The King Edward's School Chronicle

Notes
Contains Tolkien’s poem The Battle of the Eastern Field. See pp.22-26.

Also contains Acta Senatus [Proceedings of the Senate] – a report in Latin of a Latin debate at King Edward’s School. See pp.26-27.

The article does not appear to be a simple translation of Debating Society report, rather it seems to be more dramatic and written in the style of the Acta Diurna (the official notices of the Roman Republic). The names of participants in the debate are in Latin, being translations of names or nicknames, interests or plays on words. John Garth identifies T. Portorius Acer Germanicus as being Tolkien [Toll Keen]. The subject of the debate may have been “whether the pilgrims from Rome should be exterminated or not” – if this was about an event from history, or something contemporary is hard to tell, but one of the participants is identified (in jest) as “Peter the Painter” – the leader of a gang of criminals who escaped from the Sidney Street Siege on 2 January 1911 and was never recaptured. The report rapidly wanders away from the subject of the debate and becomes hard to follow for those not familiar with the participants.

It has been suggested that as Tolkien is listed as Football Secretary, he may have also written the football report.

The image opposite shows the December 1935 issue – the March 1911 issue was very similar.