Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Underwear ----- I seem to remember it was "As Required" --- certainly in my later years, although one would imagine it to be more frequent in the Prep !!

Since you wanted to know more about Hertford "Pretties" NEILL, I shall rise to your bait and assure you that there was no reason for us to wear our horrible rags of underwear more frequently during Prep.

Re knickers! I do not recall how often they were changed, but I do remember that we had outer knickers (known as blues) and separate white linings which were changed more frequently than the blues. When I started in 1956 linings were made of starched calico (as were nighties); later this was 'upgraded' to aertex. Linings were one of the garments which we had to make for school needlework, because they were an example of a run and fell seam. I cannot imagine why I should have remembered that, because I cannot actually remember what a run and fell seam is, but clearly not the same as a French seam.

If memory serves - bands, pants and stockings Wednesdays and Saturdays, shirt and sheets and boleo cover Saturdays. Someone - the maids I suppose - came out and changed all the towels on the pegs in the lav-ends and changing room once a week I think. I think there was some process of changing one's sports kit but not all that often. Left to one's keepers to get one's bluecoat cleaned in the hols (Saturdays it got a good brush during the term, inspected by the monitors). Shoes of course were cleaned EVERY NIGHT and shown up for inspection.

postwarblue wrote: Shoes of course were cleaned EVERY NIGHT and shown up for inspection.

and you also had to apply boot polish and polish the insole. I never did work out the reason for that though I guess it had something to do with your rear view whan marching.

sejintenej wrote:

postwarblue wrote: Shoes of course were cleaned EVERY NIGHT and shown up for inspection.

and you also had to apply boot polish and polish the insole. I never did work out the reason for that though I guess it had something to do with your rear view whan marching.

Shome mishtake shorely. Instep sole? Insoles are inside the shoe, polishing those would have made a terrible mess of your socks.

englishangel wrote:

sejintenej wrote:

postwarblue wrote: Shoes of course were cleaned EVERY NIGHT and shown up for inspection.

and you also had to apply boot polish and polish the insole. I never did work out the reason for that though I guess it had something to do with your rear view whan marching.

Shome mishtake shorely. Instep sole? Insoles are inside the shoe, polishing those would have made a terrible mess of your socks.

David is referring to the area on the base of the shoe between the heel and the reinforced front sole.

I always assumed we polished it as a preservative rather like one would apply dubbin to a leather football back in the day.

We polished it too!

My father did it, and the sole, so maybe it is generational or related to the fact that shoes were expensive and had to last.
Talking of which, he had his own last and put strips of cycle tyres along the soles of his police boots.

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Underwear ----- I seem to remember it was "As Required" --- certainly in my later years, although one would imagine it to be more frequent in the Prep !!

Any other Geriatrics able to shed light on the Horsham Ration ?

I honestly don't remember.

sejintenej wrote:

postwarblue wrote: Shoes of course were cleaned EVERY NIGHT and shown up for inspection.

and you also had to apply boot polish and polish the insole. I never did work out the reason for that though I guess it had something to do with your rear view whan marching.

Sadly, something definitely missing at CH today, but I have touched on that point before.

Most of us in Coleridge B, on the issue of new shoes would spend some fair amount of time using 'spit & polish' the army way. It made cleaning them in the future such an easy job.

(cue comment from Neill !!)

Yes, I remember polishing all parts of shoes, which were inspected by the Monitor frontwise (Ok Angela -- OK ! ) and then turned over with the wrist, to display the bits concealed as a pair.
When I joined the Guards, particular attention was paid to the EDGES of the soles !!! --- this in addition to the glassy shine on the toes, and heels of the boots !
There were several sayings about cleaning ----- "Join the Navy, and see the World ---- Join the Guards --- and clean it !"
also "If it moves --- salute it. if it doesn't move ----Move it. -- if you can't move it ----- paint it ! "

My remark about "The Prep" referred to the very young pupils at the East end of the Avenue ----- although I suppose it might well refer to compulsory stillness and silence , in the Day Room during Evening Prep !!

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote: Any other Geriatrics able to shed light on the Horsham Ration ?

Rationing was over by the time I got to CH.

Katharine wrote:We polished it too!

Nope! Never once, during all my shoe cleaning punishments, did your friends bother about my undersole areas, Katharine!

Angela I can assure you that I had to polish the undersole of my shoes when I was a junior!

jhopgood wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote: Any other Geriatrics able to shed light on the Horsham Ration ?

Rationing was over by the time I got to CH.

You had to hand your ration book over with your compulsory pocket money to the housemaster on the first day of term. I can't remember how/when you got back the remaining stamps at the end of term. As for the effect - none that I know of. You got clothing as needed and the food was pretty miserable and in short supply until the kitchen superintendant was changed at about the same time as ration books disappeared.

ISTR that you needed to hand over your ID card which had the same number as your birth certificate and that was taken as your NHS number. It was a useful number to use as ID with foreign governments because (at that time) it never changed. Pity they couldn't use it for National Insurance as well. As for those d**n yanks - they put the kybosh on everything by cancelling all such numbers and giving everyone different non-rememberable numbers.