Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

My impression (from the latter 70s - LE 79-80) was that the LF was long gone - perhaps around the time of the split into Junior and Senior Houses?

Michael, it wasn't just Greyfriars that had a year called "Shell", when I started at CH my father was chaplain of St George's School Harpenden and they had a Shell, the lowest year of the Senior school. I can't remember the names of any other years there.

LF was still there when I left in 72, so it must have changed between 72 and 77.

It seems to me, that we are relying on the fading memories (Mine included) of Old Blues.

SURELY -- someone in Authority can give us the answer to the question "When did the Forms change ?"

(We have a Moderator in such a position !)

AKAP wrote:LF was still there when I left in 72, so it must have changed between 72 and 77.

"Sport!" on the thread I linked higher up the thread (here again for reference viewtopic.php?f=18&t=838) was at CH from 73-80 so would have entered the LE (old style) in 75 so the LF was still going then.

Mid A 15 wrote:From Christ's Hospital G.A.T. Allan Revised by J.E. Morpurgo (p19)

Off topic slightly, does anyone know what the connection between the author Michael Morpurgo and CH is? One of his books contains a lot of references to the school with "Housey coats" etc and I believe his stepfather (J E Morpurgo as above) was a pupil. Wikipedia does allude to his "unhappy boarding experiences" and he did attend a school in Sussex. I think there is also a Morpurgo prize at CH but I'm not sure if this is something to do with J E Morpurgo or Michael.

Just wondered if anyone knew anything?

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:It seems to me, that we are relying on the fading memories (Mine included) of Old Blues.

SURELY -- someone in Authority can give us the answer to the question "When did the Forms change ?"

(We have a Moderator in such a position !)

Not moi, I hasten to add, Neill !!

Momto2 wrote:

Mid A 15 wrote:From Christ's Hospital G.A.T. Allan Revised by J.E. Morpurgo (p19)

Off topic slightly, does anyone know what the connection between the author Michael Morpurgo and CH is? One of his books contains a lot of references to the school with "Housey coats" etc and I believe his stepfather (J E Morpurgo as above) was a pupil. Wikipedia does allude to his "unhappy boarding experiences" and he did attend a school in Sussex. I think there is also a Morpurgo prize at CH but I'm not sure if this is something to do with J E Morpurgo or Michael.

Just wondered if anyone knew anything?

Rex is the man who knows about these things but I don't think he has posted for a while.

JE Morpurgo is definitely an Old Blue and I vaguely remember reading an obituary in The Blue (or Old Blue) a few years back and I believe there was mention of a Morpurgo prize in his memory.

I don't think Michael ever attended CH but I stand to be corrected.

Thanks Mid A. The references in the particular Michael Morpurgo book are really detailed and I'm guessing his stepfather would have given him these details. Wish I could remember the children's book in question - something about a jungle, I think!

J.R. wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:It seems to me, that we are relying on the fading memories (Mine included) of Old Blues.

SURELY -- someone in Authority can give us the answer to the question "When did the Forms change ?"

(We have a Moderator in such a position !)

Not moi, I hasten to add, Neill !!

I think the forms changed on a number of occasions. One such occasion was in 1961 (or 62?) when
(III)* LF LE UF GE became II III LE GE (fast stream) or II III LF UF GE (slow stream)

The Third Form at this date was vestigial, but did exist (e.g. for people who went up from the Prep at Christmas).

I met J.E.Morpurgo at Hertford in the 70s. He had written a book about Barnes Wallis and both he and Barnes Wallis attended a Speech Day, or some such festivity. I remember being sufficiently gauche and requesting they both autograph my copy.

Morpurgo is a big CH name. JE wrote a number of books around the subject (you can check him out in Who's Blue 1997). He had (at least) two sons - and Linda, the wife of Mark Morpurgo, taught English at CH for a while in circa the 1980's.

Thank you Kerren. I think the Michael Morpurgo book in question is "King of the Cloud Forests" and it's full of references to CH etc. I am guessing that he got the info from his stepfather, JE

AKAP wrote:LF was still there when I left in 72, so it must have changed between 72 and 77.

I was in the Lower Fourth, LFG (BSG) to be precise, in 1975/76 and I am sure we weren't the last year to have a fast stream.

loringa wrote: I am sure we weren't the last year to have a fast stream.

The earliest Blue Book I've still got on my bookshelves is 1978-1979, and the Form List has Grecians, Deputy Grecians, Great Erasmus, Upper Fourth, Little Erasmus, Third Form, and Second Form.

Total boys in GE = 107
Total boys in UF = 134
Total boys in LE = 125

Other (entirely irrelevant) facts:

Average age of forms at 1 September, 1978:

II = 11 yrs 5 mths
III = 12 yrs 5 mths
LE = 13 yrs 4 mths
UF = 14 yrs 4 mths
GE = 15 yrs 4 mths
etc