Whole Holiday

[LongGone]

There used to be what struck me as a very bizarre practice. While we were generally not allowed off school grounds, especially in the first few years, once a year we were forced to spend the entire day away from school. After breakfast we were provided an indescribable boxed lunch and then had to be gone until late in the afternoon. There was no supervision or even suggestions as to what we could do. Some just sat outside the gates until allowed back, others made elaborate travel plans and arranged for activities such as renting boats. Over time there arose a very unofficial contest to see who could get furthest and return in time (with proof). Rumor had it that someone with a relative in RAF Transport Command got to Gibraltar and back. If any of the readers from this period have stories of this, I would be interested in hearing them.

[Foureyes]

I remember the whole holidays as being great events. As I recall it you had to tell the housemaster where you were going and that was about it. One year went boating at Amberley, but best was a day at Royal Naval Air Station Ford, where three of us were shown around the place and taken for a one hour flight in an Avro Anson - wonderful! I cannot remember that anyone was ever late in returning. I thought it was an inspired idea. As my brother and I travelled to school from Devon without an escort from the age of twelve onwards (and in Housie uniform) a few miles in Sussex was no real challenge.

[Mid A 15]

I don't remember whole holidays as such in my time.

The nearest thing I recall was Field Day when we would be dumped in the middle of nowhere and expected to hike to a given location or similar, sometimes at night.

[J.R.]

The Whole Holiday was the day in the summer term most people went to Climping/Littlehampton, surely ?

JH will probably have a sharper memory than me.

[michael scuffil]

I remember the Whole Holiday with a shiver, at least to start with, because I could think of no way of spending it. In 1959, we even had two, as "by command of Her Majesty the Queen" (that's what it said on the notice!) we had another for Princess Margaret's wedding.

Second-year and button grecians had an additional one anyway. On one of these, Mickey Evans (LaA) and I went on a hitch-hiking tour of Sussex. That was totally forbidden and quite fun. On another, a party of us went to see the film of "Tom Jones" in the West End (after we couldn't get tickets for Brecht's Galilei at the Mermaid, which is what we told our housemasters we were doing, and got an extension till 10 pm for this purpose).

I should also put in a word for Mrs Scott, the doctor's wife, who was a very nice person. Her son was in our house, and once she took a small party of us to Butlin's (fairground park) at Littlehampton. (She sadly died before while I was still at the school.)

[michael scuffil]

It occurs to me that Whole Holidays were a standard feature of public school life in those days. I remember reading a Billy Bunter story "Billy Bunter's Banknote", in which a Whole Holiday features -- but that took a more exotic turn than anything we did at CH: the "Bounder" spent it in France and lost all his money in a casino.

There are stories about Evelyn Waugh being a Whole Holiday hater at Lancing. Being a loner, he could think of nothing to do, and after providing some edifying story for his housemaster, spent them lying on the grass in a nearby field.

[J.R.]

I remember the Whole Holiday with a shiver, at least to start with, because I could think of no way of spending it. In 1959, we even had two, as "by command of Her Majesty the Queen" (that's what it said on the notice!) we had another for Princess Margaret's wedding.

Second-year and button grecians had an additional one anyway. On one of these, Mickey Evans (LaA) and I went on a hitch-hiking tour of Sussex. That was totally forbidden and quite fun. On another, a party of us went to see the film of "Tom Jones" in the West End (after we couldn't get tickets for Brecht's Galilei at the Mermaid, which is what we told our housemasters we were doing, and got an extension till 10 pm for this purpose).

I should also put in a word for Mrs Scott, the doctor's wife, who was a very nice person. Her son was in our house, and once she took a small party of us to Butlin's (fairground park) at Littlehampton. (She sadly died before while I was still at the school.)

Not Butlin's, Michael.

It was founded by a circus man, whos name escapes me, but there is still a large statue of him in the amusement area.

This page might bring back some memories for those who haven't been back in many years.

http://www.littlehampton-tc.gov.uk/cgi- ... l?mysql=47

We try to get down there a couple of times a year. Very nostalgic

The new marina and expensive flats and houses are something else !

[Ajarn Philip]

Second-year and button grecians had an additional one anyway. On one of these, Mickey Evans (LaA) and I went on a hitch-hiking tour of Sussex. That was totally forbidden and quite fun. On another, a party of us went to see the film of "Tom Jones" in the West End (after we couldn't get tickets for Brecht's Galilei at the Mermaid, which is what we told our housemasters we were doing, and got an extension till 10 pm for this purpose).

FLASHBACK

I don't think it was 'licit', and we certainly hadn't mentioned it to a housemaster, but Mick McDaid and I skipped off to London one Saturday. I'm sure my memory hasn't failed completely and that we were planning to visit the Turner Exhibition at the Tate. How could anyone possibly punish you for such an admirable goal? When we got there the queue was a mile long, and the cinema round the corner was showing The Exorcist...

It terrified the wits out of me, but when I saw it again over 20 years later it seemed dreadfully tame.

[kerrensimmonds]

Sorry, JR. The amusement arcade/funfair etc. in Littlehampton WAS Butlins (whatever its now called) - and I speak as someone who was brought up in the area from aged 5.
But 'whole holidays' - gulp. I am sure we never had anything like that in Hertford, in my day. Sounds both exhilirating and scary.
Kerren

[Katharine]

Kerren - you well know that Horsham and Hertford were miles apart in so many ways. I have vague memories of my brother talking about a Whole Holiday.

I can remember how we celebrated Princess' Margaret's Wedding, we did have a whole holiday from school but not away from it. We all watched TV on a screen in the School Hall in the morning. In the afternoon there were silly games on the school field with silly prizes. One that I remember was that nobody in the school had a birthday that day but at least two had them the following day Susan Cottingham (6s) and Sheila Cooper (7s) both in my class. They were given a small prize. In the evening the staff entertained us in the School Hall.

[michael scuffil]

In the afternoon there were silly games on the school field with silly prizes.

This is reminiscent of what the "left-behinds" in Horsham had to put up with on St Matthew's Day.

[Angela Woodford]

Can you imagine DR letting us free for a whole day to go anywhere/do anything?

(Although we'd still probably have been banned from that mysterious Greenline bus...)

Guys! You didn't have to wear uniform for your day of adventure, did you?

[J.R.]

Can you imagine DR letting us free for a whole day to go anywhere/do anything?

(Although we'd still probably have been banned from that mysterious Greenline bus...)

Guys! You didn't have to wear uniform for your day of adventure, did you?

In my day, as it was summer term, we wore blazers and grey flannels etc.

What WAS the mysterys of the greenline buses, presumably the 714 which DID go to London ?

[englishangel]

http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/apps/eLear ... ageid=1557

[michael scuffil]

In my day, as it was summer term, we wore blazers and grey flannels etc.

And grecians could wear "civvies". I remember someone reading grace for tea in his civvies (that was fine) but WITHOUT A JACKET!! That caused a hoo-ha.

And english angel, that's how I remember Butlin's Littlehampton in the late 50s.