Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

An explanation that I learned for Pongo’s nickname arose from his idiosyncratic mode of walking. He walked confidently but with his arms directed downwards and slightly bent at the elbows, with the palms directed to the front and so apparently curved forward. This is similar to an orangutang’s (sp. ...

Although there has been criticism of the teaching of French at CH in the 40s and 50s (OK, Frank Macracken had a terrible accent and was a both a terrible teacher and a worse man) my teachers, Messrs Reggie Dean and JE Massen, who both taught all modern language grecians, and Arthur Rider were excell...

Foureyes wrote The navy was worse, since up to the mid-60s entry to Dartmouth was at age 12-13, ... Surely this is not entirely correct. I certainly remember boys who went to the RN College at Dartmouth throughout the 1950s, who left CH at the usual leaving age (eg Robert Griffiths of Col B who was ...

Swabbing customs, duties, etc. must have varied between houses. I swabbed in my LE year. For some years they were paid, but I can’t remember how much. This changed by the time it was my turn. My swabmaster, jointly with all the other five for we had six monitors, paid us with a tea at The Old Barn -...

Before it’s too late, are there any recollections of the Housey Hotspots , a boys’ jazz band at Horsham in the 1950s? I can only remember them vaguely and they have hardly been mentioned in this Forum. John Austen (Th A) led them. They gave a few concerts and probably played at one grecians’ dance (...

Comments on the Horsham Grace have to include mention of the occasion, during my time at CH, when the Grecian saying Grace (as usual speaking from the pulpit about 6 feet above the rest of us) simply mouthed it, while the Grace was said by another person on the floor below him. It was not detected, ...

In the late 40s and early 50s both squash and fives were totally voluntary and popular. Perhaps fives was a little more popular because the house ‘games cupboard’ (will someone write about that?) owned fives gloves, available for general use. For squash one needed to own, or more often borrow, a rac...

A man of few words, Pongo did not speak unless he had something meaningful to say. Once a week he had a session with his house captain, when the punishment book was presented and house matters discussed. With one house captain, Piers Ashworth, this session often had long periods of silence, for each...

LongGone is totally correct. But what if you could not approach close enough to the tower to find that it subtended the angle 45 (or 27) degrees? Any two angles will do, not only 45 and 27 degrees, say A & B. Measure one (it’s A). Then walk a measured distance y directly away from the tower. The...

I too do not wish to prolong this side-topic, which is so much less important than the matter being discussed here, but I’m somewhat hypocritical I suppose. Even so, this will be my last word on the breaking of ear drums. I believe some misunderstanding continues. I agree with Graham’s words, “Rapid...

I disagree with some of Graham’s words, “A clip round the ear, even a hard one, does not do this. The ear drum is housed within some of the densest bone in the human body, It requires direct, forceful contact. A hard fall can do it, as can very loud music (because of excessive vibration), but it ter...

There is a CH take on the history of the State vs Independent school debate and the surrounding political arguments. After the 1964 General Election, Labour (led by Harold Wilson) replaced the Tories as the governing party. One theme of Labour’s election manifesto then was “grammar school education ...

Otter wrote, The staff member supervising prep even found it funny, and said it wasn't serious, he was just "having a psych", as we used to always call it. Another time in roll call, people started chanting a taunt at him and the housemaster laughed and made no attempt to stop it. This imp...

I did Maths A level in the mid 60s, (for obvious reasons can't say I was a Maths Grecian!) and there was never any mention of computing as a career. I don't think it was seen as 'real' mathematics. It was seen as a tool, just as log tables were. All praise to Mr Bullard for taking you. Leo is well ...

Thanks. I'm most relieved concerning George Deakin.

Messrs Husband and Dobbie were at CH long after my time, so I did not know their initials.