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Josiah Mason's Orphanage

JaneBeaty said:
I was there at that time. I think I arrived in 1951 and left at the age of 7 to go to another orphanage in 1954. I have very few memories although reading this thread has been fascinating and has re-awakened pictures from the past. I knew I had seen stuffed animals in glass cases somewhere and was horrified by them but now I know where. The only other child's name I remember is a John Poulton (a naughty boy I think). My other two memories are receiving a tin box of Cadburys chocolates to mark the coronation and sitting at a long table in a sunny room for tea. Oh, and being very worried when I arrived because my mother had been told I could have a teddy bear with me but I didn't have a teddy. I had a panda insted and was mercifully allowed to keep him. My mother has a photograph of me standing outside the big door in my uniform - I must look it out.
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Hi Jane,
I was there 1951 and left about 1956-57
I starting in the Babies group with Miss Bratt. I cried myself to sleep at night when I first started, and whenever I came back after the holidays (On my first night there,Miss Bratt switched the lights on and shouted at us to shut up), I have to say that on the whole, my time there was ok. and I do have some good memories.
I loved the building itself and aspects of it, like the large churchlike windows, the Chapel, and the long corridors with the stuffed animals. (some on here have said they didn't like them) but I thought they were great and so real looking.
We had our own smimming pool. We had swings and roundabouts donated by The Erdington Rotary Club.
We used to go to the chapel one sunday and local churches of different denominations on alternate weeks,
The Babies group were taken to the shops at the 64 terminus Wylde Green on Saturdays to buy sweets with our pocket money (and liquorice sticks to chew from Timothy Whites & Taylors)
When we moved to the older group we were allowed to go shopping in Erdington Village on Saturday afternoon
I loved the times we played with the costumes out of the dressing up box. We sat and played Buttercup and made daisy chains in the paddock, we scrumped apples in the orchard, and climbed trees in the field.
The names I remember are ..... Pat & Pamela Bates, Gwen Davies, Judith Wall, Anne Diamond, Pauline Perry, Christine Johnson, Adrian Roberts......Miss Bratt, Miss Foster, Mr Twemloe, Mr Lorimer (V.Old) and Mr Shillitoe (Headmaster at Yenton Primary)
Does anyone remember me Janet Lea (Always the smallest in class with ginger straight hair full finge.
 
Does anyone have any memories of my great great uncle that was in the orphanage in the 1901 census? His name was Ulan Parker, I wondered why he was sent there, I know both his parents died in 1899 but do not know why?
 
Does anyone know of the Parker family from Aston, they were printers in Aston and its a connection to an inmate of St josiah mason orphanage Ulan Parker who was my great great uncle. I would love any info on this family as I am tracing my family ancestors.
 
Dear Carol
The only Carol I knew was Carol Morris who had auburn hair, and sat on Johnson's Table. You are quite right about Strot, she was a nasty piece of work. We only came in contact with her at mealtimes, but the girls had her for the rest of the time, which I should imagine was pretty rough. Ken Parsons. 1939-1948. Still tasting Rhei.
 
Welcome to my humble website, Ken, nice to see you posting, we must meet up fpr a sherbett sometime.
Jim Pritchard.
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Hi Rachael
I remember your father well. We grew up together in the babies in the orphanage. He left fairly young as I remember. He also had three sisters namely Winfred, Kathlene and Minnie.who were at the orphanage at the same time.. Very sorry to learn that he has passed away. I believe the family came from Bath. If you require more information I would by happy to hear from you. Ken P
 
Hi tylerryan,
I found your post extremley interesting, my time at the orphanage was 1939 - 1948. I found the orphanage OK but my troubles were at the school end with Mr Shillito who loved to cane any border and knew he could get away with it. He was an awful man, who loved poetry, music and art, which I'm afraid was not any of my strengths. I remember the thrashing I took on the stage in front of the whole school because I couldn't recite a long poem. At the opposite end (Orphanage) Mr Cleaver was a disciplinarian but was fair to everyone. He was a man amongst men.
 
Hello

I am researching my family tree and according to the 1871 census my great great grandfather, Joseph Martin, was at SJM Erdington and aged 9. The Roman Catholic Priest at the time was Daniel Haigh. Has anyone any information about this or know where there are any records?

Thanks Christine
 
My experiences were almost the same as yours. I found Mr Cleaver and family very nice but Mr Shillito was a monster. He picked on boarders and not day boys because he knew that he could get away with it. I must have been there the same time as you - 1939 - 1948. My name is Ken Parsons and it would be nice to hear from you.
 
Thank you for the photographes,for me and my brothers who went to Sir Josiah's in the 50s the memorys are very mixed.Would like to meet anybody from that era. I was in Mr Halls Group and my 2 Brothers in Miss Spratts.My number was 30 and Martin 42 Stephen 80 these given to us on arrival. Given the last few days my memory has come to life and I can remember a lot of the time that I spent at SJMO. The dentist the we lined up to see also the barber that cut our hair all in the same shape. The visit to the nurse in the mornings if you did not feel well and the sick bay that I spent some time in with the Mumps.It had a great box of bricks that I spent time with making castles. Remember the Sundays watching a very small television in a big box the programme was Muffin the Mule. Also the concert hall that showed films sometimes together with plays and a Christmas Concert. We also played British Bulldog and other games With Mr Hall in this room or was it just the dining room without the furniture.Our swimming pool was also the place that I learned to swim pushed in the deep end and told to get to the other side I almost drowned, that water was very cold and we all used to shiver stood lined up at the end. I remember the old school before the new one was built with its spiral staircase to the classrooms. We all without exception had to do our chores before school and at the weekend these where extended into long mornings keeping the school clean I do not remember cleaners us pupils did all the cleaning including sweeping all the steeps in the 2 towers. The discipline was tough and if you got out of line punishment was sometimes quiet severe. One posting mentioned that at 5 years of age they spent the night in a cupboard this was not unusual. A lot of the boys in Mr halls Group spent more than a night outside his room until the morning because he fell asleep,he still expected you to be in that same place.The kissing before school I also remember but it used to be a bit more sinister if you became one of his favourites that had special privileges.The inspections after a shower was not good. One of these days given the right time I may put it all down and try to lay the ghosts that still haunt me to this day. Together with my brothers thoughts we did not have a good time as some have suggested that they did .

Best Regards Peter Morris
 
Hi Peter

Welcome to the thread.

I was there between Jan 1950 and July 1952. I can't remember which Group I was in but, would have been aged between 7 years and 9 years old during that time.
 
Hi,
Have updated edited my last post if you would like to read. I was born 9/1/1942 so about your age also .We must have been in Mr Halls group together
 
I am a little younger than you as I was born in December 1942. My memories are almost totally blank of my time there as I can only remember being desperately unhappy.
Strange tho' that I also remember watching Muffin the Mule on TV; the swimming pool and the sick bay as I caught chicken pox from a water fountain in the playground. Others have referred to the stuffed animals in their glass cases in that long entrance hall.
My name during my stay at SJMO was Michael Holmes and my number was 18.
 
Wendy, I wonder if you could repost the pics again you put on which included a plaque as the link has gone down and my relative was there in 1881 please??

Jan
 
Wendy,
Just wanted to say what a great job everyone is doing on this forum including you!!

Thanks

Jan

PS I left you a post on the Key Hill Cemetery thread.
 
Hello everybody and a big thank you to Rowan for starting this thread.
I am very new to this site, finding it 2 days ago while researching family history.
My father attended the orphanage school, but lived at home in Erdington. Was this a common occurance?
I have a copy of the pictures posted by Rowan and also about another 20 others. some of the 1950's
Also a set of photos taken during the demolition.
I will scan them and hopefully post them on the site.
These photos were in my late Aunt's effects and I would like to pass them on to someone connected with reunions etc.
Can someone point me in the right direction please?
By the way, brilliant site!
Bob
 
Yes ,the 'orphans' only made up a small percentage of the school children.
Many of them were too young for school.
I went there between 1948-1953,my sister went between 51/56.I lived in Marsh Lane.
 
Thanks both for the quick replies, I followed the link.
Have visited their website of the Old Masonians and viewed all their photos. I think they have all the post cards I have, so all can be seen there.
The set of photos of the demolition is very sad, so I will mention it in their guestbook

Thanks for information about the day school. My father lived in Somerset road Erdington at the time, (around 1920).Was it a private school and would he have to pay?
Bob
 
wissage.

There was a school attatched to the Orphanage where "orphans" and day scholars attended. If you look at the areial view photograph on the sjmo site you can see the school part on the right hand side of the picture.

I would also like to point out that there were many children in the Orphanage who were not Orphans in the true sense of the word as they had one or the other or even both parents still alive.
 
I have managed to put the photo's back and here is the man himself Josiah Mason.

Josiah_Mason.jpg
 
Hi

I am putting together a book on Josiah Mason's orphanage and I am looking for people who have memories of living or working there. It is very esay to take part, please just send me an email or give me a call.

Many thanks

Gudrun Jane
 
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I am sorry I don't have anything to add as I am searching Sir Josiah Mason orphanage myself as some of my ancestors were there, but I would be very interested in reading your book once put together. Good luck with the book
 
Hi Johanna

Would you be interested in talking to me further about it? I would be quite interested in covering the search for ancestors at the Orphanage as it is the main way that family historians get to know about it. If you are, drop me a line -

Gudrun
 
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My brother Colin Spencer was a day pupil at Josiah Masons in 1938, soon after my parents moved to Erdington from Yardley. He would have been eight years old then. he must have been well looked after and well educated as he went on to the Bordesley Green Tech. and later an apprenticeship at Joseph Lucas in Gt.Kings Street. Ending up as fully qualified jig and tool designer of some merit. Sadly he is no longer with us as he died five years ago aged 76.
 
If anyone has any information to pass to Gudrun could you please do so by Private message, thanks.
 
Hi all,

This is my first posting on a forum! :)

I am interested to find out whether my Nan was at the Orphanage. Can someone please give me the details of how I can find this out? I saw mention of Betty Foster earlier. Would she still be the person to contact?
 
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