Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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7 On this celebration of Empire Day they were gathered together to do homage to an institution which had stood the test for over 500 years, and he believed that the British Empire was the finest institution of its kind the world had ever known. It was not perfect, but history had shown no better. Those of them who were students of history wotild realise that its evolution showed how well it had worked; there was the evolution of self-governing institutions, and from the colony the emergence of the Dominion; then at the call of distress they had seen the sister nations ready to help England and to help each other. The Empire had changed since he was a boy. In those earlier times England had provided practically every- thing in the way of protection; now she herself had lost much of her former strength, but although there had been some re-distribution of strength the Empire as a whole stood as strong as ever. Yet it was doubly important that all stood together. The Empire stood for fair play. Recent events in Palestine furnished a good example of this and of British integrity. Their school here in Bermuda corresponded to the public school in England, and cherished the same public school spirit, that of fair play. In life, as in games, they must strive to play to the rules; it was not so vital to win as to play fair and play cleanly. The same spirit should be carried with them into business: it was better to have less money with a clear conscience than to have more money when it was soiled by sharp practice. Who is the happy warrior, who is he that every man at arms would wish to be? asked the poet Wordsworth. And who is the good citizen they should wish to be? He would like to build him up on these Don ' ts . . . Don ' t moan and grouse all day long. Don ' t let yourself or anyone else down. Don ' t forget the other chap ' s point of view. These epitomised a spirit of unselfishness. Recently he had been privileged to be present at Government House to witness an investiture for a fine action of - unselfishness and of great gallantry. It was the award of the George Medal to Geoffrey Allan Osborne, who on two separate occasions, separated by an interval of about six months, had dashed to the rescue of the crew of his crashed and burning plane, as a result of which he had been badly burned about the hands and face and partially crippled. That was the spirit which counted in the world. If they read their papers they would gather the impression that the world was in a bit of a muddle. Now let him read them the opinion of some very eminent gentlemen expressed at a recent meeting at the Albert Hall, London, of a society called Christian Action . The Society was composed of leading citizens of Western Europe, including the eminent diplomat, Lord Halifax. We all have to acknowledge our share in the great failure of the world

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6 SiiKX ' 1986, with iwo cxccpiions, all their speakers on iliat occasion had been Admirals serving in Bermuda. J hey wf;uld I ' lulerstand how approjjriate this was and had been when they thought ol what their sea-girt island necessarily owed to the Royal Navy. Now, more than ever, he was glad to have the Admiral with them to encourage them in those difficult times, when war was once again spoken of everywhere, and to remind them of their duty to the British Empire. This was, as they would remember. Admiral lennant ' s second visit and he hoped certainly not his last. He thought they knew him well enough to say that he represented two very important things— Tradition and Originality . . . t radition from his service in the Royal Navy . . . Originality in that he was not content to serve in a stereotyped manner. For example, he had recently been to South America, really as a kind of ambassador, where he delighted the people by addressing them in their own lan- guage, which he had taken the trouble to learn in the few months prior to going there . . . quite an undertaking, they would agree, and a first-rate diplomatic idea also. They would listen with respect and interest to what he had to tell them. V ice-Admiral Sir William Tennant spoke of the pleasure it gave him to be with them again on Empire Day. Most of them had heard his address of the previous year, and some would recognise bits of his talks on that occasion; but he was encouraged to hope that they would not adopt the attitude suggested by a conversation between two friends of his after listening to a speech . . . It was the same old stuff, said one. I ' d heard everything before. It just w nt into one ear and out of the other. Quite so , retorted the other, but then there was nothing in between to stop it, was there? Two things in particular he wished to repeat. The first was: think of the other fellow ' s point of view. In the navy there was an expression which summed up the opposite attitude,— I ' m in the boat, shove off. If they could wake up one morning to find everybody in the world doing his best to help the other fellow, then there would be a world changed for the better, and the prospect of a reign of peace; now although there did not appear to be much likelihood of that happening, either tomorrow or the next day, it was at least possible for each one of them to try and do his bit. Secondly, when addressing a ship ' s company he had often felt con- scious that there might be some of the younger men in the back rank who felt that they didn ' t count. That was a very misguided conception. It mattered very much what every man in that ship ' s company thought, and what he said and did. So, too, in any other community. Could anyone imagine a boat ' s crew winning a race unless all were fully bent to their tasks. The same applied to the nation. It was up to each pipie qI th m to do his bit.

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8 Kxlay ... in its failure Lo hold on lo things that truly made for its Ik jjiw and ws il-lx ing. . . . 1 he only hope for our getting out of the pn s. Ht dine of iear and suspicion and unrest in the world is the deep s :iriiual conviction among all peoples that there is no salva- tion for mankind excej i by a return to the sense of duty by every human being to God and his fellow men. It would be they of ihcir generation who must try to assure a fine new world when they grew up. He wished them good luck and good fortune wherever they might go. Tribute to R» E. Booker By John W. Cox, C.B.E. It is now more than fifty years since the establishment of Saltus Grammar School. In that length of time the school has had only three headmasters. This has been an important factor in establishing the school on a firm foundation for it has created a sense of stability, continuity and permanence. The school has been even more fortunate in that each of the three headmasters, in accordance with the best traditions of the teaching profession, have always been more concerned over the advancement of the school and the best interests of the pupils than with their own advantage. It is with great regret that the Trustees have received the resignation of Mr. Booker. Their regret will be fully shared by the staff, who have worked with