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George Dixons Grammar School

I heard that about 15 years ago, when it was an international college, an old boy of GD did some building work in the tower and was disgusted to find old school photos and records scattered all over the floor.
 
The old pavilion that you mention would have been the King Edwards Five Ways pavilion before they moved to Bartley Green. When we played them at rugby we never used their pavilion but used our own and walked across to their pitch when we were playing away and they did the same when we were at home.
 
The old pavilion that you mention would have been the King Edwards Five Ways pavilion before they moved to Bartley Green. When we played them at rugby we never used their pavilion but used our own and walked across to their pitch when we were playing away and they did the same when we were at home.
I never knew that. Thank you. The Rumsby block didn’t last too long. Say it was built in 1965 and it has now gone, that would be 55 years but I think it was gone before the turn of the century which makes it only a max. of 35 years. Don’t know when it went but might be able to look it up.
 
Thanks for that. When I was at the school, sometimes we went in through the entrance mentioned and sometimes in through a door which faced City Road but was down the side of the main building and only just out of shot in the photo. The tarmac leading to this door is just visible. If you were to go in the entrance shown and continue through the anti-hall, the headmasters room was off to the left. Carry on down the corridor to the end and turn left and left again and you would be at the inside of the alternative door I have described above. This entrance is also not used and I think the idea about traffic might be correct.
The side door that you mention was the bike sheds. In my day they were absolutely full of bikes, the whole length of that path way and even bikes propped up against the wall. As first and second formers that was our entrance entrance to the school to our form rooms in the 'New Wing' built sometime in the 1930s. This saved 200 boys tramping through the ante hall, morning and afternoon.
 
The side door that you mention was the bike sheds. In my day they were absolutely full of bikes, the whole length of that path way and even bikes propped up against the wall. As first and second formers that was our entrance entrance to the school to our form rooms in the 'New Wing' built sometime in the 1930s. This saved 200 boys tramping through the ante hall, morning and afternoon.
Ah, yes. You have jogged my memory. We used the side door with the bikes when I joined the school as a second former going into Form 2B. The form room was one of two back to back and built into an open space and was off the main corridor. I didn’t pass the eleven plus and went to secondary school at Selly Oak Boys school where for some reason I was put into the second form when I should have been in the first form. This happened to several of us who had apparently failed that exam. So, we had a lots of catching up to do. Then, most of us in that position passed the thirteen plus and we went away to various grammar schools. I went to GD and placed in the correct form for my age, the second form, but had to catch up a year of French that I had missed, then, I got promoted to 3A but by then had missed a year of Latin, so had to catch up with that. Just continuous catching up. It could have been easier.

I remember the system for promotion or relegation between streams at the end of the school year. The results of each exam were converted into a percentage and the percentages were added up. The pupils were then ranked in order of the total percentages. The top two were promoted and the bottom two were relegated. Exactly like the old football league. When I was in form 2B, I finished 7th out of about 30 pupils. The top five left the school for various reasons, parents moving away etc., so I ended up 2nd and promoted to form 3A. Catching up and being at a higher level was tough but I survived and went away and got a BSc in Applied Chemistry but ended up working in the computer industry. Happy days.
 
If anyone out there went to GD girls such as Anne Adams, Delema Alexander, Maria Walsh etc I think I was in M house as I remember being in 5M when in year 11. My best friend was Linda Deere and Claire Griffiths. Linda later married a friend of mine. Linda is godmother to my daughter. I left in 1973 in 5th year and couldn't wait. 1972 was the year the school became mixed. We couldn't have mixed lessons as we were original girls only lessons. The boys school had Arnie Shenton, Paul and a few others whose names are lost in dementia moment. Fun times. There was a Mrs Chatwin there when I attended. I missed a lot of 4th year( year 10) due to family issues and they wanted me to do year again, didn't happen. Couldn't wait to leave. Funny though as I have worked in a school teaching for the last twenty years as well as being a Governor. How lives change.
We are trying to find out the purpose of the huge tower attached to the girl’s school. Apparently, you girls used it as a retreat when you needed a fag but it must have had a use before that. Do you know what it was and what was it like inside?
 
I all fairness it was not so much about use, its making a statement in the landscape. Most of these public building were built in the renaissance gothic style. The Gilbert Scott family designed a whole number of both industrial, churches and public building that gave the country its industrial identity.

The renaissance gothic style took the language from the past and built the way to the future. Celebrating new technology and progress,
 
I all fairness it was not so much about use, its making a statement in the landscape. Most of these public building were built in the renaissance gothic style. The Gilbert Scott family designed a whole number of both industrial, churches and public building that gave the country its industrial identity.

The renaissance gothic style took the language from the past and built the way to the future. Celebrating new technology and progress,
I understand that the Victorians like to disguise their less picturesque structures with more agreeable facades but they still had a function.
The function of the tower was of passing interest in the beginning but now it’s become an obsession! I may have to go down there and break in!
 
I left GD the year before you went there. I remember the joint theater, but not the trap door. Some of us girls used to go under the stage in the main hall (with classrooms along each side. Also went up to the top of that tower near the cafeteria.

Pam Middleton
What was the purpose of the tower and what did it look like inside?
It’s been suggested that it is a water tower.
 
As the names mentioned are almost certainly living persons, to respect their privacy could any posts of their whereabouts be sent to David by PM.
Alberta, Hi I'm relatively new to this site and I'm just wondering what you mean by "PM" By way of context for the question: I'm part of a group that left in 1970 so this is our fiftieth year since we left GD. Next year and the year after we are turning 70 yrs old so we are trying to track down our fellow former students. We certainly want to respect their privacy. Thanks Nigel Powell
 
Alberta, Hi I'm relatively new to this site and I'm just wondering what you mean by "PM" By way of context for the question: I'm part of a group that left in 1970 so this is our fiftieth year since we left GD. Next year and the year after we are turning 70 yrs old so we are trying to track down our fellow former students. We certainly want to respect their privacy. Thanks Nigel Powell
pm means private messages,any confidential material.ie names etc must not be posted on open forum. you must send it via,the pm which can be found by clicking the envelope on the top right of the screen next to your avitar
 
Because of his yellow fingers we gave him the nickname Nicotinus Rex

I left school at 16 with 5 O Levels but after a few years I decided that I would go for a university degree for which I needed A levels. Having left school, I had a free choice from the whole A level curriculum so I chose non school subjects which I had covered in my further education studies but needed an exam centre where I could sit the exams so I asked the school if I could go back just to sit exams. David Proctor was the only master who spoke to me on the days I was there. I am glad to say that I got ABB in the exams which satisfied the university.

My sister who was at GD Girls also knew David Proctor because he helped her with A Level Latin as the girls school did not have the staff to teach A Level in that subject.

Talking of Latin, about 25 years ago I attended a weekend residential CPD course. On the first evening as we assembled, as an icebreaker we had a general knowledge quiz. Of the c100 people there, I was the only one who could answer the question 'What is a two word Latin phrase that means the course of one's life?'. Dead silence except for one person who hesitantly said 'Carpe Diem?', and I then said 'Curriculum Vitae'. Gasps all round and even one of the tutors said 'Oh is that what it means'.
I will always remember David Proctor’s yellow nicotine-stained fingers and the permanent smell of tobacco. I liked him, he was a good teacher and nice person. He was left-handed I recall.
He taught me Latin.
David Proctor taught me Latin. However, I struggled partly because I was catching up from missing a year (see another of my posts). He used to get exasperated when he tested the class on vocabulary that was set for homework. He would go around the class, apparently randomly, and ask for the meaning of a word from the lists in the homework, which came from pages at the back of the text book. Quite often I didn’t know the answer but I said that I didn’t know but said that it was the sixth word down on the left hand column on the last but one page, as an example. I can picture him now, about to explode!
 
Ladies and gentlemen can you help?
For those of us went through to the upper sixth and left in 1970 this is our 50th anniversary. And of course either next year or the year after, we all will be turning 70.
Over the last few years it seems that there has been a slowly increasing contact between some of us - even including those like me, who live outside of the UK. So, as we are all now proficient in Zooming and Skyping, some of us thought it would be good to rope in those we have lost track of.
Fortunately, courtesy of the highly efficient Andrew ‘Digby’ Emson we have the 1970 class lists of both the upper and lower sixth ((attached below). Because some of us decided it would be good to do something in that gap between the end of exams and the last day of school.
So we hired a coach and on Wednesday July 15th 1970 thundered down the M1 to London to go and see the musical “Hair” – hence the list.
I’m sure the class of ‘71 are well able to look after themselves – so we are only really interested in the middle two columns. We already have:
Brian Adams, Tom Anney, Andrew Digby Emson, Steve Hazelwood, Garry Hill, Stephen Hines, John Juggins, Eli Leyton (Pedahzur), Malcolm Lyons, Martin McGuinness, David Napthine (aka Mr Nap), John Posnett, Nigel Powell, David Watkins, Michael Wotton
And we have good leads on Martin Elvis and Nigel Garrow
So pre-amalgamation ladies and gentlemen please flood us with intelligence. BUT in accordance with the site policy if you have information please don't post it on this site. Please email me either through the mail icon at the top of the page or direct to my email address: [email protected]
 

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Thanks you for posting on the forum. We strongly advise member not to post their personal email addresses on the forum. The data can be harvested and use for scams, fraud and identity theft. If you wish other members to contact you, then its best if you advise them to use the “Start Conversation” facility we provide. This then protects your privacy.
Thank you for the warning.
 
I was at GD Girls from 65-72. I remember some of the teachers’ names and can add a few;
Miss Yeates - French
Mrs Hatt - Geography
Miss Barber - Music and RE
Miss Berge - French and German
Miss Everett - Chemistry
Mr Wood - French, who was in the habit of slamming the desk lid in front of you if you gave the wrong answer.
I remember a rather large lady who was our form teacher but can’t remember her name.

We were the first year to merge with the boys school for 6th form and I was taught by Mr Harrison for French.
 
Of course I remember the two Pedazurs. Eli went on to become a doctor and was a GP somewhere in the Midlands but retired a few years ago and is no longer registered with the GMC. Michael I didn’t know so well but I remember they both looked very different and lived in Barnsley Road which Leads to City Road so not far from the school. They were Jewish too and I remember their father too and met them socially as well.
I don’t remember Mark Gold at all. Have you any news of them all now?
David, Michael had a stellar academic and advisory career in the USA. He was a recipient of the Presidential Young Investigatory Award for outstanding work in cognitive science. He passed away March this year after quite a battle with dementia. Such a loss.
 
I also remember (but from GD Primary School) the Pedazurs, Brian Adams, Roger Leese and Mark Goldberg.Very sorry to hear about Michael - I remember sitting the King Edward's Scholarship exam with him. Needless to say, I failed!
I was Cynthia Cottrell
 
I also remember (but from GD Primary School) the Pedazurs, Brian Adams, Roger Leese and Mark Goldberg.Very sorry to hear about Michael - I remember sitting the King Edward's Scholarship exam with him. Needless to say, I failed!
I was Cynthia Cottrell
Close to one of the most embarrassing moments of my youth - I couldn't even understand some of the questions - not good!
 
Ladies and gentlemen can you help?
For those of us went through to the upper sixth and left in 1970 this is our 50th anniversary. And of course either next year or the year after, we all will be turning 70.
Over the last few years it seems that there has been a slowly increasing contact between some of us - even including those like me, who live outside of the UK. So, as we are all now proficient in Zooming and Skyping, some of us thought it would be good to rope in those we have lost track of.
Fortunately, courtesy of the highly efficient Andrew ‘Digby’ Emson we have the 1970 class lists of both the upper and lower sixth ((attached below). Because some of us decided it would be good to do something in that gap between the end of exams and the last day of school.
So we hired a coach and on Wednesday July 15th 1970 thundered down the M1 to London to go and see the musical “Hair” – hence the list.
I’m sure the class of ‘71 are well able to look after themselves – so we are only really interested in the middle two columns. We already have:
Brian Adams, Tom Anney, Andrew Digby Emson, Steve Hazelwood, Garry Hill, Stephen Hines, John Juggins, Eli Leyton (Pedahzur), Malcolm Lyons, Martin McGuinness, David Napthine (aka Mr Nap), John Posnett, Nigel Powell, David Watkins, Michael Wotton
And we have good leads on Martin Elvis and Nigel Garrow
So pre-amalgamation ladies and gentlemen please flood us with intelligence. BUT in accordance with the site policy if you have information please don't post it on this site. Please email me either through the mail icon at the top of the page or direct to my email address: [email protected]
OK. I am on list, third column, third row. I will need to think a bit about the names but i do remember many of them. I wonder what was the origin of this list? LS is lower sixth and US is upper sixth but what do the other letters indicate? Maybe I am slow, I usually was and am!!
 
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