Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Thepuss wrote:Another Mid A 15 here (although the username is taken by "an original"...)
Previously BaA 27

The Puss

Sorry about that!

Were you in Mid A during Ron Lorimer's time?

He passed away a couple of weeks back, sadly, and there is a thread on the CH Stuff section.

The numbers were on the house lists, so they probably survive. I certainly was not given a choice - Col A 8, inherited from Tidy.

DavidRawlins wrote:The numbers were on the house lists, so they probably survive. I certainly was not given a choice - Col A 8, inherited from Tidy.

From your years I guess that you joined direct into Col A.
In the Prep everything was based on house number - you wanted food or anything else and no. 51 was right at the end of the queue .
When I went up I was given a choice between two numbers - one lowish and one very high so I chose the lower one - number 9.

Of course house numbers were almost meaningless in the upper and until your post I was unaware that number 8 was rolled over at the same time. I guess that someone else from the Prep came up with me but I don't know who came from the Prep and who joined direct.

As for house lists, what long term use were they? Yes, they were in seniority order* and you called the roll from them but that was all. * I think that, apart from monitors, each year's entrants were in alphabetical order

Mid A 15 wrote:

Thepuss wrote:Another Mid A 15 here (although the username is taken by "an original"...)
Previously BaA 27

The Puss

Sorry about that!

Were you in Mid A during Ron Lorimer's time?

He passed away a couple of weeks back, sadly, and there is a thread on the CH Stuff section.

I was indeed... and I understand that he mellowed somewhat in his latter years of housemastership.... however it is interesting to read here that he started off pretty "alternative" back in the 60s? 70s?
With hind sight, a good guy who was trying to steer boys right... although it didn't necessarily feel that way when you were a teenager!

Thepuss

Thepuss wrote:

Mid A 15 wrote:

Thepuss wrote:Another Mid A 15 here (although the username is taken by "an original"...)
Previously BaA 27

The Puss

Sorry about that!

Were you in Mid A during Ron Lorimer's time?

He passed away a couple of weeks back, sadly, and there is a thread on the CH Stuff section.

I was indeed... and I understand that he mellowed somewhat in his latter years of housemastership.... however it is interesting to read here that he started off pretty "alternative" back in the 60s? 70s?With hind sight, a good guy who was trying to steer boys right... although it didn't necessarily feel that way when you were a teenager!

Thepuss

Can't be too sure of the exact year, but probably 1960 when he joined the staff.

I was in Prep B to start in January 1958, then on to Coleridge B, and it was probably my first year in Col. B that he took me for geography. Certainly well before the 1970's, as I left in '63 !

sejintenej wrote:

DavidRawlins wrote:From your years I guess that you joined direct into Col A.

As for house lists, what long term use were they? Yes, they were in seniority order* and you called the roll from them but that was all. * I think that, apart from monitors, each year's entrants were in alphabetical order

In my time those coming from the Prep were senior to those going to a senior house directly. Those in forms A B and C were senior to those in forms D and E. Those entering the Lower Fourth were senior to those going into the Third form. After that it was done in alphabetical order!

Yes, I was 1.17 (junior ward) and then 8.29. at Hertford. We usually tried to trace back the history of our numbers as we inherited some items(including some uniform -eg chapel caps) and on Old Blues Day the older ladies used to come in and identify their modern equivalent.

and bestow gifts like chocolate or money to the 'new' holders of their House/Ward numbers????

It's probably a number that stays with you all your life. I use mine (House initials and number) for my Internet, banking, forum etc passwords.

dsmg wrote:It's probably a number that stays with you all your life. I use mine (House initials and number) for my Internet, banking, credit card etc passwords.

I use mine for combination locks on my luggage etc!

dsmg wrote:It's probably a number that stays with you all your life. I use mine (House initials and number) for my Internet, banking, credit card etc passwords.

Probably best not to publish this on an open internet.

Point taken Haven't got any money though.

kerrensimmonds wrote:and bestow gifts like chocolate or money to the 'new' holders of their House/Ward numbers????

That was always my fantasy, that a previous holder of my number would show up and give me a pound (about the limit of my imagination back then). Alas, it never happened.

It's probably a number that stays with you all your life.

Yes indeed, like my mum's Co-op dividend number, six digits which I can still recite after 60 years.

Funnily enough, I don't remember ANY of my previous telephone or bank account numbers.

(I think I've told the story before, but when I visited the school as a young OB, the old Scottish housemaid introduced me to the new matron, with the words: Matron, this was B27.)

kerrensimmonds wrote:and bestow gifts like chocolate or money to the 'new' holders of their House/Ward numbers????

Yes, extra tuck was much appreciated!