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Lordswood Boys' Technical School

Did you know Jackie Blakemore and Carol Worsey?
Hi Rosie, No I don't recognise those names. Which year did you start? I knew Margaret Heffernan and her friend Anne - maybe a couple of years younger than me. Was Miss Lightfoot still Head when you were there? I have kept in touch with half a dozen or so people I was at school with, and have met up with them on occasions.
 
Hi, Do you mean Miss Whitefoot? She took over from Miss Jenkins sometime when I was in 2nd year.
rosie.
 
I've recently found this site while I was searching for information about a pub I used to frequent when I was younger and it’s brought back a few memories. I was at LBTS from 1961 to 1968 so was a contemporary of some of the contributors. I am Alan Preece and went on from school to do a degree in civil engineering at Aston University and now live in Kidderminster. For those of you who are a bit younger than me, my younger brothers Terry and Ray also went to LBTS and my younger sister Jill went to the girls’ school. I appear in two of the photos that have been posted, the photo of 5A in post #30 where I’m on the extreme left of the front row, and the photo of the upper 6th in post #34 where I’m 4th from the right on the back row. At least I think they’re me, I just don’t recognise myself from those days and I’ve had to ask my wife and daughter to confirm it’s me. In each case I think it’s Neil Burr on my left. I recognise a lot of the faces in the photos and one or two names although I’m guessing a little bit. In the photo of 5A the front row from left to right reads: me, Neil Burr, unknown, Keith Jones, Tom Yates, Peter? Coggins, Robert (Bob) Jones, the rest unknown. In the middle row I think Ron Brassington is 4th from the left and Ray Brassington 2nd from the right. Despite their surname I believe they were unrelated. In the photo of the upper 6th I recognise Paul Turley and Bernard Dooling along with the names already mentioned.

I don’t remember too much from my schooldays but a lot of the teacher names mentioned in previous posts are familiar as is some of the corporal punishment! What a change we’ve seen in the intervening years., some of the punishments would now be treated as GBH.

Before I sign off, I think I know Malvernian (Bill Burton) but not from school as I was a year later but from my work with a consultancy (Haswell) where a Bill Burton did some river and brook consultancy work. If you’re not the same person, it’s a huge coincidence!
 
Hello Alan - welcome to the forum - yes, tis I - and still in Malvern - striding the hills for my daily exercise. Saw teachers Jones (PE), Lee (Music) and Long (German) on a weekend walk up there about 20 - or was it 30? - years ago. I'm still in touch with half a dozen folk from my year - and still happily married to the girl I met at the joint school dance in 1967. I never realised you went to the "old" school - hope you have some memories of the fabric of the school as there's none of it left now - Kier Construction rebuilt it last year. I haven't seen the new school - they had one open day which I missed - and it must be on restricted access at the minute. Found your contributions to the school magazines - Glare of the Sun and Meg Merrilees. I'll message you my current email address - Bill
 
Hello Alan, I remember your sister Jill, My friend knew Ron Brassington and Christopher Smith, I think he's in the third photo #34 with a Beatle type haircut!
rosie.
 
Hi folks,
Tom Yates here and it's great to read all of the stories that relate to my time at Lordswood, 1961-1968.
I am in touch with Bernard Dooling and I've created a Facebook page that you may want to subscribe to also to keep the memories and photos together also. Please check it out. It would be great if we could attract some more members.
I live in New Jersey now with my wife, Ann Yates, who I met during the Iolanthe show in 1966. We are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
 
Hello Tom and everyone,
What a lovely couple of hours I've just had after discovering this website! It's revived some great memories - laughed out loud a few times I can tell you! It took me a little while to realise why I wasn't on the photo of 5A despite being able to recognise so many of the faces and remember a few of the names - I wasn't as clever as you lot - I was in 5B! Bernard Dooling gets mentioned a lot on these threads, a really nice lad who got on well with everybody. As someone mentioned earlier, yes, I did play for Warley Park Rangers in fact, unless my memory deceives me (entirely possible), I think I was one of the original team along with Ray Brassington, Ray Powell and others. I also played with Ray B for Sutton Town Youth which was coached by his father, a lovely man. I've a nice photo of the 1967-68 First XV which I'll post if I can work out how to convert it from TIFF to something this site will accept. Must dash now but I'll check in again later; I've just had a call from my 38 year old son who, since his barber is in lockdown, has just tried to cut his own hair and he wants me to go round and tidy up the mess - some things never change!
 
Hello Tom and everyone,
What a lovely couple of hours I've just had after discovering this website! It's revived some great memories - laughed out loud a few times I can tell you! It took me a little while to realise why I wasn't on the photo of 5A despite being able to recognise so many of the faces and remember a few of the names - I wasn't as clever as you lot - I was in 5B! Bernard Dooling gets mentioned a lot on these threads, a really nice lad who got on well with everybody. As someone mentioned earlier, yes, I did play for Warley Park Rangers in fact, unless my memory deceives me (entirely possible), I think I was one of the original team along with Ray Brassington, Ray Powell and others. I also played with Ray B for Sutton Town Youth which was coached by his father, a lovely man. I've a nice photo of the 1967-68 First XV which I'll post if I can work out how to convert it from TIFF to something this site will accept. Must dash now but I'll check in again later; I've just had a call from my 38 year old son who, since his barber is in lockdown, has just tried to cut his own hair and he wants me to go round and tidy up the mess - some things never change!
I remember you because you had a Lambretta 125 Slimstyle. I can see you now riding into school at the top of the rear playground. 1967.
 
I remember you because you had a Lambretta 125 Slimstyle. I can see you now riding into school at the top of the rear playground. 1967.
Hi Vic,
You have a good memory! Yes I owned a Lambretta 125. When I started at Lordswood in 1961 we lived in Handsworth, the opposite side of Brum from most of the other pupils who seemed to live mostly Edgebaston, Harborne, Selly Oak, Quinton etc. However, the No. 11 Circle bus served me well. But later we moved house to West Brom which made the journey by public transport very difficult so my parents relented and let me buy a scooter. I enjoyed it enormously although I had to eat humble pie once when the police stopped me with a girl on the back - I should have been displaying L plates and she therefore should not have been there! I thought I'd got away with a ticking off but a few days later a policeman knocked on the door at home and I got another dressing down - a verbal clip round the ear by the copper and a rather more physical one from my mum after he'd gone! Happy days.
 
Hi Vic,
You have a good memory! Yes I owned a Lambretta 125. When I started at Lordswood in 1961 we lived in Handsworth, the opposite side of Brum from most of the other pupils who seemed to live mostly Edgebaston, Harborne, Selly Oak, Quinton etc. However, the No. 11 Circle bus served me well. But later we moved house to West Brom which made the journey by public transport very difficult so my parents relented and let me buy a scooter. I enjoyed it enormously although I had to eat humble pie once when the police stopped me with a girl on the back - I should have been displaying L plates and she therefore should not have been there! I thought I'd got away with a ticking off but a few days later a policeman knocked on the door at home and I got another dressing down - a verbal clip round the ear by the copper and a rather more physical one from my mum after he'd gone! Happy days.
 
Terrific to hear from you Steve. I must add to the Lambretta thread - you and I
[ me on the back ] going to a mini Blues Fest. held outdoors at the Midland
Art Centre, Cannon Hill Park, one Sunday afternoon in the summer of "68
[ or was it '67 ]. Alexis Korner, Victor Brox and headliners Peter Green era
Fleetwood Mac on th bill. Remember being blown away, and didn't we bump
in to Stan Grant there too?

A further [school] M.A.C. visit was to a lecture by pop art giants Richard Hamilton,
Jim Dine [USA] and Peter Blake. You were there, I"m pretty sure, as was Bernard
Dooling and the Williamses, John and Steve, plus our art teacher, whose name has
unfortunately escaped me, who organised the visit for a small band of us upper
sixth formers.

I also seem to remember that we both turned out [ '67/'68 ] for South Street Youth
Club, Harborne, on occasion, and I think both Alan Preece and Tom Yates
played for them too.
 
Hi Vic,
You have a good memory! Yes I owned a Lambretta 125. When I started at Lordswood in 1961 we lived in Handsworth, the opposite side of Brum from most of the other pupils who seemed to live mostly Edgebaston, Harborne, Selly Oak, Quinton etc. However, the No. 11 Circle bus served me well. But later we moved house to West Brom which made the journey by public transport very difficult so my parents relented and let me buy a scooter. I enjoyed it enormously although I had to eat humble pie once when the police stopped me with a girl on the back - I should have been displaying L plates and she therefore should not have been there! I thought I'd got away with a ticking off but a few days later a policeman knocked on the door at home and I got another dressing down - a verbal clip round the ear by the copper and a rather more physical one from my mum after he'd gone! Happy days.
We were in the school rugby team as well. I was a wing three quarter.
 
We were in the school rugby team as well. I was a wing three quarter.
Hi Paul, Hi Vic,
Yes, I used to go to the Cannon Hill Arts Centre ( as I think it was called in those days?) quite a bit and I certainly remember seeing Fleetwood Mac there but to be honest, can't remember anything else about the occasion you relate. Nor can I remember the art lecture but I think our art teacher was Mr Hart? And neither do I remember turning out for South Street Youth Club but I was football mad and would go anywhere for a game so that is entirely possible. I enjoyed acting at the Cannon Hill Arts Centre - my first appearance being in Twelfth Night where I doubled up as 3rd sailor, 4th attendant, and a few other minor characters too! Regarding Vic and your memory of rugby: I played mostly in the backs in my earlier years (Bessemer House) and, like you I expect, nearly froze to death on a few occasions. Then one day I got to play hooker and I loved it despite being a bit lightweight. Scrums, line-outs, rucks mauls - in the action all the time, so I never went into the backs again! After school I played a bit for George Dixon Old Boys since our school didn't have an old boys team and after two years finally went off to Uni and played for Nottingham Uni. After graduating my work made regular training with a team difficult so I took up rugby refereeing instead (fitting in my training as and when I had time) and managed to get quite high up the referee's ladder. I mentioned earlier in the thread a photo of the First XV from 67-68, my final year - I'll attach it now and if you're on it please identify yourself (and any others you remember please). I'm second from the left on the front row looking very keen! I believe that's George Foley on my right and Bernard Dooling behind me on the second row. Is it possible you and I were in different yearsLordswood Rugby01 jpeg file.jpg? I think I'm right in saying that players for the First XV were drawn from lower and upper sixth (and occasionally from the 5th year too?).
 
I've recently found this site while I was searching for information about a pub I used to frequent when I was younger and it’s brought back a few memories. I was at LBTS from 1961 to 1968 so was a contemporary of some of the contributors. I am Alan Preece and went on from school to do a degree in civil engineering at Aston University and now live in Kidderminster. For those of you who are a bit younger than me, my younger brothers Terry and Ray also went to LBTS and my younger sister Jill went to the girls’ school. I appear in two of the photos that have been posted, the photo of 5A in post #30 where I’m on the extreme left of the front row, and the photo of the upper 6th in post #34 where I’m 4th from the right on the back row. At least I think they’re me, I just don’t recognise myself from those days and I’ve had to ask my wife and daughter to confirm it’s me. In each case I think it’s Neil Burr on my left. I recognise a lot of the faces in the photos and one or two names although I’m guessing a little bit. In the photo of 5A the front row from left to right reads: me, Neil Burr, unknown, Keith Jones, Tom Yates, Peter? Coggins, Robert (Bob) Jones, the rest unknown. In the middle row I think Ron Brassington is 4th from the left and Ray Brassington 2nd from the right. Despite their surname I believe they were unrelated. In the photo of the upper 6th I recognise Paul Turley and Bernard Dooling along with the names already mentioned.

I don’t remember too much from my schooldays but a lot of the teacher names mentioned in previous posts are familiar as is some of the corporal punishment! What a change we’ve seen in the intervening years., some of the punishments would now be treated as GBH.

Before I sign off, I think I know Malvernian (Bill Burton) but not from school as I was a year later but from my work with a consultancy (Haswell) where a Bill Burton did some river and brook consultancy work. If you’re not the same person, it’s a huge coincidence!
Hey Alan !!!
Good to hear from you.
Tom Yates here. It's a pity most of us lost touch with each other after school. I did keep in touch with Bob Jones for a while but then we lost touch. If you're on Facebook please friend me.
 
Hi All,
Like many of you I stumbled on the site and have just spent a very happy hour sharing your memories of life at Lordswood. My name is Howard Barnett and I was at Lordswood from 1961 to 1966. Unlike many of you I didn’t stay on for sixth form, well nobody invited me to!

You may not remember me because following a traumatic first year when I really didn’t know whether I was on my proverbial or my elbow I adopted a policy of flying below the radar only emerging to represent house (Bessemer) and school in the rugby, cricket and athletic teams!

Naturally I remember many of the teachers. It was Mr Hart’s cool studio with coffee sending its aroma around the art room that made me want to work in that environment, something I ultimately did. I think back on the flying board rubbers, the lashings with Busen burner tubes, none of which I suffered I’m glad to say. Does anyone remember Mr Lewis, swimming teacher, jumping into Harborne baths fully clothed to save a struggling David Butler? My most ignominious moment came when we entered Mr Bond’s maths room. He was sitting slumped in his chair with what turned out to be our homework books in front of him. Without rising from his chair he announced that he was so depressed after marking the first book in the pile that he couldn’t go on! Very rapidly the whisper sped around the room, “It’s yours Barnett.” I think, even at that early stage Mr Bond and I abandoned any hope!

I also remember many of you out there. Steve Allen and I were asked to demonstrate how to pass a rugby ball by Mr Jones - a rare accolade. I was so saddened to hear the passing of many of the lads, particularly Peter Collin, who if I close my eyes I can see bombing down the track to pass the baton to me in the inter-schools relays we ran together.

I’ll leave with a funny story, the only time I had any direct contact with Mr Harkness was at the end of year one when he spoke to the under achievers of which I was one. The only other time was not long after I had left school and had headed into town to buy a pair of snazzy shoes. So anxious was I to wear them that I sat on the wall of the cathedral in Birmingham city centre putting them on. Who should walk past but Mr H. We exchanged knowing glances but chose not to speak. I always thought he walked on thinking.’Ah, that’s right, it was Barnett. I never thought he’d amount to much!’

Finally I enclose a couple of photographs, one of Form 5B and the Athletics team 63-64, on that shot I’m the one taking it all too seriously third from the left, front row.
 

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Hi All,
Like many of you I stumbled on the site and have just spent a very happy hour sharing your memories of life at Lordswood. My name is Howard Barnett and I was at Lordswood from 1961 to 1966. Unlike many of you I didn’t stay on for sixth form, well nobody invited me to!

You may not remember me because following a traumatic first year when I really didn’t know whether I was on my proverbial or my elbow I adopted a policy of flying below the radar only emerging to represent house (Bessemer) and school in the rugby, cricket and athletic teams!

Naturally I remember many of the teachers. It was Mr Hart’s cool studio with coffee sending its aroma around the art room that made me want to work in that environment, something I ultimately did. I think back on the flying board rubbers, the lashings with Busen burner tubes, none of which I suffered I’m glad to say. Does anyone remember Mr Lewis, swimming teacher, jumping into Harborne baths fully clothed to save a struggling David Butler? My most ignominious moment came when we entered Mr Bond’s maths room. He was sitting slumped in his chair with what turned out to be our homework books in front of him. Without rising from his chair he announced that he was so depressed after marking the first book in the pile that he couldn’t go on! Very rapidly the whisper sped around the room, “It’s yours Barnett.” I think, even at that early stage Mr Bond and I abandoned any hope!

I also remember many of you out there. Steve Allen and I were asked to demonstrate how to pass a rugby ball by Mr Jones - a rare accolade. I was so saddened to hear the passing of many of the lads, particularly Peter Collin, who if I close my eyes I can see bombing down the track to pass the baton to me in the inter-schools relays we ran together.

I’ll leave with a funny story, the only time I had any direct contact with Mr Harkness was at the end of year one when he spoke to the under achievers of which I was one. The only other time was not long after I had left school and had headed into town to buy a pair of snazzy shoes. So anxious was I to wear them that I sat on the wall of the cathedral in Birmingham city centre putting them on. Who should walk past but Mr H. We exchanged knowing glances but chose not to speak. I always thought he walked on thinking.’Ah, that’s right, it was Barnett. I never thought he’d amount to much!’

Finally I enclose a couple of photographs, one of Form 5B and the Athletics team 63-64, on that shot I’m the one taking it all too seriously third from the left, front row.
Hi Howard,
Thanks for your memories. I must confess I don't remember being singled out to demonstrate how to pass a rugby ball but it's nice to think I was good at something! Hope you are keeping well.
 
Good morning and Happy Birthday Steve!
Great to see these old school pals chewing the fat. Last time we ran in to each other was at the "Chalet", the back room at the Talbot pub opposite the school main entrance - would have been early seventies.
Hope you are well and enjoying your birthday.
We all seem to have a sad note to add to our memories - Pete Collin, Pete Williams - old chums sadly lost.
You might remember my old fishing buddy, Ed Hadley, pictured in the 5 alpha photo - he passed away after a short illness in 2004.

On a lighter note, I'm still younger than all of the '61 intake - another 2 months until my 70th!

Take care out there Steve and say Hi to your cousin Bill.
I located at last Harborne 60s legend John Ward alias London John, Johnny Parka etc in Bretforton Evesham but sorry to report he passed away in 2019. If you see Rick Springhill at the Roller or on Dudley Road please tell him.
 
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