Puke Fight!

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There was one kid on your year group in Peele A who was complete nutcase. Unpredictable, and just a nasty piece of work...

I assume you mean the guy who was (eventually) asked to leave because he completely lost it one night in his Grecian's year? The only surprise was that he lasted as long as he did. I think he was supposed to have been on a final warning since his 3rd form.

[Pe.A]

There was one kid on your year group in Peele A who was complete nutcase. Unpredictable, and just a nasty piece of work...

I assume you mean the guy who was (eventually) asked to leave because he completely lost it one night in his Grecian's year? The only surprise was that he lasted as long as he did. I think he was supposed to have been on a final warning since his 3rd form.

It could only have been one person - your year group were alright, on the whole - a couple odder than the rest, admittedly...

But when you say "completely lost it one night in his Grecian's year?"- was that on a Saturday night, by any chance...?

[scrub]

But when you say "completely lost it one night in his Grecian's year?"- was that on a Saturday night, by any chance...?

Yep. Can't remember all the details but it involved booze and some other kid(s) getting a beating.

[Pe.A]

But when you say "completely lost it one night in his Grecian's year?"- was that on a Saturday night, by any chance...?

Yep. Can't remember all the details but it involved booze and some other kid(s) getting a beating.

Yes - that's the one - i remember seeing the after-effects - it was a couple of people on my year

[AMP]

I remember a few fights between squits in the Peele B library/quiet room after lunch in the early to mid 90s. The fights were organised by the LE for entertainment, I don't think the 2nd formers were actually wanting to hit or fight anyone. The LE would make up stories of how someone had insulted someone else's mum (this was seen at the time as being the absolute worst possible insult) and would coax the 2nd formers to get increasingly angry at each other. Mr Gladding (total legend) witnessed at least one of these events and was equally amused. Most of it was not serious damage, things like hair pulling and arm slapping. One LE would put on a John Motson voice and commentate.

Ah yes. The sh*t stirring...

"Argh, are you going to take that...he called your mum this, that and the other...

I did see some brutal fights, both in junior and senior houses (and i'm not talking about mere headlocks....)

I saw absolutely nothing at all like this when I was at CH in the 70s. There was undoubtedly bullying but nothing of this sort of vindictive nastiness. The behaviour of these LE was absolutely disgraceful; they should have been severely punished and if they ever did it again then most definitely expelled. What on earth was a teacher (this Gladding creature) doing allowing it to happen? He should have been sacked and banned from ever having anything to do with kids; what a complete and utter tw@t. This is Tom Brown's schooldays stuff and utterly unacceptable.

I imagine the LE perpetrators have gone on to bully their employees and are known for this or else they have ended up in prison. One can but hope!

Totally unacceptable.
Was Gladding Housemaster of PeA after Jeffers?
And let House Monitors administer corporal punishment using bedboards?
What on earth was going on?
No wonder the sexual abusers were able to thrive in such a warped environment.
I am convinced that it would have taken a murder before the school ever contacted the police.

[viejoazul]

In the 40s and 50s we had some very laissez-faire housemasters (eg P Matthews and F Haselhust) and rarely beatings by monitors. But never, never was I conscious of anything remotely resembling the happenings described in this thread. I certainly feel that I was fully aware of things happening during my senior days at CH.

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Was Gladding Housemaster of PeA after Jeffers?

Nope. Jim Endacott got that job and (IMO) he did a lot to change the culture of the house for the better. In my Grecians year, Howard Holdsworth took over from him and continued to improve things. There's only a few teachers from my time there I remember positively and they are high up on that (very short) list.

And let House Monitors administer corporal punishment using bedboards?

I've been hit by/beaten with many different objects at CH, but never bedboards, although given that corporal punishment had been officially phased out when I was there maybe people older then me remember something like that. Even the worst psychos I remember would (probably) not have resorted to boards.

[AMP]

Was Gladding Housemaster of PeA after Jeffers?

Nope. Jim Endacott got that job and (IMO) he did a lot to change the culture of the house for the better. In my Grecians year, Howard Holdsworth took over from him and continued to improve things. There's only a few teachers from my time there I remember positively and they are high up on that (very short) list.

And let House Monitors administer corporal punishment using bedboards?

I've been hit by/beaten with many different objects at CH, but never bedboards, although given that corporal punishment had been officially phased out when I was there maybe people older then me remember something like that. Even the worst psychos I remember would (probably) not have resorted to boards.

Endacott was a good bloke, but someting wasn't right in PeA. There was no bullying and no corporal punishment under Jeffers and certainly Monitors did not have that authority.

Maddren was a nasty piece of work and had anger management problems. Those juniors who were in PeB moved up to PeA in the late 80s early 90s. Strict beatings was their early upbringing.And public dormitory crackings by staff is a new one on me.

This is from the Corporal Punishment thread:

"In Peele B between 1987-89 (and possibly 90), crackings (as I seem to remember calling them) were common. I remember there being 3 types:
1) The staff on duty (although I only remember Flemming doing it) would administer them in the dormitory in front of the the other boys. Mr. Flemming would ask who had a good slipper. Some boys would rush to get theirs if they thought that it was particularly weighty.
2) Dorm monitors (who sometimes were only 1 year older than you) would administer physical punishments in front of the other boys.
3) You would be sent down by a dorm monitor and given a cracking by Doctor Maddren (the house master), and his green flash trainer, with the infamous run up.
I cannot remember how many of the first 2, I received, but it was frequent. I only got Maddren's green flash once, and ironically it was unfairly given.

I didn't have a problem with corporal punishment, but I did feel that method's 1 and 2 often seemed like a show for the boys, who sometimes looked on with glee as someone got punished.

In Peele A in 1990 we were once disciplined by the Grecians with bed boards. Around 1991 the house captain disciplined me, by punching me repeatedly in the face in the dorm until he broke his wrist and had to go to the sicker.

I don't disagree with corporal punishment, but I do believe there are certain principles that can be used to ensure that it is fair, and productive."

[AMP]

Was Gladding Housemaster of PeA after Jeffers?

Nope. Jim Endacott got that job and (IMO) he did a lot to change the culture of the house for the better.

Agree. The culture stunk.

[viejoazul]

Following on my earlier post today, in view of others’ comments on the use of bedboards, to my recollection those very few monitors who did beat (in the 40s & 50s) only used a girdle.

From posts on this Forum, CH obviously deteriorated after the 50s in terms of both degree of violence and sexual abuse. Let’s hope that Simon Reid’s regime will be something for CH to be proud of.

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Was Gladding Housemaster of PeA after Jeffers?

Nope. Jim Endacott got that job and (IMO) he did a lot to change the culture of the house for the better.

Agree. The culture stunk.

Definitely. From the time I started at CH, Pe. A had a pretty bad reputation, so much so that (years later) more than one guy on my year told me that when they found out it was going to be their senior house, they started crying. I was just glad I wasn't going to Th. A.

[AMP]

Nope. Jim Endacott got that job and (IMO) he did a lot to change the culture of the house for the better.

Agree. The culture stunk.

Definitely. From the time I started at CH, Pe. A had a pretty bad reputation, so much so that (years later) more than one guy on my year told me that when they found out it was going to be their senior house, they started crying. I was just glad I wasn't going to Th. A.

There were boys in PeA who suffered from big fish in small pond syndrome. Nobodys who thought they were somebody. Thought it was cool to talk absolute twaddle in the dormitory until 12:30am every night, keeping everybody else awake.

Nothing was sacrosanct:

1.I aways had my rugger boots and trainers taken from my boot locker on day 2 of term. Never seen again. Still don't know where my Mum found the money for them.
2. Sports kit taken from changing room and later found discarded on the floor (if you were lucky)
3. Every clean towel taken from its hook in the changing room, discarded and left muddy on the floor
4.Housey buckle removed from broadie and never seen again
5. Kitchen surfaces left caked in butter and toast crumbs for Smeggy and her husband to clean up daily

Why did life have to be so hard?

[AMP]

I was just glad I wasn't going to Th. A.

Hammerhead. He was intimidating!!

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Why did life have to be so hard?

The state of the kitchen didn't change, but the level of mindless vandalism was definitely lower when I got there, which I'm guessing would be around the time you left?

Stuff went missing all the time but you'd usually get most of it back. In terms of clothing that is, food, batteries, and pens would be gone. If you kept money in an easily findable place, it'd only be a matter of time before you didn't have it any more. Then again, that was my experience in Th B as well and it seemed to be common throughout the school.
Your post made me think more about the place than I have in ages, now that I have, I'm surprised that walkmans and CD players never seemed to get stolen as often. Neither did tapes or CDs, which is odd now I think about it.

[AMP]

Why did life have to be so hard?

The state of the kitchen didn't change, but the level of mindless vandalism was definitely lower when I got there, which I'm guessing would be around the time you left?

Stuff went missing all the time but you'd usually get most of it back. In terms of clothing that is, food, batteries, and pens would be gone. If you kept money in an easily findable place, it'd only be a matter of time before you didn't have it any more. Then again, that was my experience in Th B as well and it seemed to be common throughout the school.
Your post made me think more about the place than I have in ages, now that I have, I'm surprised that walkmans and CD players never seemed to get stolen as often. Neither did tapes or CDs, which is odd now I think about it.

Hemel Hempstead took over ThB from Martin in BaA. BaA was the most lax junior house by a country mile. Nobody gave a damn about anything and their performances on the sports field were risible.

Hemel was a good bloke but too nice really so not surprised to hear that ThB was a riot.

I left not long after the merger, but I'm still shocked at how quickly things got so much worse.

Anything behind a door seemed to be safe, so to hear of money being taken is dreadful.
Tuck in the tuck lockers, dorm wardrobe, dayroom lockers was pretty secure. Amazing with hindsight, as there were no locks.But anywhere else was fair game.

Although the level of antisocial behaviour was intolerable, there was no physical bullying , even in the name of bona fide punishment.

And I was not aware of food denial in dining hall, although it seems to have been going on during my days.

Poulton was my last HM.