Newcomers to Tal Handak include Mrs. W. Bowie, Miss J. Watson Mrs. Watson-Liddell, BSc., in the Junior School; Miss J. Derbyshire, LRSM., GRSM, (Music), Miss P. M. Thomas, BA., Mrs. J. Easlick, BA., (French), Mrs. K. Kingwill, Mrs. J. Notley, Mrs. D. Parker, Miss B. Wells, Mrs. S. Robson, BA., Miss C. Rotason, Mr. P. J. Watson-Liddell, MA., (Latin), Mr. A. J. Corby.

Newcomers to Verdala include Mrs. M. Cooke, who was transferred from Tal Handak in September, Miss A. Batty, Miss M. Grant, Miss E. Wright, Miss N. P. Lock, Mrs. M. E. Streak, Miss A. Robson, Mrs. J. O. Duxbury, Mrs. E. Schollar, Mrs. P. J. Cooke, and Mr. D. A. Wimbush, who after frequent periods of supply work during the summer term, we were very glad to have as a full time member of the staff from September to Christmas.

Miss M. Vasey at Verdala, and Mr. T. Edgell and Mr. F. H. G. Ruoff at Tal Handak, have extended their Contracts, and we are very pleased we shall have them with us for another year.

Congratulations to Miss J. Marriott on her marriage.

Results obtained in the General Certificate of Education during the year were again the best in our history. Detailed results were as follows:—

SUMMER EXAMINATION 1954
Advanced Level Passes

Garry Cave Passes in English, History and Geography.                                                                                                            Keith Livingstone Passes in English and History                                                                                                                         Shirley Deacon Passes in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Anne Henderson Passes in English and French, Distinction in A

Ordinary Level

Jacqueline Bills English Language and Literature, Latin, French, History, Religious Knowledge and Geography.

Susanne Buick  English Language and Literature, French, History and Geography.

 Antoinette Caunter English Language and Literature, French, History, Geography, and Religious Knowledge.

Janice Cloke  English Language and Literature, History, Geography, Religious, Knowledge and Art.

Avril Corner  English Language and Literature, French and Religious Knowledge

Pat Deacon  English Language and Literature, French, History and Maths.

Pat Gerry  English Language and Literature, French, History, Geography and Art.

Anne Holloway   English Language and Literature, French, Geography, Art and Maths

Judith Kelly   English Language and Literature, and Art.

Heather Marriott   English Language and Literature, French, Religious Knowledge, Geography, Art and Maths.

Jill Martin   English Language and Literature, History, Geography and Biology

Veronica Pollard   English Language and Literature, and Art.

 Jane Skinner  English Language and Literature, French, History, Religious Knowledge, Geography, Art, Maths and Biology.

Avril Scott  English Language and Literature

Sallie Vine English Language and Literature, French, History. Religious Knowledge, Geography, Art and Maths

Nancy Wills   English Language and Literature, French, Geography, Art and Maths.

Jill Vine   Chemistry.

 Hazel Ansell   Latin.

Valerie Turvey  English Language and Cookery. English Language and Literature, History, Religious Knowledge, Geography, Maths and Physics.

Ian Bedford   English Language and Literature, Latin, French, History, Geography, Art, Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

John Crosbie   English Language and Literature, French, History, Geography, Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

Keith Elliott   English Language and Literature, Latin, French, History, Geography and Maths.

Malcolm Livingstone  English Language and Literature, French, History and Geography.

Brian Humble  English Language and Literature, History, Geography, Art, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Woodwork

Peter McKenzie   English Language and Literature, and Maths.

Anthony Plater  English   Language   and   Literature, History,   Geography,  Art,  Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Woodwork.

David Protheroe  English   Language   and   Literature, Latin, French, Religious Knowledge, Geography, Maths and Physics

Peter Sparkes  English Language and Literature, Latin, French, Religious Knowledge, Geography, Maths and Physics.

John Wellington  English Language, Geography and Woodwork.

John Wilson  English Language, History and Geography.

AUTUMN EXAMINATION

Ordinary Level

 Judith Kelly    French.

 Avril Scott        Art.

Valerie Turvey     Maths and Needlework

Sallie Vine        Biology.

Keith Elliott    German and Religious Knowledge.

Brian Humble  German.

Peter McKenzie  History

John Wellington  Maths and Physics.

Prize Day at Tal Handak was on 1st of December. The Flag Officer Malta presided, and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma presented the prizes. Official guests included H.H. The Lt. Governor and Mrs. Trafford-Smith, Mrs. W. G. Brittain, Rear-Admiral a»d Mrs. R. D. Watson, Instructor Captain and Mrs. A. W. Turvey, Dr. Paris, the Minister of Education, Mr. J. P. Vassallo, the Director of Education, Group Captain and Mrs. F. W. Thomson, Major K. Hall, Command Education Officer, H.Q. Troops, Malta, and Sqdn./Ldr. D. R. Fayle, Area Education Officer, Air Headquarters, Malta, and the Heads of Malta Schools and Colleges.

Owing to lack of space in the Hall only official guests and the parents of prize-winners could be invited. Forms 1 and the Junior School were unable to attend, but the proceedings were relayed for their benefit to the Art Room and Junior classrooms.

On arrival Lady Mountbatten was presented with a bouquet of roses by Carol Downey, 2 A.M.

The ceremony included songs by the school and by the choir; a short introduction by the Flag Officer Malta - Rear-Admiral W. G. Brittain CBE - who welcomed our distinguished guests; the Headmaster's Report, which is re-printed below; and the presentation of Prizes and Certificates by the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who after talking about her previous visit to the school, and encouraging everyone to work as hard as possible, ended her speech by granting the school a whole day's holiday. Hazel Ansell, the Head Girl, thanked Lady Mountbatten for the kindness, and called for three cheers, which were given with a will; and the ceremony ended with Vaughan Williams' "The New Commonwealth", followed by the National Anthem.

Mr. Chairman, Lady Mountbatten, Your Honour, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank Lady Mountbatten for coming here this afternoon, and to say how delighted we are to see her again. The school remembers her last visit with great pleasure, and I am sure I am speaking for all when I say how much we regret this may be her last visit for some time.

May I also welcome you Sir (Admiral Brittain) and say that we hope to have the pleasure of seeing you and your wife many times at Tal Handak.

It is so much easier to make a speech if the subject is one about which it is possible to be enthusiastic, and I can be very enthusiastic this afternoon because I am extremely proud, in fact I know we are all extremely proud, of this school. It is difficult to prevent an account of what has been a very successful year becoming a mere catalogue of events, and in order to avoid this I should like to give you my assurance that the reputation this school has for hard work has been well maintained, and then talk briefly about some of the changes which have taken place, about our achievements, and a little about our hopes for the future.

The Secondary School has continued to grow very rapidly. Today there are 560 compared with 492 at the corresponding time last year, and it seems probable that we shall eventually reach about 700. During the year three excellent new classrooms and a new laboratory have been added, and the shell of a Metal Workshop is now waiting for equipment to be installed. In spite of these valuable additions we are still overcrowded - some of our classes are much too large.

The life and atmosphere of the school depend a great deal on the buildings - no school can develop fully without suitable accommodation, and the buildings here are the most unsatisfactory feature of the school. Pupils must move about a great deal, and they have to learn to move quickly without close supervision. The scenes here in wet weather have to be seen to be believed. It is difficult for a Headmaster to preserve a sense of dignity attired in gum 'boots, white shorts and an umbrella! We would like better buildings, but understand the difficulties, and knowing that the proposal to build a new school has the strong support of the Commander-in-Chief and has received sympathetic consideration in the Admiralty, we shall continue to do our best here until a new school is built, and hope it will not be too long.

Organised games have been introduced into the school timetable this term. Girls go to a field belonging to the Army about half a mile up the lane, and boys go to the Marsa where we have the use of the stadium and some of the open ground this side. These arrangements are far from ideal, but are at present the best that we can do.

The organisation of the Grammar School is well established, but some of the pupils have, in my opinion, been attempting too much, and I am anxious to reduce the number of subjects taken by individual pupils, at the same time allowing them as wide a choice of subjects as possible, and making sure that they all do a balanced course The Grammar School is divided into an Arts stream and a Science stream, and we have specialist teachers now for all the normal Grammar School subjects. The pupils we can help most are those who have a clear object in mind - those who want to go to a university or into one of the professions. Those who drift through the school without any clear object in view are more difficult to help - we can only see that they take subjects for which they appear to be most suitable, and at the same time insist they pursue a course which will give them a sound general education.

Yesterday as you know was Sir Winston Churchill's 80th birthday. It is a notable thing that at each stage of his remarkable career he appears to have had a fixed object in mind and to have concentrated on it with all his strength - building up the fleet, winning the war. This has undoubtedly been one of the secrets of his success, and his example is one I would like all the children here to take to heart.

In the Modern School we are developing a number of special courses. For the first time we have a 5th form, and in the future there will be nothing to prevent suitable boys and girls in the Modern School from taking the General Certificate of Education in one or more subjects. For girls we now have a Commerical Course consisting of Typing, Book-keeping, Shorthand and French and a course of Science, Domestic Science and Needlework. Boys in the top forms of the Modern School do a Technical course which enables them to qualify for Navy, Army and Air Force Apprenticeships. It would be a valuable experience for some of these boys to visit the workshops of the three Services, and I hope to arrange this during the coming months. Typing for the girls is an innovation which is very popular, and I am very grateful to the Royal Air Force Authorities for allowing the girls to join their classes at their Education Centre in Valletta. I am very glad to mention this inter-service aspect of the school, to which the Admiral has already referred. Some children come to this school - a Naval School - in R.A.F. buses and sit in Army desks, and I could give you many other examples of inter-service co-operation.

I have used the terms Grammar School and Modern School, but whether the school is primarily a Grammar School, Modern School or Comprehensive School is largely an academic question,  and I would like to stress that this is one school. There is nothing rigid and I hope there never will be anything rigid about its internal organisation, the character of which is bound to change as we do our best to see our courses are suitable for the children we get. It must be flexible, for children come here from every type of school, and our object is always to do the best we can for each individual child.

Our examination results have been very satisfactory. Last summer four pupils took G.C.E. at Advanced Level - all passed -three in three subjects and the fourth in two - one girl obtained a distinction in Art. At Ordinary Level we entered 33 candidates. All obtained a certificate and there were some excellent individual results. Two boys passed in ten subjects, and altogether 23 of 33 candidates passed in five or more subjects - the number normally required by professional bodies and colleges. I would like to acknowledge here the help we received from the Local Education Authorities who organise these examinations for us, in particular Dr. Paris, the Minister of Education, Mr. Vassallo, the Director of Education, and say how pleased we are to have them with us this afternoon.

One of our boys qualified for Sandhurst, one obtained a Scholarship to Dartmouth (16|) and a number of boys have taken Royal Navy and Air Force Apprenticeship Examinations. Some of our younger boys and girls have taken Common Entrance Examinations for the English Public Schools, and I hope some boys will apply for the Scholarships now offered by all three Services, which enable suitable candidates to remain at school from the age of 16 until they are old enough to enter, for example, Britannia, the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, two years later. We do not, of course, think only in terms of careers in the Services. A number of our pupils have taken Civil Service Examinations, and I would like to see more boys from both the Grammar and the Modern Schools taking up careers in Industry. We have a Careers Master who has made a special study of the opportunities for boys and girls, and he is always available to give children and parents advice.

In sport we have had a very full programme - football (soccer and rugger), tennis, netball, swimming, cricket and cross country running. For the first time we won the Combined Secondary School Sports, and received very kind messages of congratulation from the Commander-in-Chief and Flag Officer Malta. This happened a few weeks after my arrival. It was an excellent start for me, but I am sorry the sports did not take place before my predecessor, Instructor Cdr. Bellamy, left. Any credit for the victory was his, and of course, the boys who took part, and knowing how keen he was for the school to win the sports it would have set the seal on his achievements as a very successful Headmaster of this school. I am very pleased to see so many friends from the Malta Schools and Colleges here this afternoon. I know they will do their utmost to take the trophies back from us next year. We will certainly do our best to keep them.

In spite of transport and electrical difficulties - as you know Sir, we normally have no lighting in the school after a quarter to five - our after-school activities continue to flourish. Dramatics, Scouts, Cubs, Guides, Life Saving, Choir, Scottish Dancing and many others. Our Scouts were inspected by Lord Rowallan, the Chief Scout, and received a special compliment in his report when he said that standards in the Island were set by the Naval School Troop. Heather Marriott, one of our Guides, was awarded the Queen's Guide Badge. (Photo added)

But maybe the occasion which will be remembered most was on the 3rd. of May when 200 children from this school took part in and saw her Majesty the Queen at the Childrens' Rally at Floriana, and the remainder of the school watched the Britannia enter Grand Harbour. You will of course realise that behind all the work and activities of the school are the staff, and I am glad to have this opportunity of thanking the staff most sincerely for the tremendous support they have given me since I came here. They need great determination - and a sense of humour - to overcome the difficulties of teaching in this school. Their classes are always changing, and they rarely have the satisfaction of taking a boy or girl right through a course and seeing them succeed in the examination. The reputation of the school depends on them, and I know from the large number of kind letters I get from parents that their efforts are greatly appreciated.

I would also like to thank the ladies who help with the Guides and Cubs, and particularly the Dockyard Departments who help the school in all sorts of ways; in fact everyone in Malta seems anxious to help the school, and we do our best to justify their support. Last but not least, I must thank the Padres of all denominations who voluntarily come to this school each week to take Religious Knowledge. They are making a vital contribution in the development of the school as a Christian community, and I am most grateful for their help. I hope that children leaving the school will realise that Religious Knowledge has not been just one more subject in the Timetable, but the guiding principle in everything the school does.

I want pupils in this school to be enthusiastic, to have good manners, and to cultivate a sense of responsibility. All must work hard and take full advantage of their opportunities, and I would like some of them to be a little more ambitious - in the best sense of the word. The school will try to teach them what is right and what is good, and in this spirit I look forward to the coming year with every confidence.

A very successful concert was given by the choir at Tal Handak on the 12th and 13th of April. The choir was accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief s Orchestra.

200 children represented the school on the 3rd. of May at the Rally of 1500 children at Floriana during the visit to Malta of H.M. Queen Elizabeth. The school choir also took part in the celebration.

The Head Teachers of the Army Children's Schools at St. Andrews and Tigne visited Tal Handak on the 28th. of June, and Head Teachers of the R.A.F. Schools at Luqa and Safi came on Tuesday the 6th. of July. These visits were very informative and of great value to all concerned.

Visitors:— Flag Officer Malta (Rear Admiral Brittain, c.b.e.)

The Head Girl and Head Boy since September have been Hazel Ansell and David Page.

PREFECTS Boys

 Girls Ann Holloway, Nancy Wills, Avril Scott, Avril Corner, Valerie Turvey, Ann Perrin, Renate Roberts.

Open Day at Tal Handak was on Friday the 19th of November, and as usual parents attended in large numbers. The Headmaster talked to parents in the Hall about Secondary School Selection Tests.

The Junior Concert and Christmas Party was held at Tal Handak on Monday the 20th of December, and the Secondary School Christmas Party in the Scouts Hall, Floriana, on Monday the 3rd of January.

Christmas term ended with a Carol Service on Wednesday the 22nd of December.

The second occasion was the Carol Concert, which took place on the last day of the Christmas term. The choir sang descants to most of the carols sung by the school. We also sang "He shall feed his flock" from Handel's "Messiah", and a traditional unaccompanied carol in three parts called "The Poverty Carol". As a result of the Carol Service we were asked to record some carols for the Malta Educational Broadcasting Association.

After Christmas we really settled down. Miss Derbyshire divided us into two parts, soprano and alto, and we began to study two part songs.

And now, what of our future activities? We would very much like to produce the Opera "Trial by Jury", by Gilbert and Sullivan, but at the moment this seems impossible as we badly need tenors and basses, and quite a few more alto voices. This school surely can produce at least ten tenors and ten basses!! The girls are doing their share, now it is up to the boys! On the whole the attendance at choir practices has been very irregular. This does not make a successful choir. More effort is needed by every one if the choir is to take its proper place in school life.

We would like to thank Miss Derbyshire for the work she has done with the choir, and we are extremely grateful to her for making our choir practices so enjoyable.

Madeline Couzins (Choir Prefect)

During the Spring Term last year, the girls of the third, fourth and fifth forms, under the tuition of Miss Davies, learned to dance most of the well known Scottish reels. We continued this once a week (during the cooler months of the Summer) and throughout the Autumn Term. We have learned, with the aid of gramophone records, the Dashing White Sergeant, Petronella, the Gay Gordons, Strip-the-Willow, Eightsome Reel, Scottish Country Dance, Blue Bonnets, The Flowers of Edinburgh, and many others. We are grateful to Miss Davies, and to Anne Abel who has played the piano for those dances for which we have no records. The class is held on Mondays at 1.30 p.m. and at present about forty girls attend, but we would welcome anyone else who would like to come from the third form and above.

Teresa Rees

When we came to Malta we came overland. We started from Dover. We caught a ship over to France then we went to Paris by train. At Paris we arrived in the evening. In the morning we went downstairs to have our breakfast in our hotel. Then we went out for a walk. A coach came and we went to lots of places. We went to the Madeleine Church, the Eiffel Tower, and the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, where there is a light that never goes out. The next day we climbed to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

The next place we went to was Switzerland. We stopped at Montreux where we stayed at Hotel Terminus. At Montreux we went up a mountain in a mountain train. The next place we went to was Rome. At Rome we went to the Coliseum and the Vatican City, where the Pope lives. The next place we went to was Naples. We couldn't stay very long because of the Salerno flood. We couldn't catch the express so we got on a slow train and we were in it for about twenty hours. We went to Syracuse, in Sicily. At Syracuse we caught the "Star of Malta" and came to Malta.

Marilyn Ovenden   Form 1J

We arrived at the station at six o'clock to get the train which was leaving from Waverley station for Kings Cross.

On the way we did not stop at any other stations but passed many fields of grazing cows and sheep.

It was nearing 10 o'clock and my mother advised us to get some sleep. My brother and sister managed to go to sleep, but the excitement was so great that no matter how I tried, I just couldn't.

Early next morning we arrived at Kings Cross station and from there we went to Euston station where we were to get a bus which was going to take us to Bovington Airport. At the Airport we were directed to a canteen where we could get something to eat.

Half an hour later the plane rumbled on to the runway and waited for us to get on board. I liad a seat which was just above the wing, my mother and sister were sitting behind me and my brother was opposite. We were flying at a rate of about 220 m.p.h.

We made one stop during the flight and that was in the south of France so that the plane could refuel.

At Luqa, we stepped down from the plane, and for the first time set our feet on Maltese soil.

This is to relieve the anxieties of all those parents, who wonder where on earth their children disappear to on Friday evenings, (or Saturday afternoons, as the case may be!) They may also wonder at the battered state in which the children return. Most parents will probably have heard of the marvels of Rockyvale -some will even have ventured to see its wonders for themselves. However, I doubt whether they know the "inside story," of Rockvvale! I will now venture to relate it.

One enters through a gateway, which leads on to a flight of steps. Strains of music come floating up, and one can hear the rattle of skates on the tiled floor as one approaches the rink. Then the rink is reached. Overhead are strung gaily coloured lights and at various intervals around the rink are loud speakers which blare forth the latest popular song. All the way round the rink is a rather battered barrier, which is used by all beginners as a support, and which serves as a buffer for all those who are rather unsteady on their skates, and who find that they cannot stop!

On surveying the rink one sees the different types of skaters. The beginners struggling round, clinging to the barrier, try desperately to stand upright. Then come the learners, patiently endeavouring to move their unsteady feet. The more daring follow, venturing to travel backwards, and the gay desperadoes are there skidding and swerving at breakneck speed. Last of all are the experts, neat and precise, gracefully performing twists and complicated turns in the centre of the rink.

Then, even as one watches, the music changes, the skaters gain new life, and move gaily in time to the tune. Even the beginners assume a jaunty air, and renew their efforts. Across the rink skaters from into chains, and laughingly pull each other round colliding now and then, and tumbling over one another.

And yet all the time there is a gaiety and light-hearted atmosphere about the rink. It is exhilarating to tear around the rink, oblivious of all else! But then there is the more painful side. It does hurt when one comes in sudden contact with the tiled floor! One is inclined to get rather battered when one collides with a hefty individual, armed with a hockey stick, who skates post-haste after a ball.

However, when one prepares to leave, battered, tired, aching, who does not anxiously reckon when they will be free to come again!

Anon!

One Saturday morning, a few weeks ago, I had an unexpected surprise. I was taken in a boat for a little trip, but it wasn't an

ordinary trip, nor was it an ordinary boat. I have been in boats many times before, but surely this one was the most exciting of all, for it was fitted with a window, of all places, in the bottom! We left the landing stage, and proceeded out to the open sea until we reached a suitable place, of which I was told the depth was forty feet. Now we slowed the L.T.A. down to enable us to see the underwater world, which we did by lying on the lower deck looking through the glass window. A really wonderful sight was this silent world. When I had a peep I fell in love with it at once. The seaweed never keeps still, a beautiful blue, and most colourful fishes were playing about (they were about a foot long) The sea anemones of various colours waited for their prey. Great ravines of rock went down deeper than other parts. They too were clustered with anemones. Suddenly I had a surprise. A strange figure passed the window. Unknown to me a frogman had gone into the water and then appeared making queer faces at me.

We then went towards the breakwater and passed under the bridge. I then realized that it had been made by underwater men many years ago. On our way back we passed the remains of an old wartime wreck covered in weed and looking ghostly in the depths. It was hard to realize that this was once a ship of the kind that we see in the harbours of Malta.

Old Genevieve's Gran

It stops and it starts

     Makes a heck of a fuss.

   So out to the bus-stop

At twenty past eight

Each morning I pop;

It's not often I'm late.

"Oh why, Mr. Driver

Of Genevieve's Gran,

Try eating All-bran.

(The author gratefully acknowledges the help given by Miss Yule, who taught him the value of the heroic couplet, and by Monica Kelly, who showed him how funny Pope can be.)

But, feeling something was required of me, I thought I'd try my hand at poetry; And since friend Pope was prone to satirise, To do the same would not be too unwise; And thus, since satire seems to be the rule, I'll wax sarcastic; o'er Tal Handak school. The school itself (a group of old stone huts)

Is reached by crossing half mile of ruts,

Which, when Napoleon's army here abode,

Might well have been presumed to be a road.

The staff - now they are quite beyond description,

To define them would just result in friction,

(Oh dear, I really have slipped up this time;

I ought to have thought out a better rhyme.)

That, nowadays, they must a lot be paying,

For, glancing at their cars in glad array,

One can't help thinking, "Is it L.O.A.,

Or do the teachers, penniless as ever

Buy their new cars upon the 'never never'?"

To satirise the Head would be a treat,

But something tells me 'twould be indiscreet.

So I will now continue to describe

That small, but infinitely clever tribe,

Without whose loyal and untiring zeal,

The school would never be on even keel,

And ere I finally lay down my lute,

Our loyal band of prefects I salute.

So now, for those who don't already know it. I hope I've proved that I am not a poet.

The prefect stood erect and bold. The wait was long, the morn was cold, One thing she did anticipate -It was the arrival of pupils late,

Above her sang th' angelic crowd, In solemn service heads were bow'd. A slow and stealthy step resounded. The hawk upon her poor prey pounded.

"You're late, you know," the hawk then said, "And to your judgement must be led." "Our clock was slow," the victim cries. "Come now, let's have no more of lies."

During the month of September, there is a season called hop-picking. Many families from London pack up enough luggage to last them three or four weeks. They go to Kent to pick the hops in the hop-gardens.

The farmer pays them so much money for a bushel of hops picked.

Now I will tell you a story of the way we live, and things I do, down there.

There is a long row of huts in which the families live. The huts are made of wood with a sheet iron roof. In it there is a big bed made of wood, and on the bed there is a bale of straw. Mummy puts this straw into a matress cover. My brother, sister and I then jump up and down on it to make it flat, ready for mum to make a nice cosy bed.

The last time I was down there I used to get up with my dad at 5.30 a.m., make a cup of tea, then go rabbit hunting. I can remember one day my brother and I went fishing. We both had proper fishing lines and hooks. My sister came along with a bent pin on a piece of string, and was the first to catch one!

Another reason I like going hop-picking is that I like bird watching. There are many kinds of birds in Kent.

Some mornings I help the farmer feed the pigs. They are my favourite animals. He also lets my brother and I pick his apples, ready to be weighed and sent to the market. Of an evening before going to bed, we have a sing-song round the fire. Everybody says "goodnight" and off to bed they go, and we all meet again in the hop-garden in the morning. I then start another day's adventure.

On Nov. 6th 1950, I was getting really excited as the next day I was travelling to London with my mother and No. 617 Squadron (The Dam Busters), of which my father was a member, to attend the presentation of the Minot Bombing Trophy, by the King, in Buckingham Palace Grounds, on November 8th.

On arrival in London we were to hear that owing to the King's suffering from rheumatism the ceremony was to be held in the State Ballroom.

The long corridor had big settees all the way along and gilt fire places with gold tables in front of them. On the wall were big pictures with gilt frames all round. In the middle of the corridor on both sides were two big glass doors with gold carvings on each side and on top. On the floor was a long pink carpet all the way along the corridor.

When we entered the Ballroom the first thing we saw, in the Wings of the Ballroom, was the Royal Air Force Central Band playing Viennese Waltzes. The director was Wing Commander A. E. Sims Underneath six glittering chandeliers stood four airmen at ease on the parquet flooring, with their eyes fixed on the two thrones beneath the canopy over-hanging the scarlet dais. On the long, low seats covered in rich red silk, which were arranged in tiers around the floor, we and other relatives of the squadron sat.

The soft airs being played by the band in the gallery aloft faded away. The band played the opening bar to a march as the Squadron made its way through the gilt framed mirrored doors to take up their position on the ballroom floor.

Then the King and Queen and Princess Margaret, with an officer of the Guard, came in. When they came in the Squadron and relatives stood up for the National Anthem. The Squadron Commander approached the dais and told the King the Squadron was ready for inspection. The King inspected the men and talked to some of the people as he walked past them. The Queen followed His Majesty round, and as she went past the end of the rows she waved and smiled at the relatives. Then the King made a speech about the past and. present squadron, and all their victories. Then the men marched back to Wellington Barracks, across the Mall. Before we went out of the Palace we looked over the trophy, then we made our way across to the Barracks to watch the Squadron being dismissed.

"Hong Kong" means "fragrant waters", because when the first English settlers went there they found the waters very fragrant. In 1841 Hong Kong became a British Colony. It is an island 11 miles long and 2 to 5 miles wide. The capital is Victoria, which stretches for four miles. Not many years ago people crossed the Chinese border, bound from Hong Kong to London, all the way by rail. The 10,000 mile journey across Siberia took 17 days. Now you can only go about 22 miles into China, because of restrictions made by Communist China. Hong Kong has been changed from a barren island into one of the world's biggest ports in less than a century. The highest point of Hong Kong is 1,300 ft. above sea level. Any visitors to the island ride up in a tram to the top, where there is a wonderful view of the whole island. The peak is called Victoria Peak and it is about eight degrees cooler than the town. People living on the peak do not need fans or mosquito nets. All the beaches are sandy and there is a tide. When it is midday in England, it is 8 p.m. in Hong Kong.

It is customary, at feasts, to have a 20 - 30 course meal, but normally they only have 2 meals a day, and drink tea without milk-The Chinese lucky colour is red. They love dressing up and making a noise. A Chinese theatre is worth visiting, just to see the lovely costumes of the actors, but few Europeans can stay for more than half an hour or so owing to the dreadful noise. But the noisiest occasion of all is the Chinese New Year, which is in February, when they let off crackers and fireworks, and they have a special open-air bazaar which is open for a week at the beginning of the New Year and stays open all night. They sell sweetmeats, flowers, goldfish, fruit, miniature trees, and Chinese wares such as chow bowls, chop sticks, trays, and shoes etc. Other festivals are the Moon Festival, on which occasion very sweet and spiced cakes in the shape of a moon are eaten, and on the Dragon Festival are held dragon boat races, which take place on the fifth day of the fifth moon. Each boat has a carved dragon's head in the bows. When the races are over the crews come ashore for refreshments, not forgetting to reward the dragon figurehead with a bun.

There is a great variety of bird-life and many beautiful flowers in Hong Kong.

Ginger, camphorwood chests, lacquer trays, materials and linen are exported.

About 125,000 people live on junks and sampans, being carried to the shore only when they die. These people have their own language and customs forming a separate community of their own. There are also floating shops and restaurants. Only the wealthy Chinese can afford flats and houses because the rents are extremely high. In some parts of the town 2,000 people live in one acre. A poor family lives in a cubicle, which is about the size of a double bed. Some families sleep in the day and go out at night letting another family sleep in their cubicle. Other families build huts on waste land. These huts are called squatters' huts, and they catch fire very easily as they are made of straw. Because of these fires, many thousands of people have already been rehoused. The population of Hong Kong is 2.75 million.

From September to February the island is at its best, with lovely blue skies and no rain at all. March and April are quite cold but not rainy, May and June are the rainy months. July and August are extremely hot and humid, the temperature reaches 100° and the humidity almost 100%.Tyhoons occur mostly from July to September. When a typhoon is approaching the dockyard, offices, shops and schools all close. A typhoon means an extremely strong wind which can uproot plants and blow off roofs.

Hong Kong is well worth a visit and can be strongly recommended for its variety of things to see and experience.

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