Spirit of Birkenhead Institute

Succesful businessman, had a good tutor, my father, idolise my wife Svetlana and our son William, and, when in Britain, love being on the golf course.

Pupil at the BI from 1953-58. Spent most of my working life at the University of Liverpool where I retired after a heart attack as head of their Editorial Office, responsible for most of the university's external publications. I gained an MA in Victorian Literature and also taught Creative Writing in their Department of Continuing education. I have one son, John, who works with autistic youths and daughter Emma who is a journalist and edits her own magazine. I played in assorted rock and blues bands from the 60s until my heart attack in 2002 and wrote for radio, tv, and magazienes and had lots of poetry published which often, to my shame, appeared in school anthologies. Not content with a simple heart attack, I had a stroke in 2006 which wrecked my left side, but I'm still a published writer, pecking away at the keyboard with my one good hand. The only B I old boy (and boy, are we now old) I'm still in touch with is Pete Roche who, after a career in advertising in London, is still holed up there.

I'm interested in getting in touch with any of my contemporary old codgers and really pleased to have found this website.

I was a pupil at the Birkenhead Institute from 1940 to 1944.  Having lost several houses to bombs and nearly being hit by a landmine I survived and  left at the age of 16 and went to work at Lever Brothers for 2 years.  I was then called up into National Service with the RAF for the next three years.  This should have been for only 2 years, but the Berlin Airlift unfortunately delayed my leaving for another year.  I went on to work as an industrial chemist at Shell Oil Refinery for 12 years before leaving the North to work for British American Tobacco in Southampton.  I worked there until given voluntary retirement in 1983.  Since then I have been happily retired living in Southbourne in Bournemouth with my wife.  I have two children now aged 53 and 49 and six grandchildren.

I have many fond memories of the BI and can distinctly remember some of the characterful teachers that helped me pass my School Certificate.  Leading among these are Fizzy Whimps the physics teacher, Bummy Jones my Chemistry teacher and Hetty Rosenbloom the art teacher.  I thought that these teachers were especially talented and made my school days a fond memory.

I would love to hear stories/memories from others who were at school during these years. 

Cyril Martin

I went to B.I. from 1965/70. I was in Westminster house.