Birds custard An early memory for me, was of each child in the village getting a jelly on their birthday from Mr Bird at Horton Manor Rosemary Hill. This stopped when war came and did not start again. (RSD)
Cars. One of my early memories was seeing Miss Proud's Bull nose Morris car at the end of the boiler-house wall. It was a two seater, with a dickie seat that let down at the back, this we were told replaced a motorcycle that she toured round Scotland on. Later, she had a little square Morris eight, which I believe Paul Sheldon bought from her. Both these cars were green, which more or less decided the background colour for this site.(RSD)
Gardening The funniest memory I ever had at Little Aston School, was watching my cousin Godrey Betts and Ray Beaman up an apple tree in the school garden eating the apples and leaving the cores hanging. (Terry Ballinger)
Hill Hook pool Do you remember Mr Turner who had row boats on the pond and ran a pleasure park. Local kids got free goes on the big slide in the spring, which was wonderful until you got home and the state of your trousers was spotted. No mats provided while we cleaned the winter rust off his slide.
Hospital. Johnnie Beaman from Wood End, had a habit of getting sticks of chalk stuck up his nose. Remember on 2 occasions Miss Proud had to take him to hospital to get it extracted.(Derek Honour)
Old Scholars Association Met at the school one evening a week in term time, even during wartime when membership from outside the school was relaxed. Somewhere I have still got my badge. (RSD)
WAR TIME. This title always brings back memories, two of these strangely enough involved Bill Beamond and my self. I say that, as I cannot remember any other occasion where Bill and I were linked in scrapes.
The first was on an after dinner call of duty to the lads toilets, which as you perhaps remember was situated on the far side of the lad's playground. Soon after getting there I discovered that Bill was in the second toilet, so it was not long before we were trying to out do each other with animal and other sounds. These eventually turned into the wail of a siren with one doing the high notes the other the low, as we tired of this we noticed that all playground sounds had stopped so took it that playtime was over and we were now late.
Getting back to the classroom we were puzzled to find the entire school deserted, then after a few shouts Miss Proud emerged from the shelter to order us in. It was only after being questioned as to why we had not heard the sirens, we realised their mistake and said nothing. After a time we saw the funny side and began to laugh which gave someone the chance to twit on us. I can still see Miss Proud's face as she asked "what did we think we were doing" Bill who was a quicker thinker, said "singing". Her reply was "what", "Roll out the Barrel Miss", as we did not get any punishment I think she must have believed him. (RSD)
Air raids on Birmingham. At the beginning of the war when these were at their heaviest, they built a decoy factory on the moors between Forge Lane and Blake Street which was lit up during raids to draw action away from the real factories. Can only remember one big raid on this site and that was with incendiary bombs? These being smaller than the explosive type, each aircraft could carry a large number and really saturate an area.
Word got around and as we had the morning free, (being on half day schooling) us local lads combed the outer fields and woods to see how many metal fins (the only part left after the bomb had burnt) we could collect. I think I had about five, but some got double figures and George Howdell actually found a complete unexploded one. He was so proud of this he took it to school that afternoon, and put it under his desk. Not a very safe place, as George was sitting at one of the wartime desks that did not have a locker only an open shelf under the top. The worry was that someone would knock the desk and it would roll off, anyway it was not long before someone told of him.
This set Miss Proud a problem, with no local phones in those days and PC Cartwright having done his daily round in the morning (on his bicycle) she decided that George should take it to the police house at Woodend, accompanied by two of the older lads who also had bikes. I was one, but I cannot remember who the other lad was.
The three of us set off on our fighter and bomber mission and as white lines had just been painted along the centre of some roads (so traffic could find their way without main lights, in the blackout) we were able to overtake each other while swinging in and out of the lines. The memory of seeing George with this two and a half foot bomb held at each end across his racing handlebars while doing these manoeuvres, always comes to mind when to-days news reports "that large areas were evacuated while they blow up a lunch box."
When we arrived at Woodend, Cartwright was out and his wife did not want anything to do with it, (can you blame her) other than telling us to put it in his wooden garden shed. Often wonder, if it is still there? (RSD)
Christmas Concerts. Pre war, these were put on for three nights and they followed a simular layout each year. Two male old scholars came to open and shut the curtains for the usual run of plays from each class. The oldest lads did the sword dance (with sticks) and the girls another type Morris dance which Miss Roberts accompanied on the piano. These events were always good for a laugh and a prank
Due to the backout in wartime, only one concert was held on a Saturday afternoon with the school being made ready on the Friday afternoon, by erecting the stage and putting out the seats etc. I well remember my last concert, we had just about got the room ready when we heard a Spitfire going over on a test flight with its engine backfiring. This did sound like gunfire and as we all ran out to go over the fence and see it come down on the moors, we hear Miss Proud shouting "all down the shelter." It was a great thrill for us as we got there just as the pilot was getting out and we were able to give it a good inspection before the authorities arrived. The down side was, all the older village males who were in the Home-Guard had to turn out and guard it all night. (RSD)
Doodlebug. At almost the end of the war I can remember one of the London evacs. trying to convince Miss P that a doodlebug (V1) had just passed over the school. The idea was to get us all a trip down the shelters but as I recall Miss P. did not fall for that one. (Derek Honour)
Smoke. I remember one of the evacuees having a quick smoke under the stage. The lesson started and all the class except Miss P. could see the smoke curling up through the cracks.I do not think he was spotted! (Doreen Honour)
Wardens. In the last year of my schooling, daytime air raids had become less frequent so if there was no sign of enemy activity the authorities allowed classes to go back into school and leave two wardens as lookout. The wardens were the four oldest lads, Ken Frampton, Bill Beamond, Stan Freeer and myself. Sensibly I suppose, we were split up so that Ken was with Stan and Bill with me and we were to take alternative raids.
Bill and I were on duty with the binoculars and whistle for the first and only raid that I can remember, when after a short time of sitting looking we got bored and devised a game to pass the time. One was the defence on top of the shelter looking into the binoculars the wrong way round, the other had to get over the shelter without being seen. This was great fun until I spotted an aeroplane over the school, although I shouted Bill he did not reply and give his position away. Eventually he saw the plane and came over to me, only after crawling up the side of the shelter with the whistle on a lanyard round his neck it had filled with dirt and would not blow.
The plane had long gone and the whistle still not blowing, when the all-clear went. My only thoughts now, is that neither of us looked with the binoculars to see if the plane had any markings. Still this meant the rest of you did not get disturbed from your lessons, or shouldn't I have said that? (RSD)
I remembers the plane coming down in Hancox field but are quite convinced it was a German not a Spitfire. The pilot who was quite calm was guarded by Mr Hancox the farmer until the army arrived. (Renee Honour)
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