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The Boys Brigade

In 1950 the Boys, Brigade attached to John Bunyan Baptist Church was the Kingstanding platoon of the 1st A Birmingham based at People's Chapel in Hockley. They became the 11th in 1961. It started in the 1930s when the houses in Kingstanding were built and many people from the inner city moved to the area. They met at Kingsland Road School and have continued to meet there, but are now not able to meet since March 2020.
 
In 1950 the Boys, Brigade attached to John Bunyan Baptist Church was the Kingstanding platoon of the 1st A Birmingham based at People's Chapel in Hockley. They became the 11th in 1961. It started in the 1930s when the houses in Kingstanding were built and many people from the inner city moved to the area. They met at Kingsland Road School and have continued to meet there, but are now not able to meet since March 2020.
Thought you would fill in the gap although I did post on the photo thread - thanks.
On a side note do you recall the six wheel coach used for foreign trips from Peoples Chapel - I have a pic of that somewhere which I will post
 
Hello everyone. I am new to this website so forgive me for any clumsiness over my post request for any information.

As you can see from the title, I am searching for anything about the mentioned Boys' Brigades and anything anyone may know about both them and any football teams that played in the late 1940s for the Boys' Brigade or against them back then.

This August my Dad, Brian Prescott, will be 90 and I am trying to find as much as I can about his life as a boy. When Dad gets going talking about playing football in his youth, his memory of it is vivid and an absolute pleasure to listen to. I record as much as I can of these moments and would love to be able to help Dad out with the names of other players of that time. If anyone knows of any details or can point me in a direction where research would be possible, I would be extremely grateful.

Then there is the Yardley Wood Youth Club from the late 1940s and early 1950s. Once more if anyone has any information on it that would be more than fabulous.

Does anyone know of Reg and Norman Holloway of Yardely Wood back then? Dad can talk about match moments, goals and the like with some scores too but naming individuals he played with he finds very hard.

Thanks everyone. I look forward to seeing what pops up.

All the very best,

Gary B. Prescott
 
Hi I was a member of the 23rd company which was based in Hay Mills. I joined the life boys in about 1952 and progressed into the BB as i got older. I really enjoyed the time i spent there the meetings were great fun, always something going on, and then there was the football team and the camping. I only went camping with them twice, the first time was to Swanage and the next time to Exmouth. We had great fun from start to finish of our two week camp. We would load a lorry up with our cases (which was quite a laugh) a couple of days before and we would go down on the trains. My first time away from home.
Hello. I also was a BB member in 1954 meeting at St. Cyprians Hall, Coventry Road, Hay Mills. There was a group of us BB boys living in George Road, Hay Mills and our back gardens backed onto the Hall. I'm Keith Thomas living at number 19, Kenny Mole living at number 15 and Alan Smith living at number 23. We all three went firstly to Redhill Road Junior School, Hay Mills and after the 11 Plus exam which we all failed, Alan and I went to Oldknow Road Secondary Modern School in Small Heath and Kenny went to Bierton Road Secondary Modern School in Yardley (quite why we were split up I don't know). Attached is the George Road Victory in Europe street party and I'm on the right hand side kneeling in my chair at the head of the table. The photo is also in the Birmingham Museum and because of the King George Coronation table banner, is incorrectly attributed to 1937 some 6 years before I was born.
 

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Hi Keith I don't remember you by name nor do I remember Alan Smith, But I do remember Kenny Mole played football with him many times and I was a friend of Jonny Mole. Did you play football for the BB team or go on a camp with them. I lived in Arthur terrace off Arthur Road which was off Redhill road. I to went to Redhill road school then on to Bierton road. I am a bit younger than the three of you I was 10 in 1954. My name is Roger Beetison.
 
Hello Roger. No, I did not play football for the BB or go to camp with them, but did enjoy everything else, especially the Sunday morning band marches to St. Cyprians Church. Kenny Mole was the lead bugler who always won the honour of playing the 'Silver Bugle'. Johnny Mole and his younger brother David, due to their younger ages were not really in my daily friends group living in George Road and Hay Road which consisted of the Lyndens, Dumbletons, Silcocks, Spencers and also Barry Smith at 27 George Road. I left Birmingham in 1975 and moved to just outside Pershore and in 1978 moved to Bognor Regis. Since then with my profession I have lived in numerous places along the south coast and I'm now just outside Portsmouth. Do you still live in Birmingham?
 
Hello Roger. No, I did not play football for the BB or go to camp with them, but did enjoy everything else, especially the Sunday morning band marches to St. Cyprians Church. Kenny Mole was the lead bugler who always won the honour of playing the 'Silver Bugle'. Johnny Mole and his younger brother David, due to their younger ages were not really in my daily friends group living in George Road and Hay Road which consisted of the Lyndens, Dumbletons, Silcocks, Spencers and also Barry Smith at 27 George Road. I left Birmingham in 1975 and moved to just outside Pershore and in 1978 moved to Bognor Regis. Since then with my profession I have lived in numerous places along the south coast and I'm now just outside Portsmouth. Do you still live in Birmingham?
Hi Keith I lived in Acocks green then on to Hall Green but left B'Ham 25years ago to a small village near Atherstone. The only name I reconise of the 5 names you mentioned is the Dumbletons Keith was in the same year as me but he went to Oldknow road school so we lost touch. I move away from Haymills in 1957.
 
Hello Roger. On the 'Birmingham Schools Football History / & Photos' forum. I uploaded the Redhill Road School 1953-1954 team photo and Keith Dumbleton is on the extreme right on the seated front row. Kenny Mole is also on the photo, extreme right on the back row.
 
Hi I played in that team once I was a load of rubbish never got picked again till the next season when I played all the games. I remember a few in the photo but except for Keith Dumbleton they were one year above me.
 
i was a lifeboy at nechells hall.in the 50s:grinning:
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This 1967 photograph shows Lifeboys, which was the junior division of the Boys Brigade. They wore nautical caps with navy blue pullovers. They could wear either long or short pants with their pullovers.

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Hello. My two mates and I, Gary Pendrey and Graham Caldecott, were members of the 25th. We joined in 1959 and we used to meet at Rookery Road Mehodist Church in Handsworth. To be ruthlessly honest we only joined to get a game of football on a Saturday afternoon. And we used to get hammered every week! I think our best result was losing 7 - O at Perry Hall Park and our worst was losing 23 - O at Senneleys Park.. The three of us recently met up for lunch and spent the afternoon clutching our stomachs and rolling around with laughter at those footballing humiliations, especially as Gary went on to enjoy quite an illustrious career as a footballer. I left the humiliations behind me at the start of the bad winter of early1963 but Graham and Gary continued with their efforts and the 25th went on to win the cup at Villa Park, the follwing season if I remember correctly. Graham also produiced a photo of the three of us at camp on the isle of Wight. That would have been the summer of 1962, when 'Speedy Gonzalez' was top of the hit parade. oh where did all the good times go?
Laurie
 
Hello. My two mates and I, Gary Pendrey and Graham Caldecott, were members of the 25th. We joined in 1959 and we used to meet at Rookery Road Mehodist Church in Handsworth. To be ruthlessly honest we only joined to get a game of football on a Saturday afternoon. And we used to get hammered every week! I think our best result was losing 7 - O at Perry Hall Park and our worst was losing 23 - O at Senneleys Park.. The three of us recently met up for lunch and spent the afternoon clutching our stomachs and rolling around with laughter at those footballing humiliations, especially as Gary went on to enjoy quite an illustrious career as a footballer. I left the humiliations behind me at the start of the bad winter of early1963 but Graham and Gary continued with their efforts and the 25th went on to win the cup at Villa Park, the follwing season if I remember correctly. Graham also produiced a photo of the three of us at camp on the isle of Wight. That would have been the summer of 1962, when 'Speedy Gonzalez' was top of the hit parade. oh where did all the good times go?
Laurie
hi laurie so pleased you enjoyed the meet up with your old pals gary and graham....the world maybe different now a days but they cant take our happy memories away... :)

lyn
 
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