Welcome to the unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum - for discussing everything CH/Old Blue related. All pupils, parents, families, staff, Old Blues and anyone else related to CH are welcome to browse the boards, register and contribute.
Ruthie-Baby wrote:there was a maths buckle for two people in the Grecians i think
I'd have liked something like that! The only badge (to do with presentation) we had was the RAF one. We did have Posture badges (yellow shield with a P on it) Form Captain (dark blue with C - I think), the swimming champion(?) badge certainly something to do with swimming could also be worn. Dof E could be worn on coats and blazers, I was told off by DR for not wearing my Gold when I was the only Gold award holder at the school, she wanted it seen. We also had the Mons badges and Prefects badges, can't remember any others.
Ruthie-Baby wrote:there was a maths buckle for two people in the Grecians i think
I'd have liked something like that! The only badge (to do with presentation) we had was the RAF one. We did have Posture badges (yellow shield with a P on it) Form Captain (dark blue with C - I think), the swimming champion(?) badge certainly something to do with swimming could also be worn. Dof E could be worn on coats and blazers, I was told off by DR for not wearing my Gold when I was the only Gold award holder at the school, she wanted it seen. We also had the Mons badges and Prefects badges, can't remember any others.
The boys had none of that - the school even wanted to stop Peter and I going to Buck House in 1960/1 for the Gold presentation. It was only outside City pressure which made them relent.
Some years later I saw in the Blue where some scout was the "first" to get either the Queens Scout badge or the D of E Gold; lies, damned lies and the Blue. they never printed a correction nor apologised.
DR was very enthusiastic about D of E, the first girls ever to get Gold were OBs, the first to get it while still at school were CH girls. In my group there were about 12 of us who got Gold at the same time. We were presented the badges by Sir John Hunt (as he was then) on the Tuesday that all the rest of them left school. On the Thursday we were at Buck House for the certificates. We were all in the same regional group, all the rest of the groups had 3 or 4 girls so we really stood out. I heard someone say 'Oh yes, they're Miss West's girls'.
Incidentally, we had to use the Electrician's Gate to enter Buck House gardens, how many gates do they have? Which other trades are represented?
I was also a Queen's Guide, badge given to me by DR. I must have been a horrible little prig!!!
Katharine wrote:DR was very enthusiastic about D of E, the first girls ever to get Gold were OBs, the first to get it while still at school were CH girls. In my group there were about 12 of us who got Gold at the same time.
The big problem for us was the 18 months of "service to the community" bearing in mind that we were banned from communication with the outside; hence only 2 of us acheivede the double when I was there.
Katharine wrote:I was also a Queen's Guide, badge given to me by DR. I must have been a horrible little prig!!!
equivalent ditto for both Peter and I. They got the Districy Commissioner in from Horsham for the presentation; we had never heard of him before and didn't afterwards.
What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution.
What happens if all of them drown? That is solution!!!
We entered DofE at Silver level and did First Aid and Home Nursing Red Cross courses for service; these were laid on by the school. At Gold level most actually did do service in various places in Hertford outside school. I may have been a bit slow on the update (I was the first in 6s to do it, other houses had had plenty by then). I ended up working in the school kitchens every Sunday - not a happy experience!
Incidentally when I did VSO the school principal had requested a Gold Award holder, preferably one who could teach Maths to A level and Physics to O level. They got exactly what they had asked for BUT ... not what was expected. Even then they could not refuse me on gender grounds, so I faced the challenge of DofE in Northern Ghana. Later I established the girls' award scheme in the country. I doubt if it is still in existence there.
