AN old boy of St Mary's Secondary Modern in Blackburn, has sent us a copy of The Marian school magazine, which was published in June, 1953.

Keith Horrocks, who still lives in the town, has kept the first bumper edition telling of school life for more than 50 years although they had appeared in one form or another for the three years, after the school was first founded in Canterbury Street in 1948.

In 1953 the headmaster was William Ashton and in his report he told that selected senior students had been given the opportunity to take the experimental GCE exam, with the first four candidates sitting in 1954.

"My firm conviction is that nothing but good can emanate from this experiment," he commented. He also spoke of visits to industry which were a normal feature of a senior's final term, while he praised the revival of the summer outing to the seaside.

There were some form notes, too, with Frank Bilsborough writing of the grubby boys of form 11A, including O'Malley, the clever one; Brine and Jepson, who like a laugh; Waring, with his ready wit and real joker Bagley.

There was a budding artist in Ditchfield and future Channel swimmers in the Berry brothers, while Walton dreamt his way along, but was pals with everyone.

Added Frank: "We play hard and work hard (sometimes)."

The Marian also gives notes on the football, cricket and athletic teams and tells of the school's first swimming gala at Belper Street baths in October, 1952.

It also tells of a day in May, 1952, when 34 boys went to Corporation Park for their first instruction in lawn tennis!