London South Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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Dances A dance, seemingly enjoyed by everyone, was held in October, 1941, when 359.37 was collected to help defray the committees many expendi- tures. Other dances were held from 1942 to 1945. The committee arranging these dances was ably assisted by Miss bl. MacFarlane, Mr. L. G. Mitchell and Mr. H. B. Dinsmore. The numerous dances netted 3609.82 and were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended. Tax On School Functions Students who sold second-hand text books through the Hi-Y Book Exchange unknowingly perhaps contributed 313.55 to lVar Services Committee. An additional 397.30 was obtained by levying a tax of live cents per person on tickets to junior, Intermediate and Senior parties during 1942 and 1943. Tag and Sales Days One could scarcely believe that the supporters of our 1941 rugby team could think of their stomachs as they watched our hard-fighting lXIaroons pile up the touchdowns, but facts belie opinions. At the 1941 rugby games, 328.58 was made from sales of apples and candy by patriotic students. Also in 1941, two sweaters knitted by Mrs. Clubbe, brought in 332.25 at a sale, bearing all the ear-marks of an auction. Candy donated by the students placed another 311.00 in the treasury. Sports programmes were sold at the games for a profit of 35.34. A sock tag-day was held in 1942 to add 328.85 to the books of the committee treasury. In 1943, South pupils tore up their attics and basements in a search for white elephants. A large variety of books, balls and breakables were auctioned in the auditorium, to give the committee's finances a boost with 33485. The sale of a number of copies of a news letter in 1944, netted a sum of 36l.17. From 1941 to 1944 inclusive, tag days and sales brought in the sum of 3207.74. Gifts Of Money The following gifts of money were donated by organizations who wished to see the work of the War Services Committee furthered: Boys' Athletic Association ...... .,...... 3 600.19 Girls' Athletic Association ,........... .. 234.25 Parents' Association, , . .. 16.70 Home and School Club.. ,...., ,,..,,.,.. . 2.00 Friends findividual giftsj ....... ,......., 4 4.81 Stamp Club ,.,.,.,.,......., ....,,. ,...,....... . . . 5.55 Gung-Ho Club ,.... ..,..,.,.,.,..... .... . 5.00 Home Economics Classes ,....,. ,.,. , ., 10.05 Gift receipts - 3918.55 Total Receipts and Expenses RECEIPTS EXPENSES 34,091.92 34,004.02 The balance still in the War Services Treasury is 387 .90. 22 WIRELESS CLUB It is 4:30 on a sunny summer's day back in '43 and the last echoing footsteps are receding out of the building. In a small room on the second tioor, the noise of clicking keys can be heard. The Wiireless Club is going into action, as it has been doing for the last three years. Wlhat has this to do with the war effort? lfVell, I'll tell you. This group, under the able super- vision of Mr. Jackson, was being prepared for greater things to come. Boys to go down to the sea in ships, boys to go up into the blue, were being trained so that they could go out and fight to make the world free for you. P One of the most outstanding examples is Bob Tufts. Bob joined the merchant navy and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. On one of his trips across, he was Chief Signals Officer for the whole convoy. This is no mean achievement for a young man around 20. I could mention more of such examples, but space does not permit. You people of London South can be proud of this record. I say, VVell done, Mr. jackson and your wireless club! -FXO TOM STEWART, L.S.C.I. '43. THE WIRELESS CLUB The accompanying photograph shows Cfrom left to right? George Scopes, Cameron Steel, Tom Stewart tsecretaryl, Bill Wilkie, Bob Tufts Cobscuredl, Roy Lewis and Harry Lunn, receiving a message being sent by Mr. Jackson tcentrel in the club's quarters in Room 10. WAR SAVINGS AND VICTORY BONDS NE of the most important contributions made by the students of South Collegiate toward Canada's war effort took the form of War Savings Stamps, Certificates and Victory Bonds. The sale of War Savings Stamps in the school commenced in the fall of 1940, and continued until the end of january, 1946. Stamps were on sale in all the rooms one day of the week. The sales were publicized by skits, announcements in the auditorium, and by posters placed in the various rooms. A special committee of students under the leadership of a member of the staff, arranged programmes advertising the sale of

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This makes a total of 31,105.40 during the five years the VVar Services collected pennies at South. Teas As a means of raising money for XYar Services work the committee sponsored several teas. The first, a Blossom Tea , was held in May of 1940. Spring invaded the sober precincts of our audi- torium that day when tulips and daffodils graced the stage and tea tables, and made a bower of the stall where home-cooking was for sale. Friendly chatter to the tinkle of tea-cups was hushed only to listen to the rich strains of the 'cello, as it sang under the touch of Rowland Pack, or to fall under the spell of the lyric so- prano of Shirley Pack in The Clouds 1Yill Be Sunshine To-morrow . Possibly our memory of this first gay and colourful tea party has been sharpened by the contrast it has presented to all that followed. For once the grim hand of VVar was laid upon such commodities as butter, sugar, tea and coffee, our tea parties were considerably restricted. A second tea was held in October, 1942. The mothers contributed baking for sale, and the accompanying musicale did not seem to he ham- pered by war time shortages. By October of 1943 the war was making itself felt. The tea that year consisted of consomme and crackers. The sale of baking was limited, due to the sugar shortage. In October of 1944, the VVar Services tea was cut to cake, cookies and tea. Many of the girls of South assisted the follow- ing members of the staff in these undertakings: Mrs. M. Carr-Harris. Miss J. I. Gorwill, Miss M. K. Macpherson, Miss B. McCamus, Miss bl. L. NlcRobert, Bliss lf. li. Nichols, Mrs. E. NI. Pickett. The XVar Services Committee is grateful to the mothers of the students for their generous as- sistance and support which made the teas the success they were. Matinees Various programmes were planned and per- formed in which talent both of students and outsiders was enlisted. Musical programmes were held during 1941 by South's Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. R. Byles, and the Glee Club under the leader- ship of Mr. R. H. Allin. Donations by the stu- dents to these matinees totalled 3lli39.65. In 1942, with an even greater expansion of musical shows, the Orchestra and Glee Club chalked up 8555.00 for the committee. At this time we were fortunate in having a visit from an artist, a whistling one, who entertained us with many bird calls. He went as far as testing our own whistles, but did not seem overly enthusi- astic about them. However, he was responsible for raising 329.00 for South's Xllar Services Committee. The following year the Glee Club and Orches- tra again put on programmes for our benefit and handed the XVar Service 353.25 Dr. jordan's movies of the Arctic Patrol which netted 3144.28 helped greatly in the war effort. During 1945, our old faithful musicians in the school brought in 3554.20 for the committee treasury, by their excellent singing and playing. From 1941 to 1945 these matinees by the stu- dents and patriotic outsiders made a total of 337693. WAR SERVICES COMMITTEE Back Row tleft to rightbz Owen Spettigue Gerald Robson, Marion MacVicar, Mrs. E. Pickett Cstaffb, Mr. W. T. Armstrong tstaffb, Helen Forbes, Mr. C. J. Burns tstaffl, Jack Noble. Front Row: Jim Hodgson, Beverley Corlett, Miss.M. K. Macpherson Cstaffb, Lorna Wellington, Brock Rachar. Absent: Yvonne Richmond. 21

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stamps. ln 1943, Diane Dillon wrote a series of radio skits and announcements which were broadcast over the auditorium loud speaker system. How effective these skits xx ere may be seen by the fact that sales nearly doubled those of the previous year. As a stimulant to the com- petitive spirit in the difierent rooms, trophies in the form of Victory torches were awarded to each form with 1002, of the class buying at a sale. A special torch was awarded to the class with the highest sale. The sale of Victory Bonds in the school started during the Third Victory Loan, in October, 1942. The students responded en- thusiastically to the appeals to Buy Victory Bonds , and a total of over nineteen thousand dollars was subscribed during the seven Victory Bond campaigns held in the school. 1Ve feel that a special note of appreciation is due to Mr. McNeil and Mr. Calvert, who so efficiently handled the distribution and buying of stamps and bonds, and carried out the or- ganizing, planning and publicizing of sales which made them so successful. The following is the record of XYar Savings Stamps and Victory Bonds sold at the school during the war: School War Savings Victory Yearly Year Stamps Bonds Total 1940-1941 4,613.50 . ,. . 4,613.50 1941-1942 4,267.75 .. ,,.. .. 4,267.75 1942-1943 4,782.50 3,700.00 8,482.50 1943-1944 7,284.00 6,700.00 13,984.00 1944-1945 6,448.25 6,100.00 12,548.25 1945 1946 2,036.50 2,650.00 4,686.50 TOTAL 29,432.50 19,150.00 48,582.50 South is justly proud of this outstanding record. -JACK NOBI.E, 5A. THE GIRLS' WORK HE girls of South Collegiate have an envi- able record for their war work during the years from 1941 to 1945. During this time a Knitting Club under the supervision of Miss J. MacFarlane met once a week. The girls could bring in finished articles or receive wool to make more, at this time. These meetings were very sociable ones, made more pleasant by light re- freshments and recorded music provided by the Girls' Athletic. Practically 900 pairs of socks alone were knitted by the girls, their mothers, and interested friends, to be put in the overseas boxes. Other knitted articles made from Red Cross wool amounted to about a thousand in number, among these were numerous things for babies, for which the girls made donations in money to the Red Cross sufficient to cover the costs of the wool used. These funds were raised from dances and programmes sponsored by the Girls' Athletic. Continued on Page 54 An Appreciation lt is most fitting that we should not allow the Oracle to go to press without the insertion of a sincere tribute to the one who, to such a great extent, both planned and carried out the policy of the 1Yar Services Committee-Miss Xl. K. Macpherson. Perhaps the writing of this well- deserved tribute is about the only thing we have done without her approval. Only those privileged to share in Miss Mac- pherson's councils and activities have any ade- quate conception of the devotion with which she has laboured from the inception of the war-work in South until now. lYith unllagging zeal, and remarkable mastery of detail, Miss Macpherson has put into deeds the spirit of Churchill's words, lVe shall not falter nor fail, we shall go on to the end . Now that our small share in the fulfillment of this great undertaking is completed, we pause for a moment to salute our leader, thanking her for the patience and wisdom with which she has inspired us to see the task through. AN EXPRESSION OF THANKS Among the many extra duties devolving upon Mr. XY. T. Armstrong as Acting Vice-Principal during wartime, was that of keeping the service tiles. Always changing and always increasing, the number of addresses he handled had climbed well over the eight hundred mark before peace was declared. At least twice every year the lists were revised, and every bit of that revision passed through Mr. Armstrong's hands. It is not too much to say that the success of South's war effort depended upon the accuracy of his data. That all the boxes and letters, the cards and identification discs reached our service men and women so promptly and so regularly,is in a large measure attributable to the painstaking and enthusiastic work of our Vice-Principalhpro tem. Himself a veteran of World War I, Mr. Armstrong spared neither time, effort, nor ex- pense to bring to our Alumni on the field tokens of cheer from their old school. The ORACLE takes great pleasure in thus chronicling the thanks of South to Mr. Armstrong for his im- portant contribution. ik Pk 112 if 41 Sk We should not feel our account of our war work complete without offering an apology to any of our students whom we failed to contact during their War service period. We have heard of several whose names had not reached our notice at all. Do accept our apology, we regret very much that that happened. We should like to ask every reader of this magazine to hand in the name of any student who served in the forces whose name is not on the Honour Roll, as we want the permanent one to be as nearly perfect as possible. 23