Hi , My school (Eliot street) used the baths every friday to try to teach us land locked brummies to swim , although they had some remarkable successes ,I unfortunately was not amongst them. On the very first outing at the baths i decided to let go of the bar and try my luck . My friends were very impressed with how i seemed at ease in the water , my backstroke was, although very "splashy" and at times underwater, worthy of praise ! I was in fact drowning !!! Now i was noticed (going down for the 3rd time ) and trying to shout for help, by a rather large boy a couple of years older than me , who not only saved my life but also turned out to be my neighbour and one of the school bullies , I was beholden to him all through my schhol years lol.