No . 134 The Trusty Servant who participated in or attended ‘ Wiccamica The Masque ’, presented as the highlight of New Hall ’ s initiation ceremony in the final week of June 1961 , may remember four ‘ small new men ’ singing about notions :
We ’ re baffled by these awful monosyllables -- like Firk ,
And Spree , and Tug , and Brew , and Mug , and Brum , and Thick , and Shirk ;
And Cad , And Cud , and Hot , and Jig , and Sweat , and Toys and Slabs ;
If this is what we ’ re in for -- then we might as well Toll Abs ,
Though we haven ’ t got a notion what it means .
As we wonder how many of these terms might be recognised by the Wykehamist of 2022 , possibly muttering ‘ O tempora , O mores ’, pointedly and with a hint of resigned regret as they are the last generation who , with an obligatory study of Latin , will be necessarily able to translate such things , we correct ourselves sharply , remembering that schools have to develop and change does not inevitable presage decay . If you ’ re old and grey how do you know that there is not lurking in that simultaneously ethereal and ephemeral world of social media , a whole catalogue of Wiccamical notions expressed in memes and hashtags ? Take nothing for granted but hope that someone somewhere is recording such niceties of communication for this world too will pass eventually . included for the cognoscenti who will know there are two separate areas thus named in Winchester ’ s 1200 acres . Perhaps there is a case for a modern map showing these idiosyncratic places of interest before they too bite the historic dust . In any case such a chart would undoubtedly include Michla Passage , a twitten not without aesthetic merit between St Michael ’ s Church and the lofty , rather handsome red brick wall that faces it .
Passing through the passage , as we did several times every day , we never saw the church door open but we did notice the evergreen , potted shrubs nestling beside the buttresses and enhancing the general scene . They were named Mathew , Mark , Luke and Fred ; this last taking its title from our esteemed Housedon , John Manisty , top mathematician , former hut commander at Bletchley Park and part-time ticket collector on the Festiniog Railway . Looking down
on the bushes from their perch on the gutter , we were obliged to learn for our notions exam , were two constipated sparrows , named Footner and Merriman . Purely for the record , George Grylls Footner was Co Prae in Kenny ’ s in the mid-1950s and Merriman was the school Bursar at the same time , a rather incongruous combination despite their shared physiological challenges when in avian form .
In any case there were -- we must be honest -- some young miscreants abroad in the Wykehamist student community at the time ( it was the 1960s after all ) and one of this number , returning probably not from a strenuous hour in the Fives court but having enjoyed a hefty block of raspberry ripple ice cream provided by the endlessly harassed Mr Nicholas in School Shop ( now Cornflowers ) thought that some pyrotechnics might brighten the afternoon and , with matches and paper bags ,
Perhaps if we move into the gloriously esoteric realm of place names , we may be on safer ground although their legitimacy as notions may be questioned by some . It is sadly now difficult to locate Gunner ’ s Hole but Bull ’ s Drove , Frazer Tent , Moab and Non-Licet Gate are all still there , as is Paradise ; this last being specially
The author in Michla Passage with Humby and Goddard ( or Adam and Eve ?)
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