Dorothy Ruth West : RIP

[Euterpe13]

Housemistresses

[Euterpe13]

Kerren, if you click on the " profile" button on any of your own posts, you can bring up all the messages you have posted on the Forum, and find any text there.

[Katharine]

There's quite a bit about her on the Thread Posh School - not sure whether that is CH Stuff or Hertford.

How do I know this, well I googled Dorothy Ruth West last night while killing time, and it came up with my message there explaining why we called her DR, and that it was two separate letters not Doctor, and I mentioned the blue ink she used to sign her names or initials, which I am sure we all remember.

[J.R.]

There's quite a bit about her on the Thread Posh School - not sure whether that is CH Stuff or Hertford.

How do I know this, well I googled Dorothy Ruth West last night while killing time, and it came up with my message there explaining why we called her DR, and that it was two separate letters not Doctor, and I mentioned the blue ink she used to sign her names or initials, which I am sure we all remember.

Perhaps some of the girls on here would like a link, Katharine.

[Alexandra Thrift]

I was just reading the DR thread that I linked to and it suddenly came back to me about how we had once done a "Songs Of Praise" for BBC radio .

The whole thing was recorded in the school hall. Maybe it was a service because DR read the closing prayer.

Apparently,after this, the BBC listeners sent in quite a lot of fan mail to her, including (so rumour had it) a proposal of marriage from an ardent gentleman transfixed by her voice !!



Does anyone else remember?

[kerrensimmonds]

Will be at St. Andrew's Church, Alfriston, East Sussex, at 11.00 on Thursday 11 January 2007. (NB the church houses the altar from the Chapel at Hertford, which DRW bought and donated to her own Church, where for donkeys years she was the Verger).
Wouldn't it be great if there was a strong showing of Hertford Old Blues (let alone those who might come from Horsham...).

Thank you everyone for telling me how to use the 'backend' of the Forum and yes through that I have found that I have contributed to quite a lot of discussions about DRW over the last year or so.

I wasn't there for the Songs of Praise which Alexandra remembers, so I can't verify the proposal of marriage. But I was there when she went to Canada for a term's Sabbatical (in fact, I now own her handwritten diary of the whole enterprise - and its fascinating). She returned with curly hair and it was rumoured that she had found love on the other side of the Pond. I THINK a Canadian gentleman subsequently visited the School, but her I might be getting apocryphal....

[Katharine]

There's quite a bit about her on the Thread Posh School - not sure whether that is CH Stuff or Hertford.

How do I know this, well I googled Dorothy Ruth West last night while killing time, and it came up with my message there explaining why we called her DR, and that it was two separate letters not Doctor, and I mentioned the blue ink she used to sign her names or initials, which I am sure we all remember.

Perhaps some of the girls on here would like a link, Katharine.

I have just looked again, it was actually a link from Mary on Posh School at Hertford http://www.chclub.org/php/viewtopic.php ... 4855f2ed4c , the quote from me was in the thread called DR which is pretty obviously about her.

I well remember the sabbattical, Kerren. Canada wasn't her first choice, for some time she had been making arrangements to go to South Africa. She was going to visit my aunt (OB) amongst other things. Somehow I got wind of this at home and was absolutely sworn to secrecy by my parents under the most awful penalties imaginable. You can imagine my considerable shock on hearing she was going to Canada!

Did we have a nun in to teach us Scripture?

[kerrensimmonds]

Gosh Katharine.. I'm not sure about the nun for Scripture. We DID (I think....) have a nun to teach us Geography when Margaret Wilson was away having her brain tumour removed etc..... But someone must have kept up the Scripture lessons while DR was in Canada.
Why on earth did she go there instead of South Africa? Perhaps I ought to read the diary more carefully..... (when I have time...)

[Katharine]

Perhaps she met the gentleman before leaving, Kerren? I presume that DR never knew that I had found out about the sabbatical, and it is only today that I have revealed it to anyone. I could not really ask her the questions could I?

[kerrensimmonds]

No Katharine... and you certainly can't ask her now!
Kerren

[englishangel]

I remember DR saying to us that she had walked through New York with a gentleman, and where in england a gentleman walks next to the road to prevent the lady being splashed by passing cars, in New York he walked away from the kerb to prevent her being attacked from the alleyways.

I understand that nowadays NY is safer than London in that respect.

[Angela Woodford]

"Songs Of Praise" for BBC radio .

The whole thing was recorded in the school hall. Maybe it was a service because DR read the closing prayer.

Apparently,after this, the BBC listeners sent in quite a lot of fan mail to her, including (so rumour had it) a proposal of marriage from an ardent gentleman transfixed by her voice !!



Does anyone else remember?

I do remember the Songs Of Praise, Alex. It was service-style, but recorded in School Hall because the accoustics were much better. The BBC presenter did several efforts with his introduction in a rather oily voice - I remember being amazed at the expression he put each time into the phrase "the girls, neat and cool in their summer dresses..."

But!!! I never heard that DR had had fan mail/a proposal!! How utterly fascinating.

I'm thinking about attending the funeral. It's on my birthday, so I'm making up my mind. Do the family want attendance by Old Girls?

(I would like to see the chapel altar again. I decided never tell my mother a) we called it the altar b) DR would do a sort of bob with her head in front of it, or c) the School would incline its head at a moment during the Creed. Not be be revealed to fervent evangelists.)

Love

Munch

[englishangel]

(I would like to see the chapel altar again. I decided never tell my mother a) we called it the altar b) DR would do a sort of bob with her head in front of it, or c) the School would incline its head at a moment during the Creed. Not be be revealed to fervent evangelists.)

Love

Munch

Sorry, why on earth would you not call it an altar as that is what it is?

It is in a Church of England, therefore it is an altar no matter what it is called in a Baptist, Methodist or whatever church.

[Katharine]

I think I would have gone to the funeral had it been closer to North Wales (or had I been closer to Sussex!!). It is just not possible to do it and return in a day. I am free that day but not the day after, I will pause and reflect on a long life.

Anybody made a calculation how many girls altogether came under her influence while she was at CH? I hope that most will be able to find a fond memory of her.

The thought came to me last night that in a strange way she may have helped me meet my husband. She was very keen on DofE and I did it and got Gold. When I graduated I did VSO and the school had put in a request for "DofE Gold Award Holder, preferably one who can teach Maths to A level and Physics to O level" I fitted the bill absolutely (but it had not occurred to them that a female could!) and met John while I was at that school - the rest is history (that should have been a violin but ...!)

[kerrensimmonds]

With regard to whether the family would want Hertford Old Blues to attend, Munch, I can't see why they would not. Its a huge church and would hold as many as wanted to come - its also not a private affair (though the cremation may be). I think it would be a great testament to her if lots of people DID attend....