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B'ham Boarding School 1881

thanx

thanx for your kinds words but things like dont go away when i had the police around at my house afew years it was 1 hell off a shock for my family i kept it all to myself no one else new put the support i had of my wife she was strong i feel so sorry for the other kids as well i just ever wondered what ever happened to them all bill
 
hi bill i'm sorry i havent answered your post a bit of trouble with this gaget called a computer. I too have tried to get on with my life bringing up three great kids and learning them not to make the same mistake that i did i have never hid my past from them and they understand i have not heared from the police since they were in touch with me but i may speak to them again because i am remembering a lot of other things now anyway nice to hear from you can you remember what house you were in i was in york mr smith was my housemaster and mr wells was the deputy anyway tat tar for now.
 
Bobs apprentice brummie:
Just to let you know I to spent 3 years at tennal 1960 - 63 and like you say most of the teachers were hard but fair, my trouble came from two brothers who took great joy out of making my life hell , the beatings these two gave me were many untill the day came one brother left oh boy I gave the one brother left such a good hiding for the last year he never said boo to another child, but I had some good times as well,I to joined the cadets, also the boxing team, but what I remember most was that swimming pool how many children could say they had there own pool at school. You know what through all the hardships I think I enjoyed my time there. Keep well mojo.
 
hi taffy
i have been reading your thread about tennal school it was one of the worst schols you could have gone to for brutataily and the abuse
i knew of one or two lads whom went there in the fifty,s from lady wood i can only give you a nick name you might remember i am not allowed to give you a surname becaused i have been cautioned by the moderaters in not mentionioning surnames
but the nick name was goldie he apparently used to obscond regular
it was during the fifties and he told me some names of these fiends that was working there i beleive the main man of these crimes was brought to book
afew years ago and probably die there the others either moved on or died by now like most of them have done the reason you have not heard any more now for the last couple of years is because they have apprended that many and brought to book across england and wales and some from america was interviewed and sentenced
and operation flight as been closed down iwish you all the best even thou you will nver remove the scars from your mind until the day comes and you pass over
itseasier for people to say whom have never experiences these schools and the traumas of them when you think back in them days people say yes if yonaughty lock them up thats fair comment but not to be abused by staff in that way diaplined yes
if was only for the fact that one lad in south wales from a school in south wales told his parents that alerted the police to investergate and it opened up wide
taffy take care best wishes astonian ;;
 
I was taken in to care aged 7 first to the sand pits, 1937 then erdington cottage homes, 1938? Then shenley fields cottage homes, 1939 ?to end up 1939 in tennal school. I was treated firm but fair in all the homes i went to. I leant to play the conet in the tennal schhol band. Left in 1944 and went on a farm ( ymca british boys for british farms ) in shropshire. Then in 1947 joined the army band the chehire regt. Finished up in the irish guards band from 1956 to 1962. Would love to know of anyone who knew me ????
 
Tom it's so nice to read someone who came through the system unscathed. I do hope you find someone who knew you.
 
hi all
i was sent to one of these schools in 1961 for one month (4 weeks) in kiddiminster, but cannot remember the name, can't remember what I did, but it was'nt anything serious, I remember the matron was kindly, and one the male staff was interfering with some of the boys luckly not me, quite a depressing place I found, but it was summer and it had huge gardens we worked so not so bad, I remember the army cadets in harborne thr royal engineers, did my part 1&2 andreached the exulted rank of l/cpl strange officer ?
regards
paul stacey
 
I was taken in to care aged 7 first to the sand pits, 1937 then erdington cottage homes, 1938? Then shenley fields cottage homes, 1939 ?to end up 1939 in tennal school. I was treated firm but fair in all the homes i went to. I leant to play the conet in the tennal schhol band. Left in 1944 and went on a farm ( ymca british boys for british farms ) in shropshire. Then in 1947 joined the army band the chehire regt. Finished up in the irish guards band from 1956 to 1962. Would love to know of anyone who knew me ????


Hey, Tom, it's Maggie and I know you now! hehe

I was interested in the fact that you wnet into the Erdington Cottage Homes. I'm pretty sure some of my relatives were taken there in the early 1900s and I'm wondering if at that time they had a policy of shipping kids to Canada? Would you know?

God bless,

Maggie
 
There was an approved school for boys in Fordrough Lane. Bordesley Green close to the Post Office Engineering factory. Len.
 
Re: Tennal School

Hi BobS

I am working on compiling a history of Birmingham children's homes at Birmingham's Central Library. If you would be interested in sharing your memories, please let me know as I would be very interested in hearing more about your experiences at Tennal. Many thanks
[email protected]

Hi Lindy,I don't know how old you are but I was at Tennal from 1955 and a half to December 19th.1959.When I was there there used to be a pig farm and two orchards,one just off Balden Road and the other off Court Oak Road. I remember getting up in the early hours of the morning to go scrumping in one or other of the orchards.We didn't need to because as I said previously that we were well fed and looked after so I suppose it was just playing up.I also remember having to get up very early,if it was our turn,to feed the pigs and then,especially in the winter when it was freezing cold,as it was in those days, to go and peel the potatoes for the days meals.There was no heating and we used to have to stand in this outside brick shed for about two hours and when we came out after doing the spuds we had to go and do P.T.I think it is called P.E. these days.I know in later years that Tennal had a bad name regarding paedophiles but there was nothing like that when I was there.All the staff at that time were very strict but also very fair and if you played right by them they were very good.If anyone reading this went to Tennal I would like to hear from you.We all used to have nicknames,especially the teachers,of course,and mine was either 'professor or bulb'.If anyone would like get in touch regardig Tennal I would be very pleased to hear from you.
Regards Bob Shale(70)
 
Re: Tennal School

hi bob
I have just been reading your thread on tennal;
and i have seen the dates you say you was there during the fiftes ;
being you asked if any body whom was there during that period , do you recall a lad whom was a perament
obsconda over the wall with his mates , his nick name was goldie; a blond hair lad
and he and his mates was for ever going over the wall for various reasons ,
and i think you would really know what i meant by dad
you said the staff was half decent and nothink went on . well it must have been quitely kept
before all this scandal of abuse in the homes was and had been carrying on since the year dot.
and because of the stigma of these homes in the way back years
like they called them approve schools .borstal s and hard labour detention centres and prisons
the society and the legal system did not to know and they thought they should not have the right to complain
even the kids parents was to embarres to complain for the thought of letting there neibours are in jail or locked up for theiving in these institutes so they never went to complain how there kids was treated
if joe public heard about it they would have said yes they deserve it flogg them with the cat
so these people whom was to be there carers got away with abusing them
but i have information from way back in the early fifties from such kids whom was interd at tennal
during that period you speak of at that actual time speaking to me in the year of fifty five on wards
when these kids was being abused, but thank god all those tyrants at tennal have all been found and dealt with afew years back and have been punished
on the subject of the lad i called goldie he obsconded and was eventualy transfered to a school in south wales
where he was a happy lad loved to play foot ball and done well ;[i will not reveal is true surname]
but is nick name was goldie ; he his happily marrid and with childremn of his own now
thet ain,t no trouble . but just before i will stop .i will tell you years after in the seventies the slime crept into
the south wales home where goldie went , goldie got out in the sixtys
and one lad there whom was new there was abuse by a member of staff and he was brave to tell his parents about it and through him society and the law became very knowledgeable to the wide scale of such abuse to these kids ,you was lucky .it was only a select few , but through out the country it was on a wide scale
hence the operation flight as it was called then--at las it no longer in operation
thanks for putting your thread on
best wishes astonian ;;;;
 
Re: Tennal School

Hi Astonian
I am compiling a history of Birmingham children's homes at Birmingham's Central Library and am covering the time period I think you are talking about. If you might like to share some of your memories with me, I would be very interested - I can guarantee your confidentiality of course. Many thanks
[email protected]


hi bob
I have just been reading your thread on tennal;
and i have seen the dates you say you was there during the fiftes ;
being you asked if any body whom was there during that period , do you recall a lad whom was a perament
obsconda over the wall with his mates , his nick name was goldie; a blond hair lad
and he and his mates was for ever going over the wall for various reasons ,
and i think you would really know what i meant by dad
you said the staff was half decent and nothink went on . well it must have been quitely kept
before all this scandal of abuse in the homes was and had been carrying on since the year dot.
and because of the stigma of these homes in the way back years
like they called them approve schools .borstal s and hard labour detention centres and prisons
the society and the legal system did not to know and they thought they should not have the right to complain
even the kids parents was to embarres to complain for the thought of letting there neibours are in jail or locked up for theiving in these institutes so they never went to complain how there kids was treated
if joe public heard about it they would have said yes they deserve it flogg them with the cat
so these people whom was to be there carers got away with abusing them
but i have information from way back in the early fifties from such kids whom was interd at tennal
during that period you speak of at that actual time speaking to me in the year of fifty five on wards
when these kids was being abused, but thank god all those tyrants at tennal have all been found and dealt with afew years back and have been punished
on the subject of the lad i called goldie he obsconded and was eventualy transfered to a school in south wales
where he was a happy lad loved to play foot ball and done well ;[i will not reveal is true surname]
but is nick name was goldie ; he his happily marrid and with childremn of his own now
thet ain,t no trouble . but just before i will stop .i will tell you years after in the seventies the slime crept into
the south wales home where goldie went , goldie got out in the sixtys
and one lad there whom was new there was abuse by a member of staff and he was brave to tell his parents about it and through him society and the law became very knowledgeable to the wide scale of such abuse to these kids ,you was lucky .it was only a select few , but through out the country it was on a wide scale
hence the operation flight as it was called then--at las it no longer in operation
thanks for putting your thread on
best wishes astonian ;;;;
 
Hi Margaret, I don't know if you are still interested in the school query, but I can tell you for certain that the school that comes up in St Thomas district as Birmingham Boarding School is the Birmingham Bluecoat Charity School that was based near St Philips. You can see all the records still at the Heritage section in Bhm Central Library. Below is a description of the school - and the aims really worked, as poor boys from my family went there and did really well in later life. It was their records that allowed me to solve the 1881 record problem. I began to suspect that the lad I found there in 1881 was at the school, and compared the staff with staff on the 1871 record for another family member who went there. (The 1871 record makes it crystal clear that this was the Bluecoat School.) The staff were the same, only 10 years older!

"In the year 1724 was erected, on the eastern side of the pleasant churchyard surrounding St. Philip's (Temple Row), the Blue Coat Charity School. The object of this excellent institution was to afford orphans, and the children of the poor, clothing, maintenance, a good elementary education, and religious instruction according to the principles of the Church of England.The Blue Coat School was founded in 1722 by the first rector of St Philip’s William Higgs to educate children aged 9-14 of poor families; 32 boys and 20 girls were clothed, fed and educated. The school was enlarged 1749, 1777, 1782, and largely rebuilt 1794. From1816, 158 children attended. A master taught children reading, writing and arithmetic, a mistress taught girls needlework and housework; in 1866 there was a headmaster, 2 masters and 2 mistresses. At fourteen, the children are removed into the commercial world, and often acquire an affluence that enabled them to support that foundation which formerly supported them."

 
Re: Tennal School

Hi BobS, I was there from 1957 to 1959 The guy in charge of the Pigs was a taffy called Sammy Williams who also had a good deal to do with Boxing team with another man called Hill, the Headmaster was a Mr Heathcoat & his Deputy was a man called Mr Gold Or Golding. I was house captain of Yates. Now what you mean about that Spud shed yes they had a machine but you still had to use a spud pealer on the bits that the machine left.... Hope to hear back from you !!!!!
 
I spent three years from 1970-1973 in Druids Heath approved school in Aldridge .There was only one member of staff that was low life.He later worked at Tennel (nuff said)Apart from that i have fond memories of the place.Bearing in mind that Aldridge was a village back then !
 
hi mick
so in fact it was like an holiday home for the kids but there was no comparison to compare what the kids of tennal had to endenvour all the smutty
staff that was there i beleive there was one or two i also have recorded the taffy man as being very smutty and i beleive he got is come upence in later years
and he was one of the first to be rounded up and still doing his time i will not mentin any names of people
because you mentioned gold or golding gold was the man and golding was the young boy whom suffered a great deal here whom was a persistantly obsconding over the wall
whom spent one hell of a time there longer than nessary but owing to his persistant obsconded told of his beatening when brought back
along with one or two of his mates names i will not mention i beleive at one time during the early years of tennal the walls was high andbig spot lights mounted on thewalls at night to spot any break outs when they first catch them the police would apprend them and take them to moseley rd remand centre wich was more secure than tennal
before being transfered back to tennal for more beating and sexual abuse by a number of staff was employed there at the time
and eventual they got up with the youth of golding so they shipped out far a field to wales the kid was from a poor back ground and lived in hyde rd at that time
in lady wood so he never got to see his brothers or his mother and father for years before he got back to ladywood
and eventualy other kids at a later years complained and the parents started to investigate but it took operation flight from the south wales of abergaveny police
to start all the homes of abuse as it was every where even the one in wales where the young lad complained to his parents of being beaten
and it came to light that previous years at this schol in wales the ladshadsuffered sexual abuse and the polcewent back quite afewyearson this school and they was arrested
and sentence for a long time the head master whiom i cannot name tried to pretend that he was mental ill to avoid justice and he got away with it
but thanks to goldiie and the lad in wales where it started that sparked the nation wide hunt and checks
i can only presume in the1800s and early 1900s kids must haveben heavvy abused but back in them days people used to hide the fact from there neibours that there johny
was locked up in these istitutes and because it was the police they was frightendto say any think or compain to the aurthority but thank god times have changed
best wishes astonion
 
I spent three years from 1970-1973 in Druids Heath approved school in Aldridge .There was only one member of staff that was low life.He later worked at Tennel (nuff said)Apart from that i have fond memories of the place.Bearing in mind that Aldridge was a village back then !

hiya, its been years since i heard anyone mention druids heath school, i have very very fond memories of that place, i went there for the last few weeks of mr a.j.rees,s time as headmaster, after that Mr bright took over and lived in top flat as we called it, i remember THE DOG. as we called him, playin piano ,
i stayed at druids for 5 yrs, i loved it, anyone remember mr preistley ? mr myatt ? and the guy with the landrover?

i also loved going to camp at llanmadoc, absolutley brilliant, i wonder does anyone have one of those glass fruit bowls with druids heath school engraved on it? id give my right arm for one of those, id actually like to meet up with friends i spent time with there, my email is [email protected]

i am very sad that some .... decided to bull doze the place, i did go back a few times to visit after i left, i really did love that place,
 
I spent three years from 1970-1973 in Druids Heath approved school in Aldridge .There was only one member of staff that was low life.He later worked at Tennel (nuff said)Apart from that i have fond memories of the place.Bearing in mind that Aldridge was a village back then !

i remember druids very well, i was there when John Bright took over from A J Rees, I absolutley loved it there, so much that i stayed 5 years, Id love to meet up with anyone there when i was,
my email address is [email protected]
 
I spent three years from 1970-1973 in Druids Heath approved school in Aldridge .There was only one member of staff that was low life.He later worked at Tennel (nuff said)Apart from that i have fond memories of the place.Bearing in mind that Aldridge was a village back then !
I spent 5 glorious years at druids heath school, i actually loved the place, i went there when A J Rees was headmaster untill John Bright took over, he had top flat as it was know with his missus,
we went on holidays to camp at Llanmadoc, do you remember Mr Myatt or Mr Preistley, or Mr Hall who had the landrover, i would be very interested to hear from any former inmates,
i can remember a guy called Ian Askey, bit funny he was, im desperate to get my hands on a fruitbowl which was engraved with druids heath school on it, if anyones got a spare or i can buy one,
my email address is- [email protected]
 
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