• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Josiah Mason's Orphanage

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
I remember the same things as you except I cannot ever seeing an orchard or garden, my time when not working was running to and from Paget Road school 4 times a day terrified to be late in either direction. Do you remember saturday afternoon Key Room Duty ? only for the older girls who would answer the main door, dressed in a nurses apron.? We were allowed to watch TV on a saturday night until 8.00pm [big deal]
I remember some more name Pat Smith [ she had a sister] and Irene Davies. What year did you leave Rowan ??
 
Hannah, I left in 1951 when the Clevers were still in charge. I believe the people who followed were tyrants.
 
quizcreator said:
Here is a photo of Miss Fanny Wright, Matron of Mason's Orphanage, Erdington in the 1880s.
Click to expand...

A lovely photo.

Much to my surprise /shock, I found in the 1891 Census, my great great aunt Winifred Sainsbury, age 10, born c.1880 at Bromley Kent, in the Josiah Mason Orphanage. Winifred was the youngest of 10 children and her mother died in Nov 1882 due to complications of pregnancy. Winifred's sister 'Grace Edith Sainsbury' born 1879 was in the Stockwell Orphange in London in the 1891 Census. I cannot understand why the children were split up.

Later in life, Winifred was living back in Kent. I often wonder if she was happy.
 
Hi gothic Terrace,
Yes! My granddad David Ernest Bayliss did indeed have a sister Winifred Doris Bayliss born in 1915. Unfortunately, my mom--Sylvia Bayliss, knew little about her. We don't even know what happened to her when her brothers were put into the orphanage after their father's death during the war.
My grandfather and his brothers have all passed away now.
I am now very curious what you know about her. Thanks very much for asking.
Regards, Kevin
 
Hello Kevin what a lovely suprise to hear from you.My name is Doris,my mother was Winifred Doris Bayliss born 30/1/1915 at 13 gothic terrace.clifton road aston.All i know about moms early life that she was seperated from her brothers at an early age.Finally in the fifties we the family met a (Dave ?) i think,who lived in a pre-fab house on the edge of pye payes park in erdington.I am sure we also me his daughter.All my mother would say was that she was put into care then into domestic service in a vicaridge in Leicester or Lemington.She later joined the womens auxiliary air force and was stationed in Morecambe in the first part of the 2nd ww.Here she met my dad William Thompson who came from Belfast.There moved back to Aston to number 4 gothic terrace(also known as 4back of 159 clifton road).she stayed with her aunt Rachel from her mom Louisa side.My mom had 6 children,she passed awayin february 1994 age 79.She would never talk about her past,i knew her mother Louisa remarried and died in 1950.Myself and my brothers and sisters never new much about our uncles.As you can guess we are getting on ,our ages range from 72-53 regards Doris
 
Hi Doris, I can't express how happy I am that you have written to me. I think we can, together, discover what happened to young Winnifred Bayliss, while her brothers were in the orphanage.
A helpful person on this forum gave me a link to someone who has more information about who was resident at the orphanage at various times (as you know, the records were burnt). I will contact her, too.
I will send an IM to you with my email address. We can talk further from there.
Great to hear from you, Doris
Kevin
 
Hi All,

I am lucky in that I had a normal family upbringing. I have been reading the reports of those of you who were at Sir Josiah Masons Orphanage with great interest and admiration for the way you have survived over the years. God Bles You All.

I would like to know what happened when it was time to leave the orphanage. Were you left to get on with it or was there any help given?

Old Boy
 
Hi everyone,
Rowan kindly put me in touch with a very helpful person, a Mrs Betty Foster
I asked her if she has any records of my grandfather and his brothers having been placed at the orphanage during the First World War after their father's death at the battle of Loos in 1915. Here is part of what she wrote:

Dear Kevin.
I can tell you the following based on the date of birth you have given me:
David Ernest Bayliss b.1907, Not in Sir Josiah Mason's Orphanage
William John Bayliss, b. 1909 Not in the Orphanage.
There is a William H Bayliss, but he was born in1903
Edward Ted Bayliss. b. 1912... Success.....Known as Ted was born 25/5/1912
Entered S.J.M.O. 4/6/1928 and left 1/12/1930
The last known address for him was 1949 7 Bloomfield Road. St Johns. Worcester
He is in the register as a cc ( Citizens Committee) child which simply means he was a child in the care of a very early form of Social Service...
Betty Foster (Old Masonian's Association Chairman)

Betty's response has been very pleasant and helpful, I implore everyone: please don't hesitate to ask her a question or two about the orphanage for she is tremendously helpful (though I hope we don't bury the poor woman with a mountain of email).

I have since had some marvelous conversations sharing family information with my newly-found cousin on this site--Gothic terrace. Thanks everyone!

Regards,
Kevin
 
I knew she would help you Kevin, she is indeed a lovely lady and so very kind.
Good luck in your searching and I am so glad you have found a "new" cousin.
Rowan
 
I am pleased you have found some info Kev. I think it's lovey how people here help each other. I have a lovely book about Josiah Mason written by Brian Jones our friend at the Pen Museum.
 
This is very good news for Kev. So many people have questions about their family's past and just spend years wondering. When someone steps forward and is able to help uncover such memories, etc. it is such a great thing to hear about.
 
Hi all

How interesting all this is. I've been researching the family history and was surprised to discover that my Great Grandmother was listed as an 'inmate' in the 1901 census.

A quick call round the family confirmed that she was indeed in an orphanage and resulted in some pleased family members that I had found out which one. I also discovered her brother was in the same orphange.

It's great to see some pictures of the orphanage although I'm left wondering what happened to their parents

Sarah
 
Think back to 1950-1959. Does anyone remember Jeff Lines? He drives me mad with all his good memories of the orphanage. He is still alive and causing problems. Ha Ha
 
Hi,

My father, Michael Amey was in the orphanage from 1940 (Aprox) onwards.

He didn't really speak of his time there & I feel it was quite a stressful time for him.

Sadly he has passed away recently, so I am wondering if anyone remembers him or can give me any information on the orphanage?

Many Thanks

Rachael
 
I was in Sir Josiah Masons 1958 to 1959 and can only say that the staff and headmaster Mr Tremlow were very kind. It was a mixed school and covered all ages. We had plenty of days out and local firms would invite us to their Christmas parties. I joined the guides there and had lots of friends. We used to go to Erdington High Street on Saturdays to spend our pocket money! I have been to one of the re-unions at the Tally Ho in Edgbaston and met other 'orphans' who can tell good and bad tales but it was not 'glorified' in any shape or form. It had to close down in 1960 due to financial reasons and I was transferred to Father Hudsons in Coleshill. Don't ask me about that place....not enough space to describe what an evil place that was. Luckily, I had an Aunt who got me out of there pdq!
 
Stitcher said:
Think back to 1950-1959. Does anyone remember Jeff Lines? He drives me mad with all his good memories of the orphanage. He is still alive and causing problems. Ha Ha
Click to expand...

I remember him. I remember that he used a lot of Brylcreem on what was, for those days, his quite long hair.

I went there in 1954, originally to Mr Hall's group, but then moved to Miss Downton's for a couple of years, to be with my younger brother.

I hated being there, and when I discovered that you would get expelled from SJMS if you got excluded from school I managed to get myself thrown out towards the end of my first year at grammar school. A good result at the time, but had repercussions for the rest of my life.

Alex (formerly known as John) Potter
 
geri8tric said:
I was in Sir Josiah Masons 1958 to 1959 and can only say that the staff and headmaster Mr Tremlow were very kind. It was a mixed school and covered all ages. We had plenty of days out and local firms would invite us to their Christmas parties. I joined the guides there and had lots of friends. We used to go to Erdington High Street on Saturdays to spend our pocket money! I have been to one of the re-unions at the Tally Ho in Edgbaston and met other 'orphans' who can tell good and bad tales but it was not 'glorified' in any shape or form. It had to close down in 1960 due to financial reasons and I was transferred to Father Hudsons in Coleshill. Don't ask me about that place....not enough space to describe what an evil place that was. Luckily, I had an Aunt who got me out of there pdq!
Click to expand...
Hi. I was in S.J.M.O. 1941 - 1943.
Why are you researching SAUNDERS. ?
 
My grandmother, who was my guardian before I went into SJMS, was married to George Ernest Saunders whose family came form the Jewellery quarter. My grandmother came to England in 1918 from worn torn Belgium and I'm trying to trace her history.
 
was anyone there in 51/52 please try and get in touch would like to chat
 
Paul I hope you have some luck in finding someone to chat to. I notice you live in Llywngwril where I had many happy holidays as a child.
 
paulonline said:
was anyone there in 51/52 please try and get in touch would like to chat
Click to expand...

Hi Paul

I was at the Orphanage between 1950 and 1952 (Ages 7 to 9 years).

My time at SJMO is something of a blur with, regrettably, very few memories apart from being very poorly with Chicken Pox at some stage.
 
hello exiled brummie tell me about the good times and the bad can you remember who was our housemaster 8 year olds in 51/52 my brother was in with the 10 year olds
 
Alberta said:
Alex,please tell us more,it sounds really exciting.
Click to expand...

Hi Alberta

It was. We'd never got on very well together and had lost touch and hadn't seen each other for around 20 years, and neither of us knew where the other was.

The day after I'd made my first post here, I received a private message from someone who said he was my brother, asking for my phone number. My reply was answered almost immediately by a phone call, when it was immediately apparent that we were indeed brothers.

We spoke then for about an hour; the next day an aeroplane ticket arrived in the mail, enabling me to visit my brother abroad, where he now lives.

We had a very pleasant 3 days together, when we stayed up talking until 4 or 5 in the morning (except the last night - we were both too tired!) and we look forward to seeing each other again next year.

It was so nice to meet again as adults (we're now both over 60), and to explain to each other the things about our childhood that we had never been able to understand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top