Figure 1.--"The Swarm in May was written by William Mayne and published in 1955. It was one of his first books. The boy's school story at the time was declining in popularity, despite this remarkable work. It was filmed at Rochester Cathedral and released in 1983. Notice that the tie is not tied correctly.

Lovely little book about a young boy at a choir school. It was written by William Mayne. He was one of the last authors to work in the school story genre. Mayne published it in 1955, one of his first books. The boy's school story at the time was declining in popularity, despite this remarkable work. The 1982 edition pictured here was Illustrated by CW Hodges. The title comes from a rhyme about bee keeping: "A Swarm in May is worth a load of hay; A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; A swarm in July ain't worth a fly!" The main charcter is John Owen who is about 10 years old. I believe he is played by Oliver Hickes. The boy loves the music, but his father who is divorcing his mother thinks that singing is sissy making the boy very unhappy. The boy has to sing a special solo which he objects to at first, but guided by a very sensitive teacher, he eventually comes to covet the part. He wears a shorts pants school uniform with knee socks.

William Mayne (1924- )

The book was written by William Mayne. He was one of the last authors to work in the school story genre. Mayne was born in the Yorkshire Dales. He was the eldest child of a doctor. He was a chorister in Canterbury as a boy. He was not a keen scholar. He later wrote, "I gave up thinking school was any good at 14, though social pressures didn't allow one to abandon it". He finally left school at age 17. Mayne despite his dimissive attitude toward school, decided very early that he wanted to write. He worked a few years with the BBC and then as a teacher before devoting himself full time to teaching. Mayne published The Swarm in May in 1955. It was one of his first books. Another interesting books is Choristers' Cake (1956). Mayne is well known for Earthfasts, Cradlefasts, and Candlefasts, a triology that was written over a period of 30 years. His most aclaimed book is probably A Grass Rope which was awarded the Carnegie Medal. Many of his books are fantasies, such as a recent book--The Animal Garden. Mayne has also written many fine short stories.

The Book

Lovely little book about a young boy at a choir school. The Swarm in May published in 1955. It was part of William Mayne's quartet of choir-school stories, no doubt influenced by his own experiences as a chorister. The boy's school story at the time was declining in popularity, despite this remarkable work. The title comes from a rhyme about bee keeping: "A Swarm in May is worth a load of hay; A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; A swarm in July ain't worth a fly!" It was also one of his first books.

Illustrators

I am not sure who originally illustrated the book in 1955. A 1982 edition was Illustrated by CW Hodges. The cover is reproduced here (figure 1).

Film

The book was made into a film in 1983. Unfortunately at this time I have no information on the actual film. I do remember seeing the film on TV several years ago, but unfortunately do not remember much about it--except that it was beautifully acted. The director Colin Finbow specialised in films for children, often featuring amateur child actors. I think the Children's Film Foundation was the producer. Finbow was a teacher at Forest Hill Comprehensive in London. Hopefully our British readers will remember more details.

Setting

The story is set in Canterbury where Mayne himself was a chorister. The movie, however, was filmed at Rochester Cathedral.

Plot

The film follows the plot of the book closely. John Owen loves music, but his father who is divorcing his mother thinks that singing is sissy making the boy very unhappy. The boy has to sing a special solo which he objects to at first, but guided by a very sensitive teacher, he eventually comes to covet the part.

Costuming

I am not sure to ewhat extent John's school uniform, choir costume, and other clothes are described in the book. The cover illustration in 1982 has a rather modern hair style and contemprary wrisrtwatch not in keeping with 1955 (figure 1). The blazer and tie are timeless. John in the film wears a school uniform consisting of a blazer, jumper (sweater), short pants,and knee socks. I think he wears a school uniform, but can not recall at this time. There are also scenes of the coristers who wear a high ruffled collar.

Created: June 29, 2003
Last updated: July 3, 2003