In 1949 and 1950, as the School became more settled, several events were initiated which were to continue as annual events at least for the rest of the life of the Grammar School: Services at Christmas, Easter and Whitsun; 'Year' parties at Christmas; and Speech Days. IMAGE On Thursday, May 18th, the first Speech Day in the history of the School was held in the School Hall. Because of the size limitation of the hall, only the 4th, 5th and 6th forms were able to attend, together with their parents. The evening opened with a series of four madrigals by Gibbons, Morley and Farmer sung by the Greenford Singers (a small select choir of senior members of the School and a number of Old Scholars which made their debut at the 1948 School Concert). The Chairman, Councillor T.J.Brennan, gave the introduction to Speech Day. This was followed by the report on the School's progress during its ten years since its opening in 1939 and was delivered by the Headmaster, Mr James. Because this was the first Speech Day in the School's history, Mr James did not give a detailed account of the past year, but concentrated on giving in broad outline a general report since 1939. The Presentation of Prizes was carried out by Mr H L 0 Fletcher CBE MA. He also distributed Higher and General School Certificates to those who had passed in 1949. Alderman Chilton gave an omnibus vote of thanks to the Speaker, the Chairman and the Chairman of the Middlesex Education Committee (Alderman Hoare). The vote of thanks was seconded by Alderman Mrs Taylor and all three replied. A very delightful evening ended about 9:30 with the Greenford Singers singing 'My Bonny Lass She Smileth' (Morley) and 'Never Weather-beaten Sail' (Campion). Wipe That Muck Off School Dances were ever more freqently held as the 1950s unfolded: Audrey (Douglas) Barnes remembers the first School Dance the fourth years attended. No make-up was allowed and Audrey, naughtily, wore a lip-gloss. Miss Drayton, Senior Mistress, button-holed Audrey and Ann Dixon and accused them of wearing the forbidden lipstick. Ann denied it; she had naturally reddish lips, but Audrey admitted breaking a school rule and was made to wipe the offending 'muck' off with a blob of cotton wool. Her School Report that year mentioned this rebellious and naughty act! How times have changed! A Euro M P's Political Launch I shall probably be given assistance towards immediate early retirement for relating this story but I can't resist. . .(Neither could the editor of Prospice who related it in detail or could that be because he was one of the candidates who did not lose his deposit?) Over the years the country's General Elections have inspired the School to hold mock elections but perhaps the most significant one for Greenford was the one held in 1950. . . It was decided by the Staff that a school mock election should be held to excite political interest amongst the scholars. An Electoral Committee represented each party, and each chose a candidate who had to he supported by at least twelve people. No Communist candidate stood, and M. Elliott stated: 'I think the unwillingness of anyone to stand as it Communist candidate speaks for itself.' Conservative Candidate was P. Goodhram. Independent Socialist Candidate was M. Elliott. Labour Candidate was K. J. Walker. Liberal Candidate was G. Maguire. Within a week of starting the campaign, posters, notices, pamphlets and books appeared all round the School. Each candidate had one meeting, and the attendances were good throughout the week. The Labour Party Electoral Committee decided to run a card system whereby they could find the Party which had the majority in each form, thus giving them an approximate idea how they stood. The two main party candidates held outdoor meetings on the same day. These outdoor meetings soon developed into one outdoor meeting. This gave good opportunity for all parties to distribute pamphlets. On Wednesday, 22nd February, there was an all-party meeting in the Hall. About 250 people were present. Mr Rosen was in the chair and except for an initial cheer for each candidate, the meeting was quite orderly. On February 23rd, the National Election Day, the polling station was opened at break, during the dinner break and after school until 4:30 p.m. The election officers, picked from the 4th forms did their job well, and the result was known inside a quarter of an hour after the close. The Labour Party Electoral Committee made a copy of the Electoral Register of the School, appointed some tellers and half-dozen people to chase up those who had not voted. Nevertheless, the total poll was, perhaps, not very high, but congestion at the polling booth and other activities probably accounted for this, and it was not a full reflection of the keen interest taken by everyone in the election. At 4:45 p.m. precisely. the result became final and was as follows:- Labour (K.J.Walker) 248 Conservative (P. Goodhram) 153 Liberal (G. Maguire) 40 Ind.Soc. (M. Elliott) 27 Cancelled Paper 1 Labour overall majority 28 (The Liberal and Independent Socialist candidates lost their deposits. But one is now Greenford High School's Chair of Governors and Euro M P for West London!) page 48