Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I have just read a biography* of the V Rev Hewlett Johnson (1874-1966, Dean of Canterbury and a very voluble, much quoted Communist “mascot" and sympathiser, hence called "The Red Dean"). Although there are no references to CH in the book, his daughter Kezia became Mrs Noel-Paton. Was she the wife of the CH Horsham master of that name, who was at CH after my time?

* “The Red Dean of Canterbury”, by John Butler, Scala Books, 2011.

Kezia Noel-Paton- GP, wife of Duncan Noel-Paton and infamous maker of quiches.

The CCF in 1959 (I think) had a week long summer camp, based at the army camp at Shorncliffe near Folkstone. The objective of the exercise was for the whole CCF to route march to Canterbury, capture the Red Dean's underpants and march and back - over four days.... As far as I remember it was the officer in charge who determined the objective – certainly the Red Dean was an object of derrision to us all.

I myself had a cunning plan and got Uncle Kirby to put me in charge of radio communications between the column and the differing campsite for each overnight stay. That meant I was given a 22 set (ex WWII Sherman tank) and a landrover (+ army driver) to set up a mobile radio site. I therefore spent the days being driven around whilst the PBI-CCF footslogged their way through Kent!
Uncle Kirby did a thorough recce of Shorncliffe camp, which had been a D-Day transit point to Normandy, collecting any abandoned 1944 ordnance he found. I seem to remember that's where he acquired the M20 bazooka to bring back for the CCF to play with.