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Perry Beeches Secondary School
- Thread starter Maryd
- Start date
oldplumber
master brummie
I remember them very well didn't they have an older sister called Frances !! But I thought that the surname was Day I may well be wrong I think it's called "old age".I used to deliver the newspapers to those roads for Fanshaws News agents in Thornbridge Ave
I lived at 39 which in addition to 37 was unscathed. The next three houses were not so lucky as an aerial torpedo landed in their gardens. The crater was enormous. Also opposite our house a separate bomb had fallen and damaged two of the other houses in the loop of the cul-de-sac. I remember I used to practise my trumpet playing in one of them during my days in the ATC.
oldplumber
master brummie
I was at Beeches Road the same dates as you then moved to Birchfield Road School in Perry Barr
Intruding again; I knew Alfie Holder and Norman Jewel and his brother and sister. Ronnie Langford Reggie and Gordon Smith.Nicky Baxindale Peter Barber Ronnie Hoult
Jimmy Whitmore Kenny Tighe David Pope Donald Paul Irene Underhill Charlie Sitch and everybody who used to play snooker at the community hall at the top of Hassop Road,
Definitely Eaton I would know as Tessy was my first love. I associate Francis with a girl named Evans who lived exactly opposite in the loop. The only Day I can recall was a girl named Irene. The only papers we had delivered was on Sunday which was News of the World and Sunday Mercury.
I was at Aldridge Road 1944 - 1948 and always found Harold Edge to be firm but fair. How many of us old uns when viewing the youngsters of today blame the
teachers of today for the behaviour of the youngsters. I don't think I would have been 'hard' enough to do what Mr Edge did but then again you have to look at the long picture. My feeling is he did just that and sacrificed one for the future good of a few hundred others.
Hi old plumber
Just been reading your thread and I see you have mentionioned some old school friends and one was Ronnie Langford
And you said he had an older sister called Frances and so did my old friend Ronnie whom had an older sister called Francis
I wonder if we are talking the same Ronnie, I recently tracked him down after at least forty years ago and spoke on the phone and I actually got to visit him
Through some one on this forum contact me and put us in touch we spoke by phone and I gave him a surprise visit
We had a lot of catching up we did and a lot of laughs of the old days we done when we was in a gang
And we had a good lot of bevvys at that meeting I did promise I will call again in the near future
Ronnie lives on his own and as Christmas is comming I will make a point of seeing him before then
He did tell mefrancis comes from time to time I think it was Milton Keyes along with a younger sister whom also lives in thast neck of the woods
Have a nice day best wishes Astonian,,,,,,
Just been reading your thread and I see you have mentionioned some old school friends and one was Ronnie Langford
And you said he had an older sister called Frances and so did my old friend Ronnie whom had an older sister called Francis
I wonder if we are talking the same Ronnie, I recently tracked him down after at least forty years ago and spoke on the phone and I actually got to visit him
Through some one on this forum contact me and put us in touch we spoke by phone and I gave him a surprise visit
We had a lot of catching up we did and a lot of laughs of the old days we done when we was in a gang
And we had a good lot of bevvys at that meeting I did promise I will call again in the near future
Ronnie lives on his own and as Christmas is comming I will make a point of seeing him before then
He did tell mefrancis comes from time to time I think it was Milton Keyes along with a younger sister whom also lives in thast neck of the woods
Have a nice day best wishes Astonian,,,,,,
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Norman Jewel is in both pics in the thread 'Grindleford Road Kids WW2 Germans on our Play Field'. In the top pic he is immediately to the right of the girl. In the bottom pic he is second from right sitting down.
I walked round to Bradfield Rd to see the bomb damage and remember seeing a bed in a bedroom with walls missing. I mentioned one of my bomb experiences in the thread 'Air Raid Shelters'.
I joined the ATC and the meetings were held in a hut opposite the Clifton Cinema. Being in the ATC got me into the RAF when I was called up for National Service.
A pic of the Beeches Estate being built is shown in a thread click/here.
Just a query have you got any old photos from those times to upload ?
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oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
A pic below just about shows the gateway to Beeches Rd School in 1941 with Chelmorton Rd on the right. Thinking back we used to sledge down Sandy Lane on the left and whizz straight over the road to go down Chelmorton. Not many cars around in those days so we survived !
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Hi yourself (this is in fact dimmy) I don't remember Ronnie having a sister. His first wife was named June and they had a little girl together. The last I heard he was living in Tamworth and would probably be about 83 or 84 by now. Talking of gangs I remember our rival 'gang' leader was Colin Harrison who I think lived in either Hathersage Road
or Grindleford Road. Other names have just come to me Dennis Wheelright and Bobby Troman may have lived in the same road as Colin. Please advise if same Ronnie!
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
I'll have a look at the photos and try and put names to faces. I can tell by your service number that you were in the ATC. My RAF number was 3150438
Sent from my iPad
Ditto except that we used to sledge down Somercotes Road over Beeches Road then down Castleton Road (hill) the modern day form is probably called chicken.
Brian how long were you at Aldridge Road School and what house were you in? I was in Lichfield. The other three were Canterbury, York and Chester, happy days dimmy.
Just remembered Ralph Shuttleworth used to live in Sandy Lane.
oldplumber
master brummie
dimmy, I never went to Aldridge Rd School,I went on to Birchfield Rd,Perry Barr,1944-48.I was at Beeches Rd School 1938 -44 & I lived in Holmesfield Rd off Thornbridge Ave
Thanks for response, my early memories of Beeches Road are girls who had wet themselves and used to hog the radiators. Also a broken light switch in the toilet block which used to give the unwary an electric shock. Mrs George was my favourite teacher and my best mate was Georgie Gowler.
oldplumber
master brummie
dimmy .The only teacher that I can remember At Beeches Rd was Mr Robertson who smoked no stop & Mr Waterton the head master who beat severn bells out of me he hurt me so much I was off school for two weeks & Mr Mullins the school caretaker
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
When I started at Beeches Rd School I remember a Miss Pogson who was headmistress of the infants school. In the junior school I remember the headmaster Mr Waterton and miserable Miss Doogood who I think was his deputy. I took the '11 plus' while at the school but did not pass and so I went to Aldridge Rd School. In my second year there I was in class 2.2 and had Mr Derry as form master. For some reason he always had 'favourites' and I was not one of them. In my second year he was annoyed when I got good marks in the yearly exams and literally told me I must have cheated. When I took the '13 plus' exam I passed and had great delight in showing him my piece of paper which confirmed I would be going to Handsworth Technical School which was the best thing that ever happened to me in my school days.
I remember Mr Mullins in his white coat and he has got a mention in the forum's School Caretakers thread
I remember Mr Mullins in his white coat and he has got a mention in the forum's School Caretakers thread
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I was at Aldridge Rd from 44 to 48 (when did you leave for newer pastures?) do you know of anyone else of my age group who uses this site? kind regards and keep going!
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hi Dimmy - There are many members of your age group using this site .... there are a some in the National Service thread !
I left to go to HTS towards the end of 1947. I know I was at Aldridge Rd in 1947 winter because I remember trudging through 3 foot deep snowdrifts in a blizzard on the way to school. Snowdrifts and blizzards were no excuse for missing school in those days.
The only person I know who mentioned the school in those days joined the forum in April this year with his first post click/here. He made a few further posts but has not posted since.
I'm not that clever about Birmingham History, most of my comments are about what I've remembered about my life and times in Brum and about the old street pics on the forum.
The subject which tempted me to join the forum can be seen click/here.
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oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Thinking back to WW2 when houses in Bradfield Rd on our relatively quiet suburban estate were seriously damaged, I seem to remember standing in Castleton Rd looking at the bomb damage but a tour on Google Streetview here regarding the house numbers you mention seems to indicate that the image I have in my head is wrong - the damaged houses were not near the Castleton Rd end of Bradfield Rd. I remember being told by my parents that a family named Hill who moved into a house two doors from where we lived had moved from Bradfield Rd because their house had been bombed.
I'm very glad you did join - my reason is a quest for our cricket team photos of 1947/1948. I have to say your photo reminds me of one of our team named Ballinger.Can you tell me whose class you were in and what house? I was in Lichfield. Any of these names ring a bell? Leslie Jeavons, Derek Preece, Scholar Russell, Doughty or Doherty
(top of the class in maths) Donald Paul who defected to Aston Commercial. Kenny Brandon who went on to play football for Chester City. Stanley Carver my vice captain whose brother Gerald was our wicketkeeper. David Seager a very good bowler or the prince twins who were probably a year or two younger. I was 81 July 3rd 2014. Snap re the 1947 snow I haven't seen anything remotely like it (or been so cold) again. I read in another post that one of the teachers had been bitten by one of the pigs might have been Cockydick alias Mr Cox if the snow was too deep to reach their stye. You will remember as well as the pigs he was in charge of 4/4 the slow learners. Cheers Phil!
Hill doesn't ring a bell but I remember Eric Homer lived in one of the houses adjacent to ours which was almost demoshed due to the aerial torpedo hitting the back gardens.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
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oldplumber
master brummie
I remember Leslie Jeavons,I was a apprentice plumber at T Elvins & Sons with Leslie Jeavons he lived in Monsel Rd on the Beeches Estate,as far as I know he still lives on the Beeches Estate
Thanks old un - does that mean you are the same age as Les and I at 81? He was in my class at school (4.I) and I remember one day when Mr Edge was inspecting our teeth he said to Les you have been smoking. I also recall Les had a plumbers shop not far from the Boars Head pub and opposite Perry Barr park. The same park where they used to fire the anti aircraft guns during the war albeit I'm not sure if they ever scored a hit. I think the continual noise was
an attempt to bolster our morale. I'm sure you are right about him living in Monsal Road. P.S. My next door neighbour Trevor can't get enough of Brixham!