Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Oh goodness. I remember the lisle stockings and the mushrooms and the darning.....and then darning over holes which had already been darned.They must have been hugely uncomfortable to wear after a while (especially if the stockings had previously belonged to someone else....) but I don't remember that at all! The ribbed ones (were they tights and not stockings?) must have been introduced in about 1961 or 62 or 63, because I did not graduate to a Senior House until about 1960 and that's when I must have gone from socks to lisle stockings.
I no longer wear tights or stockings so thankfully these concerns are definitely in the past. And when my ankle socks (I always wear trousers, and plain black socks) begin to disintegrate they are simply thrown away. Oh dear. How profligate. But the packs of socks only cost about £3 for 3 pairs in the first place, from Tesco. And they do last for years. How times and attitudes have changed.
And yes, Mary, I always think of that dictum about wearing presentable underwear in case I have an accident!

Wasn't everyone told that by their Mother?

Yes - clearly I did not listen well - but have definitely lived the rest of my life by that maxim!!

When we were first allowed to wear tights instead of foggy dawns or ankle socks we (6th form and BAs, presumably) were issued with a single pair of 15 denier American tan tights. Of course they rapidly disintegrated under assault from wicker cutlery baskets, splintery benches in the dining hall and the thousand natural shocks that school life was heir to. There was no provision for replacement and it was Not Clear what we were supposed to do instead - clearly holey tights on Sundays and Speech Day were not an option - and even if we had funds and opportunity to buy our own, what self respecting teenager would have been seen dead buying American Tan - but if you went for a different colour it was glaringly obvious to all (these things mattered in 3s!). I don't remember how this all got resolved......

Your mention of "splintery benches" reminded me that the parquet floor of the Dorm was unfinished. Woe betide the person who slid her feet instead of picking them up - the splinters were huge and painful - especially under a nail. We perfected the art of {relatively} painless surgical splinter removal using a needle.

(I've just remembered having my ears pierced with ice cubes and a needle over in 5s, I believe. Don't remember who did it for me. I was about 15 maybe - and my mother hit the roof!! We used to have to wear bandaids over the earrings if I remember correctly! God help us if we were 'adorned' in some way!!)

I have only just come across this fascinating Topic --- it being a Very rainy morning !
I suppose that the Girls (naturally) had more interest in their underwear. Ours -- in the 40s were dumped in a pile, in the Dormitory, for the Maids to pick up, Im not sure if we got the same pair back --- was the ubiquitous BaB 35 imprinted ?
I can still darn a neat square in a woolen sock -- not from CH , but the Army, if you have to march on it -- you take care ! No use these days -- I imagine it is a dying art -- they get chucked !
OF COURSE one wears clean underpants -- in case of Traffic Accidents !
My Shirts and Underwear are constantly changed, whether I like it or not - The Blessed Anne, now being retired, seems to have three obsessions ---- Ironing, Hoovering, Floor polishing,
I was able to impress her Nursing by being able to do "Hospital Corners " -- ex CH, but now we have Duvets !!!

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Im not sure if we got the same pair back

You have GOT to be kidding! I hope...

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote: Ours -- in the 40s were dumped in a pile, in the Dormitory, for the Maids to pick up, Im not sure if we got the same pair back --- was the ubiquitous BaB 35 imprinted ?(

In my time there were laundry bags in the middle of the dorm, no maids. I seem to remember more than one person being bundled into the full dirty pants or dirty socks bag (they were quite big) the end tied and left for a while.

lonelymom wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Im not sure if we got the same pair back

You have GOT to be kidding! I hope...

Well that was definitely what Haileybury thought happened at Hertford. I met an Old Haileyburian (or whatever!) at Oxford and somehow it came out where we had each been to school, his immediate reaction was "Oh, the school with the communal underwear". He was adamant that they thought we just had a pile of clean underwear and dived in to find something approximately the right size.

No! Apart from making me feel incredibly claustrophic when I read that, it also made me feel nauseous when I thought of the smells inside that bag!

In 1956, the stiff cotton summer "blues" had pockets in them..... I was very confused about what they were for...As a very shy new girl I didn't like to ask but the question was answered for me by Miss Park, who in the middle of a PE lesson, raised the skirts of her pleated grey shorts and removed a lilac flowery handkerchief from the pocket of what seemed to be a pair of "greys", just like our "blues"! However I never did really fancy keeping my enormous white handkerchief in mine.
Yes ! was a Wardroberoom gel,too. Although considered an honour if one managed to work up to Head Wardroberoom Girl, as a junior one I can still remember the horror of counting out the dirty hankies into a laundry bag from the basket that everyone had chucked theirs into after Ward morning Prayers.
I was told that I wasn't allowed to give a clean one unless a dirty one was given in. So if anyone had lost theirs I was in a dreadful position, especially as almost everyone was "senior" to me. I was of course expected to thieve another one for them, or to fiddle the laundry numbers. Later on I quite enjoyed the job as although laying out clean clothes in peoples slatted pidgeon holes in the wardrobe room was rather boring, it was great to be able to gossip with the other wardrobe room girls as one did so, especially as chatting with girls from other years was not often the done thing (there was one wardroberoom girl from each year group)

Angela

lonelymom wrote:No! Apart from making me feel incredibly claustrophic when I read that, it also made me feel nauseous when I thought of the smells inside that bag!

It's not the best job in the world making sure that all the shirts are turned the right way in before sending them off to the laundry after a lovely hot summers day! Luckily the socks and underwear bags just needs tying up before sending!

Katharine wrote:

lonelymom wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Im not sure if we got the same pair back

You have GOT to be kidding! I hope...

Well that was definitely what Haileybury thought happened at Hertford. I met an Old Haileyburian (or whatever!) at Oxford and somehow it came out where we had each been to school, his immediate reaction was "Oh, the school with the communal underwear". He was adamant that they thought we just had a pile of clean underwear and dived in to find something approximately the right size.

Apologies for going right off topic: John McCarthy-the former hostage, was at Haileybury in the early/mid 70's. I don't think we ever mixed with them did we, our school being an 'orphanage' ?!

fra828 wrote:Apologies for going right off topic: John McCarthy-the former hostage, was at Haileybury in the early/mid 70's. I don't think we ever mixed with them did we, our school being an 'orphanage' ?!

We went there at Christmas in the VI form - for a concert? Can't really remember why! I think Vonny had Russian lessons there.

fra828 wrote:


Apologies for going right off topic: John McCarthy-the former hostage, was at Haileybury in the early/mid 70's. I don't think we ever mixed with them did we, our school being an 'orphanage' ?!

There was an abortive attempt to send people there to learn Russian - I think Eileen Downing started doing it, but it can't have lasted long: I don't recall her taking an exam although I'm sure that wasn't for lack of ability.

I'm also fairly sure that we were once invited to a dance or something at Haileybury, when in the 6th form, and were told that we could go, but would have to wear Sunday uniform, complete with cherry red blazers. End of story. Or have I made that up? Munch, do you remember it?

We did go there once, for a play which I remember as being a classic farce and having staff and boys in it. No idea what it was though.