It is customary for a magazine to open its pages with some remarks from the pen of its Editor. We, the Editors of the Naval Children's School Magazine, although our identity may be known to but a select few, wish to attract attention to ourselves and catch your eye for Just a few moments before you become absorbed in the principal contents of this journal. Why?

We have certain views about School Magazines, although our views are not really at all extraordinary. We believe our magazine should give as faithful a picture as possible of life at the School; we believe it should be interesting and attractive ; we believe that it should serve as a medium whereby those boys and girls with a gift for writing can have some of their best work printed, and those whose gifts lie in the direction of organising can play their part in getting the magazine published. In short, if our magazine is to serve these and other purposes we think it should serve, it must be very much better than it is. (We hope you will notice that it is the Editors themselves who are saying that the product of their energy falls short of what is desirable!)

You will now begin to see what we are getting at - we are not confident that this magazine is the best that a school of nearly 1,200 children, whose ages range from 5 to 19, can produce. We think it should be of a much higher quality - we know it could be and we shall therefore work to that end.

In the first place, we propose shortly to have established an Editorial Board on which will serve several boys and girls in senior forms. With this stone we hope to kill many birds !

suggestion we have much sympathy, that the magazine be published either every term or twice a year. Since the average period at the school for any boy or girl is about two years, and since what happened in January seems very stale news indeed by December, we should like to see the magazine appear more frequently than once a year.

We wish to see a higher standard achieved in the illustrations. We have several talented wielders of pen and brush (or is it carvers of lino?), and a Camera Club is now focusing the enthusiasm and talents of the School's amateur photographers.

Finally, we wish to destroy the notion that the School Magazine is something we begin to think about early in October, and then there is a mad rush to scrape together sufficient material to fill the space between the covers before the Christmas term comes to an end.

This is our challenge to you, members of the School. We are going to act. What are you going to do about it ? Can we count on your co-operation to produce a journal of which we can all be proud?

While we still have the space, we should like to announce our competition for the next issue. We offer two book prizes for the best pieces of original work submitted for publication in our next issue. (Prose or verse - not Illustrations this time.) One prize will go to the boy or girl under 12 on the 31st December, 1952, and the other to the boy or girl over 12. Closing date 15th March, 1952.

Our address, by the way (and we like receiving letters) is :—

January of this year brought a change in the hand at the helm of the School when Instructor Commander A. H. Miles,OBE RN, was relieved by Instructor Commander A. J. Bellamy,MA RN., in the post of Headmaster,

Commander Miles had had considerable experience of the School in its earlier phase as the Dockyard School before the war, so that it was fitting that he should steer it through the difficult period following the re-opening in May, 1946. The School then numbered 55 pupils and was housed in the two villas at Ta'Xbiex. As it subsequently developed under Commander Miles' guidance to 1,000 children in the present premises at Tal Handak and Verdala, it needs no words of mine to point out what a tremendous task was carried out by Commander Miles during his 44 years as Headmaster. His unsparing effort was recognised by the award of an O.B.E. in the Birthday Honours List of 1951 and on this we congratulate him heartily,

At a short ceremony on his last day at Tal Handak, Maureen Knight presented to Commander and Mrs Miles a silver Gozo boat as a token of the regard in which they were held by the children, and a similar presentation was made at Verdala. Subsequently Commander Miles spent most of his leave in Malta and left to take up an appointment at the Boys' Training Establishment, H.M.S. "Ganges", with our best wishes for a very happy commission there.

It seems a little late to say "Welcome" to Commander Bellamy as he has now been our Headmaster for close on a year. He is no longer the "new boy" that he announced himself to be when he first addressed the School. He is in fact, only too well aware of the intricacies and pitfalls involved in the smooth running of that vast organisation, the Naval Children's School. However, belated though it is, this is our first opportunity to record our

wishes that he will spend a happy commission in Malta. While there is no question of his being faced with the 1800</_c expansion which occurred during Commander Miles' term of office, equally difficult problems will always be arising in a School such as ours and he need not fear stagnation. In fact, never was there an institution to which the phrase "never a dull moment" applied more aptly.

The year 1951 has seen a large number of staff changes, many arising from the Admiralty policy to give us an entirely civilian staff apart from the Headmaster and Senior Assistant Master.

In January reluctant farewells were said to Instructor Lieutenant and Mrs Mclntosh who had both been original members of the staff when the School reopened in May, 1946 and to Instructor Lieutenant B. Beresford, after four years' service. Instructor Lieutenant H. S. Peters returned to U.K. in September. Fortunately rumours current for some time that Instructor Lieutenant Parr, now our oldest inhabitant, was also to leave us have proved false as the Admiralty, it is believed, have found it impossible to find a suitable relief for him.

Two of the teachers who arrived in Malta in 1950 for three year engagements have already departed. Miss Fage. who had charge of the Infant Department at Verdala, was forced to resign on account of ill-health, and Mrs Fletcher (nee Jones) left shortly after her marriage. Other departures during the year include Mrs Straughan. Mrs Cook, Miss Churchill and Mrs Carey. All take with them our very best wishes for their "new commissions".

The policy of seconding new teachers from U.K. schools for three years has been carried a stage further and new arrivals include :—

Mr T. C. Edgell, MA, London, from the Southern Grammar School, Portsmouth (as Senior History Master!.

Mr F. H. G. Ruoff, B.Sc., (Hons.), London, also from the Southern Grammar School, as Senior Geography Master.

Miss Ilona Madorin, Miss Nancy Brittlebank and Miss Margaret Robertson, MA., all for the Infants Department at Verdala.

Mr T. E. Knight and Mr R. C. Walker to teach Maths, and Science in the Secondary Modern School.

Other new recruits to the staff include :—

Mrs Britton and Mrs Winterbottom, Mrs White, Mrs Betty Smith, BA. (Hons.), London, as Latin specialist, Mrs Edgell. Mrs Meredith, BA. (Hons.), Bristol, Mrs Austin and Mrs Gully, BSc., (Hons.) Bristol. Valuable help has also been given during periods of sickness by Mrs Shaw. Mrs Roper and Mrs Johnston.

The teaching staff of the two Schools now numbers 42, a number which will soon prove inadequate if the number of Children attending the schools continues to increase as it has done during 1951.

The familiar titles "School Certificate" and "Higher" now belong to the past. The old examinations were abolished at the end of 1950 and have been replaced by a new examination called the General Certificate of Education in which papers are set at various levels. At the ordinary level, the papers are of the same standard as the old School Certificate papers and the pass mark is approximately that of the old "credit". The advanced level papers two years work beyond the ordinary level differ little as yet from the old "Higher" papers.

One big difference between the new and the old certificates is that everyone can now get a certificate by passing in at least one subject. The certificate records the subjects in which passes are obtained, whereas previously a certificate was issued only if five subjects were passed. Potential employers are not likely, however, to be impressed by certificates recording only one or two passes.

At the same time, the requirements for Matriculation exemption have been increased, and to achieve this, it is now necessary to pass advanced level papers. The old distinction mark has also been abolished.

In the U.K. a major bone of contention has been the fact that nobody may take the examination under the age of 16. Here in Malta no such age limit applies and some of our candidates this year have been able to get a jump ahead of their contemporaries in England by sitting while still under 16. Indeed the best results in the Ordinary level papers were obtained by Robin Leale, who was 15.

Detailed examination results are as follows :—

Oxford School Certificate - December 1950 Audrey Twelves, 5 credits G.C.E. (Advanced) - July, 1951 Prudence Beaumont-Hembrow, passes in English, French and Art.

David Thomas, passes in Pure and Applied Mathematics and Physics.

G.C.E. (Ordinary) - July, 1951 Robin Leale, 8 passes. Jennifer Cock, 6 passes. Railton Williams, 6 passes and Oral French. Sheila Hall, 5 passes and Oral French. Denis Bradshaw, 5 passes. Stuart Pearce, 4 passes. Jacqueline Hoskin, 4 passes. Susan Burt 4 passes arid Oral French. John Gimblett, 4 passes. Roslyn Campbell-Watson, 4 passes. Joan Hopkins, 3 passes. Patricia Gavin, 3 passes. Patricia Carpenter, 2 passes. Barbara Rolls 2 passes.

Only one candidate at each of ordinary and advanced levels failed to pass in any subject

Other examination results :•—

Prudence Beaumont-Hembrow, 2nd Prize

John Gimblett 2nd

Clive Ferrier 6th

Michael Bloom 80th

John Henley 80th

Michael Rees 120th

David Grieg 135th

New appointments as Head Boy and Head Girl were made by the Headmaster in September. Joseph Palmer and Rosemary Davenport were the first pupils to hold these offices.

Prefects during the Spring and Summer terms were David Thomas, Clive Enevoldsen, Joseph Palmer, Raymond Fewtrell, Denis Bradshaw, David Palmer, Railton Williams, Robin Leale, Maureen Knight, Prudence Beaumont-Hembrow, Cynthia Beavis, Rosemary Davenport, Jean Elford, Jennifer Cock, Cynthia Seymour and Patricia Gavin.

The following became prefects in September :—

John Mallon, Stuart Pearce, Colin Hammond, Anthony Overton, Sheila Hall, Dorna Bayliss, Joan Hopkins, Patricia Carpenter and Susan Burt.

The following Admiralty lecturers visited the School during the year and addressed audiencies which normally consisted of 5th and 6th forms :—

Dr. A. B. Childs on "Experiments with Light" and "Drama".

Professor J. G. Bullocke on "European Affairs" and "Life at Sea in Nelson's Day".

Brigadier Bowerman on "India" and "China".

We were visited in March by Miss Gwilliam, on the Educational Staff of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

At the beginning of the Summer term the running of the Tuck Shop was taken over by Form 3M, under the guidance of Lieutenant Peters. The new firm achieved a record profit in its first term of operations.

A Secondary School library was opened in the Summer term on the ground floor of the Administrative Block. The library is well stocked with fiction and reference

books and is open during every lunch hour. The members of Form 4G act as librarians. A Junior School library has also been formed in 4aJ class room.

A major development in the life of the school has been the provision of late transport every evening to enable children who so wish to stay until 5 p.m. This has given impetus to the Art Club, Needlework and Puppet Clubs, Dramatic Society and Music and Dancing Circles, all of which had previously to function in the very crowded lunch hour.

School visits by one or more classes have been made to the Government Farm, the Roman Villa at Rabat, the Governor's Palace in Valletta, the Rediffusion Studios, Calder's Brewery and the Hypogeum.

The numbers attending the two schools have increased from 1010 at the beginning of the year to about 1190 at the time of going to press. Approximately 660 are at Tal Handak and 530 at Verdala.

Mr Fuller an Old Boy of the school visited us in July and talked to Forms 3G and 3M about his experiences in hitchhiking to Malta across Europe.

About 150 children visited the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club's summer production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". There could be no more perfect setting for this play than the grounds of San Anton Gardens with the Palace buildings behind. It was greatly enjoyed by all and we are much indebted to the Club for arranging a special performance for the School.

Work on the hall at Tal Handak was completed in the Summer holidays when a new gymnasium floor was laid. The old floor of wooden blocks had cracked very badly, but this was a blessing in disguise, as it was unsuitable for gymnasium work. We now await the arrival from England of more gymnastic apparatus.

The fourth block at Verdala School which until this year had been used as a store and previously as a prison, was taken over by the School and so far three classrooms have been brought into use. Further rooms will, it is hoped, come into service next year as soon as the work of demolishing the old cell walls is complete.

It is hoped to provide hot mid-day meals at Verdala School early in 1952, thus avoiding the awkward bus journeys to and from the Corradino Canteen.

Open days were held in the Autumn term, having been postponed from the Summer term owing to cases of Poliomyelitis. Tal Handak was invaded on two afternoons and Verdala on one by several hundreds of parents. This year there were no displays of any sort to interfere with the prime objective of Open Day, that parents should meet and get to know members of the staff. There is no doubt that this type of Open Day proved most successful. Even without any distractions some members of the staff found it extremely difficult to meet all the parents who wished to see them, and it was a very jaded staff who came to school after the Open Days, so that the half-term holiday which followed was more than usually welcome.

On Friday, 16th March, His Excellency The Governor and Lady Creasy visited Tal Handak. On arrival Sir Gerald and Lady Creasy were met by the Headmaster and the Fleet Instructor Officer. The distinguished visitors visited all the classrooms where pupils were at work and the staff were presented to them. This was followed by a visit to the Dining Halls where senior girls were busily helping the infants with their meals. Meanwhile the remainder of the School was lining the School drive to say farewell to Sir Gerald and Lady Creasy who drove away to three very loud cheers.

The Christmas Concert was held in the new hall on two successive days. Before the curtain went up Commander Miles spoke a few words to the many guests and said how sorry he was to be shortly leaving. The first half of the programme was devoted to the Infants and Juniors who delighted everyone with their spontaneity. I do not think it is any exaggeration to say that every child from this section of the school played some part on the stage.

The curtain went up on "The Fairy who Lost her Star", a delightful sketch by the Infants. The Juniors then gave a series of sketches which showed a variety of talent; the first was a display of Modern Movement, this was followed by a Nativity Play in which the younger Juniors took part. The three Kings were specially worthy of notice as they spoke out well, bringing their gifts to the Babe of Bethlehem to the accompaniment of carols.

Two action songs "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "The Saucy Sailor", were next on the programme. In these the Juniors showed their dramatic skill. I think a word here is due to the parents who cooperated nobly in the preparation of the most effective costumes. The same can be said of the sketch of "Old King Cole".

The Senior girls' choir sang extracts from "The Flower of Bethlehem". This fine performance was a fitting reward for many dinner hours' practice.

After a short interval, there came the last item on the programme - "Robinson Crusoe" a pantomime, the scenes of which were mostly laid on board the good ship "Tal Handak". I do not think it would be amiss to mention that this show was organised in record time as the delayed opening of the School had at one time almost made it seem that an entertainment at Christmas would be impossible.

The pantomime atmosphere was preserved by the very creditable acting of the Demon King, the Dame and the Principal Boy. These parts were taken by Robin Leale, Joseph Palmer and June Kester respectively. The rest of the cast, Sailors, Native Girls, Cannibals and last but not least, Man Friday, all contributed in no mean way to the success of the production.

In conclusion, a very great deal of credit must be given to those pupils and staff who worked behind the scenes, with the result that the whole show went off without any hitch.

When we reached Port Said in September, 1948, we went straight to our flat, which Daddy had already obtained for us. It was a large, roomy flat, and we were all very pleased with it. Then rumours about it reached us.

There had been, we heard, a murder committed in the flat, and we were the first people to have taken it since the murder had been committed ten years ago. It seemed that a Jewess had lived there, and she kept an Arab servant - a rather strange combination for the Jews and Arabs are by no means friendly as a rule. However this seemed to be the exception to the rule, until one night, about two o'clock in the morning, a knock was heard on the door, and the woman, hearing that it was her servant, opened the door, thinking there was something wrong. Her servant chopped off her head with a hatchet.

On hearing this story, we were rather peturbed at first, but we decided not to let it worry us, and the incident was more or less forgotten. However, we were not to be left in peace, and we were to have two rather bad scares before we really did forget the" incident.

The first scare was not really very bad, but it was enough to set our imaginations working. One evening one of my sisters and I were sitting down in the dining room doing our homework, waiting for the

rest of the family to come in, and I heard a key being turned in the lock. I did not say anything, but mentally told myself that the family had returned. Minutes passed and no one came in, so I thought I had been mistaken. Margaret, however, had heard the same thing and had deduced the same answer from it. She voiced her thoughts, and we were really worried when the sound was heard again, We knew that it could not be Mummy and Daddy and the other children, as we usually heard them coming up the stairs. The person outside was trying to be as quiet as possible. We sat rooted to our seats, hardly daring to breathe. At last the noise ceased and we heard someone walk softly downstairs.

An hour later, the family returned and treated our story as a joke, though I believe Mummy was worried at the time. It so happened that that night Daddy was on duty, and so our fears were increased. (Before I go on with the story, I must mention that we had acquired a new Sudanese servant a few days before, and as he could speak no English, we had rather a difficult time with him, especially over trying to tell him at what time he was to come the following morning.) I did not sleep very well that night, and was awakened at four o'clock in the morning by Mummy, who was calling for me out in the corridor. Once in the corridor I nearly died of fright. Our servant and two other Sudanese were standing there. At that moment my mind was revolving around one thought - the story of the murder. How we managed to get them out I will never know. Our servant turned up again at seven o'clock with another friend, who could speak English. It seemed that the poor servant had mistaken the time he was to come.

Needless to say, we got rid of him, and lived in terror for the next few days. However, we received no more scares and for the rest of our stay in Port Said we had no cause to feel dissatisfied with the flat.

Have you ever met the ghost or spirit which seems to haunt the Naval Children's School, Tal Handak ? (I do not know whether the same one or another haunts Verdala as well.) It is far from the usual type of ghost which generally wanders about at night, through locked doors and thick walls, making eerie noises and sounds like rushing winds.

This school ghost haunts the School mostly during the day. Some haunting, also, is done at night. It has a flair for removing property from their poor owners. How often have I heard the remark that "I left it on my desk a few moments ago and now it has gone". Which means the ghost has been at its pranks again.

Whether or not there is only one ghost at the School I do not know and I have yet to find out, but some ghost seems to go home in the School Bus with somt children and during the night takes some book out of the owner's case and travels back to school next morning, so that when the unfortunate (or as I sometimes think, fortunate) child is present at lessons, he or she has to tell the master or mistress that it must be at home, although they remember putting it in their cases before they left.

Another ghost is able to make rubbers and many other objects move across from one side of the room to the other, and there is another which removes garments from pegs or from the backs of chairs and takes them to other classrooms where no-one ever thinks of looking for them.

Many other pranks are performed by these ghosts, but this is just to warn teachers that it is REALLY not the children's fault but the unpleasant ghosts'.  Prudence Morgan Form V Grammar

The only British school in Germany in 1947, was a boarding school for all

English children over 11 years of age. It was "Prince Rupert School", at Wilhelmshaven, formerly a naval base. The school had its own railway line which was attached to the main line about half a mile away. There were five houses, Howe, Drake, Collingwood and Matthew. Nelson was the Dining Room which had the Headmaster's flat above. Churchill was the Assembly Hall, the foundation stone of which had been laid by Miss Mary Churchill.

The houses were arranged in blocks and in each house, the boys slept upstairs and the girls downstairs. There were no more than four in a bedroom. At the top of the house was a common room. No person was allowed in another house without permission. In each house there were two house-mistresses and a house-master; the house matrons slept downstairs in their respective houses but the school matron had a flat near the sick-bay.

Lessons took place in the morning and three times a week in the evening. In the afternoons organised activities took place; there were games twice a week and on other afternoons, pupils went to the different clubs in which they were interested, such as riding, music, dramatics, Guides, Scouts, handwork and a variety of others. On Saturday afternoons house matches took place and all the school went by bus to watch as the games were played on a field about a quarter of an hour's ride away.

On Saturday evenings each house in turn gave a social in the Hall. When there was no social, a school dance was held. At Christmas, juniors and seniors were given a party by the Headmaster. On Sunday morning everyone went to church and after that they had the day to themselves; no prep to bother about because that was done every evening in the classrooms under the eye of a prefect. On Sunday evenings, gramophone recitals were sometimes given in the Hall or games were played in the House common-room.

Owing to the fact that the school was located far from the pupils' homes, surrounded by a civilian populace whose friendliness was very doubtful, movement outside the school grounds was extremely limited ; it was therefore necessary to live a very communal life within the school. I can now see that this must have thrown a very heavy burden on the teachers, who, as usual, responded nobly.

This does not involve pirates, it is merely a tale concerning a number of girls who tried to walk the plank. The scene is a co-ed school, rather ancient and only a few minutes walk from Clarence Wharf in Gosport. A number of planks and nearly submerged logs lie a few inches from the shore, which are left high and dry when the tide goes out.

Going to school on a rainy morning is not a pleasant experience but once there, the fun begins. It was just such a morning in the Autumn term of my second year at the Grammar School—I am not always a law abiding scholar and this rainy Wednesday morning was one of my lawless days.

Wearing our coats and berets, six or seven of my class mates and I strolled down to Clarence Wharf during the morning break. This was not then out of bounds but since my escapade it is. The tide was in and so our favourite log was half submerged. This was rather disconcerting since we normally sat on it : but the rather dismal state of affairs was v soon altered'. A certain young schoolgirl dared someone to walk along the log. One would go if another went first, was the retort. I volunteered joyfully. Carefully, I stepped onto the log, and, balancing precariously on the none too safe surface I began my promenade; arriving half-way, I asked someone to follow. They did but too heartily.

The log swayed from side to side as we walked along. I had reached the end and was turning to come back when it wobbled violently. I lost my footing, plunged into the icy water and it was now I who was half-submerged. I managed to clamber out, losing my school beret in the effort (four and sixpence they cost too) but it was with trepidation that our solemn little troop returned to the school buildings. The Senior Mistress met us in the front porch. Honoured were we not by being met by the Senior Mistress ?

Alas, she did not regard it as a pleasure. She was shocked beyond words and hurried me into the Staff Room where I was stripped of my wet clothes and put into bed. Someone was sent to my home to inform my parents and fetch some fresh clothes. At the. end of morning school I went home and elaborated the information which my parents had already received.

I would like to add, that if anyone should find a green beret with a galleon badge, would they please return it to me.

Thank You.  Angela Small  Form V Grammar

The octopus is generally 'regarded as a dangerous creature, but it is only after a personal encounter that one realises the deadliness of this dweller of the deep.

During my 1950 Summer vacation some friends and I decided to set up a five day camp on the seashore in the area of Fort Maddalena. After the usual bustle of settling-in had died down, when the campers had tired of the novelty of camp cooking, swimming and under-water fishing came into their own. It was during one of those fishing periods that I came into close contact with an octopus.

Whilst slowly swimming round with a home made harpoon in my hand, I spied what appeared to be an octopus resting on the bottom. Without further ado, I dived down and speared it. The harpoon went straight through it and it appeared to be dazed for a moment from shock. Then, to my horror it started to pull itself up the shaft of my harpoon by its tentacles. I was petrified with fear for what seemed to me to be a lifetime but what was in reality only a second or two. When I had gathered my senses, I dropped the harpoon and surfaced, praying that my legs would not come in contact with the octopus on the way up. To my profound relief, I made the shore, poorer by one harpoon but richer in experience.

From this little experience, my advice to all swimmers is : if you sight an octopus, let the fact that you have seen one suffice, and seek safer waters.

Most of the readers of this magazine possess a camera, that can give them very good results en quite a wide range of subjects. At this most of them will protest mentally. "Oh no," they will say, "I hav'n't. all I have got is a box camera." This, however is the instrument indicated, as the ideas of most young box camera owners are simple and incorrect.

All you have to do, they believe, is to ask for a 620 film, put it in the camera, (and that is done more by luck than good management) wave the camera about, until you catch a glimpse of your subject in the little tiny window and press the trigger. Quite simple, isn't it ? And what sort or results are obtained ? Not so hot as a rule. As records of Mum and Dad in an awkward looking pose with frozen "cheese" on their faces they are possibly passable, but as pictures they are hopeless and the purpose of this article is to teach young camera users how to handle a camera.

In the first case, a camera needs proper care and attention if it is to yield good results. You can probably all produce snaps showing a lovely set of little black dots or pinholes on them ; this is caused by the dust inside the camera settling on the negative. So obtain a fairly large, soft paint brush (not from the Art Room) and carefully dust the inside of the camera paying special attention to the corners, This done, shut the camera and keep it shut even when it does not contain a film. This dusting, by the way, should be done every time you change the spool.

Next comes the lens. This should, of course, never be touched with the fingers. If there is any dust on it, remove it very gently with the corner of a handkerchief or with the tip of your paint brush. Never polish the lens even if it has some dust still on it; a small amount does not matter.

As for the outside of the camera, the black leather parts can be cleaned with black boot polish and the chrome parts with "Windowlene".

Now for the films. The normal film used in box cameras is 620 size Selochrome or Verichrome. These are both good films for normal subjects but if you are going to take any photographs on a dull day, buy a spool of "Ilford" H.P. 3 in the same size. This is a faster film and will give better results in a poor light. Always load the film carefully and make -sure 'it is running straight on to the other .spool, before closing the back.

Wind the film to number- 1 and you are ready for the first picture. Now, instead of lining up your subjects like victims to be shot, try, to get them looking interesting. Have one of them doing something, with the others looking at him or her. Don't get them gaping straight at the lens but away from you. It will look far more natural. Another point is "smiling"; if you tell most people you are going to take their picture they put on their camera smile ; usually an inane grin with a face full of teeth. So don't tell them about .it, catch them unawares while they are looking interested in something and the print will look far more like the subject. Try and get an attractive background as well, not a distracting mess but something plain ; the sky and sea are the best natural backgrounds. The sun is another thing to watch, don't get it behind or directly in front of your object but rather shining at them from the side front. "The sun off your shoulder" is the way to remember it.

If you note and follow these points, your prints should improve. Of course, there is far more than this in producing a good picture, but these points should help you to produce better snaps.

One last point is the way to hold the camera. Don't wave it round in mid air. about two feet from you, and then savagely jab the button. Press it to your tummy and hold your breath, then steadily squeeze the trigger and watch your subject to see that the horizon is level and don't let telegraph poles or trees grow out of Mum's head—it does not suit her.

So bear these points in mind next time you take a picture, then compare your results with previous snaps ; if there is not an improvement come and tell me. Happy Shooting.  Anthony Overton Form V Grammar

For nine long months we of the late Fifth Form worked well in preparation for the General Certificate Examination - only to find that the total time spent in taking the exam was less than two whole days. The exam over, there followed a month of anxiety during which we waited the results. At last they came and our elation at passing exceeded any previous doubts or fears experienced during the seemingly endless period of waiting.

To celebrate the great occasion, and also two greater events—the anniversaries of my parents' births—the family decided to take a trip to Sicily.

The day we arrived at Syracuse, we deposited our baggage at our hotel and took a stroll along the main street. Sicily, like Malta, being a land of sunshine, the

rain absolutely poured down ; and, incidentally, the rain was not the only thing that soaked us. But, nevertheless, we enjoyed the walk, and, after an excellent dinner, we went to bed.

Next day we walked around Syracuse "looking at the shops", and, as I suggested above, we found the prices were extremely high. After lunch we had a really enjoyable experience—we went by train to Taormina. This was the first train we had been in since we spent a holiday in England two years ago, and the trip was really a change from travelling in Messrs. Gasan's and Sultana's buses.

Taormina is a really beautiful spot, and we made the most of our time there, walking round and enjoying the wonderful scenery. We could see Mount Etna in the distance, and the undulating country so very different from this island gem. We visited the Teatro Greco which is a great affair comparing favourably, in size, with many London theatres. The public gardens too, are very fine, and we were sorry when we had to leave.

Back in Syracuse we met a very friendly Italian guide who had lived for some years in Malta, and he took us to the Roman Theatre outside the city. Next to the theatre is a great cavern which was used by a certain Roman general as a prison. It is shaped like an ear, and the accoustics are such that the general, when listening through a hole at the top, could hear every word that the prisoners spoke. It is said that he kept only a dozen prisoners at a time in this vast place so that he could recognise each voice. Finally, we visited the simple cathedral, built on the site of an old pagan temple. It was the second church to be built after Christ's followers were first called Christians at Antioch.

One thing that impressed itself upon our memories was that Sicily, one of the defeated countries at the end of the war, has made great progress. Shops and houses have been rebuilt and very few battle scars are still visible. This is a fine record which should be copied elsewhere and if we ever return to Sicily, which we hope to do, it will be with the expectation of- seeing that country even nearer full recovery.

Mrs Colsell rents a house at a small village called Marsalforn in Gozo. Last Summer, she very kindly said that some of us could spend a week-end there if we wished. On Friday, June the twenty-ninth, Ann Hugman, Gillian Trenhaile, Angela Norman and myself, accompanied by Miss Leppard, left Malta by the ferry-boat "Bancinu" to spend the week-end there. We were all carrying bags in which were tins of food, swimming costumes and various other things.

Marsalforn is on the sea front and the village spreads round a small bay from where the fishing boats set out. There is no electricity in the whole village so oil lamps are used.

As soon as we arrived, we laid the table for tea and then, because the sea looked so inviting, we went for a swim. Unfortunately Gillian was in such a hurry to get into the water that she cut her foot on a rock.

The next day we went for an early swim to gain an appetite for breakfast, and later, leaving Miss Leppard who was painting a view of the bay, we went for a walk taking our lunch and swimming costumes with us. We soon came to another small bay where we swam, had lunch and sunbathed, and Angela took some photographs of us. On our way back to the house, we saw a woman making lace and it was most interesting to watch her.

That evening we set the alarm clock to go off at about half past eleven so we could go for a midnight swim. Of course when the alarm went off, no one felt like going, but once we were in the sea, it was marvellous, the water being quite warm although it looked so cold and black. We were going to take a hurricane lamp with us but as it would not work we took a torch which we left on the rocks while we were swimming.

The next morning, we were rudely awakened by a dog barking on the sea shore. After breakfast we went for a very long walk along the shore to Ramla Bay. Sometimes the rocks were too steep to cross, so we walked over the hill slopes, passing through fields in which were growing blackberries, apples, oranges, pomegranates and grape vines. After our swim at this bay we took a short cut back to Marsalforn and after lunch we packed our bags and tidied the house. We then walked into the village to catch the bus to Rabat from where we went to Mgarr where we took the ferry back to Malta after having had a very enjoyable weekend due to the kindness of Mrs Colsell and also to Miss Leppard who accompanied us.

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