Like the last few mornings, today seemed to promise rain at first but it was fine and very hot by midday.

   I spent three hours this morning in a hearty discussion with Phipps. We talked about space, time, the laws of chance and a lot of other things as well. [He is in the Medical Upper Sixth, a year older than I, and a keen botanist. He lives at 60 Senneleys Park Road, Weoley Castle, but will be leaving at the end of term.]

   I did not have room yesterday to record that the Test Match ended in a draw. Australia 346 (Hassett 104) and 368 (Miller 109, Morris 89); England 372 (Hutton 145, Graveney 78) and 282 for 7 (Watson 109). There was an hour left for play when England went in to bat on Monday afternoon needing 343 to win. They were 12 for 3 at the close and looked certain to lose, but Bailey and Watson put on 163 for the 5th wicket before Watson was caught for 109. Bailey followed soon after. Brown was out in the last over making it 282 for 7 with Benaud needing to take 3 wickets with the last four balls. So the suspense continued to almost the last ball — a wonderful match!

   This morning I cycled to school. I spent the whole morning in the greenhouse. I have asked Budd, who will be in the Medical Sixth next year, to succeed me as secretary of the Natural History Society, and he is going to inform me of his decision tomorrow. I had thought of asking Maskell but he is young yet and his time will come.

   At 2.0pm John Bray and I went swimming. About a hundred others decided to do the same and there wasn’t room to swing the proverbial cat round. The weather was very hot again.

   This evening I have done all my blancoing, brass cleaning, and pressing, and taken Ginger out for exactly an hour. It is now 10.30 and I am listening to the last in the present series of “T.I.F.H.”. This is Joy Nichols’ last one as she is returning to Australia.

   I put on my uniform and went on parade for the first time since March 20th, seventeen weeks ago. My foot seems completely better. Almost the whole of parade was devoted to inspection rehearsal.

   I spent the whole morning in the greenhouse. Budd has accepted the position of secretary when I leave in December. The committee will probably consist of K.J. Maskell, R.J. Teasdale, P.J. Davies, M.C.W. Evans, D.A.H. Bennett, J.G. Edwards, J.G. Evans and M.J. Rufus. Mr. Woods will, I hope, become our new chairman.

   After school I went to Evening Prayers and then to the S.C.M. when Canon R.S.O. Stevens gave an interesting talk, “Christianity in Industry”. [He is 39, Vicar of St Paul & St. Mark’s, Honorary Chaplain to the Bishop of Birmingham (Dr. Barnes), and has a special interest in industry.]

   I have been watching TV tonight & saw Ken Platt, Josef Locke, Norman Evans & the Beverley Sisters in “Stars at Blackpool” from the Tower Ballroom. The programme was very badly timed & was cut short.

   I did not go to school today as I intended to go straight to town to the Reference Library. Julia came with me. We went first of all to Cornwall Street where a Black Redstart is nesting in a hole in a wall on a bombed site, but didn’t see the bird.

   We went also to the Museum and to Snow Hill Station to find out the times of trains to Margate. There is one train at 11.30pm on Friday which we hope to catch, and on the Saturday, there are three trains, at 10.10am, 10.20 and 10.43.

   Dad and I watched the Women’s Singles Championship this afternoon between [Maureen] “Mo” Connelly and Doris Hart. It was a really terrific fight which “Little Mo” won 7–5, 6–4.

   Tonight we watched Frankie Howerd and Edmund Hockridge in a variety show, “The Gay Parade”.

   I spent part of today reading Panic, a John Creasey book which I got from the Library last night.

   Grace and Arthur came to tea.

   Prayers today was outside once again as school exams have now commenced. During the first two periods I went into Statistics. Hodgkiss gave a talk on the representation of numerical data, histograms, frequencies and ogives.

   I spent the rest of the day tidying up the Biology Lab. The nest of drawers in the corner of the room contained a large number of charts and diagrams in no particular order. I put these into groups and re-labelled the drawers. Mr. Ballance gave me a black folder which I found [and shall always keep.

   Three more of the new QEII stamps went on sale today — the 5d brown, 8d magenta and 1/- bistre-brown, for parcels. The 1½d green and 2½d carmine red came out on 5th December. The five stamps are all of different design and very attractive.]

   I went to the West End tonight to see the French comedy Night Beauties (U). What a really delightful film it was! Gerard Philipe is a young composer who finds life made hard for him because of the noise of pneumatic drills and car engines revving up. If only he lived in the [writing follows on to next page]

quieter by-gone days. At night he dreams of these days and has numerous adventures with three beautiful young ladies (Martine Carol, Gina Lollobrigida and Magali Vendeuil) but times were not quite so pleasant after all.

   The dream sequences were terrific, spiced with a certain touch of fantasy and comedy for which only one person could be responsible — Rene Clair.

   Eventually, Gerard Philipe tries to escape from his dreams, and then finds that the women of his dreams all exist in real life, women he sees every day. Martine Carol he sees in the Post Office, Gina Lollobrigida sits at a desk in the bistro, Magali Vendeuil is a garage hand.

   Furia (X), an Italian film with English sub-titles, starring Isa Pola and Rossano Brazzi [was the supporting picture. I left off writing but “J&W” is pencilled in the margin].

   We had further talks in Statistics this morning.

   During the afternoon, VI forms had a lecture on mental calculations from Dr. Klein, a Dutchman. He did six-digit multiplications in one line (I have now learned this most useful trick).

   Tonight I went [to the Bristol Cinema] to see the phenomenal 3–D film with stereophonic sound, House of Wax, an X. Vincent Price is the owner of a waxworks which his unscrupulous partner burns down. Believed to be dead, he is now turned monster, his face so disfigured as to be unrecognisable. He opens up a new waxworks and gets his models by robbing the morgue and coating the bodies with wax.

   So as to have an inspection rehearsal this afternoon, today was a full school day and we shall be able to go home tomorrow straight after the morning’s activities.

   In Statistics, Serck, Stewart and Huskins gave lectures.

   There was no Special Bus home so I caught the 1A. I called in at the Library and got T.W. Hutton’s History of the School. [King Edward’s School, Birmingham, 1552–1952 by T.W. Hutton, M.A., Deputy Bailiff of the Governors and Chairman of the School Committee, lately Editor of The Birmingham Post. It is published by Basil Blackwell, Oxford. I wish I had got one when I had the opportunity last year but at 25/- it seemed expensive].

   This evening I have watched Jack Hulbert in a comedy, The Black Sheep of the Family by L. du Garde Peach and Ian Hay.

   England made a good start in the 3rd Test Match [against Australia] at Old Trafford. With only 15 scored, Bedser bowled Morriss for 1. Hassett made 26 before being bowled by Bailey and Miller fell to Bedser for 17 making the score 48 for 3. Evans then dropped an easy catch when Harvey was 4 and at the close Australia were 151 for 3. There was only 2 hrs 50 mins play due to rain.

   We had the Annual Inspection today by Air Marshal C.E.N. Guest, C.B., C.B.E., O.E. Everything went according to plan satisfactorily. The band, under Drum Major Birch, played better than I think I have ever heard it. Two or three days ago it looked as though there would be no band; a pipe burst in the band-room and this and the armoury were flooded in steaming hot water to a considerable depth. It’s a wonder the drums weren’t ruined, certainly all the rifles have rusted.

   After the march-past, C. Coy moved off to the hockey pitch adjoining the University Drive for a display of a section attack as a drill movement by a section under Sgt. Gardner. Finally there was a short address in Big School.

   Tonight I’ve listened to the MLO [Midland Light Orchestra] playing Delibe’s ballet music Sylvia.

   Nothing happened at school today.

   This afternoon I listened and watched the third day’s play in the Third Test Match. [There was only 90 minutes’ play yesterday due to rain. The deluge damaged the TV cables, so there was no picture until an hour after play was resumed at noon today.]

   Australia began the day with their score 221 for 3 wickets, but their last wickets fell for the addition of only 97 runs. Bedser started the collapse by getting Hole caught by Evans for 66 with his first delivery. Evans was caught Harvey off Bedser’s bowling with his score 22, thereby making some amends for dropping the same batsman when he had made only 4, Then Evans dropped Davidson but later stumped him off Laker’s bowling. At tea, Australia were 290 for 6, and within an hour were all out for 318.

   At lunch, Australia were 290 for 6, and within an hour were all out for 318, the last 4 wickets falling in half-an-hour for the addition of 28 runs. Bedser bowled magnificently, taking 5 for 115.

   England soon lost Edrich c Hole b Hill 6. Graveney followed c De Courcey b Miller 5. Just before the close Hutton went for 66, Compton for 45, and England are 126 for 4. [They still need 43 to avoid the follow-on, and the new ball is due.]

   Nothing much happened today. I went to Dorlings to pay the papers, 2/6 as usual. It has been 2/6 since 18th October last year when it went up 5d. (6 Birmingham Mails, 2d each, plus The People, the Sunday Graphic, the Sunday Mercury, Radio Times, and 2d for delivery.

   I did not take part in Field Day today. Instead I arranged a good part of the Natural History Exhibition. I had the help of several boys from the Shells and Removes and we went out collecting insects and wild flowers. During the lunch hour I dissected a Starling which we found dead in the Science Court. After dinner we all went fishing in E.P. [Edgbaston Park] and got a large number of specimens. Going through the woods we put up a covey of Partridges from their nests.

   No play was possible in the Test match today. There was heavy rain yesterday and a continuous downpour during the night. This morning there were pools of water all over the ground.

   A Mr. Joseph, an O.E., addressed the syndicate this morning on the use of statistics in his particular profession — insurance.

   In third period, Brown, Campbell and Hudson presented the report on their census on radio and television. It was pretty well spoilt by the frivolous answers to most of the questions.

   Dr. Grant held a practice for the Chapel and XXII Choirs during last period. This term’s service is being held in the Cathedral on Sunday next.

   I went to Cubs this evening. Mr. Winters is leaving shortly and a Mr. Gould, father of one of the cubs, may be taking over.

   In the test, England went from 126 for 4 to 276 all out. Australia went in for the fourth innings and made 35 for 8!

   I was supposed to have given my talk on control charts this morning but instead we went straight off to the Department of Statistics at the Q.E. [Queen Elizabeth Hospital].

   We had first of all a talk by a doctor on the way statistics are kept there. Then we saw punch cards, how they are made, and sorted at the rate of 18,000 per hour by a clever piece of machinery.

   During what is normally Physics this morning we returned Chemistry books and Science Locker keys. My locker was more or less intact so I had 5/- back.

   The Gym competition was held today this morning but I wasn’t able to go because Dr. Grant held a Chapel Choir practice between 9.30 and 11.10. [It was won by B.F. Leek, with B.C. Gane 2nd and J.S. Mather 3rd. The Junior Competition was won by G.M. Henman.]

   The Chapel and XXII Choirs had to be at the Cathedral by 2.15pm for a rehearsal of music for the service on Sunday. The Chapel Choir had to return to school to sing Evensong at 4.0pm. It was raining hard at this time. As a reward for our services, the Chaplain had a special tea laid on for us in the Dining Hall. A very nice tea it was too!

   In Evensong we sang for our anthem, O Lord, increase my faith by Orlando Gibbons.

   Today was Speech Day and I cycled to school. The proceedings were as boring as usual, Speech Days always are.

   There were five prize recitations by Messrs. P.S. Trevis, A.R.G. Deasley, A.B. MacNab and A.R.N. Higgs, C. Gilbraith, and P.H.R. Mercer.

   [Stephen Chadwin, who is leaving, won the Bowater Prize for his “Bird Migration”. Mr. Ballance said he thought I ought to have got the prize for “The Birds of Birmingham County”, but I am very pleased as Stephen is much more knowledgeable.]

   Apart from the Prize-giving, it was the occasion of the handing over by the Lord Mayor [Alderman G.H.W. Griffith], of the City’s gift to K.E.S., 25 oak armchairs upholstered in deep red, specially designed by the City architect. The gift was received by the Bailiff, T.W. Hutton, who |ater made a second speech.

   The Chief [Master, the Rev. R.G. Lunt] spoke about the need for adaptability, and what a “D.G.” [Direct Grant] school is. The Warden of Merton College, Cambridge, presented the prizes.

   It rained heavily after dinner so I didn’t go to the O.E. match but spent an hour in the Library.

   Tonight we saw Part 1 of “The Quatermass Experiment”.

   Nothing at all happened this morning.

   After dinner I called for John, and Mr. Maund took us in the car to the Cathedral for our school service at 3.15pm. The Chaplain gave the sermon, taking as his subject Bishop Westcott who was at K.E.S. from 1837 to 1844. The service was not a very inspiring one somehow, but the choir anthem came off alright. For the first time there was no proper order of service, only a printed slip of paper. Mr. Maund gave Mr. and Mrs. Buttle a lift home.

   Tonight Mam and Dad went to Reg’s club. Reg is going to look after Ginger while we [are] on holiday.

   I was right when I doubted whether “Why” could ever succeed as a TV game. It has been taken off. I have watched “Star Bill” tonight.

   I cycled to school this morning. Nothing much happened during the morning. I spent the whole dinner hour talking to Phipps about British butterflies.

   The whole afternoon was devoted to a report on the syndicate when the secretary of each group gave an account of the fortnight’s work. A [Birmingham] Mail photographer and reporter were present to report the proceedings.

   After school, the N.H.S. met in the Museum. Colin Roberts gave a quite excellent talk on “British Butterflies: their collection and identification”. [Mr. Monkcom was chairman for the last time as he is leaving K.E.S.]

   I went to the Rialto tonight to see Niagara (A), a Technicolor thriller with Marilyn Monroe, Jean Peters and Joseph Cotten. It was a good film which I enjoyed. There were some magnificent views of the Niagara Falls.

   The other film was Sand, a Western, with Mark Stevens, Rory Colhoun and Coleen Gray, about a show horse who turns wild. It was not very good except for the scenery.

   We had normal periods today [Chemistry and Physics then, after break, Divinity and Biology] but did no work. In Divinity we discussed the vexed topic of school dinners which are going up to 1/- from 10d. They were 7d when I was in Rem.C. [1947–48].

   I played my last game of cricket at K.E.S. this afternoon in helping the 3rd XI to defeat Cary Gilson in the knock-out competition by 39 runs. We batted first and scored 102 for 4 declared. Clayton got 51, Ashton 37. I went in number 4 and was still 0 not out after twenty minutes. A pity Moore had to declare then, because for the first time this year I was seeing the ball as large as life and batting confidently. Cary Gilson were all out for 63. Apart from a wide with my first ball I bowled one good over, taking 0 for 5.

   The cabin trunk which Dad and I finished packing at 12.0 last night was collected today. [It is now on its way to Margate].

   Tonight we heard “Forces Show”.

   Another school year came to a close today. We had House meetings at 9.15am. In my last full year at school we [Vardy] have won the House Championship. In Rugger we won the league and seven-a-sides, and came second in the whole competition. We were second in the Athletics standards & sports, & won the Mitton Shield for the Athletics Championship. We won the Swimming and the Cricket too.

   [The Chronicle has published my article on our visit in April to Juniper Hall, but my report on the Natural History Society and Field Club has been reduced to only two lines under “The Societies” as there are so many of them.]

   Today we held a Field Meeting at the Lickeys. We met Mr. Stephenson at Rubery ’bus terminus at 10.0am . We took sandwiches with us as usual and had an excellent day studying the flora and fauna of the area, and also the geology which I find tremendously interesting. I must get Britain’s Structure and Scenery by L. Dudley Stamp, which seems to be the best book on the subject.

   My school report has come:—

PHYSICS   He has worked well but his written work still does not do him justice. O.M. (Mr. Mathews)

CHEMISTRY   He has undoubtedly worked hard this term & obtained a much improved grasp of the subject. He must guard against condensing his written work to such an extent that it does not give adequate indications of his understanding. S.D.W. (Mr. Woods)

BIOLOGY   Earnest and well-informed. H.W.B. (Mr. Ballance)

FRENCH   Good. A.C.G. (Mr. Gosling).

FORM MASTER   Certainly works wholeheartedly in all that he does. H.W.B. (Mr. Ballance)

HOUSEMASTER   His zest for House activities has in no way diminished. J.D.C. (Mr. Copland)

HEADMASTER   A good effort. R.G. Lunt.

   We go back on 17th September. It will be my last term at school irrespective of whether I get the “A” Levels or not.

   It seems that everything has been as awkward as possible so far as our holidays have been concerned. Mam and Dad went down to Reg’s last night but got there so late (9.45pm) that they missed him. He came here at 7.0am today to see what was going on, and Clarice & I had to go down again to Saltley to pick up Ginger’s things which Mam & Dad left there last night.

   Then we had to take Ginger down to Ruth at Yardley. We went to Saltley by 31A [to Stoney Lane] and 8 [Inner Circle] ’bus, but (i) the conductor put us off a mile too soon (ii) Clarice lost the directions & we forgot the name of the road (iii) we were told to get a 36 ’bus and there wasn’t one for miles around.

   We got everything done eventually and were home, much later than we expected, at 1.45pm.

   After dinner I went shopping for Mam and was given a 1/3 bottle of something for two shillings, so that had to be changed. I went to [Yardley Road to] inform the Acocks Green police of our absence and was told that Circular Road now comes under the surveillance of Robin Hood police, so I had to go to Hall Green [to the top of Shirley Road. I also went to Dorlings to pay the papers, half-a-crown as usual].

   The last thing I did before we started out tonight at 9.0 was to mow the front lawn.

   We had to queue at Moor St. for half an hour but when we did get on the train we managed to find five seats in the same compartment. A middle-aged couple and their son (who behaved most annoyingly for most of the journey) took the other three. The man searched for 20 minutes and decided that he HAD lost his tickets.

   The train left at 10.17 — it was almost dark as we sped thro’ Acocks Green. Travelling overnight was a rather peculiar sensation. I slept fitfully [we stopped at Banbury at 11.21pm and Guildford at 1.35am] but when I woke up for the last time I realised with something of a thrill that we were nearly there.

   It was 4.30 and day was nearly come. Still half asleep I put my head out of the window and felt the cool draught of morning air and caught the tang of the sea. We were in Ramsgate at 4.54 and we clambered out at Margate at 5.14am. We walked out of the station and took in the whole scene at a glance. Yes, everything was just as we had left it a hundred weeks ago, or very nearly the same anyway.

   In a restaurant on the sea-front we had a pot of tea and two merangues–-3/11d! Café owners had been up since 3.0am awaiting the big rush.

   With the full morning light came the promise of a beautiful day. It really was fine and warm already. We sat in the shelter by the clock tower then went on to the beach. The tide was a good way out and I walked round the bathing pool watching the shoals of tiny fishes. And then I realised it was still not 9.0am.

   We took our things into our lodging, Watson’s Restaurant in King Street. It doesn’t seem any too clean. I’ve got a dingy little room overlooking a dirty back alley. Mam and Dad’s room overlooks the harbour. Clarice and Julia have to sleep on a tiny divan in the same room. Our 2 meals weren’t very good.

   I slept in a deckchair on the beach this afternoon. After tea we walked to Cliftonville and then went through Dreamland. It was fine and very hot all day.

   I was up early this morning and I went out to buy a couple of papers. My voice was gone completely.

   Our lodgings are so bad that we decided to report them and find another place, so after breakfast Mam and I went off to the Accommodation Bureau. It was shut but a gentleman nearby asked if we needed rooms and took us to look over his hotel, the Rostellan in Cliftonville. He was only able to put us up until Saturday, so we had to decline the offer though the place was excellent.

   We spent the whole day on the beach. It was cloudy at times but warm enough. Mam complained to Mrs. Woolley at tea-time after we had been served up with half-cakes. Maybe things will improve now.

   After tea we walked round then sat reading in the shelter by the Sun-Deck before walking thro’ Dreamland.

   Clarice, Julia and I were served with cereals at breakfast today [which we didn’t have yesterday]. Mam and Dad spent the morning finding new accommodation for next week and found a place in Westbrook which will be five guineas cheaper. Meanwhile, I took three photographs — of Clarice & Julia on the beach by the pier, one of the harbour and another of the clock tower [showing the time to be 10.38am]. It started to rain around 11.30am so we had to shelter on the front.

   It was raining still after dinner when Dad and I went to see Mrs. Ralph at 23 Grove Gardens. We move there on Saturday. Mrs. Ralph was out but we did see her when we all went round after tea. The house is in a select part, only 10 minutes from the Sun-Deck.

   Earlier in the day I bought The Saint in London, a Pan book, & I sat reading this tonight. [The book, by Leslie Charteris, cost 2/-. It was first published in 1934 by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. under the title The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal.

    Later] we went through Dreamland & then had some chips. The cook [here at Watson’s Restaurant where we are staying, who knows how little we are getting to eat] gave me a plateful on our return.

   As usual I was out well before breakfast this morning and I bought a paper from the man by the slipway. We spent the morning on the beach and we all went swimming in the pool at about 11.30am.

   We were on the beach again after dinner and at 4.15 I fetched a film which had been developed and printed at The Photo Shop near the Clock Tower. They were not at all bad — some of the photographs were quite good in fact. I also bought this week’s Picturegoer.

   When we had had tea we walked along the main road into Cliftonville. Just round the corner from King Street I found a book shop and bought for 1/3d Donald Keyhoe’s book The Flying Saucers Are Real, published by Hutchinson at 2/- in 1950.

   We went right into Cliftonville, walking past the Oval, and we came back along the sea-front. Finally we went into Dreamland and I sat reading my book.

   We went swimming in the pool this morning. High tide these days [when the sea washes over the pool] is around 12.30pm.

   We sat on the beach during the afternoon until 4.0pm and then the sky clouded over and it looked like rain so we got up and walked along the front. I bought four postcards, one for Mr. Stephenson, one for John Winrow, and two for my collection.

   After tea everyone went to see the fireworks in Dreamland but I wasn’t keen and I decided to go instead to see Innocents in Paris at the tiny Plaza cinema in High Street.

   The film was good but nothing more. It tells the story of how five Englishmen spend a weekend in Paris. There’s a Royal Marines Band Drummer (Ronald Shiner), a diplomat (Alastair Sim), an artist (Margaret Rutherford), a Scotsman (Jas. Copeland) and a young girl (Claire Bloom).

   Here is the basis for a really fine film but it is the old story of missed chances. To my mind Ronald Shiner was wasted. He had a few moments of comedy and a bit of sentiment which was rather out of place in this film, while Claude Dauphine who befriends Claire Bloom seemed ill at ease and was never the gay, happy-go-lucky type as he was in April in Paris.

   When I woke up this morning [at 6am] I was precisely eighteen years and forty-five minutes old. Mam and Dad bought me a Cavendish pen and pencil set, Clarice & Julia gave me a writing case [which I shall always keep. I had birthday cards too.

   Mrs. Woolley said she was sorry she hadn’t got me a card, but would I like this picture postcard of the Bridge House, Ambleside? It was very kind of her. It is postmarked “Windermere, Westmorland, 4.30pm 31 May 1953” and reads, “Having a few days at Windermere, I wish you were with me, it is a beautiful place, perhaps some day we shall manage to come here, hope you have got plenty of staff. Love, Charles.” I wonder who Charles is? I am putting the card in my collection, also a Coronation Souvenir postcard which I have bought here.]

   It rained all day until 6.0pm. We listened to the radio in the morning and packed the trunk. At 10.30 I went round to Mrs. Ralph’s to see if they would be collecting it.

   We went round some of the main shops after dinner and got as far as High Street. The rain was bucketing down but after tea we went to the Dreamland cinema where the films were The Vanquished, a Western (John Payne, Jan Sterling), and Scared Stiff, the newest Martin & Lewis comedy, which was very funny. [The others are My Friend Irma (1949), My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), At War with the Army (1951), That’s My Boy (1951), Sailor Beware (1951), Jumping Jacks (1952) and The Stooge (1952).]

   What a surprise! I met Webb there, also on holiday with his family. [They live at 435 The Radleys, Marston Green.] He is in the Medical Division and attends the Natural History Society meetings. It is a small world!