John Wentley Takes Charge is a book I found at a school fete last year. As soon as I saw its hardback cover, replete with embossed cricket bats, tennis racquets, tents, books and soccer balls, I knew it for what it was - a classic example of a YA book from another era.

John Wentley Takes Charge was published in 1938 by The Children's Press. It was written by the enigmatic J.F.C Westerman who, according to Wikipedia (and who'd have the temerity to contradict the Wik?) was a Major in the British Army and who spent the last years of his life moored in a yacht off Gibraltar, which makes my author bio look pedestrian indeed.

Times have changed since 1938. Young people have changed since 1939. Writing has changed since 1938.  To show you how much, I offer to you the first portion of John Wentley Takes Charge, for your delectation.

Chapter 1 - Bill Takes Charge

john wentley seated himself carelessly on the polished bench that ran down the centre of the long, well-lighted room, pushing aside a glass retort, a Bunsen burner, a jar of acid, and a rack of test tubes to give himself room.  

“Well, Bill, you’re a bright one!” he observed. “With the greatest of difficulty I find your retreat out here in the wilds, and knock at a ponderous door for fully five minutes before it is answered by an ancient old dame, who told me to come here to find you. Failing to get any answer to my knock at the portal, I walked in and perched myself up here, and still you don’t even say ‘hallo!’ to your young brother!”  

There was no reply for a few seconds. Bill Wentley seemed oblivious to everything but the test-tube and its contents that he was working on. Then he turned and smiled at his younger brother.  

“Sorry,” he apologised. “I had to concentrate on this stuff – a moment’s inattention would have ruined it all. I did hope to finish before you turned up, but you beat me to it. I say! You haven’t moved anything on that bench, have you?”  

“Nothing much and no harm’s done,” was the reply.  "Look here, you’ll have to wake up a bit, or you’ll find some one in here one of these days pinching all your stuff, while you fiddle with those stinks in a corner. I could have swiped everything when I came in!”  

“Not quite,” remarked his brother. “I saw you come in, and I heard every word of your moan. Knowing it was you, I just carried on. By the way, don’t refer to Mrs. Crockton as an ‘ancient old dame’ or she’ll find out and leave me flat. Somehow she gets to know everything. But she’s a good cook, housekeeper, and general factotum, and doesn’t talk in the village. Her husband looks after the gardens and grounds, and together they make things very comfortable.”  

“Good!” exclaimed John. “I’ll remember. Meanwhile, I think we can leave the virtues of your domestic staff. How are things with you?”  

“Pretty good, John,” returned Bill. “As a matter of fact I believe I’ve hit on something worth while, and yet I don’t see how it can be applied exactly. There are uses, but only the non-commendable ones have occurred to me as yet.”   

Phew! Lots of cracking stuff here!

What strikes me most is the way that John Francis Cyril Westerman has an abhorrence of the word 'said', that most useful of words. He seems to go to any lengths to avoid it. John 'exclaims', 'replies', and 'observes'. Bill 'remarks', 'apolgises' and 'returns' (to the backhand court, I hope). JFCW has such as disdain for 'said' that he ties himself into knots to work around it.

As we shall see in the next episode. Stay tuned!