New Forum Section - Hertford Memories

[englishangel]

I must explain that there is a post higher in the thread by "Guest" and that "Guest" is me and I must have omitted to log-on. However it is interesting to see that I can do that if I want and make a post kind of anonymous.

When I registered and gave my real name I didn't realise that that would count as my "user name".However it's not such a bad thing to post as "myself" and to not be afraid to take full responsibility for what I write. Why should I have to hide and indeed why should anybody?

Yes DR is a spinster unless she recently tied the knot aged ninety something!

I have to admire her incredible self-discipline, which I think she considered was part and parcel of her Christian faith ( disciple).

I could never be immaculately organised like this and in fact found the strict routine and predictability of life at Hertford profoundly depressing.The bell would toll at 7.00 every morning Dong dong dong, dong dong,dong dong.......etc and I would lie for 2 minutes ( before I got into trouble for not instantly leaping out of bed) and feel the oppressive day, that I knew every moment of already, stretching ahead like a terrible punishment, and all within the confines of that claustrophobic several acres,surrounded by a high brick wall with broken glass embedded along the top.

I was thinking about this over the weekend (yes I do think occasionally) and a lot of women of DR's age lost sweethearts in the war (she was 30 when she went to CH in 1942) and there were not enough young men to go round. I seem to remember DR lost a brother (or perhaps I am mixing her up with someone else) so perhaps she lost a sweetheart early on, you have to be fairly single-minded to become a head at such a young age.

[Vonny]

and all within the confines of that claustrophobic several acres,surrounded by a high brick wall with broken glass embedded along the top.

That glass was awful It did make the place seem like a prison.

[Euterpe13]

Euterpe 13,

I'm pleased to read that you have Nick's photos. Did you have any success with the Thornton B Association?

Errmm , haven't actually got round to trying to contact them ( well, I do live in Barcelona, and am supposed to work for my pittance) - will suggest my mum does so !
B.

[AKAP]

Hope I don't regret asking this Q.
My wifes aunt (now deceased) taught for a short time at Heartford.
Constance Richardson. She had a 1st in physics so I guess she taught Physics.
When I new her she was a nun, but that dosen't mean I can help out with the speculation on the limericks thread. Although I do know that my father-in law had to lift her wimpole(if that's the right word) when he kissed her.
Just wondered if anyone remembers anything about her.
We have some lovely photos of her when she was young.

[englishangel]

Hope I don't regret asking this Q.
My wifes aunt (now deceased) taught for a short time at Heartford.
Constance Richardson. She had a 1st in physics so I guess she taught Physics.
When I new her she was a nun, but that dosen't mean I can help out with the speculation on the limericks thread. Although I do know that my father-in law had to lift her wimpole(if that's the right word) when he kissed her.
Just wondered if anyone remembers anything about her.
We have some lovely photos of her when she was young.

Wimple

Midget may be able to help, she has made a couple of posts on the 'hot breakfast' thread. she was there 44-52.

[midget]

Hope I don't regret asking this Q.
My wifes aunt (now deceased) taught for a short time at Heartford.
Constance Richardson. She had a 1st in physics so I guess she taught Physics.
When I new her she was a nun, but that dosen't mean I can help out with the speculation on the limericks thread. Although I do know that my father-in law had to lift her wimpole(if that's the right word) when he kissed her.
Just wondered if anyone remembers anything about her.
We have some lovely photos of her when she was young.

Sorry AKAP, the name doesn't mean anything, she must have been after my time. Midget

[rebel]

Masochist that I am - CH trained of course - I thought I'd look in here and - vanity vanity - found some references to my previous posts. I am reminded of the Monty Python sketch about who is worse off than whom, and I could fit in well there-as might Alexandra - re the things I endured - with obvious consequences - at CH.
I am, actually. amazed that I still have my marbles- arguably! -- though chipped here and there- and am not shut away in some institution for the beserk, but, as my brother says (who went to a horrible boarding school on another kind of grant at a very young age) one can be nuts without problems as long as one doesnt commit a crime or bother others
I do feel guilty - another CH fostered trait - about not having produced some great world shaking work of art or science as is often the product of people who have had difficult childhoods or are subject to wild expressions of the paranoid kind.
I haven't been posting because I think I did enough of the 'whingeing' already in the early stages of this forum, but i do like droppping in now and again to see what's going on.
I think I would like to be at CH now though - it sounds rather like club med. with intellectual embelleshings.
As for hertford, re DR - the deputy head of CH as shown on rock school reminds me a bit of her physically. although a bit thinner. I hope for everyone's sake she is not like her otherwise. DR and Mrs. Winstone robbed me of many good years. And i regret the loss of a good relationship with my remaining parent at the time because of my seeing her so little.
Oh well.
perhaps I'll post again this time next year if there's anything left to say.

[englishangel]

Hey, don't worry.

I think I would like to be at CH now too.

I am fortunate that I still have 2 healthy parents.

I believe Mary Ireland is married so she can't be ALL like DR.

Check out some of the posts on the General chat CH for the lighter side of life.

[Jude]

It's not going to happen overnight Englishangel. I only recently looked for and found this forum, and quite frankly nearly didn't bother to post as it was too difficult to find anything remotely relevant to my experience of C.H.It was almost like a forum about another school !! That coupled with the "jolly" ethos of the forum as expressed in the Moderator guidelines made it seem like , well, just more of the same...Denial and cover-up about what Hertford was REALLY like for those of us who survived.

I am very impressed with what "Rebel" was brave enough to voice to which I could completely relate.I wonder if she's still around or pops in from time to time ?

Maybe this forum is not the place to explore the " darker" side of life at Hertford....but it would still be nice to easily find posts relevant to our memories and maybe to come across old friends.

By the way, I discovered that I actually owned a copy of DR West's " autobiography"...The Other Half...or whatever it's called. I looked up the sections that " Rebel" quoted and realised I remembered something of those suicide incidents.....couldn't believe how "matter of fact" DR was about them...er well I could actually ! Anyhow I will settle down and read the whole book when I have time. Actually I'm already fascinated to find out about Sir Harry Vanderpant...tried to "google" him but nothing came up.Miss West describes him, in her autobio. as not only being very generous to the girls school but also "very fond" of herself. She also mentions how he had a penchant for the red-headed girls, always noticing when there was a new one! Do you remember his bearded bronze bust, which stood at the bottom of the stairs to the dining hall ?

I did check my private messages. Er ...you had written me one line ( or was it two?). I haven't figured out how to private message you, yet! In fact I haven't read any of the instructions. I'll get around to it at some point.

I have left this post here for you to find but I will also put a copy in the " Hertford Section " which only started a couple of days ago.

OMG - was that who was the DR??? All I know is that our routine in the 70s was tough, there was no space for warm touchy feely things, you were lucky if your teddy bear actually stayed in one piece, beds had to have hospital corners and horsehair mattresses are painful at the best of times, we are lucky to have survived, there were a couple of girls during my time who didn't - the effect on the school was dramtic to say the least, but with damp flannels under our beds, appalling games kit regardless of the weather (blues are just SO grotty!), the number of things you could be punnished for (and were) like talking after lights out got you brasses in the downstairs cloakroom and outside toilets to clean, I went through a bad stage where I actually said the "F" word to the maths teacher (a young man whose first experience of teaching was us!) and got sent to the Headmistress - who was then Elizabeth Tucker - I had to appologise - to Mr White (can anyone else remeber the song??)
Anyhow, I had better stop being a REBEL and go cook my daughter some tea!

[englishangel]

Sounds like Miss Tucker was a chip off the DR block

[Jude]

there are so so many memories of CH - and very few of them good ones! I can't remember her name but we had a german teacher who used to have an incredibly bue hair colourant put in just before term started, which gradually faded to a silver purple as term went on - can anyone remember her name?

There seem to be very few OG's from Hertford, and my era - mind you, I guess no-one would write to me anyhow! (I think CH & I were not a good mix, and having a dismal family life, I never could work out were it would be best to be - home or CH!)

Science block, red house, the octagnal library, cloisters, not much of it is left - in a way it is sad, especially losing the Chapel - all that green ground now a Trashco's car park -

I remember Miss Tucker giving me hot chocolate and a BISCUIT (things were really serious then!!!) telling me bad news... I think she really did try to help us, but she as many of the staff were in a sort of time warp - as was the school!

[Vonny]

Sounds like Miss Tucker was a chip off the DR block

I don't really remember her all that well - she left after a year or so when I was there and Fatty M took over. I do remember having to go to tea at her house - think each house took it in turns to send a year group.

[Jude]

Sounds like Miss Tucker was a chip off the DR block

I don't really remember her all that well - she left after a year or so when I was there and Fatty M took over. I do remember having to go to tea at her house - think each house took it in turns to send a year group.

Hey Vonny - give Miss Morrison a bit of respect! She was fatty m probably before you were born! She knew that we called her that as well, she was a bit like Matron in the carry on films! (except she didn't wear a cap!) As long as you didn't get on her nerves too often she was a welcome change from some of the other female staff!

[Vonny]

Sounds like Miss Tucker was a chip off the DR block

I don't really remember her all that well - she left after a year or so when I was there and Fatty M took over. I do remember having to go to tea at her house - think each house took it in turns to send a year group.

Hey Vonny - give Miss Morrison a bit of respect! She was fatty m probably before you were born! She knew that we called her that as well, she was a bit like Matron in the carry on films! (except she didn't wear a cap!) As long as you didn't get on her nerves too often she was a welcome change from some of the other female staff!

Well personally I thought FM was OK and I know she did know we called her that. I think if you stayed on the right side of her she was fine - she could appear "stern" but I also think she did have a good sense of humour. She was quite a formidable figure to us in the lower years of the school though.

[englishangel]

I don't really remember her all that well - she left after a year or so when I was there and Fatty M took over. I do remember having to go to tea at her house - think each house took it in turns to send a year group.

Hey Vonny - give Miss Morrison a bit of respect! She was fatty m probably before you were born! She knew that we called her that as well, she was a bit like Matron in the carry on films! (except she didn't wear a cap!) As long as you didn't get on her nerves too often she was a welcome change from some of the other female staff!

Well personally I thought FM was OK and I know she did know we called her that. I think if you stayed on the right side of her she was fine - she could appear "stern" but I also think she did have a good sense of humour. She was quite a formidable figure to us in the lower years of the school though.

FM joined the school at the same time I did (1965) and became deputy head around 1970. Dr retired when I left (1972) and Miss tucker was appointed.

FM was always very popular when I was there. she never actually taught me. I always had Mrs Betterton for Englisha, a tiny little bir-like lady who was an OG too. She was lovely.