Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

The September issue of The Old Blue includes an obituary for Rev Pullin (aka, the "Chain"). I have no problem at all with the obituary which is well written and most perceptive. However, I am surprised at the heading which is "Chaplain 1959-64" as I remember him well and feel that he was there for most, if not all, of my time at Housie, which was 1948-55.

Is my memory wrong or are the dates at the head of the obituary incorrect?

This should NOT be taken as a criticism of an excellent and well-produced issue of a "must read" magazine.

No doubt Rex will respond with the dates soon, but in the meantime, is it possible he was Assistant Chaplain in your time?

He was certainly there in January 1958 !

Ajarn Philip wrote:No doubt Rex will respond with the dates soon, but in the meantime, is it possible he was Assistant Chaplain in your time?

Possible, but unlikely. One Assistant Chaplain I recall was an Australian named Whitfield, who was responsible for Confirmation classes in about 1953-3.

Foureyes wrote:I am surprised at the heading which is "Chaplain 1959-64" as I remember him well and feel that he was there for most, if not all, of my time at Housie, which was 1948-55.

Is my memory wrong or are the dates at the head of the obituary incorrect?

As I understand it, Ron Pullin was Chaplain from 1950 to 1964. I guess this was just a keyboarding error - someone aimed for the 0 and hit the 9. Very pleased to see John Post's tribute though.

Foureyes wrote: One Assistant Chaplain I recall was an Australian named Whitfield, who was responsible for Confirmation classes in about 1953-3.

Lloyd Whitfeld (not Whitfield) later converted to Roman Catholicism and became a Benedictine monk.

Foureyes wrote: One Assistant Chaplain I recall was an Australian named Whitfield,

Is this Rev Whitfield (Whitfeld) in the 1951 Barnes B photograph that I posted to the CH Photos section?
I think it is, and I remember him as Whitfield... but I have been wrong before!

http://www.chforum.info/pictures/BarnesB1951.jpg

(Edit: I have just spoken to Mike Brittain who was in Barnes B at the same time as me and he says it was Lionel Fredrick Whitfield... then he added "it could be Whitfeld")

Rex,
I agree that your keyboard theory is the most likely explanation and am relieved to learn that my memory was not playing me false.

I also tend to agree with John Knight that the chap with the dog-collar in the Barnes B pic is probably said chap. As I recall, he went in for "Popish" tricks such as confession and incense and stuff, even when at Housie.

As to converting to RC, he is but one of many associated with CH who have done so, starting with Edmund Campion. I have a theory as to why this should happen (I am one who did so), but it would be too long and boring to set out here.

John Knight wrote:Is this Rev Whitfield (Whitfeld) in the 1951 Barnes B photograph that I posted to the CH Photos section?

Yes, Whitfeld was assistant housemaster of Barnes B, succeeding another Australian, <b>Frank McCracken (Staff 48-50)</b>.

John Knight wrote:Mike Brittain …says it was Lionel Fredrick Whitfield... then he added "it could be Whitfeld"

Curiouser and curiouser. The Benedictines (and I think <I>Crockford's Clerical Directory</I>) say his forenames were Lloyd Francis.

To make matters worse, he took the name Gilbert on joining the order, as this obituary makes clear:

http://web.archive.org/web/200301150935 ... feld_g.htm

Pretty confident about 'Whitfeld', though, as that was the spelling used when <I>The Blue</I> welcomed him to the staff, when Barnes B welcomed him in its house notes, when <I>The Blue</I> (and the Chapel) said farewell to him, and in the obit above. (Admittedly his <I>Blue</I> obit said 'Whitfield', but in recent decades, to quote Lady Bracknell, I have known strange errors in that publication.)

Foureyes wrote:As to converting to RC, he is but one of many associated with CH who have done so

Indeed. A striking example was the <b>Rev Charles Hann</b> who left the Horsham Staff in 1950 (was he Pullin's immediate predecessor as Chaplain?) to become principal of an Anglican theological college, from which he subsequently resigned in order to convert to Rome. I have a feeling this caused a bit of a stir at the time.

Foureyes wrote:I have a theory as to why this should happen (I am one who did so), but it would be too long and boring to set out here.

Hope you'll set it out somewhere, sometime. I strongly doubt it would be boring.

Foureyes wrote:Rex,
I agree that your keyboard theory is the most likely explanation and am relieved to learn that my memory was not playing me false.

I also tend to agree with John Knight that the chap with the dog-collar in the Barnes B pic is probably said chap. As I recall, he went in for "Popish" tricks such as confession and incense and stuff, even when at Housie.

As to converting to RC, he is but one of many associated with CH who have done so, starting with Edmund Campion. I have a theory as to why this should happen (I am one who did so), but it would be too long and boring to set out here.

AIUI the C of E in those days had confession (we had to do it before being confirmed - and it was the Chain behind that) and High Church used incense; it was not solely RCs.

As to converting to RC, if they had learned what the Pope got up to with Simon de Montfort then they would not have converted; 100,000 local yokels massacred by de Montfort and his mates and about 1,000,000 French slaughtered by the RC church (aka the Inquisition). A friend who was a RC priest and the tutor at one of their seminaries left to get married - as did a few of his pupils! The stories they tell about it - I'll try to find the web sites!

I don't remember Whitfeld - but I clearly remember Corks who had a healthy thirst.

Foureyes wrote:
As to converting to RC, he is but one of many associated with CH who have done so, starting with Edmund Campion. I have a theory as to why this should happen (I am one who did so), but it would be too long and boring to set out here.

I'd be interested for one.

...but I clearly remember Corks who had a healthy thirst.

]

....and not only for beer and wine, according to accounts prevalent at the time of his (sudden) departure.

Another tack entirely. Was there some sort of arrangement with Australia at the time, because I remember Whitfield and Mc Cracken. and was there not another chap named Mackerras, who was, I think, brother to the famous conductor (orchestras not busses, by the way!!).

What memories! In the words of that great 20th century philosopher, sage and general egghead, Yogi Bear, "I've got that deja vu feeling all over again."

John Knight wrote: I have just spoken to Mike Brittain who was in Barnes B at the same time as me and he says it was Lionel Fredrick Whitfield... then he added "it could be Whitfeld")

Perhaps, as it was just after WW2 he translated the German word 'feld' into field...

Foureyes wrote:and was there not another chap named Mackerras

Yes - this was <b>Alastair Mackerras (Staff 52-53)</b>, later head of Sydney Grammar School. Didn't know about the Sir Charles connection though.

Apparently he (Alastair) wrote an autobiography including his years at CH (<b>Paddie Drake</b> mentioned and quoted from it in the Summer 1999 <I>Blue</I>) but as far as I can discover it's never been published. Does anyone know better?

Mid A 15 wrote:

Foureyes wrote:
As to converting to RC, he is but one of many associated with CH who have done so, starting with Edmund Campion. I have a theory as to why this should happen (I am one who did so), but it would be too long and boring to set out here.

I'd be interested for one.

So would I!