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Growing Up In Brum - Roy Blakey Inspired.

Two stretches of water attracted us for dam building, the stream, Westley Brook in Fox Hollies park and R.Cole at Trittiford Mill. Both a good distance from Tyseley for a 7 year old to cycle, but there was a lot less traffic in 1940's
 
On 1937 I had my one first brief view of the sea. My mother had taken me down to Porthcawl to see my father, who was down there with the Territorial Army, Did not visit the seaside again for another eleven years.

I have to admit that I cannot recall attempting to dam a river flow, but I certainly remember, after a rainfall, of attempting to block water that was running along the gutters, from entering the drain system. Much fun would be had of building a small dam around the drain. In the end, to no avail, the rain always winning. However, it was all innocent childhood fun.

Eddie
 
Good afternoon Eddie,

That was what boosted our immune systems. Nowadays it would be "come out of the gutter or come away from that dirty drain"! :)

Maurice
 
Gutters could be fun.

Going to school, and back home, often twice a day, I once found a penny lying in the gutter. I then started to keep an eye out for coins in the gutter. It literally paid off, I did find a 'threpennybit', and a sixpence on other occasions. I suspect they may have been dropped by visiting tradesmen collecting money; i.e the local baker, milkman or coal merchant.

In those days, a sixpence was a treasure trove find.

Eddie
 
image.jpeg " Timely breaks ".
Time period : 1940's.
Following a couple of stiff classroom lessons, it was, for most of the children, a joy to escape to the school playground for the mid-morning and the mid-afternoon break periods.
This was where the children had the chance to play a few quick games and mix with some of the other kids.
At the sound of the " break " bell all the children were expected to leave their school classrooms and take to the school playground.
For the most part, various little area's of the playground quickly became " gamespaces"for the various " like minded " groups.
The boys seemed to favour the activities that either involved a fair bit of dashing around or those that had a bit of rough and tough physical contact.
The girls, it seemed, were almost the opposite. They tended to favour the more sedate and precise activities such as " skilful skipping " , anything that called for clever footwork or anything that called for a more gentle approach.
Others, of the school population, that weren't of the activity type, could enjoy their playground break period taking part in " chats " and " little discussions with their like minded friends,swopping " jokes " and " stories " and generally " chewing the fat ", made for a nice break for them too.
In general the boys did their own thing. The girls had their separate interests.
You can imagine the girls not seeing the possibility of the boys being able to join in their games because " The boys can't do proper handstands and neither can they skip properly, they're a bit rough when they're playing games anyway ".
From the boys it probably went something like " The girls can't kick, or throw a ball properly to save their lives. They're a bit soft as well. Not much good for our games really ".
What happened on rainy days ?
Trying to recall such days, I think that the procedure at our school was for we children to move out of our classrooms and gather ( packed to-gether, Sardine style ) under the shelter of the veranda roof that ran around the school class rooms, desperately hopeing that the weather would ease up so that we could get out onto the " playground ".
On good weather days ( and there seemed to be plenty of them, thank goodness ) it always seemed to come too soon as one of the teachers wandered out to the central area of the playground and commenced to ring the old hand bell to signal the end of the " break " period and summon us all to form " lines" in front of our class rooms.
Looking back at these school break periods. Did they have the right " regenerative " effects ?
Absolutely.
Were we " Refreshed ".
Absolutely.
Were we ready to absorb some more " Scholastics ".
Absolutely.
BRING ON THE " ALGEBRA ", We're ready to have another crack at it.
 
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Interesting, Roy. At College Road, Infants and Juniors, I can't remember many games being played among the boys, though the girls was much as you described it. I can remember a few fights breaking out between individual boys, generally someone challenging the "cock of the Juniors", in my times a nice & normally peaceful guy called Johnnie Reeves, though not one to ignore a challenge.

When I moved to Moseley Grammar, an all boys school, things were more or less peaceful and boys gathered in groups to discuss things of mutual interest, such as amateur radio or cricket. Occasionally someone was de-bagged in one of the old air raid shelters, which still existed at that time, but it was all innocent fun and something to put the frighteners on some timid boy in the first year! A couple of boys might occasionally have a quick smoke in the cycle sheds, but it was generally frowned upon. I think they just kept us too busy, and there were lots of after school activities, for us to get into any real trouble.

Maurice
 
Wonderful memories Roy.

Winter, or cold days, we would play football with whoever produced the tennis ball. The covered veranda posts being the goalposts. In the summer, the veranda posts became the wicket, but still with the same type tennis ball.

Although I had breaks away from the school, I attended Golden Hillock Road school, in both the juniors and the seniors. At break, or lunch time, the girls would use one playground, and the boys the other. Just iron fencing, and a gate separating the junior & senior playgrounds.

As Maurice has already said, there would be the odd fight, sometimes we would be aware of it, and would all congregate excitedly in the playground, ready to watch the two contestants. Never anything serious, more to see who was top dog. The crowd would disperse when the 'duty teacher' approached the group. End of 'playtime' was the whistle, and we had to line up in our class group before going back into school for more lessons.
The boys washroom was toilets, with a row of washbasins, and hooks for us to put our overcoat, or mackintosh.

There was never a parked car in sight, just a few bicycles. The pupils, and the teachers would all live locally. However, on a trip back to 'Brum', around fifteen years ago, I visited Golden Hillock Road School, and what was our 'playground, was a huge car park. I assume the pupils were all still local children, but obviously the teachers no longer used the bus, and did not live locally. Probably unable to carry the immense pile of 21st century paperwork with them !

Eddie

How times have changed
 
Went to a "Secondary Modern", school never even heard of (Algebra), knew nothing of it at all, that's until I went to night school for computer science, had to learn fast "Gate Logic", and Boolean. Paul
 
Comment to " adap2it ".
Dave, your " glarnies and badges " mention.
This WAS another addition to the school playground activities of the time.
It was very popular at our school, for sure.
If you have a moment, go back to Page 2 , Post #27 ( on this thread ).
Roy.
 
Comment to " adap2it ".
Dave, your " glarnies and badges " mention.
This WAS another addition to the school playground activities of the time.
It was very popular at our school, for sure.
If you have a moment, go back to Page 2 , Post #27 ( on this thread ).
Roy.
Sorry I missed that Roy...indeed glarnies were a bit of an "industry" back in the day and not just in the school yard. I wouldn't be going out on a limb by saying that they were probably the cause of most skirmishes and fights that occurred.
Dave A
 
I wasn't sure where to put this one-off modern pic from Crete, but was pleased to see that kids still grow up here in much the same way that we did, so I hope Roy won't mind.

Maurice
 

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I wasn't sure where to put this one-off modern pic from Crete, but was pleased to see that kids still grow up here in much the same way that we did, so I hope Roy won't mind.

Maurice

Ah yes. A plank of wood, two sets of old pram wheels (with axles), two more pieces of wood to fix the axles to, the largest nut and bolt assembly you could find to let you swivel the front axle and a length of rope to steer with.
 
My father used to make wooden toys at Christmas for me and neighbours children during the war. Wheel barrows mostly for the boys and scooters for girls. I had a red one with white splashes. I lived in a Road with a hill and the pavements were blue brick so the lovely clatter of the wooden wheels on these pavements was quite a noise. I wanted a wooden bike next but couldn't understand why my father never made me one. I was approximately 4 years old and never got a bike until I bought my own when I went to work at 15 it cost me 2/6 a week until it was paid for.
 
In one of my previous life forms I worked for a finance co. that specialized in small products finance. We were breaking into financing the sale of bikes on HP. this was about 1958/9.
When I said to my boss I thought our interest rate of 18% was a bit steep he said it was better than the 26% charged by the bicycle companies that held a monopoly through there dealers.
He further said that people only thought about the weekly payments and in most cases never read the small print.
I'm a boring old Git but to this day I still read the small print.
Cheers Tim
 
From what I see there is still a 'live today, pay tomorrow' attitude to a great many people. And yes, in my retail and canvassing days folks where really only interested in how much they had to pay per week or month. I doubt if it has changed.
 
My Dad God bless him, had a fret work machine and he loved to make things out of wood, He made one Christmas a dolls house for my sister Joan. One year he made this WW2 Yank Jeep that I still have even still as tthe string on it I pulled it along with
 

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LEAD SOLDIERS, WIND UP TOYS AND CARDBOARD CASTLES.
A typical young boys story from a while back period.
JUST HAD'NT BEEN HIS DAY.

This morning his mates came round to join in and play with his wind up railway engine.
One of them " over wound " the key operation and now the spring has jammed.
Can't play with this one now.
Also, this morning, when he went to his toy box to bring out his leaded soldiers, he discovered
that two of them had broken legs and another ones head had broken and come off.
Added to this, whilst he was sorting his soldiers out, his Mom tripped on his cardboard castle
and broke two of the castles towers.
He begins to wonder what he's done to deserve all this.
THE MAGIC OF DAD.
When his Dad arrives home from work and is having his opening cuppa with Mom, he enquires how our boys day has been.
The " mishap " stories are told.
After the evening family meal had been eaten and everything tidied away our boys Dad set about sorting out his Sons
toy repairs.
With a table knife and a pair of pliers the bottom comes off the train engine toy and with a bit of jiggling the locked Spring
is released and the top of the toy is refitted.
Out of Dads pocket comes his box of " England's Glory " matches.
Snipping the wood end off three of the " matches " he proceeds to insert each match stalk piece into the broken hollow of each damaged
lead soldier and then snaps the broken parts together, making a strong enough join.
Nearly good as new.
A pair of scissors, some odd pieces of cardboard and a smear or two of his Dad's home made glue has the " Castle " near enough back to normal.
With a returned smile on his face our boy reckons that his Dad is " the cleverest Dad in the world ".
Who's to argue with him on that one ?
 
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