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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’.

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	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
Spring Term : 1938	Page No. 1 Contents list 2 Sports & Pastimes 3 Editorial 4 School Notes 6 Speech Day 9 Prize List 10 Goodbye Mr. Solloway 11 Poem - 12 The Library 15 Character Studies 16 Paper Chases 17 Hobbies Club 18 Debating Society 19 House Notes 22 Football 26 A.C.H.S. Association 26 Old Fernebergians Back cover School Calendar	Summer Term : 1938	Page No. In preparation
Spring Term :1939	Page No. 9 Stop Press 10 Cartoon 11 Editorial 14 House Notes 17 Chess Club 18 Cadets 19 Debating Society 20 Hobbies Club 22 Norwich Cathedral 23 Civil Service 31 Speech Day 33 Football 36 University Letter 39 Examinations 42 A.C.H.S.O.M.A. Notes 43 Old Fernebergians 44 Calendar	Summer Term : 1939	Page No. 9 Contents list 10 Editorial 11 Conscription 12 Arthur E. Chapman 15 School Notes 17 House Notes 20 Cadet Notes 21 Debating Society 23 Medicine as a career 31 Hobbies Club 32 Sports Day 35 School Cricket 38 A.C.H.S. Notes 39 Old Fernebergians 41 Old Illustrations
Summer Term : 1939	Page No. 9 Contents list 10 Editorial 11 Conscription 12 Arthur E. Chapman 15 School Notes 17 House Notes 20 Cadet Notes 21 Debating Society 23 Medicine as a career 31 Hobbies Club 32 Sports Day 35 School Cricket 38 A.C.H.S. Notes 39 Old Fernebergians	Summer Term : 1946	Page No. 11 Editorial 12 Roll of Honour 13 Roll of Honour 14 Headmaster’s Letter 15 School Notes 17 Dramatic Society 19 House News 22 Cadet Notes 24 Games and Sports 28 School Visits 32 Speech Day Day 35 Old Fernebergians 36 HMS Sheerwater 40 Poetry
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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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 1939 (Spring & Summer) : Ray Burcham 1946 : Catherine Ebert (neé Openshaw †) 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 1959 and 1960 covers : Russell Harvey Chris Jenner kindly supplied a bound (no covers) set 1950-1963 but wasn’t first for the four years indicated. † Daughter of R. Openshaw (English master)

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