I was a resident of this school from 1962 until 1964. I was sent there to convalesce after I got rheumatic fever. I was initially very sad and homesick and missed my family terribly but I made friends with a boy called John Whitehouse (a friendship which lasted well into my teens) who helped me recover so much that I would call the period I spent at Baskerville one of the happiest of my life. A poster on this thread David Seymour I remember well and also the people he mentioned and many more. One reason for the homesickness was that visits from family were restricted to only one two hour visit per fortnight and only two people per visit. The sweets left by visitors were put in a box and we were only allowed something from the box on rare occasions, I think only after tea on Sundays.
Like David, I recall Nurses Bell and Southall and there was also an Irish and Scottish nurse there whose names I have forgotten. The husband of the Irish nurse would sometimes take us Catholics up to St Mary's church in Harborne for Mass. Also, we would sometimes be taken on little trips to the Clent Hills and once to see Aston Villa play Manchester United. Villa won 2-1, Denis Law was sent off and I remember the shaven headed Derek Dougan.
The headmistress was Miss Jenkins who seemed very severe and from another era. She had quarters on the first floor and I remember going there to earn part of my Cubs housekeeper badge. I was part of a class she supervised preparing for the 11 plus. She tried very hard to inculcate us with Greek mythology and also English literature.
Teachers I remember were Miss Burfitt who had a broad Lancashire accent. She was very warm and kind and led the assembly for us Catholics every morrning. A Scottish teacher Mrs Faulkner gained a reputation for giving lines as a punishment. Mr Edwards who gave some of us lessons in elementary woodwork but one of my dearest memories was him giving chemistry lectures and demonstrations in his house which was separate from the main school building. Unfortunately, these were spoiled as he insisted on total silence and things usually descended into him bawling at the top of his voice, which was sad as he clearly worked very hard to prepare these lessons for us. There was also a tall female teacher with a deep voice who encouraged my first efforts at English composition.
We slept in large dormitories. After lights out, we would spend many happy hours listening on small 'transistor' radio's to pirate radio stations Caroline and London as well as Luxembourg. Some of us would go for nocturnal walks around the school grounds on exciting 'dares'. Sometimes we would even meet up with a party from the girls dormitories.
Other inmates I recall were Michael Noonan, whose sister Pat also worked at the school, Peter Stewart, Michael Ullah, Alistair Kavanagh, Pat Naughton, Janice Robinson, Michael White and Tony Douglas. There was a system of coloured badges which indicated how active or quiet you had to be which ranged from yellow with green stripe (quiet D) who had to only walk and talk quietly to green who could run and shout.
When you had a cold you were sent to a separate ward called Isolation until you were well again. We had different teachers to the rest of the school and I remember getting lessons in art from a teacher who taught us to closely observe the lovely garden scenes through the windows and try to paint them.
There was a room near the front door which was used as a TV room where we watched the very first episodes of Doctor Who and also Diskjock Jury (I'll give it foyve). This was near the magnificent entrance area which had a beautiful polished wooden floor and carved wooden staircase. The fireplace also was impressive which in the winter often had a real fire. On the first floor there was a banister which went all around. At Christmas the staff would all gather around this banister and together with us children sing Christmas carols before the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. It was here that I read in the morning newspaper about the death of President Kennedy.
It was really hard to begin with but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
