Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I've just finished reading Anna Swan's autobiographical work "Statues without Shadows" (Hodder & Stoughton 2005) about her research into the lives of her mother and father (Michael Swan, Col A 1933-9). Numerous refs to CH, for herself at Hertford and for her father at Horsham. Couldn't...

One curiosity of the CCF I remember was that one leading Corps-gripe - A chap in Col A who was the most immaculately turned out individual you could imagine - was turned down for National Service (medical grounds I should think) whereas another chap who was the most un-military slob you ever saw was...

A minor curiosity but one thing I now remark about CH is that I knew virtually nothing about the home life of my peers, with one or two exceptions. I should think quite a few had fetched up at CH because of the War one way or another, but I have no recollection of EVER swapping war stories with any ...

Neill you are definitely my revered senior -- I was Prep B 46-7, Col B 47-54. But you might have been the towering figure who gave me an upperite fotch in the Tube when I was in the prep. (You can explain fotch to the wimmin on this forum in case they get the wrong idea ..)

Re barbers, the one I remember from when I was in the Prep 1946-7 was called the sheep-shearer and operated in the boot room of each house in turn .. until the operation was couthed up and a permanent barbers' shop established in the Court Room annexe.

Meant to watch on TV but I missed it! Was the Housey band on it?

I'm surprised Neill didn't recognise the term. The bokkers were 'old' (to us) men who cleaned the bogs, got our trunks to and from the station, and were the general odd-job men. They may have been a conduit for cigarettes and betting slips for boys so base as to be interested in such things.

Ah, yes, Field Day. One in a brickfield somewhere with all the potatoes used up as missiles. Field day stew, everyone bring a can of something and chuck it in (opened before you ask). Pumping a primus to make it go - a thin fountain of fuel shot out an duop and soaked all the bread. Escaped to the R...

Gosh, thanks for the heads up on this. 1932 was my father's last year. He played euphonium in the band - the sort that would round the body - I used to have a picture of the band with him in it so accoutred. He brought it home one summer and played 'Bonnie Annie Laurie' on it. Repeatedly and without...

I just do wish that ALL the older reunion photographs had a key. Without that, printing a group photo of people who looked rather different 55 years ago (particularly the whiskery ones) is pretty pointless. Wven where there isn't a photo, please can there be a roll of all those who came to any repor...

Wot's Career Guidance? In my case it was already known that I wanted to join the Navy (it's one of those things one knows instinctively). In UF or so I was sent to Bill Armistead who was Head of the RMS. He opened a fooscap mark book at the back. Virgin page. In his tiny neat hand he wrote Navy. Dre...

The Sgt who ran the post office etc was Fielder. The boneheaded thug with the Army PT Corps blues & cap badge, and who thought the performance of nine year olds in the gym could be conjured by ridicule, was Sgt Usher. In my day (left '54) the Dinner Parade was run by Arthur Rider. I must have le...

While we are buttoning,

1. When did Grecians start wearing plaques with buttons? In 1954 when you got your buttons, you handed in your RMS plaque.

2. When did Grecians start buttoning their cuffs? Unbuttoned had always been the style, up to at least 1954.

Yes, put the clock back, no half measures either - bring back cold baths, corporal punishment, compulsory chapel, compulsory Corps, naked bathing, hard boiled eggs in a wire basket, skiffage pie, Housey Stew (surely that's disappeared?), kiff bowls, loaves of bread stuck behind Q Victoria's portrait...