The Teaching Staff
Mr. Chapman (Headmaster) CLICK here to Read more about Mr Chapman - A Most Remarkable Man.
Mr. Mullins (Headmaster)
Miss Pinches
Mrs. Enoch
Mr. J.P. Jones
Mrs. A. Ready
Miss Mosson
Mr. Broadhist (at the annexe).
Mrs. Lang
Mr. W. Jones
Mrs. Cope
 

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The children who left Miss Pinches' class in 1961

The Girls
Anne Chatham
Molly Ward
Joy Whatmore
Lisbeth Durrant
Susan Smart
Kathleen Jones
Marlene London
Diane Green
Susan Downey
Maureen Taylor
Christine Harvey
Carole Cook
Pamela Newman
Patricia Price
Sheila Eagles
Esther Chitty
Julie Yates

The Boys
Dennis Moody
Keith Jennings
Martin Fisher
Robert Freeman
Paul Malin
Michael Ledwith
Peter Alcock
Roland Rotherham
Michael Sykes
Kevin Greenhall
Paul Briggs
David Platts
Harry Irrgang
Roger Gibbs
Jeffrey Price
James Rogers
 

Mr. Chapman

 
 
 

Barbara Brown has contributed the following memories: I was born in the Broadway in 1932. Went to school at the then Canterbury road. Mr Chapman was Headmaster. Miss Allerly, Miss Pinches and Miss Guerlan(spelling could be wrong). During the war when bombs fell on or near the school, some of the residents opened their houses for us to have lessons, In Thornbury road. Later the first 9 houses down the Broadway were evacuated because of unexploded bombs at the Birchfield cinema and the Odeon cinema. I went to Sutton Coldfield to live, coming back to sit for the Grammar School in Miss Pinches class. There was a hairdressers in Thornbury road, and their garden backed on to our`s. Mr and Mrs Fletcher(hairdresser) used to come into our shelter, and they let me come through their garden to school to save me the walk round. I was always late. When I was due to start back to school on return from Sutton, I was terrified because, I was going into Miss Pinches class and I heard such stories about her I wanted to run away and hide. My friends mother used to put long sleeved jumpers on her so that when she was hit on the arms it would not hurt. Miss Allerly rapped you on the knuckles with a ruler; in my case only once. Mothers never went up to the school to complain, must have deserved it was the general view. Whitehouses was the popular sweet shop for everyone on the Birchfield road next to the then gas office, in one door past the sweets & out the other.

 
 

Susan Vallis Emailed her fond memories of Miss Pinches to me: Hi there Oh this page has brought back memories for me, I live in Toronto, Canada now but attended that very same school. My parents and I left Birmingham (along with my Nan) when I was nine years old so that would have been around 1963. Would you believe all these years later, I have never forgotten that school, mainly because of Miss Pinches - she terrified the whole class. I remember she gave me a project to do it was painting and the church I had to paint was to be grey, I was so scared that it would be wrong shade of grey and desperately needed to go to the bathroom while I was doing this. I went to the door of her classroom trying to get her attention to ask if I could go and she shot out of that room grabbed me by the arm and marched me back to the painting telling me I could wait. Well I couldn't and I peed my pants, she was so mad with me - made a spectacle of me in front of the whole class and made me put my soggy underwear in a brown paper bag to take home. I will never forget that. I also remember having a maggot in my lunch one day and the lunch lady came over and took it out and told me to get on with it. Those school days!! I lived at 53 Melrose Road back then and still have fond memories of the area and I wonder whatever happened to Miss Pinches.

 
 

Phil Hallett Emailed his memories of Miss Pinches: I went to Canterbury Road in 1950 and just like everyone else was nervous about going into Miss Pinches class. She lived up to her reputation of being an old battleaxe but for some reason she took a shine to me and I basked in the protection of her favouritism. Passed the 13 plus and went on to Aston Commercial which was about to become Holte Grammar. Never forgot Miss Pinches's kindness to me and her vindictivness to others. After Holte Grammar I went on to Birmingham College of Art, coming down to Swinging London in 1965, where I still live, working as a Landscape Architect. Due to retire in 3 year's time! Where have all those years gone. Phil Hallett

 
 

Sandra Williams Emailed with her memories of the school: Hi Dennis my maiden name is Sandra Williams I also remember Miss Pinches. I was in the 1961 class I remember most of the names,it really brought back memories for me . I lived at 94 Wenlock Road off the Broadway I remember Miss Pinches having me out in front of the class(has she sat behind that tall desk) and banging the the lid down with every word she was saying to me because i had not spelt a word right and also telling me off again in front of the class because my mom had not sent some money in for wool to do some knitting but my mom could not afford it then. I went on too Canterbury Cross Secondary Girls School. the head mistress was Miss Fairhead she was also very strict we were all frightened of her. a lot of the girls you named carried on into the Secondary School. I went on to be a hairdresser and have now owned my own salon for the last 29 years. I have also been married 40 years this year, my husband remembers Michael Ledwith & David Platts has he went to Handsworth Grammar with them .he did go to Canterbury Cross but for only a very short time his name is Arthur Maguire, don,t know if that name rings any bells .Arthur has been touch with the Platts family over the years ,are you in touch with any old school pals ? Regards Sandra

 
 

Please email me, Dennis Moody  with any contributions you wish to make to this Canterbury Cross page.