Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

In 1816 according to the Ackermann book of that year there were just Grecians (4) and Deputy Grecians (9) and no mention of other names for those forms.

When I left the Prep in 1942 it went 3rd, LF, LE, UF, GE, DG, G. Up to and including GE there seemed to be 5 or 6 classes to each form labelled A,B,C etc.

sejintenej wrote:National Service - I think the cut off must have been early 1943 birth.

Did it depend whether you were in full time education? John (my husband) did not do it, he was born in July 1941, and did A levels and went to university.

Katherine is correct. If you went into full time tertiary education you could get a deferment. Several of my slightly younger friends did that and were lucky, in their view, that national service had ended before they left university so they never did it. I got deferment but after 2 years found an opportunity to fly as a national serviceman and so left uni and went back after the 2 years in the RAF.

Intake to National Service ended in 1960 so if you left CH at 18 did 3 years at university and were born in 1939 or later you could avoid conscription.

Concerning forms in the early 1950s. I followed a somehwat erratic pattern (the story of my life, really) by going from the Fifth Form to being a "Probationary Deputy Grecian." I spent a year in this grade and the following September returned as a "Probationary Grecian" (I.e., without "buttons"). I then left in December 1955 and started at Sandhurst in January 1956.
Thus, on paper at least, I never became a "proper" Deputy Grecian, nor did I put the system to the test as to whether it would award my "buttons" or not.

My recollection is that the question of what one actually wanted to do was never (or, seldom) taken into account. I desperately wanted to go into the history stream, but was put into the science stream, instead, for which I was totally unsuited and found it very difficult to keep up. I had an excellent housemaster (Archbold) and certainly have no complaints, but I do think that the school was often very draconian and dictatorial - but perhaps all other schools of that era were the same.

Foureyes wrote: I had an excellent housemaster (Archbold) and certainly have no complaints, but I do think that the school was often very draconian and dictatorial - but perhaps all other schools of that era were the same.

Foureyes: I was not quite your contemporary -- I arrived as you left -- but I remember Archbold ran a very tight ship indeed. Perhaps that's why you use the words "draconian and dictatorial". Personally I'm glad I wasn't in Lamb B.