Hi I also went to Marsh Hill, from 1967 - 1974 it has been lovely reading through your posts. A couple of things to note, by the time I went there uniform seemed to have been much stricter, summer dresses were pale blue and white stripped with matching fabric buttoned belt and royal blue cardigan, blazer and straw boater which was compulsory, a detention if seen without it going home !!. Winter uniform was pale blue V neck blouse ( ladies do not wear ties... quote from Mrs Cockbain) first years wore pale blue/dark blue tartan pinafore dress with royal blue cardigan. Second to fifth years wore same pattern pure wool kilts with V necked blue blouse and cardigan, and yes elasticated belt with buckle and zipper purse, gabardine mac and dark blue berets, same strict rule. It was Mr Slinn the geography teacher who married an ex sixth former and drove the green Triumph Spitfire car. When the school was forced to go comprehensive and be combined with Stockland Green secondary the year I left 73/74 Mrs Cockbain took early retirement distraught that her vision of an "elite" girls school was in tatters. I remember Mrs Bloxham, needlework and Mrs Harris who took music, I think the physics/ chemistry teacher was Russian Mr Fischer, he played chess and we had a lunchtime chess club, I once held the record for lasting all of 10 mins in a game with him, the only pupil to do so at that time . I have a copy of the EP which Mrs Harris managed to get us time in a recording studio to record, I played the flute in windband, it was recorded with the windband, orchestra and choir. Also we performed on radio 4 Colonel Bogey... The library in Birmingham has detailed records from the boys school including daily diaries showing sporting events and trips abroad plus end of term joint shows with the boys school, we had a much better Art department with Mr Rowse and we did the catering so there is a lot of information showing both schools , really interesting reading, but as I live on the Isle of Wight now it is hard to get time to view the records; it's a pity our school records were not donated by the head teacher as theirs were. I remember the end of term plays with the boys school, The Boyfriend, The Yeoman of the Guard, etc I couldn't sing for toffee but as I was good at sewing and made many of the costumes I was allowed to be in the chorus as long as I mimed. Plus The Speech Day at the end of year was attended by Lord Mayor and dignatories so we put on a great spread, vol a vents, baked ham with cloves, whole salmon etc there is mention of them in the boys records but only in passing not in detail. Do any of you remember the whole school panoramic photos ? And the annual trip for the whole school to the bluebell woods by coach ?
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- Thread starter Vivienne14
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I think maybe there were two ‘Harris’s’ then. We had a Miss Harris for Chemistry - she was also our Form Tutor when I was in the Fifth Form.
Re school trips. I was fortunate enough to go on the Caribbean cruise on SS Nevasa in 1969. We left Southampton in December 1969 and returned in January 1970, was away for about a month. Took a week to get there and a week to get back. Think it cost £100. It was a ‘floating school’ although I don’t recall doing specific timetabled lessons. No luxury about it, we were in bunks in dormitories. Think the ship had once been used as a military hospital. There was a sister ship which covered the Mediterranean - the school also took a party of girls on that one too.
First we visited Lisbon, then on to Antiqua, Barbados, Trinidad, Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe wasn’t scheduled but we had to stop there to take on water as we were running out ! Can’t remember where else we stopped. But a trip of a lifetime. One of the crew died on board and he was buried at sea (at night).
I have photos somewhere. Must dig them out. Viv.
Re school trips. I was fortunate enough to go on the Caribbean cruise on SS Nevasa in 1969. We left Southampton in December 1969 and returned in January 1970, was away for about a month. Took a week to get there and a week to get back. Think it cost £100. It was a ‘floating school’ although I don’t recall doing specific timetabled lessons. No luxury about it, we were in bunks in dormitories. Think the ship had once been used as a military hospital. There was a sister ship which covered the Mediterranean - the school also took a party of girls on that one too.
First we visited Lisbon, then on to Antiqua, Barbados, Trinidad, Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe wasn’t scheduled but we had to stop there to take on water as we were running out ! Can’t remember where else we stopped. But a trip of a lifetime. One of the crew died on board and he was buried at sea (at night).
I have photos somewhere. Must dig them out. Viv.
Mrs C came too. I think she imagined it was ‘broadening and enriching’ for her ‘gals’ although it was much more broadening and enriching than she’d have imagined. I remember one boy from another school being flown home because of drunkenness.
But it really was a wonderful opportunity. We visited Nelson’s House, experienced the beaches and also visited very poor towns, as well as the more prosperous capitals. So in that way, I guess that was the ‘educational’ content.
Remember playing a lot of deck hockey, quoits and carrying out muster station drills to pass the time. Also remember smoking a lot of cheap fags. When I say cheap I mean in cost - but they were Dunhills or Peter Stuyvesant as I remember. We bought cheap rum in port and put nips of it in our cans of Coca Cola. Can’t even bear the smell of rum these days. Now bear in mind we were 17/18 year olds, away from home and with minimal supervision ! And pretty irresponsible. Tut, tut.
Viv.
But it really was a wonderful opportunity. We visited Nelson’s House, experienced the beaches and also visited very poor towns, as well as the more prosperous capitals. So in that way, I guess that was the ‘educational’ content.
Remember playing a lot of deck hockey, quoits and carrying out muster station drills to pass the time. Also remember smoking a lot of cheap fags. When I say cheap I mean in cost - but they were Dunhills or Peter Stuyvesant as I remember. We bought cheap rum in port and put nips of it in our cans of Coca Cola. Can’t even bear the smell of rum these days. Now bear in mind we were 17/18 year olds, away from home and with minimal supervision ! And pretty irresponsible. Tut, tut.
Viv.
Re school organisation. Were the fifth form groups organised by subject areas ? I was in 5S which I think was all science students, with a science teacher as its Form Mistress (wouldn’t get away with that title in school these days !). Viv.
jmadone
master brummie
Vivienne,
Was this the same Non Nobis........... that was sung by Henry V and his army after the Battle of Agincourt in the Kenneth Branagh film version?
Jim
From memory the words are the same Jim but it was set to different music. That Kenneth Branagh Henry V scene is incredibly moving.
Viv.
The trip got a mention in the Birmingham Post in late 1969. So many pupils ! Hadn’t realised there were that many. I remember there being many different schools involved.
Another memory: buying reggae records in Trinidad. They had no middle section and you had to buy the plastic insert. All very, very cheap. Viv.
Another memory: buying reggae records in Trinidad. They had no middle section and you had to buy the plastic insert. All very, very cheap. Viv.
Hi yes I it was... I rang up some years later and whoever answered the phone explained it had changed to Joseph Mason and although I can't remember her name she had worked on reception at MHG !! And actually remembered me
Wow very high class. we had 2 weeks in Aix Les Bains in southern France.... it was lovely improved my oral French no end as most girls were too shy to speak to locals and we congregated at a small cafe in the evenings so the local lads would come in to meet up, I ended up doing most of the translation as the other girls were embarrassed in case they got words wrong. Unfortunately there was some misunderstanding as the fashion at the time was jeans with smock tops and for a while the villagers thought we were unmarried pregnant girls but there we were introduced to such delights as Diablo Montre a drink made with creme de Menthe and lemonade we went by ferry and then train stopping off in Paris en route then had sleeper train to Aix Les Bains.
I have this record an EP
here is a copy of the back cover i have the songs but it is saying I cant upload them on here as file too big … http://www.45cat.com/imageview/11CB7E8F0C9290D1916
this is one of the songs from the EP hope it works https://dl-mail.ymail.com/ws/downlo...ohD1BK9C7xbWXQPiWj5H-8zTReYCl1A62Qn7BCSxGmviC
Hi Suzanne
Just found this site and been reading through. I was Kathleen Wilkins then and you were in the z forms with me. I'm having a meal on Friday night with Margaret brain Lynn Hayes, Glenda Nolan and Linda Potter. We haven't met in a while but still keep in touch
Lovely to hear you ‘gals’ are still in touch. You’d be a little older than me, but the names you mention are familiar. I lost touch with everyone when I too moved to London in the early 1980s. Now living on the Kent coast. Often imagined myself living near the sea during Mr Slinn’s Geography lessons. Us old girls are scattered far and wide.
Best wishes Viv
Best wishes Viv
Found this photo the other day. Form photo is of 1Z taken in 1964/5. I'm top left, refusing to smile and looking awkward (as was the norm for me in those early days at MHGGS).
I think the Form Mistress was Miss Jones. She was lovely and really helped us all to adjust to life at the school. Viv.
I think the Form Mistress was Miss Jones. She was lovely and really helped us all to adjust to life at the school. Viv.
Attachments
Trip to Germany (Cologne) in, I think, 1967/8. The industrial photo (with big sewer (?) pipes) was taken on a factory visit in Bonn. No idea what the factory produced. We all went on the Rhine. I remember eating at a restaurant on the Rhine - very Tyrolean in style, it was high up a cliffside and we looked down onto the river.
This was an exchange visit, we went to the school of our exchange students. Then they visited us later in the year. I stayed with a family who owned a bakery and we had 'high tea' every day at 4.00 pm - loads of cakes and gateaux to choose from ! Viv.
This was an exchange visit, we went to the school of our exchange students. Then they visited us later in the year. I stayed with a family who owned a bakery and we had 'high tea' every day at 4.00 pm - loads of cakes and gateaux to choose from ! Viv.
Attachments
I remember that trip to London!Hi Viv, Margaret was with Birchfield Harriers for a while and I think she may have have gone on to study PE at College, her sister was called Eileen and was a couple of years older.
I remember many of the teachers you mention! Mr Evans also took a Current Events Class but I didn't have him for History. My teacher was Mr Jackson.
Oh Miss Foxon! - she was very sweet but not very good at controlling the class, she did get played up sometimes and I feel very sorry for that now. Yes, I remember the socks and she used to cycle to school if I recall correctly.
I had Mr Denton for French for a year - didn't like him at all! He did have a quick sense of humour though and often very funny but could also be very sarcastic.
Miss Lingen was the Maths teacher, she was lovely and I got on well with her even though I was hopeless and was allowed to drop Maths after the 4th year.
I remember Mr Manning, he taught Latin as well.
A few of my class went on a trip to London with the art teacher Mr Bailey to see an exhibition of the artist Bonnard and Mr Manning came too, we pestered them to take us to Carnaby Street which they kindly did, however the shops were closed being a Sunday then, still enjoyed seeing it though
Does anyone remember having to make a dance tunic? As far as I recall they only had a one size pattern which had to fit all.
Anne Spencer!!! Happy memories of trailing round after the Way of Life. Give Lynda my love. X
I won the English Language prize....I remember that.
I remember dance tunics! They were cotton. I had a very pale pastel green one (eau de nil ?). There was also a very pale blue one. Totally shapeless, think they had a slash neck and a material belt. They were not far off a sack in style. Mum bought mine with the rest of my uniform, but they must have been fairly easy to make as they had no shape to them ! Viv.
