Issue 6Autumn 2001

Edited by Harold Beckett, "Linle Haven", 1 Salem View, Oxton. Wirral. CH435UHTel. 0151-652-3782Designed by Vie Swift Tel. 0151-334-9116E-mail biob@vicswift.freeserve.co.uk www.biob.hemscott.net

COMMENT

Sound the trumpets, ringthe bells, raise the flag. Wehave recruited the 500th

B.I.O.B.So who is he? He isMalcolm Perry (1938-1948) and he lives inOttawa, CanadaUnbeknown to him, wehave a photograph taken in1939 at Oswestry. Itpictures a group of 50 B.I.evacuees including a 9 yearold Master Malcolm Perry,splendid in his juniorschool grey blazer edgedwith red piping.For the first time we havean article by a lady. She isThelma Dale (nee Davies),the widow ofNorrnan Dale(1934-41). Well doneThelmaSince Vie. Swift put us onthe Web we have recruitedquite a few more B.I.O.Bs,.particularly from overseas.Our congratulations are dueto Vie.

AD-VISOR - THETEAM

Vic. Swift (1956-61)He is responsible for all thecomputer work and designof the Newsletter. He alsokeeps the database up todate and has the B.I.O.Bwebsite.

Len. Malcolm (1934-43). (1945-82)He is the excellent proof-reader. He corrects ourspelling, grammar andpunctuation. He is also amine of knowledge inrespect of BirkenheadInstitute, its former staffand pupils.

Harry Burkett (1942-48)He is responsible forlabelling, stuffing,stamping and distributingthe envelopes enclosing theAd-Visor. (A very arduoustask)

FINANCES

You have been great andhelped us meet all ourmonetary obligations. Inthe circumstances I do notneed to remind you thereare no subscriptions; weexist on donations.Cheques payable toB.I.O.B.

4111 RENAISSANCEDINNER 12110/01

Early indications are thatthis will be well attendedonce again We can onlysuggest "book early" toavoid disappointment - anapplication form isenclosed. As usual weshall be holding a charitydraw and we ask for yoursupport and generosity inthe donation of prizes.Bottles are most welcomeas are cash donations.Thank you in anticipationof your support.

ARTICLES ANDLETTERS

BETTER THANNOmING

From Barry Stalker

It is a great pity that theMemorial Arch no longerstands at IngleboroughRoad. Old age and rusthave taken their toll. Barryhas kindly provided aphotograph of theMemorial Arch which hetook about 5 years ago. Acopy appears on theB.I.O.B. web site

AS PROMISED, MOREABOUT "SYR"Rev. Sidney Y.

Richardson (1922-28)

The fifth of the seven sonsof William and MaryRichardson of W oodchurchin Wirral, he was broughtup in genteel poverty, as hisfather lost his employmentas a lorry-driver in theslump of the 1920's andnever had permanent workafter the age of 49.From Laird StreetElementary School,Birkenhead, he went as ascholarship boy toBirkenhead Institute, fromwhich he won a scholarshipto Liverpool University,graduating B.A. HonsFrench in 1931.From his first teaching postat Prince Henry's GrammarSchool, Otley, he moved toNorth ManchesterGrammar School and in

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1939 to Rochdale GrammarSchool for Boys, where heremained for the rest of histeaching career, beingDeputy Headmaster from1954-1970.He began preaching at theage of 17 and became alocal preacher. In 1953 heinitiated Methodist work ona large housing estate inRochdale (Kirkholt). Afterserving this church, theCircuit and the District inmany capacities for manyyears, on retiring in 1970he joined the TeamMinistry at Stevenage andin 1974 became aMethodist minister on theHarrow Circuit.In 1977 his wife and hesettled in Loughborough,where he became engagedwith the Ecumenical Parishand has served and isserving the churches andcommunity of the area inVarIOUSways.SYR has published anautobiography ''When mycue comes". It has twovery interesting chaptersabout his childhood anddays at B.I. For anyonedesiring a copy, apply to'SYR' at 22 Garton Road,Loughborough, Leics.,enclosing a cheque for £6.

THELMA DALE (NEEDAVIES)

The other morning a brownenvelope dropped throughmy letter box - it wasaddressed to my husband.

When I opened it I found itcontained the March copyof AD-VISORLater in the day I picked itup and over a coffee lookedthrough it -amazing- itbrought back so manymemories- and set methinking about thosewartime days when wewere all young andprobably a bit irresponsible.Could 1 remember thenames of the 'gang' whoused to meet at the seat onthe grass verge at thebottom of Prenton RoadEast? (I wonder if it is stillthere.). Even if I couldrecall names - could I recallfaces of sixty years ago?It has been my exerciseduring the last few weeks -and here goes

Jack Williarns (he became aBank Manager I think -after being in the Army).Eric Molyneux (I know hewas with an Accountancyfirm in Liverpool - after theNavy).Roy Dorrity (Also to aBank - after the Navy).Norman Dale (Unilever -after the Fleet Air Arm).Duggie Baker (Fleet AirArm).Cliff Rowlands ( died in aWellington bomber overOxford).Stu Huntriss.Eileen Bell.Eira Williarns.Paul Simpson.Jack Bell.Harold Brooks ( known as'super hooker Brooker' for

his prowess in the schoolRugby team).John Williams.Norman Thelwell ( of'ThelweU' fame).Joyce Brereton (Blondie).

To be a member of the SeatGang one only needed anhour or so to spare afterhomework and otherchores. There wouldusually be someone at the'seat' ready for a chat ifyou went along - by 'cycleor walking.Who used to attend theA.T. C. dances at the TownHall and walk homebecause there was notransport? There must havebeen at least twelve in thatgroup. I learned to 'slowfox' by practising withRay??? along the longcorridor outside the ballroom!Did you regularly dance atSt. Stephen's on Saturdays?Or - Hulme Hall -Mondays and Thursdays.Entrance 1/6 - or oneshilling if wearing auniform. A Civil Defenceovercoat would do!!Dancing at the Kingslandon Borough Road was outof bounds for me - mymother did not approve!Were you one of the groupwho met at the home ofJean and Ronnie Williamsin Cavendish Drive onThursdays during thewinter to perform playletswritten by Rex Bawden (ajournalist on one of theLondon Dailies I think.),Eric Molyneux and Norman

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Dale as I recall? Was thereanyone else?Were you included in thegroup who played tabletennis at a strange house atthe end of Cavendish Driveduring the winter holidays?All participants to bringtheir own piece of coal tokeep the fire going.Or Byrne Avenue Bathsduring the long summerevenings.Sometimes on Saturdays agroup would meet at theMilk Bar in Grange Roador at the Library inBorough Road. Who canremember?It seems like yesterday.

RONWIDTMORE"""----~~_1936-40)

Dear HaroldThank you very much foryour letter of 14thDecember 2000 andenclosures of AD-Visor andthe lovely yam "You don'tknow what hardships are!"I can assure you that yourtrials and tribulationsbrought many a smile to myface-actually some goodbelly laughs too!I am sorry I have been solong in replying but 1 stillwork at home asconsultant/contractor to theRAN Hydrographic Officeand whilst they put nopressure on me, (the daythey do, they do withoutme) 1 still set myself targetsand am stupid enough to domy darnnedest to meetthem. 1have also had toprepare the Australasian

Branch position for ameeting of Council of TheInternational HydrographicSociety, which I fly out toin two days' time; to beheld in the University ofEast Anglia in Norwich.So you see there is no riskof me hanging around thestreet corners, getting intomischief! I come over toUKlEurope twice a year,normally AprillMay andSept/Oct, although thisoccasion we are a monthearly. I normally go up toCaerwys, myoId home .area, in your Spring and toVenice in the Autumn; butmy partner, an old familyfriend and 1 (I waswidowed a couple of yearsago and she about six yearsago) are having a changethis coming Oct and goingto Prague instead. LastSept/Oct we "did" Rome &Venice before the meetingin Teddington andafterwards came back toAustralia via New Delhiand Agra to use up someFrequent Flyer points andof course to see theincredibly beautiful TajMahal. One meeting nextyear looks like being heldin Germany.I have also had a letter, towhich 1 must reply, from aJohn Jordan in Tasmania,who is head serang 0 f theOld Instonians' Associationin Australia and the BirksAssociation of Australia,which is a joint venture ofOld Instonians and OldBirkonians, with some vel)'

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interesting copies of oldnewsletters etc.I must admit I rememberbut few of the names I seeon the list of Old Instonianmembers, Stuart Huntrissbeing the most significant;my closest friend at schoolwas Jasper Bartlett, but hedied in his early twenties.The others in my form,normally the-rJs'' as Iwasn't academically soundenough to be in the "A"s,were Laurie Tunna, SidneyBaker, (I envied himbecause he was Jewish andexcused Sat morningschool), Johnnie Haughton,the only Quaker I have everknown, and a chap called???? Malcolm, who wasvery bright andoccasionally allowed me tocrib his homework. Thenthere was Biddy Harris'sson who was in the "A"s,and a year ahead there werethose from the Gods calledPrefects like Rex Bawden,Pearson etc.

PHIL RONALD-PRICE1960-1967)

I would like to say howinteresting and full ofmemories I find the"Advisor". One thing isstrange, however: I was apupil at B.I. from 1960 to1967, and there appear tobe very few on the B.I.O.B.register who are from thatera However, names I canrecall from those of mytime at the B.I. were twolikeable guys called PeterRarnsdale and Roy Snook,

neither of which is on yourregister.Teachers whom I fondlyremember from the schoolare: Mr. Thacker, JoeTownsend (Chemistry), Mr.Walsh, Mr. Connor(Maths), Mr. Wood(Maths), Mr Shaw (Music),Mr Edgar (P.E.), Gerry Hall(French/English), DickieRichards (Biology: Facts oflifel), Ken Richards(Physics), Mr Webb(Headmaster), Mr Phipps(French), Mr Gray,(English), Miss Cojeen(School Secretary), LenMalcolm (Physics). I hadthe pleasure of meetingsome of these again at thesad closure of B.I. a fewyears ago. It was good tomeet Mr. Webb and KenRichards, along with MissCojeen. I also managed topurchase a School Tie,(Atkin House), in which Iwas proud to wear themagenta!My memories of B.I.include such things as:Cross country runs fromIngleborough Road, withLen Malcolm giving us thesignal to go; Trips to BymeAvenue baths with Mr.Shaw telling us to 'jumpin"; The Speech Days atthe Glenda Jackson hall inBorough Road; The CarolConcerts in the hall atWhetstone Lane, singing allthe words from handwrittencarols in our green books;"Hollybushing" in the FirstYear; The canteen, with itspath from the playground;The time when a fire was

started under the PhysicsLab. stairs one night, andwe were unable to use thestairs for monthsafterwards, having to go upthe stone stairs, and gothrough the Chemistry Labto get there; The time Iaccidentally melted the leadshot in my Physicsexperiment!I could go on and on, butoverall, my memories ofB.I. were happy ones, and Iwould like to see morenames on the register fromthe days when I was there.What happed to Pye, whowas in the Sixth form whenI was in the Third? Ialways remember hisexcellent dance routine inBeechcroft one year to therecord of "Green Onions"by Booker T and the MGs.Does anyone else recallthis?To finish, I would like tothank everyone at B.I. forsuch memorable days. TheAdvisor will help to keepthese alive, and I wish thatB.I. were still a schooltoday, as we need goodschools more than ever.My son has recently passedhis 1I-Plus to WirralGrammar School and thisbrought back all thememories of when I passedmy I I-Plus back in 1960.Wirral Grammar Schoolhas the same excellenttradition and atmosphere asB.I. and I can't help feelingthat losing such goodschools is a great shame.I have been with MarconiCommunications for the

last 21 years, where I am aQuality Manager. I havestayed on Wirral sinceleaving B.I. and, despitebeing tempted to moveelsewhere, I am pleased tostill be living in such agreat part of the country,which is surrounded bywater on three sides, andhas some spectacularscenery only a shortdistance away. I shall lookforward to receiving futureissues of the Advisor, andhope to add some morenames as I come intocontact with other ex-pupils. Thank you againfor a fantastic magazine.

DAUGHTER OF JAMESTECTOR (1922/27)

My father will be 91tomorrow 6th April 2001.Unfortunately, he is nowcompletely blind, but heenjoys it when I readarticles of interest to himDue to a stroke, he is alsowheelchair bound so lifecan get tedious as you mayimagine. However, hekeeps in good spirits and isalways pleased to hear fromB.I.O.B.With best wishes from myfather and from myself (hisdaughter).

PETER ("PADDY")BOLAM (1941/7)

Many thanks for yourexcellent newsletter, I amsorry that I will not be ableto attend your Re-UnionDinner on 12/10/2001, due

to another engagement.I am sorry to read that oneof your correspondentsraised the long-forgotten (?)matter of soccer v rugby.To draw conclusions whyone late Headmaster madethe change from soccer torugby seems unfortunate, tosay the least. Someone toldme long ago that rugbyenabled 30 bodies to be onthe pitch rather than 22 - again to Ingleborough Roadof+ 24 - not anunimportant consideration.

IAN McFARLAND(1938-44)

An anecdote from myschooldays. This concernsa former student calledJasper Bartlett - I think hewould have been in LenMalcolm's period. Jasperwas a huge man and aRugby player of note. Heplayed for Waterloo andwas capped for England. Ibelieve that he died at avery young age - in histhirties?He had gone up toUniversity, and returnedduring the long vac. to seeold colleagues. He was alarger-than-life character,and invited, or cajoled, fourof us to accompany himdown to the town in thelunch hour. DownWhetstone Lane, acrossBorough Road, and on upto Grange Road. Suddenly,he turned to the right,opened a door, and sweptall four of us - into a pub!

"Five pmts of best bitter,my good man!" - and in atrice, we all stood therewith pint glasses in ourhands, wondering the whilehow this could havehappened. ''Well, lads, Ihave other things to do"says Jasper, downed hispint with a flourish, and leftus standing there. The dooropened and in walkedJohnny Paris (a teacher!)Now he was as much out ofline as we were, drinking inschool hours, so there was amomentary meeting of eyes- and no one evermentioned the affair again.

OLD INSTONIANS'GOLF SOCIETY

Derek Turner arranged yetanother successful meetingin May. Once again, theweather was very good.The winner of the PykeCup was Don. Ainslie andthe runner up was RonKirchner who received theLen. Malcolm Tankard.Derek works very hard andthe event could be bettersupported. If you are agolfer, try and make the2002 meeting - you willenjoy it.

LADIES' EVENING

Harry Burkett is hoping toorganise a Ladies' Eveningin April, 2002 and will beseeking advice at the dinnerin October as to what formthis should take.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Ted Wood 717 Stu Lichfield 787 Bert Thomas 72G.A. (Gas) Smith 72 Dave Docherty 56 Bill Keating 60Norman Boyd 73 Tony Doveston 65 AIan Bramall 65Graham Baxter 76 AIan Parkinson 64 Barrv Doveston 59Peter Probert 77 Bob Bladon 70 Garv Silk 43Paul Shakespeare 43 Neil Foster 43 Steve Tavlor 43Paul Waters 43 Trevor Bowen 43 Steve Evans 43Roger Fairclough 43 Paul Grannon 43 Garv Wigfield 43Neil Gardner 63 Keith Hitchell 43 Ron Broadfoot 73Tom Gill 67 Colin Roderick 63 Colin Rankin (Police Insp.) 65Ron Pinnington 64 Peter Ramsdale 52 Sidney Baker 77Roland Peers 80 Ted Moxley 80 Eric Reddy 80Roy Snook 52 John Haughton 77 Peter Haughton 75Ernie Search 80 Frank Sandland 80 Laurie Tunna 77Pye 56

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OBITUARIES

We regret to report the following deaths

Les Campbell (1935-39) at Thingwall, May 2001 aged 77~ Nonnan Dale (1935-40) at Gloucestershire, August 2000 aged

76. Thomas Jackson (1926-32) at Heswall, March 2001 aged 86

Stan. Davies (1931-36) at Prenton in 1994 aged 74John Kitching (1944-50) June, 1999 aged 63

Roy Dawson (1946-50) at Arrowe Par~ May 2001 aged 67Bill Owen (1934-39) at Heswall,May 2001 aged 78

Bemard Jones (1937-42) at Irby, July 2001 aged 75Gerald Taylor (1932-39) at Chorley 2000, aged 75

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

cut here

4th RENAISSANCE DINNER FRIDAY 12th OCTOBER 2001AT PRENTON GOLF CLUB.

I desire to attend the dinner and enclose A cheque for £20 (this covers the cost of theDinner plus wine on the table, free entry into the Charity Draw and gratuities tocatering and bar staff)

NAME

ADDRESS

TELEPHONE NUMBER

DATE OF BIRlH (For seating arrangements)

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS

DRESS Lounge Suit/Blazer6-0p.m for 7-0p.m

Please help by using the application form and replying as soon as possible. Return toHarold Beckett, Little Haven, 1 Salem View, Oxton, Prenton, Wirral. CH43 5UH