The School Friend was born in 1919 with stories of Cliff House School for girls as the main attraction, 10 years after first being introduced to Magnet readers in issue no. 59. It came about after WW1 when R.T. Eves, then the editor of the Boys' Friend noticed how many girls were writing to the paper as fervent readers - he asked the already busy Charles Hamilton if he could write stories aimed at the girls market for a dedicated girls story paper and got a Yes. Bessie Bunter was introduced in April 1919 in Magnet 582 and the School Friend opened the next month. Hamilton (writing as Hilda Richards) could only manage 6 stories for the SF before C.M. Down as Magnet editor pulled him up for lack of copy - henceforth the School Friend had to manage without him (and it did). His contributions were issues no.s 1-4, and 9 & 11 which were actually the first stories written, especially for the Boys' Friend Library. R.S. Kirkham and to a lesser extent Horace Phillips took the saga up, until Phillips got the chance to write about his own creation, Morcove School, in the Schoolgirls' Own from 1921, while L. E. Ransome wrote most of the Cliff House tales in the later '20's in the SF. Hamilton had introduced most of the main characters and his successors simply carried on. Majorie Hazeldene was already established to Magnet readers but Hamilton had her lose the election for the Fourth Form captaincy to Barbara Redfern in issue 2, while Clara Trevlyn was Marjorie's irrepressible tomboy friend, evening things up was Mabs Lynn as Babs' staunch ally. There was also Dolly Jobling (who was dropped by John Wheway for the Schoolgirl), Phyllis Howell and Philippa Derwent - and of course as the star Bessie supplied the comic relief. Cliff House was mainly relegated from the front cover in the 2nd series of the School Friend from 1925 which ended publication in July 1929, to be replaced by the Schoolgirl.

In an article for the 1979 Collectors' Digest Annual Tommy Keen explains why Cliff House and Morcove were his favourite school stories. You can read the article here.

School Friend issue 053 had a number of illustrations by G.M. Dodshon featuring a day in the life of Cliff House School. You can see them here.

Thanks to Gary for the introduction and the list of issues based on the works of Lofts and Adley.

If you have any material you would like to share in the form of scans, photocopies or photographs then please contact me.

Notes

17/05/1919

24/05/1919

31/05/1919

07/06/1919

14/06/1919

21/06/1919

28/06/1919

05/07/1919

12/07/1919

25/10/1919

13/12/1919

14/05/1921

06/10/1923

13/10/1923

20/10/1923