Sixes and Sevens - July 2024
Herb Hackett OMT (1932-1939)
Herb Hackett attended the school from 1932 to 1939, passing away in 2019 having worked as an Aero Engineer from 1939 – 1962 on the back of winning a Wakefield Scholarship for aeronautical engineering. The Headmaster attended Herb’s memorial service in 2020 and his family recently donated his wonderful scrapbook recording his early impressions of the new school at Sandy Lodge. Herb was probably the last OMT to have attended both Charterhouse Square and Sandy Lodge and his bequest records his excitement at the new facilities, describing them as "literally the most modern public school quarters in the country." The collection of photographs shows the school in its earliest days, with some interesting observations such as "the temporary Chapel" which of course is still in use today and the Dining Hall "where 500 meals are served in half an hour."
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Julias Griffiths OMT
Over the years, we have had many enquiries from researchers. An interesting project is being pursued by David Kennedy, working on a "J. Griffiths, M.D.". travellers in Arabia in 1786. Griffiths attended Merchant Taylors' School in the 18th Century and went on to work in the medical profession and travel. David's work can be seen here:
https://eastofjordan.wordpress.com/2024/02/22/j-griffiths-m-d-traveller-in-arabia-in-1786/
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Etymology of the word "Lun"
The School’s tuck shop at Sandy Lodge was built in 1957 with a bulk store for the catering department behind it and a self-contained flat for the catering supervisor. The etymology of the word “Lun” has long been a subject of debate. For many, it derives from ‘Sally Lunn, who created a Bun recipe and ran a famous tearoom, dating back to the 1680s in Bath…hence the Bath Bun. There appears to be no reference to the term ‘Lun’ prior to the move to Sandy Lodge and it could well be that ‘Lun’ was rhyming slang for Bun, presumably a staple of the tuck shop in the early days.
However, I’d like to throw out another theory – the word Lunn in several northern languages equates to a woodland grove, the Baltic languages use the word to refer to a haven, a place of warmth. Could it be that the tuck shop at MTS takes its name from the warm welcome it has given to generations of starving boys in the Quarter?