1910 Ronald takes the examinations for the Oxford and Cambridge Higher Certificate, passing in five subjects: Latin, Greek, Elementary Mathematics, Scripture Knowledge (Greek Text), and History, and also satisfies the examiners in English Essay. – He writes a poem, Wood-sunshine, noteworthy among his earliest verse for its references to ‘fairy things tripping so gay’ and ‘sprites of the wood’, a foreshadowing of later writings (Biography, p. 47). He will later date another poem, The Sirens, also to this month.
27 July 1910 Speech Day and Prize-giving at King Edward’s School, followed by various performances. Ronald is awarded the prize for German, and plays the part of the Inspector in a performance in Greek of The Birds by Aristophanes, for which the King Edward’s School Chronicle will single him out for special praise. Rob Gilson and Christopher Wiseman appear in scenes from Shakespeare’s Henry V. – Hilary Tolkien attends his final day at King Edward’s School. At some time before April 1911 he will be given a post in Walter Incledon’s family business, as a hardware merchant’s clerk.
28 July–6 August 1910 Ronald attends camp with the King Edward’s School Officers Training Corps. Sixty-four cadets parade at the School on the morning of 28 July under the command of Captain R.H. Hume before travelling by special train from Snow Hill Station, Birmingham, to *Aldershot in Hampshire. They and cadets from other schools pitch camp on Farnborough Common and spend two days drilling in preparation for an inspection by the Duke of Connaught on the Saturday afternoon. During their field training the cadets are taken in groups to visit the depot of military airplanes and airships in the neighbouring Farnborough. A battery of field artillery is demonstrated to them. During the second week, the cadets are inspected by Field Marshals Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener. ‘The weather was on the whole good, but on two evenings the rain fell in torrents and nearly washed out the Camp’ (R.H. Hume, ‘O.T.C. Annual Camp, Aldershot, 1910’, King Edward’s School Chronicle n.s. 26, no. 183 (November 1910), p. 74).
Summer 1910 Ronald takes a holiday in *Whitby on the northeast coast of England. He makes at least seven drawings of the busy fishing port and the ruined abbey on the cliff above the town, including Whitby, Ruins at West End of Whitby Abbey (Artist and Illustrator, figs. 9–10), and ‘Sketch of Whitby’ (Life and Legend, p. 19). – Either this summer or in 1911 he visits his Aunt Jane Neave in St Andrews, *Scotland, where she is Lady Warden of University Hall. While there he draws a view, St Andrews from Kinkell Brae.
Autumn term 1910 At King Edward’s School Ronald is now a Prefect, Secretary of the Debating Society, Football Secretary, House Football Captain, and a corporal in the Officers Training Corps, each of which posts has various duties. He is also, with Christopher Wiseman and Rob Gilson, a Sub-Librarian. See note. Another future member of the T.C.B.S., *Sidney Barrowclough, is now among the twenty boys in the First Class. Despite these distractions, Ronald is (or is supposed to be) working hard for his second attempt to gain an Oxford scholarship. – During his last year at school Ronald will discover the Finnish *Kalevala in the English translation by W.F. Kirby.
7 October 1910 Ronald makes the opening speech at a meeting of the King Edward’s School Debating Society, in favour of the motion: ‘That this House considers that the Debating Society does more harm than good.’ He accuses the Society of encouraging the growth of punning and draws ‘a harrowing picture of the devastation wrought through this malpractice by members of the Society in Camp at Aldershot’. Among other speakers, Vincent Trought ultimately suggests that a debate precede every meal as an appetizer and offering a ‘sweeping dictum that “this House keeps its members from the ‘Pubs’”’; Rob Gilson explains ‘impatiently that his one and only grievance against the Society was this educational tendency’; R.S. Payton applies ‘his wit for a sentence or so to the Secretary’; and Christopher Wiseman rises ‘distorted and inarticulate with internal merriment’ (‘Debating Society’, King Edward’s School Chronicle n.s. 26, no. 183 (November 1910), pp. 69, 70). The motion fails, 5 votes to 15. See note.
14 October 1910 Rob Gilson reads a paper on John Ruskin at a meeting of the King Edward’s School Literary Society.
15 October 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV home match against the Old Edwardians II. King Edward’s School loses, 6 to 10. See note.
21 October 1910 The King Edward’s School Debating Society addresses the motion: ‘This House advocates State Endowment of the Drama.’ Although Ronald is not reported to have made any direct contribution to the debate, C.H. Richards ‘regretted bitterly the weak moment in which he had capitulated to the highwaymanism of the Secretary’ (Ronald) in persuading him to lead the opposition to the motion (‘Debating Society’, King Edward’s School Chronicle n.s. 26, no. 183 (November 1910), p. 70). Rob Gilson, Vincent Trought, and Christopher Wiseman are among the other speakers. The motion fails, 9 votes to 14.
22 October 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV away match at Denstone, Staffordshire, against Denstone College. King Edward’s School wins, 17 to 13. The King Edward’s School Chronicle will report that ‘Tolkien played a characteristic dashing game’ (‘Football’, n.s. 26, no. 183 (November 1910), p. 83).
25 October 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV home match against Jesus College, Oxford. King Edward’s School loses, 5 to 6.
28 October 1910 King Edward’s School sudent F. Scopes reads a paper on Matthew Arnold as a poet at a meeting of the Literary Society.
29 October 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV home match against Oakham School. King Edward’s School wins, 9 to 8.
November 1910 As Debating Society Secretary, Ronald almost certainly writes the report of the meetings of the Society on 7 and 21 October published in the King Edward’s School Chronicle for November 1910. As Football Secretary, he possibly also writes the report of matches published in the same number.
1 November 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV away match against The Leys School, Cambridge. King Edward’s School loses, 0 to 6. After the match, Ronald, Christopher Wiseman, and another player receive their first team colours.
4 November 1910 The King Edward’s School Debating Society addresses the motion: ‘This House deplores the occurrence of the Norman Conquest.’ It will be reported in the King Edward’s School Chronicle that
in a speech attempting to return to something of Saxon purity of diction, (‘right English goodliness of speechcraft’?) [Ronald] deplored before ‘the worshipful fellows of the speechguild,’ the influx of polysyllabic barbarities which ousted the more honest if humbler native words. He finally appealed to the House’s sentiment, recalling the deaths of Harold and Hereward, but lapsed regrettably in his enthusiasm into such outlandish horrors as ‘famous’ and ‘barbarous’.
Among other speakers, Rob Gilson ‘denied the equality of Saxon to Norman in anything; Vincent Trought offered ‘the comforting theory that William never really conquered England at all’ but had visited Hastings ‘to get local colour for his new novel’; and W.H. and R.S. Payton and Christopher Wiseman ‘were eloquent upon the negative’ (‘Debating Society’, n.s. 26, no. 184 (December 1910), p. 95). The motion fails, 8 votes to 12.
5 November 1910 Ronald plays in a 1st XV home match against the University of Birmingham. King Edward’s School loses, 6 to 20. It may be during this match that Ronald suffers injury to his tongue or nose, as he does not play for the rest of the term. (In playing rugby ‘I got rather damaged – among things having my tongue nearly cut out’: letter to Michael Tolkien, 3 October 1937, Letters, p. 22.) The King Edward’s School Chronicle will note that several members on the 1st XV are now on the injured list.
11 November 1910 Vincent Trought reads a paper on Romanticism at a meeting of the King Edward’s School Literary Society.
18 November 1910 At a meeting of the King Edward’s School Debating