November Boarding School Saturday

After breakfast, and a somewhat unpleasant and painful few minutes explaining to Mr Malcolm the thinking behind his walled up door, we were taken across to the classroom block. In schools past we have marched across there in a crocodile, behind the Beak, peeling off as we go so that when he arrived at the door we were gone! These days we have a Beak front and rear, so opportunities for bunking off are severely curtailed.

We started off with Political History.  Mr Malcolm took us somewhat in depth into the story of the Gunpowder Plot. Why the school authorities thought that anything to do with explosives would be an apt subject for pupils of our reputation I have no idea, but it proved to be very interesting. (As an aside, I have seen on the TV the other day, a programme which showed the actual house where Robert Catesby, the leader of the plotters, was killed. The bullet holes are still there, as is the doorstep where Catesby fell, mortally wounded......)

This was followed by Military History with Professor Robertson where we learned even more about the Battle of Britain (we had done it at NGM on Battle of Britain Day with Mr Malcom, and several of us had also touched on the subject at a recent Hawthornes School). This time however we discussed the type of aircraft which were involved. Or rather we sat quietly and Prof told us  all about them as we are not supposed to interrupt when he is speaking. And of course we strive to be obedient. Prof had very generously bought three Airfix models, a Messerschmitt, a Spitfire, and something else whose name evades me at the moment, and we were allowed to put them together the next day.
We had a lesson on triangles from Mr Reamon.  I enjoy his lessons, even maths, and I actually came away understanding the thinking behind Pythagorus' Theorem. The only down bit was that it turned out that it was Archimededs who leapt out of his bath naked and ran along the street shouting Eureka, I was rather hoping that Mr Reamon might have demonstrated the Eureka thingy if it had been Pythagorus instead!
To be continued...............