Farnborough Grammar School

Prospect Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire

Telephone : Farnborough 539
Al-Fa, the Magazine of Farnborough Grammar School
The magazine title is an abbreviation of the two principal towns the school served. The 1937 issues were preserved by the late Leslie Smith and were kindly loaned by his nieces. Leslie joined F.G.S. on its opening day in 1936 having previously attended Aldershot County High School and is the oldest ex-pupil to be featured on this site, a record unlikely to be beaten as 1937 was his final year at school. The magazines provide an interesting insight into the early days of Farnborough Grammar.
Beta index (the Junior school’s magazine)
There were no further issues of either ‘Al-Fa’ or ‘Beta’ after 1963. The magazines were replaced by a somewhat prosaic list of achievements which became known as the ‘Annual Record’.

1937 : No.1 1937 : No.2 1950 1954 1955 1956 1957
1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Spring Term 1937
Spring Term : 1937		 Page No.
2 Staff photograph
4 Foreword
5 School Notes
8 The New School Building
9 Chess Club
10 The School Library
11 Visit to British Industries Fair
12 Athletics Through the Ages
13 Observations - Nature Scrapbook
14 Wireless
15 Reminiscences of Naini Tal
17 Poetry
18 The Ingenious Weather Chart
19 Butterflies in the Rain
21 Football
24 University Letter		 Summer Term 1937
Summer Term : 1937		  Page No.
2 Cartoons
3 Editorial
4 School Notes
7 House Notes
9 Examinations Successes
10 British Deserts
12 Hobbies Club
12 Floodlit London
14 Television
16 Short Story - Theresa
18 Sprinting
20 Sports
22 Poetry
23 Athletics
24 Cricket
26 Old Fernebergians
27 School Old Members’ Association
28 Poem
1950
1950		 Page No.
2 Editorial - Headmaster’s letter
5 Music Society
6 Dramatic Society
7 Cadet Notes
8 Shooting and The Library
9 House Notes
11 Old Fernebegians
13 Cross-country Running
14 Soccer
16 Cricket
17 Hockey and Sports Day
19 Athletics
20 Speech Day
23 Clubs		 1954
1954		 Page No.
2 Editorial - Headmaster’s letter
3 Obituary
4 House Notes
6 School Visits
7 School Clubs
10 Cadet Notes
11 Speech Days - 13 Open Day
14 Soccer
16 Cricket
17 Cross-country - 18 Sport
19 Old Fernebergians’ Annual Report
20 News of Old Boys
21 Cyrenaica
23 The Festival (Promenade concerts)
24 The River House (engraving)
1955
1955		 Page No.
2 Editorial - Headmaster’s Letter
3 Passim - 4 House Notes
5 School Societies
9 Open day 1954 - 10 Speech Day 1955
12 School Visits
13 Soccer - 14 Cricket - 15 Sports Day
16 Cross-Country Notes
17 District Schools Championships
17 Old Fernebergians’ Report
18 Notes on Old Boys
19 Obituary - CCF Notes
20 Display of Northern Lights
21 British Schools Exploring Society
22 Background to the Morning Hymn
23 On Travelling		 1956
1956		 Page No.
2 Editorial and Headmaster’s Letter
3 Staff News - Old Boys’ News
4 Old Fernebergians’ Association
5 Speech Day
7 House Notes - 9 Sports Report
14 The School Library
14 The Sixth Form Library
15 Cadet Notes
16 The Choir - The Orchestra
16 Clubs and Societies
22 Trips and Visits
26 Original Contributions

Illustrations
Cricket Team and Cadets
Cartoons
1957
1957		 Page No.
2 Editorial and Staff News
3 Old Boys‘ News
4 Speech Day
7 21st Anniversary Fete
9 21st Anniversary Service
10 House Notes
12 Soccer and Cricket
14 Athletics - 15 District Sports
16 The School Library
17 Sixth Form Library
17 Cadet Notes
18 Clubs and Societies
22 Old Fernebergians’ Association
24 Swiss Visit
25 Original Contributions		 1958
1958		 Page No.
2 Editorial - Staff News
4 Speech Day
8 House Notes
11 Football - 12 Cricket
14 Athletics Report
15 Sports Day - 16 The Library
17 Cadet Notes
18 Choirs - 22 Music Club
27 Film Unit
28 Printers Guild
29 Christian Union

Illustrations
Archaeology
A Fool & his Money (Drama)
1959
1959		 Page No.
3 Editorial - 4 Headmaster’s Report
9 Staff News - 10 A.W. Richards
11 Speech Day - Cadet Report
12 School Captain’s Report - 13 Soccer
15 Cricket - 18 House Notes
20 The Library - 23 Trips and Visits
27 Clubs and Societies
35 Old Fernebergians - 44 Original Work

Illustrations
Sports Day - H.M.S. Birmingham
Football Under 13 Team
The Government Inspector (Drama)
Constructing the Apron Stage
Tools made in School Workshop		 1960
1960		 Page No.
2 Headmaster’s Report
7 Speech Day
8 Old Fernebergians’ Society
9 House Notes - 12 Soccer
12 Cross Country - 13 Athletics
14 Swimming - 15 Cricket
15 C.C.F. Report
16 The Library - 17 Music and Choir
18 Clubs & Societies
23 Rugby Football - 24 Visits
28 Original Work

Illustrations
Candlesticks (Handicraft Dept.)
Someone at the Door (Drama)
1961
1961		 Page No.
2 Headmaster’s Report
6 Staff News
8 House Reports
10 Sports Review
15 CCF Report - 16 The Library
18 School Captain’s Report
20 Travel Bureau
25 Clubs and Societies
38 Stories & Poems

Illustrations
Prefects - Football First XI
Scenes from Toad of Toad Hall
Scene 1 - Scene 2
Scene 3 - Scene 4		 1962
1962		 Page No.
2 Headmaster’s Report
5 Staff News
7 House Notes
9 Sports Review
13 CCF Report - 13 The Library
15 School Captain’s Report
16 Travel Bureau
20 Clubs and Societies
29 Opinion Survey
31 Stories & Poems

Illustrations
Scenes from 12th Night
Scene 1 - Scene 2
Scene 3 - Scene 4
1963
1963		 Page No.
2 Headmaster’s Report
6 Sports Review
14 CCF Report - 15 The Library
16 Music  17 Drama
18 School Captain’s Report
19 Travel  22 Societies
28 Letter  29 Stories & Poems

Illustrations
Engraving of Docker
Engraving by P. Sheail
Tom Sawyer - Trial by Jury
Visit to Norway - Visit to Switzerland
Winter Fun 1 - Winter Fun 2
Winter Fun 3 - Winter Fun 4		 The Al-Fa magazines were (first) submitted by the following…

1937 (Spring) : Leslie Smith
1937 (Summer) : Leslie Smith
1950 : Chris Jenner
1954 : Chris Jenner
1955 : Chris Jenner
1956 : Chris Jenner
1957 : Chris Jenner
1958 : John Winterbourne
1959 : Chris Jenner
1960 : Chris Jenner
1961 : Mike Webb
1962 : Philip Fouracre
1963 : Philip Fouracre

Chris Jenner kindly supplied the whole set 1950-1963 but wasn’t first for the four years indicated.		  
Click on a page to progress through the magazine or choose a page from the menu.

Top