I started George Dixon's in form 2D, in 1962. I then was in 3D, 4D & 5D and left in 1965. My name in those days was Clive Price.
I do not remember a teacher called Walker.
T W Rumsby was headmaster, Dilworth was deputy head, and Trout was the deputy head at the Five Ways site.
I remember at Five Ways there sandstone parts of the building and there were sash windows which we used to climb out of. There were outside toilets with a coke brazier in winter to stop it freezing up.
At City Road site I remember the large hall where we had morning assembly.
"Daddy" Giblin was my form master and he taught us English. Dilworth (who we called Dragseye) taught us Geography. Rumsby taught us Divinity (Christian Religious Education). "Noddy" Wetters taught us Biology and we used to secretly do our Geography homework in his lesson. Lawty taught us Metalwork, and used to punish us across the backside with a strip of spring steel - he used to ride a motorbike and also taught us Rugby. We had Cross Country Running round Edgbaston Reservoir and I used to lag behind, then walk the opposite way and hide till the others came running round, and then join in.
In swimming a gang tried to hold me underwater, I held onto the rail and they were punching my back to try and make me lose grip, till the teacher saw them and called them off. I got out of the water and refused to get back in. It was the last lesson of term. The next term when they called out the names for swimming I heard a couple of boys say they were permanently excused swimming and there was a letter from their parents in the Office, so I said the same (although I didn't have a letter, they never checked) and so I did private study in the library instead.
In the 5th year we had a choice of sports lessons on Wednesday afternoon and you had to register for Rugby, Table Tennis etc. I didn't register for any sports and after registration instead of going to a Sports lesson I went out in the direction of the Sports field, through a gate into the Vicar's garden, out through the Church yard and walked down City Road and caught a bus home, lying down on the back seat upstairs till the bus was past the school.
There was a lot of bullying at the school and I hated fighting which meant I got picked on a lot. Eventually I had to fight back and that solved the problem.
I used to get the cane quite often. It wasn't too painful when administered by Rumsby but it was horrible if it was from Dilworth! I couldn't sit down properly afterwards and had to sit on my hands to ease the pain.
I did love my Old Dixonians tie but sadly I lost it and haven't been able to get a replacement.
