Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I have nostalgic memories of the glorious Saturday summer evenings with asphalt cricket behind Lamb. Anyone could join in, so boys of all ages and from different houses participated without coercion. At Housey such mixed, happy goings-on were rare. Also there were usually spectators, sometimes maste...

Thanks. I never realised it has such a venerable and distinguished history.

This Sunday I heard a hymn which included the words, “Oh death where is thy sting, oh grave thy victory?” That reminded me of ‘Uncle’s’ version which comprised in part, “Oh death where is thy sting a ling a ling, oh grave thy victory? The bells of Hell go ting a ling a ling for you and not for me.” ...

Frank Macracken was mentioned and is unknown to most readers. He has nothing to do with the current trials, so some background information is permissible I imagine. He was an Australian junior housemaster (Barnes B), with nickname Windy, probably because of an involuntary flatus early on. He taught ...

I recollect there were several Americans at CH under identical circumstances to those mentioned above. (They were instant button grecians, spending only one year at CH.) I understand they all came from Phillips Academy (but it may have been Phillips-Exeter and/or Phillips-Andover). Further I believe...

Someone who deserves a lot of attention in this thread is Benedict Rubbra, an OB and excellent portraitist. Several well known CH personalities have sat for him.

Oh for the happy joys of life with a monitor’s privileges! I took a hot bath almost every evening as a mon and (together with the accessibility of many bread crusts as a bottom-of-the-table mon in the Dining Hall) have for the last nearly seventy years always chosen a bath and bread crust (not neces...

Here are three other happenings from the President’s (Prince of Wales/Duke of Windsor) visit in 1921. After leaving the Manual School he visited Lamb A, where he joined a game of billiards (or demonstrated his prowess) and pocketed a red ball. While lunching on the dais a Col B junior poured a mug o...

There have been some excellent threads dealing with masters of the 1940s, 50s, 60s and other decades. Messrs Jesson-Dibley, Cherniavsky, Daunt, Page, Rider and Malins and Miss Todd come to mind. Apart from pleasing those who knew these masters, a potentially useful stock of relevant knowledge has be...

I understand the name Exhibition was indeed used to commemorate the Great Exhibition of 1851, but with a more specific connection. During its successor (The Festival of Britain of 1951) I was at CH and at that time a copy of the brochure of 1851 was used for various history and other lessons. I reme...

This recycling suggestion is interesting, likely to be popular and potentially profitable. I am likely to be a purchaser. But it is not so simple. Would a dry cleaning device need to be installed before coats could be sold? That would be expensive. But then a dry cleaning service could be offered to...

I clearly remember in the mid 1950s Sgt Usher making the rounds of all classrooms in the second period of the morning (so that those who had been to the sicker would have returned to class?). He carried a clipboard with TWO lists, on blue and yellow paper. One list was the attendance register (the b...

If I remember correctly AH Buck (Buckie) was driving back to CH from London, under the influence and probably slowly and deliberately. He decided to go straight across a roundabout (rather than follow the more conventional route round its periphery). A constable saw him do this and so after a court ...

Thanks Barnes Mum for your comprehensive explanation.

I am not familiar with the girls’ housey clothes, which seem more varied than the boys’. So the girls’ gray tights in the 2013 Speech Day film are for seniors. Thanks. Girls seem to have at least three types of coat. One is long and seems the same as the boys’ Housey coat, worn with a navy skirt and...