Billy Bunter the Bold by Frank Richards.

Published March 1954 by Cassell & Co (Reprinted 1956 and 1960)

Illustrated by C. H. Chapman.

The gravity of a court of law was not very conspicuous – except in the fat face of the prisoner at the bar. Billy Bunter was very serious.  But there was undoubtedly an element of hilarity in the “public”, as if they regarded the trial of W. G. Bunter rather as a happy resource on a rainy afternoon, than as a solemn, judicial proceeding.

“On the ball, Johnny!” called out several voices.

“Well, look here ---!” began Johnny Bull.

“I rise on a point of order!” said Peter Todd. “First of all ---.”

“Shut up, Toddy! Your turn comes next, if you’ve got anything to say for that fat, foozling scrounger.”

“First of all ---!” repeated Peter, firmly.

“Order! Sit down, Toddy.”

“First of all,” roared Peter, “you have to ask the prisoner whether he pleads guilty or not guilty.”

                “Oh, by gum, so you do!” said Bob. “I forgot that bit! Prisoner at the bar ---.”

                “Oh, really, Cherry ---.”

                “Do you plead guilty or not guilty?”

                “Beast!”

                “Ha, ha, ha!”

                “Silence in court. The prisoner at the bar will answer, or he will be booted! Are you guilty or not guilty?”

                “Yes --- I mean no!” gasped Bunter. “I ---I ain’t guilty of anything! I never went into the study at all, and never touched anything while I was there ---.”

Bunter is on trial in the Remove. His offence, tuck-raiding. Not very surprising perhaps, but on this occasion the Famous Five had invited no less a personage than George Wingate to tea in study number one.

The poor dog, as Skinner playfully put it, had to go away with nothing.

“His Lordship,” Judge Mauleverer, sentences Bunter to Coventry. The sentence is to remain in force until Bunter mends his ways. Despite his best efforts, this looks like it could well be a life-sentence.

As an act of revenge, we have the “Bunter shifting the plank crossing the stream routine,” with which we are all familiar. Bunter falls in stream, catches a cold, & is sent to the school sanatorium.

Mauly, sympathising with the sneezy owl, has a kindly gesture to an invalid backfire on him after a typically Bunterish response.

Amendment proving impossible, Bunter resorts to trickery. Skinner returns to Greyfriars cap-less and suffers the scorn of the Remove for having run away from Ponsonby & Co, following a Highcliff ragging. Later, Bunter is observed sporting a black eye. His story, that he had avenged the honour of Greyfriars by tackling Ponsonby, and retrieving the cap does not impress Skinner, but it goes down well with the rest of the Remove. As a reward for his pluck, Bunter is let of Coventry.

Unfortunately, Bunter’s black eye has to come under the scrutiny of Mr Quelch’s gimlet eye.

Sudden disappearance of black eye!

Fortunately, an old friend is due to visit Mr. Quelch. Professor Pawson; as absent-minded a man as ever was. The unfortunate professor’s mishap proves to be Bunter’s salvation. Was there, hidden deep under Billy Bunter’s layers of fat, some lingering spot of genuine British pluck” Apparently so!

Actually, this is, on the whole, an original story. Certainly there are elements that have appeared in The Magnet, but on the whole this is new stuff.

Courtfield County Council really ought to employ a lifeguard to patrol the local streams & rivers. And, concreting that plank bridge in place really wouldn’t be a bad idea!

Apart from the front cover, Mr MacDonald provided six illustrations for this story, possibly his most ever for one book?

As one might expect, this one reads well, and there are several memorable moments; including a form trial, & Bunter in sanny.  As the post-war novels g, this is well up to standard.