Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Before filing away the latest copy of 'Old Blue', I double checked the Obits and noticed Wendy Fryer, Infirmary nurse 52-53.

I'm assuming this must have been the wife of my Housemaster, NTF.

Can anyone confirm or deny this ?

She was certainly a nurse in the Sicker at about this time, Nurse Herbert as I remember, and yes I think she then married NTF. Probably the same person.

She was married to NTF and lived just around the Horsham area. After CH she worked for West Sussex County Council for a long time.

Many thanks for that Peter.

A charming woman who occasionally entertained Col B boys in their avenue garden during the summer term.

Condolences to their son, Tim, who was at CH at the same time as me if he reads this. I believe there may have been a younger son too but am not 100% sure.

How many other CH masters married infirmary nurses? I can only think of one 'almost' example: Peter Brotherton called his marriage off at the last minute. An indecently late minute, in the view of many.

Tom Keeley married dietician Belinda.

Another master who married an Infirmary nurse was William Armistead. He was finally the head of the RMS and second master (to Flecker and Seaman). I believe they had two sons (Robert and George) who are Mid A OBs. I do not know Mrs Armistead’s maiden name.

There was also an Assistant Music Master/Organist who married in the late 1950s - name escapes me...

********** EDIT**********

Today's CHOBA News carries this obit info which fits the circumstances (John) David Swale Staff 53-61 who went on to be an organist at Adelaide cathedral. Also google tells that Dame Judy Dench remembers him as her 'first love', so the story must be more complicated than I remember.

A science master, the late John Osborn, married a Norwegian kitchen au pair in 1966 or thereabouts. Her colleague married an OB, my ThB contemporary Wyn Parry. (Whether Mrs J. knew about either of these liaisons, conducted clandestinely*, at the time the girls were employed at the school is a moot point; I suspect she probably did.)

*Well, more or less...

michael scuffil wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:53 pm . Her colleague married an OB,

*Well, more or less...

I have a good idea who that young lady is. Whoever she married (and she wrote telling me of her marriage ) is a very lucky man.
I suspect that there were far more - somehow I got mixed up between an Italian staff member and the disinterested lady in the kitchen he was chasing. How that finished I don't know but I doubt if anything came if it.

michael scuffil wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:34 am How many other CH masters married infirmary nurses? I can only think of one 'almost' example: Peter Brotherton called his marriage off at the last minute. An indecently late minute, in the view of many.

Tom Keeley married dietician Belinda.

JE Denison (?spelling) married Nurse Mc Morran (again ? spelling). Sadly I seem to recall reading that she passed away a year or two ago. JED is still going strong as far as I know.

Mid A 15 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:31 am Condolences to their son, Tim, who was at CH at the same time as me if he reads this. I believe there may have been a younger son too but am not 100% sure.

Younger son was Andrew who was in Maine A at the same time as me.

Keith Stratton from the Manual School married Nurse Hagan, Lynn I believe. She had worked at the Belfast Royal Infirmary and would have seen a thing or two in those days before coming to CH, and used to whizz around very impressively in an open top MG. Sadly Keith Stratton died very young leaving his widow and a son, who last I heard were still in the Horsham area.

by ZeroDeConduite » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:38 pm

There was also an Assistant Music Master/Organist who married in the late 1950s - name escapes me...

********** EDIT**********

Today's CHOBA News carries this obit info which fits the circumstances (John) David Swale Staff 53-61 who went on to be an organist at Adelaide cathedral. Also google tells that Dame Judy Dench remembers him as her 'first love', so the story must be more complicated than I remember.

If remember correctly and am not mixing people up I visited sick bay in 1959 and was asked by a very pretty nurse what I thought of David Swale as she was marrying him! She was Anne Barnitt and they got married in December 1959 down the road at Itchingfield Church (see page 79 of https://www.stpetersyork.org.uk/assets/ ... T_1960.pdf ). The reason why she asked was that I was telling her about being in the madrigal choir which David Swale was in charge of (Rust was the main choirmaster at that time). Very sad to learn that he died earlier this year - he was an inspiring teacher and musician. I gather Anne is still alive but in a nursing home. Interestingly neither of them used their first names. Anne was actually Margaret Anne and David was actually John David.

Yes, I noticed from the CHOBA news emailed to me today that David Swale had died, which is sad, but he had a good innings. And yes, now that I come to think of it, I did know that he married Nurse Barnitt.

In the same edition of the CHOBA news there is a pic of the E. Midlands OB lunch, which features Wyn Parry and Karin, mentioned by me above.