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)