Did I dream this?

Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else, but that's still CH related.

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dsmg
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Did I dream this?

Post by dsmg »

Chatting to a friend of mine recently about smelly socks at CH, I assured him that in the summer term we were allowed to wear flannels and a white shirt and blazer instead of the usual uniform. I was at CH from 70 to 77 and of course 76 was that summer, the hottest on record I believe (we used to go straight from A level exams down in the gym to the pool next door). He has no recollection of such a concession which made me investigate but I have found no record or photos of this so someone please put me out of my misery and tell me I've gone senile :rolleyes: or let me rejoice in my marvellous memory.
PS Why is the corrector on this forum American English? They want me to spell marvellous with one l. Grrrrrr :snakeman:
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by sejintenej »

From 1952 to 1961 we were allowed flannels, white shirts, blazer (with house badge) plus blue "squares worn as a cravat when it was particularly hot. One summer day I was trying to walk along the road from Peele bridge to Shelly's Wood and my crepe shoes were sticking to the road as the soles melted. End of a very comfortable pair of shoes.

My sole memory of summer 1976 weather is that in late July/early August I had to fly to work in Rio where is was considerably cooler, thank goodness!! (That was the occasion of the first court case I took all the way through to winning - yippee!)

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J.R.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by J.R. »

sejintenej wrote:From 1952 to 1961 we were allowed flannels, white shirts, blazer (with house badge) plus blue "squares worn as a cravat when it was particularly hot. One summer day I was trying to walk along the road from Peele bridge to Shelly's Wood and my crepe shoes were sticking to the road as the soles melted. End of a very comfortable pair of shoes.
And at least until I left CH in the summer 1963.

In addition to the above, the summer ensemble was completed with grey woolen socks.
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by Mid A 15 »

"Flannels and blazer" certainly existed between '65 and '72.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by HowardH »

David Newsome invited me back to invigilate A Levels in 1976. My goodness, it was hot.
My memory is of some boys being allowed to take exams in the old gym in swimming trunks, then going straight into the pool.
I was not so fortunate. One fact I do remember was having to bow to the President of Common Room each night at supper, which was served on the dot of 7.00pm, still sporting jacket, blazer and tie. I was told that as the temperature was below 90 there was a real desire to keep up standards!
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by sejintenej »

HowardH wrote: One fact I do remember was having to bow to the President of Common Room each night at supper, which was served on the dot of 7.00pm, still sporting jacket, blazer and tie.
I was orphaned early in my last year at CH and taken in by my late mother's employers. They also had standards; the first evening, just arrived from CH, I had to bathe and dress properly - at least jacket and tie. I put on a CH tie (the stripy version) and he (old Etonian) arrived wearing an identical tie for the "wavy navy' (RNVR).
Later on it was decided I needed educating; cocktails before lunch and dinner, staying with her brother to learn about brandy, their son to learn about oysters ..... One must have standards, you know.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by michael scuffil »

1955-63

At some stage in the summer term the headmaster would issue permission to 'stay changed' (i.e. remain in 'cricket clothes', i.e. blazer and flannels) for tea, and then, usually a couple of weeks later, for prep (for which we had to change into grey shirts).
In the hot summer of 1959, this permission came (exceptionally) in the first week of term. There were no other really hot summers while I was there.
GCE candidates could wear 'cricket clothes' to exams -- I forget whether this meant we could also wear them to breakfast and chapel if we had a morning exam. I suppose it must have done.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by Spoonbill »

As I remember it, 'going into flannels' was a yearly event until 1977. The weather in the summer of that year was absolutely rubbish, so the decree from the headmaster never came. This apparently led to a rethink along the lines of Why does CH need to go into flannels anyway? and it was decided that the practice was essentially pointless. UK cravat sales immediately plummeted and the rest is history.
I still have a musty old CH cravat somewhere and for the life of me I can't remember how I used to tie it. It doesn't even look like something designed for a human being to wear.
I just trawled back through all the house photo threads and there's one in the Leigh Hunt section showing kids in flannels. http://chforum.info/php/viewtopic.php?f ... 0&start=15
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by time please »

I actually quite liked wearing flannels...one felt almost normal!
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by dsmg »

Thanks all for the clarification, I'm not going mad. Actually, Bill, that photo of Leigh Hunt B brings back memories and I always have a vision of Phil Hughes wearing flannels. I'm not sure if I ever wore them though as I have no recollection of ever in my life having worn a cravat. I have enough problems tying a tie.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by J.R. »

Spoonbill wrote:As I remember it, 'going into flannels' was a yearly event until 1977. The weather in the summer of that year was absolutely rubbish, so the decree from the headmaster never came. This apparently led to a rethink along the lines of Why does CH need to go into flannels anyway? and it was decided that the practice was essentially pointless. UK cravat sales immediately plummeted and the rest is history.
I still have a musty old CH cravat somewhere and for the life of me I can't remember how I used to tie it. It doesn't even look like something designed for a human being to wear.
I just trawled back through all the house photo threads and there's one in the Leigh Hunt section showing kids in flannels. http://chforum.info/php/viewtopic.php?f ... 0&start=15
I still have mine, though still in very good condition. I even wore it recently with an open neck shirt to a rather 'posh' pub.

It lives upstairs in a drawer along with my wollen CH scarf.
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by sejintenej »

Michael S. mentions grey shirts for prep; I don't remember even having a grey shirt.

He also mentions cricket clothes for GCE exams; I suspect that this could have occurred in the afternoons when flannels were allowed because of the heat. I remember taking an A level paper on a bicycle to the sicker for a boy to take the exam there; I was in full housey including the coat rolled up into my girdle and getting stopped by a master because I did not (apparently) have permission to ride in full uniform at that time. (He accepted my excuse!)

Spoonbill and the decision that using flannels was pointless; poor you and your successors; 90° and a thick 20+lbs coat and prickly breeches was not nice when it was exceptionally hot. I suppose it was good training for ISIS prisoners.

I don't have my square any longer (her indoors didn't approve) but I have worn it when the fashion fleetingly called for one. I suspect I also wore it to dinner at home instead of a tie. No doubt a lady's eyebrow was fleetingly raised and the practice not repeated. (see message 5 above!)
What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by J.R. »

sejintenej wrote:Michael S. mentions grey shirts for prep; I don't remember even having a grey shirt.


............. Nor me !
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by jhopgood »

My memories coincide with most of the above, except that I don't remember a square for the cravat. It may have started out as a square but narrowed and was stitched on the part that went around the neck.
Because I was shorter than my peers, I was forced to wear shorts until the LE, I think. Even when my parents visited.
After cricket we were not forced to change to full Housey, and as the summer wore on, we were allowed to spend all day in cricket gear, although how this was relayed to the House captain I have no idea.
I seem to remember taking "O" levels in Big School in full Housey, but "A" and "S" levels in the gym in cricket clothes.
Absolutely no memories of a grey shirt, but you'd have to look up the John Lewis catalogue of the early '60's to see if it was available.
Remember visiting John Lewis in 1959 and still enjoy going back.
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Re: Did I dream this?

Post by postwarblue »

46-54 when it got hot we changed into blazer and flannels instead of bluecoat after morning PT, at least that's what I remember. No recollection at all of this cravat thing.
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