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Handsworth Technical School

oldMohawk said:
. Did anyone 'water-bomb' while you were there ? Only old HTS pupils would know about that prank !
oldmohawk
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They had just re decorated room 21 when we started our second year. Jackie London went beserk when someone was caught with a bomb in there we were warned the next to be caught would be expelled. Did it stop did it hell.
 
Interested to see that you later went to the College there Mike G. Did they have a separate metalwork shop? I was looking at the photo on page 1 at #6 and can't relate that to anywhere we "school" bods went. I can recall our metal shop clearly. Another hazey area: I have a feeling that there was a big room above the gym, possibly the College's drawing office which we only ever used for "O" level exams. John.
 
Hi

Yes bob I could do with one of those Tomatoe dips now.
I think the crusts were cheaper. Another good snack area
was George Baines on the Soho Road. Those Jam doughnuts.

Happy day's

Mike Jenks
 
Hi

All this talk of things made during metalwork lessons has brought back some happy memories for me too.
I remember the calipers, dot punch and gate latch. I also remember making some kind of small hand shovel suitable for a coal fire. This was the only thing of mine that survived for a number of years as I had given it to my mother. As someone said before, how did we ever find the time to make all of those things and still do other lessons too?
 
I forgot about the gate latch. Dad put it on the back gate, it was still there when we moved about 5 yrs later.
 
mike-g said:
I forgot about the gate latch.
Somehow I made two different gate latches. The first was a quite elaborate job in three parts which I think is called a "Norfolk" latch: an oblong plate with grab handle and thumb operated lifter bar for the outside, and a pivoted latch bar with a rivet for a handle plus a hook on a plate for the door jamb on the inside. A good exercise in filing, bending, riveting and brazing, and finished in wonderful smelling black paint. It adorned the shed at Mother's for over thirty years when I reclaimed it after she died. The second was probably done in third year when we seemed to have less ambitious projects such as could be completed in an "O" level exam period. It was only two parts: a sheet steel piece folded into a deep narrow "U" with the ends bent out at rightangles with screwholes for fixing to a gatepost. Sandwiched inside the "U" was riveted a cam-cum-hook with an extended releaseing lever. The other bit was a simple cranked peg for the gate itself. This would strike the cam as the gate swung to, lifting the cam until its hook dropped over the peg securing the gate. This sort is still available commercially and I'd love to know it's propper name.I bet it would take me all day to make another now. This one is still on my own front gate now !
Nice photo, Mike. Don't think I'd have recognised you if I'd passed you in the street. "TOUCHE" no doubt !
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Anyone remember "The Bumps" ? I was watching a TV drama set in the 1800s and was amazed to see a lad being treated just as we were in the 1950s. For us it was a birthday ritual rather than outright bullying. Usually a mate of the victim would crouch at ground level and reach out to soften spinal contact with the concrete. I never knew of any ill effects but doubt if it would be tollerated to-day. Anyone know how long the tradition continued ? Happy New Year. Jonn.
 
Never heard of that. I must admit that apart from 2 or three idiot's who had no right being in any decent school, the form that I was in was remarkably sanguine and respectful. In the third year even the twirps were discarded. I am sure that this school was a turning point for many boys and many fine careers ensued because of it.
 
Hi Diamond, I remember the "Bumps" had them, myself but I can't remember any help from below. As far as I can remember it was still practised when I left in '58. So thats where my bad back came from ?

Goffy
 
diamond said:
Anyone remember "The Bumps" ?
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Hi John - I remember the 'birthday bumps' seemed a normal thing in those days. If they were allowed to do it these days, there would be a special 'bump area' with special rubber cushions etc.
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Phil
 
Hello all, I was at HTS from 65 to 70, I've just discovered this site and thought you 'seniors' would like to know what happened in later years. I've seen lots of familiar names and questions raised, so here goes: Follet (TD), still there in70, as were Jack Ball & Fred Stokes (PT), Woolley (woodwork), retired in 68, Storr (chemistry) moved on in 67.
Storr told us his cane was named Percy, though none of us met it. Shelldrake (still hanging on in 70) was still known as 'Bombduck', I well remember how the voice would become strangulated! Emmerson (maths) apparently retired from HTS in 74 and died in Cumbria around 1999. He was known as 'Joe' though his name was Cecil, and he told us how this came about. One day some unfortunate lad was explaining why he'd not done his homework, CE was unimpressed and said "Who do you think I am, Joe Soap?" A rare foray into humour by him, he usually terrified us.

Jim mentioned Poole (geog) walking home with another teacher. Jim, that was Harry Plowright (English) whom I was privileged to have as form-master from 66-70. Hope that allays your disappointment, Diamond, as you said on 18-11-09 you hadn't any info. HP was a a good guy, though you didn't mess with him, but most had too much respect to want to.

Flutter became deputy head in 66 when Lewis retired (the way he coughed I don't think he'd have troubled the taxpayers for his pension for too long) still in post in 70 but I saw his death notice in the paper in 77 or78. Mends was the head on my arrival, he moved to become head of George Dixon in 66. His replacement was one M G Drake who'd replaced Lewis. He made an iceberg seem warm. He died around 3 years ago.

Finally, for now, Ozzie. Jim mentioned the bike; from the look of it I'd guess it was the one you guys remember, about as delapidated as him! We used to call him, among other things, the mobile ashtray. You smelled him long before he got near. I remember knocking on the door of his room in his beloved library. "Just a minute" he'd say, through the crack in the door I'd see him stub out his Woodbine and frantically wave his arms about in an abortive attempt to disperse the thick clouds of smoke which hung around the room like the London smog before calling "come in." How I resisted the temptation to say "Sir, where the hell are you?" I'll never know.

Hope you all find this interesting, look forward to more of the same. Best Wishes to all.
 
Hi Mohawk, welcome to the forum from an old HTS boy. ( 53 -55 ) Theres lots of us here and we all like a good tale of old days so lets have some more.
 
Jim, I just looked again at your post of 18th Nov after making my first contribution and I see you are in Lozells. We have another connection, I lived in Church Street until 1981. Regards, Mohawk
 
hi mohawk and a warm welcome to the forum...i enjoyed reading your post 161 and i lived in villa street next to church st...

lyn
 
I looked at my wife's ipod this morning to see an email alert from the forum and thought I had posted to myself !
Anyway, welcome Mohawk from oldMohawk. I was at HTS 15 yrs before you but recognise some names you mention. I guess you couldn't do the 'water bomb' prank from the new building.
Did you ever go ice skating ?
oldmohawk
 
hi again mohawk..my memory is starting to come back...i knew someone who lived in church st...on the right hand side going up from nursery road..they lived near the top end..name of steven bull..moms name eileen

lyn
 
Thanks all for welcomes and comments. Sorry, oldMohawk for the confusion. When prompted the name came into my head, didn't know why at the time, guessed I might have seen it somewhere (wonder where). Got your attention anyway! I read of the water-prank with interest and not a little envy but you are correct, we did not indulge. When Mr Drake arrived, pranks were decidedly off the menu; he ruled with a rod of iron (well, wood, to be accurate.) There was a milk/orange juice machine in the foyer and the empty cartons were frequently used for impromptu games of footie in the hall, himself had such a downer on this that anyone who was caught trying to emulate Bobby Moore in said fashion got 'the whack'. A mate of mine remarked at the time "Next we'll get caned for breathing too heavily."

I used to get off the bus in Hamstead Rd and it was a long walk to Craythorne Avenue, there being no bus service to HTS available. The winters, as I'm sure you'll all recall, were worthy of the name back then. It was up hill and down dale and I was always hopeless when it came to walking on snow and ice and so hated that walk even more when the white stuff was around. So that was the only ice-skating I ever did. As for the roller-rink Lyn, I tried that once (I think it was at Spring Hill) and was equally useless at that! (Don't recall Bull family, we were around the middle of the middle block of the side you mention. Main thing I recall about Villa St is Mrs Padmore's garage; she had a son, Graham, who may have gone to HTS but he was older than me and so I'm not sure.)

Regards.
 
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hi again mowhawk...you have a very good memory and its great to read posts..just as a matter of interest what years were you living in church st..i was in villa from 58 to 72 ish....here is a pic of padmores dated 1960

lyn
 
Many thanks for the pic, Lyn - never thought I'd see Padmores again! Just found there's a Lozells thread (I guess we should be doing this on there! I've posted on the Angelsey St School thread, too.) Yes, my memory is legendary, I just wish it extended to knowing where I leave my glasses. Folks moved to Church St 1949, I was born there in there in the mid-fifties, we left in 1981. Wonder how many times you and I passed in the street.

Regards, Mohawk.
 
hi again mohawk.....we are the same age so there is a very good chance our paths have crossed many times..if you type in nursery road newsagents in the search box at the top of the page i have posted some pics you may find interesting...should be a pic taken in 1960 of the four corners of villa st among them..post office office...veg shop..cafe and the crown pub....if you have any probs finding them get back to me...do these names ring any bells..moorehouses (villa st)...ross taylor(graham st) robin lyndon. (burbury) carol miller..(villa st).our kid mark harrington..oh and does the name robert close ring any bells...he went to handsworth tech too...

lyn
 
mohawk also type in nursery rd/villa st..there are a few more pics on that thread....

lyn
 
Someone said Mr Osborne was 'short on humour', that's true enough but he sure supplied us with material to work with. I recall the following:

One day, Ozzie stood in for Harry Plowright and decided to hold a 'What are you going to do when you leave school' session. One lad announced he wanted to become a pharmacist. Why did he want to do that? was the obvious next question. The explanation was along the lines of: interesting career, socially beneficial, good prospects & working conditions, etc. Ozzie looked a bit bemused and appeared not to share the pupil's somewhat rosy view of his chosen occupation. "You do realise", said he, "that you'll have to get up very early in the morning and be prepared to get your hands dirty and perform some unpleasant tasks."

By now the lad's bemused expression was more than a match for that initially displayed by Mr O. He no doubt had visions of sauntering into his local branch of Boots or Timothy White's at about 5 to 9, donning his white coat and dishing out a few pills and potions before toddling off home at 5 sharp. Here now, apparently, his dream was being traduced. On being informed by the learned master that he could expect to be working even on Christmas Day, the poor boy could contain himself no longer. "Sir", he wailed, "I don't understand why being a pharmacist would be like that." "Pharmacist?" queried Ozzie, "I thought you said you wanted to be a farm assistant!"

Much merriment followed, Ozzie no doubt gave the Woodbines a more-than-usual hammering that lunch-time.
 
Hi and a belated welcome Mohawk; Great to read your posts and hear of the old masters who survived the move. I think you are the only one who posted news of Plowright whose name I remember so well but have utterly failed to put a face to or a subject. Now since he's probably been long cleaning the great blackboard in the sky , and we are too long in the tooth to fear detention, how about giving us a "thumbnail sketch" of his appearance and character. I'd love to be able to recall him clearly ( and the other old boys here may enjoy a chuckle too !)
 
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