Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I use the word to describe, what used to be called "Civvies" and reading the recent Posts about the quantity of Civilian Clothes required by present Pupils at CH
I reminded me of the time when we were clothed, from Neck (Not Head !) to Toe, in clothing provided by the School.
I seem to remember that my only personal possessions were a pair of Rugby Boots (Cotton Oxfords -- of course !) and a pair of Fives Gloves, with the added luxury of "Inners".

Now I realise that this was Wartime, with Clothes Rationing, and I seem to remember that our Clothes Books and Ration Books were used by the School, during Term Time.

OK for Horsham, but what about Hertford ? -- I cannot imagine that the Girls had no personal "Pretties" in their possession, or did the "Hertford Horror" extend to, even that ?

"MUFTI " -- I assume from the Indian Army -- does Sejintenej know ?

Pretties, Neill? Have you learned nothing about the Hertford regime? The nearest I ever got to having a decent item of underwear was my own, brought- from-home Kayser white broderie anglaise bra because the puke-peach-coloured rags-on-strings that were the official issue were useless if you had anything approaching a "figure"! And I had to keep quiet about it - being well-supported wasn't allowed!

Can't remember about bras, but otherwise no home underwear allowed till 5th form or LV1. In the late 60's ?early 70's we were allowed a set of home clothes for Saturday afternoon. That was it.

Annie. I am well endowed and was so in my teens. I was summoned to Nines for Miss Richards to fit me with a specially brought in bra, not a very happy memory! For reasons I never understood we had to provide our suspender belts but the school provided bras, known a 'B squared' (or was it B squares?)

Neill, as well as the aforementioned we had to provide an asortment of footwear (slippers, house shoes (but NOT outdooer shoes), hockey boots, tennis shoes (but NOT the pumps worn in the gym) and our swimming costumes and rubber hats.

In my time we dod not have any home clothes, except for one evening a year when we wore our own 'cotton dress' for the Founder's Day Dance. This died out possibly when the four term year started and we weren't at school on Founder's Day.

I went for my Oxford interview in school uniform, but wearing my own stockings instead. I would have worn my leaving clothes except there was someong from the Upper VI who did not have any home clothes so we just changed our stockings, not tights. One of my year did go for an interview at another college wearing her leaving clothes and was questioned as to why she wasn't wearing uniform, had CH changed? Apparently it seemed ages before there was an academic question!

anniexf wrote:Pretties, Neill? Have you learned nothing about the Hertford regime?

He has learned nothing about the Hertford regime. "Home Clothes", not "Mufti".

All the accounts about changing on the train, the bitter resentment regarding wearing such horrible garments, changing in the station Ladies, creation of something individual in one's School Needlework, hiding stuff, concealing a precious bit of makeup - frantically changing out of own underwear before squizzing -

He can't have read them! Or else NEILL just wants to hear about it all again.

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I use the word to describe, what used to be called "Civvies" and reading the recent Posts about the quantity of Civilian Clothes required by present Pupils at CH

"MUFTI " -- I assume from the Indian Army -- does Sejintenej know ?

OK so I suppose I gave you some bovine defecation in the past.
I didn't know so I looked it up. A Mufti is a Muslim jurist expert in the religious law. I read that it comes from the arabic for someone who delivers a legal judgement and also that person would have been a civil official to the Grand Mufti. (I kid thee not, and what is the plural of "thee" - thees?).

I guess that a civil official would have been free to wear any clothes rather than formal mosque or palace uniform.

There is a second definition which I quote:

mufti \muf"ti\, n. Ordinary civilian dress when worn by persons who serve in a uniformed service, such as the military or police. It originally was used in reference to British naval or military officers, and originated with the British service in India. [Colloq. Eng.]
[1913 Webster]

Please do not ask that my opthalomologically and religiously challenged cranium be severed from my glutimus maximus for that lump of b***** def*******.

sejintenej wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I use the word to describe, what used to be called "Civvies" and reading the recent Posts about the quantity of Civilian Clothes required by present Pupils at CH

"MUFTI " -- I assume from the Indian Army -- does Sejintenej know ?

OK so I suppose I gave you some bovine defecation in the past.
I didn't know so I looked it up. A Mufti is a Muslim jurist expert in the religious law. I read that it comes from the arabic for someone who delivers a legal judgement and also that person would have been a civil official to the Grand Mufti. (I kid thee not, and what is the plural of "thee" - thees?).

I guess that a civil official would have been free to wear any clothes rather than formal mosque or palace uniform.

There is a second definition which I quote:

mufti \muf"ti\, n. Ordinary civilian dress when worn by persons who serve in a uniformed service, such as the military or police. It originally was used in reference to British naval or military officers, and originated with the British service in India. [Colloq. Eng.]
[1913 Webster]

Please do not ask that my opthalomologically and religiously challenged cranium be severed from my glutimus maximus for that lump of b***** def*******.

Off-duty officers in India and the Middle-east tended to wear cool, comfortable clothing. This often included what we would think of as a housecoat and was seen as looking similar to the formal robes worn by the mufti.

My reply seems to have disappeared. Re Bsquared Bust Bodice = B= Bsquared.

PRETTIES, not allowed. Only 2 pairs of (school provided) knickers a week. So I think most of us followed the 11th commandment.

We did supply our own suspender belts for the winter ribbed stockings, and as long as they were predominantly white anything went.

englishangel wrote:PRETTIES, not allowed. Only 2 pairs of (school provided) knickers a week. So I think most of us followed the 11th commandment.

We did supply our own suspender belts for the winter ribbed stockings, and as long as they were predominantly white anything went.

ENOUGH, ALREADY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll need one of my special pills now...


NURSE ??????????????????

NEILL just wants to read about it all again.

Thank you Ladies ----- I really did not expect such a compehensive description.
The quote that really shook me was "Two pairs of Knickers, a week " ---- as a twice- married man, I find that slightly disgusting !

JR MAY recover !

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:The quote that really shook me was "Two pairs of Knickers, a week " ---- as a twice- married man, I find that slightly disgusting !

How frequently did you get clean underwear at Housey, Neill? (Or does that come under the TMI classification.) We were convinced that Sir harry Vanderpant had paid for an extra set of underpants for Housey boys. Was that just an urban myth?

We thought it was pretty digusting too.

Underwear ----- I seem to remember it was "As Required" --- certainly in my later years, although one would imagine it to be more frequent in the Prep !!

Any other Geriatrics able to shed light on the Horsham Ration ?