steve carter
Brummie babby
GG Tech was still there in '75 when I got my ONC. I think it's now housing.
Got my HND in Counselling and group therapy from Cambridge Extra Mural (Night school, not as posh as it sounds)
-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
Marsh Hill Boys Grammar Tech School
- Thread starter christopher short
- Start date
Got my HND in Counselling and group therapy from Cambridge Extra Mural (Night school, not as posh as it sounds)
steve carter
Brummie babby
Having Moved to North Carolina in 2007 I still remember immediately thinking about Bernie Platt the first time I saw cotton growing. And still d .
steve carter
Brummie babby
Changed My Nick now, The email account I signed up under is going away. Can't be bothered to run the mail server any longer.
[email protected].
Brummie babby
Hello, just read through all of this Thread and had a lot of Memories stirred. Sadly, not many happy ones. I joined Marsh Hill Grammar Technical School for Boys ,from Yenton County Primary, in September 1965. Class 1A, House, Arden
Teacher Mr Baxter. Register started;
John Adkins ,?, David Arnold , ? Anthony Aston, ? Atherton, William Baker, Colin Banks, Paul Barnard, Paul Bird, Lee Collier, Frank Albert Kenneth Cooper, Roy Copsey, Lee Dalgleish, Robert Devaney...........
After that 1st Year, 2S, 3S,4S, 5S , leaving in June 1969. My Birthday was in September so I was one of the Oldest in my Year Groups and Academically, quite good. Sadly, we were not a well off Family and could not afford the things like Slide Rules and Parker Pens , School Unifoms were , generally Jumble Sale sourced and I took more crap than pretty much anyone else as I stuck out from everyone for looking like a Ragbag. As a result, got bullied relentlessly . No point in mentioning names after this long but one thing I had in my favour was a fast mind and mouth and escaped most attacks with wordy put downs , turning over their aggressive behaviour by pointing out how brave they were , picking on the "weedy kid". Got roughed up a bit but never got on the end of a beating as I refused to square up to defend myself.
I Really was a Fish out of Water as I couldn't join in with the Groups and Clubs due to having a skint Family and suffered for it.
I recognise and remember a lot of the Names of Teachers and Pupils from my time but never got on good terms with any of them as I did just the Education and non of the extra curricular activities.
Sorry to paint a bad picture and realise that I could probably have made better of my time but couldn't find anything that appealed or that I excelled in.
That all said, with no preparation and very little motivation, I walked away with Grade 1 English Language GCE "O" Level and scraped a pass in Geography every other subject got Grade 8 or 9 Fails. Despite this, I went on to an Engineering Apprenticeship at IMI, Witton. I passed through the 4 Years and got my City and Guilds Certificates, and Qualified as Maintenance Fitter, specialising in the Maintenance, Inspection and Repairing of Overhead Cranes, Hoists and Lifting Gear.
So, despite having an abject School experience, the boy, eventually, done good.
Teacher Mr Baxter. Register started;
John Adkins ,?, David Arnold , ? Anthony Aston, ? Atherton, William Baker, Colin Banks, Paul Barnard, Paul Bird, Lee Collier, Frank Albert Kenneth Cooper, Roy Copsey, Lee Dalgleish, Robert Devaney...........
After that 1st Year, 2S, 3S,4S, 5S , leaving in June 1969. My Birthday was in September so I was one of the Oldest in my Year Groups and Academically, quite good. Sadly, we were not a well off Family and could not afford the things like Slide Rules and Parker Pens , School Unifoms were , generally Jumble Sale sourced and I took more crap than pretty much anyone else as I stuck out from everyone for looking like a Ragbag. As a result, got bullied relentlessly . No point in mentioning names after this long but one thing I had in my favour was a fast mind and mouth and escaped most attacks with wordy put downs , turning over their aggressive behaviour by pointing out how brave they were , picking on the "weedy kid". Got roughed up a bit but never got on the end of a beating as I refused to square up to defend myself.
I Really was a Fish out of Water as I couldn't join in with the Groups and Clubs due to having a skint Family and suffered for it.
I recognise and remember a lot of the Names of Teachers and Pupils from my time but never got on good terms with any of them as I did just the Education and non of the extra curricular activities.
Sorry to paint a bad picture and realise that I could probably have made better of my time but couldn't find anything that appealed or that I excelled in.
That all said, with no preparation and very little motivation, I walked away with Grade 1 English Language GCE "O" Level and scraped a pass in Geography every other subject got Grade 8 or 9 Fails. Despite this, I went on to an Engineering Apprenticeship at IMI, Witton. I passed through the 4 Years and got my City and Guilds Certificates, and Qualified as Maintenance Fitter, specialising in the Maintenance, Inspection and Repairing of Overhead Cranes, Hoists and Lifting Gear.
So, despite having an abject School experience, the boy, eventually, done good.
Last edited:
Hi Dave, I was quite saddened to read of your experience at ‘Harsh Mill’ but it got me thinking about my own experience. From the names that you mention I would guess that we were within a year of each other at ‘The Mill’. I also attended Yenton Juniors and for me, that is where the bullying began. I think that it was that I was ‘behaviorally different’ (and somewhat ugly) by the standards of my tormentors; Assembly at Yenton required that you be sat cross-legged on the floor in year order, youngest at the front. When I was in year 3, there was a group of three year 4 individuals who always seemed to be sat behind me and would stick a pin in my backside to try to get me to cry out, which would have attracted the wrath of headmaster Hawkins. On another occasion the same group pushed my face into the wall while I was relieving myself in the toilet. Even after all this time I can think of no explanation for their behavior. The only thing I take some solace from is that in one morning assembly Hawkins announced that one of my tormentors was leaving the school as his family were moving to Australia. A muted cheer went round the assembled pupils. Hawkins declared: ‘that’s not very nice’ but at least it gave me some reassurance that I was not alone in suffering from these idiots.
Fast forward to Harsh Mill; Once again, some pupils seemed to think it was fair game to intimidate others. The staff were either blind to the issue or just couldn’t be bothered to intervene. There was a particular group, a year older than me, who often carried open razors and bragged about their exploits outside of school, most of which was probably made up. I recall one occasion where a pupil had his blazer slashed by an open razor in the playground. You may remember them; they would carve their initials on tables, desks and other furniture around the school, using the first two letters of their first name followed by the first two letters of their last name. JIAN, ALEM, ROSH etc. They obviously thought that Fred Markwell was too dim to figure that out. Not.
I hope that you can reflect on your successes and not spend too much time reflecting on the bad stuff. I went on to get an HND in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and have done lots of things (and been to lots of places) that I doubt my tormentors will ever do or see. My escape moment from them is when I flew under the Verrazzano bridge in a Piper Cherokee (I wasn’t the pilot!). I doubt any of them ever did that.
Fast forward to Harsh Mill; Once again, some pupils seemed to think it was fair game to intimidate others. The staff were either blind to the issue or just couldn’t be bothered to intervene. There was a particular group, a year older than me, who often carried open razors and bragged about their exploits outside of school, most of which was probably made up. I recall one occasion where a pupil had his blazer slashed by an open razor in the playground. You may remember them; they would carve their initials on tables, desks and other furniture around the school, using the first two letters of their first name followed by the first two letters of their last name. JIAN, ALEM, ROSH etc. They obviously thought that Fred Markwell was too dim to figure that out. Not.
I hope that you can reflect on your successes and not spend too much time reflecting on the bad stuff. I went on to get an HND in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and have done lots of things (and been to lots of places) that I doubt my tormentors will ever do or see. My escape moment from them is when I flew under the Verrazzano bridge in a Piper Cherokee (I wasn’t the pilot!). I doubt any of them ever did that.
Phil Gundy
master brummie
Hi Dave and Biscayne. Sorry to hear about your experiences of bullying. A younger cousin of mine had much the same experience at Marsh Hill, although he never opened up about it until years later. I think a lot of what I experienced was low level intimidation, the kind to make sure you didn't step out of line, as it were. My memories are mixed in that I had a few friends in school, but I lived a fair distance away and kept my old friends from primary school. I do remember being somewhat bored, so much so that I counted every hole in those ceiling tiles that were in every room. Interestingly there was talk many years ago about some of our year group getting together for a drink, which I didn't go to because I had an influx of unhappy memories I had forgotten about. Maybe I should have gone. Glad you guys had successful times afterwards.
[email protected].
Brummie babby
Thanks, Phil. I was behind the 8 Ball from the off. The Family didn't have the money to kit me out in decent uniform so I was an easy target. I did find elements of the curriculum quite within my capabilities but just didn't have the motivation due to the ragging that I got. I may be wrong, but it felt like the "F" Stream were guided for excellence over everyone else. There were a good many lads in my Year that were Academically competent, or even good but a lot, also, that struggled, for various reasons.
Water under the Bridge, now. Can't change what's gone. Did well through my Apprenticeship, got a Trade Qualification, worked with a team of Blokes that I respected, which they reciprocated as I was the first person to gain that particular Trade Qualification through an
Apprenticeship, which reflected on them for the help and guidance that they gave me. Had a compete change of career at 25 and continued to work till I retired on my 69th Birthday, due to the Business relocating too far from home for me to want to commute.
No regrets, Life's too short. Maybe I just wasn't cut out for MHT. Most other things went well.
Never been able to look at Pelicans, though.
stephen10
steve
Sadly Ronnie has passed away. He was in the boys brigade in chester road for a few years.
Dave, join the club on bullying. I was there from ‘63 to ‘68, and suffered at the hands of others too. I was the smallest in the class, so seen as easy pickings. They even called me tich, which stuck throughout my time there. Like you, my academic successes were few, with passes at metalwork and technical drawing. I went on to become a draughtsman, and eventually a company director. Now retired, I’m living my best life. Cheers, Simon
Harry Parker
New Member
I remember him, he was funny.
He was also a senior prefect, and very scary!
Mavis66-73
proper brummie kid
Ian Emes died of Leukemia in July 2023, in London
A Sparks
master brummie
Sorry to hear that, I was at the Girls school and he would have been in the school year above me but I didn't recall his name.
He had an amazing career, RIP.
I remember Paul Biggs and Andrew Pratt..I was in your year. Michael CusackBiggs would be meI remember Christopher Barre, Andy Pratt and others.
[email protected].
Brummie babby
I recall Ian Emes, having been picked by our Class Prefect, Keith Harcourt, to help assemble a lot of Ian's works for an Open Day. There was the "Spastic, Plastic Sheep" that was set outside, looking into the Dining area, which also appeared as a Feature in "Compass", the School Magazine, and a large number of Pictures, one of which was a canvas that looked like a frame from a Comic. The subjects in the frame were outline drawn and were coloured in a way similar to how a comic would be printed, in a series of small dots laid Horizontally and Vertically in straight lines but in different colours for wherever they were in the picture. Not 1 out of place and each one, a perfect dot. Must have taken Hours ! Bernie Platt and Mr Ward (I think) who joined the Art Department with Mr Chapman, were very complimentary of Ian.
From A Fleeting Glimpse site (July 2023) Worth watching Ian's The Endless River film, especially if you're a Floyd fan. Some wonderful guitar.
Last edited:
I also remember you Mike. I was in "M" stream '63-'68.
Hello, I have created a link to MHBS class photos from the 1960's, I have colorized them and
added names where I remember. Also some Speech Day flyers.
I could do with some help to add add teachers' names, I only know a few.
(number them 1-43 left to right, top to bottom)
MHBS 1960's class photos
added names where I remember. Also some Speech Day flyers.
I could do with some help to add add teachers' names, I only know a few.
(number them 1-43 left to right, top to bottom)
MHBS 1960's class photos
Chris M Smith
New Member
Hi Chris Smith here - 1969-1974 - I remember all those names - I also remember being one of 4 x Smiths in the same form. Myself , Robert , Richard and Jonathan. Others included Neil Traynor , Clive Mansell , Kevin Hall , Pete Rentell etc.
Happy days and some interesting teachers - Bernie Platt , Pete Burrows , Ken Oliver , metalwork with Mr.Brown , physics with Mr Griffiths.
While digging through my archive of training records and "stuff" today, I came across a few artifacts.
I still have the Children's Encyclopaedia sitting on a bookshelf. It is a wonderful reminder of days when we looked to the future of putting a "man on the moon" and other events that are now past history!
The awards were money paid towards purchases. We added a little to the amount and purchased the encyclopaedia in Corporation Street for what I clearly recall was 15 shillings and six pence!
Our attached Form 1M class photo is a bit dog-eared and I don't recall every name. I have annotated the second image to the best of my recollection. There are a few name omissions and likely spelling errors, but those are as I recall them. Maybe someone recalls the missing faces or has a class list.
With permission, I was working at Wheelers' Timber and Builders' Merchants in Hampton Road during most of my final year, before entering an engineering apprenticeship with Pressed Steel Fisher on Kingsbury Road. I recall Mr. Hellings chasing around the Wheeler's wood shed racks, while Graham Taylor and I both hid out of sight! Some teachers were not in tune with and did not agree with our release from class.
One day, we did go to French class before exam time and Mr. Keatley was so mad that we hadn't been in class. Bernie Platt (RIP) covered for us telling him we were on errands for him. Bernie kept our class in his home room for two years, as he claimed to have us well-trained to his liking. I recall him arriving daily on his white Lambretta scooter, replete with green parka, rather unlike other teachers whom arrived in splendour in their cars.
I believe that Bernie was really way ahead of his time in treating students respectfully and more like adults as long as we didn't make a mess of it. A good dose of Bernie's care and style lives on in my own treatment of the adults students whom I train.
Harry Adcock and I had attended Court Farm Primary School in Tedbury Crescent, Erdington prior to the boys' school.
One of Graham Taylor's sisters, Jill, is my sister in law here in Canada. The last time I visited with Graham was in the early '90s with his wife. He was a police officer at that time, long since retired as I understand it through the family grape vine.
I had a beer and a few laughs with "Bob" Stockwell at the Stockland Inn back in 2004, when I returned to England for my Dad's funeral.
I recognised you immediately Martin. There is quite a striking family resemblance between you, your brothers and dad.
Ha Ha! Roger, the youngest is now baldest by far. I think that Keith the middle brother still has a fair crop on top, but mine is thinning a bit at the front. He followed Dad with his hair loss.
Keith was the head of the physics department at Washwood Heath comp. He and his wife Susan still do exam marking to pay for trips.
I never cared much for physics in school, but as it turned out, I'm the department head and lead instructor for my employer British Columbia Institute of Technology, contracted to GM Canada dealership training in BC, teaching applied physics and advanced electronics in automotive systems! Go figure.
Maybe the class photo will jar a few other memories from our distant past.
BTW, we connected with Tom Lee via phone a few times since he resurfaced!
Take care.
lovely class photo martin...looking at the names of the boys i see there is a michael ullah...think we have a member of that name but dont know if its the same person
lyn
Thanks Lyn. I wish I could remember them all. I recall some of their characteristics and personalities, but unfortunately it's been too long to recall everyone's names! It could very well be the same fellow!
Martin