Reading the Chunksters discussion

This week's section covers the last three chapters of Part V and the first chapter of part VI.

TO SERVE THEM ALL MY DAYS – 6th Week - PART V, Chapters 3-5; PART VI, Chapter 1

This week's summary: (view spoiler)[
PART V
CHAPTER 3
SubCh.1 – Alcock issues an edict that all housemasters must co-operate to suppress the practice of “ninging” where senior boys engage in sentimental relationships with junior boys. Alcock considered ninging to be a euphemism for some sort of homosexual relationship and David and others were convinced that ninging, at least as practiced as Bamfylde, was harmless and often positive. Irvine, Carter and Barnaby expressed their feelings that no edict was needed but Alcott imposes a ban on any association between the senior and junior boys. By the end of the term Irvine, Old Bouncer and Rapper Gibbs resigned. David sticks around, bolstered by visits from several former students including Boyer. Carter tries to convince David to leave with him to set up his own private school. David declines and finds out Carter doesn’t need his financial contribution but still wants him to come with as a partner
SubCh.2 – David had thought Howarth was apathetic but finds that Howarth lent the money to Carter in order to make David feel less obligated to go with Carter. Howarth wants David to lay low and wait Alcock out and eventually take over, which Howarth believes will be only a few years, where he thinks David could get the place back to form in a month, and with the benefit of Alcock’s surface improvements such as the latrines.
CHAPTER 4
SubCh.1 – David and Grace go visit David’s family for the Christmas holidays and find that the mining communities are being radicalized by unemployment, even with a Socialist government. His brother-on-law takes him to a campaign speech forum and he meets Christine Forster a Yorkshire lass looking for political experience to be a Labour party candidate. He finds that her cousin went to Bamfylde and she has even visited there. Chritine and David hit it off but he finds that she is married but separated with her husband in Quebec Canada and unwilling to divorce because he is Roman Catholic.
SubCh.2 – Group activities are wilting at Bamfylde due to Alcock’s complete focus on academics and test-taking and total disinterest in non-academic matters. The whole school felt listless. David then gets a letter from Christine saying she will be a candidate in a rural Midlands area and asks him to come and support her on the platform at a candidate adoption forum. David comes and decides to speak on her behalf at the adoption meeting. David gives a rousing speech to great applause that has Labour officials asking whether he’s consider being a candidate. Christine is quite pleased.
SubCh.3 – David and Christine spend the next day driving around her constituency. They kiss and Christine tells David she learned all about his past, including his war experiences and what happened with Beth. When she sees David off on the train back, Christine invites David to visit her when she finds a place in her constituency and then asks if she’d be welcome if she ever drove over to Bamfylde. David is quite receptive to the idea.
CHAPTER 5
SubCh.1 – Alcock calls David to his office during class to chastise him about a newspaper report on his campaign speech for Christine. David resists Alcock’s suggestions of improper behavior and Alcock suggests that, due to their relationship impasse, David spends the remainder of the term contemplating resignation. David says he won’t ever resign, will speak at any political platform he chooses and will fight any attempts to seek his resignation.
SubCh.2 – David finds out that his book “The Royal Tigress” will be published. Christine writes David enclosing the same clip that Alcock had and kidding David about stealing her thunder.
SubCh.3 – The book deal has David approaching his Bamfylde work cheerfully, which Howarth and Barnaby comment favorably on. Coming back from a horse/pony ride with Grace, David finds Brigadier Cooper who warns David that Alcock was after his scalp and could get it as Alcock, besides David’s political activity has expressed concerns to the Board about David’s overly lenient attitude to the smoking incident and Hislop’s gambling and, most importantly, David’s irresponsible teaching methods. Cooper suggests David go on the offensive.
SubCh.4 – Algy advises David on how to go on the offensive, wisely altering David’s overly aggressive tendencies. He suggests writing to Sir Rufus himself, avoid bringing up the political issue first and to instead use statistics on his student’s academic achievements to counter Alcott’s allegations of irresponsible teaching methods. Algy insists on editing a draft.

PART VI – CUT AND COME AGAIN
CHAPTER 1
SubCh.1 – David sends his letter off to Sir Rufus who is away on a long tour of India until June. Christine and David exchange twice-weekly letters often discussing politics. Sir Rufus replies saying he would talk with the Governors and perhaps call a special meeting. Christine visits Bamfylde for Sports Day along with her cousin Ridgeway who is a bit dismayed about his former Bamfylde teaching fave pairing up with his ‘Bolshie” cousin. Christine finds Bamfylde overly austere. In a group of Old Boys watching David stroll with Christine around campus, Ridgeway refuses to acknowledge knowing her.
SubCh.2 – David and Christine kiss while in the Bamfylde church and discuss David’s struggles with Alcock. Christine comments that if he loses that battle, he could get into politics where she would serve as an aide to his role as a candidate. She tells David she loves him. They discuss her inability to get a divorce and arrange to find a place and time where they can ‘get together’ for a few days.
SubCh.3 - Algy said that something was stirring within the Board with three groups of plotters, Brigadier cooper and the liberals, Blunt and the conservatives, and the majority group which just want to avoid decisions. During break, David goes to Manchester where he and Christine take a train for Windemere to stay at a wooden chalet on a lake. David soon adapts to the pace of the ‘high-spirited’ Christine’s gaiety and lack of inhibition. They make love fairly soon after unpacking, lying in bed afterwards discussing their lovemaking, their precious sexual relations such as his affair with Julia and her fear of having failed in her marital relations with her husband. As the stay goes on, David appreciates Christine more and more and finds himself in love. He tells Christine that she takes precedence over Bamfylde but she replies that she knows he couldn’t be happy in politics and that she prefers him in a job he enjoys. David reflects that the future can wait to happen and he will just enjoy the satisfying present. (hide spoiler)]

I first ran into the practice of "ninging" in British public schools in Robert Graves's memoir Goodbye to All That. The early part of that memoir dealt with Graves' boarding school experience where Graves portrays a practice much like the one described here.
However, my impression of the 'ninging' practiced at Graves school, or at least by Graves himself, was that it was much closer to the romantic low-level homosexual practice that Alcock feared it to be than the mere male growth/bonding experience that David asserts it to be. I do remember feeling creeped out by Graves' portrayal of the practice I called it predatory.

My full comment on the subject in my review was:
" I was initially thrown off by Graves schoolboy memories, primarily the culture of predatory attachments made by older to younger students at his public school."

When i started reading this book, i guessed its covers a war and a school, but in this section we are on threshold of Great Depression and will soon be entering the second war. Much like a history book or historical fiction.

I like the structure of the book, its in episodes like a tele-series , where problems are solved in sections, almost all the problems of a school has been tackled. Alcock's reign has brought David and Carter together. I am touched at the forgiving attitudes of teachers for sake of student's future and wonder how that 'iceberg' became a principal without that kind of attitude of a teacher.

Nidhi wrote: "When i started reading this book, i guessed its covers a war and a school, but in this section we are on threshold of Great Depression and will soon be entering the second war. Much like a history ..."

When it started I didn't really think about what period of time this would cover, but I soon realized it was going to go on for some years. I still don't know how long it will go on, but I prefer to be surprised.
I do like learning history, through fiction about the times and especially learning the social history through fiction written in the times.

Yes, i can't read non-fiction or history books , can't finish them, get easily distracted by work, then can't pick up the thread , so historical fictions are very good for me.
This book is in episodes so even if its big we can put it aside for a while and then start after some time, very comfortable read.
The other book in such episodes, i read with this group is The Count of Mont Cristo.