Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I have a puzzle for those Blues who may know the names of CH masters in the years 1917-25 approximately, or who may have lists of their names.

A friend researching an aspect of Housiana heard a taped interview in which this master’s name is mentioned. But at the same time there was a noise on the tape preventing the name from being recognised. The only clues (which may be incorrect) are that his surname apparently begins with “H” and it appears to have three syllables. He probably taught junior forms.

Can any readers offer suggestions for his name? If they can, both the researcher and I will be most grateful.

One possible candidate (three syllables, begins with H) might be Jack Hood-Phillips, who taught at CH for one term (Lent 1925) as a postgraduate student-in-training and set up the CH Scout troop, which suggests a particular involvement with junior boys. Fifty years later he was an Almoner.

Another possibility could be Francis "Fred" Haslehurst (or Haselhurst, I'm not sure of the spelling) whose dates on the staff I don't know but who was definitely around in the Twenties (and later).

Francis (“Fred”) Haselhust (no “r”) died at CH before retirement, while he was still teaching and senior housemaster of Th A in the early 1950s. If he was then aged 64, say, it seems unlikely he could have been at CH in 1925. Does anyone know when he did join CH? I think he may have arrived during Flecker's headmastership.

So Jack Hood-Phillips seems a better bet as the researcher’s teacher.

Mrs Haslehust was Flecker's secretary.

Mr H was the man who chose orange and purple as house colours for Thorn B(?A) when these were revived post war. Scurrilous rumour that he was not entirely sober when he did that. He had a great scar across his nose which I grew up believing was acquired on the NW Frontier, but years later understood it was far more mundane, and from a car crash. Had a year of him in LF B starting Greek.

Martin wrote:Francis (“Fred”) Haselhust (no “r”) died at CH before retirement, while he was still teaching and senior housemaster of Th A in the early 1950s. If he was then aged 64, say, it seems unlikely he could have been at CH in 1925.

Not sure I quite follow you here, Martin. If Haselhust was aged about 64 in the early Fifties, that would make him about 36 in 1925. That doesn't seem to me an implausible length of time to spend at CH. Even if he was appointed to the staff immediately after World War One, he'd have been pushing 30 when he arrived.

If memory serves, Cyril Dalmaine (who left the Horsham staff in 1930) wrote in his memoirs that Haselhust had been one of his colleagues.

Thanks for setting me straight on the spelling, though.

You're quite right of course. Do excuse my faulty arithmetic?

Thanks to all, who read this posting and commented or made suggestions. It appears that Hood-Phillips was not the right master, for I have been told the years under consideration went up to 1924 (not 1925). So further suggestions are welcome.