MONDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 1978

I get into school early as usual but am surprised to find that one of the first year sixth formers has beaten me to it. It is Stuart Jones who is not noted as an early arriver. That alone is sufficient to set the alarm bells ringing. Stuart has news! He tells me that the school is at war. Intrigued and worried in equal measure, I ask for details...

It seems that there had been a disco over the weekend, held at the youth centre at Hill House it was planned as an icebreaker for the new academic year. The centre is on the edge of the boundary between the boroughs of Sutton and Merton.

The organiser had taken the novel step of inviting the pupils from nearby Garth High School to the event. During the evening there had been some type of row centring on who had snogging rights on which girls. From what I can gather from Stuart, Gaynesford did not fare very well in the inevitable fight that followed and several Gaynesfordians were ejected much to the delight of the Garth pupils still in the club.

Earlier today news of what amounted to a defeat at the hand of another school had come to the scarred ears of one Milton Jones. Milton held the ex-officio position of Pupil With Special Responsibilities For Kicking Other Pupils Heads In. He immediately called a council of the school's Warlords. I was a bit surprised to learn that one of these is none other than Stuart. (1)


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Map of Carshalton/Merton area.


As a courtesy gesture - and in order to allow him to brag about it, Stuart decided to tell me. Messages had been sent to the pupils of Garth inviting them to an informal kicking on the green near their school (dress informal, bring a broken bottle.)

Part of me toyed with the idea of suggesting that a prefect in the sixth form should probably not be involved in a plan which consisted of heading over to Garth school en mass and generally doing a lot of damage to anyone who happened to be there. While another realised this would be a complete waste of time and what I needed to do was make damn sure I was not around when the trouble kicked off. Stuart tells me that in a rare display of solidarity, the hard men of Carshalton High School for Boys will be joining them. Some of their members were also thrown out of the youth club that same night. Besides - it is pointed - out, we are both Sutton schools and they are “poxy Merton.” All this does not bode well for Garth.

Afternoon: a number of pupils did not reappear for the afternoon session and in the latter part of the day a police car arrives at the front entrance. The sixth form picking up on the mood of the moment goes for the low profile approach and there is nary a black blazer to be seen anywhere in the vicinity.


Footnotes
1. Our researchers found it curious that it did not occur to Cook that a high profile pupil like Stuart might be involved in activities over and above drama, for once Cook may not have been astute in his actions since a school war the potential for real violence was the one thing that could force Orme to expel pupils and possibly even involve the police.