" DOING MY BIT."
What can I do for England?
A little boy like me?
cannot be a soldier
Or a sailor on the sea.
I'd like to be an airman
And I've said so many a time
But they always say that airmen
Must be older far than nine.
My fighting starts at breakfast
When the tea is not so sweet;
And we don't have bacon every day
And eggs are just a treat.
It goes on through the day time
When I'm sitting in a place
Where we have to sit for safety
When I'd rather run and race.
And when the day is over
I've done a lot of things
That fill a proper soldier's life
And win airmen their wings.
Also I'm helping win the war
To make all nations free.
What better thing could any boy
Do for his own country?
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DESIRES.
I'd like to be, I'd like to be
A sailor on the wide, wide sea
In a great big boat I'd like to go
And perhaps they'd teach me how to row.
But Mummie says that sailor men
Just have to eat their crusts of bread.
So p'raps I'll not be one of them
But think of something else instead.
I'd like to fight, I'd like to fight
And put the enemy to flight
I'd be the bravest of the brave
And fight to `Victory or the Grave.'
But Mummie says, perhaps its true
And I'd be in an awful fix,
That soldiers when their in the camp
Get up each day at five to six.
I'd like to fly, I'd like to fly
And feel I nearly owned the sky;
If they sent me out on Patrols
I'd come back doing Victory Rolls.
But Mummie says, I think it mean,
That Airforce men don't go to bed
They must be ready all night long
- I think I'll be a boy instead.
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On the Feast of S.S. Peter and Paul, eleven of our Boys made their First Holy Communion.
Jimmy Wilson;
David Waters;
Matthew Lanng;
Derek Alcock;
Anthony Frost;
John Pratt;
Edward Talbot; Richard Russell;
Peter Tolhurst; Alan Wilson;
Patrick Ely.
In January the Slattery Family of five boys and their sister, who had been so long at the Convent said " good-bye " to us and left England for India. As a souvenir of their happy days with us, their Granny presented a pair of lovely brass candlesticks to our Chapel. These remind us to say a prayer for Pat, Christopher, Cecilia, Derek, Anthony and Julian Slattery.
By the way, Old Boys may like to know that we say a special Hail Mary every night for boys who have been at our Convent, and we ask Saint John Bosco to pray for them too.
Old boys who have visited us this year include Charlie Ellis (1926-1929) , now a wireless operator in the Merchant Service. Guido Chilver-Stainer (1926-1931) in the Royal Engineers. Gerald Tierman (1924-1931) Corps of Signallers. Denis Gavaghan (1929-1932) , who returned from Australia with the Colonial Troops. Terence Gavaghan to whom we offer congratulations on having won a scholarship for St. Andrew's University.
Congratulations also to Hugh Stevenson (1919-1923) and John Noble (1924-1929) on the happy occasion of their weddings. We had news too of George Briggs (1906-1909) , and Tom Molloy (1904-1908) now a Colonel, who returned safely from Dunkirk. Geoffrey Frampton (1925-1927) , David Bond (1930-1933) , attached to the Corps of Signallers; Peter and Lambert Carton-Kelly (1928-1930) are both up at Oxford studying medicine.
Patrick and Anthony Woods-Scawen, R.I.P., both killed in action early in September. The " Daily Telegraph " said of Anthony when reporting his name among those awarded the D.F.C., " He has destroyed six enemy 'planes and severely damaged several others. In June he was shot down, landing some twenty-five miles within French territory, but made his way back to his squadron.
Altogether he has been shot down six times, but has continued to fight with unabated courage."
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Our photo shows 'Polo' and scenes from our June play.
The same two boys, David Ely and John Burke-Gaffney, who had the honour of serving His Lordship Bishop Cotter's Mass when he came for Mother Didry's Golden jubilee on September 14th were called upon to serve the Requiem for His Lordship, on Thursday, October 29th.
It was a great shock to hear of his death when we had seen him looking so well and as cheery as ever such a short time before. R.I.P.
Tony Potter and Richard Pointer gave us some very funny Puppet Shows. They had a dear little stage fixed up with boxes, with a little curtain and real electric light. They acted Nursery Rhymes for the Baby Boys, and then they gave the Plays of " The Golden Goose " and " The Puppets' Picnic " for all of us. It was very cleverly done, and some of the smaller boys thought the Puppets were really speaking.
We had our Gym. Display at the end of the Spring Term. All worked hard and were most enthusiastic. The apparatus work was very smart. The Babies' part of the programme caused great amusement as they carried out their exercises under the pretence of animals, train or aeroplane as seriously as the big boys went through their work on vaulting horse, ropes or wall bars. Form II's Tug-o'-War was won by the Greeks.
Old friends will be sorry to hear that our faithful Convent watch-dog, " Polo," had to be " put to sleep " at the end of October. He was brought to Boscombe as a small puppy by Cyril Sandy (one of our old boys, 1930-1935), who took care of him on the long train journey from Stafford. Many of us wish we had been at school in Polo's puppy days.
When the Boys were undressing he would creep up to the dormitories, seize a bedroom slipper and make off, with boys, armed with towels, in full cry down four flights of stairs, and all along the lower corridor the chase would last till the slipper was rescued on the door mat. This would sometimes happen more than once in an evening until Polo grew older and got more sense.
We all miss him very much, especially at 11 o'clock, lunch time, when he always begged for biscuits. Although a fierce watch-dog, he was most gentle with even the smallest boy. You see Polo's photo here taken with one of our old boys, Jo Rohan (1928-1932).
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