Rhubarb

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8 St Edward’S rhuba rb
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
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
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…’
‘…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.
f e a t u r e s