Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Great Plum wrote:The thread realting to the death of the band captain in 1990 brought some very sad memories flooding back about Tom Snook.

It was November 1997 - Tom Snook was a UF in Peele A and I was a dep in Maine A. I had known him in Maine B when we were both juniors. He was in the same play as me - Mort by Terry Pratchet. I had walked back to Peele A with him after the cast party (I lived in the attached house at the time).

The next morning, I was woken at about 6.30 in the morning by frantic banging on the study door... About 5 minutes later, my Dad came up the stairs absolutely ashen-faced... Tom Snook had died...

What had happened was he had felt ill in the night, and instead of waking up anyone in the dorm, he had gone to Matrons where he had collapsed because of an asthma attack. Mr Castro (in his first term) had found him outside Matron's at 6.30 when he had come up the central staircase.

I remember going to breakfast and no one knew - I had tears streaming down my face....

They cancelled the 1st period that Saturday to announce to everyone in chapel what had happened... Very sad... He was a very popular guy.

Plum,

I remember the sadness of the Tom Snook episode, at the time I was dissapointed in the way the school dealth with it. Like you i was only about 17 at the time, and i'm sure that much work went on around the school on behalf of the teachers that we never saw. I was however dissapointed that Tom recieved such a small obituary section in The Blue, only about half a page. The time has passed though for critisism. Infact maybe the staff at CH were correct to leave us to grieve independantly. There was a small rememberance service, and a book of condolances- I don't suppose you can do much more Although I remember we were never told how Tom died. It was common knowledge that he had an asthma attack, and questions that must have been asked on a senior level were not related to us as pupils. Questions such as, did he have an inhaler? where was it? if it had run out should it be independantly regulated by the school medical staff? what caused the attack? I wanted to know more about Tom Snook and his death because of the huge sense of overwhelming vulnerability I felt as a child. A steady flow of reliable and accurate information would have sedated my concerns. For so long I had felt that we were in some kind of invulnerable bubble at CH, our own special community, seperated from wider society by miles of green fields. The day of the death, happened just as you described. The tolling of the chapel bell, My study mate and I were woken up by a member of staff (which was unusual) and told to go to chapel. In the Lav ends as I washed my face (there was no time for a shower) I knew that something was wrong. Routine was the foundation of CH, and probably still is-any break in routine signalled either trick or treat. In Chapel Mr Castro was one of the last masters to enter, he looked White as chalk. I like you was with Tom in the production of Mort, and had really grown to like the boy over the course of rehersals. Although he was younger than me we became quite chummy, we talked a lot about rugby, comedy and acting. I didn't go to any lessons that day, I was literally brainfuc*ed. I spent most of my time at the oak tree on the inside of the running track, which did become an impromptu shrine, people brought candles, flowers and handwritten notes which were later sent to his mother. A dark cloud descended over our school and it took a long time to lift. It was was easily the worst thing that happend during my time at CH. To see him happy at the cast party that evening and then to wake up and be told he was dead. His yeargroup in particular regrouped impressively, but god dam it, sometimes there's no justice.

Thornton Chimp (who are you btw, we must ahve been on the same year...)

What you wrote there was very true and well written... I think I might have known more things about what happened due to Dad being his housemaster but nevertheless, I know what you mean about the information - maybe it was felt that this was not appropriate - I don't know...

I remember dad coming back home and telling us-none of us were at the school and had only been living there a couple of months.
I dont think it registered for a while

I remember that Tom Snook died in the early hours.

The rumour was that kids in Peele had been playing Knock Down Ginger - that is, pressing the matron's bell and running away. The implication was that Tom had suffered an asthma attack in the middle of the night, rung matron's bell in dire need of help, and matron had ignored it, suspecting a trick, and leaving the unfortunate Snook to die - an unfortunate victim of the boy(s) who had cried wolf. I knew some of the boys - a year above Snook - who took part in the 'games'. Understandably, the matron at the time gave up answering the doorbell after dark, and shortly after the death quit altogether.

I'd never heard of the kid before he died and wasn't that bothered, but it was a major issue at that time.

The truth is that sadly Tom did not make it as far as the doorbell.

Thoroughly enjoyed his rather 'odd' father in the Manny though....steaming legs of those chiropractic chairs he made when he first arrived.

They were a good n=bunch in the Manny then....Grimshaw, Robinson, Williams, Whitehouse, Snook and McKenna. Spent many hours for my A'Levels living in there. Good times....