Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

kerrensimmonds wrote:Yes, David. Bp Lindsay has been with us for many years (I can recall several Confirmation services in my own Church, alone.....he is very charismatic).But now he is leaving, in order to manage the pilgrimage site at Walsingham (apparently something very close to his heart). The diocese (especially our part of it) will be seriously deficient when he has moved on.
Kerren

I'm going to miss him too! Charismatic is an understatement! He also had a long and detailed discussion with Georgia about ten pin bowling at my mother's confirmation; apparently he's quite a fan!

Vonny wrote:At Hertford we had Rev Birtwistle (sp ). He did not live at the school and I only remember seeing him on Sundays. I really can't remember whether he took the weekday morning services or not.

No, generally Miss Tucker took the weekday services as far as I can remember. We used to love it when we had 'Onward Christian Soldiers' on Sundays. Rev Birtwhistle had his own unique way of singing it!

George Bell was certainly a very charismatic as well as a theologically sound Bishop, and his work is still recognised. He took office as Bishop of Chichester in 1929 and (I think) died in post in 1958.

kerrensimmonds wrote:George Bell was certainly a very charismatic as well as a theologically sound Bishop, and his work is still recognised. He took office as Bishop of Chichester in 1929 and (I think) died in post in 1958.

Yes, the 1958 is important - the Cathedral has been remebering the 50th anniversary of his death - see http://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/p ... rames.html

Back to the chaplain issue, though.

One fact that is worth putting on record is that schools nowadays often will expect all teaching staff to have a formal qualifications as a teacher - most clergy do not and so the transition from parish to school chaplaincy is not so easy as it once was.

kerrensimmonds wrote:George Bell was certainly a very charismatic as well as a theologically sound Bishop, and his work is still recognised. He took office as Bishop of Chichester in 1929 and (I think) died in post in 1958.

I THINK he had retired when he died, but only very shortly before. Of course it was 1958, in fact the 50th anniversary of his death was last week (sorry about that mistake further up). His CH Leaving Bible was presented to him in the spring of 1958, on the day after he carried out Confirmations at CH for the last time.

As for chaplains, an interesting part was played by John Robson, who might be considered the first "modern" chaplain of CH. As assistant chaplain he introduced things like holy communion in houses. But his other contribution to CH was the mutual introduction of the school and his lifelong friend the then Dean of Westminster, Eric Abbott. This was a piece of social climbing on the school's part which it exploited for all it was worth.

Our parish priest is known as Father Andrew, but that is not due to his churchmanship, but that his first parish, when he was curate, called him that...

Great Plum wrote:Our parish priest is known as Father Andrew, but that is not due to his churchmanship, but that his first parish, when he was curate, called him that...

That wouldn't be Father Andrew of St Matthew, Redhill, would it?

[
As for chaplains, an interesting part was played by John Robson, who might be considered the first "modern" chaplain of CH. As assistant chaplain he introduced things like holy communion in houses. But his other contribution to CH was the mutual introduction of the school and his lifelong friend the then Dean of Westminster, Eric Abbott. This was a piece of social climbing on the school's part which it exploited for all it was worth.[/quote]

I went to Eric Symes Abbott's memorial service as SG. John Robson was a great guy and in my time it was the great trio of Robson, Atkinson and for a while Godfrey Hall. Porteous came in in my last year.

House Communions were great as were Confirmation lessons in Robbos house.

Does anyone remember the fantastic colorful garments the chaplains wore in the 80s and maybe beyond? It was always a treat to see what garb John Robson would be wearing on the Sunday evening service. Ian Atkinson was always dressed in a monk like white ...it did look a bit like a Klu Klux Klan garb.

Robson followed Newsome to Wellington...

stpandp wrote:

Great Plum wrote:Our parish priest is known as Father Andrew, but that is not due to his churchmanship, but that his first parish, when he was curate, called him that...

That wouldn't be Father Andrew of St Matthew, Redhill, would it?

The very same... how do you know him?

Great Plum wrote:

stpandp wrote:

Great Plum wrote:Our parish priest is known as Father Andrew, but that is not due to his churchmanship, but that his first parish, when he was curate, called him that...

That wouldn't be Father Andrew of St Matthew, Redhill, would it?

The very same... how do you know him?

he used to be a neighbouring colleage and my rural dean

Ah, OK... was that down near Midhurst?

[
As for chaplains, an interesting part was played by John Robson, who might be considered the first "modern" chaplain of CH. As assistant chaplain he introduced things like holy communion in houses. But his other contribution to CH was the mutual introduction of the school and his lifelong friend the then Dean of Westminster, Eric Abbott. This was a piece of social climbing on the school's part which it exploited for all it was worth.[/quote]


http://www.westminster-abbey.org/search/11715

I think John Robson became Chaplain to the Queen too in the 90s but I have no idea where he is now...

kerrensimmonds wrote: ↑Mon Nov 27, 2006 1:13 pm He's still got a beard. A very formal and upright character. He is Chair of the Caledonian Old Blues and I met him at their Founder's Day Lunch last month.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... whole.html

Rev Arthur Pullin (I think, not Pullen, can someone confirm the true spelling from an Alphabetical List/”Blue Book” of the period? In the Forum there is a thread, “Rev Pullin & The Old Blue”.) was a pleasant, conscientious, devout sort of chap. I don’t recollect any pastoral work, although I’m sure he would have tried his best to do whatever he could if approached by a boy with problems . I was never confirmed, so I don’t know that side of his work. In divinity classes, he was unremarkable. But I do recollect some unimportant matters. He told us once that he had studied Hebrew during his theological studies and so while shaving learned Hebrew verbs. This was put to good use, for he gave private lessons to at least one Jewish boy. As a consequence that boy’s “Div Prep,” which was dutifully done every Sunday morning after Chapel, was based on a Hebrew prayer book which “The Chain” supplied. Perhaps he was slightly prudish. His wife was pregnant during my time at CH. For the last month or so of the pregnancy, when her belly was very large, she sat in the balcony during his Chapel Services. Otherwise she always sat downstairs, somewhere near her husband, and so would have had to walk out together with all the masters and before the gaze of all.

Pullin’s predecessor, as Chaplain, was the Rev Charles A. C. Hann, nicknamed “Cack-Hann.” (According to an Oxford Dictionary the term Cack-Hand long predates him.) In divinity classes he was “practical” and possibly naive. I remember him saying that the then current “Mau-Mau” murderous insurrection would never have taken place if there had been more Christian teaching in Kenya. “Cack-Hann” was a bachelor and a more conventional, somewhat severe, schoolmasterly type than “The Chain”. He left CH to become Principal of Ripon Theological College.

JohnAL wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:04 am Rev Arthur Pullin (I think, not Pullen, can someone confirm the true spelling from an Alphabetical List/”Blue Book” of the period? In the Forum there is a thread, “Rev Pullin & The Old Blue”.) was a pleasant, conscientious, devout sort of chap. I don’t recollect any pastoral work, although I’m sure he would have tried his best to do whatever he could if approached by a boy with problems . . Perhaps he was slightly prudish.

He did offer on one occasion but like someone else about an unnamed chaplain I felt that I couldn't trust him

His wife was pregnant during my time at CH. For the last month or so of the pregnancy, when her belly was very large, she sat in the balcony during his Chapel Services. Otherwise she always sat downstairs, somewhere near her husband, and so would have had to walk out together with all the masters and before the gaze of all.

Never even knew he was married - I was more concerned that he was like the GP (no CH connection except he visited) who did approach me and those masters recently in court.