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Barry Herald and Vale of Glamorgan
District Times
December 20th 1946
A Barry Jubilee
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SCHOOL THE COUNTY DID NOT THINK NECESSARY
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Return to Index Major
Edgar Jones
Had it not been for the persistent efforts of
a band of enthusiasts, Barry might never have had a secondary school.
Major Edgar Jones, MA., who was headmaster at
Barry County School from 1899 to 1933, states in a souvenir brochure which
has been published to mark the, golden jubilee of the school’s foundation.
that when the Glamorgan County Scheme was first introduced it was discovered
that Barry had been left out. Despite strong ‘protests by a number of
people, it was claimed by the framers of the scheme that the school at
Penarth would amply suffice for Barry’s needs.
There was, however, in Barry a group of
well-known people who refused to accept the. County’s opinion. Conspicuous
among them were Mr. John Lowden, Dr. Lloyd Edwards, Dr. P. J. O’Donnell, Mr.
J. C. Meggitt, Col. J. Arthur Hughes, and Captain R. Davies, Dock-master.
Through their tireless efforts, a mixed
school was finally established. Although the Barry representatives
maintained that accommodation for at least 200 pupils was necessary to meet
the needs of the town at that time, there were only places for 100.
Barry County School opened its doors on
October 1st, 1896. A little over 100 pupils joined in the first term. Now
the numbers attending the two secondary schools of Barry exceed1,000.
The first headmaster was the late Mr. H. R.
Norris, M.A., Ll.B., B.Sc, who was succeeded three years later by Major
Edgar Jones.
When, a year following Major Jones’
appointment, the Glamorgan County Governing Body decided to enlarge and
rebuild part of the pupils and staff were compelled to seek temporary
accommodation in two empty unlicensed hotels in Woodlands Road., Barry
Dock, now occupied by the Y.M.C.A., and the Borough Health Department
clinic.
In 1901, the first additional block,
consisting of a gymnasium, woodwork room, two’ small drawing rooms, and the
care-taker’s house, was formally opened by Sir George Kekewith, Secretary to
the Board of Education. From that day to this, hundreds of pupils have
passed through the school and have become famous In the ranks of their own
particular profession.
The year 1913 marked an important date in the
history of the school, for the Glamorgan Education Committee, influenced by
Dr.E.P. Hughes, M.A., first principal of the Cambridge Secondary Training
College for Women, decided to divide the school and establish separate
schools for boys and girls. So, On the last day of the Summer in 1913 the
pupils – boys and girls – gathered in the old school an for the last time.
It was not the usual hearty singing, for they felt the sadness of the
occasion. Happy years had been spent by the pupils and teachers, and this
was to be the end.
Fifty years have passed since the ‘’pionéer”
days, and the schools are now two of the best secondary schools in the
country. Their reputation regarding successes in sport, modern language,
medicine, engineering, economics, law, archaeology and philosophy is
magnificent.
The souvenir brochure contains greetings and
reminiscences by several Old Barrians, and is a very interesting
publication.
Most of last week was given over by the
pupils and staff to the building of Jubilee celebrations.
THE CELEBRATIONS
On Monday and Tuesday, a musical concert and
play was presented in the Girls’ School to the pupils.
On Wednesday and Thursday they were repeated
for the benefit of the public.
The concert, which was enthusiastically
received by large audiences, opened with an overture for two pianos, “The
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” by Handel, played by Margaret High and
Audrey Phillips. Following this, the Boys’ School Choir, conducted by
Mr. A. L. Tusler, sang four items, one of which, “The Witches Sabbath,” was
composed by Miss Grace Williams, Mus. Bac., herself an Old Barrian. Miss
Williams attended the school from 1917 to 1923. John Davies accompanied the
choir. Schubert’s “The Fisherman,” was then sung by Euros Edwards, after
which Miss Merfina Evans conducted the Girls’ School Choir for four songs.
Mr. W. M. Williams, father of Miss Grace Williams, wrote the duet
arrangement of “Y Deryn Pur,” which was rendered by Euros Edwards and Alun
Martin.
After singing Elgar’s “Like To The Damask
Rose,” Joan Parr was the soloist In the combined schools choir rendering of
“Y Bore Glas.”
For their musical interlude, Margaret High
and Audrey Phillips chose Grieg’s “Holberg Suite.”
The main Item of the evening’s programme was
John Galsworthy’s play, “The Little Man.”
The first scene takes place In a restaurant
on the departure platform of an Austrian railway station in 1936.
Seated at the various tables are a German
colonel (John Lear) an Englishman (Bryan Wynn), and his wife (Joan Morgan),
an American (Phillip Davies), and a somewhat vacant-looking Dutch peasant
(Clifford Scudamore.
Whilst the American is busy telling all and
sundry just what democracy really is, a little man, with a small bowler
perched perilously on his head, tiptoes si1ently into the
restaurant and seats himself opposite the American. The little man, played
by Edwin Brooks, orders himself a beer and is served at once. by the waiter
(Paul Scudamore). Just then, the train arrives and everyone makes his way to
the platform that is, except the little man, who finds himself helping an
Austrian mother (Margaret. Gwynne), who had been sitting unseen by the
restaurant lire during the proceedings.
The second scene sees all the passengers in a
second-class compartment of a corridor carriage. There is no sign of the
Austrian mother. The little man is nursing a baby and explains that the
mother was left behind. The American is still talking but the only one who
appears to take the slightest notice is the German, who nods his head if in
agreement and barks in typical Prussian manner if in disagreement. Very
little is said by the Englishman and his wife, and the Dutchman spends most
of his time laughing at the poor little man with the baby.
In a quiet, inoffensive voice, the little man
remarks that there are spots on the baby’s face.
“Typhoid,” shouts the German, whereupon there
is a general exodus from the carriage.
The little man is left with the baby,
and as he remarks to the empty carriage, “I’ve never had a baby before.”
The final scene is the arrival
platform, where the little man, who is given a wide berth by his fellow
passengers, is, informed by the station official (John Righton) and a
policeman (William Webber), that he is to be arrested for stealing the baby.
While the argument is going on, the American
is busily engaged viewing the baby’s face through a pair of binoculars,
making quite sure that he is a safe distance away. Suddenly he discovers
that the spots are not typhoid but just a few dirty marks on the baby’s
face.
The scene closes with the mother clutching
the baby—the cause of all the trouble—and the American taking photos, of the
little man who, by now is a nervous wreck. The whole play was well acted
and the characters are to be congratulated on putting on such a fine
performance.
The producers were Miss Doreen Phillips and
Mrs. T. Phillips. Mr. H. L. Davies was the stage manager.
Interlude music was played by Margaret High,
Audrey Phillips, and Eleanor Griffiths.
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