Extract: The Three J’s and the Pride of Northbrook

 The Three J’s – Jacko Eccles, John Allen, Jimmy Davis – were one of the best-known group of schoolboys in 1950s children’s fiction in England and are today almost completely forgotten.

They were members of the fourth form at Northbrook School, and first appeared in the Eagle comic in 1953. A total of 32 text serials written by Peter Ling were published over the next six years. As well as writing the ‘Three J’s’ stories in Eagle, Ling also wrote ‘Three Js’ stories in five Eagle Annuals, and an Eagle novel: The Three J’s and the Pride of Northbrook. In 1958 he adapted the Three J’s for television. Trouble at Northbrook consisted of five 5 fortnightly episodes and was followed by another 6-part adventure called Northbrook Holiday. Unfortunately, no recordings of the serials are known to exist.

Here's an extract from The Three J’s and the Pride of Northbrook novel

There is a feud on between the boys Northbrook and nearby Oakfield and when Oakfield steal Wooly Willie, the Northbrook mascot, the Northbrook boys swear revenge. The Oakfield boys raid Northbrook and pelt their rivals with buckets of water, clods of wet earth and dollops of mud. The Northbrook boys not having anything with which to retaliate raid their school’s tuck shop for ammo and flour, milk and eggs ammo fly.

There is no escaping when the Northbrook Headmaster discovers the mess and identifies the culprits. “I shall want to see all you boys in my study, at five-minute intervals, beginning with you, Allen, at eleven o’clock, Davis at five past, Eccles at ten past and so on. It’s obvious to me that you boys need a severe lesson – and I shall try to administer that lesson in the most forcible way!”

[…]

Specs laughed, and shook his head. “Don’t start making plans yet,” he warned, “First of all, we’ve got to see what the Head’s going to say tomorrow morning.”

“Eccles – ten past eleven …” groaned Jacko reminiscently. “I know what he’s going to say … ‘Eccles – bend over’!”

Jacko must have had a sudden moment of telepathy, because the following morning at ten minutes past eleven precisely, when Specs came out of the Head’s study (walking rather stiffly and painfully, and hastening to join John who was already standing stiffly and painfully with his back to a warm radiator) Jacko wet in, and was greeted by Mr. Ravenshaw with those very words:

“Eccles …! Bend over!”

Jacko obeyed in silence, folding himself gloomily over a chair, and staring at the pattern of the carpet – a horribly familiar pattern, with many unpleasant associations …”

Mr. Ravenshaw had a strong right arm, and he knew how to use it to good purpose. A few moments later, Jacko straightened up, wondering why six of the worst were always known as “six of the best!”

“Very well, Eccles,” said the Headmaster, flexing his wrist. “You may send in the next boy … And you will kindly wait outside, because I wish to see all of you together eventually. Your punishment is not over yet; I have no intention of allowing you to escape quite so lightly.”

Jacko shuffled out and Colin Baker grimaced at him as he went in, in his turn.

“What’s he like?” asked Michal Prescott.

“He’s laying it on, all right,” muttered Jacko. “Ooh… hey, you two budge up – let me get at the radiator!”

Extracted from The Three J’s and the Pride of Northbrook, by Peter Ling, Hulton Press, 1957

Picture credit: Generated by Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

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