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Marsh Hill Boys Grammar Tech School

Just been checking out Ian Emes - he’s got 3 BAFTA’s as well as numerous other awards for his work ! Impressive, and it all started at MH Boys.

He would have been, I think, in either the 1960 or 1961 intake at Marsh Hill if he started there aged 11.

Viv.
 
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Hi Viv, ref#120, I recall that the word was not thought to be too appropriate even in 1966 but maybe it was used for its shock effect in this case. I remember my Mother thought it was a most inappropriate title for a work but it did make her look at it.
There were two more of his works featured in the 1966 'Compass' magazine:To You-2.jpgTo You-1.jpg
 
Beezer13 said:
Attended 66/67 leaving after lower sixth....a few teachers I remember
Merengue he used to slap you round the head for talking moderator edit .........
Pete Williams nice guy
Hellings....got me the cane he did.
Wilcox physics
Beanhead Buckley
Benny the Ball...gave me the cane
Bernie Platt and his swish
Caggy Horsecroft
Markwell the Head
Caldicott dep head
Ben Tillet
Mad Muir sports
Colin Morris
Bradshaw metal work
Ken Oliver nice guy used to drink in erdington
Ken Jones maths
Mr Wheatley French
Miss Forest French for a year, right fit.
Had a blast, great school, good pals and loved every minute.
Played football, (left before I could get my First 11 colours, still annoys me even now as played all of the games before I left) cricket, basketball for school and house Arden.
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When I was at the school 1982 to 89 the great Bernie was still there to 1987. Ken Oliver is apparently still seen out and about in Erdington and everyone who posts on a similar FB site says he was a top bloke. There is a photo of him from last few years on the page header.

There was a Pete Williams who assisted my form teacher on my first day at the school and he was still there when I left he was a large man over 6ft and bulky with dark hair and a moustache so likely the same guy.
 
Biscayne said:
3 years late but I only just discovered this thread. I hope you are still interested. This was taken from the library window of the boys school circa 1971. It was a protest against the abolition of grammar schools. I don't recall why the ground was being dug at that time but it presented a great opportunity, with a ready made burial mound. The cross was 'found' in that great storage area beneath the stage.View attachment 158277
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Thanks for this. I've tried for a long time to get hold of a photograph of the school for my, informal, memoirs. Any more out there?
 
Hi Phil, this was taken in the Physics Lab. Teacher is Mr. Griffiths, an excellent teacher as I recall. Note the cupboard of Rheostats! I have no Idea how they teach Physics these days but I doubt it involves Rheostats. I remember there was a cupboard of radioactive sources in the lab. On one open day I was tasked with doing a Geiger Counter demonstration and I was sent out to the Chemist shop on Stockland Green to pick up fresh sources. I doubt that would happen today!
Steve
Griffiths.jpg
 
Biscayne said:
Hi Phil, this was taken in the Physics Lab. Teacher is Mr. Griffiths, an excellent teacher as I recall. Note the cupboard of Rheostats! I have no Idea how they teach Physics these days but I doubt it involves Rheostats. I remember there was a cupboard of radioactive sources in the lab. On one open day I was tasked with doing a Geiger Counter demonstration and I was sent out to the Chemist shop on Stockland Green to pick up fresh sources. I doubt that would happen today!
Steve
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Thanks for the photo. The only pictures I have of school are from the old newspaper article earlier in this thread. I remember the box that contained the radioactive sources and was duly impressed when it was opened. A couple of us had watches which sent the Geiger Counter crazy. I also remember being on Van de Graaff generator duty one open evening, which was always fun. The polishing machine in the art metalwork room also managed to generate a fair amount of static electricity if you wanted to send sparks to your classmates. I passed physics O level but stupidly declined to take the A level, opting for biology instead, strangely ended up teaching physics for a while in later years.
 
Hi Phil, I too (painfully) recall the Van de Graff generator!
I have a programme for an "Invitation Concert and Prize Giving" for the academic year 1970 - 1971, in which your "A" level passes are listed. I had thought to upload it here but it contains the names of a large number of pupils from both the Girls and Boys schools. Given the way that data is 'mined' from the internet these days and the fact that some listed therein may not wish to have this information made public, I decided against it. If you would like to receive a copy, then I believe the 'Start Conversation' facility should allow us to exchange email addresses.
Steve.

P-1.jpgP-2.jpg
 
Biscayne said:
Hi Phil, I too (painfully) recall the Van de Graff generator!
I have a programme for an "Invitation Concert and Prize Giving" for the academic year 1970 - 1971, in which your "A" level passes are listed. I had thought to upload it here but it contains the names of a large number of pupils from both the Girls and Boys schools. Given the way that data is 'mined' from the internet these days and the fact that some listed therein may not wish to have this information made public, I decided against it. If you would like to receive a copy, then I believe the 'Start Conversation' facility should allow us to exchange email addresses.
Steve.

View attachment 158586View attachment 158587
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I tried the start conversation which said that I culdn't initiate a conversation with you for some reason. I'll try again in a while.
 
christopher short said:
Allow me to expand a little on some of the latest comment.
Bernie Platt was was my first form master, class 1R in 1959 in room15 at the top of the school. Even then he was starting to show some of his formidable temper. He was very kind at times too. His early "swish" was a broken blackboard set square. I was his first form captain too. Among my class mates were Bob Whitters, and Jim Devany who had his face slapped by Bernie for trying to be clever. Very sorry indeed to hear of his passing.
He and "Basher" Preece took a crowd of us on a hiking holiday in Snodonia in Spring 1960.
Next door along the corridor was old Mr. Probert who taught history. His lectures were totally without notes or the use of the blackboard.

In Biscayne's photograph, if I remember correctly. The building in the foreground was the science block on the ground floor with the great Mr. Fifer (physics), Mr. Riggall of the crepe soled shoes (chemistry) and also on this floor was - window bottom left - was the small classroom for the fast stream class 4F. As you may imagine, from this vantge point, we spent most of our time watching the girls.

Does anyone remember Mr. Lionel Barrell (biology). We became life long friends through rugby . He eventually moved to the west coast of France (La Rochelle rugby) and sadly died from a heart realted illness last year. I sorely miss him.

More soon. CS
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I also remember Bernie Platt fondly ,I seem to remember that he rode a scooter and one year he was alleged to have worked on the Blackpool trams in the summer holidays to finance a trip to Russia.I was in the first intake my first form master being "the fossil" Bill Probert.
 
I remember Mr Riggall (Wriggle, of course) as I did A level Chemistry, he of the trousers which never quite met the tops of his socks. I spent a number of lunchtimes in the prep room washing test tubes for them when they were inbetween hiring assistants. I liked the view out of the window and could watch what was happening while I worked. I remember buying science magazines from the staff which collected into hard-back volumes and I still have a couple of them somewhere. Mr Probert used to wear his gown over his jacket and reminded me somewhat of a vulture as he prowled around. We were never allowed to go to the 'toilet' in his class if we used that word. We had to say, "Please may I be excused?" I also went hiking in Snowdownia with the school. It was interesting because a heavy mist descended on us as we got to a higher level and there was a lot of mulling over the map to find a safe way down. "Should we be roped together?" was heard a few times at one stage.
 
mkvillan #132: Thank you for the reminder of Bernie Platt and his scooter. I had forgotten that! I do remember that his use of the 'swish' went to a new level when he would mark a chalk circle on the backside of an errant pupil and then a chalk cross on the swish. He would then try to wack the pupil so that an imprint of the cross was perfectly aligned inside the circle.

Also Mr. Morris, the Gym teacher who would take one of those roller towels (the sort that was a single loop of towelling that ran on a wooden roller), tie a knot in the end and use it to beat the backsides of the slowest pupils in circuit training.

Someone renamed Marsh Hill as " Harsh Mill" and I think I can understand why!
 
A 1968 joint school production. Anyone recognise their self? I’ve also posted this on the Marsh Hill Girls thread. Viv.

85BCA671-AE1E-4EE1-A5A1-859503E10404.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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mkvillan said:
I also remember Bernie Platt fondly ,I seem to remember that he rode a scooter and one year he was alleged to have worked on the Blackpool trams in the summer holidays to finance a trip to Russia.I was in the first intake my first form master being "the fossil" Bill Probert.
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Was this class 1A?
 
mkvillan said:
Yes for a while then got shifted out of A stream
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Me too. I hadn't realised the pace of the lessons until I was moved out of 1A and experienced life in the slow lane. History and languages did me in, I think. Not that I was all that ready for life in the fast lane.
 
Phil Gundy said:
Me too. I hadn't realised the pace of the lessons until I was moved out of 1A and experienced life in the slow lane. History and languages did me in, I think. Not that I was all that ready for life in the fast lane.
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Back to Bernie Platt; I was browsing "facebook"and came across a post on Marsh Hill Çomprehensive School ,on the 1st June 2020 posted by John Perrins of a reading from Bernie`s funeral.Very touching and informative !
 
mkvillan said:
Back to Bernie Platt; I was browsing "facebook"and came across a post on Marsh Hill Çomprehensive School ,on the 1st June 2020 posted by John Perrins of a reading from Bernie`s funeral.Very touching and informative !
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I read that, thanks. I can still picture him at the piano playing pub tunes during his tests. I remember him showing slides of the then new Birmingham Bull Ring, saying that he had taken the pictures while the bus driver was changing gear- those old buses which I remember well too.
 
I can only recognise a couple of those names from the Boy's school, they would have been a few years older than me, however I am wondering if the one with the surname Mitrenko is now the Birmingham musician who has his own band? It's a very unusual surname in the UK.
 
mkvillan said:
I also remember Bernie Platt fondly ,I seem to remember that he rode a scooter and one year he was alleged to have worked on the Blackpool trams in the summer holidays to finance a trip to Russia.I was in the first intake my first form master being "the fossil" Bill Probert.
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Hi, I've just joined and found this post straight away. Bernie Platt, I had that many wacks with that original swish but you just couldn't help but like and admire the guy, and as for Bill Provert, he slapped me across the face so many times, even though he had to jump to do it . I was there from 61 to 66, cheers MASS
 
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