Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Otter wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:14 pm I remember Mike Gladding sending us off down Peele Straight while he stayed in his Mini and caught up from time to time, telling us to go faster.

Great Plum wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:24 amThe senior steeplechase continued along a driveway (which I think leads to muntham house school)

Well I've learnt something. Had no idea there was another school with large grounds hidden in the countryside so close to CH.

There are several mentions going way back on this site regarding Muntham House School.

Use the search engine, top right on our home page.

Great Plum wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:24 am
These days, the don’t run it outside the ring fence so I assume they must just run around big side or something...

Any idea why?

Probably don't want to mess up the carpet in that nice travel lodge accomodation they seem to have now.

If you were in Leig Hunt then you had the length of the Back Av to tag onto the house steeplechase.

Shelley's Wood was ok, it was when you were back on concrete running up the road to Peele bridge you suddenly noticed the weight of all that mud, which made trying to lift one foot in front of the other very tough.

For those in Leigh Hunt there was also The Mile - past the infirmary down to doc's lake along the road to East Lodge and back up the Avenue

Shelley's Wood reminds me of the squit inductions, called The Wide Game - run off and hide, but if found by 3rfd formers and LE you would be thrown into the pond which was liquid mud.

Assume that is banned now as well.

AMP wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:08 pm

Great Plum wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:24 am
These days, the don’t run it outside the ring fence so I assume they must just run around big side or something...

Any idea why?

Probably don't want to mess up the carpet in that nice travel lodge accomodation they seem to have now.

I like it but the truth is probably that dam**d 'elf and safety. I understand that any boy in uniform is the target for the public so logically, running down the road from Peele past the Peele Bridge and any pupil would be a target for any young passing motorist. Then again any slip in Shelley's Wood and the school would be sued for an invisible injury. I hate to think what would happen if a pupil was to almost catch a moving cricket ball and get bruised.

AMP wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:08 pm

Great Plum wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:24 am
These days, the don’t run it outside the ring fence so I assume they must just run around big side or something...

Any idea why?

I would expect the danger of kids running on roads, especially over Peele Bridge as well as potential child protection concerns...

Great Plum wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:52 pm

AMP wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:08 pm

Great Plum wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:24 am
These days, the don’t run it outside the ring fence so I assume they must just run around big side or something...

Any idea why?

I would expect the danger of kids running on roads, especially over Peele Bridge as well as potential child protection concerns...

Must be new danger concerns, then...

Not much of a steeplechase/cross country if it's just a few laps around Big Side - reminds of the old Sunday morning school drills.

Pe.A wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:29 pm

Great Plum wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:52 pm

AMP wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:08 pm Any idea why?

I would expect the danger of kids running on roads, especially over Peele Bridge as well as potential child protection concerns...

Must be new danger concerns, then...

Not much of a steeplechase/cross country if it's just a few laps around Big Side - reminds of the old Sunday morning school drills.

reminds me of the "mile" punishment

sejintenej wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:37 pm

Pe.A wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:29 pm

Great Plum wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:52 pm
I would expect the danger of kids running on roads, especially over Peele Bridge as well as potential child protection concerns...

Must be new danger concerns, then...

Not much of a steeplechase/cross country if it's just a few laps around Big Side - reminds of the old Sunday morning school drills.

reminds me of the "mile" punishment

"mile" punishment...???

Pe.A wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:52 am

sejintenej wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:37 pm

Pe.A wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:29 pm
Must be new danger concerns, then...

Not much of a steeplechase/cross country if it's just a few laps around Big Side - reminds of the old Sunday morning school drills.

reminds me of the "mile" punishment

"mile" punishment...???

Back in the Dark Ages, when sejintenej and I were there, monitors were allowed to give running punishments: miles, double miles and, dependent on which end of The Avenue your House was, loops or Post Office Runs.

A monitor would track you on a bicycle as you completed the requisite distance. How do I know this? Did I pick up my fair share of these punishments?

As you appear unfamiliar with these punishments I'd be interested to know when they stopped.

Certainly still in use summer 1963.

Peele A had 'triangles' (around the road triangle near the railway bridge),
and 'level crossings' to the crossing by Eastlands Copse (where the old railway branched off).
And weekly mandatory house runs round/through Shelley's Wood and back over Sharperhurst hill then to the aforementioned level crossing. All pretty grim, as I remember it.

Mid A 15 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:50 pm As you appear unfamiliar with these punishments I'd be interested to know when they stopped.

'Drills' (involving running, either round a loop down near the train station or at the Mile) still going in early 90s but possibly stopped being running punishment 94 or 95?

Early morning steeplechase followed by a cold shower was another one.

Mid A 15 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:50 pm

Pe.A wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:52 am

sejintenej wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:37 pm
reminds me of the "mile" punishment

"mile" punishment...???

Back in the Dark Ages, when sejintenej and I were there, monitors were allowed to give running punishments: miles, double miles and, dependent on which end of The Avenue your House was, loops or Post Office Runs.

A monitor would track you on a bicycle as you completed the requisite distance. How do I know this? Did I pick up my fair share of these punishments?

As you appear unfamiliar with these punishments I'd be interested to know when they stopped.

Drills overseen by Chief Bradley on Tuesday afternoons and were also handed out by masters.

I believe he may still be alive - hope so.

Mid A 15 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:50 pm
Back in the Dark Ages, when sejintenej and I were there, monitors were allowed to give running punishments: miles, double miles and, dependent on which end of The Avenue your House was, loops or Post Office Runs.

A monitor would track you on a bicycle as you completed the requisite distance. How do I know this? Did I pick up my fair share of these punishments?

For the benefit of younger readers and ladies each person was allotted a limit time for a mile (we didn't do double miles) and PO Paths each of which included changing clothes. The limit was intended to be only just be possible with a modicum of luck so usually you didn't beat your time and would have to repeat and repeat until the monitor giving the punishment decided it had bee "done". What we didn't try to control was the changing - from normal dress into shirt and shorts was far faster than the other way. From memory my time for a mile was 6 mins 30 seconds in the year before I became a monitor. Tracking as described was rare in Col A when I was trades monitor; if it were found I suspect that Kit would exercise his cane and then enforce the punishment.

AMP wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:14 pm
Drills overseen by Chief Bradley on Tuesday afternoons and were also handed out by masters.

I believe he may still be alive - hope so.

Sadly not - I went to his funeral in about 2011; there is something on this in another thread. A delightful chap; I was very fond of him and kept in touch with him for many years after leaving CH.

On an unrelated subject, is anybody else now getting adverts appearing in the middle of posts not just at the top and bottom of the page - very strange?