Welcome to the unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum - for discussing everything CH/Old Blue related. All pupils, parents, families, staff, Old Blues and anyone else related to CH are welcome to browse the boards, register and contribute.
J.R. wrote:Our beds were arranged in the dorms by house-number.
Ours too. Two dorms. Top and bottom. Top for UF and GE with two ends and two House Monitors. There was a cubicle at the south end. Bottom for Deps and Grecians and a cubicle for HC.
J.R. wrote:Our beds were arranged in the dorms by house-number.
Are you sure? I thought all houses arranged them in order of seniority, starting at the bed on the right opposite the staircase, and proceeding clockwise round the dorm, with the monitors' beds at each end (plus one in the cubicle).
I remember Mike Pitcher (later SG) as a junior waking up in the wrong bed. The one symmetrically opposite his happened to be empty (presumably the occupant was sick), and after getting up in the night he was obviously slightly disoriented. I can quite understand. Finding one's bed in the dark was quite difficult. Anyway it was good for a laugh.
gma wrote:I do remember a 'bed plan' in the fist year but, knowing my history, once I understood the benefits I would probably have ignored it, stood my ground and stayed in the bagged bed! I know I had a corner bed for at the very least a year...............
There were all sorts of tortures in 2s, I remember scissors which was regularly played on the first years by our olders and 'betters' - designed purely to make you feel terminally stupid and totally out of the loop!! Very effective too!
(At least I can laugh now............!)
I don't remember a bed plan, but I do remember that the older girls took the corner beds. I think I eventually had one for one term.
You had to stand in a circle in the middle of the dorm, all the first formers half a dozen second and third year and anyone else who waned a laugh watching. The 'players' took turns to state that the scissors were open or closed; problem for we new vicims was that there were no scissors and so you had a 50/50 chance of being wrong witg no idea why, the game went round and round till everyone bar one got it thus completing the embarassment, Scissors was simply whether legs or arms were crossed by the person stating open or closed. Gee, it was such fun, especially if you were the last one.....................!
Gerrie M-A (GMA) - 2:34 71-75
"If you cannot have what you want, then learn to want what you have"
Anon or The Guru or someone worthy like that.
Wasn't DR.
Definitely not.
You had to stand in a circle in the middle of the dorm, all the first formers half a dozen second and third year and anyone else who waned a laugh watching. The 'players' took turns to state that the scissors were open or closed; problem for we new vicims was that there were no scissors and so you had a 50/50 chance of being wrong witg no idea why, the game went round and round till everyone bar one got it thus completing the embarassment, Scissors was simply whether legs or arms were crossed by the person stating open or closed. Gee, it was such fun, especially if you were the last one.....................!
Ah yes! I had completely forgotten! Memories memories ... (ritual humiliation etc ...)
I think that 'scissors' must have been invented after my time, for I do not remember it!
But looking at this thread I am struck at the similarities Horsham/Hertford. I do remember having to fold bedding (and curtains) quite precisely, and propping up the mattress to 'breathe' in a U shape (if it had enough guts to do that) until we went back after breakfast to make our beds, polish our lockers, etc. etc.
I am of course talking of the days before 'cubies' at Hertford.
I don't remember any jockeying for beds in the dormitories in 2's. When I joined as a tiddler in 5's, I went to the bed to which I was allocated, and did so without question in subsequent years in the junior house. I have absolutely no memory of how we got the beds we did when I was in 2's as a senior house.
We were told where we would sleep, a bed plan was put up on the board by Fanny at the beginning of the year.
Senior girls in the corners and juniors in the middle. In lower dorm in 65/66 Jean and Barbie (UVth) were at the fire escape end and Stella Sulston and Judith Hodgson were at the door end.
Barbara Borgars was also in lower dorm and spent the first few nights telling the filthiest jokes I had ever heard. I don't think I even knew what half the words meant. I knew the medical words but Barbara knew the colloquial words. A great introduction to sex education. thanks BB
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
englishangel wrote:
Barbara Borgars was also in lower dorm and spent the first few nights telling the filthiest jokes I had ever heard. I don't think I even knew what half the words meant. I knew the medical words but Barbara knew the colloquial words. A great introduction to sex education. thanks BB
I remember the first night and being 'corrupted'. A whole lifetime of sex education in one night!
I also remember poor old Cathy English who had quite a snoring problem, and used to wake up every morning with piles of shoes and teddies etc on her bed and would have to go round returning them.
i was in hunt when it had been refurnished. i am quite embarassed to say that i once sat on my brand new bed and it broke in half. i would like to point out im not a large person in fact im was one of the smallest on my yr. My friend was actually in the room when it happened and i dnt know f i will ever live it down! it seems maybe that the old beds are actually bettr than the new ones...
hunta42 wrote: it seems maybe that the old beds are actually bettr than the new ones...
Could you ever have doubted it?
Incidentally I have now implemented the arrangement I was proposing for myself in the first posting on this thread, and am very happy with it. I believe I have also converted my wife.
J.R. wrote:Our beds were arranged in the dorms by house-number.
That was the case in Prep A(higher numbers in the upper dorm). In Col A there was a bed plan- basically you started off at the right hand end (as from the door) on the top floor, worked your way to the other end (where the lav-end was) before repeating the exercise on the first floor dorm.
The senior monitor had a cubicle opposite the fire escape on the 1st floor and his nº 2 had a cubicle immediately above it.
Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars
but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.
(Arnold Schwarzenegger!)