Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by Mid A 15 »

Avon wrote: Fri May 26, 2017 7:15 pm Perhaps that explains his highly suspect habit of drawing the bone structure of the human skeleton on naked boys in class?
Was he even teaching by the time you attended CH?

He was retired from formal teaching when I was there although he still assisted with CCF and had his lab, bees etc.

I am in no position to comment on whether you are right or wrong but am just curious, given the timings I have referred to, as to your justification for the assertion you make.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by postwarblue »

This aspect of Uncle's bio teaching was certainly commented on in my time (although I was never taught by him and in fact did hardly any biology at CH).
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by Richard »

I’m in The Hague for a short while and visited the Peace Palace or Palais de la Paix. (It and its history are interesting, but there are no CH connections of which I am aware. So I have invented one.)

There used to be a large group of boys’ toilets (10 toilets?) in the Art School parking place, surrounded by a brick wall and a few pine trees. We called it ‘The Art School Bog’ among other names. I understand it has been demolished. (What’s in its place?) Cecil Francis (‘Uncle’) Kirby called it Le Palais de Pee, so I wonder if he was inspired by a visit to The Hague.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by J.R. »

I remember those toilets vividly. Always smelt of the intended deposits and pine fir in the summer.

Yes - Thay have been demolished, but I can't for the life of me remember what is now in 1heir place. Very remiss of me because I walked through there not so very long ago. At having reached 70, I'll use that as an excuse.

(Incidently Richard, I took the liberty of deleting your 2nd identical post. It does sometime happen.)
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by jhopgood »

From recent memory, nothing has replaced these open air toilets. The library now has a rear entrance, presumably from the back of the Dominions Library, which extends into the car park. This entrance was used by CHOBA on a recent OB day.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by michael scuffil »

I’m in The Hague for a short while and visited the Peace Palace or Palais de la Paix. (It and its history are interesting, but there are no CH connections of which I am aware. So I have invented one.)


But have you used any of the city's very public open-air urinals? (Far more public than the old iron street gents there used to be in Paris and Amsterdam.)
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by michael scuffil »

Perhaps that explains his highly suspect habit of drawing the bone structure of the human skeleton on naked boys in class?

When I was taught by him, the 'model' was told in advance to wear swimming trunks if the pelvic area was the topic of the day. If it was shoulders or ribs, the boy (me) would strip to the waist. However, it was said by everyone in the years above, with little details which I won't repeat, but which have the ring of truth, that the 'lower limb girdle' was illustrated on a naked boy. It was also said, and I find this entirely credible, that Seaman, the new headmaster, told him to lay off. Seaman was, after all, conducting a modesty crusade as part of his sexual clean-up. Personally (based on his sensitive treatment of the swimming-trunked individual mentioned above), I think that CFK was acting naively rather than with any ulterior motives. Attitudes among adolescents had changed since he was one, and I think he was behind the times in this sense.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by Richard »

I haven’t seen any these “very public open air urinals” here, but I admit I haven’t been looking for them, so I’ll ask a local. I wonder if they have vanished as did the elegant Parisian “Pissoirs” some years ago. But at least there seem to be no unisex toilets in The Hague.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by sejintenej »

Richard wrote: Wed Nov 01, 2017 5:06 pm I haven’t seen any these “very public open air urinals” here, . I wonder if they have vanished as did the elegant Parisian “Pissoirs” some years ago.
The pissoirs in some French Aires are pretty open to the air (but not the rain). Otherwise I think most trees, earth banks, grass, weeds are used as urinals from what I have been subjected to.
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by michael scuffil »

I haven’t seen any these “very public open air urinals” here, but I admit I haven’t been looking for them, so I’ll ask a local. I wonder if they have vanished as did the elegant Parisian “Pissoirs” some years ago. But at least there seem to be no unisex toilets in The Hague.

I first saw them in 2014, and they were still there in September this year. Around the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis. There's a picture of one here:
http://goodnewstouse.com/2011amsterdamt ... c01955.jpg
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by sejintenej »

michael scuffil wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:18 pm I haven’t seen any these “very public open air urinals” here, but I admit I haven’t been looking for them, so I’ll ask a local. I wonder if they have vanished as did the elegant Parisian “Pissoirs” some years ago. But at least there seem to be no unisex toilets in The Hague.

I first saw them in 2014, and they were still there in September this year. Around the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis. There's a picture of one here:
http://goodnewstouse.com/2011amsterdamt ... c01955.jpg
The side shown in the photo has the "Men" sign - I have to wonder about the other side ;-)
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by Katharine »

sejintenej wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2017 10:01 pm
michael scuffil wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:18 pm I haven’t seen any these “very public open air urinals” here, but I admit I haven’t been looking for them, so I’ll ask a local. I wonder if they have vanished as did the elegant Parisian “Pissoirs” some years ago. But at least there seem to be no unisex toilets in The Hague.

I first saw them in 2014, and they were still there in September this year. Around the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis. There's a picture of one here:
http://goodnewstouse.com/2011amsterdamt ... c01955.jpg
The side shown in the photo has the "Men" sign - I have to wonder about the other side ;-)
Well I've no wish to find out! It certainly looks less private than I expected, obviously my years at Hertford made me a prude!
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by JohnAL »

This Sunday I heard a hymn which included the words, “Oh death where is thy sting, oh grave thy victory?”

That reminded me of ‘Uncle’s’ version which comprised in part,

“Oh death where is thy sting a ling a ling, oh grave thy victory? The bells of Hell go ting a ling a ling for you and not for me.”

What are the other words of this masterpiece? Was he its creator?
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by LongGone »

If a stone falls on an egg: alas for the egg
If an egg falls on a stone: alas for the egg
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Re: Strange old man dressed in WW1 army gear / dog named lobster

Post by JohnAL »

Thanks. I never realised it has such a venerable and distinguished history.
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