Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Mid A 15 wrote:

J.R. wrote:

hunturk wrote:We have a few privileges. You aren't allowed into senior kitchen until you are in the UF and the same goes for visits into Horsham. Grecians path is reserved for Deps and above, but that gets abused all the time by everyone, me included. I can't really think of anything else, certainly not the whole toast thing.

That was virtually a 'hanging' offence in my day !!!

Mine too!

It even felt like an act of extreme rebellion when I walked a short distance along it at the "40 Years On" Reunion last year!

AFAIR the path was for button grecians and house captains when I was there. It took me until the "50 years on" to venture on it. Hanging Offence? It was certainly worth a Col A "Mile" punishment with the proviso that no other monitor would let the culprit get away with anything for a very long time.

Wow, really? It has gone to the dogs then, because I see third formers and LE on it all the time.

hunturk wrote:Wow, really? It has gone to the dogs then, because I see third formers and LE on it all the time.

There'll be kissing in the cloisters next !!!

'they'll be kissing in the cloisters next' - JR, I am sure you do not seriously think that they do not do this already - and more?

Fjgrogan wrote:'they'll be kissing in the cloisters next' - JR, I am sure you do not seriously think that they do not do this already - and more?

The joys of co-ed schooling.

Why I was I born in 1947 ?

Don't forget, I speak as the mother of two (female) Old Blues. I vividly remember the impression in 1985 that everyone had to be paired off within a very short space of time, except the rebellious teens who claimed to be 'gay', whether they really were or not; of course there will always be those who want to buck the trend! (I wonder if they did any kissing in the cloisters?)

There was a strict "seniority" caste at CH. Boys used to be able to punish those a mere one year junior to them in House service.
The latter never addressed their seniors by their nickname. When did physical punishment cease between boys and did excessive
bullying in such cases ever get reported ? Would this have been prior to the banning of corporal punishment by masters ?

Kit Bartlett wrote:There was a strict "seniority" caste at CH. Boys used to be able to punish those a mere one year junior to them in House service.
The latter never addressed their seniors by their nickname. When did physical punishment cease between boys and did excessive
bullying in such cases ever get reported ? Would this have been prior to the banning of corporal punishment by masters ?

Interesting questions, Christopher.

I did try to find out a few years ago, if the House punishment books survived.

All beatings had to be recorded, if memory serves.

J.R. wrote:

Kit Bartlett wrote:There was a strict "seniority" caste at CH. Boys used to be able to punish those a mere one year junior to them in House service.
The latter never addressed their seniors by their nickname. When did physical punishment cease between boys and did excessive
bullying in such cases ever get reported ? Would this have been prior to the banning of corporal punishment by masters ?

Interesting questions, Christopher.
I did try to find out a few years ago, if the House punishment books survived.
All beatings had to be recorded, if memory serves.

In Col A any hitting, whether bullying or claimed to be punishment by any boy was prohibited. When I got put into the sicker there was an enquiry by Kit but I never found out the results. (I never had problems with the guilty party after that). This was long before the ban on masters using corporal punishment.
Nicknames were never used between years (that is between members of groups who arrived at different timeqs. Older boys never used nicknames (or first names) of boys more junion and vice versa.

Monitors were allowed to punish anyone who deserved punishment; although in theory they could punish someone a year below them (or even physically older than them) I don't think it ever happened in Col A in my day. By the time boys were close to monitor level they knew and abided by the rules. ISTR one situation being referred to Kit.

Some of the Col A punishment books (1946-1949) are in the museum. I have never seen them on display; they are probably hidden in the archives.