Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Don't remember too much scandal from my time.

One incident I recall though was a master abruptly leaving for allegedly, how can I put this, "assisting" a boy in the bath.

Whilst not wishing to break any forum rules I will give a clue that the master shared a name with a participant in the present Oval Test. The spelling may differ slightly though.

Don't recall any scandals in my era !

I think they were all hushed up.

Now't like a good 'conspiracy theory'.

(ps. Richard R: Have you checked your PM box lately ??)

There were plenty of scandals during my time at CH. I wont give names (can't afford a lawyer) but I'll give a few clues to what happened.

My history teacher was sacked two weeks before my GCSEs for 'an incident' (allegedly) involving a female pupil. (I got a B in case you were wondering).

One of the bandmasters ran off with a female pupil, never to be seen again.

One of the maths teachers was sacked for (allegedly) trying to interfere with a male pupil.

I've also heard that after I left there was (allegedly) an incident involving a certain sergeant major and a matron but someone else will have to confirm or deny this.

Seem to remember reading something about the (alleged) incident with the bandmaster on the 'Friends Re-United' site ages ago, if memory serves.

I think a specific name was even mentioned for the baton waver !! (Has a quiet snigger into coffee cup !!!)

We had the major drugs thing happen when I was there - the story was on the front page of the Express as I remember.

marty wrote:There were plenty of scandals during my time at CH. I wont give names (can't afford a lawyer) but I'll give a few clues to what happened.

My history teacher was sacked two weeks before my GCSEs for 'an incident' (allegedly) involving a female pupil. (I got a B in case you were wondering).

One of the bandmasters ran off with a female pupil, never to be seen again.

One of the maths teachers was sacked for (allegedly) trying to interfere with a male pupil.

I've also heard that after I left there was (allegedly) an incident involving a certain sergeant major and a matron but someone else will have to confirm or deny this.

Yes all those happened...

Great Plum wrote:

marty wrote:There were plenty of scandals during my time at CH. I wont give names (can't afford a lawyer) but I'll give a few clues to what happened.

My history teacher was sacked two weeks before my GCSEs for 'an incident' (allegedly) involving a female pupil. (I got a B in case you were wondering).

One of the bandmasters ran off with a female pupil, never to be seen again.

One of the maths teachers was sacked for (allegedly) trying to interfere with a male pupil.

I've also heard that after I left there was (allegedly) an incident involving a certain sergeant major and a matron but someone else will have to confirm or deny this.

Yes all those happened...

Blimey, exciting times!

I'm sure that in my time this sort of jiggery-pokery used to be hushed up. There were always a few rumours floating round when I was at C.H., and one or two masters did 'move on' without a great deal of forewarning, but then again rumours tend to sprout like mushrooms on a dung-heap in a relatively enclosed community.......

Just out of interest, was there a huge age difference between the (alleged) participants in these events? Was 'guilt' always proven, or was it a case of "it might be better for all concerned if you go without making a fuss"?

There was supposed to be a flu epidemic and a school scandal every year (officially). Curiously, I can't remember most of the scandals. Flick-knives and porno, certainly. But the rest? A certain housemaster in hot water for taking cine-film footage of kids in the showers and the lav-end baths....A master's wife running off with an ex-pupil....Rotting meat being served for lunch in the Dining Hall.....The abolition of 'going into flannels'....(disgraceful, that one)....

Oh, and the kid who nicked masters' wives' underwear off washing lines.

Vonny wrote:We had the major drugs thing happen when I was there - the story was on the front page of the Express as I remember.

DRUGS VONNY ??

Unheard of in my day, unless you happened to be encacerated in the Sicker and Doc. Tommy Scott prescribed half an aspirin !

'Pot' was what you 'went' in.........

Snow always fell in January.

'Charlie' was usually your best mate, and 'Speed' was what you had to have when given a quarter or a mile as a punishment !

J.R. wrote:

Vonny wrote:We had the major drugs thing happen when I was there - the story was on the front page of the Express as I remember.

DRUGS VONNY ??

All went on in the 80's you know! All I really remember was the whole school being talked to by the temporary head (Can't even remember his name now! ) and told that the story would be in the national newspapers - was quite a scandal at the time!

vonny - I remember that one, although only just as I was still quite young when it happened.

a few sad scandals - a train suicide (desparately sad), and a few pregnancies of pupil-pupil kind - I think that's when they realised that in a newly formed co-ed school they might need to teach sex ed - doh....

there were quite a few teacher-teacher and pupil-pupil scandals when I was there, but no teacher-pupil scandals as far as I remember.

a funny occurrence was when a male staff member was seen out of a dorm window at 1am making out with another male staff member.

it's probably the same for kids nowadays, but in the 80s there was a terrible stigma for being gay for both pupils & staff, but what do you expect in such a large population?

kara wrote:a funny occurrence was when a male staff member was seen out of a dorm window at 1am making out with another male staff member.

Not wishing to probe too deeply (please excuse the pun), where on earth were they 'performing' that the ins and outs of their relationship were on public display?

No doubt these two were made aware that their nocturnal activities had been witnessed by pupils? Or is discretion the norm these days?

I have to say that if it had happened during the seventies the entire school would have known about it by the end of breakfast the next morning.

holding hands and snogging

ie enough to know they werent friends

it was 1am on a Friday night - they were probably pissed, and yes, the whole school knew about it. I have no idea if they were warned or anything, but no further incidents were seen.

One male member of staff was if not openly then obviously gay, the other was a surprise.

kara wrote:One male member of staff was if not openly then obviously gay, the other was a surprise.

I suppose that being openly gay might still be a problem for a member of staff - not sure how things are these days.

The term 'bachelor master' used to be used to decribe those who pursued what might have been seen as an 'alternative' lifestyle, although public displays of affection, pissed or otherwise, would have been a complete no-no.

kara wrote: a few sad scandals - a train suicide (desparately sad), and a few pregnancies of pupil-pupil kind - I think that's when they realised that in a newly formed co-ed school they might need to teach sex ed - doh....

I remember reading about the suicide in the newspaper - i had left by then. From what I know about it the circumstances were very very sad.

I only recall one pupil becoming pregnant at school - I bet there were a few more to be honest, or at least a few scares!