Rhubarb

8 St Edward’S r h u b a r b

Young Love c .1900 ‘My dear Ella, Thanks very much for your letter which I received with Elsie’s yesterday morning. I have started to paint you something but as it is rather a large thing I am afraid I sharnt be able to let

‘…The other day a friend and myself were floating and smoking, when two of the masters caught sights of us from the bank and came running towards us, so of course we chucked the lights away and sank down under the water, and then we swam as far as we could under water and managed to get in some reeds a little way passed the masters…after about a quarter of an hour they went away, and we were able to get out. Fortunately they hadn’t recognised us being some little way off so we have heard no more of it…’ ‘…Hope you won’t laugh at this writing as I have some German and French to prepare before school….’ ‘…We are going away next Saturday to play Bath College, at Bath, which will be great fun I expect so am looking forward to it very much…’ ‘…I hear you are very likely going out to Germany for a short time, again I expect you are looking forward to it aren’t you? I do wish we were all out there together again!’ ‘…I should like to come and stay with you immensely if Elsie comes to England. I don’t much care about going over to Germany as now you aren’t there it takes half the pleasure away…’ ‘…I am awfully sorry I have not written to you for such a long time, but have been very busy working for a horrid exam. Thank you very much for your two letters and especially for your photo, which I have in front of me now, as I write, and which reminds me of some very much better days than I am having at present…’ Our Archivist Chris Nathan discovered that Bertie was a thespian and a sportsman, playing for the School’s Rugby XV and the Cricket XI in 1900 and 1901, and a School Prefect. After leaving Teddies, he attended Edinburgh University to study medicine, where he represented the University at Rugby Football.

School last year by Ella’s great niece, Sarah Chritchley, with help from current parent, Jo Hopkins, for which we are most thankful. ‘…We have had a good deal of snow here and also some skating, but it is all washed away now and the floods are all out…A friend and myself nearly got the sack for smoking the other day. We were in an old barn next to the road, smoking like blazers then we heard someone coming, so we put out our lights and I pulled out a pocket book and began drawing some horses, just to avert suspicion…’

you have it just yet. I am painting it in sepia, so I hope you like that colour…. Yours affectionately, Bertie’ Bertie, or alfred Huberttresham andrew (A, 1897-1902), wrote a series of illustrated letters to a Miss Ella Church, which were recently discovered in the attic of Ella’s old house. Donated to the

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