Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

It would be good to get a decent collection of house rolls on the forum.

Good idea --- but going back to 1902 ?

I see that you joined Col A as I left Ba B ------ how many of us left, who are still -- a) alive,--- b) interested ?

There is a small collection of House Rolls in the Museum dating from around 1940, What would
be interesting is to have a list of individual House numbers from 1902. I was Coleridge A 20 and know that my two immediate predecessors were T.W.P Briscoe 1935-42 ( killed in WW 2 in Burma) and B.D. Carr 1928-35. I only know this one because his name was pencilled on the reverse side of the bed card which every one had. My successor was J,D. Buxton 1948-56.
I could still recite the house numbers of all Coleridge A members during my time. Are they still in existence I wonder?
Chris Bartlett

Kit Bartlett wrote:There is a small collection of House Rolls in the Museum dating from around 1940, What would
be interesting is to have a list of individual House numbers from 1902. I was Coleridge A 20 and know that my two immediate predecessors were T.W.P Briscoe 1935-42 ( killed in WW 2 in Burma) and B.D. Carr 1928-35. I only know this one because his name was pencilled on the reverse side of the bed card which every one had. My successor was J,D. Buxton 1948-56.
I could still recite the house numbers of all Coleridge A members during my time. Are they still in existence I wonder?
Chris Bartlett

I remember Buxton well. I was one of five who joined Col A immediately after David Rawlins left - 2 from the Prep and 3 direct intake. FWIW I was n°9 which was the lowest number available that year. I have no idea who my predecessor or replacement were.

I can only remember my own House Number ---- Ba B 35.--- I still have a tartan blanket with the "Cahes"name and number, carefully stitched by my Mother !
Although I can remember names, I am blowed if I can remember anybody else's number.
Could this possibly be due to the fact that it was 1940-1946, or, (perish the thought !) that at 83, my memory is failing !!!

sejintenej wrote: FWIW I was n°9 which was the lowest number available that year. I have no idea who my predecessor or replacement were.

I was Ba B 25, successor to Joe Curtis, who left a very good ink drawing of his version of hell, which was on the wall in the Art school for some time. I have a successor on the Forum.
My brother (BaB28) was successor to "Joz" Hillyard, whom I know Roger Lamb is trying to contact.
Can't remember any of the others in my year.

I did overlap with Neil the Notorious by one year as I left in Dec 1947. He played Laertes in Hamlet
I remember.
Chris Bartlett

The CH Blue Books from 1973/74 have a section entitled House Rolls which give numbers of all boys in seniority order. Are these still published? I have a limited collection of these dating from September 1941 until February 1952 (missing 1942, 1949 to 1951) plus five from 1972/73 to 1976/77. The Museum has
a fair number of these dating from c. 1931. Does anyone know if House Roll Numbers are still in use?

Chris Bartlett

Kit Bartlett wrote:I did overlap with Neil the Notorious by one year as I left in Dec 1947. He played Laertes in Hamlet
I remember.
Chris Bartlett

Actually it was Polonius ------- I still have the Blue with the Critique which reads "A shrewd piece of casting " --- Which I have never been able to determine as either a compliment or an insult !!

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I can only remember my own House Number ---- Ba B 35.--- I still have a tartan blanket with the "Cahes"name and number, carefully stitched by my Mother !
Although I can remember names, I am blowed if I can remember anybody else's number.
Could this possibly be due to the fact that it was 1940-1946, or, (perish the thought !) that at 83, my memory is failing !!!

Apart from the Prep house numbers had no significance except for matron trying to dole out cleaned clothes. Everything else was by year followed by alphabetical order including dining table position, bed position, in Col A at least the assigned trade, examination for tinea pedis and tinea cruris, and everything else ........ (I have to write Latin - youngsters might be peeping). Even the trades mon had no interest in house numbers and it wasn't even on your rugby shirt

In Prep A (at least) everything was by house number - position in queues,where you sat at table, bed position .............

I still remember that my number was above my peg, in the changing room (I doubt they exist now !) and also on my lockers, in the Hall and in the Day Room.
One of the "Rites of Passage" was to swing, from one bar of the Changing Room, to the next, without touching the floor ----- it was probably only about 6 ft --
but it seemed a long way then !!

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I still remember that my number was above my peg, in the changing room (I doubt they exist now !) and also on my lockers, in the Hall and in the Day Room.

One of the "Rites of Passage" was to swing, from one bar of the Changing Room, to the next, without touching the floor ----- it was probably only about 6 ft --
but it seemed a long way then !!

Same in my day, Neill !

Gawd help you, if you got caught, though !!

J.R. wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I still remember that my number was above my peg, in the changing room (I doubt they exist now !) and also on my lockers, in the Hall and in the Day Room.

One of the "Rites of Passage" was to swing, from one bar of the Changing Room, to the next, without touching the floor ----- it was probably only about 6 ft --
but it seemed a long way then !!

Same in my day, Neill !

Gawd help you, if you got caught, though !!

Kit and Corks never came in the changing rooms so no worries there. Certainly there was swinging between the bars but also sitting on the bars and falling backwards without holding with your hands (your knees hooked the bar) and various ways of coming off the bard unsafely. Amazingly I never heard of injuries etc.

sejintenej wrote:

J.R. wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:I still remember that my number was above my peg, in the changing room (I doubt they exist now !) and also on my lockers, in the Hall and in the Day Room.

One of the "Rites of Passage" was to swing, from one bar of the Changing Room, to the next, without touching the floor ----- it was probably only about 6 ft --
but it seemed a long way then !!

Same in my day, Neill !

Gawd help you, if you got caught, though !!

Kit and Corks never came in the changing rooms so no worries there. Certainly there was swinging between the bars but also sitting on the bars and falling backwards without holding with your hands (your knees hooked the bar) and various ways of coming off the bard unsafely. Amazingly I never heard of injuries etc.

Don't forget, David - NTF and RJH were both absolute rugby fanatics, so you never knew when their presence would be felt !

sejintenej wrote: Kit and Corks never came in the changing rooms so no worries there.

Bachelor housemasters who never came in the changing rooms?! Can this really be true?