Hello, my first posting on this thread - be gentle with me!
I just wanted to share one of those 'small world innit' coincidences but first my Court Farm credentials. Started in 1955 and my teachers in more or less the right order were: (Miss/Mrs/Mr) Keeping, Gilbert, Jones - lovely lady, wooden classrooms - Griffiths, Sinclair (twice). Also notable, Mr Hill, and Mr Mortiboys who ran the sports teams. Mr Wildgoose was the head for my first year only which was also the year my sister Dianne left to go to Waverly grammar. Dianne Shelley, she get's a mention earlier on the thread. Miss Codling was then the head for the duration of my very happy stay. The caretakers were Mr Barrow(s) and then Mr Gumley: how can I remember this stuff and not know what I came downstairs for?!!!
Anyway, my wife and I left Birmingham in 1975 never to return except for family and the Villa - not necessarily in that order! Our junior son was born and raised in Reading and moved to Brighton where he met his now wife. Early on word came back that her mother came originally from Birmingham but we couldn't get any more information out of the kids. So, when we eventually met the in-laws the conversation went something like this:
'I understand you come from Birmingham',- 'Yes, Erdington',
'Whereabouts in Erdington', - 'Goosemoor Lane',
Hair starts to prickle on the back of the neck!
'You didn't go to Court Farm Primary did you?' Well, you can guess the rest, turns out she and her older sister would walk past our house (two doors down from the Leopard) every day on their way to school. The Mother in Law is a few years younger than me so our paths would not have crossed but I've just found out her elder sister who sadly died , I think in her thirties, was born in 1951, the same year as me. She wasn't in my year so I’m pretty sure she would have been in the class below. As I say, small world isn’t it!
David Shelley