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Birmingham Childrens' Homes in the 1950s

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hi paul
forhill house was a remand centre and they would be sent there any think from one week to three or four weeks remand
before being taken back to the juvenile courts and if they decided to give the person probation or send them to an approve school
they would be sent back to the centre and await for a postion at a plac called kingswood clasifying school they could be there for about six weeks befor being transfered to ever they would be going to be sent some would come back to birmingham and some would like i said up country such a place called tymawr
just out side abergavenny a village called gilwern just short of brynmawr alot of kids from brum was sent there
but some came back to brum to tennal and st johns erdington but as you know with the child abuse going on most of these homes was ivestigated as we all know
and alot of them have now closed down and justice as been done but hen youthn about in those days peoles atitude was different just like the borstal years early
but peole in punishment so no one cared but to be honest as well paul not all kids was there for theiving some for truant and some whom lost there fathers
whom had to be housed with the bad boys best wishes astonian;;
 
HI BOB ;
Many thanks for your input on this thread regarding the homes of birmingham especaly church lane; because my mother and aunt edith whom was my fathers sister from prk street aston use to work at that one for years ; i just wonder now just how many of these home excist today in brum have you any idea
I am sure this will be good for paul to read and ctch up n his research and may be other memberswill be intrested best wishes astonan alan;;
 
HI BOB ;
Many thanks for your input on this thread regarding the homes of birmingham especaly church lane; because my mother and aunt edith whom was my fathers sister from prk street aston use to work at that one for years ; i just wonder now just how many of these home excist today in brum have you any idea
I am sure this will be good for paul to read and ctch up n his research and may be other memberswill be intrested best wishes astonan alan;;

[h=5]Birmingham City Council has 20 Children's Homes that work with children and young people.[/h]In addition, there are six Children's Homes for children with disabilities and one home known that is a Community Home with Education (CH(E)).

There is more info about present day children's home on the Birmingham.gov website.
 
hi crissypoop
you say cottage homes do you mean erdington cottage homes if so i dont know if you are on facebook there is a group called erdington cottage homes that might be able you
josie
 
thanks for that photo of shenley fields carolina...im sure my aunt said that that is where she was sent to after her parents both died...will check it with her

lyn
 
Hi I'm a newbie here so bear with me if I do anything wrong.
I was resident at Erdington Cottage homes, (1944 (ish) to 1952) in the first home on the right (Sunnyside house if I remember correctly).

The abiding memories are of the kindness of the 'house mother and father' (Mr. & Mrs Hartley.... (again, if memory serves)), the brilliant Christmas parties.... (Fire brigade, police and etc....), scrumping apples (across the bridge near the railway lines), watching parachutists' jumping out of a tethered barrage balloon, having my trousers pulled down in front of the class and my bottom being spanked and being made to chew a huge piece of gristle before being forced to swallow it.... (not sure what I might have done wrong there... (Oh, and that was not the Hartley's either... different house))

Not sure if I may have been a bit of a simpleton but I don't recall it being a bad experience, other than peering through the railings on a Sunday to see if my mum was going to show up- oh, and the smacked bottom and gristle eating episodes...

Names I remember are A young lad called Deakin (might have had his brother with him), my best mate Johnnie Akim (probably lost something in the spelling there... he was asian I think)... and causing some changes in the 'house rules' when I was caught with a young girl, and remember that we were both children of around six or so, checking our differences.... (in a totally innocent way)..... We were not actually told off but it was made quite clear that this was pretty much not the correct protocol....

I did have my picture taken for the Birmingham Mail once, sitting with Mrs Hartley and my favourite-est book ever- 'My Animal Picture Book'. (They don't write em like that any more). Poor old Johnie was supposed to be sitting in on the photo but was off with one or other of the usual 'near fatal' illnesses that pervaded the lives of children of our age... (Happily, he did survive...)
(I'll have a stab at posting that piccie...when I can find it)


 
Hi Bikerboy70. Far from being a simpleton as you possibly describe yourself, you paint a very illuminating picture of your experiences in the homes. It seems to have been a happy place for you & i`m glad it didn`t scar you. I had a army mate who was in the cottage homes, not sure when he was there though. His name was Stan Bowes. Keep smiling.
 
In 1942, when our mother was admitted to hospital, and our father was away in the army, my sister and I were sent to Erdington Cottage Homes for around a month. Because our mother had Scarlet Fever, initially we were confined to a room in the large administration area at the end of drive. We saw no one except the staff that brought us our meals.

Then we were separated. Myself to a house of boys and my sister to a house of girls. The house that I was placed in was on the right hand side of the drive. I recall sitting on the bank of the playing field watching some sports, but most of all, I shall never forget the Sunday morning church service when my sister suddenly saw me, and waved. The response from her teacher/carer, whoever the idiot was, was a firm solid slap around the head.
I also recall lying in bed at night, and talking/listening to stories from those boys around me, who had far less family than I had.

We were so glad to get out of that place, and back to civilisation. It left me with an indelible memory of how lucky my sister and I actually were. Eddie
 
Does anyone remember Bert and Tony Jeavons who were at Masons orphanage from approx 1942 to 1950?? Bert was around 5yrs old then and Tony was about 3. They lived in the orphanage but went to Yenton school..
 
is there a chance that she may have been transported to OZ with the other UK child migrants? Many of these kids were taken without parents/family knowledge. worth a try..
 
re- post 116. I meant to say that the message was for chrissieboop, looking for her Teresa relative! sorry.
 
thanks for that photo of shenley fields carolina...im sure my aunt said that that is where she was sent to after her parents both died...will check it with her

lyn
Hello I'm a newbie. I don't no much about my dads history his parents names I never like to ask those questions as he was at shenley fields most of his young and teenage life through the war, he was born 1937 his name is Eric Luke if anyone out there knows that name id be so great full to see pictures or hear stories of friends. I await in excitement for a reply
 
My husband was in Erdington Cottage Homes from (approx.) 1953 - 1960, aged about 4 - 11, in No. 9, which was adjacent to the clock tower. He says the houses didn't have names in his day - or he can't remember - but from what I've read it was Appledore. He would like to know whether anyone remembers 'Auntie Moseley', who according to my husband scared everyone to death !! She was a helper, not the housemother. He says he was often locked in a bedroom on his own for some misdemeanor or other and says that they would not even let him out to go to the toilet. When the inevitable accident occurred he would be punished again. He considers himself to have been mentally [not sexually] abused. He considers his time spent in Erdington Cottage Homes to be a period of sadness and cruelty. He applied for his file a while ago but was told that it had been destroyed. After Erdington, he was moved at age 11 to a kids home in Grantham, Lincs. where he was very well treated.
 
Hi Rowan,
I was there between 1949 and 1953,my last 'class teacher' was Miss Skivington,was also taught by Mr Pullen.
The sister I am searching for was in Shenley Fields all through the 1950s.
Do you remember a house parent with the name Blackmore please?
Many thanks Rosy
 
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