Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

jhopgood wrote:Ian is still alive, at least he was at our junior school reunion in 2002.
He is on the University of Nottingham web site.
When I met him, for the first time for time in 36 years, he seemed much as I remember him, just a bit older. I believe that after he qualified he went into teaching, but where, I can't remember.
Reunions tend to involve alcohol, which pickles the brain.

sorry, I didn't mean Ian had died, he is indeed on the Nottingham Uni website. I meant the other chap had died.

I knew that, I was just giving more info.

Everyone is so serious these days.

jhopgood wrote:I knew that, I was just giving more info.

Everyone is so serious these days.

I'm not, I just like to be understood.

englishangel wrote:

jhopgood wrote:I knew that, I was just giving more info.

Everyone is so serious these days.

I'm not, I just like to be understood.

or STOOD UNDER even ????

Haven't logged on for a while, and found this thread. Mark Thomas: was in a band with him when I joined CB in 79. Magic guy. Mr Nicolson was in one of those photos - anyone heard anything of him? And I was one of those in Col B when it got turned over to the girls. Had to move to Thorn B. Hah! I remember the protest got us the chance to talk to the headmaster about it. By the by, I'm now living in Sydney Australia, if anyone has any contacts or needs any.

J.R. wrote:

jhopgood wrote:I thought so.
He was at Nottingham University when I was there and gave me a lift up once when he had a new car. It had seat belts, which appeared not to adjust, at least I couldn't work it out, so I spent the whole journey flattened to the seat. It was a long journey as either he was running it in, or was just very cautious.
Never really saw him at university as he was in a different hall.

He seemed a totally different character at our re-union.

I remember him at school as extremely extrovert and sporty.

Two years ago, and time has taken its toll. (Doesn't it always ?). He seemed so quiet and laid back.

I'll have to see if I can find my photo of the re-union and get JT to post it.

As a belated update, I haven't found the re-union photo, but I have been in touch with Wendy K at CHA who will endeavour to trace and post on the CHA site on her return to work and some sense of normality resumes !

Copied from viewtopic.php?t=2185

Brian wrote:The files were wrongly named when I uploaded them.
(Click on each image for full-size versions)

This one is 1950



This one is for 1951



This one is for 1953



Lunch time in the Dining Hall 1953



A couple of St. Matthew' s Day parade, 1951 and 1952
CA at the front and then at the rear.






These pictures came to light during a recent house move.
When I first looked at them I could name maybe a dozen or so.
As I started to write them down I can probably remember about 25%.

Just for the record, the matron in the earlier Col A photos is Miss Meek and the later one Mrs Riches, who had a boy in the school (Thorn A or B I think). Miss Meek's parting gift was a tiny silver cup to be raced for by Col A against Col B on Shrove Tuesday. Do this pancake race and the cup still persist?

Mrs Riches was Matron during my time in Coleridge, though I never realised she had a son that attended Housey.

She was very firm, but fair as Matron as I recall.

J.R. wrote:Mrs Riches was Matron during my time in Coleridge, though I never realised she had a son that attended Housey.

She was very firm, but fair as Matron as I recall.

I'll echo both those comments. Any idea when her son was there?

As for the pancake race I don't remember it during the period 1953 - 1961

Graham Riches was in Thorn B from about 1952/3 to 1960. He then went to be House Captain of Maine B. He was one of the early VSO volunteers and then went to Emmanuel College Cambridge, where I also was. That was the last I saw of him.

Re pancake races, there was a very different one held from about 1959 on Lamb Asphalt (CMES wisely called a staff meeting every Shrove Tuesday at 12.15). The trophy was a pair of antlers called the Colonel Pussfoot-Smythe Trophy. The History Grecians supplied an MC, and the trophy was awarded to whichever house the MC came from, regardless of the result of the race (a relay). Most matrons supplied pancakes, and the staff of the Manual School, who, being a lower form of life, were not invited to the staff meeting, used to watch from the balcony.

After I left, the thing got out of hand. It moved to the Quarter Mile, but in 1964 or 65 there was a degree of violence, and people got hurt. That was probably the end of it.

Pancake Races !!!

I KNOW that somewhere in one of my old albums is a small black & white photo of one of the Coleridge B pancake races.

I'll see if I can dig it out.

Incidentally JR, you dated the original photo "1962 (?)". For the record, it must actually be 1961, because that was when my good friend the late Nick Cox, the tall blonde button grecian next to Tony Hewitt, left. There are various other pointers to a 1961 date, but I won't bore you with them.

michael scuffil wrote:Re pancake races, ... After I left, the thing got out of hand. It moved to the Quarter Mile, but in 1964 or 65 there was a degree of violence, and people got hurt. That was probably the end of it.

After the merger, Coleridge A and B engaged in pancake racing for some years, egged (ahem) on by Mrs Endacott (Col A housemistress).