newsletter

PHILIP GLYN (32) solves the mystery surrounding the Trees on the School Playing field with the following report but, as a prefix to this, writes:

Can I recount how Dr. Jones did his best to ensure a weed-free field. I joined Trinity in 1932 when the school was approaching ownership of the White Hart Lane field. In early 1933, we, as the lowest of the low, viz. first formers, were instructed to attend school on Wednesdays and Thursdays, armed with a potato peeler. Those two days were our early finishes at 3 pm, when we were all called to attend the field, spread out across the area and crawl along, digging out weeds with those peelers. During the same term there were various schemes to raise money for the trees including the Farthing Fund when we were asked to put our ‘spare’ farthings in the box labelled with our House Names and in 1933 St Andrew’s raised 1825; St David’s 2185; St George’s 2215; St Patrick’s 1150; and New 1585, All of this also helped to raise money to furbish the interior of the Pavilion.

cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig ? and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

No—I haven’t gone completely bonkers..but just thought you would be interested.. However, I wonder if they (Cambridge University) have considered that you should first know how to spell the word correctly, before your brain recognises it and all the letters in it. The rest of this newsletter will be written, to the best of my ability, as taught !

Cheryl Robertson (Beryl Ford 51) writes:

I joined TOSA this year and have been both delighted and amazed to discover many old friends with things in common after 50 years. I have lots of good Trinity memories but a few rather mixed such as:

PE & Games: Standing around on the freezing hockey field being accidentally? hit across the legs with the sticks. The humiliation of being the last to be chosen for the teams.

Tying bandages round our legs and forging notes from our mothers with my 2 partners in crime in the hopes of getting let off. Several relentless but hopeless attempts to take a run & jump onto the "Buck" like a beached whale with much giggling from the more agile girls no mercy from Miss Laurence but Miss Law was more easygoing. I remember she left to get married, as women teachers had to in those days, and also her telling the girls about the "birds & bees" as it was called then, but that we would have to bring a note from our parents if they wanted her to tell us the full" facts of life" - how things have changed. (I hope this isn't too racy for TOSA readers) .

Domestic Science: Miss Munro and the Apron we all had to make—the boys went off to woodwork. All these years, I have never ventured into sewing more than hems & buttons. The other girls had all gone on to make something much more interesting but I was still on that thick cambric? apron. If we hadn't gone on to cooking, I would still have been making in the 6th form, I' m sure. I remember that the apron was actually covered in blood (from my pricked fingers), sweat & tears .

School dinners: We had to eat everything. I've never eaten sago since (frog spawn) but my problem was the FAT MEAT. Our regulation school knickers had a pocket in the leg with a button on that went with the liberty bodice over our vests - I remember them clearly & how I used to smuggle the fat meat into that pocket & out of the dinner hall wrapped in my hanky. (Someone else at a recent get-together remembers taking a collapsible container into the canteen for the same purpose).I'd actually forgotten about this one until the '70's when I was teaching Primary school and on the dreaded Dinner Duty. We had to have our meal with the children, allegedly to encourage them to eat what they chose to take, good table manners & polite conversation. In a distracted moment I had taken Tongue onto my plate and was frozen with horror when I returned to my seat & realised. I tried to push it out of sight but a sort of rustle went round and I saw ten pairs of accusatory eyes fixed on me. However, the children were loyal to me & didn't split, but the memory of Trinity school dinners came flashing back

MAGAZINE No 45—Spring Term 1933

EDITORIAL.

An extraordinary interest has been taken in the planting of trees round our new Sports field. A scheme, believed to be unique, was adopted with the support of Mr G. W. Pyeman, the Middlesex County horticultural expert, by which specimens of every British tree were to be planted, and in addition specimens of trees so thoroughly naturalised that they have come to be regarded as British.

The plan adds a botanic interest, but the main purpose is to beautify the field, into the fun possession of which we are to enter next term. The trees were provided by contributions from Governors, Staff, parents, old scholars, and present scholars, and each tree has been labelled with the name of its donor or donors. The ceremony of planting took place on February 22; when the first tree was planted by Alderman G. Marlow–Reed, J.P., Chairman of the Middlesex County Council and Chairman or the Governors of the School. That such a scheme should arouse great interest in the School was to be expected, for we have been looking forward with great eagerness for many years to the possession of our own field, and everything which concerns our field is very near our hearts. That the scheme should have received praise in the columns or our local newspapers, which always treat us generously, is a cause of pleasure but not of surprise. But we were amazed when "'The Daily Mirror," "The Evening Standard," and "The Evening News" published photographs of the planting, and when even the Times" gave us a paragraph. And this is not the end of the story. An old scholar sends us a cutting from the Exeter "Express and Echo," and papers as different as "The Horticultural Advertiser “, "The Children's Newspaper," and

'' The Western Mail “ give our scheme their blessing. We have shown in striking fashion that, we intend our ground to be, as we said many years ago, "worthy of ·the school". The pavilion is now under construction, and the date fixed for its normal opening is Saturday,July 8, our Sports Day.

TREE PLANTING SCHEME

The following trees were planted on the Sports

Field on the 22nd February 1933.

Front Row. Siberian Crab, by Form IIId; Almond, by Mrs. I.O.T, Rhys; Scotch Laburnum by S.Blurt, P.Howard, and H.Wadham; Catalpa, by Alderman Marlow Reed; Aspen Poplar by H.M.Walton Esq.; Silver Birch, by G. W. Pyman Esq.; Almond, by Lt-Col. R. H.Elliot; Acacia, by Form IId; Silver Maple by Miss Macrae; Double Pink May, by Mr Taunt; Red Oak, by Form Id; Double White Cherry , by Miss Aldridge; Scotch Laburnum by. Joan Bartholomew; Mountain Ash, by Miss Sproxton; Red Chestnut, by three girls in Form 11c; Scarlet Oak by Form Ic; Almond, by Miss Andrews; Crab, by Dorothy Cobley; Silver Maple, by Hilda Bolton; Silver Birch, by Miss Andrews; Double Pink Cherry, by Form Vb; Copper Plum by Miss Griffin; Bird Cherry, by Eileen McCarthy.

East Row. Horse Chestnut, by Dr Jones; White Twigged Lime, by Betty Kent and Joan Anderson; Black Poplar, by N. Gregory; Hornbeam, by Irene Noble; Copper Beech, by Miss, Andrews; Sycamore, by Mrs. Robert Henshall; Maple, by A. Bell; Spruce, by Mr Jones; Crack Willow by Form IIc Girls; Balsam Poplar, by Mr Taylor; Bat Willow by IIc Boys; Ash, by Mr and Mrs Tudor Rhys; Golden Elm by B. Harrison; Golden Poplar by OTS members; Larch, by Kathleen Boisson; Cypress, by Mr I.O.T.Rhys; Oak, by Mr Brandon; Wych Elm, by S. Osborne; 3 Scotch Pines, by Miss Stewart, Miss Munday, and Form Va.

Back Row. Silver Birch, by Miss I.R.Jones; Silver Birch, by Cr. J. Burr; Silver Birch, by Mr Edmunds; Silver Birch, by Miss Garden; Silver Birch, by St Andrew’s Girls; Silver Birch, by Margaret Noble; Silver Birch, by Sellwood Family; 3 Weeping Willows by St David's House (Boys and Girls); Silver Birch, by Thorpe Family; Silver Birch, by Form la; Silver Birch, by Form IIIc; Silver Birch by Upper IV; Golden Ash, by St George's House (Boys and Girls); Silver Birch, by Form IIa; Silver Birch, by New House (Boys); Silver Birch, by New House (Girls); Silver Birch, by Form IVb; 4 Silver Birches, by Form IVa.

West Row. Cedar, by Form Ib; Alder, by Mr Ellison; Wild Service, by St Patrick's Girls; Gean by Marjorie Shaw; Walnut, by A. Simons; Silver Birch, by Freda Ree; Holm Oak, by Form IIb; Copper Plum, by Miss Jobson; Mulberry, by Doris Goodger; Double Pink May, by Miss Leidke; Almond, by Form IIIa; Mountain Ash, by Flora McInnes; Silver Birch, by Miss Towler; Copper Beech, by Margaret Clarke; Red Twigged Lime, by Miss, Dunkerley; Service, by Doris and Margaret Anderson; Double Peach, by Muriel and Bertha Barker; Silver Birch, by Mr Swindon; Beech by the Medworth family.

The School Song (see previous Newsletters)

Dorothy Gulliver (Newling 33) has the answer and

writes:

Thank you for a fascinating newsletter, but I was

horrified to read that the authorship of the School Song is in doubt. Surely it was written by the Old Man himself,

Dr Emrys E.Jones, Headmaster from the beginning and for many years.

I understand it was first sung to a hymn tune, but the official music was composed by Mr Leslie (Tubby) Taylor, head of music department before Mr Henry Saunders. When I was a first-former, in 1933, Mr Taylor told us the hymn tune was so mournful and unassertive that he produced his version. When he conducted, we were always encouraged to punch out the words: "A foremost place we claim" and

"The Trinity County shall prevail!"

I could sing it for you now, but you wouldn't enjoy the

experience!

We received a very big Thank You from Emel Rochat for her invitation to the October Reunion, and who writes

“It was out of this world—words fail me. It was so moving to meet all the people I’d known so long ago and those I didn’t know, as they are all in the Trinity spirit. Everyone was so generous of themselves—so easy to take up again. So much for the Trinity ethos. Please thank everyone for the lovely flowers.”

Similarly, a card from Dinah Ireland, who also loved the flowers, and tells me they lasted for over two weeks !

HISTORY.

In History an “Aussie” teacher Sir,

Surely shocked us all,

When he prophesied in future years,

The British Empires fall.

It’s possible that he was right,

It certainly makes you think

When looking at the atlas now,

How much is left bright pink!

WOODWORK.

“Don’t put your hand in front of the chisel boy”.

Old Mr. Chick would often say,

“I had a boy who wouldn’t listen,

Lost his finger yesterday.”

But most of us woodworkers,

Have four fingers on each hand,

Remembering Chicky’s warnings

And our oak stained tea pot stand.

EPILOGUE.

Those school time years are long ago,

My working life is through,

But I guess it’s fair to say,

I owe a lot to you.

MATHS.

The teacher walked into the room,

His presence made me baulk,

“Today we’ve Trigonometry”,

His hand went for the chalk.

“Get out your books and tables too.

Now pay attention boy.

It’s tangents sines and cosines time,

The subject you enjoy”.

“Now draw the graph and show me”.

I made the master frown,

The only way that mine looked right,

Was to hold it upside down!

With quadratic equations now,

To calculate the roots,

My mind went into spasms,

My heart sank to my boots.

Without mastering mathematics,

What would my future hold ?

Would I ever get a job?

Would I be left out in the cold?

GEOGRAPHY

When studying Geography,

I don’t think I was alone,

Confusing lat. and longitudes,

Or some country’s temperate zone.

Bill Bowen did his best I’m sure,

To make us understand,

That while we sat in winter’s cold,

The sun shone in some land.

Prime products, annual rainfall,

Population, minerals, ore,

Please don’t turn the pages Sir

I can’t recall much more!

FRENCH.

When Kurt strode into the room,

He did so like a winner.

He let you know, he was the boss,

Like an early day Yul Brynner.

Ma Francais pour tres ans,

In Paris took its toll,

I know that “ham” could be “jambon”,

But what’s the French for “roll

And finally—at the end of our first year with a committee—a big thank you all for your support in attending reunions, lunches and general gatherings organised by enthusiastic volunteers. Thank you to those stalwarts who fold and post, and particularly to those who have supplied me with the stories for the newsletters. Please do keep them coming. They really are enjoyed by all, and are a huge factor in keeping the Association alive and well. And a very big thank you to Reg Rogers who organised the tables at the October reunion—I tried—what a job !

May you all have a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.