The Silent Three

Membership: No.1 (Betty Roland), No.2 (Joan Derwent), No.3 (Peggy West)

Purpose: To fight injustice

Affiliations: Edgar West (Peggy's uncle), Dale Garfield (No.4), the Grey Shadows (Bob Roland, Gerald Keane, Jock McCarthy)

Enemies: Head prefect, Ursula Simm, Celia Day (prefects), Steven Drake, Greta Drake, Gregson

Base of Operations: Castle School, Scotland; formerly Silver Crest School, Switzerland; Island School; St. Kit's Boarding School

First Appearance: School Friend #1 (20th May 1950 - 63)

History: Three friends - Betty Roland, Joan Derwent and Peggy West - attending St. Kit's boarding school for girls band together as a secret society, the Silent Three, initially to fight the tyranny of the head prefect, but later expanding their remit to taking on crime as well. Since, unsurprisingly, secret societies are forbidden at the school, the trio make hooded robes which they can conceal under their blazers, and which they hide under a loose floorboard in Study no.6. They meet in the crypt in the clock tower at St. Kit's, learning every inch of it and devising different escape plans in the event they are ever discovered. 

During one half-term they discover Betty's cousin Bob is a member of the Grey Shadows, a similarly robed secret society in Maychester, a boys' boarding school, who had come together to stop their school's bullying prefect Gregson, and come to the Shadows' rescue when they are apprehended and unmasked by Gregson. After moving to Island School, the trio's help is enlisted by Dale Garfield, who briefly garbs a matching robe to become the Silent Three's self-appointed fourth member.

Comments: Created by writers Horace Boyten and Stewart Pride, and artist Evelyn Flinders.

As well as appearing in School Friend for over a decade, during some of which they were the cover feature, the Silent Three's adventures were also published in Schoolgirl's Picture Library.


The Silent Three offer their help to those who have been wrongly blamed for the crimes of others.


The Silent Three in their robes, but with the hoods down.


The Silent Three's "cunning" hiding place for their robes.


Wearing St. Kit's blazers.


A close-up of Betty in her mask.


Practical superheroing 101: Costume maintenance


British supeheroes celebrating a victory the British way - with tea. And stop sniggering at the back - gay meant something different in the 1950s.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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