Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I’ve just read a Cold War espionage novel with several chapters clearly set in a school that’s CH in the 1950s. (This school was also founded after a Spital Sermon encouraging charity, was preached to the Monarch.)

There are references to incidents and persons I recognise including:
• The Chain – Arthur Pullin the Chaplain,
• Buckie - AH Buck,
• Pongo - Eric Littlefield,
• The Headmaster at Horsham - HLO Flecker or “the Oil,”
• The Headmistress at Hertford - Miss Dorothy West,
• Dom Bede (Alan Griffiths OB),
• The OB WW2 poet Keith Douglas and others.

The author, Sinclair Wynchank, is an OB I understand, and was the local contact for visiting and local Blues in Cape Town for some years.

The book deals with much more than spying and is not bad at all, in fact well worth its price ₤10, although no masterpiece. It’s called “FICUS” and is published by Amazon. Has anyone else read it?

This is enough to boggle the mind. AH Buck was my housemaster in the 1950s. Are we to imagine that these people are cast in a kind of Burgess, Maclean and Philby story? Of course Buck was often p*ssed and a rampant groper, so he might have filled the Burgess role.

Interesting that our Headmistress was in the mix.

I don’t often pay that much for a book, nowadays!

The author, Sinclair Wynchank, is an OB I understand, and was the local contact for visiting and local Blues in Cape Town for some years.

Sinclair Wynchank was, indeed, an Old Blue - he was in Barnes B in the late 40s/early 50s at the same time as I was In Lamb B.
We were not friends at school, but conducted a very friendly correspondence in the 2000s. He was a very enthusiastic Old Blue, organised regular get-togthers and hosted Old Blue visitors to South Africa, if he knew they were coming.
Thanks for the heads-up about his book - I will certainly buy a copy.
David

I’ve just bought it for my kindle, £3.00. We have far too many books in this house!

My earlier posting may have given the impression that Sinclair Wynchank is no longer with us. My mistake and I apologise, because he is very much alive and kicking. Sorry about that,
David

Katharine wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 9:21 am I’ve just bought it for my kindle, £3.00. We have far too many books in this house!

I have just started reading the book and have already met Miss Dorothy East the headmistress of a girls school. The first anecdote about her is one I may have posted myself about our Miss West here, not one that most Horsham Old Blues from the 60s would be expected to know!

As you're nearer to my generation Katharine (although your brother exactly) I'm interested to know how things were for the Hertford girls at that time, compared to us. I've heard varying opinions of Dorothy West including one who described her acidly as "that woman".

Thanks for the tip, I will source it and get it read by an aficionada of spy novels.