, h, m, b, co; Sally Marshall (6) e, el, b, co; Janet Neiass (7) e. el. f. h, b, co; Karen Paine (7) e, el. f. g. m. gs; Mary Quick (8) e, el. f, h, rk, b, co;. Pat Searle (7) e. el. f. h. m, b co; Annette Serle (6) e, el, g, m, b, co: Trudy Tolman (7) e, el, m, b, co: M. Collop (8) e, el, f, h, g, m, adm, gs; R. Cottrill (7) e, el, f, rn, adm. gs; R. Crichard (6) e, f, g, m, adm, gs; M. Frayne (6) e, f, g, m, mw, gs; N. Pearse (6) g, m, gs, mw: L. Miller (6) g; M. Quick (7) e, h, g, m, gs: R. Rendell (7) e, g, m, gs; J. Stephens (7) e, f, g, m, adm, gs, mw; D. Tilson (6) e, f, h, m, gs.; P. Trenchard (7) e, el, f, rk, m, adm, gs: M. White (5) f, m, gs; Myra Arthur (6) n; Dawn Chapple (6) g, m, n; Sharon Drew (6) g. a, co; Caroline Ellis (6) e. f. m, n: Jennifer George (6) e, el, a, m, b; Trudy Hansford (6) co: Gillian Harris (7) e, el, rk: Ann Humphry (6) e, el, g, co, gs: Ann Jaquet (5) e; Jennifer Jones (6) e, el, a, m, b, co; Jill Price (5) e, el, co, gs: Carolyn Roberts (6) el, a, b, co; A. Anning (6) h, g, mw; H. Bastone (6) g, m, gs, mw; T. Hooper (6) e, m, gs, mw; J. Sandford (6) h. m, gs; D. Smith (6) e. g. gs. mw; C. Somers (6) e, g, m, gs; N. Tolan (6) e, h, g, gs.

RESCUE AT SEA

On Wednesday, 13th September, the wind was blowing strongly from the south-west. "Puffin", a small yacht, was making her way towards Torquay, when the propeller became fouled by a rope, placing the two men sailing in her in a very difficult situation. She had already parted with the main halyard, so her only means of sailing was by the jib. She speedily drifted towards land and at last dropped her anchor about two hundred yards from the beach at Beer.

As the wind freshened and the sea became very rough, it was obvious that the men would have to abandon ship. The yacht's position became very precarious, for she began to drag her anchor. The local coastguards observed the situation and the life-saving crew were called by a rocket signal. The rocket apparatus was put into position for the rescue, but the small craft was drifting past the rocks so fast that it was decided to stop all attempt at rescue by lifeline, and to launch one of the local fishing boats. This was achieved with great difficulty and after battling with the heavy seas, the crew managed to get alongside the yacht, close enough for the two men to jump aboard. A second later they passed a rope round the yacht's anchor cable, to enable the fishing boat to tow her clear of the rocks to drop her anchor in a more sheltered place. Now the little fishing-boat had to get back to the beach through the very rough seas, but luck was with her, and after taking a considerable amount of water over the sides and the stern, she was hauled by an electric capstan up the steep beach to safety.

L Miller (IIIA)

SHORE VIEW OF TIlE SEA

This is the sea-shore; the edge of a wilderness, empty and forbidding, stretching to the rim of the earth. Here a small town has grown up; its livelihood depends on the sea. Out among the savage white-capped waves lie tiny shells of fishing-boats. How futile are their movements compared with the eternal advance and retreat of the sea! The sea dominates everything.
The sea has banked up the shingle in a sweeping curve following the line of the bay. At its extremities white flashes of foam betray hidden rocks, and the eye is carried out to similar flashes in the far distance. The bay is enclosed by towering cliffs, majestic and shining in the sunlight. These, the guardians of the bay, must, however, bow to the sea, raging at their feet and eating away their bases; and so they gradually disappear. The sea has no mercy; it treats all alike.
No one can control the sea; it swirls past the rocks, pushing its tongue into the farthest reaches of hidden caves and then retreats back into itself. There are walls built to stop the sea trespassing in man's domain but, time and time again, the sea shows these to be useless.
Although the life of the small seaside town changes greatly during the "season", the life of the sea changes not at all. The town comes to life and finds its streets crowded by strangers milling aimlessly in the general direction of the beach. The town welcomes them with open arms but the sea is unenthusiastic. It is unperturbed by the millions that dare to infringe its borders; it neither quickens its movements to the rhythm of their laughter nor is retarded by their movement. The sea has a will of its own.
It will go on washing smooth the shingle eternally, always advancing and retreating up and down the steeply sloping beaches. It will continue to bite away at the headlands, widening its domain. All life originated from the sea; the sea is prepared to take all back. It can swallow the town nestling on the rim, for no one has mastery over the sea. As you stand on the sea-shore it seems as though the sea stretches to the ends of the earth and in its immensity it dominates the scene and the thoughts of the beholder.

M.Collop (VA).