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Upper Thomas Street School Aston

  • Thread starter Thread starter Colin Richards
  • Start date Start date
HI GEOFFCOTTER MY NAME IS RON HURS WE USED TO LIVE IN UPPERWEBSTER STREET AND I WENT TO BURLINGTON STREET SCHOOL . WE LEFT BIRMINGHAM IN ABOUT 1968 WE MOUVED TO LITCHFIELD TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT I GOT A JOB AT RUGELEY POWER STATION WHERE I MADE FRENDS WITH TERRY COTTER HE WAS AVERY GOOD FREND TO ME WE GOT TALKING ONE DAY AND I SAID WERE DID YOU LIVE AND HE TOLD ME UPPER THOMAS STREET I SAID ITS A SMALL WORLD AND TOLD TERRY I LIVED IN UPPER WEBSTER STREET AFTER THAT WE WEAR VERY GOOD FRENDS I WORKED WITH TERRY SCAFFOLDING AT THE POWER STATION FOR YEARS HE WAS A GREAT MATE AND WE HADE SOME GREAT TIMES MIS HIM. HE WAS A GREAT LAD
 
donky 1955 said:
HI GEOFFCOTTER MY NAME IS RON HURS WE USED TO LIVE IN UPPERWEBSTER STREET AND I WENT TO BURLINGTON STREET SCHOOL . WE LEFT BIRMINGHAM IN ABOUT 1968 WE MOUVED TO LITCHFIELD TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT I GOT A JOB AT RUGELEY POWER STATION WHERE I MADE FRENDS WITH TERRY COTTER HE WAS AVERY GOOD FREND TO ME WE GOT TALKING ONE DAY AND I SAID WERE DID YOU LIVE AND HE TOLD ME UPPER THOMAS STREET I SAID ITS A SMALL WORLD AND TOLD TERRY I LIVED IN UPPER WEBSTER STREET AFTER THAT WE WEAR VERY GOOD FRENDS I WORKED WITH TERRY SCAFFOLDING AT THE POWER STATION FOR YEARS HE WAS A GREAT MATE AND WE HADE SOME GREAT TIMES MIS HIM. HE WAS A GREAT LAD
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Hi Geoff, my wife lived in Wilkinson St, this was a continuation of Upper Webster St, up the hill to the Retreat, those 4/5 terraced houses opposite the bomsite, you may remember her brothers Brian &Colin Stanford.
 
Hi drobbo....What years did your wife live in Wilkinson Street ?, I was born and bred in Clarendon Street just around the corner from Wilkinson Street, lived there from 1953 (born) until 1969
 
Allan Ernest Jones said:
hi Ron ,
I lived in Tower road ,my Dad was a scaffolder and i worked with him on power stations ,remember Rugeley .and a prison up that way too that we worked on , We did the Ansells sign at Aston cross and ATV studios and BBC TOTP.
Now live in Mid Devon .
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Hi Allan,I used to live opposite THE SCHOOL ,I now live in N.Devon , when you say mid Devon, can you narrow that down.
 
Does anyone remember Victor Barratt? He could play the piano and I remember once when we barricaded the door of the hall while he played and would not let the teachers in one lunch time.There was hell to pay and we jumped out of the window to avoid being caught. 1950's Happy days (sometimes)
John Green
 
aston lad said:
Hi Ron......I was born and bred in Clarendon Street, top end of Upper Webster Street, we also moved around that time to Kingstanding, Terry was in my year at school, good cricketer and better swimmer, I spoke to him a few years back on friends reunited, he told me that he broke his back in a fall, he was living in Stafford at that time, he told me that he had just brought a campervan and was going to tour here or aboard cannot remember where...Where about on Upper Webster Street did you live Ron, I had a couple of mates who lived at the bottom Ronnie and David Whitehouse, David Jenkins further up , Alan Price facing Parliament Street , another lad named / Weston..., I also attended Burlington Street school, ( some nice photo's of it on here and on the facebook site "astonbrook-through-astonmanor"..
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hi i knew ronnie and david whitehouse a great mate of mine ronnnie
 
Hi Don....Yeah we were nearly enough all mates of each other those days, either playing football in the play ground of Burlington Street school, or on Blew Street Park, play tracking on the then being built Newtown Shopping Centre, great days and great memories..
 
aston lad said:
Hi Don....Yeah we were nearly enough all mates of each other those days, either playing football in the play ground of Burlington Street school, or on Blew Street Park, play tracking on the then being built Newtown Shopping Centre, great days and great memories..
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Hello Aston lad. When was you at Burlington Street School ? I was there too, (started there around 1958ish). I can always remember my favourite teacher (Miss Rock). Such a lovely teacher who certainly knew how to look after her pupils.
 
Yes Michael I was there from September 1958 till July 1964, Miss Rock was my first teacher, I had no favourites I disliked them all, I dislike totally, infants, junior and seniors, But I did enjoy my childhood outside of school.
 
aston lad said:
Yes Michael I was there from September 1958 till July 1964, Miss Rock was my first teacher, I had no favourites I disliked them all, I dislike totally, infants, junior and seniors, But I did enjoy my childhood outside of schWe have
aston lad said:
Yes Michael I was there from September 1958 till July 1964, Miss Rock was my first teacher, I had no favourites I disliked them all, I dislike totally, infants, junior and seniors, But I did enjoy my childhood outside of school.
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So strange Aston Lad. We both had Miss Rock as our first teacher. I did not like starting school at first, but can remember Miss Rock taking care of me & sitting me on her lap in class whilst reading a story to the whole class. I neither liked my time at school or my time away from it due to always being bullied, especially when I moved from Elkington street school, to upper thomas street school. That was such a bad school for the bullying. Unfortunatly, I can not remember any other teachers from Burlington street school apart from Miss Rock. I can remember her taking our class to Billy Smarts circus, though do not know who paid for this.
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Miss Rock always had the 1st class of the infants, don't know how long she was there for but she retired I think when I was in the last class of the juniors, Mr Burgess was the headmaster, Mrs Patterson his secretary, Mrs Stock, Mrs Hardy, Mrs Wilcocks, Mr Lovett, Mr Eastwood, Miss Budd, Mr Keeping, Mr Pickard, Mr Troth are the only ones I can recall, Cannot remember to many from Upper Thomas Street, Hatter, Hurford, Bailey, Jones ( 4 or 5 of them ) Davies, Smith, Gillard, Evans, East, one named Canning Irish teacher who I threatened to take outside and punch his head, Mr Parker was the headmaster, and Mrs Prosser his secretary, there was also a Mr Penny who was our music teacher, creeping Jesus Mr Nicholas the RE teacher, and I think his name was Budd he science teacher, Nobby Hall who was there from day one taught my dad and uncle in the 1930's/40's..plus a few others who names escape me at the moment, all schools had their bullies, it was a time were you was bullied and was a bully also, character building, you learnt to fight back or you had to hide away..
 
I seen him once but not to talk to, he was running down I think Kingstanding road with a young girl, I was on the bus, but this well over forty years ago, I would love to know where all the lads from that went to, I know that a few have passed away, the lads who were a little older than us..
 
hi bluenosedon my name is ron hurst we lived at number 13 upperwebster street my farther drove for the b.r.s and i worked with terry cotter at rugeley power stastion we wear scaffolders i was with terry on the day he had his accident he sliped on some scaffold poles and done his back in he was of work for a long time he got finished on hill helth terry was agreat lad a very good frend and sadly mised . nice to talk to you bluenosedon appreciate ron
 
Colin Richards said:
Some memories of Upper Thomas Street by Colin Richards
The early 1950’s in an austere high ceiling Victorian School built in the last quarter of the 19th century and Rock and Roll just a couple of years away. Everest Climbed and a new queen crowned. and the Second World War was fast becoming a memory. Those of us who swaggered into the playground seconds before the bell, nipping our cigarettes out to be smoked in the toilets at play time.
Me I was fourteen at the time hard on the outside, unsure on the inside. The hardness was the shell of survival in the tough inner city schools, not that they were called then, but Secondary Moderns, where discipline revolved around the cane, the blackboard ruler, Slipper, and the hand. Milder forms often included chalk or the blackboard rubber being thrown at a transgressor who dared whisper or misbehave when the teacher’s back was turned.
Detention was not on the agenda. That would have meant that the teachers would be required to stay behind to supervise.
I remember the day we were in science class sitting on the high tables with the Bunsen burners attached to the gas spigots. John Grogan deliberately yanked off the rubber hose and turned the gas tap on full; with a class of 42 it was difficult to hear the hiss of the escaping gas.
Several minutes went by and most of the other boys were already aware of what was happening, but to voice it to the teacher was certainly not the way to stay safe.
John knew just when to flip the match, and as the teacher asked about the distinct smell of gas a huge ball of flame shot towards the ceiling. The mad scramble to avoid the fireball sent boys falling everywhere.
The teacher and I forget his name totally lost control, he grabbed Grogan who still had the box of matches in his hand, even he was amazed at the result of his actions. He literally threw John to the floor lashing out at him with his feet and screaming like a banshee. John had curled himself into a ball and it wasn’t until we all ganged up on the teacher that he relented and stormed out of the lab.
The headmaster arrived to read the riot act and viscously caned John across both hands.
It had the desired affect; no one to my knowledge ever pulled the same trick again. And in those days one would never ever tell a parent, whatever punishment was doled out.
One of the memorable and different forms of corporal punishment took place during a woodwork lesson.
Being something of a bully and that was one way of surviving in those days, several of the ‘gang’ had gotten one unfortunate hand spread out on a woodwork bench, after the teacher had left us to work on our own (a big mistake) However with his hand spread I had a quarter chisel and was seeing how fast I could jab it between his fingers, everyone was cheering me on except the unfortunate boy whose fingers were at risk.
Suddenly from know where a chunk of wood bounced off my head, I screamed asking which bastard had done it. Mr Gillard the woodwork teacher stood by the open door and readily admitted it.
I was then subjected to a length of ‘two by one’ across my backside.
Tears were certainly not allowed and the shame of shedding them was far worse than the actual punishment.
Teachers then would often come scrounging the forbidden cigarettes from the smokers amongst us.
And one particular day Mr Hurford strode into the art class and promptly asked me for a cigarette, when I told him I didn’t have any, which happened to be true that day, he made me stand up and patted my pockets. An uneasy smile broke over his face as he found something heavy in my side pocket. He slipped his hand in and withdrew a homemade knuckleduster made of lead with short nails embedded.
My feet didn’t touch the ground, the headmaster laid six strokes of his especially viscous cane across each of my hands.
They were blistered and swollen and yet I was still obliged to continue to write, with the pen and ink provided, and excessive blots on one work was rewarded once more with the cane.
There were several of us who seemed unable to avoid corporal punishment, and several methods were supposed to guarantee that the pain could be avoided.
Urinating over ones hands was supposed to toughen up the skin, all we ever got was smelly hands.
Soap spread over the hands and the fingers sloped downwards so the cane would slide off.
Another failure.
Certain teachers had evil ways of inflicting pain, one particular exponent a Mr Milner would grab the short hairs of ones sideburns and twist lifting at the same time, and the desks with fitted fold up seats did not make for easy egress, consequently the pain lasted several seconds longer. Another was expert at the back of the head slap especially when one was not expecting it, he was also proficient at the feint, pretend he was about to slap your face with his left hand and when you moved away bring up his right. I am amazed a whole generation didn’t leave school with cauliflower ears.
And in spite of what seems almost like torture was not. We were not treated any differently than any other boys our own age, and many other lads were often subject to even more brutality at home. The belt was often given when a father came home from work to learn that his son had done something out of order. When a father figure wasn’t around the boiler stick came into its own.
Years later I actually worked with two of my old teachers, and still retained the respect for them. It was rare that the punishment they doled out was not justified.
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hi ,i remember all those episodes ,during my time there from 1965 to 70. you were more scared of Dad finding out that you had been punished ,than the corporal punishment dealt out. but as you said it was universal punishment . i only had the one caning . learnt an early lesson .
 
Allan Ernest Jones said:
hi ,i remember all those episodes ,during my time there from 1965 to 70. you were more scared of Dad finding out that you had been punished ,than the corporal punishment dealt out. but as you said it was universal punishment . i only had the one caning . learnt an early lesson .
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I was there & remember the punishment that was handed out, but to the wrong pupils. When I first went there, I was constantly bullied, & when I went to Mr Parker about it, he told me to go away or have the cane. I left there in 1965 to go to an Open Air School. I was so glad to be away from that dreadful school.
 
donky 1955 said:
hi bluenosedon my name is ron hurst we lived at number 13 upperwebster street my farther drove for the b.r.s and i worked with terry cotter at rugeley power stastion we wear scaffolders i was with terry on the day he had his accident he sliped on some scaffold poles and done his back in he was of work for a long time he got finished on hill helth terry was agreat lad a very good frend and sadly mised . nice to talk to you bluenosedon appreciate ron
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hi matey i lived at 19 burlington street ronnie was a great mate
 
donky 1955 said:
hi bluenosedon my name is ron hurst we lived at number 13 upperwebster street my farther drove for the b.r.s and i worked with terry cotter at rugeley power stastion we wear scaffolders i was with terry on the day he had his accident he sliped on some scaffold poles and done his back in he was of work for a long time he got finished on hill helth terry was agreat lad a very good frend and sadly mised . nice to talk to you bluenosedon appreciate ron
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Hi Donky 1955. My dad used to drive for B.R.S too. This was around 1960ish. They were probably drivers together. We were living in Potters Lane at the time.
 
This thread has gone quiet but apologies, I've only just discovered it.
Though I never attended UTS, my late father seems to be getting a few mentions. Mr Hurford. I didn't know he was "borrowing" fags off the pupils. It did him no good, it was smoking that killed him.
Mr Peter Clarke is still alive and kicking, well I saw him fairly recently. He's still keen on tennis though I'm guessing he's in his 80's now. Likes a drink!
Any memories of my father, preferably good ones, would be much appreciated.
 
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