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One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'Memories, 1920-1924
After the cramped conditions prevailing in Rigaud’s Little Dorm, it was a joy to have a ‘House’ of my own, even as a Junior. It provided space, comfort and a welcome degree of privacy.
Pasted up in each House were “The Ten Rules of College”- the Magna Carta of Under Elections. I still remember: “Punishment to be by tanning or [for Upper Elections] desking, and in no other way”, and “No servants’ work to be done by any Under Election”. (There were of course two College Johns- and the ‘Nymphs’).
Each House was screened by a red-baize curtain. At ‘Lights Out’ (9:30) Mon. Chaun. and his partner pulled this back (rather farcically!) to make sure all Under Elections were in bed (of course his coming could be nicely timed!). The commonest occasion for a ‘Case’ was to be out of one’s House (even by an inch) after that.
In this picture, note (a) the hat-box, (b) school photos, no doubt purchased from John Brown.
It may also be noted that the ‘floreat’ (i.e. chamber-utensil) has been removed out of sight. This was called “Setting to Rights” and was regularly ordered on Play Nights, to avoid shocking curious guests who peered inside Houses!'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'1918-1924 Ashburnham House & (formerly) Turle’s House
Easily the most attractive aspect of Yard. (Note abundant Virginia Creeper. A pity those ball-topped pillars were removed not long after my time.)
From left to right:
(Ground Floor) A.HH (the largest of the five Houses) with 90+ Day boys): Suts (by door); Notice-boards/ Orderly Room (?): entrance to Dark Cloister, Armoury & Gym.
(First Floor) Lib: Classical Under & Upper Shell Form Rooms (the latter nearest School)
(Top Floor-originally Servants’ quarters) Various Class-rooms, including IV, and (nearest School) Music Room.
(These were not all originally built for the purpose and would be considered totally unsuitable in any Comprehensive School today!)
Yard was laid half with yellow gravel, half with flag-stones; on the latter K.SS still played the obsolescent game of ‘Woodens’, tho’ rather half-heartedly.'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'‘Lib’ was my far the most usual ‘occupat’ for boarders between School and prep. For one thing, most of us (I for one) were too jolly tired after the long day’s work to indulge in any more strenuous activity. That blissful hour of quiet from 5:15 till House bells rang for Tea at 6.10 remains a happy memory. Peace for a while!
Under the austere Librarian Rev. G.H. Nall and his elephantine assistant J.J. Huckwell, the rule of SILENCE was most rigidly observed. Some relaxations were introduced from 1922 under A.T. Willett, when board games such as Chess or even ‘Attack’ were provided.
On wet days, Lib was occasionally a welcome alternative to Station up fields.
We were proud of Lib, and used to boast it contained 10,000 books (!). Of these the most popular were “Dracula” (I never obtained it till my sixth year) and, among humorous works, Stephen Leacock.
The walls of Lib were covered by prints of noted OWW. I was sad (if not surprised) to find these replaced after the War by contemporary art'

1 copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'Memories, 1921-1924 R.S.C
The School Coin Collection was formed in the main by Dr Scott, who presented it to the School in 1874 (see first Number of ‘Elizabethan’). The bulk of the coins were kept in trays in a handy-size cabinet in the H.M.’s house. At some date unknown the most spectacular and interesting specimens were extracted & placed in a glass cabinet in the ‘Coin Room’ up Lib (as shown). They were expertly mounted and labelled by the British Museum, but attracted no interest at all, being badly lighted, under glass and tarnished black.
Tho’ but an amateur, I was given the charge of the School Coin Collection by H.C.W. in Play 1921. I do not think they had been touched since Dr. Scott’s day. The task of cleaning, re-arranging and cataloguing these coins (I seem to remember there were just over 900- Greek, Roman Republican & Imperial, Saxon and English) occupied me till 1929, when H.C.W. kindly staged a small Numismatic Dinner in recognition of this.
It was not till years later I learnt what a superlative collection I had been handling and what a precious possession the School had. (Now “dispersed”?!!**)
I urged H.C.W. that the Cabinet up Lib be dispensed with and the coins in it amalgamated with the main Collection. He understood, but could not agree to this. Result - the Cabinet disappeared without trace during the Evacuation, including ‘OFFA REX’ now catalogued £800.'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'Class Rooms up Ashburnham were of course not originally designed for the purpose. As such they would have given a present-day Minister of Education a heart-attack, and certainly have been deemed unworthy of any Comprehensive or even County Primary School. However, we had no complaints - except about that ultra-gloomy room, on the ground floor (facing out on to Ashburnham Green) where the ferocious and austere E.L. Fox ruled the Upper Fifth with his rod of iron.
As far as I remember, the Class Room depicted was not a (Upper and Lower School, independent of Forms) Form Room, but was used for Sets, till these were discontinued after the arrival of Costley White.
Here in 1918-19 I learnt French under the acidulous W.N. Just and Maths under the doddering Rev. H. Hancock. (Both were ageing men, recalled as temporary members of the Staff to hold the fort while younger Masters were absent on War Service).'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'My recollections of the macabre ‘relics’ (gathered, I think, from Pereira, a fellow KS who had originally been up Ashburnham) are as follows:-
During repairs to Ashburnham House, some years before our time, there were discovered the mummified corpses of a CAT and (its prospective victim) a RAT. How they had met their simultaneous fate none could day. (Were they ‘gassed’ during the Great Fire of Ashburnham in 1731?)
This I remember being told: ‘The Cat was wearing a silver collar.’ (In the photo this appear to be a silver plate on a leather collar. Had anyone thought of it, the hall-mark on this would have given an approximate date.)
About 1923-4 I remember reading (perhaps in ‘House Notes’ in the ‘Eliza’) that “the Cat and Rat had been duly returned to Ashburnham Upper’, amid some mock ceremony. I cannot imagine these ‘relics’ were treasured there for long.'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'1918-1924
Said my Substance (Tony Allpress) to me on my first day, “Pity they haven’y got a P.C. of Rigaud’s like that”. (It wd. not have made so good a picture as this severe but symmetrical structure). It says much for the rigid ‘isolationist’ House system of my time that I only once set foot inside GG in all my six years- and that very briefly for some very special purpose on the last day of Term.
R. Tanner (“The Buck”) was House Master of GG for my first three terms, Major D.P. Shaw for the remainder (1919 till his death from war-wounds in 1924). Grant’s and Rigaud’s were consistently on good terms (having much in common), but about 1922-4 GG developed into a decidedly ‘tough’ House, with a particular antipathy to K.SS (which was reciprocated). This nearly resulted in an ugly scene during Lamprobatics in 1923!'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'Mid-day hall, 1920-1924 R.S.C
My memories of this picture are concentrated on the entrance stairs, where as Under Elections we would congregate to await the arrival and entrance of the H.M. Second Elections stood on the landing, leaning on the rails and watching T.BB assembling in the court below; Juniors stood on the stairs in exact order of seniority. Three Second Elections (including non-resident KSS) took turns to say Latin Grace (“Oculi amnium” etc- Psalm 145, vv15-16)
In my day there was Early Hall (for members of Under School up A.HH or H.BB) at 12:40 pm. Late Hall (for K.SS and Upper School A.HH & H.BB, with Masters) followed at (I believe) 1:15. How we ever got through a meal, got back to our Houses, changed and got up Fields by 2pm for football till 3pm will ever remain a mystery to me- the more so as I do not recall any great sense of hurry.
(It certainly did one’s digestion little good). If I remember, Early School was introduced later (2-3:30pm), giving time to get down to Water.'

One copy annotated on reverse by R.S. Chalk, as follows:
'Memories 1918-1918
To my lasting and lifelong regret, I was not in the Corps. This however did not exempt me as a new boy from twice-weekly parades in ‘B’ Squad I, till I was laid low my Spanish Flu a week or two before the Armistice on Nov 11, 1918.
By that time, Form Drill (as in the picture) conducted presumably by the School Sergeant, had given place to bi-weekly Squad Drill under N.C.O.s in the Corps. Upper School was divided into 8 ‘A Squads’, Under School into eight ‘B Squads’. These drilled alternatively on two days of each week and played in an inter-Squad Football League on the other two (for, curiously enough, Football Leagues were run on inter-Squad lines, not inter-House, in Play 1918).
At the end of that Term an intense inter-Squad Drill Competition took place. The dummy-rifles in the picture (clumsy wooden things) were not used in B Squad Drill. Hopeless cases (some in uniform) were relegated to an ‘Awkward Squad’, teaching only elementary Drill, in yard.
Those not in uniform wore shags over School dress for Drill, T.BB with collars turned up, K.SS with collars turned down (as on all occasions). By 1918, the ‘Shag’ of dark blue was of a less skimpy design than shown in the photo and had a pinkish monogram ‘RSW’ on the pocket.'