Rhubarb 2021

marvellous MEMORIES Here are a few delightful anecdotes that OSE have shared with us.We always love to hear stories from the past so please send us any reminiscences.

They say we forget the bad times but remember the good ones. Well, I have mostly forgotten the bad ones including “lock up“ – what a terrible waste of time that was! For half an hour from 6pm each night we were ensconced in our horseboxes doing nothing or virtually nothing, supervised by a House prefect who ensured that silence was observed. Contrast that with memories of the sublime experience of bath night which took place shortly afterwards on one night a week, the bath night rota displayed on the House noticeboard. In Sing’s we had no modern-style baths but metal circular bath tubs, and at the appointed hour 16 of us having either early or late baths, eight in each batch, would go out of Prep, up the stairs to the washroom where we would get out the tubs which hung on a set of brass taps six feet apart from each other. We would fill up the tubs trying to ensure that the minimum amount of cold was put in and then we would all jump in, making the most noise that we possibly could so as to disturb everyone not only doing their prep but also those in South Parade as well. People who have not experienced a tin bath should certainly try it. The floors were all covered in a hard salt-and-pepper marble-like material so you could jump in and out and splash as much as you liked and throw the soap (which had to be shared) at whoever asked for it. When the heat showed the slightest sign of abating you could turn the hot tap on again and top the tub up until overflowing. Most of the time we just lay there soaking up the warmth and singing. My favourite song was Sherry Baby by The Four Seasons as, if you got the right falsetto, it produced the right resonance to fill the whole of Sing’s House with a perfect cacophony. I think that 20 minutes was our allotted time, then we had to get

FEATURE

Including John Broadhurst, Brian Fokes and Lindsay Henderson

SAS TRAINING? Brian Fokes, (Segar’s, 1956-1961) was Senior Under Officer in the CCF. Here he recalls the arduous training programme in the Brecon Beacons where, in his words, they were ‘put through similar conditions SAS soldiers experienced’. We camped overnight on the Beacons but had to abandon the site due to heavy snow. On one of the days, having been dropped from a transport lorry we were given sealed envelopes with instructions. We were behind enemy lines and had to meet at a grid reference. On no account were we to communicate with the locals. Pondering over the instructions which involved a considerable romp, a pig swill lorry came past. Not only was the driver very helpful with directions but a lift was offered. Not wishing to be unappreciative, we accepted the lift and were able to enjoy fine Welsh ales en route. I think we spent the night in a hay barn. BATH NIGHT BLISS! John Alexander (Sing’s,1961-1965) has written about one of the strange quirks from his school days – bath night in the old Sing’s House with the old tin baths.

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