Wednesday November 19th

For the first two periods I sat in the common room with Duncan, Lee, Deborah B., C. Pearson and J. Crabtree. Jeremy had gone to see Big B. about this school magazine and he came back with a copy of Broxbourne private school’s mag., called “Badger.” We amused ourselves by reading out the names – Cutts-Watson and Somerville-Large being examples.

Somehow, I don’t know how, C. P. got talking to us about her older brother – how she, her parents and her sisters, never talk to him because he is such a bastard. She started off sat over by Jeremy but ended up sat next to me (trivial again!).

She told us of how, a few years ago, her brother once bust her nose for her and also how he had punched her sister in the stomach several times. “He carried on hitting her because she wouldn’t cry” she said. It really quite shocked me – I said that I would’ve reported him. It was nothing to do with us really, but she seemed almost eager to divulge all!

This week was English tutorial with Mrs Bastow – it was quite interesting because she went on about Chaucer and his involvement with the Plantagenets.

More installments of the Pearson social story at dinnertime, with her telling us about how he dragged his sister all the way to school by her feet.

We next had two solid hours of English, first with Slicer, and then with Hirst, and we were given loads to do in both lessons. For “Anthony and Cleopatra” we were told to write up all our scene summaries, notes etc., for next week, and in Hirst’s lesson we were given a bollocking. She criticised us for not reading Persuasion – apparently only half the group has actually bothered to read through the whole book – and told us to write up all our notes for next week. I just thought; what a hell of a lot of work I have to do – I have only got one file of work and that’s for History – I have nothing for English, Biology or Art. I must really start to work.

We arranged a meeting of the school magazine “editorial committee” in the common room with Hirst after school.

There were six of us; me, Lee, Jeremy, Duncan, Richard Houlding and Tommy Whelan and we discussed all the ideas, drawing up a rough list of contents, and at the end of the meeting I was quite fired with enthusiasm. Because Anderson controls money and prestige etc., it’s got to toe the line to a certain extent – one thing I thought of; we could have a satirical cartoon strip; “The Caped Crusader”’ based on Barkston, righting moral wrongs etc. We arranged a next meeting day for next Monday and I’m quite looking forward to the whole idea!

Yet another deadly boring evening, slumped in front of the box. The Whincliffe Strangler strangled no 6 yesterday – a 35 year old teacher – and the whole thing is frightening. All the girls who walk home on their own at night from school – all potential victims. Everybody forgets after 10 months, which is the length of time between this and murder no 5.

I watched England beat Switzerland 2-1 at Wembley in the evening before coming to bed at midnight.