UC/AH2/1/1/1-5   1895-1896
Page 1: Lists of students in Rhetoric and Poetry. Pages 2-4. Reports of football match with Philosophers and the return fixture. Cat game with Philosophers.
Page 5: Cricket match against Philosophers.

UC/AH2/1/6-22   1896-1897
Pages 6-7: Lists of students in Rhetoric and Poetry. Students leaving, and new students arriving, in the course of the year.
Page 8: Autumn retreat given by Dr. Hedley, bishop of Newport and Menevia, the first bishop to lead a retreat at Ushaw. Public meeting to introduce St. Bede’s Debating Society.
Pages 9-10: Football match with Philosophers.
Pages 10-11: Amusements and entertainments in the new Playroom. Cards, billiards, singing.
Pages 12-13: Cricket match and scorecard. Cat game.
Pages 14-17: General meeting of St. Bede’s on anniversary of the union of Rhetoric and Poetry. Officers elected. The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom for the conversion of England to be a special devotion for Big Lads. The old custom of saying the Litany when out in the country to be revived.
Pages 18-22: Notes on the erection and opening ceremony of the summer-house, “now universally known as the Diamond Chalet”, in the north walk, celebrating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee.
Page 22: Start of account of cricket match with Philosophers.
Page 23 is missing.

UC/AH2/1/1/24-56   1897-1898
Page 24-26: Lists of students for the year. Departures and new arrivals.
Pages 26-28: Two public meetings of Big Lads.
Page 28: Big Lads presented their Librarian with strong covers for their two weekly papers, the Graphic and the Illustrated London News, to address the common complaint that both would get torn to pieces before everyone had been able to look at them.
Pages 29-34: Football match with Philosophers.
Pages 35-41: Tribute to Mr. Laing, Prefect of Studies, on his leaving Ushaw. He was presented with a pyx made by Big Lads, and his letter of thanks and appreciation is quoted at length.
Pages 42-44: Note on the glees prepared for skating, which could not be used as the year had brought very little ice. Notes on Big Lads’ Parliament, where students played the parts of leading Government and Opposition figures.
Pages 45-47: Amusements and entertainments to render the Christmas Vacation enjoyable despite lack of skating. Minstrelsy – songs, choruses and jokes – also billiards, cards and chess.
Pages 48-50: Cat game with Philosophers, with analysis card.
Pages 51-53: Big Lads’ meeting with election of officers.
Pages 54-56: Cricket match with Philosophers.

UC/AH2/1/1/57-76   1898-1899
Pages 57-58: Lists of students, with departures and newcomers.
Pages 59-61: Football match with Philosophers.
Pages 62-64: Christmas vacation entertainments. Nine concerts in all, and the Big Lads’ play Ticklish Times.
Pages 64-66: Annual Parliamentary sitting, this year to debate a bill for the exclusion of Labour candidates. “Keir Hardy and Thomas Mann… were more boisterous than ever… one of the jolliest evenings of the Vacation”.
Pages 66-67: St. Bede’s Debating Society.
Pages 67-68: Big Lads resentful when Philosophers, after a planned return game of football was precluded by heavy snow, decided the game would be cancelled rather than rearranged.
Pages 68-69: Importance of St. Bede’s Debating Society to the unity and strength of the Big Lads.
Pages 69-72: Cat game against Philosophers, after delays caused by weather and the President’s decisions.
Pages 73-74: Usual meeting to elect new officers.
Pages 74-76: Annual cricket match.

UC/AH2/1/1/77-88   1899-1900
Pages 77-79: Lists of students, with departures and new arrivals. First Big Lads’ meeting of the year.
Pages 80-87: Football match and Cat game with Philosophers.
Page 88: Election of Big Lads’ officers. No cricket game this year, as the relaid crease was unfit for play until very late in the season.

UC/AH2/1/1/89-93   1900-1901
Page 89: Lists of students in Rhetoric and Poetry.
Page 90: Annual football match.
Pages 91-93: Cat game and cricket match with Philosophers. A rare year for the Big Lads in that they were undefeated across the three sports, drawing at football and winning at Cat and cricket.

UC/AH2/1/1/94-106   1901-1902
Page 94: Lists of students for the year.
Page 95: Election of Big Lads’ officers.
Pages 95-102: Football match against Philosophers, and the return fixture.
Pages 102-105: Cat game and cricket match.
Page 106: Big Lads very successful in Scripture Scholarship examinations run in conjunction with the Catholic Colleges of England and Wales, claiming all four top prizes. First prize of £25 went to H. Morrissey. List of officers elected for the year ahead.

UC/AH2/1/1/107-118   1902-1903
Page 107: Lists of students for the year.
Pages 108-114: Football match with Philosophers, and the return fixture.
Pages 115-117: Cat game and cricket match against Philosophers. All four games lost this year.
Page 117: Elections of officers.
Page 118: Successes of Big Lads at Durham University - President Mr. Lamb won a £30 scholarship in his first year, Mr. Sowerby won an exhibition, Mr. Sowerby, Senor, graduated.

UC/AH2/1/1/119-138   1903-1904
Page 119: Lists of students in Rhetoric and Poetry.
Page 120: Big Lads began producing a paper, abandoned at least for the time being when its supply of articles dwindled. Playroom life “was all that could be desired”, with members of the two schools sharing the room happily.
Pages 121-125: Football match against Philosophers.
Pages 125-126: Christmas vacation and March Toasts.
Pages 127-131: Cat game with Philosophers, delayed by bad weather: Argument put that, when rearrangement of a game is necessary, traditions of the Unity of Big Lads should override rules made before Big Lads United came into being.
Page 132: Election of officers, and two Durham University scholarships.
Pages 133-134: Cricket match.
Page 135: Death of a Big Lad, Charlie O’Hare, on July 3rd after a short illness.
Pages 136-138: New version of Big Lads’ initiation ceremony.

UC/AH2/1/1/139-153   1904-1905
Page 139: Lists of students for the year.
Page 140-141: Departures and arrivals, and the first meeting of the year. Big Lads’ president Mr. Tickle had left to study in Rome: Mr. Meagher was elected to take his place.
Pages 142-8: Football against Philosophers. Drawn, with the referee’s suggestion of ten extra minutes each way declined on grounds of the number of injuries: “the side looked more like a troop from the front than a peaceful body of students”.
Page 149. Introduction of a monthly Big Lads’ magazine, edited by Mr. Jarvis, which “appeared, brim-full of matter, grave and gay”, monthly from March until the end of the year.
Pages 149-151: Cat game against Philosophers.
Pages 152-153: Officers for the year. Cricket game.

UC/AH2/1/1/154-183   1905-1906
Page 154: Students for the year.
Pages 155-158: Arrivals and departures, including W. Harrriss to Valladolid and E. O’Rourke to Rome.
Pages 159-167: Football match against Philosophers.
Page 167: Concert on the eve of St. Cecilia’s, repeated on the feast day itself.
Page 168: Christmas vacation. No skating possible: chess and draughts leagues initiated in addition to the billiard tournament, and much long distance walking undertaken.
Page 169: Departures of Mr. C.B.Caminada, “now set up in business”, and of Mr. H. P. Morgan, who had been principal artist of the Big Lads’ Magazine, to the monastery of Pantasaph.
Page 170: Speeches and toasts ending the season’s debates.
Page 170-175: The party game of Cat.
Page 176: Election of officers, Responding to discontent at Rhetoric being often able to dominate voting, this year Rhetoric “determined to have nothing to do with the Election”, leaving only the Lower School to vote. J. Adamson elected Chairman.
Pages 177-183. Cricket against Philosophers.

UC/AH2/1/1/184-196   1906-1907
Page 184: Lists of students in Rhetoric and Poetry, continued on reverse.
Pages 185-186: Arrivals and departures, students advanced and those turned back. Billiard table maintenance arrangements: each Big Lad to pay 2s.6d. annually, to which the Procurator would add £1, with the resulting sum to be used by Big Lads’ treasurer to cover all repairs. Football jerseys bought by subscription.
Page 187: Annual meeting and Biggin days. Customary cheer, “Nine-times-nine for Big Lads United”.
Pages 188-191: Football, another defeat by the Black Sash (the Philosophers). Concert in Hall.
Page 192. Christmas vacation. “First-rate concerts”, billiard tournament, much skating and the usual “Mad Parliament”. Mr. McCormack elected towards the middle of February to be the editor of a magazine.
Pages 192-195: The party game of Cat.
Page 195: Election of officers. Rhetoric again gave up their right to vote.
Page 196: The cricket match. “The 4th number of Big Lads Magazine was condemned by Mr. Brown”

UC/AH2/1/1/197-222   1907-1908
Page 197: Lists of students for the year.
Pages 198-200: Arrivals and departures, the latter including H. Cogan who had won a scholarship of £65 for seven years at the English College in Rome. Student numbers were high, 53 as the year opened.
Pages 200-201: Public meetings. Changes to playroom papers: subscription to the Sphere was dropped in favour of the Illustrated London News, but this after a week would be exchanged with the Divines who still took the Sphere. The playroom would now have five papers: these two, Punch, the Tablet and the Catholic Times.
Page 202: Changed rule for billiards. Each game now to last twenty minutes regardless of the score.
Pages 203-204 are missing.
Pages 205-210: Football against Philosophers.
Page 211: St. Cecilia’s concert.
Page 212.-216: Christmas vacation amusements and entertainments. Whist drives, billiards, chess and ping-pong tournaments, a Drama and a Black Minstrel Troupe: “Big Lads were not to have an idle moment during the Vacation”. “Mad Parliament” as usual, this year including suffragettes.
Page 217: Permission obtained for a whist drive in the Cock Vacation. Public auction and raffle held to defray the Minstrel Troupe’s expenses.
Pages 217-219: Fine of 2d. introduced for every time a billiard ball was knocked off the table. Big Lads later wanted to annul the fine, but Mr. Pippet insisted that it would remain, with a declaration from the bishop that anyone refusing to pay would be in grave danger of expulsion.
Pages 219-220: Departure on health grounds of Mr. E. Rodgers. News of the death from consumption of C. Tarelli, whom poor health had lately obliged to leave Ushaw. A novena started for his recovery was continued for the repose of his soul, and a subscription was raised among Big Lads to pay for a number of Masses.
Pages 221-222: Cat and cricket.
Page 222: Note on Ushaw’s centenary celebrations. Elected officers for the year.

UC/AH2/1/1/223-247   1908-1909
Page 223: Students for the year.
Pages 224-226: Notes on departures and arrivals. Death of Eugene Carrol from consumption. Departure of Tom Woods to a lay mission.
Pages 226-237: Football. Big Lads “showed their superiority at all points except in point of luck” while losing 5-0.
Pages 238-240: Christmas vacation, with usual entertainments and a lively “Mad Parliament”.
Pages 241-242: A short survey of the life and work of Bishop Wilkinson to mark his death on April 17th.
Page 243: Monochrome reproduction of a painting of Bishop Wilkinson.
Pages 243-245: Cat game.
Pages 246-247: Cricket against Philosophers. Officers for the coming year.

UC/AH2/1/1/248-268   1909-1910
Page 248: Rhetoric and Poetry students for the year, the latter mostly in autograph.
Page 249: Notes on new students and those who had left.
Page 250: Biggin days, enhanced this year by a piano to accompany the songs.
Pages 251-255: Football against Philosophers.
Pages 256-258. Christmas vacation. Minstrelsy dropped this year for reasons including the lack of a piano or harmonium. Auction held to cover expenses and avoid the need to raise a subscription.
Pages 259-262: The “Mad Parliament”, resulting in disorder such that the Prefect ruled that portrayals of characters must in future be excluded, and the Parliament revert to being a serious debate. Still, this was portrayed as a kind of progress: “It was sanctioned by custom, but now it is sanctioned by authority”. “May it be a success! But it can never be to [younger generations] what it has been to us”.
Pages 263-264: Cat game.
Page 265: Election of officers, with Rhetoric again not voting. President Mr. William Doyle.
Pages 265-266: Cricket with Philosophers.
Page 267: The death on Good Friday of Ushaw’s Vice-President Mgr. Corbishley.
Page 268: End of year reflections on the close bond formed between the two schools, and the happiness and concord of the Big Lads.

UC/AH2/1/1/269-292   1910-1911
Page 269. Students for the year.
Pages 270-273. Commentary: new Ushaw president Mgr. Brown, students newly arrived, three Biggin days and their entertainments. Several senior Big Lads given individual rooms as Low Philosophy numbers were down.
Pages 273-278: The football match.
Pages 279-280: Billiard table renovated.
Pages 280-283: Christmas vacation entertainments. Ice on the pond never sufficient for skating. Some consolation in the form of several lantern lectures, including from Dr. Wheatley on the Holy Land and Fr. Keats on the Oberammergau Passion Play.
Pages 284-289: Cat and cricket.
Page 290: Tennis doubles tournament.
Pages 291-292: Coronation dinner provided by Mgr. Brown. An extra week’s vacation granted to mark the occasion.

UC/AH2/1/1/293-299   1911-1912
Pages 293-294: Students for the year, including some large autographs.
Pages 295-296: Numbers reduced, as four students had failed in the London Matriculation exam which was now required of entrants to the Big Lads. Three new arrivals, all from St. Cuthbert’s Grammar School, Newcastle. First meeting of the year.
Pages 297: Biggin Days. Students supplied by Mr. Broadhead with better boots, reducing damage to furniture and even to gravelled walks. Introduction of an exchange of letters between Ushaw students and boys at the Ecole de Notre Dame, Berry, France.
Pages 298-299: Football with Philosophers.

UC/AH2/1/2/1-3   1911-1912
Pages 1-3: Billiard league and Cat game. Pages 4-6. Election of officers. Theatrical entertainments and various sports. Cricket match.

UC/AH2/1/2/7-47   1912-1913
Page 7: Senior and junior Big Lads for the year.
Page 8: Ornamented title page.
Pages 9-10: Departures and arrivals. First meetings of the year. Resolve to restore the standing of Big Lads at Ushaw.
Pages 11-23: Football matches: Big Lads with Philosophers and House against Divines.
Pages 23-24: Two well received lectures by Dr. Towers on Douai, Crook Hall and the founding of Ushaw.
Pages 25-28: Christmas vacation entertainments, including a pierrot performance secretly prepared for the Philosophers. Swimming gala.
Pages 28-32: Mad Parliament, with full lists of members. “Every one member must at some point of the session be ejected for some reason or other; if for nought else, then because he had not yet been thrown out…”.
Pages 32-34: Billiard tournament, and preparations for the Cat game.
Pages 35-40: Cat against Philosophers.
Pages 40-43: The cricket match. Victories for Big Lads in all three sports, for the first time ever.
Pages 43-44: Big Lads’ feelings of loyalty so intense that the year’s Rhetoricians had refused to receive a secret normally passed on to them by Philosophers on Easter Sunday.
Page 44: Elected officers for the year.
Page 47: Big Lads’ autographs.

UC/AH2/1/2/48-69   1913-1914
Page 48: Students for the year ahead.
Pages 49-53: New elections required after Big Lads’ President, Mr. Kennedy, left to pursue his studies in France. Meetings and football preparations. A Biggin day, and a billiard tournament.
Pages 53-56. Football with Philosophers.
Pages 56-57: Christmas Eve concert, from which Phils. were excluded, and whist drive between Philosophers and Big Lads.
Pages 57-59: Another concert, with assistance from visiting professional entertainer Joseph Bowling. Billiards and boxing tournaments.
Pages 60-61: Descriptive notice of the eight bouts scheduled for the Big Lads’ boxing tournament, and an account of their results. Pages 62-65: Cat preparations, and the game itself.
Page 65: Last meeting, with election of next year’s officials.
Pages 66-68: The cricket match.
Page 69: Autographs and ink blots.

UC/AH2/1/2/71-161   1914-1915
Page 71: Students for the year.
Pages 72-73: Reflections on the unanticipated war: “we returned sobered and chastened by the cataclysm of events…”.
Pages 73-74: Retreat given by Fr. Maturin, “very impressive… by his eloquence and piety”, who was soon to perish with the sinking of the Lusitania.
Pages 74-76: Meetings and football preparations. Departure of Charles Wilkin to war. Biggin days.
Pages 76-79: Football.
Pages 80-84: Christmas vacation entertainments. Mr. Bowling present again, to give a recital of songs and help assemble two concerts with the Philosophers. Two plays, The Mikado and The Flag Lieutenant. Auction to cover Big Lads’ expenses.
Pages 84-85: Procession from the tool-house on the Greek Playday, “representing Kaiser Bill…. carried to his grave with all the ceremonial that befits his high position”. The Prefect, “shocked at such gross buffoonery”, placed a ban on any more such processions. Mad Parliament, “as mad as ever”.
Pages 86-87: Cast of the Mad Parliament: Liberals, Nationalists, Conservatives, Labour Party, Suffragettes etc.
Pages 88-90: Cat preparations and game.
Page 91: Election of officers.
Pages 92-94: Cancellation of Grand Week owing to hostilities. Cricket with philosophers.
Pages 96-97: Autographs, with blots.
Pages 98-99: Title, and lists of senior and junior Big Lads for the year.
Pages 100-104: Return of the full complement of Big Lads to Ushaw, “in spite of many recruiting campaigns and loud calls for men to join the colours”. Charlie Chaplin universally admired and “the subject of nearly all the conversation”. “The Retreat came, but with it not much silence”. Big Lads’ spirit of unity maintained. Their old library had “entirely disappeared”, and papers were now not allowed.
Pages 105-106: Biggin days, marked with much singing.
Page 106: Letters received from Lord Derby, director of recruiting, asking Big Lads whether they considered that they were doing their duty to their country by remaining at their ordinary occupations. None replied, all holding that their duty was to continue at Ushaw.
Pages 106-112: Football game. Pages 112-114. A feverish atmosphere generated by rumours of compulsory military service, given that “there was no possible chance of Big Lads obtaining exemption… as they could not reasonably be considered in direct preparation for the priesthood”. Many wrote to their parents asking for permission to enlist “if the worst seemed about to take place”: Fr. B. Vaughan, visiting Ushaw, advised a triduum, which all made, but at the end of it none had decided to enter the army.
Pages 114-115: The Bishop of Salford, to general surprise, wrote to Mgr. Brown advising Big Lads belonging to Salford diocese to join up. Six Big Lads then made ready to go, along with another not from Salford but who had the chance of a commission. Concert and speeches held to mark the departure of Messrs. Duff, Marra, Glover, Power, Aspinall, Baron and O’Brien, “with the best wishes of the whole of Ushaw but especially of B.L.U.”. All joined the “Public Schools” Battalion.
Pages 116-117: Welcome distraction provided by good skating conditions.
Pages 117-121: Christmas vacation concert preparations and description. Big Lads voted to exclude Philosophers.
Pages 121-125: More vacation entertainments: lectures from Mr. Bonney, play The Red Lamp, Philosophers’ revue, fancy dress concert and ball.
Pages 126-128: Military Service Bill passed, requiring all single men who would be 19 on or before March 2nd. 1916 to be in the army by that date. Accepting this, places were secured for the affected Ushaw students in the Tyneside Irish regiment, part of the Northumberland Fusiliers. The great majority of them left Ushaw for the army on January 28th.
Pages 128-131: Exemption from military service secured for Divines and Philosophers. Ceremonial departure of the Big Lads, initially to Scotton Camp near Catterick Bridge. Further departures of John Kelly, to the Army wireless-telegraphy department, and James Quinn, to be a recruiting office clerk. Big Lads’ numbers reduced from 45 in September 1915 to 11 in February 1916.
Pages 132-133: Roll of Honour, listing the 35 Big Lads from 1915-16 who joined His Majesty’s Forces.
Page 134: Greek Playday, taken a week early to avoid the date on which most were to leave.
Page 135: Names of the remaining Big Lads, and their elected officers from February 1916.
Page 136: Attempts to keep up morale. Community singing, billiard tournament. News received on Feb. 28th that all the Big Lads at Scotton Camp had achieved the rank of Lance Corporal.
Page 137: Sem. play and Big Lads’ revue. Return of Joseph Patton, allowed to leave the army as not strong enough for military service.
Pages 138-139: Overnight visit to Ushaw of 16 former Big Lads from Scotton Camp, on March 15th. The Ushaw recruits were removed to Hornsea shortly after.
Pages 140-141: Election, shortly after Easter vacation, of a new set of officers for 1916-17, in view of a further parliamentary bill for conscription of 18 year olds. Big Lads’ gatherings and debates maintained despite small numbers.
Page 142: Low numbers obliged cancellation of the Cat game. Cuthbert Peckston removed from Hornsea to Aldershot with a view to becoming a drill instructor. Later note (June) on his having attained the highest physical drill marks in his regiment.
Pages 143-144: Resignation of remaining Big Lads to the probability of conscription. A former student at Hornsea counselled avoidance of the Infantry if at all possible, “as I would dearly like some Big Lads to return to Ushaw after the war”.
Page 146: Photograph of the seven Big Lads remaining at Ushaw on July 10th 1916, along with Mr. Stephens.
Page 147: Ushaw’s President attempted to negotiate entry of remaining Big Lads into the Navy as sick berth attendants, but places were already taken and the minimum period of 12 years’ service for Navy recruits was unwelcome. Enquiries also made regarding their prospects of joining the RAMC.
Pages 148-153: Numbers further reduced when six Big Lads left for their homes to arrange for compulsory service, leaving only four at Ushaw, all junior members. On clarification, those under 19 were entitled not to join up until they reached that age. Three returned, bringing Big Lads’ numbers to seven.
Pages 153-156: Frequent weekend visits from enlisted Big Lads. News of the death in action of Lieut. M. Huddleston, formerly Big Lads’ Master of the Rolls.
Pages 156-159: Entertainments to keep up spirits. Thanks to C. L. Knowles for illuminating the Big Lads’ register title page. Lack of team games activity owing to low numbers.
Pages 160-161: Signatures and inky scribbles.

UC/AH2/1/2/162-198   1916-1917
Between pages 162 and 163: Tipped-in illuminated title page for 1916-1917.
Page 163: List of Big Lads for the year. 22 names, with faintly pencilled notes of those entering military service.
Pages 164-167: Reflections on the war’s devastation. With no senior Big Lads left at Ushaw, a meeting was called shortly after the vacation and officers were elected. Notes on the election and a list of Big Lads gone to war.
Pages 168-169: Visits from and news of Big Lads on active service. Note on St. Bede’s Debating Society and the modified version of the Big Lads’ initiation ceremony.
Pages 170-172: Active role of current Big Lads’ librarian, collecting subscriptions of ninepence to be used to build a common stock of sevenpenny novels. Decision to play the Philosophers at football in spite of the much depleted pool of potential players.
Pages 173-179: Cast list and account of a Mock Trial, apparently for selling a pork pie made from abducted kittens.
Pages 180-183: Football against Philosophers. Pages 184-185. Visits from serving soldiers, including Lance-Corporal Mark Gallagher.
Pages 185-190: Christmas vacation, with a larger than usual proportion of Big Lads going home. Concert and Seminary farces. Continuing uncertainties regarding enlistment. The Mad Parliament. Deaths in active service of Francis Carr and Matthew Clancy, and further news of serving soldiers.
Pages 191-192: Cat game cancelled. Initiation ceremony retained, although present circumstances had reduced the social distinctions between Little Lads and Big Lads, who at the time of writing numbered eight. Election of officers.
Pages 192-194: Visits and letters from Big Lads on military service. Tribute to Thomas Etches, killed in France after capturing eight German prisoners. Lack of cricket, with almost all equipment having been sold.
Pages 195-196: Partial breaking down of bounds between Big Lads and Syntax under pressure of the war. Success of the library system introduced by Mr. O’Brien. Toast-night held to close the debating season.
Page 198: Inky signatures.

UC/AH2/1/2/199-223   1917-1918
Page 199: Title page for the year.
Page 200: List of students.
Pages 201-203: Note on the year, with there being once more some senior Big Lads though hostilities continued. Initiations performed with the help of some Philosophers. Officers elected. Departures, including two to the army, and three new arrivals raising Big Lads’ numbers to 18.
Page 204: Big Lads’ library confiscated and sold in response to wartime austerity. One book, containing a former Big Lad’s comments in Latin on Ushaw’s “eminent dignitaries”, was taken and burnt.
Page 205: Debating tradition maintained in spite of low numbers. No football game, as this year the Philosophers were too few to make a team.
Pages 206-208: A second Mock Trial, with cast list.
Pages 209-210: Injuries to Ushaw men while serving. Irish Conscription Bill passed, requiring three Irish students to leave. Big Lads’ President was among them, and an election was needed to replace him. Other departures. William Vincent-Smith was lost while serving as a wireless operator, and William O’Connell, a Big Lad in 1916-17, was a prisoner of war in Germany.
Page 210: Hand-ball game with Philosophers, as neither cricket nor cat could be played.
Pages 210-211: Ushaw Cadet Corps formed.
Pages 211-213: Founding of a Big Lads’ Literary Club, initially conceived as a Chaucerian Society with the idea of composing a series of “New Canterbury Tales”. A magazine, “The Litterateur”, would be produced. The club and magazine would be among Big L:ads’ secrets, and hopes are expressed that both might be long maintained.
Pages 213-214: Election of Big Lads’ officers, and of secretary and treasurer for the Literary Club. The Club’s secretary (Cornelius Cronin) would be the editor of its magazine.
Pages 214-216: Numerous visits by former Big Lads now serving in the army or navy: Leo Landreth, Joseph Campbell, Walter Spilmont, Thomas Donovan, John Coyle, Gerald Clifford, Oswin Moody, Austin McShane, Cyril Fitzsimons and Joseph Vokes. Also Richard Crawford, discharged after being wounded, who was to resume his studies at Ushaw.
Pages 216: No Mad Parliament this year, but two toast-nights were held.
Page 217: List of the remaining Big Lads leaving Ushaw for military service in 1917-18. Further departures and another visit.
Pages 218-219: Death in active service of Michael Boland, who had left to join the army at the end of Grammar.
Page 219: Playrooms fumigated with sulphur candles in response to a Spanish influenza outbreak at Ushaw. Students to be sent home a week early, a welcome development for the Big Lads, none of whom had caught the ‘flu.
Page 220: Last entry for the year, a successful one in spite of small numbers. Initiation ceremony brought forward in view of the ‘flu, and abridged as some of the materials normally used were unobtainable.
Page 221: 1917-18 Big Lads United photograph: Mr. Stephens with eight Lads.
Page 222: blank.
Page 223: inky signatures.

UC/AH2/1/2/224-264   1918-1919
Page 224: Decorative title page for the year. President J. Bibby, Master of the Rolls C. Cronin.
Pages 225-226: Senior and junior members for the year ahead.
Pages 227-228: Increase in Big Lads’ numbers from 7 to 39, largely as a result of including Syntax in Higher Bounds in response to an abnormally large High Figures. New members, and a few returning either wounded or declared unfit for military service. Wilfrid Bradley, of the London Rifles, had been killed in action during August. W. Stabberstey was missing at the front, probably killed, and J. Donovan had been wounded in the right shoulder.
Page 229: Retreat given by Mr. Knuckey. First Big Lads’ meeting of the year, at which Big Lads’ privileges were extended to Syntax. Regret at the low numbers of Philosophers, preventing the usual annual encounter at football.
Pages 230-232: Football: Rhetoric and Syntax vs. Poetry.
Page 233: Visits from serving soldiers.
Pages 233-234: Ushaw Cadet Corps. Rain prevented going to Durham for inspection. First route march.
Pages 234-237: Return game between Rhetoric/Syntax and Poets.
Pages 237-238: Celebrations to mark the end of hostilities: football game between Lancashire and the Bounds, followed by an impromptu concert. Play-day for the signing of the Armistice, marked by another concert.
Pages 238-239: Election of Christmas vac. committee, and an auction raising £5. 8s. 4d.
Pages 239-240: Christmas decorations and vacation activities.
Pages 241-242: Descriptive account, with cast list, of Big Lads’ Christmas vacation play.
Pages 243-246: Mad Parliament.
Pages 247-253: Football game with Philosophers, delayed to March 27th by ‘flu outbreak.
Page 253: Subscriptions allowed the restoration of the billiard table at a cost of £14.
Pages 253-258: Cat: Lancashire vs. the Bounds, Big Lads vs. Philosophers, Lancashire vs. the Bounds return match.
Page 254: Departure of Alban Nolan to Foreign Missionary Seminary at Mill Hill.
Page 258: Lantern lecture by Fr. Woodlock SJ about Lourdes prompted several schools, including Big Lads, to raise £2 each to support a soldier through a six days’ pilgrimage.
Page 259: Glued-in card of thanks to Big Lads from The Universe Soldiers’ Lourdes Fund.
Pages 259-262: Cricket against Philosophers.
Pages 262-263: Response to the signing of the Peace Treaty. Comments on the end of the year.
Page 264: Photograph of B.L.U. 1918-19, with key to all names.

UC/AH2/1/2/268-299   1919-1920
Pages 265-268: Reflections on the new year, the 25th of Big Lads United, and on the restoration of peace. A few departures, two to seek worldly employment and three to Rome. Honours in external examinations and studies.
Pages 268-270: Annual retreat, given by Fr. John Reeves OP. Elections of officers, including those of the Literary Club, and of the football committee.
Page 271: Tribute to L.A.Jopling, Big Lads’ Master of the Rolls, obliged by ill health to leave Ushaw. He died the following month after an attack of bleeding on the lungs.
Pages 271-273: “Correct ceremonials” for the march back to Ushaw on Biggin days.
Pages 273-276: Football against Philosophers.
Pages 276-277: Ceremonial for Big Lads’ giving a Greek playday to the House.
Pages 277-278: Mad Parliament.
Pages 278-279: A celebration of the granting of permission to smoke in the Big Lads’ playroom.
Pages 279-280: Schedule of fights in a boxing programme in the playroom after supper on Greek playday. Seven standard contests, plus one with tied hands and two blindfold.
Pages 281-284: Cat with Philosophers.
Page 285: Greek playday excursion to Finchale. Increasing popularity of tennis among Big Lads.
Pages 285-286: Big Lads untouched by an epidemic of scarlet fever, though many wished they might share the lot of those convalescing.
Page 286: Cat, Durham vs. the Bounds.
Page 287: Elected officers of Big Lads United and of the Literary Club.
Pages 287-289: Cricket and hand-ball well supported among Big Lads. Big Lads’ speaking before the House was said by the Prefect of Studies to be the most successful such occasion in his time. Speaking playday granted for June 18th.
Pages 289-290.:The speaking playday was chosen for Big Lads’ 25th anniversary celebration. Cricket in the morning was followed by a walk to Finchale for tea.
Pages 290-294: Cricket against Philosophers.
Pages 294-296: External exams and scholarships. All Rhetoricians now allotted individual rooms. End of Big Lads’ exams and handing out of initiation notices to Syntaxians.
Pages 296-297: Reflections on a particularly happy and successful year.
Pages 298-299: signatures and ink blots.

UC/AH2/1/2/300-323   1920-1921
Page 300: Senior and junior Big Lads for the year ahead.
Page 301: Summary of new arrivals. Big Lads now numbered forty. Retreat preached by Fr. Nicholson SJ.
Page 302: Playday in honour of His Holiness Pope Benedict XV marked by a Seniors vs. Juniors football game among Big Lads. First meeting, marked by high hopes for the year to come.
Pages 303-307: Football with Philosophers.
Pages 307-309: Biggin days. St. Bede’s Society’s debates well supported, and a sister Historical Society was formed. A dearth of articles submitted to the Literary Society made even monthly publication of its magazine hard to sustain.
Pages 309-310: Extra football games among Big Lads: Ireland vs. The Rest, London Union undergraduates vs. The Rest.
Pages 310-311: Severe pre-Christmas ‘flu outbreak. Fears for the life of J. Cullen, who after his illness would not return to Ushaw.
Pages 311-312: Every Big Lad went home for Christmas, excepting only J. Maloney, suffering from scarlet fever.
Pages 312-313: Greek playday ceremonies. No Mad Parliament, which in recent years had become a “senseless rout”. Departure of A. Macmaster.
Page 314: Football, House vs. Divines.
Page 315: Play The Magistrate.
Pages 316-318: Review of the year: success of the Historical Society, but a diminished interest in debating. Poor condition of the billiard table after much mistreatment.
Pages 318-319: Coal strike began during Easter week. Permission from the President to forage for wood to maintain fires in the playrooms.
Pages 319-323: Cat: Philosophers vs. Big Lads, Lancashire vs. the Bounds.

UC/AH2/1/2/324-378   1921-1922
Page 324: Plain title page.
Pages 325-326: Inky signatures etc.
Pages 327-328: Lists of senior and junior Big Lads for the year.
Pages 329-331: Introduction, noting the large number of Big Lads in the current year. Seniors vs. Juniors football games.
Pages 331-350: Football against Philosophers: match report in great detail. £6.12s. lost by Big Lads to Philosophers in betting on the outcome.
Pages 350-353: Auction raising £9. 10s. to pay for refurbishment of the billiard table. Departure of Mr. Hickey, Billiard Keeper, replaced in the post by Big Lads’ President, Paul Grant.
Pages 353-356: House vs. Divines football games.
Page 356: Biggin Days.
Pages 357-358: Unprecedented permission given for all students to go home for three weeks from Boxing Day.
Pages 359-362: Big Lads’ operetta The Blind Beggars, in a programme which also included several songs and a one-act farce The Spanking Legacy.
Page 362: Note on Big Lads’ enthusiasm for dancing. “The favourite step resolves itself more or less (generally more) into a battle of strength and endurance…”.
Pages 363-365: After Christmas: Greek playday. Play A Pair of Spectacles.
Pages 365-366: Big Lads’ Football League, where competitiveness was occasionally taken to excess.
Pages 367-368. Play Abraham Lincoln, slightly altered from John Drinkwater’s text: an exceptional success.
Pages 369-373: Cat - Big Lads vs. Philosophers and House vs. Divines.
Pages 373-374: Big Lads’ cricket: Rhetoricians vs. Poets and “Mugs” vs. “Mutts”.
Page 375: Excursion on foot by seven Big Lads to Penshaw Monument, returning to Ushaw by 7.00. The same was attempted next day by three more, of whom one (Mr. Cain, later elected Big Lads’ president) collapsed and received the Last Sacraments but at length recovered.
Page 376: Election of officers etc.
Pages 377-378: Cricket vs. Philosophers.

UC/AH2/1/2/379-456   1922-1923
Page 379: Title page for the year.
Page 380: Signatures and squiggles.
Pages 381-382: Senior and junior Big Lads for the year. Photograph (four boys and a staff member?) loosely inserted.
Pages 383-386: Return to Ushaw, with again a large complement of Big Lads. First meeting, including election of replacements for the Librarian and Billiard Keeper. Second meeting, and election of football committee.
Page 387. Election of Editor and Sub-editor of the Litterateur, whose existence had lately been precarious.
Pages 387-388: Fundraising auction.
Pages 388-390: Successful season of debates. Apprehension as none of the senior Big Lads had an individual room. Billiard tournament and Biggin days.
Pages 391-403: Football vs. Philosophers.
Pages 403-405: House game vs. Divines. Public concert in Hall.
Pages 405-407: Christmas Eve and Christmas night entertainments. Tribute to Big Lads’ President Mr. Cain. Pages 408-411. Tipped-in duplicated programme for the Big Lads’ concert, Christmas 1922.
Pages 412-414: Return after vacation. Football leagues.
Pages 414-416: Preparations for the Cat season.
Pages 416-418: Frequent and well attended evening gramophone concerts: various vocal, orchestral and other performances, at first using the gramophone of Scripture Professor Mr. Corbishley.
Page 418: Billiards tournament.
Pages 418-419: Easter retreat, conducted by Fr. Woodlock SJ, who the night before had shown lantern slides of Jerusalem and scenes from the Passion.
Page 420: Greek playday innovations.
Pages 420-422: College production of HMS Pinafore.
Pages 422-423: House production of “sensational American play”, Ready Money.
Pages 423-424: Debates - the last two years “were a brilliant phase even in the whole history of the B.L.U. Debating Society”.
Pages 424-426: The Litterateur still threatened with closure through lack of support, and the Historical Society was dissolved early in the second quarter. List provided of several papers delivered before its dissolution.
Pages 426-427: End of Easter vacation. Cat preparations and Greek playday.
Pages 428-429: Full playday in honour of a visit from Ushaw man Admiral Charlton KCB, KCMG. Photograph of the Admiral, taken by a Big Lad, glued in.
Pages 429-434: Cat vs. Philosophers, delayed to furnish an exhibition of good Cat play for the visiting Headmasters’ Annual Conference.
Pages 434-435: House vs. Divines at Cat. Pages 435-437. Playday walking and/or running feats. Further Big Lads had reached Penshaw and returned between the hours of 2 and 7 p.m., and this year one went to Newcastle and back in the time allotted. Recommended that such attempts should be dropped in future, in view of the nearly fatal consequences to Mr. Cain in the previous year.
Pages 437-438: Success of four junior members in public apologetics examination.
Pages 438-439: Several Professors had acquired radio sets. Some Big Lads were given opportunities to “listen in”, and Science Professor Mr. Adamson would send down weekly a “Wireless Gazette” of news and other topical gleanings.
Pages 439-441: Elections of officers.
Page 441: Removal of the recent innovation of “whacking” as part of Big Lads’ initiation, after a warning from “higher powers” that unless it was dropped the whole initiation rite would be abolished.
Page 442: Depletion of Big Lads’ ranks by the departure of nine students from Ushaw.
Pages 442-443: Handball out of favour relative to cricket and tennis.
Pages 443-448: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Glued-in photograph of the 1922-23 Big Lads’ cricket team on page 446.
Pages 448-450: Further cricket: Lancashire vs. the Bounds and House vs. Divines.
Pages 450-451: Academic successes: matriculation, Roman scholarships, Honours in Intermediate Arts (London).
Pages 452-455: Sports held in Grand Week for the first time since the War.
Page 456: Closing summary: “never was there a better year than this in the old playroom”.

UC/AH2/1/2/457-508   1923-1924
Page 457: Title page for the year, decorated by J. McGinley.
Page 458: Numerous signatures.
Pages 459-460: Senior and junior members for 1923-4.
Pages 461-464: Departures and new arrivals. Rhetoric vs. Poetry at football. Auction for Big Lads’ funds, raising £7. 10s.
Page 465: Debates, Historical Society and the Litterateur all under way again.
Pages 465-466: The Prefect was refusing to acknowledge Big Lads’ elected president, “a deliberate insult” and occasion of ill feeling toward “the petty tyrant”.
Pages 467-469: Biggin days. “The children of Esh village… followed in swarms at our rear, until they were sent home by the police sergeant at Hill Top”: use of the piano was denied after the first Biggin day of the year, in response to the Big Lads’ alleged rowdiness.
Pages 469-479: Football vs. Philosophers.
Pages 480-483. Billiard table re-covered with half the cost met by Procurator. Concerts, Big Lads’ football (four competing teams), farces. Christmas Day concert followed by walking through deep snow to the station.
Pages 483-484: Return after Christmas. J. O’Neill, G. Baines and N. Grimes left Ushaw early in the year.
Pages 484-486: Greek Playday with usual ceremony. Noted that the first in Rhetoric must always request the playday from the Prefect of Studies.
Page 486: New Big Lads’ president, Thomas Smith.
Pages 486-488: Football: Divines vs. House, and Big Lads’ tournament.
Page 488: Retreats given by Fr. Mayo SJ (College) and Fr, Woodlock SJ (Sem..).
Page 489.:House performance of Pirates of Penzance with Big Lads’ participation.
Pages 490-494: Cat vs. Philosophers.
Pages 495-497: First Ushaw May Queen crowned. Ceremony described, and duplicated “order for procession” attached to page 497.
Page 498: Achievement of Big Lad Mr. Doherty in becoming Ushaw’s organist for Mass and Vespers. Meeting to elect new B.L.U. officers.
Pages 499-504: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Team photograph attached to page 504.
Pages 505-506: Departures. John Ryan to the White Fathers at Carthage, O. McGivney to France, John Walsh to the Propaganda College, Rome, and John Heenan to the English College. Successes in external examinations.
Pages 506-508: Cricket. Grand Week games rained off.

UC/AH2/1/2/510-557   1924-1925
Page 510: Decorated title page.
Page 511. Photograph of four Lads at 1924 initiation.
Page 512: 21 signatures.
Pages 513-514: Senior and junior Big Lads for the year.
Pages 515-518: Note on the new Ushaw year: one change, the introduction of mustard to Big Lads’ table. More departures than arrivals. Rhetoric vs. Poetry at football.
Pages 519-521: Football against Philosophers, a 7-0 defeat.
Pages 521-523: Fundraising auction, bringing over £10.
Pages 523-525: Biggin days, well organised and therefore successful.
Page 525: New Big Lads’ organisation, the Catholic Evidence Guild, meeting weekly in Poetry’s classroom. Each week one Big Lad “harangues… a seething mob of supposed bigots”.
Pages 525-526: Death of John Nixon, Big Lads’ President in 1920-21.
Pages 527-531: Christmas Day entertainments, with duplicated programme. Farcical sketch When Nights were Bold and Sherlock Holmes burlesque A Study in Sky-Blue Pink, with musical interludes.
Pages 532-535: Mad Parliament, a Big Lads’ custom which had almost disappeared.
Pages 536-537: Toast Night, and election of May Queen.
Pages 538. 540-543: Cat vs. Philosophers. Photograph of the game in progress taped to page 543.
Page 539: Order of procession for the May Queen ceremony.
Page 543: Election of officers, including President, Oliver Corboy.
Page 544: Celebration of Ushaw President Mgr. Brown’s sixty years at the college.
Pages 544-552: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Photograph of Big Lads’ team on page 552.
Pages 553-554: Lists of Catholic Evidence Guild speakers and their topics and of the Professors attending the meetings.
Pages 555-556: Score card for cricket game against Philosophers.
Page 557: Space for photograph of the 1924-5 Big Lads, with key to their arrangement, but the photograph is missing.

UC/AH2/1/2/558-605   1925-1926
Page 558: Title page for the year.
Page 559: Signatures of some of the Big Lads.
Pages 560-561: Lists of senior and junior members for the year.
Page 562: Introductory. Retreat given by Fr. Essex, a Dominican.
Pages 562-564: Bishops’ meeting. Auction. Seniors vs. Juniors football.
Pages 564-565: Biggin days. Agreed at Mr. Corboy’s suggestion to abolish the custom of playing “Follow the leader” through the Rookery on returning to Ushaw, in acknowledgment of the dangers of running through the trees in darkness.
Pages 566-569: Football vs. Philosophers.
Pages 569-570: Resignation of Mr. Corboy as Big Lads’ President: Mr. Moon elected to take his place. Advice from the former President generally to reject any suggestion from a professor that a B.L.U. officer should resign his post for the sake of his studies, and to consider, before rejecting it, any such suggestion from the Prefect.
Pages 570-571: Big Lads’ football league.
Pages 571-572: Concert and sketch for St. Cecilia’s Day.
Pages 572-573: Good skating in early December.
Page 573: Well received lectures by Rev. R. Meagher, who had recently joined Ushaw’s staff.
Page 574: Departure of Thomas d’Aguiar.
Pages 575-578: Christmas entertainments, including farcical drama The Elusive Lydia, with cast list.
Page 579: Changes to Big Lads’ numbers after Christmas.
Pages 580-584: Mad Parliament, with full cast. Speeches much improved on last year’s.
Page 584: Cock Vacation. A very wet Monday morning, but perfect weather after.
Pages 585-586: House production of The Mikado, with Big Lads’ participation.
Page 586: Gramophone bought by the college authorities for the use of each school in turn. There was “a fine selection of records”, if “decidedly classic in tone”.
Page 587: Talk on Mussolini and Fascism given by Dr. Meagher. Late football and early Cat.
Pages 588-589: May Queen elected. Big Lads were punished with an hour and a half in study place “for a little scrimmage” on the night of the coronation, and the event would be the last of its kind.
Page 589: Dr. Meagher lectured on Freemasonry.
Pages 589-591: Cat vs. Philosophers.
Page 592. Election of officers for 1926-27.
Pages 593-601: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Team photograph present on p. 593 with key to the Big Lads’ players.
Pages 602-604: Catholic Evidence Guild speakers and their topics, with list of the professors who attended meetings.
Page 604: External examination candidates.
Page 605: Photograph of the 1925-26 Big Lads, with key.

UC/AH2/1/2/606-667   1926-1927
Page 606: Signatures.
Pages 607-608: Senior and junior members of Big Lads United.
Page 609: Initiation ceremony, on the last Sunday of the old year.
Pages 610-611: Public examination successes, including a scholarship at the English College, Rome won by Mr. Redmond, now in Low Philosophy.
Pages 611-612: First public Big Lads’ meeting of the year. Total numbers thought to be a record: 23 seniors, 41 juniors.
Pages 612-614: Autumn retreat, given by Fr. Jaggar SJ. Second meeting, electing football and entertainments committees.
Pages 615-616: Meeting regarding Biggin. Big Lads’ spirit said by Mr. Quinlan to be “unsatisfactory” so far this year. Playday in honour of Dr. Henshaw, bishop of Salford. Departure of Mr. McAloon from Poetry, and election of Mr. Collingwood as Catholic Evidence Guild President.
Pages 617-618: Improvements to Ushaw’s menu, including the introduction of porridge at breakfast.
Pages 618-619: Auction, and Biggin days.
Pages 619-623: Playday for Lord Bishop of Menevia. Football preparations and Spirit Meetings, with photograph of the 1926-7 B.L.U. team at foot of page 620.
Pages 623-626: Football against Philosophers.
Pages 626-627: Meetings, and Big Lads United football league. Dr. Meagher’s lecture, “Cardinal Wiseman’s First Trip to Rome and my Own”.
Pages 627-628: Consecration as titular bishop of Sebastopolis of Mgr. Arthur Hinsley, by Cardinal Merry del Val.
Page 628: Divines vs. House football. Lecture by Fr. C.C. Martindale SJ on St. Stanislaus Kostka and St. Aloysius.
Pages 629-633: Christmas entertainments. High Class Whist Drive (in character), grand opera A Trial by Jury written by J. Quinlan, concert, Fancy Dress Ball, parlour games.
Pages 633-634: Return after Christmas. Two lectures by Fr. Paul, of the Franciscan order. Greek playday, with pantomime Little Red Riding Hood.
Page 635: The Speckled Band staged in Hall, with cast list.
Pages 636-637: Comic opera The Mountebanks, with cast list.
Pages 637-638: Entertainments and lectures: “Ushaw’s Continuity from Douai”, given by Dr. Towers, and “Sidelights on a Papal Conclave” by Dr. Meagher. Holy Week Retreat led by Fr. Bradley CSSR.
Pages 638-640: Big Lads’ league football. Scorers, final table, and Cup competition.
Pages 640-641: Visit by Ushaw’s “greatest lay son living”, Joseph Scott of Los Angeles, who after anecdotes of his time at Ushaw addressed the Hall on the troubles faced by Catholics in Mexico.
Page 641: May Queen Ceremony.
Page 642: Cat preparations, hampered by a lack of wood for sticks and by the poor quality of balls.
Pages 643-646: Cat: Big Lads vs. Philosophers and House vs. Divines. Some proceedings of meeting following the Phils. game.
Pages 646-647: Elections, much contested, of Big Lads’ officers. New President, John Duggan. Initiation meetings.
Pages 648-650: Decision taken that Big Lads’ President should come up for re-election during the year: with rules for the election.
Pages 650-653: Big Lads Catholic Evidence Guild, with full list of lecture topics and speakers through the year.
Pages 653-659: Cricket, mainly the game vs. Philosophers.
Pages 659-662: Farewell meeting of Big Lads United 1926-7.
Page 662: Divines–House cricket match.
Pages 663-664: Group photograph, with key, of the 1926-7 Big Lads.
Pages 665-667 at back of the volume: Rules of Big Lads’ Literary Club, formed May 23rd 1918 and dissolved in 1924-5.

UC/AH2/1/3/1-95   1936-1937
Page 1: Pasted-in decorated title page.
Page 2: Officers for 1936-37. President Thomas Harrison.
Page 3: Signatures of 28 of the 1936-7 Big Lads.
Pages 4-5: Senior and junior B.L.U. members for 1936-37.
Page 6: Return to Ushaw, September 20th. Arrival of Rev. Dr. Theissen from Germany, to teach Scripture to Philosophers. Successes in School Certificate examinations.
Page 7: Initiation of new junior members, with a revised ceremony.
Page 8: Election of minor officers.
Page 9: Retreat, given by Rev. Fr. McCluscan. First debate of the year, “That Nationalism is Preferable to Internationalism”.
Pages 10-11: First Biggin Day of the year.
Pages 12-15: Playday for Bishop Poskitt, new Bishop of Leeds. Notes on the funeral of the Right Rev. Dr. Thorman, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.
Pages 15-17: Further debates: “That Trades Unions are a Menace to the British Constitution”, “The system of Minors at the College should be abolished”, “Hot Weather is better than Cold”. Second Biggin Day.
Pages 18-19: Last Biggin Day.
Page 19. High Mass celebrated by Mgr. Corbishley on the feast day of the Douai Martyrs.
Pages 20-24: All Saints Day entertainments, including concert with various sketches, and play The Purple Bedroom by Eden Phillpotts. Programme for the play glued to pages 22-23.
Pages 25-31. Football vs. Philosophers. Biggin concert to celebrate a good contest.
Pages 32-33. House vs. Divines football.
Page 34. Overnight stay by Archbishop Hinsley, who gave a lecture at Newcastle. Big Lads’ auction.
Page 35. 11 Big Lads in Infirmary after very cold weather.
Pages 36-39. Full results of November and Christmas billiards tournaments.
Pages 40-48: Christmas entertainments.
Pages 48-51: Christmas prizegiving, for billiards tournaments, whist drive etc.. Prizes mainly cigarettes, with some smoking equipment, chocolates and toffees. End of Christmas celebrations.
Pages 52-54: Return to Ushaw, with some Lads delayed in coming back. President’s Feast and Greek Playday.
Pages 54-55: Cock Vac..
Pages 55-57: Miscellaneous short entries: playday for new Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Quarante Ore, failure of the lights on Big Lads’ side of Study Place, etc..
Pages 58-60: Games restricted by heavy snow, then rain. Retreat led by Dom. Butler, a Benedictine. G. Flynn and L. Rout sent home as in bad health.
Page 61: Easter, when the President hosted an assembly of the Scripture Professors of England.
Pages 61-62: Fr. O’Connor entertained big Lads as Chesterton’s Father Brown. Bad weather prevented much Cat and spoiled St. Cuthbert’s Playday.
Page 63: Big Lads assisted in preparing bonfire to celebrate the Coronation of George VI.
Pages 64-65: Toast Night, with pasted-in list of speakers.
Page 65: Photograph of eight Lads on long bench: Messrs. Hollis, Rawcliffe, McClean, Evans, Gawey, Bullen, O’Mahoney and Clarke.
Page 66: Unexpected St. George’s playday. Photograph of Messrs. McDermott, Kilduff and Flynn standing together on an elevated pipe.
Pages 67-68: Further work on the bonfire, and miscellaneous notes. Return of J. Rooney after rheumatic fever.
Pages 69-71: Coronation celebrations – special dinner, where the President came to the Refectory and toasted the King and Queen, then supper, fireworks, lighting of the bonfire and community singing.
Page 72: Pasted-in card “Souvenir of the Coronation”.
Page 73: An hour and a half’s aristote granted after 11.30 bedtime on Coronation day.
Pages 73-76: Cat against Philosophers. Pages 77-79: Big Lads’ sports day. Flat race and novelty races, jousting and a tug of war. G. Ryan exceptionally successful in the sports: J. Scott, a spectator, fell and broke collarbone while running to see the conclusion of the Obstacle Race.
Pages 80-81: Professors vs. Big Lads at Cat. Key provided to a group photograph (missing) of both teams. Loosely inserted message card to B.L.U. from Joseph Coulthard: “Remembered you all at Ordination & at Mass this morning…”.
Page 82: B.A.s vs. Big Lads at Cat.
Pages 83-84: Early cricket practice. Election of officers for 1937-38, President to be J. McCann.
Page 84: Publication of the Litterateur (Big Lads’ literary magazine) was stopped permanently, after the case for discontinuing it was put to Big Lads by the Prefect.
Pages 85-88: Cricket, Big Lads vs. Philosophers and House vs. Divines.
Pages 88-92: Death at age 18 of William Walsh, Poetry, after a short illness. Tribute and notes.
Pages 93-95: Grand Week and start of summer vacation, with summary note on the year just ended.

UC/AH2/1/3/96-152   1937-1938
Page 96: Decorated list of Big Lads’ main elected officers.
Page 97: 24 Big Lads’ signatures in ink.
Pages 98-99: Full lists of senior and junior members.
Page 100: Withdrawal of B.A.s’ classroom from Big Lads. Departuires, including Thomas Harrison and Edward McCann to Rome, and delayed arrivals.
Pages 101-102: Initiation ceremony: J. O’Mahony in the part of Mother Bunch. Minor elections.
Page 102: General improvements in food at breakfast and supper. Retreat led by Rev. Fr. Leonard, CP.
Page 103: Further departures: R. Fallon, to Rome, and James Waller.
Pages 103-108: Three Biggin days. Photograph on pages 106 – 2nd Biggin group, with key – and two photographs of unidentified Big Lads ( “Working Men”) on page 108.
Page 107: First appearance of Hebrew as a subject on Ushaw’s timetables: taught by Rev. Dr. Theissen to junior, and a few senior, Big Lads.
Page 109: All Saints’ Day. Play Elegant Edward presented, with two additional sketches.
Page 110: Usual Spirit Meeting for encouragement prior to football with Philosophers.
Pages 111-114: Football vs. Philosophers, a 16-0 defeat.
Pages 114-116: Football: Hexham and Newcastle vs. the Rest, and House vs. Divines.
Pages 116-117: Big Lads’ football leagues. Hebrew names adopted for the teams.
Page 117: Playday in honour of Cardinal Hinsley.
Pages 117-119: Sledging and skating.
Pages 119-121: Christmas festivities. No play, as a principal actor was in the Infirmary. Big Lads United orchestra – piano, two violins, mouth organ, banjo and drums - performed on Christmas Day, after most Lads had listened to the King’s speech in Mr. Corboy’s room.
Pages 122-123: Prize-giving for winners of billiards tournaments and whist drive, along with special awards.
Pages 124-125: Return to Ushaw. Playdays and Biggin concert.
Pages 126-129: Big Lads followed the Durham Foot Harriers’ beagle hunt at the invitation of Sir Christopher Furness, Bart.. Six hares sighted but none caught. Photograph by North Mail photographer on page 129.
Page 130: Cock Vac.. Sem. play Bluebeard.
Pages 131-132: Big Lads’ league football, B.A.s game and England vs. Ireland.
Page 133: Set of snooker balls obtained, for a while displacing billiards entirely from the table.
Page 134: Toast Night, with pasted-in list of the speakers.
Page 135: Retreat, “one of the most enjoyable ever… The weather was glorious throughout, and the Retreat Father, Rev. Oswald Bennett, O.P., was magnificent.”.
Page 136: Easter Sunday, with ordination of sub-deacons. Departure of Edward Gunning to work in his father’s office.
Pages 137-138: Greek Playday, with Cat game vs. Philosophers.
Page 139: Big Lads’ Cat leagues, an innovation, curtailed by weather. The Academy vs. The Rest at Cat. Tennis keepers elected to collect subs. and clean the posts.
Page 140: Big Lads’ officers elected, including as President J. McCormack.
Page 141: House game completed on last day of the Cat season, May 31st.
Pages 142-144: Sports day, ended early as J. O’Mahoney injured his ankle in the Long Jump.
Page 144: L. Cawley bound for Rome after winning first place among the ten English candidates in the Scholarship Examination.
Page 145: Special feast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the President’s ordination, along the lines of the annual President’s Feast.
Pages 146-147: Visit by Papal Legate, Mgr. William Godfrey, D.D., Rector of the Venerable English College at Rome and a former President of Big Lads United. Six Big Lads were among those he interviewed.
Pages 147-148: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Page 149. Mgr. Godfrey’s parting exhortation and departure.
Pages 149-150: House vs. Divines at cricket.
Page 151-2: Grand Week, and closing comments at start of vacation.

UC/AH2/1/3/153-208   1938-1939
Page 153: First page, decorated with drawn images of war over Europe: gas mask, bombers, tanks, submarine etc. superimposed on map of the continent.
Page 154: Facing page with Big Lads’ officers for the year.
Page 155: Signatures with extensive ink blot.
Page 156: Two group photographs, captioned “The New Big Lads” and “The Old Timers”.
Pages 157-158: Lists of senior and junior Big Lads for the year.
Page 159: Departures: five senior members from last year had gone to Rome. Initiation ceremony.
Page 160: Retreat given by Archbishop Goodier, “one of the finest Retreat fathers we have had for several years”. New Big Lad, Maurice Houdemont: “He looks quite a nice person at first sight, but looks often deceive”.
Pages 160-161 (Sept. 28th): “The near inevitability of war. Gas masks are at hand, and Divines have begun digging trenches on bounds…”.
Pages 161-162 (Sept. 30th): “The peace of the world has been preserved by Mr. Chamberlain”. “Rejection of the bitter attacks” being made on his peace policy. “Whether his actions were best for England or not, we don’t care; they were best for us at Ushaw”.
Page 162: Three new baths installed in new East Dormitory, “allowing numbers of B.L.U.… to get a bath each week”.
Pages 162-163: First Biggin day a great success.
Page 164: Houdemont left. “We were deeply affected by his departure… he was so different from everyone else”. Ushaw Society’s first meeting of the year, with a paper from Mr. Corboy.
Pages 164-165: Second Biggin day. Visit from an “old voc.”, who had spent many years in Germany and had been a Big Lad fifty years before.
Page 166: Some Big Lads ejected from study place after turning up there in dressing gowns when given permission to “wear anything” because of the cold. Billiard leagues introduced.
Page 167: “Novelty whist drive”, with ladies’ (“doll’s set”) and gents’ prizes. Dramatic entertainment In the Library.
Page 168: Spirit meeting prior to football game.
Page 169: Decorated notice of whist drive, pasted in. “Don’t be – Bashful or – Grumpy. Be Happy” with sketches of Disneyesque dwarves.
Page 170: Photographs of two Big Lads’ football teams, “The Worms” and “The Vipers”, each with key.
Pages 171-172: Pasted-in notice for the drama In the Library, with illustration: silhouettes of actors (policeman, burglar and victim?) in front of library shelves.
Pages 173-174: Big Lads’ and Philosophers’ football teams. Full page statement of result (3-1 win for B.L.U.).
Pages 175-179: Incidents of the football game and a closing comment.
Page 180: Football: House vs. Divines and Hexham & Newcastle vs. the rest. An entertainment given by Mr. Findley Dunne, invited by the President.
Page 181-2: Big Lads again followed the hunt at the invitation of Sir Christopher Furness. Full page North Mail photograph on p. 182.
Pages 181, 183-184. Christmas Eve: whist drive and pantomime Aladdin. Christmas Day prizegiving.
Pages 185-186: Pasted in programme for Aladdin, with cast list and Thomas Burke’s full page illustration.
Page 187: Departure of Maurice Aungier. Oliver Plunkett injured at football.
Page 188: Greek playday and auction.
Pages 188-189: Mr. Greenwood appointed to Seminary. A welcome for new Prefect, Mr. L. Sharret. Cock Vac., with performances of Iolanthe.
Pages 189-190: Big Lads allowed to listen to Dr. Meagher’s radio on Wednesday nights. Death of Archbishop Goodier. Football: Eire vs. England.
Pages 191-193: Personal tribute to the late Pope Pius XI. Photographs on page 192, 193.
Page 194: Panegyric to Pope Pius XII on his election.
Page 195: Toast Night, with list of those speaking.
Page 196: Easter Week recreations. Greek Playday, with mention that the Greek speeches were always burnt at once. Gas masks supplied: “The rest of the country have had theirs two or three years now”.
Pages 197-202: Cat against Philosophers. Two of the Philosophers’ team named as particularly responsible for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Page 203: Reintroduction of birching welcomed. Election of next year’s officers.
Pages 203-204: House against Divines at Cat.
Page 204: Conscription of five or six Big Lads: Philips, Fox, Gantley, Sweeney, Hawksworth, perhaps Donnelly.
Pages 205-208: Cricket against Philosophers.
Page 208: Start of vacation. Apology by Master of the Rolls for “lack of detail and incident” in the year’s entries: “he has done what he could in the face of a great amount of work”.

UC/AH2/1/3/209-297   1939-1940
Pages 209-210: Decorated title page “The Rolls MCMXXXIX” and list of Big Lads’ main officers.
Page 211: Thanks to Thomas Burke for the frontispiece.
Page 212: Pasted-in page of Big Lads’ signatures in ink.
Pages 213-214: Lists of senior and junior members for the year.
Pages 215-216: Return to Ushaw with war now a reality. Mr. Philips and Mr. McDonald gone to the army. Customary initiation of the new Big Lads.
Page 217: Football keepers and entertainment committee elections.
Pages 217-218: Retreat, led by Dom Graffe OSB. A revision was that talking was allowed between 8 and 9 PM during the retreat, but only in the playroom. Some thought the relaxation a hoax, and so turned up late.
Pages 218-219: Dr. Towers’ black-out scheme very effective: “it is now rather difficult to recognise one another at night”.
Page 220: Mr. Orrell appointed Sacristan. Second meeting of the year.
Page 221: Playday in honour of the Bishop of Lancaster. Most Big Lads went on country walks in the afternoon, taking their gas masks.
Pages 221-222: Revised timetable for wartime conditions, with rising delayed until 7AM. The Times read daily in the Refectory to supply some news of the war.
Page 223: Black-bordered page in memory of Rev. A. Ord, who died 28.9.1939 and was buried at Ushaw two days later.
Pages 224-225: First Biggin day of the year, with concert programme tipped-in.
Pages 225-226: Air raid practice. Mr McGee gone home on the death of his father. News of a Special Bill exempting students from military service, which would also call back those already serving.
Pages 227-228: Second Biggin day, its start delayed by an air raid warning. Notably fast return to Ushaw, taking just over 45 minutes.
Pages 228-230: Third and last Biggin day, and a reflection on the success of all three days in affording Big Lads “the spirit which only such occasions can give”. Football preparations.
Page 230: Death of Archbishop Mostyn of Cardiff, ordained at Ushaw in 1884, who was descended from three of the English martyrs and was the last of the old Vicars Apostolic.
Pages 231-233: All Saints’ whist drive, with names of winners, and promotional notice pasted to page 232. Sketches, concert and spirit meeting followed.
Page 234: Weather obliged football postponement.
Page 235: Butter no longer available in the refectory. “Truly the evil of war has visited us”.
Pages 235-236: News of the death on active service of Richard Wilson, a Big Lad in 1924-5. On page 235 a press photograph of the Firing Party at his funeral.
Pages 237-243: Football against Philosophers: teams, commentary and reflections. Post-game concert.
Page 244: Ushaw’s conscripted students discharged, but not due back until after Christmas.
Pages 244-245: Unexpected playday for exercise. Football, House vs, Divines.
Pages 245-246: News received that return home for Christmas would be four days early.
Page 246: Change of Bounds Master, Mr. Moulding replacing Mr. Webster. Visit from Mr. McDonald, a Big Lad discharged from the army.
Page 247: Big Lads’ three football league teams.
Pages 248-250: Ghost Night (stories etc.), December 1st. Schedule “Ordo in nocte hobgoblinorum” pasted to page 248, promotional card on page 249. Loosely between pages 249-250, small creased photograph of huddled football teams.
Page 251: Well received announcement by President that Christmas festivities would go ahead as usual, in spite of the early return home. Sketch of rugby posts and ball in red ink.
Page 252: Christmas prizegiving, this year with prizes for all.
Page 253: Christmas celebrations: whist drive (“in spite of a summons from the Rhine Tower”) and country walks.
Page 254: Christmas 1939, coloured illustration of freight train carrying clowns, Father Christmas and various recreations.
Pages 255-258: Pantomime Robinson Crusoe, with coloured illustration and list of credits. Start of vacation.
Page 259: Return to Ushaw, with Joseph Philips and James McDonald back from the army. Pasted-in photograph showing Joseph Philips in army company.
Pages 260-262: Prolonged snowy conditions, and much skating. General knowledge test on the evening of the President’s Feast.
Pages 262-263: Wartime food supply: “trying to decide whether the stuff we were getting for butter is waggon grease or congealed whale oil”.
Pages 263-264: Flu epidemic, the worst in many years.
Pages 264-265: Greek Playday, though concert was spoiled by absences through ‘flu. Big Lads employed to clear the pond. Flu victims started to leave Infirmary.
Pages 266: Three photographs of Big Lads on the pond: individual skating, five on a sledge, and a short train.
Page 267: Cock Vac.: skating, long walks, concerts.
Pages 268-270: Held over from Cock Vac., a Mock Trial of Herr Adolf Hitler extending over two nights. Notice, with cast list, pasted to page 268: line drawing on page 270.
Page 271: Outbreak of German measles.
Page 272: Some improvement in standard of food.
Pages 272-277: Prize debates and Big Lads’ football. Photographs of two of the teams, named Numbers and Judges, pasted to page 277.
Page 278: Cat and tennis keepers for the year.
Pages 279-280: Easter week, with country walks and time in the woods. Departure of Big Lads John Hetherington, March 27th., and John Scott, April 9th, who joined the RAF.
Page 281: Pasted-in group photograph of the 1939-40 Big Lads.
Pages 282-283: Toast night, with named speakers, and Greek Playday. Loosely inserted colour plate of Pope Pius XII.
Pages 283-286: Cat against Philosophers.
Pages 286-287: Auction, and Big Lads’ cat game against professors’ team.
Pages 288-289: Whit: play Ruddygore (sic) and sports day – mostly novelty events.
Pages 289-290: Elections. Big Lads’ President, John McManus.
Pages 290-292: June 18th. News of “the French Capitulation” and Big Lads’ reaction. Air raid warnings began, and became regular. Initially Big Lads would sing in the playroom until the “all clear”, “later [p]illows and mattresses were smuggled down from East Dorm, and everyone settled down on the floor”. Measures to cope with interrupted sleep, such as on one occasion Community Mass at 2 AM to allow late rising.
Pages 293-295: Cricket against Philosophers.
Pages 295-296: New officers took over. “Pous do” at Biggin. Closing entry from Master of the Rolls, Bernard Roney.
Page 297: Note on the relations of Big Lads and Philosophers, specifically denying Philosophers’ claim of a rule permitting any Philosopher to take any misbehaving Big Lad to the Prefect for punishment should the Big Lad continue in his behaviour after being asked to stop.

UC/AH2/1/4/1-79   1940-1941
Page 1: Title page with paintings of military engagements, opening to reveal names of Big Lads’ officers for the year.
Page 2: Signatures of some of the year’s Big Lads.
Pages 3-4: Lists of senior and junior Big Lads.
Page 5: Return to Ushaw, with shared stories of German bombing “of all points of England”. Langley Park air raid siren sounded on the first night back. Mr. Topping’s return delayed by the death of his mother. List of seventeen Big Lads successful in School Certificate exams.
Pages 6-7: Initiation ceremony, with a photograph.
Page 8: Retreat, given by Mgr. Ronald Knox, with removal to the cellars after supper when siren was sounded. The cellars were being made more comfortable, with the addition of tables formerly used in the Museum during Grand Week and the imminent installation of heating. Elections of minor officers.
Page 9: The “worst night spent since the declaration of war”, with three successive air raid warnings, the last of them at 12.30.
Page 10: Photograph of Mr. E. Stevens, who was leaving Ushaw’s teaching staff after many years. Mr. Corboy would take over both schools for Latin and Greek.
Pages 11-12: First Biggin day, with promotional poster. “The rationing in no way hindered us from having an excellent meal”.
Pages 12-14: Squad to train for football against Philosophers. October 11th: lavatory windows painted black, and to be kept closed at all times. Early evening air raids had led to Benediction being missed on all but two days of the week.
Pages 14-15: Second Biggin day, including Mr. McKenna’s reminiscences of his time as a Big Lad. Concert at 8 PM.
Pages 15-16: Long air raid led to rising at the late hour of 7.30 on October 26th. News on the 27th of a British aircraft crashing near Langley Hospital, while its pilot landed near or among the coke ovens. Third and last Biggin day.
Page 17: Poster for All Saints Whist Drive.
Pages 18-19: Results of All Saints billiards handicap, whist drive and general knowledge quiz. All Souls Eve spirit meeting interrupted by an air raid, but continued during the interval by way of verbal exchanges with Philosophers in the cellars.
Pages 20-21: Teams and preparations for football with Philosophers, but the game was postponed on account of rain.
Page 22: Five day retreat at Ushaw, given by Fr. Leonard, for around 40 chaplains of the Northern Command.
Pages 22-26: Football against Philosophers, delayed to November 5th. Full report.
Page 27: House vs. Divines football. Page 27A-27B (a loose leaf, belonging here): Start of Big Lads’ league football, with photographs of the three teams. Message,with some loss of text, from Archbishop Godfrey, a former Big Lads’ President, on his visit to the BLU playroom. Photograph of the Archbishop’s visit.
Pages 28-30: Dr. Meagher’s paper on the English College at Rome, given in the Big Lads’ playroom in accordance with a request from Archbishop Godfrey. Details of the playroom’s preparation for the event, and of the occasion itself, including a “most encouraging” talk from the Archbishop.
Pages 30-31: Preparations for Christmas, again this year including an early return home. Church blacked out, with black paper and sheets of tin, to allow earlier rising.
Pages 31-32: Football league for the quarter: three teams, Defiants, Hurricanes and Spitfires. Action photograph pasted in.
Page 33: Photograph of Big Lads’ football team for 1940-41, with key.
Pages 34-35: Christmas activities: decorating the playroom, concert and whist drive. Photograph “Adding up the score”.
Pages 36-38: Christmas party, with games, prizegiving and speeches. Pasted-in photograph includes Father Xmas (J. O’Brien).
Page 39: Results of Christmas billiards handicap tournament.
Pages 40-43: Pantomime Cinderella. Preparations described, two photographs (one of audience, one of cast), decorated poster on page 42.
Page 44: January 9th: return from vacation, buy many delayed. Students coming from Manchester and Liverpool caught in Blitz: all survived it, but BLU President was thrown to the floor by a blast.
Pages 45-46: Good skating in mid-January until stopped by snow. President’s Feast, then Classical Half, an afternoon at Hill Top.
Page 47: Greek Playday, with Big Lads’ concert then a performance by Divines’ orchestra.
Pages 47-48: Departure of D. Finn, Big Lads’ Rugby Keeper, to return to the Holy Ghost Fathers at Grange-over-Sands.
Pages 48-49: £3 raised by Big Lads’ Red Cross Box. Page 49. Feb. 9th: cinema show in Big Lads’ playroom, presented by Mr. Sharratt and Mr. Malone: Mickey Mouse, and Charlie Chaplin in The Count.
Pages 50-51: Ushaw President attended consecration of Bishop Parker and Northampton. Visit to Big Lads of Mr. Noel-Morgan, who told a ghost story, recounted tales from his life, and requested a playday.
Pages 51-52: Three days and nights of snow, from Feb. 18th. Divines and Philosophers cleared what they could, but top road to Durham completely blocked.
Page 52: Fifteen Big Lads aged 18 and 19 registered for possible military service at Durham Labour Exchange. Disparagement heard from a local man not in a reserved occupation.
Page 53: Four photographs after heavy snowfall, including one of Ushaw’s President on the Pond during efforts to clear the snow.
Page 54: Cock Vacation. 1066 and All That presented by Divines and House, but no Big Lads took part. BLU auction. Playday for Mr. Noel-Morgan given on March 5th after delays due to the weather.
Pages 55-56: Two concerts, one on March 17th continuing through sirens until the All Clear sounded, and Big Lads’ football: cup tournament and English vs. Irish.
Pages 57-58: Fourteen flares found in Ushaw grounds after March 31st raid, and taken away by ARP. Visits by John Scott, former Big Lad now an RAF wireless operator, and Gerard Lamble, who was belatedly initiated. Bernard McCabe sent good wishes with the news that he would not be returning to Ushaw after his recovery from scarlet fever. Cellars now provided with tables and mattresses, affording a more comfortable time during air raids.
Page 59: Greek Playday. Spirit Meeting for Cat game delayed as Big Lads were allowed to listen to Battle of Britain on radio.
Pages 60-61: Cat against Philosophers.
Page 62: Victory concert for the Cat game. Cat, Divines vs. House.
Pages 63-64: Six Cat photographs. One of the 1941 Big Lads’ team, four of the Philosophers game, and one of the closing “pow-wow”.
Pages 65-66: Framed picture of the Papal Delegate’s visit unveiled in Big Lads’ playroom. Three nights of BLU elections: George Dolan elected President for 1941-42.
Page 67: Start of cricket season. Group photograph of 1940-41 Big Lads on steps in front of college.
Page 68: Donation of £1 to Big Lads from Mr. Clifford, a keen player with them in the ball place. BLU sports day.
Pages 69-74: Cricket vs. Philosophers. Photograph during the game on page 74.
Pages 74-75: Cricket, House vs. Divines.
Page 75: All junior Big Lads passed Higher Religious exam. All seniors told to send home for their certificates of baptism and confirmation. Bishops considering giving tonsure to Low Phils. and Rhetoric in view of the threat of military call-up. P. Linnell and F. Robinson told of their impending advancement into Phils.
Page 76: Tennis tournament against Philosophers.
Pages 77-78: “A Review of 1940-1941” with short text and a selection of photographs, of sporting and social activities and the Papal Delegate’s visit.
Page 79: Anthony Barry told that he would be advanced to Phils. Low Phils. and senior Big Lads given preparation for Tonsure. Brief close of year summary by Master of the Rolls, J. O’Brien.

UC/AH2/1/4/80-170   1941-1942
Page 80: Decorated title page, with painting of ship in full sail.
Page 81: Major BLU officers for the year.
Page 82: Two group photographs on Ushaw’s front steps, one including most Big Lads and one showing just five – perhaps the five officers listed on preceding page.
Page 83: Photograph of George Dolan, BLU President for the year.
Page 84: Signatures of the junior Big Lads.
Page 85: Lists of senior and junior Big Lads
Page 86: Sept. 19th, return after vacation. Playroom fires replaced by radiators. News of Mr. Marron’s appointment as Prefect General. Junior members’ Oxford and Cambridge School Certificate successes.
Pages 87-89: First football game of the season, and initiation ceremony. Decorated page “Initiations”, p. 88.
Pages 90-91: Election of minor officers. Retreat, led by Dr. J. Arendzen. Squad to train for football game with Philosophers.
Page 92: Ushaw Society meeting. Mr. Corboy presented a brief history of the College.
Pages 92-93: Teams for Big Lads’ billiard league.
Page 93: St, Bede’s Debating Society meeting. President warned against senior members neglecting the playroom in favour of East Dormitory.
Page 94: Painting “To Biggin”.
Pages 95-97: First and second Biggin days, each with a concert in the evening. Big Lads granted permission to have playroom log fires provided they took their turns in logging.
Page 98: Playday in honour of Archbishop Godfrey’s Silver jubilee.
Pages 98-99: Third Biggin day.
Page 99: Shortage of maids would oblige Big Lads to take a greater part in domestic duties. Volunteers were found to clean celery for a cheese and celery supper, and boys were now making their own beds.
Pages 100-101: Nov. 1st recreations: whist drive, spelling bee, general knowledge contest, bobbing for apples.
Page 102: Full results of billiards handicap, won by Rev. A. Olsen.
Pages 103-104: Preparations and team for football against Philosophers.
Pages 105-107: Report of football vs. Philosophers.
Page 108: More on “the shortage and inefficiency of domestic staff”: Big Lads introduced to washing up after supper.
Pages 108-109: Teams for Big Lads’ football league. Death and funeral (Nov. 8th) of Francis Tidy, of Junior House. Big Lads washed up Divines’ dishes for first time.
Page 110: Nov. 9th, Requiem Mass for all those killed in the war was celebrated at Bishop McCormack’s request. Football, Divines vs. House.
Page 111: With the Prefect’s permission, the former Big Lads’ tradition of a Fancy Dress Ball was to be resumed. Football: Hexham and Newcastle vs. The Rest.
Page 112: Exams began. “Dr. Theissen’s Scripture paper left Senior members wondering whether they had ever seen the Bible before”.
Pages 112-113: Big Lads’ Christmas programme, tentative as the amount of time off was not yet known. Programme pasted to p.113.
Pages 114-116: Ghost Night. Poster pasted to page 114. Five Lads each read a ghost story, then W. W.Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw was performed behind curtains.
Page 117: Playroom decoration. Billiards handicap final.
Pages 118-120: Carnival Whist Drive, replacing Christmas concert at short notice when it was announced that departure would be a day early, on Monday 22nd, because of travel difficulties.
Pages 121-124: Account of Christmas party, with prize-giving and presents. The Prefect thanked Big Lads for setting an example in undertaking domestic duties.
Page 125: Full results of Christmas billiards handicap.
Pages 126-131: Pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Poster pasted to page 126, credits p. 128, cast list p. 129.
Pages 132-133: Return, January 9th. Durnan Macgregor back after missing the first quarter. Sledging and skating, including a playday in honour of Bishop Mathews.
Pages 134-136: H. Thompson left Ushaw. Heavy snow and more skating. Permission from the Prefect for coats to be worn in the College in view of intense cold. Big Lads again responsible for washing-up.
Pages 137-138: Greek Playday, Jan. 28th, with cinema show in the evening: concert delayed to the 30th. Salvage drive for “well preserved manuscripts” to help the war effort.
Page 139: More registration of Big Lads in response to a government drive to encourage youths to enlist before reaching the age for conscription. Noel Morgan welcomed back to Big Lads’ playroom, this time to listen to a typical BLU debate. Cecil Forster, a lay student, left on Feb. 3rd to join the Royal Corps of Signals. Weekly concerts of gramophone records resumed by Mr. W. Clifford.
Page 140: Weekly film showings in Poets’ classroom, by Mr. F. Smith, brother of a Philosopher, began with The Spy. Durnan Macregor left Ushaw.
Page 141: Senior and junior members taking turns to clean dormitories weekly during gym period. Film showings continued with Tiger Bay, Our Gang and The Clue of the New Pin.
Page 142: Cock Vac.,with play Pastoral Interlude in which Big Lads A. Bullen and R. Bessler joined a cast of Philosophers and Divines. Big Lads encouraged to join the Apostleship of the Sea, to pray for all sailors and endeavour to safeguard their spiritual welfare.
Pages 143-144. Auction, raising a record £44. 9s. from books (“bloods, classics and spiritual readers”) and various personal and luxury items.
Page 145: Early March: billiard tournament in aid of the Apostleship of the Sea, early football after prolonged frost, St. Patrick’s Day whist drive.
Pages 146-148: St. Cuthbert’s: football – Hexham and Newcastle vs. the Rest – and an evening concert. Cup football and the start of the Cat season. Photographs, with keys, of the three Big Lads’ football teams.
Pages 149-151: Easter Week. Football and billiards prizegiving. Photographs (4): an early football game, a coin toss, seven Lads in Busby, and the ‘B’ set of Big Lads on washing-up duty.
Page 152: Postponed President’s Feast. “The dinner consisted of two potatoes boiled in their skins and the usual white fish, which was, however, less white than usual. On such occasions B.L.U. can really feel to be taking part in the war”. St. George’s Day concert. House Novena for the intentions of the Holy Father, approaching his Episcopal Jubilee.
Page 153: Drawn emblem of the Apostleship of the Sea.
Page 154: Big Lads, Phils. and a few Divines joined to adopt a battleship, HMS Anson, and port chaplain Fr. Glynn stationed at Middlesbrough. Money would be raised to help support Fr. Glynn, Ushaw students would correspond with Catholic sailors on the Anson, and Mass and Holy Communion would be offered regularly for the intentions of the Apostleship of the Sea.
Pages 155-157: Cat against Philosophers, with photograph of the Big Lads’ team.
Page 158: House vs. Divines at Cat. Visiting former student Peter Warner given full initiation into BLU.
Pages 159-160: Elections of next year’s officers. Mr. S. Futers to be President. New House cricket league to be formed, with weekly games.
Pages 161-162: Big Lads’ sports day, with results of the events. Fundraising auction for the Apostleship of the Sea.
Pages 163-168: Cricket vs. Philosophers, full report.
Page 169: Two photographs: Big Lads gathered on bridge after their sports day, and four Lads in Profs’ garden.
Page 170: Closing message from Hugh Slavin, Master of the Rolls, noting a creditable year for Big Lads and regretting that its events could not be more fully represented by photographs.

UC/AH2/1/4/171-241   1942-1943
Page 171: “Frontispiece” written in pencil, but none present.
Page 172: Top half only of list of the main BLU officers.
Pages 173-174: Two pages of signatures.
Page 175: List of Big Lads for 1942-43.
Page 176: A look ahead to the new year, with Junior Big Lads numbering 34 and Seniors 17. List of 24 Juniors successful in School Certificate exams.
Pages 177-178: Initiation ceremony. The nuns arrived from Ireland had gone to the seminary, so Big Lads retained the duty of washing up.
Pages 178-180: Elections of minor officers. Retreat given by Rev. fr. Corbishley SJ.
Page 180: New professor., Mr. McGoldrick. Fifteen Lads selected for special gym training to prepare for football. All junior members joined the Apostleship of the Sea.
Page 181: October 2nd: compulsory gardening introduced, with Big Lads divided into work parties of five or six, working weekly on full study-days and once a month on half playdays. “There is some consolation for the boredom in the form of apples; but apples are not always in season…”.
Page 182: Ushaw Society meeting. Mr. Corboy gave a paper on a general tour of the College. Mr. McGoldrick, new History professor, agreed to succeed Mr. Corboy as the Society’s chairman. First debate of the year.
Pages 183-184: First Biggin day. Decorated verse on p. 183.
Page 185: War news repetitive, and “interest… is flagging”. Big Lads’ centre-forward P. Derbyshire suffered a double fracture of a leg. Visit from an army team, including two professional players and an international, to play football: Ushaw won 9-2 and “was the best team they had played against up to then”.
Page 186: Revival of the Historical Society, “last abandoned in 1925”. Seventeen Big Lads joined, and L. Hemphill was elected chairman. A paper, lasting no longer than half an hour, would be read at each fortnightly meeting.
Pages 187-188: October 22nd, second Biggin day, a great success as was the evening concert. Full page poster depicting a sturdy Lad with a plate of food, by R. Bessler, on page 187.
Page 189: “B.L.U. Victory Concert” poster in advance of football game.
Page 190: Nov. 1st, whist drive and various amusements.
Page 191: Table of results for an unspecified knockout tournament: billiards?
Pages 192-194: Football against Philosophers.
Page 195: Third Biggin day.
Page 196: Nov. 6th, playday for the Imperial Eighth Army’s victory in Egypt. Death, on Nov. 12th, of Miss Frances Pearson, “a great friend of Ushaw”. Football including House vs. Divines.
Page 197. L. Glavina and H. Archdeacon called to military service, Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. Government and bishops had agreed that all those who had arrived at Ushaw after 1940 might be called up.
Pages 198-199 (detached, very tatty with some loss to text): Another football victory against the army’s Panda division team. End of exams, and high spirits prevailing during preparations for Christmas, despite the lack of playroom fires.
Page 200: Big Lads’ Xmas schedule – poster.
Page 201: Xmas Party, 19th December. No early dismissal for home this year, so the full plans for the Christmas period could be fitted in.
Page 202: Decorated poster for Christmas Party 1942.
Pages 203-204: Report on Fancy Dress Ball and presentation of prizes.
Pages 205-208: Pantomime Cinderella: report, credits, and promotional illustration by R. Bessler on page 207.
Pages 209-210: Return after Christmas, and early playdays. Around 20 Irish maids arrived with a few Irish sisters, allowing Big Lads’ domestic work to be stopped, with just an occasional hour or two on the professors’ garden now required of them.
Pages 211-212: Big Lads’ President, S. Futers, and Librarian, J. Kelly, resigned their positions on February 1st and 2nd and left Ushaw shortly after. G. Haughey, Master of the Rolls, elected to the Presidency for the remainder of the year.
Page 213: Close of Big Lads’ football league. Auction for funds. Mr. Colgrave delivered a paper on St. Godric to Big Lads and Philosophers.
Page 214: R. Bessler comic drawing “Auction”.
Page 215: Cock Vac., with a performance of Murder in the Cathedral. Return football match against Philosophers.
Page 216: Photograph of Cardinal Hinsley, “The First Ushawman to be Mourned by The Whole World”.
Pages 217-218: St. Patrick’s Night dance – poster on page 218 – and St. Cuthbert’s playday, with evening concert.
Pages 219-221: Boiled egg for supper on March 31st, “the old fashioned type, with a shell on it”. One-act comedy Samhain on the evening of April 1st. Cast list given, and atmospheric full page R. Bessler drawing on page 220.
Page 221: Early April: second prize debate, visit from L. Glavina on leave, cod debate “That the Cart should come before the horse”.
Page 222: Dr. Meagher spoke on his friendship with the late Cardinal Hinsley.
Page 223: Big Lads’ football teams and their final league table.
Pages 224-225: Easter Week. Prowess of Mr. Spencer at Cat, in having hit four balls over the wall. “Poose do” – substantial meal (spelling sometimes “Pous”) at Biggin. Prefect forbade further poose dos when those making arrangements for it returned late to Ushaw as the watch they were sharing was an hour slow.
Pages 226-227: Talk from Rev. Fr. Brook, former chaplain to HMS Anson. Greek playday 10th May, with four inches of snow: Ministry of Information films in the Hall in evening.
Pages 227-229: Cat against Philosophers. Home on the Range in the evening, with R. Bessler poster on page 229, listing the cast. Page 230. May 26th: Big Lads learned that Mr. Corboy had been told by his doctor to stop teaching.
Pages 230-231: Big Lads in the House Cat team. Elections of next year’s officers, including President E. Wilkinson.
Pages 231-233: One-act play The Whirlwind Passion: poster with credits on page 232. Big Lads vs. Professors at Cat, with teams for the game, and delayed notice of teams in the earlier game against Philosophers. Departure of L. Hemphill to join the Navy.
Pages 234-235: Whit Monday, Big Lads’ sports day. Grammar presented the sub-plot of Twelfth Night in the evening: next day Divines and Phils. entertained with a melodrama followed by comedy Rory Aforesaid.
Pages 235-236: Big Lads’ President G. Haughey learned that his bishop was sending him to the English College at Rome.
Pages 236-240: Cricket vs. Philosophers.
Pages 240-241: Closing notes from retiring Master of the Rolls, John Magee.

UC/AH2/1/4/242-357   1943-1944
Page 242: J. Russell front page for the year, incorporating drawing of Our Lady of Help.
Page 243: Big Lads’ officers for the year ahead.
Page 244: Photograph of E. V. Wilkinson, BLU President.
Page 245: Initiation signatures 1943-4.
Page 246: List of the 1943-4 Big Lads.
Page 247: Start of the new year, with 27 senior and 22 junior Big Lads. Congratulations to 15 juniors successful in the School Certificate.
Pages 248-250: First football of the year. Initiation ritual.
Pages 250-252: Welcoming of juniors to the playroom, and minor elections. Community singing.
Page 252: Retreat, led by Rev. Fr. R. Stewart SJ. Collection raised £1.0.0 for the Association for the Propagation of the Faith.
Page 253: Playday in honour of the new Vice-President. Again all Big Lads joined the Apostleship of the Sea. Sympathy expressed for Mr. Milburn, whose father had died, and a mass was to be said for the repose of his soul.
Page 254: Second sing-song of the year. Fifteen football players selected for special gym training in advance of the Philosophers game. First Ushaw Society meeting: Mr McGoldrick talked on the preparation of papers for the Society.
Pages 255-259: First Biggin day, with menu and a detailed description of the “truly magnificent” evening concert. P. Walmsley poster with drawing of Biggin on page 257.
Pages 259-260: St. Wilfrid’s playday and evening concert.
Page 261-265: Second Biggin, again with menu and a full description of the evening concert.
Page 265: Note on Mr. Coleman’s work in raising funds for the Red Cross.
Pages 266-268: Third and last Biggin, and again a full account of the concert. Visitors Peter Owens and Peter Fraser, who had left Ushaw before joining the Big Lads, were both initiated.
Pages 269-271: November 1st whist drive, indoor games, and Big Lads’ Orchestra concert.
Pages 271-273: Billiards handicap results table, with every Big Lad taking part. Entertainment - the Home on the Range troupe and another general sing-song.
Pages 274-279: Football vs. Philosophers, with a concert to follow. “Victory Concert” poster page 274, teams on page 275.
Pages 280-281: Big Lads’ football league teams. Pantomime rehearsals increased this year.
Pages 281-282: Nov. 13th: initiation of newly arrived Big Lad, George Hartley. Football match, Ushaw against an army team stationed at Brancepeth.
Page 283: Lantern lecture by Mr. Maguire on missionary work in the Solomons. Films: Charlie Chase, Rin-tin-tin, Easy Street. Infirmary full of ‘flu cases.
Pages 284-286: Ghost Night: six stories and a play, The Bantry Ghost written for Ushaw by Rev. C. Maguire. Poster on page 286. Page 287: News received on Dec. 7th of a two day extension to the Christmas vacation in view of travel difficulties. Dec. 9th, orchestral concert in hall.
Page 288: Christmas Billiard Handicap results table.
Pages 289-290: Exams and lengthy preparations for the Christmas programme. Early departure for Christmas would delay readings-up until after the vacation. Dec. 15th, Christmas sing-song.
Pages 291-293: Return football game with Army team. Strategy for putting up Christmas decorations in limited time.
Pages 294-296: Christmas party games and entertainments.
Pages 297-300: Prize-giving, with ten professors as guests. Carols from Big Lads’ choir.
Pages 300-312: December 19th, fancy dress ball and pantomime Babes in the Wood: “the best day we have ever had”. Page 301 Fancy Dress Ball poster, page 303 programme of dances, pages 305 and 307 promotional posters for the pantomime. Cast on page 309, full description of staging and review.
Pages 312-313: After supper, carols and one-act play The Boy Comes Home. Start of vacation.
Page 314: Return to Ushaw January 10th, gradual resumption of studies and football. Thursday 13th, ITMA on the radio: “We hope that we shall be able to hear this popular programme each week”.
Pages 315-316: January 16th, the delayed readings-up. Playday on the 18th in honour of the new Archbishop of Westminster, Dr. Griffin. Film, Rin-tin-tin in Night Cry. First of the quarter’s debates.
Pages 316-317: Greek Playday, with Music Hall-styled entertainment. Poster with details of the acts on page 317.
Page 318: 30th January, Ushaw Society: the Rev. Prefect spoke on “100 years of Prefects”. President’s Feast (“minus the feast”) and House Game.
Page 319: Film, Pony Express with Wallace Beery. Piano recital by Rev. Hollis and Mr. McGuinness. Cock Vac.: excerpts from Henry IV part I performed by Little Lads, and A. A. Milne’s Never Say Die by Divines and Philosophers.
Page 320: Football largely prevented by the weather. Parallel bars repaired in gym. News of Mr. Corboy’s imminent return.
Page 321: Full results table for Cock Vac. billiard tournament.
Page 322: Auction, raising £4. 4s.. Hopes to purchase a ping-pong table, and curtains for playroom concerts.
Page 323: Drawing “Victory for B.L.U.” – figure brandishing bottle marked “Spirit”.
Page 324: Coloured drawing promoting the auction.
Page 325: Cat keepers chosen. Football practice on frozen ground and in mud.
Page 326: March 13th, first prize debate: “That the Dictatorship is the best form of government”. Arguments criticised afterwards by Rev. L. McReavy. Cheerleader and reporters chosen for Philosophers football game.
Pages 327-330: Football against Philosophers: teams and match report. Big Lads’ victory concert followed, with two plays, The Grand Cham’s Diamond (Allan Monkhouse) and The Stranger (L. du Garde Peach).
Page 331: St. Patrick’s Day, with England vs. Ireland football game, “abandoned a few years ago because the spirit was too high”. New bounds master to be John O’Brien, a former Big Lad and Master of the Rolls.
Page 332: St. Cuthbert’s, weather not good enough for Cat to be struck out. Abraham Lincoln in the hall. Second prize debate of the year on March 21st, attended by professors including the returned Mr. Corboy.
Pages 333-334: Two one-act plays in the playroom, Thread o’Scarlet by J.J. Bell and Lady Gregory’s The Workhouse Ward. Page 333, poster with cast list.
Page 335: Retreat led by Rev. J. Hall, Salesian. Big Lads’ football cup final. Repeat of the Christmas pantomime on April 9th,“not really a success”.
Page 336: Enthusiasm for Cat among Big Lads: four games on Easter Monday alone. April 14th repeat performance of Pastoral Interlude in hall.
Page 337. Talk by Mr. Colgrave, “Iceland in the Tenth Century”.
Pages 337-338: Decision by the prefect that Ushaw would hold a sports day, with Divines, Philosophers and Big Lads in competition for a shield to be displayed all year in the winning playroom. J. Raftery left Big Lads for mining work.
Pages 339-341: Cat against Philosophers.
Page 342: Greek Playday, then on the next day (May 11th) a visit to Durham Cathedral accompanied by Mr. McGoldrick.
Pages 343-344: BLU elections. President for 1944-45, Brendan O’Connor.
Pages 344-345: Big Lads’ sports day.
Page 346: Cat, House vs. Divines and Professors vs. Big Lads.
Pages 346-347: Playday given for the liberation of Rome. Fool replaced by prunes on the Sunday menu.
Pages 348-352: Cricket against Philosophers.
Pages 353-354: First Ushaw sports day. Big Lads overcome by greater age and experience.
Pages 355-356: “Pouce do” and handing-over by officers at the year’s end.
Page 357: Closing comment by Master of the Rolls James Lavery, about to leave Ushaw. Two detached pages included here, undated, with writing on one side only and not belonging to this volume. One is on Biggin days and mentions W. Brown as pianist, the other concerns (billiards?) competitions and handicapping.

UC/AH2/1/4/b1-60   1944-1945
Page 1: 1944-45 frontispiece with drawing of the Madonna and Child.
Page 2: Big Lads’ officers for the year.
Page 3: Group photographs of the five main officers and the assembled Big Lads.
Pages 4-6: Initiation ceremony and two pages of signatures.
Page 7: List of Big Lads 1944-45.
Page 8: First meeting, and elections of further officers.
Page 9: Poster for Biggin.
Pages 10-12: First Biggin day, Oct. 3rd, and programme of the evening’s concert.
Page 13: Playday with evening concert.
Page 14: Oct. 15th celebration of the 150th anniversary of Crook Hall’s opening. Mr. Russell delivered a paper on “Crook and the First Three Presidents” to the Ushaw Society.
Pages 14-16: Second Biggin day, with concert programme.
Page 17: Mr. Colgrave addressed the Ushaw Society on “Our Patron, Saint Cuthbert”.
Pages 17-18: Third Biggin day, with illustrated poster.
Page 19: All Saints’ billiard handicap results table.
Page 20: All Saints’ Day games, whist drive and spirit meeting.
Pages 21-23: Football against Philosophers, with teams and report.
Page 24: Programme of Big Lads’ victory concert, again in music-hall form.
Page 25: Arrival of Big Lads’ ping-pong table: ping-pong “struck out” by BLU President and Master of the Rolls. H. Birdwhistle left Big Lads and Ushaw to join H.M. Forces.
Pages 25-27: Ghost Night, Dec. 6th, with details of the plays and stories. Illustrated poster on page 26.
Pages 27-34: Big Lads’ Christmas. Dec. 23rd prize-giving, Dec. 24th party and fancy-dress ball, Christmas Day carol concert and pantomime Cinderella. Whist drive poster page 29, fancy dress ball poster and band programme page 31, illustrated poster for Cinderella on page 33.
Pages 34-35. Greek Playday. Evening entertainments included Maurice Baring’s The Rehearsal.
Page 35: £7.3s. raised for Apostolatus Maris.
Page 36: Feb. 5th: President’s Feast, now restored to “being a feast for all”.
Pages 36-37: Cock Vac., with Toad of Toad Hall presented by the Seminary. Billiard tournament results table.
Pages 37-38: The Monkey’s Paw presented by Big Lads, and a version of Toad of Toad Hall by their concert party Home on the Range.
Pages 39-40: Big Lads’ football results, and Grand Auction. Auction poster “Be Prepared” on page 40.
Pages 41-42: St. Patrick’s Day. Ireland vs. England football, and details of the evening concert.
Page 42: Alexander McCallum Toppin left Ushaw.
Pages 42-44 Play The Vagabond by Rev. J. R. Meagher. Poster page 43, cast and notes page 44.
Page 45: April 3rd - Vincent Mannion left Ushaw to study medicine in Scotland. Photograph in uniform of Private H. Birdwhistle, a recent Big Lad.
Pages 46-47: Athletic Committee elected as trainers for the College Sports. Cat against philosophers, with report.
Page 48: May 9th, Victory in Europe celebrated by Big Lads, with humorous impersonations of Hitler and Stalin by J. Murphy and H. Lindsay.
Pages 48-50: Celebration of the centenary of St. Bede’s Society, limited in scope as the President declined a request for a playday because the quarter had included so many already. Mr. Colgrave delivered a much appreciated paper on St. Bede, and Mr. Mortimer another on the Society itself.
Pages 50-51: May 9th-10th, elections for next year’s officers, including M. Hogan to be President. Team photograph “The Moral Victors”.
Pages 52-55: Cricket against Philosophers, a win for BLU.
Pages 55-57: “Pouce-do”, handing over of Big Lads’ offices, and start of the summer vacation.
Pages 58-59: Retrospective postscript by J. Russell, retiring Master of the Rolls.
Page 60: Photograph “Coming Shortly”, three lads heating a pan of food by a derelict wall in the open air.

UC/AH2/1/4/c1-114   1950-1951
Page 1: Decorated front page.
Pages 2-3: Portraits by [?C. Hall of St. Bede] and Our Lady.
Pages 4-5: Officers for the year, and lists of senior and junior Big Lads.
Page 6: Return to Ushaw, and election for a third time of Big Lads’ president. Peter Hawley elected, after the initial choice, John Kennedy, had been sent by his bishop to continue his studies at St. Sulpice, Paris, and his replacement, Dennis Hallinan, left to join the RAF. Initiation ceremony.
Page 7: Ink blots and some signatures.
Page 8: Committee and other elections. September retreat.
Pages 9-11. Group photograph. First concert of the year: The Andrews Brothers, harmony group, and two sketches. Playday for the Hierarchy Centenary, with coloured map of the English dioceses on page 11.
Page 12: Large press photograph of High Mass at Wembley Stadium. Note on next page that a Papal flag shown there was subsequently presented to Ushaw.
Page 13: Press photographs (2), of Cardinal Griffin speaking at Grosvenor House and of High Mass in Westminster Cathedral.
Pages 14-16: First Biggin day, with notes on food etc. and schedule of entertainments. Promotional drawing by A. V. Dutton on page 15, poster for sketch Crime Does Not Pay loosely inserted.
Page 16: First debate of the year, and first meeting of Big Lads’ Discussion Group, where Rev. P. Loftus, a “newcomer to the parlour”, gave a “highly amusing” talk based on his recent two year stay in America.
Pages 17-18: Photograph (missing) of some senior Big Lads. St. Wilfrid’s transferred playday, with concert programme.
Pages 18-23: Second Biggin day, with decorated pages, an illustration for the farce Below Stairs, cast lists and photographs (two of five missing). Pages 24-25. Third Biggin, not quite cancelled after the Prefect’s discovery that slab-cake and meat pies had been ordered in for the first two. Programme of the concert.
Page 25: Discussion Group’s second meeting, with Rev. P. Redmond’s talk on his work as the Church’s representative in Abyssinia.
Page 26: Announcement of Canon Paul Grant’s appointment as the new President of Ushaw.
Pages 27-32: Big Lads’ presidential election pastiche, with decorated programme in Latin, full description, and several photographs of the proceedings.
Page 33: All Saints’: whist drive, games, Spirit Meeting for the football game with Phils..
Pages 34-35: Big Lads’ football team: decorated formation diagram and group photograph.
Pages 36-37: Note on the Definition of the Dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady: “Many of us wished that we could have been in Rome”. Ushaw’s special form of devotion around the Sedes Sapientiae, with photograph of the statue surrounded by flowers.
Pages 38-39: All Souls’. Football postponed because of rain. Concert after supper including play by H. Dwan, The Law of Cosy Creek. Illustrated poster with cast list glued in, also photograph of the cast in Wild West costume.
Page 40: Playday for the new President. Canon Grant was welcomed to Big Lads’ playroom on November 6th, to present prizes for best School Certificate results. He was Ushaw’s first President to have served as President of Big Lads United. Photograph of Canon Grant speaking.
Pages 41-45: Football game against Philosophers. Photographs of Big Lads approaching the field, p. 41, and of open play, p. 42.
Page 46-47: Discussion Group: Dr. McReavy spoke about the Ushaw OTC during the 1914-18 war. Playday for the appointment of Rev. H. Olsen as Vice-President. Big Lads’ football league.
Page 48: Masthead of The Times for November 4th, with short verse relating that a history professor’s recommendation that the boys should have access to the newspaper had been overruled by the Canon.
Page 49: Departures of J. Thompson and G. Middleton. Morning of December 12th given off for skating, the first time in three years that the pond had frozen. Two photographs of V. Reid, one in bed and the other on the ice.
Page 50: Poster for the pantomine Cinderella.
Pages 51-52 (misplaced?): Team formations for the football game with Phils., and full page painting of horizontal goalkeeper clutching the ball.
Page 53: Decorative page “Happy Christmas”.
Pages 54-55: Poster for Orrell: or, Beauty & the Beast, facing photograph, with key, of the cast in costume.
Pages 56-57: Decorative folding poster for the Grand Xmas Pantomime Cinderella , facing cast photograph with key.
Page 58-59: Poster with cast list for the play Happy Homestead, written and produced by Hugh Dwan.
Pages 60-61: Xmas Eve and Xmas Day, with reports on the pantomime and play among other entertainments.
Page 62: Note on the lack of a record of Big Lads’ doings at Ushaw in the vacation.
Page 63: Title page for the second quarter of the year.
Pages 64-65: End of vacation. New Big Lad, John Woods. Greek playday, with “the usual speeches” in Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, German and “Chaucerian” English. First performance of the year by Big Lads’ band – ‘cello, accordion, drums and six mouth organs – with photograph.
Pages 66-68: W.K. Meeds celebrated his 21st birthday while still a Big Lad. Birthday card attached, and a debate was held in the form of a mock trial, “That Bill Meeds is from a Paleolithic age and has no part in modern society…”. Two photographs of the proceedings included.
Page 69: Teams for a “Meeds Benefit” soccer match.
Page 70, Cock Vac.. Programme attached for performance of Iolanthe.
Page 71: Auction, including raffle for a watch donated by Mr. Groarke. Photo of A. Cowley, G. Coleman and P. Smith with playing cards.
Page 72. March 6th: football, Divines vs. House. Play Journey’s End presented by Grammar after supper. March 14th: notice posted to announce that students’ parents might now visit them once a year.
Pages 73-74: St. Patrick’s Day. Outline drawing of Ireland containing teams and result for an Ireland vs. England football game. Programme for Irish-themed concert including ceilidhe dancing. Loosely inserted photograph of unidentified football player.
Page 75: Small pasted in press cutting announcing Mgr. Grant’s appointment as domestic prelate by the Holy Father. Holy Week retreat led by Mgr. Tindal, a former headmaster of St. Bede’s, Bradford.
Page 76: Two photographs of Big Lads on the frozen Pond.
Pages 77-78: Big Lads’ football leagues. Photographs with keys for three teams, the Bogarts, Hopes and Abbotts.
Pages 79-80: Easter Week front page and note on entertainments.
Page 81: Promotional drawing for Easter Week boxing match.
Pages 82-83: Easter Week swimming gala, with programme of events and promotional drawing.
Page 84: Notes on badminton match with Philosophers and billiards tournament. Photograph of Big Lads’ president outside a public bar.
Page 85. Two photographs. P. Verdin, the BLU president and P. McGuire seated outside T. Dodds’ grocery shop: and a number of Big Lads in formal dress.
Page 86: Photographs. “The place of torture”, with study in progress, and P. McGuire, J. Duddy and B. McGarry in sports kit. A third loosely inserted, of a comically posed group of Lads in the library.
Page 87: Third Quarter title page.
Page 88: Note on Messrs. Cowley and Hazell’s bookmaking activities as “Cowaz Co.”, raising funds by running books on major sporting events. Road Safety Poster Campaign design by B. Hoban.
Page 89: Play The Shop at Sly Corner, produced by Divines and Philosophers for the feast of St. George. Small programme with cast list pasted in.
Page 90: Team photograph, with key, for the first Cat game of 1951.
Page 91: Greek Playday title page.
Pages 92-97: Big Lads’ play in Hall, It Pays to Advertise. Programme with cast list, review by “A Philosopher”, decorated poster and four photographs of the cast, mostly out of doors.
Pages 98-100: Whit Tuesday, Big Lads’ sports day. List of events, and teams, with two photographs, for the Pick-a-Back Fight.
Pages 100-104: Cat game against Philosophers. Team photograph, score card and report. Photograph of post-game celebration (?) in Cat ring.
Page 105: House vs. Divines at Cat. Elections for next year’s officers. Playdays given in honour of Bishop Parker of Northampton and to mark the President’s election to the Old Brethren Association.
Pages 106-108. Handball, including for the first time a Big Lads’ league involving seven teams of four players each. Five photographs of named groups of Big Lads relaxing on benches around the ball-place.
Pages 109-112. Cricket vs. Philosophers. Title page, match report and score card.
Page 113. July 20th “Pous-Do” : programme attached of Philosophers’ play I Killed the Count.
Page 114: End of year note of thanks by M. J. O’Connor, 1950-51 Master of the Rolls.