Search found 1605 matches

by michael scuffil
Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:36 pm
Forum: Barnes Photos
Topic: Barnes House Photos
Replies: 84
Views: 106716

I was referring to the 1951 pic. You can also see why McConnell was nicknamed "Slim".
by michael scuffil
Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:31 pm
Forum: Barnes Photos
Topic: Barnes House Photos
Replies: 84
Views: 106716

The priest is surely Lloyd Whitfeld, who later became a monk who took the name Father Gilbert. He was variously known as "Wind" or "Yo" -- both names apparently came from the curious noise sometimes made by the wind in his classroom.
by michael scuffil
Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:14 pm
Forum: Prep Photos
Topic: Prep B House Photos
Replies: 25
Views: 25409

There is at least one future SG in this pic: Frank Hunter (SG 65/66 I think) is seated 4th from right.
by michael scuffil
Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:40 am
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: CH in the Forties
Replies: 13
Views: 4761

Grecians taking classes happened not infrequently. I took a class for Jack Massen when he was ill for about three weeks. And when John Bullard died suddenly in 1961, his classes were taken over by Grecians for the rest of the school year. They were paid quite well for it.
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:14 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: Favourite teacher
Replies: 240
Views: 116465

And the late David Herbert.
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:11 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: Favourite teacher
Replies: 240
Views: 116465

A note on some of the above: I remember the day Killer Fry got his nickname: as junior housemaster in ThorntonB he ferociously beat a boy (maybe two) who giggled during prayers. This was actually rather out of character. (He kept in his study a Japanese sword, surrendered to him by an officer of equ...
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:50 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: Bullying & Abuse - Take II
Replies: 132
Views: 55538

CH in the 50s was pretty rough, but reading some of these items I get the impression that bullying as commonly understood was less prevalent. The peer pressure against it was enormous. What did make an enormous difference was the quality of the housemaster. There was little or no bullying in Thornto...
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:07 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: CH in the Forties
Replies: 13
Views: 4761

Chinky Buck was removed by Seaman, not Flecker, but the circumstances were otherwise as described above. Buck had been fined for being drunk and disorderly in London about 3 weeks earlier, an incident reported in the national press. It was put around for public consumption that this had something to...
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:42 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: House numbers
Replies: 105
Views: 38576

About 2 years after leaving, I was visiting, and spotted by an old housemaid, who insisted I meet the new Thornton matron (Miss Benbow; Miss Dalziel having retired). I was introduced thus: "Matron, this was B27!"
by michael scuffil
Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:49 am
Forum: General Chat - CH Stuff
Topic: Wikipedia's list of notable Old Blues
Replies: 10
Views: 4571

All three of my additions are in wikipedia, but not in its list of OBs.

David Norgrove was a youngerr contemporary of mine in ThB. Howard Davies an exact contemporary in MaA. Ian Trethowan was much older.
by michael scuffil
Sun Nov 04, 2007 4:50 pm
Forum: General Chat - CH Stuff
Topic: Wikipedia's list of notable Old Blues
Replies: 10
Views: 4571

Odd list in places. It omits, for example

Ian Trethowan (former DG of BBC)
Howard Davies (noted theatre director, played Snout in CH Dram Soc's production of Midsummer Night's Dream)
David Norgrove (a man with an interesting civil service and city career)
by michael scuffil
Sun Nov 04, 2007 4:20 pm
Forum: General Chat - CH Stuff
Topic: Excuse my ignorance but....
Replies: 16
Views: 4215

In the mid-50s the forms went as follows: (III), LF, LE, UF, GE, Deputy Grecians, Grecians. There was also a V (after GE) for people mainly retaking O-level and not expected to stay on. Almost everyone started on the LF. I'm not sure why some people were put on the Third Form, which had only one str...
by michael scuffil
Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:02 pm
Forum: General Chat - CH Stuff
Topic: Who Else Has Never Been Back to CH?
Replies: 132
Views: 33106

It seems to me that there are three reasons for going back to CH. 1) to see acquaintances (after 40+ years, this no longer applies to me) 2) to show wives and children (I've done this) 3) pure nostalgia As to (3) so much has physically changed that it doesn't really work. When I'm in the area, thoug...
by michael scuffil
Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:41 pm
Forum: Looking for....
Topic: Roger Martin [STILL LOOKING...]
Replies: 12
Views: 10586

A curious memory of Roger Martin. He left (I think) in 1955. But he returned the following year on Passion Sunday to stage, with Corks, an evening processional St John Passion in a darkened chapel, for which I, and about 20 other first years, was dragged in to hold candles for the choir to sing by. ...
by michael scuffil
Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:02 pm
Forum: Stories, Reminiscing & Teacher/Pupil Memories
Topic: Olfactory Memories of CH
Replies: 59
Views: 16692

Very occasionally I catch a whiff of the Horsham dining hall ca. 1960. It is almost unique. A curious olfactory experience was provided when Pat Cullen succeeded John Page as housemaster of Thornton B. The smell of stale cigarette smoke was replaced by an altogether more pleasant aroma of freshly-gr...