Transcript: Falling off Brownie - sketches Letter
Falling off Brownie
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Please thank Geoff for the elastic
Winchester House
Swansea
March 16th 1902
My dear Mother
Thank you very much for your kind letter (evidently no extra charge for advice). I daresay it’s a great deal better than I deserve. You told me to tell you all that happened well:- I hadn’t done a Latin exercise I should have done so I got a crib from another boy (I don’t now see if there is anything so very dreadful in that). And instead of altering a bit
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I like the silly fool that I was copied it down word for word – so that I was found out (another boy had done that same thing at the same time & had had a caning) and reported to Owen (Nobody would have dreamt of reporting such a trivial thing in Dr Turpin’s time) who imagining that I was not strong or something, let me off the caning and gave me Wednesday aft P.D and jolly good lecture wherein he said that I hadn’t been doing so well of late & that would talk to Dr. San. & if I would improve he would let me keep on with the same style of school, if not I must go back to the ordinary routine.I tell Mrs. L she interviews Owen and she jaws and he jaws (for he’s Welsh) and they
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both jaw. (Mrs. L. imagines that I haven’t been doing much drawing, how could I when there’s no outdoor work to be done and I couldn’t think any imaginative thing?) and they both decide that I shall go back to ordinary school. (mind you after Owen has said I needs it yet). So that put me in a huff and I swore I wouldn’t do a scrap of work (although I have done some). I got into a sort of don’t care way and got fooling & P.D while in P.D. I got ‘insubordinate’ as the serjeant calls it (only he makes use of an aspirate) & let my tongue wag freely (which makes him uneasy as he is often half seas over & turns up late for drill & topples about) much to the delight of the others boys. He threatens to report me but contents
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himself with putting me in for 1 or 2 more P.D.s as the case may be, so the P.D.s accumulate. The other day down in Chemistry, the fellows started kicking about and stamping etc (We always have a lark with Ash the chem. master who is comparitively new & speaks funnily, short-sighted etc & has no control over the boys at all) So he put the whole form in for P.D. 34. So that in P.D there were 42 boys which was too much altogether for 1 sarjeant. So there was a fine old shindy even though Owen was walking about the playground the whole time (If it had been Dr. Turpin nobody would have done anything hardly although it wasn’t half so strict and hardly caned at all. The serjeant shoved about a doz of us down (me among them) for P.D next evening as being the means of instigating a lot of row
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The next evening was wet so we had P.D in the corridor about 30 boys. We all started kicking up a shindy so that the serjeant lost his temper & singling out some half doz. boys (me among the lot) whom he had noticed & had old grievances against for we were no worse than the majority of the rest. He marched us down to Owen who he summoned from his house & was naturally in dence of rath & reported us. He said we were too many to cane or else he would do it so that we must take P.D every evening & Wed. & Sat. aft.s until the serjeant lets us off (this happened on last Friday evening so that now I’m booked for a good spell) this riled us awfully and I openly derided his orders and wouldn’t obey besides calling him an old sneak to his face, so seeing that he could
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not do anything with me he sent down me down to Detention where of course I was all right & did some of my home lessons. While the serjeant had taken us down to Owen he had appointed several of the bigger boys to keep the rest in order but of course that was absurd. & when we came back the whole corridor was covered in crunched up chalk & everyone was everywhere ramping up & down & yelling & making as much row as they could. So ends my schools adventures up to the present. I must say it’s more entertaining and exciting than the ordinary way of acting while at school. But I will see if I can’t mend a little at anyrate but the old drill sergeant is something ‘hoffle’ & the boys got into a habit of hooting him now after drill. He is often so drunk that when he attempts to show us how to turn properly on the heels
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Or any exercise & nearly always topples half over & has to do it half a doz times before he can do it properly -------------------- Mrs. L & I have just had a talk since I wrote the last 2 or 3 lines. & she and I have made a compromise that if she sees Owen & tries to get back into the old school work I will reform and try & not get so many P.D.s & if Owen won’t let me go back I will keep as good as I can. But of course & expect I shall have to work off those P.D.s that I’m in for. Also I have decided to stay on here at this school, so that Mrs. L says you needn’t come down to see me though of course I should like
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[A page of drawings of Brian on Brownie taking Beetle for a walk]
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to see you apart from what has been going on lately but as Elton’s kids are here there is no room to put you up & as it would be too much for you to come up & back again in one day (besides I shouldn’t be able to see enough of you) you would have to stay at some hotel of somewhere which would be very inconvenient as the only good hotel, the Metrepol is a good way off right in the midst of one of the filthiest, busiest streets in Swansea besides having a railway near. We have Beetle here again as Mrs. Chadborn and Lil have gone to Paignton in Devon at Miss Gray’s (late Porthcawl) nursing home
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as Lil is very unwell lately I took Beetle for a run with me on Brownie as Elton is still in bed. Poor Beet has got woefully fat & can’t run at all hardly. Brownie went awfully well and was rather spritely which is rather unusual for her as she is one of those rather calm sort of beasties. When I took her on the links she went rather springy sort of style (see fig 1) but I was taking life easily and not holding particularly fast with my knees which was very foolish of me & when I let her go a bit she bucked up off all feet at once (see fig 2) & I went up quite 9” of her back but not
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being circus rider I didn’t come down exactly in the centre where I left her (see fig 3) so I was not at all in a desirable position with the gee going at a very fair canter and me stuck on one flank & what was worse, I couldn’t right myself again so I had perforce to drop off while I was falling (for thought travels fast at such moments) I was in great fear lest my feet were not free from the stirrups. However, they were & I bounced on the ground like a football or more still like a ping pong ball, However, I bounced on my feet again without any bones broken though if my head had not been so thick I might at least have had a headache
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anyway I didn’t so that was all right & already there were a couple of men were running after the mare whom Beet was still following I suppose having never noticed my having fallen off. but the old gee didn’t run far for after a bit she began to feel a bit strange & stopping allowed one of the men to approache & mount her which when he did, he trotted her quietly back to me & I mounted and persued my way leaping and bounding over the bunkers as though nothing had happened though I felt jolly small for several personages witnessed the scene from the mumbles road. It was entirely my own fault as the same thing has happened before and didn’t in the least discompose me. I should have held tighter. Give my love to all at home. Tell Dad I’ll live to beat him at Bic racing yet.
Your very loving & to be a better son
Brian
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