Settles

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Does anybody remember "Settles" which were iron boxes, with a thick wooden lid, adjacent to each bed in the Dorm. ?
The reason I raise the question, is because during my time at CH,( 1940 - 1946 ) :biggun: :biggun: There was a belief that certain Houses had wonderful wood carvings on the underside of the lids. These were supposed to be the work of POWs during WW1, when part of CH was a Prisoner of War Camp. ( I know this will get a lot of ribald comment about the current situation !)
Was the story about the POW Camp true ? and are there any OOBs --- Old Old Blues who remember either the story or the carvings ? YOBS --- Young old Blues need not apply (Actually, they may know more about our history !) I imagin that the Settles went the way of Kiff Bowls and Prewitt's Biscuits.

[J.R.]

I certainly remember the Settles, Neill.

Placed at the end of each bed.

I don't recall any intricate carvings on the ones in Coleridge B, though !

I haven't heard the stories of CH being used as a P.O.W camp in WW 1 either.

[bookworm]

Can't track down any WW1 camps BUT there was a camp at Kingsfold Camp, Marringdean Road, Billinghurst, Sussex in WW2, which is not that far away

[J.R.]

There were camps all over England, especially towards the end of WW 2.

Jan has been doing some investigations on the web.

[bookworm]

http://www.kg6gb.org/pow_camps_in_uk.htm
is a useful site

[J.R.]

Jan's late Grand-Dad was a Sergeant in the Royal Corps of Military Police and was for part of the war in charge of transporting P.O.W.'s to U.S.A. Many from a holding camp on Newlands Corner, on the A.25 outside Guildford for those of you who know the Surrey area.

Incidently - His one claim to fame in the war was to dance with Carmen Miranda in New York on one trip.

But, we digress....................

[Eruresto]

I was sat on a settle yesterday! Very few people know their name now - they're usually referred to as "seats" or "boxes". I shall have to put them back on the CH history list...

[michael scuffil]

Very small people could get into a settle and close the lid. Some did this to show off (or give others a fright). Mini-brats were sometimes put into a settle as an unofficial punishment.

Must be worth quite a bit as scrap these days. But I could do with one now, not being one to hang clothes up.

[Foureyes]

Reference German PoWs at CH in WW1
I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that CH Horsham was NOT used as a camp for German PoWs (ie, military prisoners) in WW1. Over the past few months I have read all issues of The Blue coverin g 1914-1919 and such a thing is never mentioned.
But, the site was used for a very short period in August/September 1914 to intern some of the German civlians who were caught in the UK by the outbreak of war, particularly young men thought to have a reserve commitment. They were located in a tented camp on Sharpenhurst but were moved out before the children returned to school at the start of the Winter Term, but where the internees then went I have no idea. According to The Blue there were rumours that the internees had damaged school property but this was proved to be totally without foundation.

I doubt very much that the internees ever got aynwhere near a settle.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Thanks for all the info about Settles, I seem to remember that in BaB they were adjacent to each bed, rather than at the end, I expect each House had its own tradition.
Apropos Unofficial Punishments, such as being put in a Settle ----- I was visiting CH some time ago, and was being shown round Ba B by some delightful young Lady Blues, who asked me about Beatings, and the like "Where were you beaten?" --- There are two answers to that question, I chose "In the Housemasters Study" ! !
In some way, the subject of being "Put down the Bogs " came up --- they were fascinated and said that they would start that !! --- You have to be so bloomin' careful what you say ! (I should add that they were Monitors, so things don't change !)-- They asked" But did people actually pull the chain?" I thought there was not much point otherwise, but changed the subject with some haste !
I didn't suffer the indignity, but then I was a little Thug. --- (Was ?)

[sejintenej]

Thanks for all the info about Settles, I seem to remember that in BaB they were adjacent to each bed, rather than at the end, I expect each House had its own tradition.

Ditto in Col A. Mine in Prep A and Col A certainly were not carved in any particular manner.

As for POWs / civilians during WWI I was reading about this only recently. As I recall the headmaster was notified during holidays, a lot of preparatory work was done but his complaints were acted upon so no prisoners actually arrived.

[jhopgood]

I was also in Barnes B and used the settles next to the bed for a mass punishment.
I was dorm monitor and in the first few days they always tried to play up, crawling around under the beds etc.
Rather than getting involved finding the culprit and punishing him, I asked him to own up or the whole dorm, at least those there at the time, would be on a mass punishment on Saturday.
Naturally no-one came forward so I had them all sitting on their settles facing the wall for an hour after games on the Saturday.
Needless to say after that, there was the normal larking about but whenever it got out of hand and I threatened punishments, it all stopped. Never had another problem all year.

[John Knight]

Needless to say after that, there was the normal larking about but whenever it got out of hand and I threatened punishments, it all stopped. Never had another problem all year.

John, see what todays youth are missing.... discipline and respect...
For some reason I don't remember the settles, certainly not the view from the inside.
I only remember the bed boards,the lav ends and the cold baths in the morning.
Oh, and one of the monitors reading a book to the dorm on Saturday nights... 'The Rain of Death' comes to mind.
John

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Re John Knight's cold baths, My wife is under the mistaken impression that we actually BATHED in them-- as I remember one hit the water and leaped out in about .5 of a second ! Water everywhere !
We were still doing it as senior Monitors, in 1946, I think I must have missed John as I left -- (For the Irish Guards ) in April.
You think you had a hard time at Housey--- Try the Guards Depot Caterham !
A little Story --- We were on our first Weapons instruction on the 25yds Rang.22s in a morris tube No 4 Rifle. The Sergeant demonstrates with 5 Rounds, in a Group of about 2 inches. Neill has School Shooting Colours, .22 and 303.-- so he produces a Group --- all cutting, in the bull. Sergeant : "Wots Yer Name ?" -- "Evans. Sergeant " Sergeant : "You done this before !"
Neill (Proudly ) "Yes Sergeant !" ---- Sergeant :"Well we can't teach you anything about Rifles ---- so you go down the Cookhouse, and peel potatoes for the rest of the afternoon ! !"
It taught me a lesson I never forgot, don't be too dam' clever ---- be the best Pupil !

[John Knight]

A little Story --- We were on our first Weapons instruction on the 25yds Rang.22s in a morris tube No 4 Rifle. The Sergeant demonstrates with 5 Rounds, in a Group of about 2 inches. Neill has School Shooting Colours, .22 and 303.-- so he produces a Group --- all cutting, in the bull. Sergeant : "Wots Yer Name ?" -- "Evans. Sergeant " Sergeant : "You done this before !"
Neill (Proudly ) "Yes Sergeant !" ---- Sergeant :"Well we can't teach you anything about Rifles ---- so you go down the Cookhouse, and peel potatoes for the rest of the afternoon ! !"
It taught me a lesson I never forgot, don't be too dam' clever ---- be the best Pupil !

That's a good one Neill.... I remember the Morris tube .22 rifles they had at CH and the 25 yard .303 range in the woods (somewhere).
John