Girl Button Grecians

Richard Ruck · Post by **Richard Ruck** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:48 pm

Jude wrote:so to cut it short
you only get "Buttons" (I guess they are still silver, or silver plated) for being GOOD the entire life of being at CH, and only as a Grecian can you be awarded them, you also have to change your coat... ?????? Why - can't you sew the new buttons on or is the coat different as well?

To be honest I would have thought a few more reasons for buttons were there - we got P badges for posture.....
most private schools have colours or badges for being in a sports team, or captaining one, others for music and so forth, thus not setting a differance between the academically gifted and the less so - I would have had a problem if both of mine had gone to CH and stayed - as Chris was a year ahaead and very bright, and Sarah has dyslexia so would have been seen as dumb (she has a very high IQ as do most dyslexics) it seems a slightly one sided affair. I would like more information... please.

No, buttons aren't (or weren't) just awarded for being good. Do you honestly think that I would have got mine if that was the case??

It is possible to be reasonably good academically, and be rewarded for that, without being 'good' in the school-monitor sense.

The button coat is (or was) different. Velvet cuffs, better material, better cut, extra pocket (luxury!), as well as the obvious fact that the coat has a greater number of (larger) buttons than the normal coat.

Buttons aren't collected one by one like badges. The award of the coat recognises the achievement(s) of the wearer, for the reasons I have mentioned.

Sporting colours were awarded as well. These were denoted by having different blazer badges.

Buttons for posture?? Oh dear....

Vonny · Post by **Vonny** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:20 pm

Richard Ruck wrote:Buttons for posture?? Oh dear....

Now you have some idea what it was really like at Hertford!

Richard Ruck · Post by **Richard Ruck** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:23 pm

Vonny wrote:
Richard Ruck wrote:Buttons for posture?? Oh dear....
Now you have some idea what it was really like at Hertford!

I do indeed!

Great Plum · Post by **Great Plum** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:27 pm

RR is right - the button grecian coat is very different...

And let's not get started on the band captain's coat!

Richard Ruck · Post by **Richard Ruck** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:28 pm

Great Plum wrote:And let's not get started on the band captain's coat!

Well, quite! These didn't come in until a few years after I left.....

Great Plum · Post by **Great Plum** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:34 pm

Richard Ruck wrote:
Great Plum wrote:And let's not get started on the band captain's coat!
Well, quite! These didn't come in until a few years after I left.....

I wonder whose idea they were...

J.R. · Post by **J.R.** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:16 pm

I understand that 'Cinders' got her buttons.

There were no flies on her, or him, come to think of it !

englishangel · Post by **englishangel** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:20 am

Ah, but then I got my GA at the end of Year 11 (though I wasn't allowed to wear it until Lower Sixth). And I was never going to get anything for academic exellence, except perhaps for most books read, ever.

I was extremely good, though I did have a bit of slippage in year 11, and I have made up for it since I left.

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:42 am

I don't remember us having the privillage of a green pinny....... ours were all blue - many shades of faded blue....

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:44 am

Jude wrote:I don't remember us having the privillage of a green pinny....... ours were all blue - many shades of faded blue....

Surely you remember black aprons BA and green aprons, Jude? They weren't pinnies but proper aprons with bibs. In my time we had to make our own first BA while in the Lower V ready for use when it was awarded sometime in Upper V. You would not be allowed into the VI unless you had a BA (or was that apochryphal?)

englishangel wrote:Ah, but then I got my GA at the end of Year 11 (though I wasn't allowed to wear it until Lower Sixth). And I was never going to get anything for academic exellence, except perhaps for most books read, ever.

I was extremely good, though I did have a bit of slippage in year 11, and I have made up for it since I left.

I did not get my GA until after I had done A levels - which shows a difference! It also shows a house mistress who couldn't stand me! I became a School Prefect at the same time as getting the GA, supposedly unheard of in previous time, said housemistress was leaving that term so had no say.

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:58 am

Katharine wrote:
Jude wrote:I don't remember us having the privillage of a green pinny....... ours were all blue - many shades of faded blue....
Surely you remember black aprons BA and green aprons, Jude? They weren't pinnies but proper aprons with bibs. In my time we had to make our own first BA while in the Lower V ready for use when it was awarded sometime in Upper V. You would not be allowed into the VI unless you had a BA (or was that apochryphal?)

englishangel wrote:Ah, but then I got my GA at the end of Year 11 (though I wasn't allowed to wear it until Lower Sixth). And I was never going to get anything for academic exellence, except perhaps for most books read, ever.

I was extremely good, though I did have a bit of slippage in year 11, and I have made up for it since I left.
I did not get my GA until after I had done A levels - which shows a difference! It also shows a house mistress who couldn't stand me! I became a School Prefect at the same time as getting the GA, supposedly unheard of in previous time, said housemistress was leaving that term so had no say.

I was pulled out at teh end of the 5th year, but I still don't remember green aprons.... or any other colour apart from blue - 5.31 could help on this as she was at CH Herts same time as me...
Thought you were going on holiday???

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 9:07 am

Jude wrote:Thought you were going on holiday???

I am, packed too early for once! We leave the house in a couple of hours for Manchester airport.

Do you want to get rid of me, so much?

I thought I was loved on the forum, a place I could feel at home with others.

englishangel · Post by **englishangel** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 9:08 am

I think I was the first ever to go into Lower VI with a GA, but we did only have one Upper sixth at the time.

They could have moved someone from another house though if I had not been worthy.

We still made a BA in Lower V although by my time it was called 4th form, (year 10, LE etc).

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 9:14 am

englishangel wrote:I think I was the first ever to go into Lower VI with a GA, but we did only have one Upper sixth at the time.

They could have moved someone from another house though if I had not been worthy.

We still made a BA in Lower V although by my time it was called 4th form, (year 10, LE etc).

One year in my time in 6s it happened, although then it was thought of more as being made a Mon, same circumstances. Until 1s & 5s became all through houses I do not remember anyone moving senior houses at all in my time.

cj · Post by cj » Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:04 am

Vonny wrote:
Richard Ruck wrote:Buttons for posture?? Oh dear....
Now you have some idea what it was really like at Hertford!

I was awarded my posture badge in my first year at Hertford, and very proud I was too! It still sits in my jewellery box reminding me of my glory days of yore ..!! My mother was always amazed whenever they came up to visit as it reminded her of when she was at school in the 40s/50s. I mentioned in another thread that it was like living in a time warp. Priorities seemed to be learning to cook, sewing a nightie and being able to walk/stand properly. Certainly for myself and my friends, we wouldn't have gone there unless the merger had been going ahead.