Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

So what about rugby/games jerseys? In the 50s and 60s every house had a different colour scheme (2 colours and varying patterns, but always horizontal stripes). I can’t remember most of them, but am sure Thornton A had odd colours - orange and purple, in equal stripes, about 2 in. wide. I’m less sure of Middleton A using scarlet and black in 1 in. wide stripes, Peele A mid-blue and white and Barnes A red and navy blue (both houses about 3 in.). And the others?

I gather that during the Second World War, and afterwards, when there was still clothes rationing, each boy had 2 rugby jerseys, but one was blue and the other white.

Are the same colours still in use? Who knows of the history of these colours? When were they chosen and by whom? Do the girls use the same colours as did their former boys’ houses, or did they bring their own Wards’ colours to Horsham?

Much more importantly than the above, do the small girls play rugby, as they do elsewhere (for example at the Dragon School for more than the last 50 years)?

The jerseys were changed in the early 50s -- I remember some very senior people wearing somewhat different jerseys from everyone else. And again in about 1962. But throughout my time I wore the ThB strip of narrow purple and white stripes (this changed to broad stripes of much the same colour in 1961/2). There was a weekly alternation of blue and coloured jerseys. Occasionally there was a mix-up and both teams turned up in blue shirts, but this wasn't supposed to happen.

Until 1955/56 'games clothes' (sounds a strange expression now) were bought from the school shop, which was run by Kit Aitken. Housemasters would buy the clothes for the new boys and bill the parents. 'Cricket clothes' inc. blazers were bought at home and not standardized. From 1956, the school had a contract with John Lewis to supply both.

I can remember:
MaA black and yellow
BaB red and white
MidB black and green
ColB green and white

michael scuffil wrote:The jerseys were changed in the early 50s -- I remember some very senior people wearing somewhat different jerseys from everyone else. And again in about 1962. But throughout my time I wore the ThB strip of narrow purple and white stripes (this changed to broad stripes of much the same colour in 1961/2). There was a weekly alternation of blue and coloured jerseys. Occasionally there was a mix-up and both teams turned up in blue shirts, but this wasn't supposed to happen.

Until 1955/56 'games clothes' (sounds a strange expression now) were bought from the school shop, which was run by Kit Aitken. Housemasters would buy the clothes for the new boys and bill the parents. 'Cricket clothes' inc. blazers were bought at home and not standardized. From 1956, the school had a contract with John Lewis to supply both.

I can remember:
MaA black and yellow
BaB red and white
MidB black and green
ColB green and white

This link from an earlier discussion confirms most of what you say Michael plus a few more.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2737&hilit=rugby+shirts

alterblau wrote:So what about rugby/games jerseys? In the 50s and 60s every house had a different colour scheme (2 colours and varying patterns, but always horizontal stripes). I can’t remember most of them, but am sure Thornton A had odd colours - orange and purple, in equal stripes, about 2 in. wide. I’m less sure of Middleton A using scarlet and black in 1 in. wide stripes, Peele A mid-blue and white and Barnes A red and navy blue (both houses about 3 in.). And the others?

I gather that during the Second World War, and afterwards, when there was still clothes rationing, each boy had 2 rugby jerseys, but one was blue and the other white.

Are the same colours still in use? Who knows of the history of these colours? When were they chosen and by whom? Do the girls use the same colours as did their former boys’ houses, or did they bring their own Wards’ colours to Horsham?

Much more importantly than the above, do the small girls play rugby, as they do elsewhere (for example at the Dragon School for more than the last 50 years)?

I remember reading in The Blue a few years back that the CH Girls won (or reached the final at least) the Schools' 7s at Rosslyn Park so I assume that the girls do play rugby.

Whether rugby is optional or compulsory for girls (or boys these days) is another question.

In the nineteen forties I remember the following House Jersey colours,
Peele A maroon (one colour)
Peele B Green and white
Middleton A red and black
Middleton B green and black
Coleridge A red white and black
Coleridge B red yellow and black
Lamb B blue and white
Maine B black and white

I think the colours changed about 1946; from the ones Kit Bartlett describes above.

Col B changed to red and black when the new colours came in after the war. The choice was made by housemasters. Was Fred Haslehust was tight when he chose Th A's odd colours?