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A Small Heath Lass

  • Thread starter Thread starter jan hedger
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J

jan hedger

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Hi all - Great to find this site and catch up with memories of the old Birmingham!
I grew up in Baker St, Small Heath, with Butlers at the top end, my mother worked there for a time and my sister and brother in law, met whilst working there!
Great place and time as a kid - so many memories! hope to share some soon!
Lots of things have changed for me since then - now I am writer and performer of poetry - a long way from playing in the street!
Regards Jan Hedger (nee Dearn)
 
Welcome to the site....enjoy !!! I look forward to perhaps seeing any photos you may have of Baker Street, especially as my GREEN family were living there around 1915/20 at No's 29 & 51 Baker Street.

Margaret.
 
Welcome Jan. Click on search for Small Heath. I posted reviews & sample photos of 2 books on Small Heath for others to enjoy.
 
Welcome Jan. I'm originally from Small Heath too (Golden Hillock Road). You'll love this site, it's bostin.:)
 
Thanks all - like it here already! Small Heath was an odd suburb spreading as it did to both sides of 'the Cov!' Hope to post some stuff on site soon!
Jan:angel:
 
Jan I Lived just around the corner in Grange Road about 4 doors up from Muntz Street from about 1960 to 1969 Bernie
 
Bernie.......do you remember a family called 'Copeland' then who lived in Muntz Street?? Also, did you go to Somerville Primary if you lived there during those years??:)
 
Sorry DolphieI don't remember anyone called Copland but my memory is shocking I was about 13 when I moved there from Charles Road by the Coach and Horses and I went to Little Green lane and Alston Road but I did know lots of people who did go to Somerville Road if my memory has agood day regards Bernie
 
ps Dolphie I don't know what age group you are but I am 60 but have a brother 3 years younger and a sister 5 years younger they may remember people I don't Bernie
 
Hi, I don't recall the name, sorry! I went to Somerville Rd 62 -69 - before that my elder sisters and my Mother and all her family went there!
Be good to chat about some of the shops in Muntz St - Charlie's, Birches etc!
Jan Hedger nee Dearn
 
Jan, you must've been at Somerville around the same time as me then, I can vaguely remember some of the teachers names, Miss Jackson, Miss Savin, the lovely lovely Mr Barber (my hero), the dreaded Miss Jones who took top class (I spent the entire year in her class absolutely terrified!!). No wonder the name I mentioned wasn't familiar........it was the wrong name!! I meant 'Cope'.....there was a Douglas Cope & Barbara Cope & they lived in Muntz Street just down a little way from the Cov end. I remember odds & ends so clearly, then forget some dead obvious things! Age huh!!!lol
 
Oh my word - I know all them teachers! Also Miss Walton 1st year juniors! Mr Jackson was head! Miss Jones was fierce! My mom Had a run in with her, when she taught my sister - so I was spared most of her wroth! I loved Mr Barber too - he came on the cruise on the SS Uganda and we were all spoilt rotten!
As a poet, now, I have a Miss Jones Poem - will look to putting it on site!
In infants my favourite and the only name I remember is Miss Hobday.
Jan
 
Oh good grief, I certainly remember Miss Walton as I was in her class (she used to let you have 2 teeny sheets of loo roll if you ever needed to go out during her class!!!). Remember Mr Jackson too altho I think there was a woman who was head at some stage in my time there. Also remember Miss Hobday.
It seems many people didnt like 'Baggy Jones' as we called her (not to her face obviously........she would've throttled us!). Lots of parents had run ins with her. I remember one lad, little Johnny Clements.......his Mom was a huge lady who seemed to work in a fruit shop in Muntz Street. Miss Jones had hit Johnny for some reason best known to herself & Mrs Clements came looking for her, steam coming from her ears! They had to get Miss Jones out thru a back door, I'm sure Mrs Clements would've battered her otherwise.lol Miss Jones used to throw your pad (that you had to lean on to write, top right hand corner of your desk) across the class room didnt she? How she missed kids heads I dont know....dont think she cared actually! Oooh memories are flooding back:)Miss JOnes had you sitting in rows didnt she, top row, 2nd row etc.......& the naughty ones in bottom row.
Maybe I'm a year older than you cos I went to secondary school in Sep 68. I still remember loads of names of kids from there, especially the naughty kids:D
 
Yes you would have been a year ahead of me. My Mom had a run in with Miss Walton as well - because she wouldn't always let you go to the toilet, so I was always frightened to put my hand up - my Mom found out and off she went!

I was talking about the 'rows' only the other day - Miss Jones also pulled boys up by the ear 'Come ere' boy!' Us girls had the ruler across the hand - or you stood at the front of the class with your back turned!
I remember that lady - the shop was Charlies - A big fat jolly man who always wore a brown overall - my sister worked there when she was 14 gutting turkeys etc! He was always good to my Mom - who struggled to make ends meet - so I remember him fondly.
The head in the infants was a lady, she allowed you to take a sweet from her jar if you were good, can't remember her name. One thing - lady teachers were always spinsters!
Jan
 
Eeek, my Mom had a run in with Miss Walton too, over the very same thing!!! How strange is that eh, she must've been well known for it.lol I'll have to ask my Mom who the lady Head was (she has a marvelous memory, mine is pants!). I was 'biscuit monitor' for some time & part of that was taking her a biscuit at playtime, she was a plumpish jolly lady wasn't she? Miss McGregor??? Does that sound familiar? The name just came to me in a flash.

I often wonder what happened to people such as Johnny Clements etc as there are hardly any of our years are on Friends Reunited etc. There was a Mr Hugh too wasn't there?
 
That could be her name - it does ring a bell with me too. Always wore the same suit!
Their was a Mr Hough, he took the lower class from Miss Jones and always carried a old briefcase!
Two main boys names I know were Johnny Bennett and Ivor Cattell - both names I used when writing a Comic Monologue! I tried Friends reunited once - like you drew a blank - - didn't pursue it.
Do you remember the caretakers Mr and Mrs Savin? Their daughter Barbara was my best friend till they moved away and our families were also friends.
Jan
 
This is my Miss Jones Poem!:010:


Drifting Off, Into My World

I’m daydreaming again
Today I am George
Feeling the salt laden spray
Stinging my face
As I pull on the oars
In rhythm with the waves
I’m on my way to Kirrin Island
My island!
Julian, Dick and Anne
Have been kidnapped!
By the evil witch
Masquerading as,
‘Miss Jones’
And are being held prisoners,
In the deep dark caves,
Below Kirrin Island.
So, it’s Timmy, my big brown,
Shaggy dog and I,
To the rescue!
We will be heroes,
Tim and I!
‘JANET DEARN!
Where have you gone now?
And what is, 2 x 2 + 8 – 5?’
‘Sorry Miss Jones, I was just…..:rolleyes:
It’s 7 Miss’ I cried, grinning broadly,
Mustn’t let her know, that,
I am on to her dastardly plan!
‘Correct, but do try and stay,
With us, at least,
Until the bell’
‘Yes Miss’ I shouted, knowing
I would have the infamous but,
On my school report, again;

Her English is exceptional
Her Maths is coming on
Her needlework’s a disaster
In Art she tries very hard

BUT - if only she would concentrate
She could achieve much more
BUT – she is so very easily distracted
By the stories in her head!

Now thirty years and nine have passed,
And I am trying to write,
A poem, for a treasured anthology
BUT – I am daydreaming again
Today I am Enid Blyton,
And I’m ………. :sleepy:
 
Thats brilliant Jan I could just hear Miss Jones barking out her questions & answers..........remember how she would call you 'lass', the old boot!! She once broke a ruler in half over little Johnny Clements hand! I do seem to remember a student teacher called Miss Savin, was she related to the caretaker??
Yep, Miss McGregor always wore the same suit, as I remember it was a sort of tweed, old fashioned sort of thing.
I do remember Mr Hough, yep he took the kids who didnt get into Miss Jones class (think they must've got the better teacher actually, certainly much nicer a person). Remember how every week you all had to stand on your chair & you were arranged in rows according to how many stars you had on your chart that week. Gawd I used to hate that as the same kids were at the top every piggin week. Haseeb was always 1st, Mickey Flynn usually 2nd...I was usually around 3rd or 4th. Oh & those ink wells on your desk......complete with ink & those horrible pens with the scratchy nibs.

:)
 
Yes I remember everything you say! Funny how it all comes flooding back!
Miss Savin was related, yes and she was horrible to me! Maybe I deserved it sometimes?!
I was always in the top 5 somewhere, we probably sat at the same desk, although in different years!
I am new to this forum, are we okay to post our little bit of chat on this thread? As this is the say hello section.
Jan
 
Hi just a quickie to say I have posted now on a new thread. Titled Somerville Rd School and Shops Muntz st etc. We needed to move our chat over from this Say Hello forum. Have enjoyed catching up on here. Hope to 'see' you in the new place!
Jan
 
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