Plot:
Cherry Bright, narrated the story about her class Form 1-A at Southlands School for Girls. Along with her two pals, Clem Sanders and Pam Stringer, they think that their class is the best in the school, but not everybody agrees with them. So they were tickled pink when they realise the class stood a good chance of winning the Doubles Shield in the school tennis tournament, with their star players being Gwen Fielding and Rose Hedgley.
Notes:
- Art: Mike White (Weekly issues, Judy Annual 1969)
- Art: Roy Newby (Judy #573, #594- #607 [7 intermittent episodes], Annuals 1970, 1973, 1974)
- Often used as filler episodes so during many of its runs was not in every issue.
Appeared:
- Our Class – Judy: #427 (16 March 1968) – #445 (20 July 1968)
- Our Class – Judy: #492 (14 June 1969) – #497 (19 July 1969)
- Our Class – Judy: 548 (11 July 1970) – #573 (2 January 1971) [not in every issues]
- Our Class – Judy: #594 (5 June 1971) – #607 (28 August 1971) [not in every issue, 7 episodes in total)
- Our Class – Judy: #624 (25 December 1971)- #627 (15 January 1972)
Other Appearances:
- Our Class – Judy Annual 1969
- Our Class – Judy Annual 1970
- Our Class – Judy Annual 1973
- Our Class – Judy Annual 1974
The June 1971 episode was part of an intermittent run which started in #594 (29 May 1971) and ended in #607 (28 August 1971) – seven episodes spread over that period. Roy Newby drew all of these, and #573.
Thanks Goof
I can help with some of the missing issue numbers and/or dates, Goof.
a) The story ending in 445 started in 427 (16 March 1968).
b) The story starting in circa 493 started in 492 (14 June 1969) and ended in 497 (19 July 1969).
c) The story starting in circa 550 started in 548 (11 July 1970) and is the same story that you correctly state ended in 573.
d) The final story that ends in 627, started in 624 (25 December 1971).
In one respect, Goof, the various gaps during the above series of ‘Our Class’ stories make it look like several series one after the other. I am certainly not persuaded that it has any real merit whichever way you look at it. There are a great many serials in JUDY that are so much better. It has nevertheless been an interesting experience reading the above serials for the first time.
Thanks, Derek. Yes, it looks as if, after the first longish run, the series was used as an occasional filler.
It seems that the DCT girls titles made a habit of using gently humorous or sentimental series in this way, and Judy had quite a repertoire of them around this time – Junior Nanny, Annie’s Ark, The Hobbies of Holly and the apparently indestructible Skinflint School. Once they had proved to be popular with readers, they were presumably seen as reliable light relief from the more serious/harrowing serials. For the same reason, perhaps, they usually clocked up a lot of Annual appearances as well.
Regarding the appearances of the above stories in annuals, Goof, if I have not said so previously, they will not feature in BUNTY AND HER SISTERS, my forthcoming book, the publication of which I expect to be in March/April 2022, as the content will essentially only be summaries of the serial stories in the 12 weekly story papers. Before you point out to me that there were only 11, could I just remind you that all those were picture stories. The content of the initial run of ‘The BLUEBIRD’ [issues 1 and 2] ‘The BLUE BIRD’ [issues 3 to 6] was in text form, none of which contained any fiction. I believe that these six issues were produced in order to establish D C Thomsons’ copyright to the title. The actual issue No.1 Vol. 1 appeared as ‘The BLUE BIRD’ on 28 October 1922. 99 further issues were published before DCT withdrew its funding. Issues of this paper are extremely difficult to find but I did manage to read and make notes on quite a lot of them in the British Library in St Pancras , London, where rather than simply a visitor, I became a member as of 26 August 2021. My card does not expire until 25 August 2024, and if in the meantime, I need any help or information, all I have to do is ring the library and ask to speak to my contact Fiona McHenry, which will only happen after I give my password to the person who answers the phone. That’s how tight their security is!!
Thanks Derek for the information.
I have only visited the British Library once, it’s a bit far to travel to regularly. Luckily the National Library of Scotland have been helpful when I need to check things though unfortunately for these comics there is a gap in their collection for anything prior to 1972 but still a very helpful resource.
I really think you should challenge this, Lorraine, because the National Library of Scotland is one of the six ‘Legal Deposit Libraries’, which are entitled to receive EVERY publication (even pamphlets and leaflets) printed in the British Isles. Perhaps you contacted the wrong address? Their current address is:- Unit 21 Marnin Way, EDINBURGH, EH12 9GD (Tel. 0131 623 4680) (email http://www.legaldeposit.org.uk). If you do follow this up, please let me know how you get on.
There may be a difference between what they have in their depository and what is available for consultation for public in the reading room, it would be interesting to find out if there is a reason for this gap in the catalogue.
Presumably all you have to do is ask them. If you do, please let me know what their answer is.
It’s been a year, but I did get a chance to query this, while nowadays the National Scottish Library does receive the legal deposit but in the past (prior to the 1970s) particularly for newspapers/magazines they did not chase up these things when the British Library had a copy. There was a lack of storage space back then, so while they could legally ask for a copy from a publisher, they didn’t chase it up at time.
Now it is standard to request a copy of publication if they didn’t automatically receive it, but there are gaps for earlier years.