photo wanted

Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else, but that's still CH related.

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michael scuffil
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photo wanted

Post by michael scuffil »

Can anyone oblige? For a private project I'm looking for a photo that meets the following criteria:

1) in colour
2) of an iconic site at Horsham (not some 'interesting' corner)
3) with no buildings visible that were not there in 1960
4) with some boys on it, preferably in full housey dress
5) no girls (as per 3)

I've looked through masses of photos on the web, but all fail on one criterion at least. I know of at least one 'public' picture that fits the bill; it was of a number of quite senior boys sitting casually (but posed) around the fountain in about 1961. It was taken for a magazine, I think, and widely distributed. I'd be grateful for any link.
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J.R.
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Re: photo wanted

Post by J.R. »

There must be loads of such photos around, Michael !
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michael scuffil
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Re: photo wanted

Post by michael scuffil »

You'd be surprised, John. I can't find one. There are some good colour photos, but either with no boys, or with girls. And masses of b/w which otherwise fit the bill.

But I've been gathering photos of other places for the same project, and it's curious what doesn't seem to be there. My great-grandfather kept a pub in the 1880s, long since demolished, but there's a photo of that. But I can't find one of the church where my parents married (demolished 1958) or the hospital where I was born (demolished 1998).

(Just in case: the church was St Joseph's RC, Wembley High St. (not the one that stands there now), and the hospital was Queen Charlotte's, Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith -- of which there exists a poor-quality postcard.)
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J.R.
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Re: photo wanted

Post by J.R. »

I can't believe that I've actually just spent half an hour scanning through the web using three different search engines without any success.

I can only assume that pre-1960-ish boys taken into Horsham weren't photographed when there on a Saturday afternoon leave with there parents.

In those days you HAD to wear uniform.

Best of luck, Michael.
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sejintenej
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Re: photo wanted

Post by sejintenej »

Michael; John Wexler who left Col A in about 1961 -2 has posted a link to his personal photos which are on an outside site - have you looked at those?
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Re: photo wanted

Post by yamaha »

one 'public' picture that fits the bill; it was of a number of quite senior boys sitting casually (but posed) around the fountain in about 1961
It was about '67. Tate & Lyle commissioned it for a publicity shot. You could try their archivist if the CH one doesn't have it.
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Re: photo wanted

Post by eucsgmrc »

sejintenej wrote:Michael; John Wexler who left Col A in about 1961 -2 has posted a link to his personal photos which are on an outside site - have you looked at those?
The link is https://www.flickr.com/photos/jandsw/se ... 6099253537 - but you won't find what you're looking for, because my photos are all black-and-white. Sorry!

It's the need for colour that makes this request difficult. Hard to imagine as it is nowadays, colour photography was problematic until the 1980s. The technology existed, of course, but until the mid-60s it was too expensive for most amateurs and casual photographers. When it finally became affordable to load your camera with colour film, the big deterrent through the 1970s was the dismal quality of commercial processing and printing (unless you went for very expensive professional services) and the rapid fading of prints. If you chose to use colour slides, the quality and reliability was much better, but you couldn't actually share or show your photos conveniently.
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jhopgood
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Re: photo wanted

Post by jhopgood »

I looked through my remaining photos, but again they are black and white.

As OB editor I had received photos of that era, from Webber of Col, I think, and a friend of Miles Pinnegar, but I can't find them and must have given them to the CHOBA office when I stopped being editor.
Again I think they were in B & W.

It does occur to me that there might be some postcards which would satisfy your criteria, and if so, Clifford Jones at the CH museum is the man to contact.
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michael scuffil
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Re: photo wanted

Post by michael scuffil »

yamaha
It was 61 or 62, certainly while I was still there, and includes David Boxley (LaB) and someone called Boucher from MaA, and Bostock who moved from MaA to BaB and about 10 others. But Tate & Lyle rings a bell, thanks.

Colour is the problem. I am currently digitizing my colour slides from 1970 on. Most of the slides still have quite good colour, but prints from the time are bad beyond belief, even those in pristine condition kept in the dark.

I have just colorized a picture of myself as a new-boy. Looks quite professional. But basically it just involves turning one coat dark blue, one girdle brown, a few buttons yellowish, and one visible sock yellow. (Plus flesh tints and hair.)
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Re: photo wanted

Post by Foureyes »

For John Wexler,
What a superb collection! Brought back many memories! Thank you.
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eucsgmrc
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Re: photo wanted

Post by eucsgmrc »

Foureyes wrote:Brought back many memories!
Glad you like them. If you're into nostalgia, you are welcome to explore some of my other albums on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jandsw/sets

For Michael Scuffil - if you still have your old colour negatives, they're likely to be in much better condition than the prints. It would be worth trying to scan some of them (I'm guessing that the scanner that digitises your old slides may be able to handle negatives too).
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postwarblue
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Re: photo wanted

Post by postwarblue »

I have a copy of the colour photo of the boys by the fountain. PM me with an email address and I'll see if I can get it out of the frame and scan it.
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michael scuffil
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Re: photo wanted

Post by michael scuffil »

postwarblue has kindly sent me the Tate & Lyle photo, so maybe I should correct some misstatements I made above. It shows five people, not about 12 as I thought. They are Griffiths PeB, Steward ColB, D.Boxley LaB, Filey (I think that was his name) MidB, and Boucher MaA. It must have been taken in the year 1961/62. I knew them all, but after CH I only had any contact with David Boxley, who died about 10 years later.

It is a pleasant conversation piece.
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J.R.
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Re: photo wanted

Post by J.R. »

Sounds about right Michael.

Steward was a few years senior to me in Coleridge B and I left early in 1963, so the photo in question must be 61/62. More probably 61.
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michael scuffil
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Re: photo wanted

Post by michael scuffil »

The button grecians in the photo all left in July 1962 (they were one year my senior), and I think all got their buttons in September 1960.
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