Family Memories Cinderford

Move to Birmingham

On moving to Birmingham the scholarship was transferred to Handsworth Grammar School. Subjects and conditions were very different from formerly. I was put in a class where progress had been made beyond my own standard and there was a lot to catch back. Latin was new to me and I never made up the earlier basics which were lost to me. However over two years past ground was mainly recovered and I finally obtained both School and Matriculation Certificates. The Matriculation Certificate enabled me to get University entrance but unfortunately due to home circumstances this was not on.

School at Handsworth was an enormous change. Generally boys came from more prosperous families, enjoying things which were quite beyond our circumstances. Books were not provided and had to be bought second-hand or new. Sport was a tradition, Clendon, the Headmaster being an Oxford blue. The corridor of the School was lined with shields accumulated over the years, mostly swimming and inter-school trophies. I learnt to swim at Grove Lane Baths but not up to competition standard. In football I was average but cricket found me good enough for the 1st eleven. It was sad that I could not go with the team on many occasions for lack of cash for the expenses and for lack of boots and flannels which I could not afford.

Socially I found it difficult to fit in. I was known as "Farmer Knight" a name to be held by me even after school when meeting an old acquaintance. My |Forest of Dean dialect was the cause and very embarrassing incidents occurred when masters would not attempt to decode my speech and I was told to "sit down boy". Sometimes other boys would go too far with their jeers and taunts and forceful tactics had to be adopted by me to stop it.