L G Brandon (1937-70) (Died 13th October 1980, aged 76)
I'm sure he was a good headmaster, but he always seemed rather aloof to me.
In the only known article he ever wrote on the subject, in 1974, he described his time at Aston as "All good fun."
Stan Calvert (1936-76) (Died April 2006, aged 94)
Taught me Latin for one year only - but I passed!
Some older AOEs refer to him as 'Killer' Calvert, which seems out of character for the man I remember!
I last saw him, around 1985, in the ironmonger's shop at Acocks Green.
Stan spent his last years living near his children in Dunblane, Scotland.
Tony Cooke (1955-64)
An AOE (1941) who taught music. His range of interests weren't as wide as those of his predecessor, Francis Mace, but he approached his work with great energy and enthusiasm.
When he left for Leeds Grammar School some of his Birmingham music teacher colleagues had their reservations, but he looked well enough on it when I met him again at the School Centenary celebrations in 1983.
W J E 'Jack'Coventon (1950-56) (Died 2004ca. aged 81)
After following his father to Harrow and Cambridge, Aston must have been a bit of a culture shock for him! When he left he never taught again. Mind you, I never did find out what he taught whilst he was there.
Of greater interest was Sheila Stoddard (1950-52), who became his wife. She took us for general science in the first form. As soon as they married she disappeared and we never saw her again, which was a great pity because she was good.
Jack once told us that on Sunday nights they would take the wireless into the kitchen and do the weekend's washing up whilst listening to the Sunday play. Very Bohemian!!
R A ('Jimmy') Edwards (1949-55)
His lessons, whether French or German, were an endless stream of carping criticism of his pupils. Any social skills he may have had were confined to his alleged spare time activities as a jazz trumpeter.
As far as I could tell, his departure was mourned by no-one.
Come back, Billy Lumb, all is forgiven!
Joe ('Ernie') Entwistle (1937-75) (Died 1992)
The first teacher I met at Aston. He was the form master for 1A. Taught French and German. If you got less than 80% in the weekly vocabulary test you 'got the slipper'. He didn't care if the whole class got it!
A very good cricketer who opened the batting in the annual Boys v Masters cricket match - and not for us!
Fred ('Froggy') Fenton (1949-81)
The second physics master, who succeeded Billy Chivers as senior in 1960. Unfortunately, he didn't have Billy's flair for teaching.
Himself an AOE (1938), his last years were clouded by mental illness and he had to retire early. A keen photographer, he took the now definitive photo of Chas shown below, and the 'unrepeatable' one of the school in 1962 - plus many more besides (not least the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas).
Theo Fox (1947-58)
As the woodwork master he met his greatest challenge in me! He only left (for KEGS Five Ways) because he got fed up of working all day in the dungeon that was the woodwork room.
Of Mr Brandon's leadership he said 'We worked hard, but we knew what we were doing.'
Derek Hobson (1955-84)
Had I been able to get on better with him I would have become a chemist.
His predilection for bow ties earned him the nickname "Dickie" from subsequent generations!
Bert ('Hairy') Hothersall (1921-63) (Died 27th December 1963, aged 65)
Another AOE (1909), who became Mayor of Sutton (1949-50). His harmless irascibility hid an underlying kindness which was shown by his favourite disciplinary sanction: to threaten to tell the truth 'for a change' in your school report!
His name is carved on Birmingham University's war memorial as a casualty in World War I, though he seemed to be very well throughout my time at Aston! (According to the Public Record Office he was a Lieutenant in the Tank Corps.)
Jim Hyde (1955-58) (Died 2 April 2006, aged 80)
An AOE (1936), Cambridge graduate, and a bit of a card. His favourite saying was 'In fact, of course ...'. He didn't stick around long enough. (My Mom knew his parents, who lived barely three miles from where I live now.)
He left the same time as I did, heading for a teaching post in Ipswich (at Woolverstone Hall School). He stayed there until retirement in 1985, and outlived the school.
Jim died at a nursing home in Reading, but returned to Woolverstone for his funeral.
W 'Billy' Lumb (1926-51) (Died 7 November 1961, aged 75)
By all accounts a brilliant linguist but a 'hopeless' languages teacher. Though he never taught me I was present at his farewell address to the school, which he described as 'Lumb's Last Lesson'. In this he advised us all 'don't leave school half baked'. Even at that age I realised we were losing a great character, if not a great teacher.
At lunch one day, he tipped his rice pudding over a colleague with whom he was having a temporary disagreement! He was immediately contrite, and full of apologies.
Francis Mace (1950-55)
His arrival brought a breath of fresh air to the teaching of music at Aston. Marriage to a French Swiss girl qualified him, apparently, to teach us French! In the classroom we gave him a hard time but in the Music Room (at that time 'Big School') he was respected by all. Although remembered by most for the Gilbert and Sullivan productions (with 'Curly' Price), I was present when he wrote down, for the first time ever, the music of the School Song while Billy Chivers played it.
Bill ('Buggy') Mayers (1919-56) (Died 15th December 1956, aged 62)
The first of several Welshmen to try to teach me English. Eccentric and lazy. An Oxford graduate, he played Rugby for the AOEs as a young master. A First World War Military Cross, he served in the RAF during the Second War where (according to Tim Morris's stepfather) he corrected the grammatical errors in forms that crossed his desk! He died in harness, the last weekend of autumn term 1956.
John C Milner (1952-62)
A quiet, competent teacher of History and Geography.
His lessons at Longdon were always related to the locality, bringing those subjects to life.
George Painter (1923-66) (Died 1973, aged 86)
The great enigma of my time at Aston: he never taught me, spoke to me, nor I to him. I don't ever remember hearing him speak, yet he was there throughout my time. Apparently he 'retired' in 1952, but it didn't seem to make any difference: he still turned up every day. He lived in a cubby hole just yards from my desk in form 3A and, at other times, in a big house on Marsh Hill, Erdington. In his memoirs Watcyn Thomas describes him as 'erudite and sensible'. His reviews of plays in the school magazine were certainly the former, as well as being lengthy! He graduated (from Birmingham University) quite late in life, and came straight to Aston becoming, at 43 years, one of its longest serving masters. He finally retired in 1966 'after 60 years in teaching'.
Eric Pedley (1937-74) (Died 7th December 2007, aged 95)
Urbane Sixth form maths. teacher (he always addressed us as 'gentlemen'!). Ran the school chess club. Claimed to have got into Oxford only because he came from West Bromwich and the Master of his college (Jesus) was a West Brom fan!
A childless widower, Eric had lived since 2003 at the Methodist Home for the Aged in Wolverhampton.
Tributes to Eric can be seen here.
Ted ('Ernie') Pickering (1945-78)
Taught French and German. Liked his local pub far better than he liked me!
Fred ('Joe') Pinder (1943-67)
A Camp Hill OE and (another) keen photographer. Only once in more than seven years did I see him show any empathy with pupils.
When he wasn't bawling somebody out he taught English, surprisingly well.
Looking back upon events and records it would seem that he quite liked me - but he did a very good job of concealing the fact!
Geoff ('Curly') Price (1951-55)
Another of the 'good guys'. He taught French and German and played cricket for Old Hill. But he will be remembered best for reviving (with Francis Mace) the tradition of putting on Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. I was very sorry when 'Curly' left - later, I believe, than the school records show.
Dorothy ('Dotty') Ray (1940-52)
A very good Geography teacher and my form mistress in 2A.
At Christmas that year - and in my absence following an appendectomy - my classmates followed tradition and had a 'whip round' to buy her a Christmas present. Shortly before she had made them all write to me in hospital. Our Form Captain (Peter Chan) wrote that they had bought her a beauty compact which he regarded as a 'waste of money'!
My mother was greatly amused by this, especially after she met her. Mom considered Dotty to be a very smart lady, quite belying the reports we took home about her!!
Michael 'Cardew' Robinson (1952-55)
A Cambridge biologist and an excellent and enthusiastic teacher with a remarkably high pitched voice.
He made no secret of his left wing views which probably contributed to his early, much lamented, departure. His commitment to the Communist Party gradually came to dominate his life, leading to job loss, manic depression and suicide.
He owned, but I was never sure whether he lived in, a Romany caravan.
Harry C Rowlands (1952-56)
According to the chemists a hopeless chemistry teacher. But he always gave me 90+% in his exams.!
Outside the Chemistry lab. he saw that I was my own worst enemy, and counselled me often and gently - sadly to little effect!
Watcyn Thomas (1937-71) (Died 10th August 1977, aged 71)
A former Welsh Rugby international and a nice guy. He captained the first Welsh side to beat England at Twickenham, and so earned himself immortality in Welsh eyes! My Mom liked him! His last years were made difficult because of deafness, an affliction with which schoolboys are ruthless - as George Painter could attest!
I was delighted to obtain a copy of his autobiography 'Rugby-playing Man', published in 1977. It was a surprise though, and something of a disappointment, that he devoted less than 4 pages to the 34 years of his life spent at Aston.
'Fergie'Tye (1930-55)
A not very good maths. teacher. Holder of the Military Cross, he was alleged to have played football for Middlesbrough F.C. (which they deny) and (according to Ken Tickle) to have had a stunningly beautiful daughter! He was one of the very few teachers who took no part in any of the school's multifarious extramural activities.
Many years later I learnt, with great sadness, that he had ended up living at the Palm Court Hotel on Wake Green Road, Moseley. I don't know what circumstances had brought him to such a depressing and lonely last resting place.
Colin Tyson (1949-63)
An excellent history teacher, and younger brother of Harry.
Although a scientist (of sorts!) my lifelong interest in history is entirely attributable to Colin.
He left to go back to his old university (Durham) to teach education but, according to Harry, came to regret ever leaving Aston.
Harry Tyson (1938-79) (Died 1993, aged 79)
A real 'Mr Chips' and one of the three dominant figures of the school's first hundred years, along with Frank Jones and 'Chas'. The stories about Harry are legion and every AOE seems to have one. I can hear him now: 'Ah may be small but Ah'm tuff!'
I'm afraid the verdict of most AOEs on Harry is largely negative, though for later generations less so. In the classroom his charitable instincts were well hidden, but outside he ran the Cot Fund and, in later years, the Old People's Visiting Service.
Oh, and by the way, he taught maths. (as if we would be likely ever to forget!).
