Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

This section was setup in August 2018 in order to move the existing related discussions from other sections into this new section to group them together, and separate from the other CH-related topics.

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jakew
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Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by jakew »

I ask because there are (very occasionally, at the moment!) other interesting topics posted in the “CH Stuff” forum, which get drowned out by the threads regarding the historic abuse and current trials.

This is not intended to diminish the importance of the topic, but rather to reflect it by giving it its own space.

Such a move should probably be undertaken sooner rather than later, whilst the number of threads to be moved is still manageable.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by Great Plum »

I would say this is an excellent idea
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by J.R. »

I quite agree.

Julian ???
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by sejintenej »

J.R. wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:20 pm I quite agree.

Julian ???
Yes - as a separate area separate to General Chat - non CH. A suitable title might be " Horsham Historical Abuse" or similar (I haven't heard a peep about this type of abuse at Hertford but if there was some ......)
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by jtaylor »

Done! If there’s any I’ve missed, RichardB, J.R. or I can move across, just let one of us know with a link to the topic.

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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by richardb »

sejintenej wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:41 pm
J.R. wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:20 pm I quite agree.

Julian ???
Yes - as a separate area separate to General Chat - non CH. A suitable title might be " Horsham Historical Abuse" or similar (I haven't heard a peep about this type of abuse at Hertford but if there was some ......)
Yes there was abuse at Hertford but it has got rather buried under the misdeeds of the filthy five.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by J.R. »

richardb wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:41 am
sejintenej wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:41 pm
J.R. wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:20 pm I quite agree.

Julian ???
Yes - as a separate area separate to General Chat - non CH. A suitable title might be " Horsham Historical Abuse" or similar (I haven't heard a peep about this type of abuse at Hertford but if there was some ......)
Yes there was abuse at Hertford but it has got rather buried under the misdeeds of the filthy five.
I must have missed that, Richard.

Care to elaborate ? Or would it be too traumatic for the Ladies ?
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by Katharine »

I was not aware of any sexual abuse in my time, but sadistic abuse certainly. There have been several stories told on this forum when the Hertford section was active.

As to anything more, it may have happened, posters here who were in the same houses at Horsham at the same time as the known victims were not aware, so in the same way I cannot rule out anything happening in my time.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by seajayuu »

Katharine and I were contemporaries at Hertford. Like her I was not aware of anything sexual going on. "Squizzing" was a bit bizarre. There was a fair bit of downright unkindness by house staff. Teaching staff hadn't a clue what was going on outside the classroom as far as I could tell.
For me the worst of it was that houses were run by senior girls and attitudes were learned as you rose through the very rigid hierarchy. Some of the learned attitudes were unnecessarily harsh. We even sat in seniority order for meals - not just clumping year groups together but sitting in age order (and later seniority order based on "black aprons"). A trivial point but indicative of the supremacy of hierarchy in the mind of DR.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by J.R. »

seajayuu wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:05 pm Katharine and I were contemporaries at Hertford. Like her I was not aware of anything sexual going on. "Squizzing" was a bit bizarre. There was a fair bit of downright unkindness by house staff. Teaching staff hadn't a clue what was going on outside the classroom as far as I could tell.
For me the worst of it was that houses were run by senior girls and attitudes were learned as you rose through the very rigid hierarchy. Some of the learned attitudes were unnecessarily harsh. We even sat in seniority order for meals - not just clumping year groups together but sitting in age order (and later seniority order based on "black aprons"). A trivial point but indicative of the supremacy of hierarchy in the mind of DR.
All sounds very 'Hogwarts' to me. Them again, I suppose CH Horsham, pre-girls was very 'Hogwarts'.

"Squizzing" ??
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by Katharine »

Squizzing happened at the start of every term - it has been described here http://www.chforum.info/php/viewtopic.p ... 806#p44806 and the following page.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by Chris T »

seajayuu wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:05 pm Some of the learned attitudes were unnecessarily harsh. We even sat in seniority order for meals - not just clumping year groups together but sitting in age order (and later seniority order based on "black aprons"). A trivial point but indicative of the supremacy of hierarchy in the mind of DR.
At Horsham in my house we also sat at the long Dining Hall tables in seniority order (with the exception of the two or more monitors at the bottom – that was a useful privilege, with access to the bread crusts and also other similar advantages). I think all other houses used that seating plan too in the two decades after WW2. It was accepted it and generally believed to be a simple practical arrangement which caused no problems.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by J.R. »

Katharine wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 3:06 pm Squizzing happened at the start of every term - it has been described here http://www.chforum.info/php/viewtopic.p ... 806#p44806 and the following page.

Just flicked back to read those posts from your link Katharine. Sounds terrible, bordering on abuse.

My wife Jan went to a secondary modern all girl school. Both the Head Mistress and her Deputy were single, and well known as 'an item'. I used to think of her recollections of gym/pt and after sport showering in their presence a little far fetched. However, now - I'm sure she is absolutely right, and in this current day and age would be considered totally unacceptable.
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by Katharine »

It may have bordered on abuse, but it was all of us, nobody was singled out for squizzing. I can't remember it happening when I was a Senior but that may be just that I had become inured to it, it just happened. I didn't become a rebel until after I had left school!
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Re: Should there be a separate sub-forum for the “historic abuse” threads?

Post by wagenman »

Chris T wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 3:49 pm
seajayuu wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:05 pm Some of the learned attitudes were unnecessarily harsh. We even sat in seniority order for meals - not just clumping year groups together but sitting in age order (and later seniority order based on "black aprons"). A trivial point but indicative of the supremacy of hierarchy in the mind of DR.
At Horsham in my house we also sat at the long Dining Hall tables in seniority order (with the exception of the two or more monitors at the bottom – that was a useful privilege, with access to the bread crusts and also other similar advantages).
Me too. I can still vividly remember that the large pies and sponges would be cut in half and taken by the four most senior boys at the top of the table, then the remaining half cut in half again by the next four, then the remaining quarter by the next four and so on. As a squit you either barely ate or hunted around for any leftovers. Things improved significantly for the more junior boys when the girls arrived as they barely seemed to eat anything, or at least very little of what was served in Dining Hall. Not uncommon the find the best part of a pie left over if you were prepared to go looking!
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