Hello again

[shoz]

Hello everyone,
Is this a good time to clear the air? First, I would like to apologise for my behaviour, I think maybe I was being a little over sensitive in what I took to be criticism from you. I can fully understand how strange it must have been to you all, to suddenly have this guy from Manchester asking all sorts of ridiculous questions about CH. I can see how some of you must have thought I was taking the Micky out of your school, your uniform, your community or its traditions. I can say, hand on heart, that was never my intention. So, CH has a 'quirky' uniform; so, it has some strange traditions, like the lunch parade, I personally have never heard of any other school with such a thing, but that is what makes it so interesting to me. I can't think of a single person I know that would be seen dead in bright yellow socks, but not only do pupils at CH spend their entire teenage years wearing them, they become proud of wearing them, along with the rest of the 'strange' uniform. (I never did find out if the socks were still itchy!)
I could easily find out information on my local comprehensive school, but they are ten a penny, and usually they don't make for very good reading. But CH is different; there can't be many schools, if any, like CH in the country and that is what makes it so special. It is so easy to see why many of you are quite rightly proud of the school. From the little I have learned about CH via this forum it is obvious that all is not completely well with CH though. When people start talking about selling off buildings to pay for this and selling off land to pay for that, then that can potentially lead to the end of CH as you know it. I attended a grammar school which had its own sixth form and the grounds of the school included 3 rugby pitches. the local council in its wisdom decided to scrap all grammar schools, close the sixth form and sell off the land for housing development. The school is laughingly known as a 'community school' now and believe me, it is a total mess! I'm not saying this would ever happen to CH but perhaps you get where I am coming from when I say I am genuinely concerned about the future of CH, especially when I read threads about the MasterPlan. I have yet to hear anyone in favour of it. Again, I can hear you all saying, 'why is a guy who has never even visited CH, let alone attended, so concerned?' If I was being totally honest, I am not sure if i know myself. I can say that, given the chioce, CH would have been top of my list of schools I would have wanted to go to, though.
I hope now you understand my silly questions about the school. Anything, no matter how trivial, would be of interest to me. Perhaps I should start a CH Trivia thread?
Well, now perhaps my two most controversial questions. The cat and the beds. As for the cat - Of the three schools I have attended, two of them had full time cats. They were great for clearing mice away. Our school was over 100 years old and rather prone to them. When I started my first job as an engineering apprentice the firm I worked for had a cat that was even included on the company accounts. Maybe it's a northern thing, I don't know. The cat I remember most was a lovely ginger tom at my primary/junior school. he was there the whole time I was there, about 6 years. He was called Wycliffle, after one of the school houses, the other being Cranmer. He was allowed to go wherever he wanted in the school and often sat on the teachers desk during class. I suppose for health and safety reasons it wouldn't be allowed now. And so to the beds - I have a cousin who used to go to an English boarding school in India. His parents worked for the cotton industry and they lived out there for 8 months a year or so. He was never allowed to make, or change his own bed. Soon after the kids got up every morning staff would move into the dorms and make the beds. I know it was India and a long time ago but I hope you can see where the question came from. There was no facetiousness intended, I was just trying to compare with my own experiences and knowledge. Yes, of course I can guess the answer to my question as to who makes the beds these days, but I suppose I can guess anything really. You can't beat hard facts from the horses mouth though.
There is so much I want to know about CH and I realise I will never know as much as you guys. I have no idea what a 'squit' is, or what 'compline' is, I thought that was a drink my mum used to take to bed when she wasn't feeling well!
I know I have rambled on and this message isn't particularly well structured (composition was never my strong point, I would have probably failed the entrance exam to CH!) but I hope I got all my points over and people understand me a little more. But if any of you are still awake, thanks for getting this far!

[J.R.]

Great to have you back, mate !!

Never take some of the comments made on here too seriously !

Some of us use the best skill taught to us by CH - That of sarcasm and cheap wit !

Please join in the banter, and if there are any specific questions or queries, PLEASE PM the individual concerned. I'm sure they will be ONLY TOO PLEASED to help !

John.

[Hendrik]

i don't think we were that offended (i wasn't in the slightest)

i had wondered where you were from, most of the random interest is from the US, but you seemed too intelligent

school cats seem a good idea, we didn't have one, but there were lots roaming the school anyway that belonged to teachers.

fair enough about the beds, though having a servant in India is fairly standard, it ain't here. i bet they don't change their own sheets (or wipe their own @rse) at Eton though.

...and yes that was a very long post!

[shoz]

I will certainly be asking questions, I know there is a lot to learn.
And it's good to be back.

[Richard Ruck]

There you go, then :

Lesson 1 - Attendance at C.H. instils a 'robust' sense of humour.

Hope you understand

[Great Plum]

A 'squit' is a second fomer (IE a first year - or Year 7 in modern speak...)

Confused yet?

Welcome back!

[shoz]

That was another question, lol, why is a first year pupil called a second former?

[J.R.]

There you go, then :

Lesson 1 - Attendance at C.H. instils a 'robust' sense of humour.

Hope you understand

.... and teaches you where good 'real-ale' is sold ?

[J.R.]

Talking of squits !

Anyone else get told about "Squits two teeth-out" when joining Prep ?

[Richard Ruck]

There you go, then :

Lesson 1 - Attendance at C.H. instils a 'robust' sense of humour.

Hope you understand

.... and teaches you where good 'real-ale' is sold ?

It most certainly helps!

[Great Plum]

That was another question, lol, why is a first year pupil called a second former?

Because previous to 1966 (I think) there was a 'prep school' for 9 - 11 year olds and they were first formers...

[shoz]

See, I've only been back 2 minutes and I've learned something already.
Have to sign out now, if my boss knew I had written my mega post in his time I would probably be out of a job now!

[J.R.]

That was another question, lol, why is a first year pupil called a second former?

Because previous to 1966 (I think) there was a 'prep school' for 9 - 11 year olds and they were first formers...

Not in my day, Matt.

You went straight into Prep House at the age of 11, so there must be another reason.

[DavebytheSea]

A 'squit' is a second fomer (IE a first year - or Year 7 in modern speak...)

Confused yet?

Welcome back!

Not in my day. I did my squits in the Prep aged 9. Can't remember what the forms were called in the Prep but I am at this minute studying a piece of basketwork I did in the Manual School while in the Prep. Written in pencil on the base is my name followed by something that is hard to read but might be "V a" (Anyone any ideas?).

After the Prep, you would go in the Upper. There you would be in the 3rd Form now the second form or year 7 in modern speak or (it might be into the Lower Fourth which would be the exactly the same only for brighter kids). Either way, coming up from the Prep you would not technically be a squit. If you came from outside at age 11 instead of 9, you might have been a squit or perhaps in those days squits were Prep beasts only. I can't quite remember.

I hope this has clarified things a little.

[DavebytheSea]

Because previous to 1966 (I think) there was a 'prep school' for 9 - 11 year olds and they were first formers...

Don't think we were ever first formers (see my above posting). And there was certainly no second form in the Upper.