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George Dixons Grammar School

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Definitely Dave Green. Yes, Greg Turvey. Glen Hatter, I believe.
I’ve just come across this forum. I was at GD between 1961(I think!) and 1968. My name is Andy Normansell, known as ‘Scotch’ for some reason in my later years there (which is ironic really as I went to St Andrews uni and have lived in Scotland ever since).
My memory is poor but I recognise many of the names of my fellow inmates. I palled around with Dave Harris and ? Quinn in first and second years and later with one of the Hawkes twins (Peter, I think) and John Paramore, and Jeff Heath and Chris Haynes in sixth year among others. I remember Julius Lezgold and ? Wilson who I think lived on Hagley Road not far from the school. I remember I had a slight altercation with ? Davies, I think in second year, that earned me 100 lines from a prefect! I was also caught by the deputy head bunking off assembly and had to report to his office - the dressing down was something not to be repeated lightly. I made the mistake of sitting on the chair in front of his desk because I thought that’s what it was there for! That incident was problematic because I was due to give a talk to class on Methodism in general studies and of course I was late and someone had removed my crib cards from my desk. I did get them back though!
My most vivid memories of teachers were of JC Endall, Mr Trout (coincidentally his daughter was at St Andrews a couple of years ahead of me), Mr Fisher, Mr Fletcher, Mr Field, Mr Quant and one of the physics teachers who had a penchant for throwing wooden blackboard dusters (not at me but I was nevertheless traumatised when it happened!).
Incidentally, my memory of the stink bomb incident at Five Ways was that it was Mr Fisher who was playing the piano and he tried several times to get a tune out of the tampered-with piano. But as I said my memory is poor.
JC Endall and Mr Trout were regulars on the Scout camps and Jeff Heath’s dad drove us and all the gear there in one of his removal vans. I remember I broke my nose playing British Bulldog at Scouts after school in the gym.
It was very sad when Mr Rumsby became ill - a stroke I think. He made an appearance at sports day on the steps of the pavilion later that year unable really to speak. He was a great head.
 
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.
Hello ladies, can either of you identify any of the teachers in the attached photo, which was taken inn1946. I can recognise Miss Bund, Miss Curry, Miss Saul, Miss Player.
 
Hello ladies, can either of you identify any of the teachers in the attached photo, which was taken inn1946. I can recognise Miss Bund, Miss Curry, Miss Saul, Miss Player.
 

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Hello,
This is Fred Kilby, I'm living in Nairobi these days. I graduated in the summer of 1971 and had a chance to reminisce with Robert Hodgson in May after a year locked down in Oxford (Covid not the jail). Hard to believe its been 50 years . Too bad there wasn't a reunion. All the best to everyone.
Been meaning to respond to your post for a while. It's Phil Street here. I was part of 1964 - 71 cohort. Not sure you'll remember as it was over 50 years now, but we were mates in 6th form along with Brian ( Harvey) Andrews. I remember you as an amazing scholar, you lived in Northfield, did great at school and went to Keble I think. When I was planning to reply to your post I also thought about a number of other people at GD who I was friends with,. Jonathan (Johnnie) Abrahams who wanted to be and became a barrister. Well done Jonathan. Then other mates like Michael Williams who like me and also Nick Wood and John Ternant suffered as Birmingham City supporters. We squandered our Saturday afternoons standing with my dad on the terraces of Cattell Rd moaning about that terrible football team
There was also Pete Muller and Malcolm Ridout, who like you Fred went on to Oxbridge, but not forgetting others whose company I enjoyed Tim Sanders, John Rae, Phil Bond & Fred Williams.
Although I never really enjoyed secondary school it did get better as it went along
Unfortunately, not many teachers for whom I have positive memories. Malcolm Hannay, John Endall and the head when I left Bill Mends.
We had fun and caused some issues as part of the sixth form society and I remember going to a careers event at Aston Uni and sat there reading the Morning Star. A tiny bit rebellious.
There were a few women I remember too. Mainly because of seeing them quite a lot as they had boyfriends in the sixth form - Sarah Merrit, Inger Fetter, Jenny Bomber - and also some women from the year below whose surnames I can't remember after half a century, but who were nice people Sue, Lesley and Yasmin.
Hope you're well and to all those who I spent much of the sixties and early seventies with, hope you're doing good too.
 
Didn't he teach French?
Yes, other things too. Very much a comedian, as well! During an exam, someone asked him the time. He pulled up the sleeve on his jumper, revealing five watches up his arm, and proceeded to tell us the time in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Berlin, ending with "and half three here!"
 
Phil Street
Been meaning to respond to your post for a while. It's Phil Street here. I was part of 1964 - 71 cohort. Not sure you'll remember as it was over 50 years now, but we were mates in 6th form along with Brian ( Harvey) Andrews. I remember you as an amazing scholar, you lived in Northfield, did great at school and went to Keble I think. When I was planning to reply to your post I also thought about a number of other people at GD who I was friends with,. Jonathan (Johnnie) Abrahams who wanted to be and became a barrister. Well done Jonathan. Then other mates like Michael Williams who like me and also Nick Wood and John Ternant suffered as Birmingham City supporters. We squandered our Saturday afternoons standing with my dad on the terraces of Cattell Rd moaning about that terrible football team
There was also Pete Muller and Malcolm Ridout, who like you Fred went on to Oxbridge, but not forgetting others whose company I enjoyed Tim Sanders, John Rae, Phil Bond & Fred Williams.
Although I never really enjoyed secondary school it did get better as it went along
Unfortunately, not many teachers for whom I have positive memories. Malcolm Hannay, John Endall and the head when I left Bill Mends.
We had fun and caused some issues as part of the sixth form society and I remember going to a careers event at Aston Uni and sat there reading the Morning Star. A tiny bit rebellious.
There were a few women I remember too. Mainly because of seeing them quite a lot as they had boyfriends in the sixth form - Sarah Merrit, Inger Fetter, Jenny Bomber - and also some women from the year below whose surnames I can't remember after half a century, but who were nice people Sue, Lesley and Yasmin.
Hope you're well and to all those who I spent much of the sixties and early seventies with, hope you're doing good too.
Phil Street, one of my deputies when I was School Captain during my final school year 1970/71. Must say I have more memories of a rather academic sophisticated Malcolm Ridout than of you. Remember you as a freckled blondish person mad about football which I loathed. What did you become after leaving school in 1971?
I went on a Rhodes Scholarship to Canada for 3 weeks summer 1971 a gift from the school then entered Birmingham Medical School and graduated as a doctor in 1976. Still working as a GP but in an American private family practice in south Germany. I’ve lived in Germany since 1997 and am married to a German girl and we have an 18 year old handsome son.
I have no contact with anyone from GD. Some I remember and have fond memories of whilst others I try to forget! Most of all I remember my time playing violin in the school orchestra under the direction of Cecil Fisher. Fond memories too of Bill Mends, Malcolm Hannay, David Proctor, Les Summerton and Gibson the deputy Head.
 
By the way the above
Phil Street

Phil Street, one of my deputies when I was School Captain during my final school year 1970/71. Must say I have more memories of a rather academic sophisticated Malcolm Ridout than of you. Remember you as a freckled blondish person mad about football which I loathed. What did you become after leaving school in 1971?
I went on a Rhodes Scholarship to Canada for 3 weeks summer 1971 a gift from the school then entered Birmingham Medical School and graduated as a doctor in 1976. Still working as a GP but in an American private family practice in south Germany. I’ve lived in Germany since 1997 and am married to a German girl and we have an 18 year old handsome son.
I have no contact with anyone from GD. Some I remember and have fond memories of whilst others I try to forget! Most of all I remember my time playing violin in the school orchestra under the direction of Cecil Fisher. Fond memories too of Bill Mends, Malcolm Hannay, David Proctor, Les Summerton and Gibson the deputy Head.
By the way the above was written by me David Hart!
 
I was introduced to this site by a friend who lived in the area and is researching its history. Reading through the many entries it brought back so many memories and has spurred me to add my thoughts in the hope that others will find it of interest.

I started at GD in 1960 after passing the 12+ and spent my first year at Five Ways. After staying in the lower grades I spent an extra year in a special sixth form, S6, set up purely to retake ‘O’ levels in 1964 as there were so many wanting to get some better qualifications. I went on to sixth form, S4 and S2, before going on the University of Birmingham to study civil engineering in 1967 and retired from work at the end of 2008.

The entry is split into 3 sections, teachers, students and other memories with only a shortish bit on each, otherwise it could go on forever:
1. Teachers:

Rumsey (Head): He seemed to have a lovely old school presence about him but soon after I started he was taken ill and was replaced by DAD Dilworth,

DAD Dilworth (Deputy/Head): Once a week we would have morning assembly at St Germains church next door. There were two steps that DAD had to negotiate and there was always a pause as he felt for them with his foot, one day I thought....

Trout (Five Ways deputy): One of the reasons I stopped learning history in the second year. It’s amazing how liking, or not, teachers can affect your whole outlook on life.

Walker “The Pork” (??? ): Stood in the hall waiting to walk up City Road to the canteen at lunch time there would be a wave of silence envelope the room and you knew he had entered. He would walk diagonally across the lines until he reached the main noisemaker and then there was trouble.

Winson “Butch” (French): No one played up in class but he would hit students across the back of the head with a ruler if he thought that they may play up when out of his sight. He used to sit at our dinner table at Five Ways and one day before he arrived we had bought a tin of Butch dog food and put it on the table in his place. It was all taken in good part.

Buckley (Science): Great teacher but I think he died quite young.

Hannay (Latin): Never taught by him but remembered he was quite short and seemed to float around the corridors always wearing his gown.

“Gabby” Hayes (metalwork): One of my favourite subjects and he was a great teacher.

Lewis (English): First form master at Five Ways. A Welsh import and very likeable.

Little (French): Went on the school trip to Europe including Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. I remember on one occasion him asking for directions in French and the local could not understand him. Now I know why I never passed a French exam.

Brookes (Art): It was announced during an assembly in Five Ways that he had died, quite a shock. Later it turned out that my wife worked for his wife at an office also in Five Ways.

“Fingers” Johnson (Physics): A young teacher who taught the second “A” level group. He was someone who got the best out of his pupils and seriously embarrassed Les Summerton when the number of “A” level passes he achieved was better than Les’s. I think he left soon afterwards.

Siddle (Chemistry): Took “A” level under duress but everyone in that year failed.

Les? Paul (Engineering Drawing): Another one of my favourite subjects, his lessons where much more than just the subject at “A” level with discussions diversifying into any topic that took our fancy. Surely this is what education is all about. I also went to his evening classes in Bartley Green where I sat at the back of the “O” level class he was taking and studied for my “A” level.

Fletcher (Music): I will always remember him playing that very dramatic classic piece every time we left the weekly service at St Germains. Can someone put a name to it?

?? Proctor (Sports): A sad loss.

2. Students

Max McDonogh: Also joined at the same time as me and also went on to be a civil engineer.

Colin Bourne: Both of us disliked sport, never build for rugby and always got the stitch in cross country, so spent Wednesday afternoon’s installing the telephone system for the school by climbing ladders, stringing telephone cables, installing switchboards and phones. How long that lasted I dread to think but it was great fun.

? Nicholson: Loved motorbikes and had another classmate with a motorbike sidecar, which you may think was safer. However, that was not the case and he turned it over one day and was never seen again.

Michael Chalk: In the same engineering drawing class and has been a Redditch Councillor for many years.

Derek Larigo: Used to travel home with him sometimes, lived between Rose’s cafe and Bartley Green.

Lewis: Are you the Lewis from 2E in 1960/61 and did you live at a pub in Digbeth, if so I remember some of your stories which had a lasting impression.

? Twiss: we had this American in our class for a while, I think his father was a diplomat somewhere.

John Maxfield and Peter Busby: Joint in the sixth form from Harborne Hill? School. Peter made head boy.

Other names, but no details, include: Dave Shenton, Steven Dixon, Paul Hogan, Donald Grendon, Jonathan Wickens, Paul Lyndon and Ronald Hill.

3. Other memories

The first and last lesson read out in the assembly each term was I. Corinthians Chapter 13. Still is a lasting memory for me.

The sixth form common room was built just as I entered the sixth form and it was brilliant.

On the way back from lunch the boys had to run the gauntlet passed the girls who congregated in a pack. If only I was as confident then ......

The Quad was the only area where we had some female contact with the school next door as their loos overlooked it, in retrospect it seems a rather bad design!!

I was always keen on railways and after school at Five Ways some of us frequently went to “bunk” the Monument Lane shed. I still remember being sat in the office there having given a good telling off by the “gripper”.

I vaguely remember the mass expulsion on the last day. I used to drive from Bromsgrove then so may have taken some of the offenders to the pub.

We were given plastic tokens to travel between City Road and Five Ways and by walking one stop you could save one for travel home and get something from the shop with the extra cash.

At break time we played stretch. The two players stood facing each other and took turns to throw a penknife into the ground near your opponent to make him do the splits. The loser was the one who fell over first. No pupils were hurt in this game.... well not many.

I remember one day in the chemistry lab when someone sucking sulphuric acid into a burette sucked for too long and got a mouthful of the stuff.

Food memories include the usual chocolate concrete and potato puffs bought from the shop a break.

Although now out of print my friend tracked down a copy of the attached book through Waterstones:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Years-City-Road-Secondary/dp/0955344409



Looking forward to your observations in due course.



Peter Mann
Hi Peter. GD 1958-1965

The grey cells don’t work to well these days so I can not claim to remember you. I spent my working life as a handicraft /design technology teacher and have been a local councillor off and on since 1979 having the honour of being mayor on two occasions. I took the seat of a retiring GD student in 1994 and another in 2019 so there have been at least 4 exGD people on Redditch Borough Council.

I have nothing but happy memories of GD specially the musicals, I meet my wife of 51 years thanks to the shows and we have been involved with musical theatre ever since. On one occasion I went to teach at the school in the 1980’s and although I left in 1965 I found some of my drawing in the storeroom. I could go on and on with stories and comments but will not waste and more time.
 
I was introduced to this site by a friend who lived in the area and is researching its history. Reading through the many entries it brought back so many memories and has spurred me to add my thoughts in the hope that others will find it of interest.

I started at GD in 1960 after passing the 12+ and spent my first year at Five Ways. After staying in the lower grades I spent an extra year in a special sixth form, S6, set up purely to retake ‘O’ levels in 1964 as there were so many wanting to get some better qualifications. I went on to sixth form, S4 and S2, before going on the University of Birmingham to study civil engineering in 1967 and retired from work at the end of 2008.

The entry is split into 3 sections, teachers, students and other memories with only a shortish bit on each, otherwise it could go on forever:
1. Teachers:

Rumsey (Head): He seemed to have a lovely old school presence about him but soon after I started he was taken ill and was replaced by DAD Dilworth,

DAD Dilworth (Deputy/Head): Once a week we would have morning assembly at St Germains church next door. There were two steps that DAD had to negotiate and there was always a pause as he felt for them with his foot, one day I thought....

Trout (Five Ways deputy): One of the reasons I stopped learning history in the second year. It’s amazing how liking, or not, teachers can affect your whole outlook on life.

Walker “The Pork” (??? ): Stood in the hall waiting to walk up City Road to the canteen at lunch time there would be a wave of silence envelope the room and you knew he had entered. He would walk diagonally across the lines until he reached the main noisemaker and then there was trouble.

Winson “Butch” (French): No one played up in class but he would hit students across the back of the head with a ruler if he thought that they may play up when out of his sight. He used to sit at our dinner table at Five Ways and one day before he arrived we had bought a tin of Butch dog food and put it on the table in his place. It was all taken in good part.

Buckley (Science): Great teacher but I think he died quite young.

Hannay (Latin): Never taught by him but remembered he was quite short and seemed to float around the corridors always wearing his gown.

“Gabby” Hayes (metalwork): One of my favourite subjects and he was a great teacher.

Lewis (English): First form master at Five Ways. A Welsh import and very likeable.

Little (French): Went on the school trip to Europe including Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. I remember on one occasion him asking for directions in French and the local could not understand him. Now I know why I never passed a French exam.

Brookes (Art): It was announced during an assembly in Five Ways that he had died, quite a shock. Later it turned out that my wife worked for his wife at an office also in Five Ways.

“Fingers” Johnson (Physics): A young teacher who taught the second “A” level group. He was someone who got the best out of his pupils and seriously embarrassed Les Summerton when the number of “A” level passes he achieved was better than Les’s. I think he left soon afterwards.

Siddle (Chemistry): Took “A” level under duress but everyone in that year failed.

Les? Paul (Engineering Drawing): Another one of my favourite subjects, his lessons where much more than just the subject at “A” level with discussions diversifying into any topic that took our fancy. Surely this is what education is all about. I also went to his evening classes in Bartley Green where I sat at the back of the “O” level class he was taking and studied for my “A” level.

Fletcher (Music): I will always remember him playing that very dramatic classic piece every time we left the weekly service at St Germains. Can someone put a name to it?

?? Proctor (Sports): A sad loss.

2. Students

Max McDonogh: Also joined at the same time as me and also went on to be a civil engineer.

Colin Bourne: Both of us disliked sport, never build for rugby and always got the stitch in cross country, so spent Wednesday afternoon’s installing the telephone system for the school by climbing ladders, stringing telephone cables, installing switchboards and phones. How long that lasted I dread to think but it was great fun.

? Nicholson: Loved motorbikes and had another classmate with a motorbike sidecar, which you may think was safer. However, that was not the case and he turned it over one day and was never seen again.

Michael Chalk: In the same engineering drawing class and has been a Redditch Councillor for many years.

Derek Larigo: Used to travel home with him sometimes, lived between Rose’s cafe and Bartley Green.

Lewis: Are you the Lewis from 2E in 1960/61 and did you live at a pub in Digbeth, if so I remember some of your stories which had a lasting impression.

? Twiss: we had this American in our class for a while, I think his father was a diplomat somewhere.

John Maxfield and Peter Busby: Joint in the sixth form from Harborne Hill? School. Peter made head boy.

Other names, but no details, include: Dave Shenton, Steven Dixon, Paul Hogan, Donald Grendon, Jonathan Wickens, Paul Lyndon and Ronald Hill.

3. Other memories

The first and last lesson read out in the assembly each term was I. Corinthians Chapter 13. Still is a lasting memory for me.

The sixth form common room was built just as I entered the sixth form and it was brilliant.

On the way back from lunch the boys had to run the gauntlet passed the girls who congregated in a pack. If only I was as confident then ......

The Quad was the only area where we had some female contact with the school next door as their loos overlooked it, in retrospect it seems a rather bad design!!

I was always keen on railways and after school at Five Ways some of us frequently went to “bunk” the Monument Lane shed. I still remember being sat in the office there having given a good telling off by the “gripper”.

I vaguely remember the mass expulsion on the last day. I used to drive from Bromsgrove then so may have taken some of the offenders to the pub.

We were given plastic tokens to travel between City Road and Five Ways and by walking one stop you could save one for travel home and get something from the shop with the extra cash.

At break time we played stretch. The two players stood facing each other and took turns to throw a penknife into the ground near your opponent to make him do the splits. The loser was the one who fell over first. No pupils were hurt in this game.... well not many.

I remember one day in the chemistry lab when someone sucking sulphuric acid into a burette sucked for too long and got a mouthful of the stuff.

Food memories include the usual chocolate concrete and potato puffs bought from the shop a break.

Although now out of print my friend tracked down a copy of the attached book through Waterstones:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Years-City-Road-Secondary/dp/0955344409



Looking forward to your observations in due course.



Peter Mann
I've only just seen this post, very late I know, but for your information my cousin married Derek Larigo in 1970, they live in Harborne and had two children, both well grown up now. They are both retired and seem to spend their time visiting relatives in Cornwall.
 
I’ve just come across this forum. I was at GD between 1961(I think!) and 1968. My name is Andy Normansell, known as ‘Scotch’ for some reason in my later years there (which is ironic really as I went to St Andrews uni and have lived in Scotland ever since).
My memory is poor but I recognise many of the names of my fellow inmates. I palled around with Dave Harris and ? Quinn in first and second years and later with one of the Hawkes twins (Peter, I think) and John Paramore, and Jeff Heath and Chris Haynes in sixth year among others. I remember Julius Lezgold and ? Wilson who I think lived on Hagley Road not far from the school. I remember I had a slight altercation with ? Davies, I think in second year, that earned me 100 lines from a prefect! I was also caught by the deputy head bunking off assembly and had to report to his office - the dressing down was something not to be repeated lightly. I made the mistake of sitting on the chair in front of his desk because I thought that’s what it was there for! That incident was problematic because I was due to give a talk to class on Methodism in general studies and of course I was late and someone had removed my crib cards from my desk. I did get them back though!
My most vivid memories of teachers were of JC Endall, Mr Trout (coincidentally his daughter was at St Andrews a couple of years ahead of me), Mr Fisher, Mr Fletcher, Mr Field, Mr Quant and one of the physics teachers who had a penchant for throwing wooden blackboard dusters (not at me but I was nevertheless traumatised when it happened!).
Incidentally, my memory of the stink bomb incident at Five Ways was that it was Mr Fisher who was playing the piano and he tried several times to get a tune out of the tampered-with piano. But as I said my memory is poor.
JC Endall and Mr Trout were regulars on the Scout camps and Jeff Heath’s dad drove us and all the gear there in one of his removal vans. I remember I broke my nose playing British Bulldog at Scouts after school in the gym.
It was very sad when Mr Rumsby became ill - a stroke I think. He made an appearance at sports day on the steps of the pavilion later that year unable really to speak. He was a great head.
My apologies for coming to the thread so late. I recall a tampering with the piano so it sounded honky-tonk for the end of year service in July 1965; 'Lord Dismiss us with Thy Blessing' never sounded quite as good!) I was in the Lower 6th. Stink bombs were placed in the seating and burst when weight was applied when they were sat on. If I recall correctly the pianist was a woman teacher (I think of French 'A' Level). There was a right broohahah afterwards, and I think some owned up. Mr Trout as Master-in-Charge took the service and was visibly very angry.
 
A new slant: does anyone know if any of the masters were themselves Old Dixonians? All in all I found the masters to be a great bunch of guys, with the odd exception see above, but I hardly know anything about them. I can well imagine that Tom Long fought in the Spanish War, but he being a catholic, on which side?
Terry Giblin (still going strong 2022), Norris T Owen, Laurie Redding, John Rogers were ODs. As I understand Mr Long although RC was allied to the Republicans; and as far as I can discern, he was in the SOE in WW2 crossing to Normandy where his in-laws lived, and doing whatever he was called to do--in my book, a brave man as was his wife's family who would all have been shot if discovered. Peter Davies '59/'64.
 
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Tom Long was very anti Franco when we managed to get him to talk about it in class. which was very easy to get him side tracked.
Harold Bond who in my day was in charge of stationery handing out new exercise books from his cupboard off the ante-hall was an old Dixonian but I did not know that until I saw a newspaper article about him when he retired.
 
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Thank you, David, for your reply. Yes, I recall Mr Bond, going to the cupboard, presenting the full exercise book and him giving you the new one together with the old one with half its back cover ripped off! He was smartly dressed, light grey suit. He did a year teaching in the USA and wrote a piece about it in the school mag. He taught Maths to my brother ('54/'59) and he said that he was a good teacher and got him through. Mr Long was always elegantly turned out. Re his involvement in SOE, one Spanish class I asked what he did in the war, and he replied 'Visited the in-laws.' I asked how he got there, and he replied, 'How do you think, Davies? Submarine then swim or row.' I checked this all out with Terry Giblin in recent years and he said that he had heard this from Geoff Fletcher, who I think was a bit of a 'confessor' in the Staff Room.
 
Terry Giblin (still going strong 2022), Norris T Owen, Laurie Redding, John Rogers were ODs. As I understand Mr Long although RC was allied to the Republicans; and as far as I can discern, he was in the SOE in WW2 crossing to Normandy where his in-laws lived, and doing whatever he was called to do--in my book, a brave man as was his wife's family who would all have been shot if discovered. Peter Davies '59/'64.
It was Laurie Reading, I was a pal and classmate 57-64. We were cross country team mates.
 
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I went back to the school in (I think) 2004 when they were commemorating 100 years in City Road and the Assistant Head who was in charge of the event (I don't remember his name) was wearing an Old Dixonian tie.
 
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It was Laurie Reading, I was a pal and classmate 57-64. We were cross country team mates.
Thanks, Steve, for the correction. Those were good cross-country days. Just occasionally I meet someone who ran against GD at Lightwoods Park ... we knew the course, but if they didn't and got caught on that steep bank knew it spelt disaster.
 
Thanks, Steve, for the correction. Those were good cross-country days. Just occasionally I meet someone who ran against GD at Lightwoods Park ... we knew the course, but if they didn't and got caught on that steep bank knew it spelt disaster.
The steep bank was presumably in Warley Woods. I used to live near Warley Woods by the Water Tower and used to walk the 2 miles to school every morning across the Woods, down St Mary's Road along Sandon Road and down City Road. In the afternoons I used to walk to Bearwood and get the bus back up the hill. My problem was that it was two buses to and from school. Wish I had kept up the walking. Cross country running would have been too much for me and I am sure I would have turned off home as I passed the end of my road.
 
The steep bank was presumably in Warley Woods. I used to live near Warley Woods by the Water Tower and used to walk the 2 miles to school every morning across the Woods, down St Mary's Road along Sandon Road and down City Road. In the afternoons I used to walk to Bearwood and get the bus back up the hill. My problem was that it was two buses to and from school. Wish I had kept up the walking. Cross country running would have been too much for me and I am sure I would have turned off home as I passed the end of my road.
In one of those slack moments this afternoon, I checked my own journey to City Rd. 6 1/2 miles on the Outer Circle from Kings Heath. The fun discovery is that the school's postcode is aptly B16 9GD
 
Hi Duncan.

I seem to remember you vaguely. I left summer 1971 and was Head Boy of the school 1970-71 with Philip Street & Malcolm Ridout my two deputies. I went on to Birmingham Medical School and in 1976 qualified as a doctor. I've been working continuously as a GP since and now am in private practice in Germany. I've never been out of work since Name
 
That cannot have been by chance!

Have just checked St Germain's Church next door has a B17 post code although its address is City Road.
I don't quite believe it was so when I was at school. That would have been unforgettable. I believe it was a B17 postcode. They came in in my last year at GD 1970-71, when I was applying for university entrance during the biggest postal strike I ever remember. They had to arrange some kind of collection system for applications, offers, etc, to go between schools and universities and UCCA as it then was. Couriers were not the norm then. I went from B17 at school to B15 at Birmingham University, I feel sure. Do you think the codes and boundaries changed. Or perhaps if the front entrance is now in Portland Road, as i gather from other posts here is true, then it had to chang then and acquired a unique GS postcode. Makes sense. I would instinctively have thought of Portland Road in connection with B16.
 
I don't quite believe it was so when I was at school. That would have been unforgettable. I believe it was a B17 postcode. They came in in my last year at GD 1970-71, when I was applying for university entrance during the biggest postal strike I ever remember. They had to arrange some kind of collection system for applications, offers, etc, to go between schools and universities and UCCA as it then was. Couriers were not the norm then. I went from B17 at school to B15 at Birmingham University, I feel sure. Do you think the codes and boundaries changed. Or perhaps if the front entrance is now in Portland Road, as i gather from other posts here is true, then it had to chang then and acquired a unique GS postcode. Makes sense. I would instinctively have thought of Portland Road in connection with B16.
I see I am a New Member, but my user name suggests since 2009. I have just changed my password...
 
Hi, I was at GD Boys from 69 to 74; in forms 1A, 2F, 3F, 4F, & 5B1. I found this old school calender from the last term I was there if anyone is interested in the staff names etc. It still has my lessons timetable on the reverse and details of my 'O' level exams to sit!

View attachment 123499
Just joined and am delighted to see a calendar with staff names that I remember so vividly (at GD from 68-75). Been searching for such a list for a long time. Great to see it and reminisce!
 
Indeed it was - I was Cynthia Cottrell - does that ring a bell? I remember Penny Cleaver, Noelle Bott, Pamela Forrest, Diane Crocombe - and so many others! Good to hear from you!
Hi Cynthia. Have only recently discovered The Forum. I was at George Dixon 1962. Margaret Cottrell was in my class? Be good to hear from you.
 
I have been in Australia for nearly 40 years and would love to hear from anyone from my school years in Birmingham.

I went to George Dixon Grammar School during 1955 - 1959

Would love to hear from anyone who was there around the same time or who could let me have photographs and/or history af what has happened to the buildings over the past 40 years

Thanks

Jeff Holloway
Ken Winfield - mean anything to you? Very hesitant even sending this note after such a very long time. Your name seems to ring a bell!
 
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