Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Those are the pictures which were in the special supplement of the Illustrated London News to in the year of celebration of 1953 - the quartercentenary. I have a copy at home, which I was given by DR's family. I lent it to the Hertford Museum for their 'Forgotten Blues' exhibition last year.

The picture of Betty Jukes is interesting. She is actually wearing DR's shoes! I'm sure I have told the story before but on the day of the photographs it was cold slushy snowy (March, see the date under the photos and note the winter uniforms). Betty was wearing boots. When DR brought the photographer into the Cookery School she exclaimed that Betty could not have her photo taken wearing boots, so she kicked off her own shoes and made Betty wear them!

Of course, Miss Wooton! I couldn't remember her name, but knew her first name was Lavinia. She took over Chemistry in 1951 when Miss Bruce finally retired. Things had got so bad it was a wonder that anyone passed A level chemistry at all. Miss Wootn was lovely and an excellent teacher- I had a solo lesson a week with her because I was doing S-level. She was horrified to discover how much of the syllabus Miss Bruce had missed out.

Katharine wrote:Miss Page as History teacher lasted until my time, she retired at the end of my first or second year, I think. That was when Miss Mercer came.

Do you remember Merce in those days, Katharine? Was she full of youthful bounce? (Hard to imagine...) Did she always wear black?

Miss Page's History Room looks a bit more ornamental. Miss Page must have liked to put stuff up around the walls!

Ermm... Actually Frances Page had a Doctorate (but I do not know from which University, though I would guess that in those days it probably was only from Oxford or Cambridge. I have a number of her books upstairs and will check and report back later....).So we do not refer to her as Miss Page but Dr. Page...and yes, she is in the History Room picture in 1953, which appeared in the special supplement of the Illustrated London News of that year. Apart from that one and the one of Betty Jukes in the Cookery School, there is also another iconic photograph, not referred to so far, of dear Hilda Keppel-Barrett and a group of girls around a loom in the Art School.

I don't remember referring to Dr Page as such, Kerren. Sorry Munch, I don't remember how Miss Mercer appeared to us at first. I think she introduced 10 Points on ... in her teaching. If you could remember all 10 you were OK in your exams! I was in the first lot to drop History in LV, not that I personally was given the choice as I have related before.

Yes, I was wondering where the Art School photo was!

Found a link to the Art School Photo http://www.chassociation.org/oldblues/g ... school.php The discussion about it can be found in Hertford Memories Hertford Art School 1953 here viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1233

We always referrd to Miss Page. The thing I remember best about her, apart from her evil sarcastic tongue, is that Maureen Harding told me that Miss Page "became a dipsomaniac after she retired" Happy days!

midget wrote:We always referrd to Miss Page. The thing I remember best about her, apart from her evil sarcastic tongue, is that Maureen Harding told me that Miss Page "became a dipsomaniac after she retired" Happy days!

Could've been worse Maggie !!!

How does that song go ?? "n.....s and shepherds come away !"

Jo wrote:
It's a shame that the "Next photo" links don't seem to work on the JAMD website ......... But definitely worth taking the trouble to look - nice photos, thanks Gerrie.

Believe you me you would not want to see the next photo - something about horny heads (actually two members of a motorcycle gang wearing horns)