Here's a hypothetical

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Lenny
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Here's a hypothetical

Post by Lenny »

So. Bit of background.. I was in Maine A - From 1984-86, until I was essentially bullied out of the school. (In my opinion)

To cover the forum legally. All of what follows is just my subjective opinion. In a journalistic sense. It could be fiction. It might well just be musings, or a fictional essay. There are no implications of any party living or dead. None of what I'm about to say is true, backed up by sources, or fact. None of what I'm about to write should be attributed to the opinions of this forum or the owners of this forum. It is all heresay and conjecture. There is the distinct possibility I'm actually insane, and just making all of this up, to get attention - You know. Because I'm mental.

I take full and categorical responsibility for every word written in this post.

There, I've covered you guys... So here goes.

This is what I saw, and the result of what I saw meant I left Christ's Hospital at 16.

Bear with me. My thoughts about this are slightly unformed. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not even that smart. So bear with my train of thought here. Because it might strike a nerve with some of you and reading through this whole section there is a lot left unsaid.

I don't give a damn at this point. I'm not your polite/respectful Old Blue. I think CH sucks. I'm THAT Old Blue that wants to see the school close for its past. Become cheap flats. It's the best it deserves...

Aaaanyway.

When I was in Maine B, we lived under Ken Grimshaw's totalitarian regime... It wasn't that great. But I see that Grimshaw was a hard but fair housemaster. We used to escape to Michael Porteous' house to get away from it, to have a semblance of normality.

We all hung out there, the more homesick. The more vulnerable of us. Those who hung out there, know what I'm talking about.

The same Michael Porteous who was jailed for this:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p ... 79975.html

Now. In light of this, you can consider Porteous' tolerance for young boys coming round his house to escape from the totalitarian, general life at CH, to be nothing more than a grooming situation. Especially in light of what happened to him.

I consider it a lucky escape. Frankly.

It's just the tip of the iceberg in a systemic grooming ring centered around Christ's Hospital for Christ knows how many years back.

Gary Dobbie is just the tip of the iceberg.

That a kindly man, who you assume to "be on your side" is actually a sick, paedophile. Literally grooming the best of you, for abuse.

This was before any of the Dobbie sh1t. This was another CH chaplain. Grooming young boys.. "Left suddenly, no reason why". I'm actually surprised that throughout all these threads that Porteous hasn't been mentioned

No alarm bells ringing with the people in charge of the nonexistent pastoral care at CH in the 80s. But hey. They are sorry now. So that's OK.

Now. Move on a few years to when I was in Maine A. All the good looking/popular boys in the house were liberally allowed up into Crud McCall's study to drink booze and smoke - Apparently he's dead, can someone confirm? If he's not dead, then he should be implicated, because it was him and Dobbie, thick as thieves - Grooming young boys - Whilst the rest of the less popular boys weren't "chosen" - We all just got busted for smoking and drinking whilst assholes like B**** and his gang used to go into McCall's study with Dobbie, get drunk, then come up into the dorm at midnight, sit on your chest and punch the living daylights out of you because you "weren't in the interests of the house" - Where would that idea have even come from?

I don't blame B**** . He was totally indoctrinated into their seedy little cult...Wasn't totally his fault. I wonder if B****'s subsequent crack habit is related to abuse at CH. Probably.

Dobbie was often in attendance at these little soirees. And often chose the boys who he wanted to be at these events. Turning boys who didn't tow the line against each other. Destroying everything they believed in being at the school. Literally everything. For some. Actually destroying their lives. The Reverend Gary Dobbie. Nothing could be further from Christianity. I knew he was evil. All my friends knew he was evil.

This is not "alledgedly" by the way. Everyone who was in Maine A at the time will testify to it. I will, in open court. Gladly. I have very clear, crystal clear, memories of what was going on.

I never went to any of these events, being slightly suspicious of them. Yet all the "popular" boys were invited.

What happened was that all the "popular" boys who were favoured to go for drinking sessions with Dobbie and McCall would turn on all the kids who didn't. Bullying them. Suggesting that they weren't in some way all "pulling in the direction of the House" etc. Those, like me, would get it worse than others... I resisted strongly. I "wasn't pulling in the direction of the house" - So I was systematically bullied

If I hadn't stood up for myself eventually it might well have been way, way, worse.

I wanted to kill myself to make it stop at one point. This was life, for me, and a number of my friends. In Maine A. In 1985/6. Hell.

Everything in my life suffered. I got 4 O levels (was predicted 12) - Failed everything. Everything went wrong. Because I was relentlessly bullied, simply because I didn't want to go to McCall/Dobbies drinking nights....

I can actually name the people favoured as well. Perhaps some of these people were the victims - If so. I'm so, so, sorry this happened to you, and it's to my eternal regret that I wasn't brave or smart enough to warn you against what was going on. All my instincts at the time suggested it was wrong.

Your housemaster is your surrogate father. (or should be) You trust him like your father. Especially when you are an adolescent, and you don't see your real dad for 3 weeks at a time.

That's what sickens me. That your surrogate father can turn your peers against you in such as systematic and cynical way. And the most vulnerable of them can be lined up for potential sexual abuse from people like Dobbie.

What this lead to was a 15/16 year old boy being completely alienated from the reason to be at Christ's Hospital. Everything I'd been promised literally fell to bits.I went off the rails. I had no support from my Housemaster.

I wonder if I'd have finished my CH career in the conventional way. Would I be different? Nope. Probably not. I'm a well rounded human being now. I have no real issues and live a happy and full life. DESPITE having gone to Christ's Hospital.

However. My parents paid a load of money. In good faith, for me to have a good education. I don't think, for a minute, they'd have paid for me to go into a nest of vipers. Could there be a case, that CH was so compromised by these grooming rings that every pupil at the school at the time, should be entitled to their fees refunded?

The more people I talk to, the more people I realise were affected by this. The school offering platitudes and apologies are simply not enough.

I would say that the entire school was compromised by grooming rings from around 1982 to 1992 or thereabouts. That means that the quality of education my parents paid for was systematically compromised. The school is potentially in breach of contract for this period, due to proven (or yet to be proven) lapses in pastoral care that were clearly outlined in their contractual obligation of care to each individual. Convictions received from teachers at the time the contract was signed are potentially in breach of said contract, therefore all fees should be refunded.

Anyone in Maine A at the time I was in Maine A, could see it a mile away. We all knew, in our darkest memories, that Maine A, was essentially dysfunctional in the extreme and at worst, ground zero of a grooming ring. Inviting underage boys to drink in your home, as a housemaster. Is fundamentally wrong. Especially, when you punish everyone else who chooses to get drunk whilst not under your roof. That hypocrisy for a 15 year old is almost impossible to comprehend. When an adult lets "chosen" people drink and smoke with impunity, and you essentially get expelled from the school for doing similar things.

What's interesting and perhaps ironic. Is that those of us "who weren't chosen", really, really wanted to be chosen... Many of us who weren't "chosen" did things above and beyond naughty to get noticed by our housemaster. Things that were beyond the pale. Things that got some of us expelled.

Was this an environment best for pupils? Was this school, at the time, that dysfunctional that it actually made the pupils its foundation was set up to protect, inevitably more vulnerable and worse off than when they joined?

I put it to Christ's Hospital. That because their senior management were unaware/unable to see what was going on because of grooming rings in the school at the time, that the quality of education that parents were paying for was substandard, and, or compromised.

It's funny. 35 years of anger. It all comes out in one burst, but I've always felt that Christ's Hospital was deeply tainted. In literally every way. It took me years to get over the bullying I sustained at that school.

Some of my peers are messed up about it. Some, like me, were messed up by the bullying. But got over it. Some are dead by their own hands. All of it is related either directly or indirectly to CH grooming rings in the 80's. The more I think about it.

Those that know me know I'm plain speaking. I'm not ashamed of anything. And I know there are other Old Blues out there who think the same as me.

I hated CH. I don't make any bones about it. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life. Now the chickens are coming home to roost, I'm glad that I wasn't wrong in hating that institution. It's not healthy. It never will be. It's not good for children. Its pastoral care is for sh1t. Its traditions are flawed. It's a flawed model. That was probably flawed 100 years ago. Sorry doesn't cut it. At all.

They need to pay. Financially, for the mistakes they have made in the past. Their reputation hangs on how they deal with their past. Major 6 figure compensation to the victims of this these terrible events. They can afford it

Directly, or indirectly, being in Maine A was not good for my mental health throughout my 20s. Being in the midst of a grooming ring of teachers, even if you aren't directly abused wasn't healthy. It coloured everything. All my friends. My life at CH. Every child in Maine A in 1984-1992 was a potential victim. Literally going into that house, with Dobbie and McCall's Saturday night "study sessions" made every child a potential victim of abuse.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with education.

When Smeggy O-Meara comes up into the dormitory with an obvious hard on in his trousers, and everyone just thinks it's normal.

It's not normal.

For the record. Tim Askew.. I saw you getting sh1t on here from certain quarters... You were a good teacher. Everything you said was well thought out. Please don't apologise for being a good teacher, mate. You made my time in Maine B bearable, and don't let the knee-jerkers tar you with the same brush as the assholes that you had no choice but to be around.

The day you left CH was probably a very good day for your soul mate.

-------

So. Hopefully, this will open up a discussion. I've read every post on here, all the speculation. Etc. Was x a paedo? Was y?

It kind of doesn't matter. When you have teachers grooming children. Making them favourites. Objectively, your whole system is compromised. I don't blame Paulton (although he was an ineffectual twit) - I don't blame Sillet. Again. He had no clue.

It was all going on below the surface. The management of the school had no idea.

But it tainted the whole school. It tainted everything. It's deeply tainted CH's reputation. I always knew it was tainted. But that's me. It's nice that more people are seeing it for what I've always thought it was from the day I was thrown under a bus in the mid 80's because I wasn't "chosen" by Crud and Dobbie.

Nothing Christian about Christ's Hospital in the 80's / early 90's by the way. It was a paedophile ring, disguised as a top boarding school.

Isn't hindsight a depressing thing?
Last edited by Lenny on Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:48 pm, edited 4 times in total.
max_ratcliffe
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by max_ratcliffe »

Hey Ash,

I am so sorry that your experience of CH was so appalling. I don't agree with everything that you've said, but you've raised a number of interesting points. While the abuse that many suffered at the hands of some teachers was dreadful, it was (obviously) never part of the way that the school was intended to run. The vast majority of teachers were decent, and some were exceptionally good. The abusive teachers were few, although that will be little consolation to those who suffered at their hands. But the hands-off approach to supervision was also very damaging.

It did contribute to the "lord of the flies" aspects. Who seriously thinks it's a good idea to leave the supervision of 11 year olds to 14 year olds?!? Bullying is not limited to residential public schools, not by a long chalk, unfortunately. But the isolation can lead to an environment where the bullies are unchecked, and there is no going home at day's end for respite. Your experience in Maine A was utterly different to mine in Mid B/A. While there were a few bullies, I never once felt unsafe

I genuinely believe that the school's mission is a good one, and I for one would be very sorry to see it close. I looked forward to going back to school after every holiday, and I wish it had been the same for you. Did I get a better education there? Well, it's difficult to say, but I suspect that comprehensive education wouldn't have been much different in its outcomes for me. But then, I'd have gone to a Sussex school in a reasonably affluent area. Many others would have gone to inner city comps where the bullying would be absolutely rife, and teachers wouldn't have been able to teach as they'd have been watching their backs half the time. That's a societal issue, and it could reasonably be argued that better resourcing would prevent many of those problems, and of course it could hardly hurt!

My experience of the school was very different to yours. In spite of everything that has happened I still look back on the place with affection. Would life have turned out differently had I not been away? Perhaps, but if I'd have been at home, I'd have witnessed first hand my parents' marital breakdown - I was far better off being away from that. Yes, I could attribute my utter hopelessness with meeting women to the single-sex part of my first three years at CH (and thereafter, I was too terrified to talk to any of the girls), but I can't know that that wouldn't have happened to me anyway (nature/nurture and all that). If it was a nurture thing, it's probably a lot more to do with the fact that I did engineering at Uni (although I eventually married one of that rare-as-hens-teeth species - the woman engineer).

Anyway, your post has made me realise that I was lucky with my CH experience. I recall feeling sorry when you had to leave - little did I realise how unhappy you were, and clearly your departure was the best thing that could have happened to you. All the best to you mate. I remember you as a talented artist - did you ever make a go of it?

Have also sent you a PM.

Cheers,
Max
richardb
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by richardb »

McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by J.R. »

richardb wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 1:50 pm McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
He should be so 'Lucky !!!
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max_ratcliffe
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by max_ratcliffe »

McCall was a very good maths teacher, and I liked him. No idea he ran his house in that way, but it sounds like he would be wise not to show his face anywhere, if he's still with us, of course.

One group of other people, who don't qualify as victims, but nevertheless suffer from the crimes of Dobbie and Husband (especially) are the other teachers who were utterly innocent.

Husband was liked, as far as I can tell, by almost everyone whom he taught. But because of his actions, we ex-pupils are bound to ask ourselves about other teachers: "he was a good bloke. Was there some motive there?". Even when there wasn't.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by max_ratcliffe »

J.R. wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:14 pm
richardb wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 1:50 pm McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
He should be so 'Lucky !!!
Bit off topic, but surely he [Lucan] committed suicide by jumping off the ferry?
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J.R.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by J.R. »

max_ratcliffe wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:21 pm
J.R. wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:14 pm
richardb wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 1:50 pm McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
He should be so 'Lucky !!!
Bit off topic, but surely he [Lucan] committed suicide by jumping off the ferry?
Lucky Lucan's car was found in Newhaven.
The ferry 'jump' is only an assumption.
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max_ratcliffe
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by max_ratcliffe »

J.R. wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:26 pm
max_ratcliffe wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:21 pm
J.R. wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:14 pm

He should be so 'Lucky !!!
Bit off topic, but surely he [Lucan] committed suicide by jumping off the ferry?
Lucky Lucan's car was found in Newhaven.
The ferry 'jump' is only an assumption.
Either he avoided detection for decades, perhaps with a high level conspiracy helping him along the way. Or he died. Occam's razor leads me to the latter.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by Pe.A »

richardb wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 1:50 pm McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
True. His name has cropped up, and he did leave abruptly. But i'd prefer to err on the side of caution if noone has come forward to press charges for anything...
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

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max_ratcliffe wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:19 pm McCall was a very good maths teacher, and I liked him. No idea he ran his house in that way, but it sounds like he would be wise not to show his face anywhere, if he's still with us, of course.

One group of other people, who don't qualify as victims, but nevertheless suffer from the crimes of Dobbie and Husband (especially) are the other teachers who were utterly innocent.

Husband was liked, as far as I can tell, by almost everyone whom he taught. But because of his actions, we ex-pupils are bound to ask ourselves about other teachers: "he was a good bloke. Was there some motive there?". Even when there wasn't.
That was my recollection of him as well from the beginning of the 90s.

Also, finding it hard to believe anyone could cast doubt on O'Meara...
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by DazedandConfused »

Ashley I’m so sorry this happened to you, so sorry and so angry. I believe that there are many more victims of what happened than we are aware of, whether they were direct victims of abuse or indirect victims of the toxic environment around them. You mention suicides of OBs and it’s something that has played on my mind since the first convictions- one OB suicide in particular where I’m now suspicious they could have been a victim of abuse.

I have seen Porteous mentioned on here before, he was before my time so didn’t know him personally but his later convictions have been discussed on the forum.

With regards to McCall- as Richard says, he just vanished. There are rumours that he went to Kenya to teach. Another ex-teacher who is currently awaiting trial had strong links to a school in Kenya, although there is no evidence that the two things are linked. After hours of sifting through online records the only trace I’ve found of McCall is his birth record and the birth record of a sibling. I’m sure the police have done much more than my armchair detective work as I’m almost certain he is on their radar. If he’s dead or overseas that would explain why no charges. (EDIT BY JTaylor, moderator:- Or, importantly, he didn’t do anything which merits a charge - just for completeness....)

This is the first time I’ve read about O’Meara but he’s always been on my list of teachers who made me uncomfortable. Not that this means anything, as we’ve seen abusers can also be lovely and charming.

I do agree with you about Tim Askew, definitely one of the good guys who has had a hard time.

Have you spoken to the police Ashley? Or any form of victim support?
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by Pe.A »

DazedandConfused wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:22 pm Ashley I’m so sorry this happened to you, so sorry and so angry. I believe that there are many more victims of what happened than we are aware of, whether they were direct victims of abuse or indirect victims of the toxic environment around them. You mention suicides of OBs and it’s something that has played on my mind since the first convictions- one OB suicide in particular where I’m now suspicious they could have been a victim of abuse.

I have seen Porteous mentioned on here before, he was before my time so didn’t know him personally but his later convictions have been discussed on the forum.

With regards to McCall- as Richard says, he just vanished. There are rumours that he went to Kenya to teach. Another ex-teacher who is currently awaiting trial had strong links to a school in Kenya, although there is no evidence that the two things are linked. After hours of sifting through online records the only trace I’ve found of McCall is his birth record and the birth record of a sibling. I’m sure the police have done much more than my armchair detective work as I’m almost certain he is on their radar. If he’s dead or overseas that would explain why no charges. (EDIT BY JTaylor, moderator:- Or, importantly, he didn’t do anything which merits a charge - just for completeness....)

This is the first time I’ve read about O’Meara but he’s always been on my list of teachers who made me uncomfortable. Not that this means anything, as we’ve seen abusers can also be lovely and charming.

I do agree with you about Tim Askew, definitely one of the good guys who has had a hard time.

Have you spoken to the police Ashley? Or any form of victim support?
Sorry. If i could just ask...how, and under what circumstances O'Meara made you feel uncomfortable? Im finding this rather hard to digest...
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by scrub »

Pe.A wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:17 pm
richardb wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 1:50 pm McCall's name keeps coming up.

He appears to have either died or gone abroad.

One can't help thinking he will be happy to be as elusive as Lord Lucan.
True. His name has cropped up, and he did leave abruptly. But i'd prefer to err on the side of caution if noone has come forward to press charges for anything...
The manner of his leaving has been covered here previously though, so while you're correct that no charges have been drawn, it's not slanderous innuendo territory either.

He was my teacher for A-levels (before he left) and, well, lets just say that my opinion of his teaching is somewhat/vastly different.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by DazedandConfused »

Pe.A wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 5:17 pm
Sorry. If i could just ask...how, and under what circumstances O'Meara made you feel uncomfortable? Im finding this rather hard to digest...
No particular incident or circumstance, just a male teacher who I didn’t like to be around and wouldn’t have wanted to be alone in a room with. An instinctive feeling that only applied to a few teachers.

I imagine if you talk to most women they would know the feeling I refer to, the instinct that something isn’t right and you aren’t comfortable. Quite possibly men have this too but I think females tend to be on a higher state of alert in general, unfortunately.
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Re: Here's a hypothetical

Post by richardb »

I am afraid I have always had O'Meara down as asexual.
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