Sad Death of Gerhardt Bott

[Spoonbill]

Some OBs may already have heard of Gerhardt Bott's death, since I understand he passed away in late November. His (brief) obit in the London Evening Standard consisted of only a few sentences, so it seems only fair to say a bit more here.

Gerhardt was at CH in the late 40s and acquired a certain notoriety as the OB who 'came back as a bocker' in the 60s, working initially in the kitchens and subsequently as a groundsman before leaving to join the Salvation Army. He returned on a number of occasions to preach in the chapel, then left to work for a missionary organisation in Rwanda, where he spent more than ten years. Eventually he became disillusioned with religion and relocated first to London and then to Hamburg, where he established a chain of 'titty bars' in the dock area. A somewhat eccentric party trick he developed in clubland - juggling with live chainsaws - became more and more difficult for him to perform due to rheumatism, but keen to please as always, he continued to do it whenever requested till November of this year when he mortally wounded himself whilst juggling five Stihl chainsaws at a charity event in Hackney.

He is remembered as a kindly, intelligent man with a terrible ingrowing toenail problem.

[UserRemovedAccount]

Was this the Maine A Bott or the one in, I think, Peele B? One of the two was in my Deputy Gecian class, but I cannot remember the first name at this remove in time.

[J.R.]

Is this for real, Spoonbill ?

It seems so 'Monty Python-esqe' !

[Euterpe13]

Is this for real, Spoonbill ?

It seems so 'Monty Python-esqe' !

Of course it's for real ! I remember Mr. Bott well from my visits to Horsham - he used to let my brother and I play with his ferret and listen to him play the musical saw.

[J.R.]

Is this for real, Spoonbill ?

It seems so 'Monty Python-esqe' !

Of course it's for real ! I remember Mr. Bott well from my visits to Horsham - he used to let my brother and I play with his ferret and listen to him play the musical saw.

What were his years as a 'bocker' ?

Must have been about during my time !

[Euterpe13]

Is this for real, Spoonbill ?

It seems so 'Monty Python-esqe' !

Of course it's for real ! I remember Mr. Bott well from my visits to Horsham - he used to let my brother and I play with his ferret and listen to him play the musical saw.

What were his years as a 'bocker' ?

Must have been about during my time !

no , you're much too old - my bro' was at CH from '64 to '69

[Doctor Smellcroft]

I'm afraid I always thought he was a sinister character. He used to give boys electric shocks and show them frightening photographs of Hermione Gingold.

[UserRemovedAccount]

I am not surprised to read that Bott went from being a missionary in Rwanda to a girlie bar in Hamburg. He did show incipient signs of these contradictory aspects of his character while at CH where he used to go from chairing a meeting of the Scriprture Union to selling photographs in the Art School Car Park bogs. He told us that the pictures were of his uncle and aunt, but even at only twelve I didn't believe him. Poor old Bott. Done to death by chainsaws in Hackney - mind you, it probably took his mind off the toenails.

[englishangel]

In a moment of clarity he wrote a wonderful book about me and my friends with James Underhill.

[UserRemovedAccount]

I have been racking my memory about the late Gerhardt Bott and it suddenly came back to me last night that I once met his family, when he brought them down one week-end in 1949 - or was 1950? He had a sister named Violet Elizabeth, who suffered from a rather bad lisp, and his mother was the most frightful snob who wore tight fitting coats with huge furry collars. Curiously, a friend of mine, not at Housie, named William Brown, a reall scruff if ever I met one, knew the Botts and absolutely loathed Violet Elizabeth, although I thought that she was quite pretty. Gerhardt's father was a very ordinary chap, a Captain Mainwaring-type of bank manager, as I recall him, but his uncle was this country's most distinguished proctologist who was eventually awarded the Order of Merit, a very rare and greatly valued award which enabled him to sign his name "Bott O.M." which, given his profession, seemed strangely appropriate.

[J.R.]

In a moment of clarity he wrote a wonderful book about me and my friends with James Underhill.

Given what Petard said about his photographic expertise, I HATE to think what the story line of his book was, Mary !

[AKAP]

In a moment of clarity he wrote a wonderful book about me and my friends with James Underhill.

Given what Petard said about his photographic expertise, I HATE to think what the story line of his book was, Mary !

More innocent than that:-
by Underhill, James

Angels' qualities and history, their position in the heavenly hierarchy and role in human affairs are discussed. Beautifully illustrated with original artists' works.

[englishangel]

I have been racking my memory about the late Gerhardt Bott and it suddenly came back to me last night that I once met his family, when he brought them down one week-end in 1949 - or was 1950? He had a sister named Violet Elizabeth, who suffered from a rather bad lisp, and his mother was the most frightful snob who wore tight fitting coats with huge furry collars. Curiously, a friend of mine, not at Housie, named William Brown, a reall scruff if ever I met one, knew the Botts and absolutely loathed Violet Elizabeth, although I thought that she was quite pretty. Gerhardt's father was a very ordinary chap, a Captain Mainwaring-type of bank manager, as I recall him, but his uncle was this country's most distinguished proctologist who was eventually awarded the Order of Merit, a very rare and greatly valued award which enabled him to sign his name "Bott O.M." which, given his profession, seemed strangely appropriate.

I remember Violet Elizabeth when I was a student nurse. She was middle-aged by then and unmarried. She was in and out of hospital because she was seriously undernourished. Every time something upset her she would scream and scream until she was sick.

I remember her brother visiting her ( I didn't know he was an OB of course) and mentioning that he had been out for a drink with William and she had started one of her screaming fits. We always made sure her bed was next to the loo.

[A Dirty Old Jack]

I dimly remember Bott, though he was considerably younger than myself and not in the same house. He came in for quite a lot of flak because of his Germanic name, though not German himself as I recall. (It was still too close to the war for people not to make an issue of it, I'm afraid.) I think he was in one of the Peeles though I may be mistaken. A stocky boy with very short hair and a real lump of a head. Can't comment on his personality though, since I can't claim to have known him.

[UserRemovedAccount]

I remember Violet Elizabeth when I was a student nurse.

Englishangel, when you were at medical school did you not study Gerhard's uncle's standard textbook "From the bottom up - the conventional approach to proctology"?