West Midlands woman celebrates 109th birthday by sharing stories with visitors from her old school

A West Midlands woman turned 109 this week and spent the big day sharing memories of her school days in London with a team who came up from the capital to hear her story.

Barbara Bowdler, née Richardson, has been a resident of The Old Rectory Care Home in Albrighton for just over eight years, having lived in Wolverhampton and Pattingham since the end of the Second World War.

The care home staff believe Barbara, born in London during the First World War, is the 18th-oldest person in the UK.

And to help celebrate her 109th birthday this week she got a visit from representatives of the North Collegiate London School, which she attended in London nearly 100 years ago.

It came about after a video chat in which Barbara told her son Simon about growing up and going to school in London. He passed the footage along to the school, and a visit to Albrighton was arranged by the school’s head of marketing Sean West and head of alumnae Sonal R. Dhadphale on Tuesday (October 27).

The delegation from the school spent a couple of hours with Simon and Barbara the ‘Old North Londoner’ (ONL) and gifted her a bag as well as a beautiful mug featuring the school’s daffodil symbol.

Son Simon Bowdler, 75, estimates Barbara attended the school from 1929 to 1934/5.

Simon told the Express & Star: "She trained as a physiotherapist before and during the war, and her life changed after she met my father and moved away."

Barbara met her husband-to-be, Neville, towards the end of the Second World War and they married in 1945. They were married for nearly six decades, living in Wolverhampton and Pattingham.

Neville sadly died in 2003 from a stroke.

Barbara has four children - Tim, Sue, Simon and David - as well as nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with a 13th on the way.

A spokesperson for North Collegiate London School said on social media: “Barbara’s son, Simon, had kindly shared some of his mother’s wonderful memories, written at the age of 92, along with photographs and recent video footage. He also invited Sonal and Sean to visit, and they were delighted to spend a very special couple of hours in their company.

“There is something incredibly special about meeting an ONL whose life spans more than a century and who still remembers being a student at North London Collegiate School.

“Barbara, thank you for sharing your remarkable story with us.

“And to Simon, thank you for making this visit possible and for such a warm welcome. It was a real privilege for Sonal and Sean to spend time with you both.”