Plot:
Mary Brown wins a scholarship to the exclusive St. Winifred’s School. At first she is given a hard time by Sarah Dobbs who resents her. She soon makes friends though and has many adventures.
Notes:
- Although the Diana comic merged with Jackie (a more magazine based book), a few of Diana’s stories carried on in other comics. Both Mary Brown’s Schooldays and Up to Date Kate ended up in Debbie. The Fabulous Four went to Spellbound under the new name Supercats.
- Art (in Diana): Don Walker
- Art (in Debbie): Pamela Chapeau
Appeared:
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Diana: #212 (18 Mar 1967) – (?)
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie: #342 (1 September 1979) – #356 (8 December 1979)
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie: #375 (19 April 1980) – #387 (12 July 1979)
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie: #408 (6 December 1980) – #414 (17 January 1981)
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie: #432 (23 May 1981) – #436 (20 June 1981)
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie: #502 (25 September 1982) – #508 (6 November 1982)
Other Appearances:
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Diana Annual 1969
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Diana Annual 1973
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie Annual 1980
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie Annual 1981
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie Annual 1982
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie Annual 1983
- Mary Brown’s Schooldays – Debbie Annual 1984
Some time ago I asked if any members could tell me the exact number and date of the issue of DIANA that contains the first instalment of the first series of ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’. I have now reached the point at which I really need this information. As we have acquired new members since I first asked for help on this platform, and no doubt the members then will probably have added to their collections in the meantime, I’m hoping that today someone will be able to answer the query, and save me the inconvenience of going up to the British Library in London from my home here in Cornwall, not to mention the cost of a few nights in the Premier Inn in Putney.
Hi Derek, I’ve also asked your query on the Girls Comics-UK Facebook group. So hopefully someone will be able to help.
Don’t forget Comics UK Forum. Someone there might be able to help.
Thank you, Lorraine. That’s very kind of you. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a ‘Girls Comics-UK Facebook’ group. I have certainly managed for the most part to avoid Facebook altogether, as I didn’t want to spread myself too thinly. Basically I find ‘ComicsUK’ and ‘Girls Comics Of Yesterday’ to be perfectly adequate for getting knowledge and for writing informative posts about serials in story papers for boys or girls published by DCT. For information about the world at large I buy The GUARDIAN every morning, and go into the White Hart, a local pub in Hayle, to read it over one pint of ale, usually brewed in St. Austell. I had another one tonight in the Badger while I was waiting for my granddaughter, Lois, to come in from her ballet lesson, which tonight lasted one and a half hours, largely I suspect because Liz Nolan is preparing all the girls for their next show. In order to have something interesting to do while I was waiting for her I took with me a thick A4 notebook in which several years ago I made a lot of notes in the British Library about issue numbers and dates of serial stories in ADVENTURE, many of which will feature eventually in ADVENTURE AND HIS BROTHERS. Then I drove her home.
Paul Brown on the facebook group has confirmed it started in issue 212. I have issue 213 myself and I knew that wasn’t the first episode. Paul also provided scans of first episode if you’d like me to email them onto you Derek.
Thank you to Paul, please, Lorraine, and to yourself, of course. As a quid pro quo I can tell you that the story ended in DIANA 255 (January 6 1968). I know this because at the bottom of the page ending that episode was ‘NEXT WEEK – The first of a brand new adventure with Mary Brown.’
Yes, please, I would very much like the scan of issue 212. I have a gap between 197 (November 26 1966) and 213 (March 18 1967).