georgeembley
New Member
the first coloured boy was called victor ottey i was in same class does anyone remember keith jones (titch) and any of the rest of class
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Perry Beeches Secondary School
- Thread starter Maryd
- Start date
whirlybird
New Member
Hello maryd,
I was at Beeches Road from 56 to 60 and well remember the canings(including my own!). Mr Edge certainly reigned supreme.I played a lot of sports and Mr Linnel,Mr Scott and Mr Kennedy played a big part in that.All in all I didn't think it was too bad but you only remember the good bits.
I was at Beeches Road from 56 to 60 and well remember the canings(including my own!). Mr Edge certainly reigned supreme.I played a lot of sports and Mr Linnel,Mr Scott and Mr Kennedy played a big part in that.All in all I didn't think it was too bad but you only remember the good bits.
5th Dec 2010
Perry Beeches School,
I remember it resembled Colditz in both appearance and the way it was run when I was there 1961-1966.
Harold Edge would have made a superb commendant with Herr Caldicott second in command.
P.J.McShane doing 60 Benson a day could have been in interrogation with Miss Lloyd setting up the house Choir
to distract the guards while we all tried to tunnel our way out.
However, there were some good times to be had, and I have to say that the discipline, although seemed a little severe at the time, did me no harm long term.
Perhaps a little more of what we had may would do some good in today's schools?
pash.
Perry Beeches School,
I remember it resembled Colditz in both appearance and the way it was run when I was there 1961-1966.
Harold Edge would have made a superb commendant with Herr Caldicott second in command.
P.J.McShane doing 60 Benson a day could have been in interrogation with Miss Lloyd setting up the house Choir
to distract the guards while we all tried to tunnel our way out.
However, there were some good times to be had, and I have to say that the discipline, although seemed a little severe at the time, did me no harm long term.
Perhaps a little more of what we had may would do some good in today's schools?
pash.
TOPSYTURVEY
brum
View attachment 70735 I Wonder if anyone was in this Play of.... Peter Pan 1966
Hi,
What a great photo to have. It looks to me as though the children were a bit younger than I was. I would have been in 4th year at the time. I have a vague recollection of the production being rehearsed, but better recollections of "H.M.S. Pinafore", in which some of my class certainly performed. Funny, because I wasn't interested at the time, - then a few months later I went to see Edward II at Birmingham Rep on a free ticket and went into acting myself after that. Mostly amateur, but I did do some semi-professional as well, so at least I knew I was all right at it. I was talked into doing a scene from "Twelfth Night" on the main stage, in which I played Olivia and was awful I expect, but I don't remember any photos being taken - luckily!
Maryd
What a great photo to have. It looks to me as though the children were a bit younger than I was. I would have been in 4th year at the time. I have a vague recollection of the production being rehearsed, but better recollections of "H.M.S. Pinafore", in which some of my class certainly performed. Funny, because I wasn't interested at the time, - then a few months later I went to see Edward II at Birmingham Rep on a free ticket and went into acting myself after that. Mostly amateur, but I did do some semi-professional as well, so at least I knew I was all right at it. I was talked into doing a scene from "Twelfth Night" on the main stage, in which I played Olivia and was awful I expect, but I don't remember any photos being taken - luckily!
Maryd
DJRVST
master brummie
I attended for a year leaving in 1957. I remember Mr Edge not being very happy that Colin Jordan and I had passed the 12+ and were off to the Comp and did his best to discourage taking the exam and leaving. No doubt thinking of his funding!!! Some of the teachers were not happy either-I later learnt it was those who did not get selected to teach at the "tomato factory" as it was referred to by some. Many of my friends attended Beeches Road and the view of Edge was always poor. Mr Newel (not sure of spelling!!) was great. Mind I think the attitudes of staff were much harsher then and reflected the world around- having spent some ten years associated with a range of schools relationships and motivation are vastly better these days--mind my mother told me the same about her and my schools-hers being 1910-1919!!!!! I remember watching the school burn down from our back garden-in fact we had tea outside whist the show was on!!! There was when I was there a head boy who stood and shouted unnecessary instructions at us all as we walked in file between classes ---not a good role model-mind it was said he was taking a GCE and a cut above us !!!!!!!! A few years later when I played in a group Mr Edge twisted the arm of one of us still attending to play at "Club" for free--- I was never happy about the free bit! In fact still unhappy about !!!!
Andrew Hope
master brummie
I was wondering if you were punished by one of these horrible teachers from the past if legal action can be taken against the Birmingham Department of Education for the things they did to us back then, it must have effected a lot of people who were very young then, it could have coursed a lot of mental damage and maybe the City should pay for way we were treated back then, I myself was abused by one of the so called teachers, a Mr Robinson I beleive his name was, I will never forget how he slapped me in front of the class just becouse I was talking to a girl outside of school, some things you never forget.
Andrew Hope
Andrew Hope
Last edited:
Interesting post, I hear a lot of people shouting 'bring back the cane, never did me any harm'; these kids know their rights too well.
I think it is important that we do not forget how some of these school teachers were, and how they would deal out ritualistic beating to young people more for personal gratification than maintaining good discipline.
I have seen and been punched, slapped across the face, kicked and hit with pieces of wood. Did it psychologically scar me, no, however it did send a very clear message that it was OK to hit others. Took me a while to grow out of that one.
very honest post there morturn...i remember having a couple of wacks with the stick just for stepping out of line in the playground and this was off a female teacher..i do think though that we must also remember that it was a totally different world when we were at school and the teachers and heads that were meeting out these punishments most likely got far worse when they were at school and so then they in turn think its the norm......times change...
lyn
lyn
Last edited:
W
Wendy
Guest
Good point there Lyn. I was never caned and my parents didn't believe in smacking girls but other punishments worked far better when I was naughty. I know our John had a bad time when he was young with one teacher which had a lasting effect. One thing I hated when I was young was my brothers were always fighting. I ran away once when left with them on holiday, I was about five and still remember it. As you say Lyn different times now. There will always be good and bad teachers. Mental cruelty can be just as bad.
leonardjob
Great Russell St
Different school, Handsworth Grammar.I had the "Stick" for smoking, gambling, playing the wag,fighting, and not doing homework. Did it do me any good...no, I smoke, don't fight,(too old) or gamble(too broke). Did it do me any harm?....don't know. I have a respect for authority, even though I was scared of the cane it didn't stop me reoffending, I just tried to make sure that I didn't get caught. Don't think they were Sadistic teachers except the Head, The rev. J. J. Walton long dead a real sadistic pompous B****. I do believe that there needs to be some ultimate sanction, but not corporal punishment...the kids wouldn't stand for it (or bend for it)anyway.
Andrew Hope
master brummie
Even after all these years I beleive someone in The City Of Birmingham should be held responsible for the way the young children of that time were treated by these teachers, it is a life long bad memory for a lot of people and it could have damaged there whole life, I still remeber Mr Robinson very well on the day he slapped me in front of the whole class, think he got a very big thrill out of it, wish I could meet him today!, I think this was a crime and they all just got away with it, it was child abuse of the worst kind.
Andrew Hope
Andrew Hope
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Some aerial views of Perry Beeches School. It was the first school I went to half a century ago - it was at the top of our road so that's where I went and after 3 days there I walked to school on my own. It was all constructed from wood, so there were a few 'fire' incidents, but it was repaired. There were woods, fields, brooks, sandpits, water filled quarries, and 'haunted' Booths Farm all nearby.
1945
The school as it was when I was there, all built of wood. We had halls with curved roofs and fully equipped gyms in which we could climb ropes to the roof 40ft above. Air raid shelters from which I saw a German ME110 flying over as we were rushed in during an alert. We had a big sports field, nearby woods with frog spawn and tadpoles. Behind the school there was a Quarry full of water and we often played on the ice in the winter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1999
50 years later – the 'temporary' huts are still there. Lots of building replacement in the centre of view. The woods are still there and all of the sports field and two of the original four halls remain. The quarry pool has gone and is wooded over – probably safer and for the best.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000
Not much has changed but the huts are still there. The woods look 'woodier'.
Lots of car park spaces but that's how things are.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2001
It has become a major building site. I wonder how the children coped with it ?
One of the original halls remains, some of the sports field has gone. Only two of the 'temporary' huts remain.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003
The 'temporary' huts have gone. The school rebuilding looks to be mainly finished. The last hall has been replaced by a new field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007
Well it looks finished in its modern new form.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1940s
The huts shown to the right of this WWII photo were 'temporary'. They were separate from the main school. We had to walk over to the main halls for school dinners – Sago pudding etc. They started to issue milk in small bottles and we had 'milk monitors'. We had evening wartime play-school with 'dripping' sandwiches and played 'pirates' in the gyms while our parents worked evening shifts for war work.
A streetview nearly matching the view of the huts in a photo above. In other streetviews the caretaker's old flat roof house can still be seen. The school buildings look very modern in other streetview photos. When I went there early in WWII, on some days after we had spent sleepless nights in air raid shelters listening to bombers overhead and explosions, we still went off to school next morning often collecting fallen anti-aircraft shrapnel on the way.
Now it is a modern 21st century school and many changes have taken place.
1945
The school as it was when I was there, all built of wood. We had halls with curved roofs and fully equipped gyms in which we could climb ropes to the roof 40ft above. Air raid shelters from which I saw a German ME110 flying over as we were rushed in during an alert. We had a big sports field, nearby woods with frog spawn and tadpoles. Behind the school there was a Quarry full of water and we often played on the ice in the winter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1999
50 years later – the 'temporary' huts are still there. Lots of building replacement in the centre of view. The woods are still there and all of the sports field and two of the original four halls remain. The quarry pool has gone and is wooded over – probably safer and for the best.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000
Not much has changed but the huts are still there. The woods look 'woodier'.
Lots of car park spaces but that's how things are.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2001
It has become a major building site. I wonder how the children coped with it ?
One of the original halls remains, some of the sports field has gone. Only two of the 'temporary' huts remain.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003
The 'temporary' huts have gone. The school rebuilding looks to be mainly finished. The last hall has been replaced by a new field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007
Well it looks finished in its modern new form.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1940s
The huts shown to the right of this WWII photo were 'temporary'. They were separate from the main school. We had to walk over to the main halls for school dinners – Sago pudding etc. They started to issue milk in small bottles and we had 'milk monitors'. We had evening wartime play-school with 'dripping' sandwiches and played 'pirates' in the gyms while our parents worked evening shifts for war work.
A streetview nearly matching the view of the huts in a photo above. In other streetviews the caretaker's old flat roof house can still be seen. The school buildings look very modern in other streetview photos. When I went there early in WWII, on some days after we had spent sleepless nights in air raid shelters listening to bombers overhead and explosions, we still went off to school next morning often collecting fallen anti-aircraft shrapnel on the way.
Now it is a modern 21st century school and many changes have taken place.
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oldplumber
master brummie
Yes I remember those days I used to take the shells around the class rooms & collect the money,My name is Brian Harding & attended Beeches Rd School from 1939 till1944 Mr Warterton was the headmaster & he was an absolute bully,he would be locked up in this day & age for the way he treated the kids.Do you remember Mr Roberts who seemed to smoke 100 woodbines a day !!
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hello Brian - Yes I remember Mr Waterton and the sea shells used for admission to wartime evening play school.
I moved on to Aldridge Rd Secondary Modern before later passing the exam to go to Handsworth Technical School.
I posted a photo (click/here) in another thread showing a school trip and most of the kids in the photo had been to Beeches Rd school.
Also another photo (click/here) of Beeches Estate kids, and all of them went to Beeches Rd school.
oldmohawk...
I moved on to Aldridge Rd Secondary Modern before later passing the exam to go to Handsworth Technical School.
I posted a photo (click/here) in another thread showing a school trip and most of the kids in the photo had been to Beeches Rd school.
Also another photo (click/here) of Beeches Estate kids, and all of them went to Beeches Rd school.
oldmohawk...
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Even though I started Beeches rd in 57 my memories are not the fondest, the worst being the Head (edge) and the next being the cross country running in the middle of winter through the brook. The best was the cottage stores and free school milk, which we delivered when we were taking woodwork.
oldplumber
master brummie
oldMohawk,did you know any of these people at Beeches Rd,Derek Creed,Ron Nash,Brian Greathead,Brian Persil,Peter West,Derek Kibble,David Evans,David Holland,Bruce Pugh,Sheila Pointon,Francis Day,Jack,Crampton,Sheila Ward & many more that I cant recall at the moment,I think it's something to do with age !!!,I went on to Birchfield Rd School in Perry Barr but my mother would not let me sit the exam for Grammer School as she said at the time my dad was still away in the army & she couldn't afford the uniform if I did pass as I was the eldest of four kids.
On leaving school I be came an apprentice Plumber & Heating Engineer gaining a C&G at 21years then two years in National service in the Royal Engineers,When I came out of the army I went back to Sulfork Street Tec to get a Higher National cert & worked in the Plumbing & Heating all my life untill I retired age 69 & I still do a bit on the side now & i'm comming up for 80 but still very fit though a bit over weight,I've lived in Devon for over 50 years,married to Diane for 58 years,two children & six Grand children,my wife & I have traveled to most parts of the world except south Africa & south America.
On leaving school I be came an apprentice Plumber & Heating Engineer gaining a C&G at 21years then two years in National service in the Royal Engineers,When I came out of the army I went back to Sulfork Street Tec to get a Higher National cert & worked in the Plumbing & Heating all my life untill I retired age 69 & I still do a bit on the side now & i'm comming up for 80 but still very fit though a bit over weight,I've lived in Devon for over 50 years,married to Diane for 58 years,two children & six Grand children,my wife & I have traveled to most parts of the world except south Africa & south America.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Brian - You have a much better memory than I have, I can't remember any of those names. I can remember only a few names from Beeches Road, but can remember the names of some in the Aldridge Rd photo I put in the other thread. I can remember most of the names in my other photo because they lived in the same road.
You mention your National Service and maybe you have seen the forum NS thread where many of us 'go on' about our times in service.
I was in the RAF and have posted some photos in the NS thread.
You mention your National Service and maybe you have seen the forum NS thread where many of us 'go on' about our times in service.
I was in the RAF and have posted some photos in the NS thread.
oldplumber
master brummie
I've been looking at some of your photo's & I see that you lived in Grindelford Rd,did you know Alfred Holder he was a friend of mine at school & he lived in the same rd,Do you also remember those very snowy winters we used to get in the 1940s & sledging down the field at the top of Sandy Lane !!,I lived in Holmesfield Rd off Thornbridge Ave
Brian
Brian
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hello Brian - Yes I knew Alfie Holder, he had a sister Sylvia and a younger brother Barry. I have many comments 'here and there' on the forum about childhood around the Beeches Estate - snowy winters sledging in Sandy Lane on half of an Anderson shelter etc.
Here are links to a few forum posts with photos....Phil
Beeches Rd White House
A Van in Grindleford Rd
Beeches being built
Walsall Rd 1947
Here are links to a few forum posts with photos....Phil
Beeches Rd White House
A Van in Grindleford Rd
Beeches being built
Walsall Rd 1947
Last edited:
oldplumber
master brummie
Ithought this might bring back some memories !! EATING IN THE UK IN THE FIFTIES
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage,
anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
Do you recognise any one in this photo taken in about 1943 in Thornbridge Ave
Front Row L to R. David Holland,Derek Kibble,unknown.
Middle " " Derek Dwelly,me Brian Harding,Bryn Greathead.
back " " Gordon Kibble,Alan Green,David Evans.
Do you recognise any one in this photo taken about 1943 !! in the back garden in Thornbridge Ave
front row LtoR David Holland,Derek Kibble,unknown
middle row " Derek Dwelly,Brian Harding,Bryan Greathead
back row " Gordon Kibble,Alan Green,David Evans
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only poor people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a treat.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea….. and then it was Camp, and came in a bottle.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake.
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given, and was set in stone.
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors.
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less.
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food.
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were ... did we like it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food.
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday - in fact in those days it was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things
like Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce them,
we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties …. elbows.
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage,
anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
Do you recognise any one in this photo taken in about 1943 in Thornbridge Ave
Front Row L to R. David Holland,Derek Kibble,unknown.
Middle " " Derek Dwelly,me Brian Harding,Bryn Greathead.
back " " Gordon Kibble,Alan Green,David Evans.
Do you recognise any one in this photo taken about 1943 !! in the back garden in Thornbridge Ave
front row LtoR David Holland,Derek Kibble,unknown
middle row " Derek Dwelly,Brian Harding,Bryan Greathead
back row " Gordon Kibble,Alan Green,David Evans
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only poor people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a treat.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea….. and then it was Camp, and came in a bottle.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake.
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given, and was set in stone.
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors.
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less.
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food.
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were ... did we like it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food.
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday - in fact in those days it was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things
like Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce them,
we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties …. elbows.
Attachments
Last edited:
oldplumber
master brummie
I'm am trying to find a Francise Day who went to Beeches Rd School in the 1940s she had triplet sisters a lot younger than her,I think they lived in Smalldale road on Beeches Est,I also recall that she once worked at my mothers hair dressers in Birdbrook Rd in the late 1950s
Hi,
I remember every point you have made, all very true.
Alan Glover used to live in a cul-de-sac, it was off the Queslet Road by the M6 Flyover, John Davies lived next door to him.
I remember Harold standing Victor Otte on stage and introducing him, telling us we must not do this or that, and within months he had Victor back on the stage calling him
all sorts.
I was there 1961-1966
I remember every point you have made, all very true.
Alan Glover used to live in a cul-de-sac, it was off the Queslet Road by the M6 Flyover, John Davies lived next door to him.
I remember Harold standing Victor Otte on stage and introducing him, telling us we must not do this or that, and within months he had Victor back on the stage calling him
all sorts.
I was there 1961-1966
I remember all points raised, I think the shells were a penny and a halfpenny and were traded in for a drink and two slices of bread and jam. Miss Goodall and Doogood were two of the lady teachers. There were concrete air raid shelters on the right hand side of the driveway from the main entrance and I remember also adjacent was a place where they used to drop a delivery of dried milk.
