Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

The band looked marvellous and there was a very sweet shot of a dear little scatty boy running madly across the avenue. Very endearing.

I have to admit that I lost track a bit as the programme switched away from Housie rather suddenly. Is it correct that it was Fiona Bruce's father who attended the school?
I thought the band was excellent but I am sure that many viewers may have ended with the impression that CH spends all its time marching. A shot or two of the chapel or a classroom would have balanced things a bit.

Foureyes wrote:I have to admit that I lost track a bit as the programme switched away from Housie rather suddenly. Is it correct that it was Fiona Bruce's father who attended the school?
I thought the band was excellent but I am sure that many viewers may have ended with the impression that CH spends all its time marching. A shot or two of the chapel or a classroom would have balanced things a bit.

It was her great uncle, Fred Crouch brother of her grandmother Evelyn Crouch, who attended CH as her great grandfather, also Fred Crouch, was Killed In Action in the First World War.

According to the large book in the museum Fred jnr was born in 1915 so would have attended CH at some point between 1924 and 1934 approximately. The exact dates were not given as I know.

The main reason why CH featured so much when it was her great-uncle (ie not a direct ancestor) who attended was that the application correspondence from his mother (ie Fiona's great-grandmother) shed new light on her great-grandfather's death. Her letter mentioned shell shock, and this was the first Fiona had heard that her great-grandfather had suffered from it.

I paid attention too Jo. It was a fascinating bit of social history.

Jo wrote:The main reason why CH featured so much when it was her great-uncle (ie not a direct ancestor) who attended was that the application correspondence from his mother (ie Fiona's great-grandmother) shed new light on her great-grandfather's death. Her letter mentioned shell shock, and this was the first Fiona had heard that her great-grandfather had suffered from it.

It was fascinating to see the documents and detail CH had acquired and retained as part of the admission process for Fred Junior.

I wonder if details have been retained for all admissions and how far the archive goes back?

Mid A 15 wrote:

Jo wrote:The main reason why CH featured so much when it was her great-uncle (ie not a direct ancestor) who attended was that the application correspondence from his mother (ie Fiona's great-grandmother) shed new light on her great-grandfather's death. Her letter mentioned shell shock, and this was the first Fiona had heard that her great-grandfather had suffered from it.

It was fascinating to see the documents and detail CH had acquired and retained as part of the admission process for Fred Junior.

I wonder if details have been retained for all admissions and how far the archive goes back?

Following on from Page 22 of Old Blue, you may consider contacting the Museum, either Peter Bloomfield, Clifford Jones or Diana Gould, who are all involved.

Mid A 15 wrote:

Jo wrote:The main reason why CH featured so much when it was her great-uncle (ie not a direct ancestor) who attended was that the application correspondence from his mother (ie Fiona's great-grandmother) shed new light on her great-grandfather's death. Her letter mentioned shell shock, and this was the first Fiona had heard that her great-grandfather had suffered from it.

It was fascinating to see the documents and detail CH had acquired and retained as part of the admission process for Fred Junior.

I wonder if details have been retained for all admissions and how far the archive goes back?

..and who has permission to look at which admission!

It was a fantastic bit about CH and my father was in it- standing by entrance to dinning room as house march in!
I could not believe they schol still had the complete application form with those letters-to think now we would just send photocopies but back then they had to part with orgionals in order to back up their status. It was really quite sad about her great grandfather and that no one had known the reason for his long period of home leave prior to dying back in the war.

I have to admit i lost interest when she went up the bruce side in Scotland

blondie95 wrote:
I have to admit i lost interest when she went up the bruce side in Scotland

Not me, I discovered that her family roots are very close to mine! I even visited the same record offices when I was up there doing family history in September last year...

blondie95 wrote:It was a fantastic bit about CH and my father was in it- standing by entrance to dinning room as house march in!
I could not believe they schol still had the complete application form with those letters-to think now we would just send photocopies but back then they had to part with orgionals in order to back up their status. It was really quite sad about her great grandfather and that no one had known the reason for his long period of home leave prior to dying back in the war.

I have to admit i lost interest when she went up the bruce side in Scotland

Myparents were more than a little miffed that the school wanted the original birth certificate, which would not be returned.

The thing about this programme generally is that it introduces tips and titbits about genealogy that are genuinely helpful. No doubt thousands of OBs will now want to know what letters are held regarding their joining application - others the same for OB forebears and relatives. Rather than have all these people plague the poor archivist, what are the chances of some general advice on this?

As to the FB programme, I thought CH managed to get itself well and fairly presented (except for saggy socks, and poor marching by the girls), not easy when up against the Communist vipers' nest of the BBC. One could wish that all the cut footage that was NOT used could be collected and shown, or made available.

Completely off-topic, I liked your signature

'Oh blest retirement, friend to life's decline'

You may know the hymn "for all the saints", which has the same metre - it would be great to expand it to a full verse!

Oliver Goldsmith: The Deserted Village

Very interested to see the bit at CH with Fiona in it... Marty must have been over the moon...

However, I rarely watch the programe, normally because I'm not interested in what famous people's relatives were like!