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Rookery Road School Handsworth

P

Premo

Guest
This is a long shot but here goes, I attended (well most of the time) Rookery Road Secondary modern Handsworth, from 1960 to 1965, my question is does anyone have any photos of this school from around this time.

Many thanks, Premo (David)
 
Miss Smith's Class, Circa 1960

I was at William Murdoch School from 1959 to 1963. Would be interested to hear from anyone else. In this picture I recognise by name: Marjorie Williams, Sylvia Leake and Bruce Chesterman although I think I remember almost everyone in the picture.
 
Hi Clive: On the FriendsReunited site there are two long lists of students who attended William Murdoch School for the years you have posted and also another class photo from 1962 plus some of a reunion perhaps with a few of
those. All those listed are members of FriendsReunited or have signed up at sometime.
 
JennyAnn:

Thanks for the info. I'll give that site a try. This is a great site.
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

I was at Rookery Rd school from about 1955 till circa 1958, then was transferred to Handsworth Wood SM. leaving in late 1960. Are there any folk on here attended either at this time?
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

not the year you are looking for but ive come accross this one of the empire day celebrations...

pic courtesy of carl chinn
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

Hi Ron,
I was at Rookery Road School from 1955 to 1958 Mr millington was the headmaster and there was a Mr Jones (I think who read to us Edgar Alan Poe). do you know the significance of the Shackleton or Scott Photos in Mr millington's office?
Regards
Roger Onions
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

Hello roger.i too attended rookery road school (left in 1952) i remember a photo in the hall of captain oates (if my memory serves me right) perhaps it was moved,once again not sure but i seem to remember being told he was a pupil at rookery road school.

Regards
alan
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

mI was a pupil from 1953 to 57 .My father and his brothers were pupils between 1910 and 1922 he informed me that there used to be a silver plaque in the floor of the hall dedicated to captian Oates
who was a pupil at the school (have found no evidence that he was ever a pupil at the school)
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

My father would have been a pupil at Rookery Road school when your father was there mrpastry,when I told him the names of the teachers and mentioned Miss Myers he told me she used to teach when he was there.
Can any of you old boys remember the two woodwork teachers ? I remember Mr Castle,but cannot rememer the other (he was cross eyed) got screamed at by him but didn't know he was screaming at me because he was looking at the lad next to me.
 
Re: Miss Smith's Class, Circa 1960

I would dearly love to know which one was Bruce Chesterman as he is my moms cousin. Bruce is no longer with us in fact there are very few of the Chesterman family left unless anyone tells me otherwise.

I am researching this side of the family and would love to know anything at all.

Thank you Sharon
x
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

Hi attended Rookery Road School from 1954 to 1960. I was Jennifer Lawrence then. Anyone remember me?
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

Jenniewren said:
Hi attended Rookery Road School from 1954 to 1960. I was Jennifer Lawrence then. Anyone remember me?
Click to expand...

Hello Jenniewren, I was at Rookery Road for that time, you were probably a year behind me though, I left in 1959. Don't remember your name, but then possibly memory fails after all this time. Who else do you remember? Some of my memories are to do with The The corner shop on Rookerys Road just outside the playground, outside toilets in the winter, Miss Stratton who had a romance and got married to another of the teachers, Christine Bell, Philip Rawle, being in an Alice in Wonderland play. Just in case we were in the same class or that triggers anything.

Nice to hear from a fellow pupil of the time.
 
Re: Miss Smith's Class, Circa 1960

hya i was at w/m in 1960 i remember mrs delroy and mr hickstead or mr wickstead i am trying to look at photos but i dont know how to do it can any one help please ( i am new to comp
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

hello there my name was jeannette woodward...woodywoodpecker they called me i remember val millerchip, david jones, lee crumpmichael curry also the dance place opposite was it the plaza when the beatles came to practise before they were famous oooh my goodness memories oh yes and mr meredith was the headmaster ...lovely man
 
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Re: Miss Smith's Class, Circa 1960

sharonhopkins113 said:
I would dearly love to know which one was Bruce Chesterman as he is my moms cousin. Bruce is no longer with us in fact there are very few of the Chesterman family left unless anyone tells me otherwise.

I am researching this side of the family and would love to know anything at all.

Thank you Sharon
x
Click to expand...

Bruce Chesterman is 4th from the left in the back row. I noticed on another site you mentioned him having brothers. AFAIK this Bruce had no brothers unless they would have been much older.
 
Re: Rookery rd School, Photos Please

Hi, I used to go to William Murdoch, left in 1964 and I remember being told that Captain Oates was once a pupil but doing a bit of research he was born in Putney!
 
Re: Miss Smith's Class, Circa 1960

Hi I was at Rookery Rd boys from about 1958 to 1961 I don't know if it is the same Bruce but about 4/5 years after leaving school I was working in the building trade and still am, I carried out a lot of work on and off for a Mrs Chesterman we became good friends she lived in Regent road I think, and one of the teachers Mr Davis lodged with her
 
johnthegent,I left Rookery Road school in 1952,I can remember one of our teachers Mr Davis must be the same person you mention used to show us kids how he could hypnotize people.
 
Hi Alan That's Mr Davis, he also told us horror stories, he used walk round the class banging the desks if we played up lol, other teachers there were Mr Wickstead , Mr Franklin, Mr Harris, the first two were very strict, A year after I starte they let girls into the school and we had female teachers one I remember was Miss Evan we all lusted after her lol Oh and there was a MR Moore PE teacher, I wonder if there were any others there the same years as me
 
Oh that's bought back memories! Dickie Davis and the others. I was one of the second year intake of girls and once Messrs. Wickstead, Franklin and Harris left the school went downhill a bit. I remember being terrified of Wickstead and Franklin. I remember Mr. Moore the PE teacher as well.
 
Mr Wickstead , was my final year teacher in 1956/7 we were in the prefab class room opposite the Science /Woodwork building . We had a Art Teacher named Mr Stevens/Stevenson ? who was a really nice teacher although he was very soft spoken and we had a small group of pupils in the class who gave him a hard time in one lesson and the following day Mr Wickstead cleared the centre of the class room and carried out the punishment of "Six of the Best" ... That was the only time that I can remember him using the cane normally his voice was enough. I remember Mr Franklin giving a lesson on the "Birds & Bees " and the first thing he said was "If I hear anyone giggle it will be the cane " Such happy days !!! Keep smiling . Rich
 
Oh yes I remember the 'birds and bees' class! Yes, have to smile about those days even if I was terrified some of the time! Think we need some of those teachers now!
 
My name is John Russell my mates at that school were Derek Jeavons (died not long ago god bless him) Ray Diacoff, John Glue (sticky) Graham Farnell, I had a crush on Sally Smith but she was going out with Johnny glue. I remember Diacoff asked wickstead one day in class if we could have the birds and bees lesson he said Diacoff you could teach us some things lol
 
I was in the class Mr Wickstead first taught when he came to Rookery Road,we all thought he was a giant of a man very tall, tough but fair,yes thats right it was in the prefab Mr Pastry i think it must have been about 1947/48.<br>Mr Davies would give anybody who "Played up" a wrap around the head with a big bunch of keys on a chain,Mr Franklin seemed to have pleasure in giving smacks around the head from behind,mind you he had told us NO TALKING during meals at lunch time.<br>We had a PT teacher Mr Kitchen who was as useful as a one legged bloke in a arxx kicking contest thought he was the cats whiskers used to wear a cravat.
 
Mr Kitchen was our maths teacher ... and if my memories correct I think he was the Deputy Head when I was there 53/57... we would distract him by asking him about his collection of Stick Insects which adorned the window sills around his class room ... He later went on to be the Headteacher at Icknield Street School ,Hockley. The music teacher was Mr Moore ? he was also the organist for St James Church .. did my wedding music ....
 
I have asked a question on this site before regarding one of the two woodwork teachers Mr Castle was one but I cannot remember the name of the other (He had cross eyes) a small man,didn't know who he was telling off,because he would tell you off but be looking at someone else.
 
HI MR PASTRY
Just ben reading your thread on handsworth school and learnt that your maths teacher was a mr kitchen and when i seen the name i emediatly though of a mr kitchen whom was the head master at ickneild street hockley and started to wonder if there was a connection
so i ad it slowly and lord and behold yes it as the same men mr kitchen and lean lookinking like an insect stick himself i may add
for some reason or another he did not like me and for some reason alway pulled me up and got the cane from him quite often my mother was always going on to see him he was a wicked bloke in the end i left the school and went some where else
if you go to the old school threads or it could be the old ladywood site there is a picture of him with ol joey wise hygiene teacher whom kids kept there distance from him because of his behavior habbits along with old urch another hard and deputy teacher for ickneild street hockley for ever giving out the ruler on your knuckles or the slipper bit of a kink if you asked me he always took a big run and swipe with the splimsol across your back side ;
if any think i think the education dept should have stepped in thats capital punishment ;but thee again i those victoria days kids was suposed to have been
disaplinned and parents thought they was corect to do so do it ; but these care workers in the children homes got done for this sort of things
so why did the ordinary schools get into trouble for such things i say
mr urch and old joey and kitchen was a group of un popular teachers in ickneild street during those years was kitchen like that at handsworth school ;
thanks for bring back sad memorys of my schol days best wishes Astonian;;;
 
Hello Astonian,I liked your description of Mr Kitchen looking like a stick insect,chinless wonder came to my mind,why where we afraid of him,I suppose it was the way we where brought up,I remember it stuck in his throat having to give me a star for 4 As in an IQ test.
There where teachers at Rookery Road school all the pupils had a lot of time for,and then there where some who ruled through fear and not respect.
 
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