Figure 1.--.

The Series

This was an unusual novel about boys boarding school life is School in the Skies by R.S. Lyons. It was written in the 1950's but was reprinted about 1967. It is a dream not only of schoolboys but teachers who love to travel and like to take their year groups on educational visits to see castles and other interesting places first hand. It would be a great adventure to take the next step and equip a jet plane to be a flying school. It would be separated into common rooms, class rooms and sleeping quarters. The headmaster would be the pilot and with him at the controls, fly off to distant lands. This is just what R.S. Lyons book is all about. The school's headmaster is Jerry Hamilton. He is an ex-R.A.F ace and under his command his students fly off around the world. The children are aged from about 11 to 15. They are dressed in their school uniform. Cap, Red blazer, grey trousers on the journey. The traditional school wear for boarding schools at that time. While the boys have lessons exciting and new scenery can be seen from the aeroplane's windows. The boys meet new experiences and adventure throughout their world tour. There is the rescue of the Sarah Perkins and a soccer match against America is an adventure and a sports match not to be missed. 'Right boys get your sports kit our next match is against the American National Youth Soccer Team. Soccer practice in the cargo hold 3pm sharp!' All is not plane flying there is a mishap over the Pacific and the plane has to make a forced landing. (Sounds rather like Lord of the Flies.) The boys get an education they would never have experienced in their ordinary land based boarding school in the English countryside. A story of dreams and if only it could be!

Soccer Match in America

A British reader tells us of an account of a soccer match taken from the book: "An early reference to American schoolboys playing soccer occurs in the R.S. Lyons novel, ‘School of the Skies.’ In this story an International Schoolboy soccer match takes place between England and America. A teacher called Jerry Hamilton returns to teaching at the end of World War Two. He joins the staff of St. Ansell’s College. When he was demobbed from the air force he had attained the rank of Wing Commander and had earned decorations, the D.S.O and Bar and the D.F.C.. Now he was in a peacetime job teaching. Jerry had an idea to have a mobile school. One that could travel around the world to see things first hand as well as its pupils doing typical schoolwork associated with teaching in a static school. Business backers are found who think this is an excellent educational opportunity and in no time at all the flying School becomes a reality. It is a specially converted airliner. The ‘The School in the Skies’ was born. It was a boys school and this they thought the most exciting thing about the college was that they could travel the world while they had lessons. The aeroplane had the name ‘ The Venturer.’ The school comprised masters, matron and 40 boys aged from about 13 to 18. The students had been selected from many schools but preference had been given to the boys the headmaster had taught at St. Ansell’s College. They had a uniform, red blazer, white shirt red and blue tie and grey long trousers. The airliner was silver grey in colour, powered by 4 engines, jet assisted for take off. It was an amphibious aircraft. The descriptions suggests to me an enlarged Sunderland Flying Boat.

The school is enroute to America when they receive a radio message from a New York school called Redvern College.They challenge the School of the Air to a soccer match. The soccer team at this school is called ‘The Redvern Eleven.’ The School of the Skies accepted the challenge from the American students. The day of the match dawns. The English School boys are kitted out in borrowed kit. It is a white shirt and maybe matching white shorts. On the shirt’s breast there is a hastily sawn crest. This is an a red English rose. The English boys know they are up against it when they trooped onto the field and saw that the American team are boys much bigger than they are. Lyons makes this very plain and says that ‘they were bigger man for man than the English lads.’ The game starts and the Americans areeasily putting the presser on to the English lads. Andy Frazer is the English goalie and he has his work cut out stopping their goal scoring attemps. The English captain marvels at Andy’s ability and at half time finds out that he played twice for English in International Schoolboy matches. Andy is a splendid goalie and he is able to stop ball after ball from getting into the nets. Then disaster occurs when the game is well into the first half. He attempts to stop a ball heading towards his goals. In the effort to get the ball he stumbled and fell flat on his face. The ball sailed through the air and landed at the back of the nets. The Americans were one up. It looked as if there would be no stopping an American victory. However, the English boys fought back. Dick Glendale, another of the English school boys and one of the better players, saw his chance and took a kick at the ball. He sent it flying towards the American goals. The force of the kick caused him to stumble and fall backwards. When he got to his feet he heard the crowd cheering so he knew he had scored. Half time was approaching and in the cut and thrust of the game it looked as if the score would be level. In the final minutes of the first half there was a penalty kick awarded to the Americans. Andy Frazer was able to stop their shot from going into the English nets. He kicked the ball to Glendale who passed it to Peter Morrell. The English player then kicked it hard and Glendale dashed forwards and was able to head it towards the American goals. Their goalie was just a second too late and missed it. It landed inside the net . It was England’s second goal. The referee blew the whistle to end the first half. As the English boys left the field they were one goal up. The score being 2-1.

The Second Half saw the American boys strongly attacking but the English Schoolboys held. Tubby West, David Wilkes and Andy Frazer bore the brunt of the vigorous play from the American side. However the score held and the Americans could not make it even. Fifteen or saw minutes later Jack Tredegar, the English school’s head boy who was also the captain, decided to move up with his forwards and defend by attacking. Tredegar had possession of the ball. He wanted to pass to Peter Morrell but the American Schoolboys had him covered. He also realized that his right wing was blocked too. There was no other option left but to take the ball through himself. He went forward. The American’s saw what he was trying to do. Their back went speeding towards Tredegar. There was not much time and a split second decision had Tredegar trying for a goal. He kicked hard and the ball went through the air and went in. The score was now 3 - 1 . It stayed that way until the last 10 minutes of the game. The American went all out to even up the score but try as they might Lyons said,’ the English boys stayed on top.’ The final three minutes and Tubby West passed through to Peter Morrell. Here was hislast chance to score. He took aim, kicked and the ball went crashing into the nets. Morrell had delivered England’s fourth goal. Enland had won. Such is the stuff of story books! The 'School of the Skies'students were soccer champions.

'The School in the Skies’ went on to Australia and played an International Cricket match with the Australian schoolboys. The English boys won this match too, despite Australian lads being the favorites to win. That though is another story. [Fergusson]

Soccer

The choive of soccer for this story i interesting. In the 1950s it was still a sport whivch many public (elite private) schools banned. Some thouhht Rugby a sport for gentlemen and soccer a sport for the working class. Soccer was, however, a very popuilar sport in England. Even more interesting is that in the 1950s, soccer was a sport virtually unknown to Ametican boys. Soccer was not commonly plazyed in the United States. It would have been very difficult to find an Ametican school with a soccer team.

Sources

Fergusson, William. E-mail message, July 24, 2004.

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Created: 8:23 PM 7/24/2004
Last updated: 8:23 PM 7/24/2004