Husband & Dobbie - VERDICTS

[marty]

The last of these is going to cost money. So let me suggest how it could be done in a way that could send a powerful message that for CH transforming lives is more important than its proud historical traditions.

The school owns a collection of antique silver http://www.chmuseum.org.uk/authenticate ... _artefacts. It's apparently a significant collection of rare and high quality items dating back to 1490. It's locked up somewhere in London. It contributes nothing to the mission of the school: it produces no income and unlike the school grounds or the picture collection nobody gets to enjoy it. I've no idea how much it is worth. The last accounts show historical assets (pictures, artifacts and silver) at a carrying value of just over £5M, but that's based on a formal valuation carried out in 2000.

In my view the time has come for the school to put its money where its mouth is, seek permission from the Charity Commission to sell this useless hoard, and use the proceeds to provide the very best professional help for those it has so badly failed.

Couldn't agree more (if true about the silver). If the school tries to argue that the silver is for a rainy day then it needs telling that this IS that rainy day. In fact it's been pouring for a very long time.

[Janey Jam-Jar]

The last of these is going to cost money. So let me suggest how it could be done in a way that could send a powerful message that for CH transforming lives is more important than its proud historical traditions.

The school owns a collection of antique silver http://www.chmuseum.org.uk/authenticate ... _artefacts. It's apparently a significant collection of rare and high quality items dating back to 1490. It's locked up somewhere in London. It contributes nothing to the mission of the school: it produces no income and unlike the school grounds or the picture collection nobody gets to enjoy it. I've no idea how much it is worth. The last accounts show historical assets (pictures, artifacts and silver) at a carrying value of just over £5M, but that's based on a formal valuation carried out in 2000.

In my view the time has come for the school to put its money where its mouth is, seek permission from the Charity Commission to sell this useless hoard, and use the proceeds to provide the very best professional help for those it has so badly failed.

Couldn't agree more (if true about the silver). If the school tries to argue that the silver is for a rainy day then it needs telling that this IS that rainy day. In fact it's been pouring for a very long time.

Beautifully put, marty, if utterly wretched in its sadness.

Jim’s ideas for movement are a good starting point.

We’ve read one of the victim’s statements on another thread. Not to take away anything from those brave people, I would also like to spare a thought for the families of the perpetrators. Karim and Husband have children (now grown up), grandchildren and wives. All five perpetrators have extended networks - parents possibly, siblings, friends, former colleagues etc. The layers of these abuse cases, and those to follow, have wreaked havoc in people’s lives and continue to cause turmoil. This is the beginning of readjustment, learning to live with a new story and for some it will be an extremely painful road to travel.

[Mid A 15]

My main disappointment with this forum (and it is down to the software) is that it isnt possible to "like" a post. My like button would be working overtime at he moment.

[DeletedAccount]

and RichardB... I would "like" your comment too, along with many of the others too!

[Avon]

My main disappointment with this forum (and it is down to the software) is that it isnt possible to "like" a post. My like button would be working overtime at he moment.

Have a 'like' for that...

[Avon]

The school owns a collection of antique silver http://www.chmuseum.org.uk/authenticate ... _artefacts. It's apparently a significant collection of rare and high quality items dating back to 1490. It's locked up somewhere in London. It contributes nothing to the mission of the school: it produces no income and unlike the school grounds or the picture collection nobody gets to enjoy it. I've no idea how much it is worth. The last accounts show historical assets (pictures, artifacts and silver) at a carrying value of just over £5M, but that's based on a formal valuation carried out in 2000.

There was a whole load of stuff underneath St George's, Hannover Square a decade or so ago. Probably still there... The joke about CH was that the Counting House didn't have a clue when it was in London, and moving to Horsham meant it was even more clueless.

[KerryKidd]

Two points:

1) I spoke to a friend who taught in a boarding school in this era. She points out how incredibly seriously these issues were taken even then in other schools, and how there would have been no question of just reporting it to management and ignoring it from there. That confirms to me my sense that this was a distinctive culture at CH and we cannot excuse those who knew on the grounds of historical difference.

2) in my twenties I socialised and sought career advice frequently from two of the former school senior leadership team. One I considered a close personal friend. On one occasion I asked whether I should follow a suggestion from my boss to pursue a line of research I was personally uncomfortable with . The answer I got was that it was not my responsibility and it was a problem for my boss’ conscience not mine, I was not at fault morally if I was just doing what I was told. With hindsight I think that piece of advice, given by a person who was wise and extremely kind to me personally, is a good example of what was wrong with the moral culture inculcated into staff at the school.

[bakunin]

Thank you! It's very hard to take seriously the claim that because people made gay jokes, the 90s were so different from now that child abuse was tolerated! Now is not the time for whiny and tenuous apologetics on behalf of the school... A historian should understand how his writing will be interpreted.

[sejintenej]

. The answer I got was that it was not my responsibility and it was a problem for my boss’ conscience not mine, I was not at fault morally if I was just doing what I was told.

This was thoroughly debunked at the War Trials in 1946-7 where defendants claimed that they were only obeying orders.

With hindsight I think that piece of advice, given by a person who was wise and extremely kind to me personally, is a good example of what was wrong with the moral culture inculcated into staff at the school.

IMHO your current thoughts are correct; whatever people might say or write it will take generations to totally overcome the old ideas. Back in about 1995 we had to sack a German in Germany who was too young to have been alive during the war but was still publicly and rabidly anti-Jew in the office.