Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I see David Norgrove (Thornton B 1959-67), former chair of the Pensions Regulator and current chair of PensionsFirst, the Family Justice Board and the Low Pay Commission, has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours. Congratulations to him.

Congratulations to Norgrove who was in most of my classes up to the Deps.

Congratulations from me too. I knew him well at school. I must say I'm surprised he had to wait so long; he's archetypally one of 'the great and the good'. He was Margaret Thatcher's private secretary and much involved with Marks and Spencer, not to mention the British Museum. Not least, he was Senior Grecian, which suggests Seaman had a good eye for a winner. (Note also Sir John Daniel and Lord Simon in this context.)

I think he had a sister in 6s, Jane. She was very sporty, champion sprinter for the school. As he started in 59, Jane would be older than him, I think she was 3 or 4 years older than me.

Michael, I wouldn't expect you to know whether he had a sister at Hertford or not, since you didn't know I existed and you were the same year as my brother!

In my year in 6s, four of us had brothers at Horsham, I wonder whether more siblings went to the school in the past than do now?

No, Katharine, I wouldn't know. But I judge it to be unlikely. Siblings (esp. brother/sister pairs) at CH tended to be governors' presentees, which he certainly wasn't.

I see that on the senior grecians' thread I noted that (unlike Simon and Daniel) he 'did not yet have a handle to his name' in spite of his achievements. Clearly someone in the PM's office reads this forum...

Although Peter did come up through the Prep, I didn't, I got in through the Almoners' Nominees' exam route. As for the cases in my year in 6s, none of the girls had a governor, three of us Almoners and one, and her brother, LCC. One of the others had both brothers enter by the Almoners' route. I don't know about the remaining brother, he was several years older than us.

It would never have occurred to me to say that most siblings were governors' presentees.

My brother, Richard, sister Josephine and I, all got in via LCC.

Sorry, I erred.