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George Dixons Grammar School

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Grammarbug said:
Yes, Fletcher! I remember him well! Most famous saying.., " you dumber - headed lump of green blazered twerpery" Anyone remember being called that? Today the PC brigade would no doubt consider that child abuse!
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We were all called a lump of green blazered twerpery at some time either individually or collectively
 
DavidGrain said:
We were all called a lump of green blazered twerpery at some time either individually or collectively
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Hi
I guess you are right! In my case it was almost 50 years since I left GD so contextualising memories gets a little harder! So I was there from September 1964 until June 1971. I remember the joining up of the sixth forms with the girls next door in the last year I was there. Not sure it helped with A level results but it certainly added a dimension of colour to
the final academic year! On a more reflective note I think GD offered an excellent education for those who saw it as an educational opportunity to prosper rather than just endure. Sadly my own children had to resort to the private sector to secure the same level of education as I received, such is the state of Worcestershire's educational offerings.
It would seem there are reunions from time to time and wonder who has been responsible for organising them in the past?
 
Having discovered this site and thread today prompts me to send a 'shout out' to the class of 1971leavers to the extent I can recall them! Fred Kilby, Michael Williams, Graham Howe,
Philip Street, Malcolm Ridout, Peter Muller,Clive Frazer, Bill Bonner, Robert Bissell, Peter Gregory, Geoffrey Newby, Henry Barrel, Geoffrey Hunt , John Smith, Gary Bushell with apologies to the dozens I have omitted! As for the girls who I met in the union of sixth forms in 1971........Rebecca Shields, Inger Fetter , Lynne Kenny (knew from before),Noelle Bartlett, Sarah Merritt, Anne Cottam, her friend Ann, Jennifer Bomber and now brain fade sets in! I sincerely hope all are alive and well and have put their privileged education to good effect!! While it is imperative to be forward looking in life I am always happy to share fond memories!
 
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Although conjecture about the political leanings and general attitudes of teachers in the past can be regarded as part of our social history, I think I need to discourage further comment on the CURRENT situation. Brexit is regrettably a toxic subject (about which we all have feelings and opinions) and this current benign conversation about it will inevitably develop into argument and upset as others join in. So, back to GD history, please, gentlemen........!

Chris
 
The only master whose politics we knew anything about was Tom Long who fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. If we ever wanted to wind him up we would ask about Franco in Spain or occasionally about Peron in Argentina. I have taken out a couple of sentences in view of Chris's comments above and left the rest of my post

However I do not want this forum to become a political debating ground so I shall not say how I voted in the referendum or the EU parliament elections.
 
Valmy said:
Hi Pedrocut, it's a shame you got no takers on your question! Given that George Dixon was a Liberal Party MP, and that he had learnt French in France, it might just be that he would have supported Remain. However, taking 1906 as a point of departure, the British Empire was at its height (though the Boers had just knocked some of the gilt off the gingerbread, and the British had come up with an invention with much more sinister overtones these days - the concentration camp), I would guess that the support of world wide free trade and the naval domination of the Empire would have encouraged the vast majority to vote leave...
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Valmy At this moment in time, the Brexit debiate has become very polerising and devisive. There have been a very polite request that "So, back to GD history, please, gentlemen........! " What part of this are you not understanding?
 
My comment on George Dixon was rather "off the cuff" while searching for mentions of the man himself. However as the title mentions the "school" then maybe it is not surprising that there is little mention. Elsewhere on the Forum there is the post by Dennis in “Great men and women of Birmingham.”

George Dixon

George Dixon 1820-1898 (and Sir Robert Dowling en passant) George Dixon, educational reformer, was born on the 1 July 1820 at Gomersal, near Bradford in Yorkshire. He was the son of Abraham Dixon of Whitehaven. Soon after his birth his father moved to Leeds and on the 26 January 1829...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk

If you wish to find in depth information about George Dixon the book "Out of Birmingham: George Dixon (1820-98), Father of free education,” by James Dixon and written in 2013 is very good.

George Dixon could be linked to several threads on the Forum, and maybe deserves a thread of his own. He was involved in a very divisive time in politics around the introduction of the 1870 Education Act. The MP for The University of Cambridge talking of Birmingham... “a select committee of political Nonconformists, sitting somewhere in Birmingham...Birmingham, which knows so well how to make itself disagreeable, and if you do not act as our small political clique tells you, you will soon know the reason why.”
 
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carolina said:
Thats interesting as I worked for George Dixon (jnr) in Selly Oak - Rabone Petersen and Co Ltd. He had a photo of his father in his office. At the time of his retirement the unions were coming to the fore and as he was anti union so we were told that if the union was brought in he would sell the company name only but if the union didnt come in he would sell the company - which he did to a merchant bank and we all moved to Neville House, Five Ways.
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Carolina, I missed your post in my first search of this thread, and also David's post N°154 which mentions the book above.

I am particularly interested in Rabone and Peterson Co. and also its forerunner Messrs Rabone and Son. As this thread is particularly concerning the George Dixon School, I will start a new Thread about the man himself.

I believe that R and P Co. was taken over by the Merchant Bank GR Dawes of Neville St. Five Ways around 1977, who were themselves in liquidation. In 1977 it had joint MD's, one being RN Dixon, who was the grandson of George Dixon from his youngest son James Ernest Dixon.

Was the picture looking down on R. Norman Dixon that of his father or his grandfather? George Dixon (1820-98) was not anti-trades Union.
 
G R Dawes were not in liquidation in 1977 although they might not have survived many years after that. I know this because I had dealing with Howard Dawes the MD about that time. The address at Five Ways was Neville House, but I am not sure whether it was Harborne Road or Hagley Road as I used to drive in one way and out the other. I am just replying to the above post and will not post more as that will be going off topic.
 
Pedrocut said:
Birmingham Post....Nov 1977...View attachment 134746
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Many thanks for that. Reading through the press cutting it appears to be that the Dawes family and Bertie Rose (who I also had dealings with) took the company private. There was a spate of those deals about that time. It was not a liquidation because of insolvency. I have a vague recollection of this now that I have seen the press cutting. The Neville Group, which became G R Dawes, was very active in the 1950s/60s floating small local companies on the old Birmingham Stock Exchange.
 
Pedrocut said:
Carolina, I missed your post in my first search of this thread, and also David's post N°154 which mentions the book above.

I am particularly interested in Rabone and Peterson Co. and also its forerunner Messrs Rabone and Son. As this thread is particularly concerning the George Dixon School, I will start a new Thread about the man himself.

I believe that R and P Co. was taken over by the Merchant Bank GR Dawes of Neville St. Five Ways around 1977, who were themselves in liquidation. In 1977 it had joint MD's, one being RN Dixon, who was the grandson of George Dixon from his youngest son James Ernest Dixon.

Was the picture looking down on R. Norman Dixon that of his father or his grandfather? George Dixon (1820-98) was not anti-trades Union.
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Yes you are correct, I worked for G R Dawes after they took over RPC, It was Neville House 42/46 Hagley Road - he was related to Dawes Cycles. I was made redundant at the time but was asked to go back and work for G R Dawes in 1987. It was R N Dixon who was MD at the time when I was there in Selly Oak. The other MD would be Hilary a'Beckett Eccles-Williams now that was an interesting and clever man.
 
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DavidGrain said:
Many thanks for that. Reading through the press cutting it appears to be that the Dawes family and Bertie Rose (who I also had dealings with) took the company private. There was a spate of those deals about that time. It was not a liquidation because of insolvency. I have a vague recollection of this now that I have seen the press cutting. The Neville Group, which became G R Dawes, was very active in the 1950s/60s floating small local companies on the old Birmingham Stock Exchange.
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I worked for Bertie Rose as well when I worked there
 
You can always check for liquidations of limited companies on the London Gazette website right up to yesterday!

Maurice
 
Some good and some bad memories of my time, 1964-1969 at GD. I'm afraid I wasn't a very good pupil and had a rather laissez-faire attitude towards my education. After the 1st year at City Road, years 2 and 3 were spent at Five Ways. I liked Five Ways and found my time there more enjoyable that City Road. I have couple of tales to recount that I remember quite vividly:

One of the memories is the end of them assembly in the hall at the old Five Ways Building. We must have been in the 3rd form then. I think it was old man Trout leading the hymns and prayer. As the pianist sat down on the piano stool a ghastly rotten egg smell pervaded to hall. Someone had carefully placed stink bombs under the legs of the stool crushing them with dreadful effect. Trout was incensed at the general laughter and I believe he said something like, “This is not funny, now let us sink Hymn Number…” The designated pianist then hit the keys with some gusto whereupon a dreadful twanging noise erupted. Someone had detuned the piano and much laughter erupted as did old man Trout. One of the perpetrators I have since found out is a retired school inspector.

Another memory is of the great gunpowder plot. There was a, some say, mad genius amongst us . Smith, we will call him had the distinction of being an amateur chemist. One day he brought in a sample of homemade gunpowder, which to the delight of many, worked very well. Buoyed up by the accolades that followed his initial experiment "Smith" produced a large quantity of the stuff. The boys toilets was decided upon as the venue for the upcoming test. The toilets were outside the main building, on the ground floor and comprised urinals on the right, sit downs on the left with a long walkway between, ending in the cleaners closet at the end furthest from the entrance. "Smith" laid a thin bead of his powder along the walkway followed by a small pile of the stuff just inside the cleaners closet. Unbelievably he then dumped out the rest of the powder and closed the closet door. There was a large gap under the closet door through which the burning fuse found its merry way to the main charge. As a spectator, I didn’t really believe "Smith" would light the fuse…but he did. I, amongst others were off like greyhounds putting as much distance as we could between ourselves and the impending explosion. Walking around aimlessly, hands in pockets, whistling tunelessly and acting terribly innocent, we were startled by a very loud bang followed by a cloud of sulfurous smoke.

I didn’t see for myself but witnesses had it that the expanding gas from inside the closet blew out from the gap under the normally inward opening door, caused a vacuum which then resulted in the door being pulled inward off its hinges. High jinx is one thing, but large explosions at school were another. The result was Trout having the whole school assembled in the hall and launching into a tirade along the lines of, “Today, a pyromaniac has tried to blow up the toilets and until the person responsible comes forward, the whole school will stay behind.” Minutes ticked by until "Smith" did a mea culpa and we were all allowed to go home. Happy Days...
 
DavidGrain said:
After my time when we had green blazers the school changed to dark red or burgundy blazers with black trousers. Has anyone seen the current uniform? I think is is very smart. Black Bazers with light blue edging and they have reverted to the GD shield and mural crown
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They can change the uniform and they can change its name as often as they like, it will never be the same as when it was a Grammar School.
 
BrumBum said:
You are spot on. When it was the self-styled international school, I was contacted by the then head teacher who was trying to enlist support (financial mainly) from former pupils. As I told him then, the school that I attended had ceased to exist. I worry that this makes me sound elitist, when I am not. Its simply that if you change something beyond a certain point, it is no longer the same thing. I was by no means the perfect grammar school pupil, but I value what my grammar school education gave me.
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I agree 100% with your comments change the uniform, change the name, it will never be the same. GDGS 1957-62.
 
Gillypops said:
Janet,
Just got onto this site, not very up to date with my iPad and it’s capabilities!
I am Gillian Richards and was in the group with you in Vallouise. Lots of nostalgia when smelling hay
and fresh coffee which we sometimes ate with French bread ( no butter! ) and dark chocolate squares. Do you remember? Other teachers I recall were Mrs Sweet ( art ) and Mrs Whitehead
(English) who used to enact Lady Macbeth with wringing hands.
I can recall every single name in the “ b” group but have only come across June Poynten,
Judy Wilson, Gina Knight and Nesta Clarke , the latter two at Cadbury’s as juniors.

I think maybe you may have met my mother too- she worked in the baby/wool shop by the bus stop
on Linden Road Selly Oak, and I think your mum might have shopped there.

I am so pleased to find someone from the old class, ogling at the boys through the window, being permitted to push desks back to dance to our music- ( I think we may have been pioneers for this activity! ).etc.. Barbara Sherwood taught me the Square Tango!


Hope you see this soon, I would love to find out more.
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DavidGrain said:
Yes technically the Lecture Theatre, which also doubled as a science class room was shared between the two schools but I think the boys school monopolised it. I think the lecture theatre was shared with both boys and girls sometimes after school hours for film shows but the only film I can remember seeing was of the Thomas Hardy novel The Mayor of Casterbridge but only because we were doing that book in English Litt.
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the old joint lecture theatre, does anybody remember the trap door, us girls used to go down for a fag during the lunch hour, GDGirls’Grammar 1957-62.
 
J S H said:
Hi Lloyd,
I was at G D Girls 1952-1960 l and we had two prefab classrooms in the quad. And well I remember the coke stoves you mentioned. Doesn't this bring back the memories!
Janet
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I was at GD from 52-56. I was in the C-stream. Looking for someone who might remember Pat Tunnicliffe, who was my best friend.

Pam Middleton
 
Kathsutton46 said:
the old joint lecture theatre, does anybody remember the trap door, us girls used to go down for a fag during the lunch hour, GDGirls’Grammar 1957-62.
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I left GD the year before you went there. I remember the joint theater, but not the trap door. Some of us girls used to go under the stage in the main hall (with classrooms along each side. Also went up to the top of that tower near the cafeteria.

Pam Middleton
 
I found the book very interesting, and probably the best biography of George Dixon. The author doesn't hide from the fact that George Dixon died a very wealthy man, and that his wealth enabled him to pursue his worthy cause in education. Also that Rabone Brothers would make a lot of money from the export of guns.
 
Hi Silver5125,

I was also at GD between those dates. I must have been brighter then than I am now, as I started in 1A! Later I was 'banished' to Five Ways, but spent my last year back at City Road. There's a lot on this thread about GD in the good old days, hope you enjoy!

G
 
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