The Schoolgirl began as a weekly story paper in Aug 1929, as a Companion Paper for the Schoolgirls' Own and Schoolgirls' Weekly, also published by the Amalgamated Press. It succeeded the School Friend which from 1919 had been a vehicle for stories of Cliff House School for girls as written by Hilda Richards - originally created by "brother" Frank (Charles Hamilton) in Magnet no. 59 in 1909 - and the Schoolgirl initially contained Cliff House tales too. However, in 1930 Cliff House was dropped for 2 years in favour of other potboilers until taken up again by John Wheway, who really turned the saga into his own. Over the next 8 years he wrote the majority of the tales (although he gave the impression on meetings with Bill Lofts and Derek Adley that he had written every issue), complemented by the precise and elegant drawings by T.E. Laidler on the covers and interiors, and arguably creating the Golden Age of Cliff House. In the main he kept the roster of characters initially assembled by Hamilton and continued by Kirkham, Phillips, L. E. Ransome and others but slightly altered their personalities, their relationships and attributes - for instance Bessie Bunter had been fat but was now more usually plump, had been grotesquely drawn by G. Dodshon but was now an elegantly delineated duffer by Laidler. Barbara Redfern was a bit of a prig in the '20's but under Wheway's hand became more like a female Harry Wharton, ie with all faults and thus more interesting, while her best friend Mabs Lynn solidified into the role of Frank Nugent. Jemima Carstairs continued to act like Mauly whilst Augusta Anstruther-Browne tended to be a feminine Bounder. Marjorie Hazeldene continued as, well, Marjorie (without either Wharton or Cherry on her mind), but Clara Trevlyn lost some of her harshness and if the vivacious tomboy was played down a little she was never anything less than lively. Sadly all of their adventures came to an end in May 1940 when the Wartime paper shortage forced the AP to end publication.

In 1936 the Schoolgirls' Own was incorporated into the Schoolgirl and Morcove moved to the Schoolgirl as the secondary school story for two years before being quietly dropped. All the Morcove stories were by Horace Phillips using the pen name of Marjorie Stanton. You can find more information on Morcove School here.

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.

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.

03/08/1929

A selection of covers can be viewed here.

15/10/1932

22/10/1932