Remembering learning to read - from Jane

Barry, thank you so much for these vivid memories. It seems that we were at Thorp Arch pretty much during the same period, though in those days the boys and girls rarely if ever met. Your memory of learning to read certainly stirred up a similar one I had - who knows we might have been having the same feeling of revelation at the same time! It seemed quite sudden and miraculous - one moment I was puzzling over some words on the back of a comic being read by the patient opposite me (whose name I can't remember), and the next, they said 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves', as clearly as if someone was speaking them to me.

Do please send us more memories as they occur to you - and that goes for everyone else, of course

Memories from Barry Meadley, who was a patient 1944-1947/48, with TB of the left knee.

My name is Barry Meadley and I was a patient at MH 1944-1947/48.
Having just discovered your website and read all the blogs from former fellow patients, their recollections evoked so many memories. I was diagnosed with TB in my left knee in 1944 and spent a couple of weeks in Leeds General Infirmary then was transferred to Ida hospital at Cookridge, after a couple of months, moving on to MH. I marvel at the memories of some of my contemporaries who can still remember so many names and
incidents with such clarity !

I have no recollection of any names, but can recall some things that are etched in my memory for life. I am pleased to say that 99% of my memories are pleasant and grateful ones. That marvellous moment when you realise you can read and understand without stumbling over the words opened a wide world to a bed bound child, and I could never thank that wonderfully kind and patient lady teacher who enabled me to enter this world enough, Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories spring to mind !

I had my first eyetest at 6 yrs. old, was found to be short sighted, when I got my specs. I remembered being amazed to be able to make out the faces of the kids on the other side of the ward.

I remember a magician coming to give a show, all the beds were pushed together.I was close to the magician and as he pulled a large white rabbit out of a top hat, a photographer from the Yorkshire Evening News took a picture of me reaching out for it. I had a copy of this for years, but it was lost in a house move much to my regret.

It was great when the local hunt would visit on horseback complete with foxhounds. the dogs were so friendly and fussy and I remember one memorable occasion when they got overexcited ran through the ward, matron was not amused! There was one nurse who painted pictures of the huntsmen on old earthenware jamjars she was very talented.

It's funny but you only think that those summers were warm and sunny. being outside in only a splashcloth watching those who could be up splashing around the inflatable rubber dinghy filled with water, kindly loaned by the RAF I believe.

Everyone seems to remember sleeping on the veranda, and that includes me, it does'nt seem to have done any of us any harm. I remember if you were unlucky and were covered by an open weave type cover it was not uncommon to wake up next morning, a bat with it's claws tangled in your bedding! A lot of the nurses shied away from releasing them!!

So much more springs to mind, the Rugby teams visiting after playing at York,conkers from the trees in the drive, playing with the rugby ball bladder in the big boys ward, learning to walk again to name just a few.

Earlier in my story I mentioned that 99% of my memories were pleasant ones, now to the 1% nasty! My hips, left leg and foot were in plaster for the duration of my time at MH, and as I grew, had to be renewed at regular intervals over the years. Unfortunately, now and again, the replacement was left a little late and the cast had become a little tighter than it should have been, which always resulted in what was for a small boy, a very painful and terrifying experience, of course at the time the electric cutting wheel instrument of today did not exist. The plaster cutters of the day resembled the chain and padlock cutters of today, instruments of torture!! I still bear the scars today on my leg and hips, where the plaster cutters took the flesh along with the plaster.

This is the only bad memory I have of my time in MH, I'm sure there must have been others, but at 73 yrs. old, they have faded away long ago. Apart from the obvious dedication of the staff, who will always have my undying gratitude, all my life I have been blessed with infinite patience, this I attribute to my early life spent in MH when we all lived and learned in a cocooned world of our own. Thank you all for stirring up so many memories.

Ann Shaw (co-author of "Children of Craig y Nos"

Thank you Dorothy for sharing this very brave account of your life.

It reflects so many stories that happened in Craig-y-nos too.
Ann Shaw
(co-author "Children of Craig-y-nos"

27 October 2011 21:42

Do you have a connecton with MHH? Do you have a story to tell?

I was a spinal TB patient for about 5 years (1943 to 1948), first in Wales, where my Dad was posted in the RAF (at Crossways hospital, near Cardiff), and then at the Marguerite Hepton Orthopaedic Hospital at Thorpe Arch, near Wetherby, Yorkshire. Eventually, developments in surgical techniques and antibiotics helped me recover fully.
I'm now 68, and I feel there's a story to be explored here about the hospital itself, the experience of TB patients at that time, and its effects on patients' later lives. It should be told by many voices - of patients, nurses, teachers, doctors and others who looked after us, and may be those of their children and grandchildren.
The hospital closed in 1985, became an old people's home and has now vanished under a housing development. Thanks to the Craig-y-Nos blog, about a similar hospital in Wales, and with good help from Dr Carole Reeves at the Wellcome Foundation Trust, this blog is gradually taking shape as people contact us to share their experience (See the link to the Craig-y-Nos blog on the left of the texts). We hope anyone connected with the hospital in the past will read the blog and add stories and comments, so that we can make a personal oral history.

Dorothy Davies Autobiography

I was admitted to St James’ Hospital, Leeds at the age of 9 with osteomyelitis in my left femur.  My life changed forever, little did I know at the time just how life changing this was going to be.  I felt very alone there as my bed was pushed out into a corridor every day.  As I was very pale, they thought it would do me good to see and feel the sun and fresh air coming through the windows. 

After a month I was transferred to Marguerite Hepton Hospital – Thorp Arch.  I was in plaster from the chest down.  I enjoyed the schooling there.  The teacher was called Miss Field.  It must have been quite difficult for Miss Field as we were all different ages ( 5 – 16 years).  She had to teach different programs for different children.

My memories of food aren’t  too good, I hated the rice pudding and lumpy potatoes.  If you didn’t eat it a nurse would bring it back for your next meal, and made you eat it.  Once, the girl in the next bed to me was sick in her rice pudding and she was made to eat it.  You can imagine the outcome; I can’t face rice pudding to this day. 

However, most of the nurses were kind.  I did see the odd acts of cruelty to some children.  Although I felt helpless and very, very angry, oh so angry, I was angry with myself for not being able to do anything, but personally I didn’t suffer any of this.  Now I feel very strongly about abuse of any kind. 

It did have huge impact on my life being separated from loved ones.  Visiting was on a Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, 2pm – 3pm.  Of course there were no phones there and we all loved getting letter from our loved ones.  Sadly some children didn’t get any visitors.

We did have a TV (donated by a girl’s dad) but I couldn’t see it, as it was too far away.  

We used to get pushed outside daily. I remembered playing with a coloured ball.  I really loved meal time outside as the birds were so tame they used to sit on your knife and fork!

Bonfire night too was brilliant, as it was the only time I saw one of my sisters.  She was too young to visit as she was 11, and you had to be 12. That night Dad was allowed to wheel me to the gate to see here for a few minutes used to see my other sister June as she was old enough to visit with Mum and Dad 

We were not allowed to keep any sweets that our visitors gave us.  They were handed in and shared which was a really good thing.  Some things I don’t remember at all such as other patient’s names etc perhaps because I was flat on my back so my horizon was very limited. I do remember one girl who was in the bed at the end of the ward opposite to me, her name was Margret and I thought she was really old(16),she had TB of the spine and she was really brave and kind. She had dark thick hair and a warm smile; I never knew her second name

 I remember once I had visitors out of hours,, an elderly couple who knew my Mum and Dad.  They came from quite a distance and they were allowed to see me for 10 minutes.  They gave me a box of chocolate butterflies which I hid and ate later.  I did not enjoy them and felt ill and very guilty afterwards.  I learnt a valuable lesson that day. 

After 7 months I learnt I was to learn to walk again and go home.  They took my plaster off.  There was a thermometer, egg shells, dead wasp (to this day I am terrified of wasps) and lots more rubbish.  There was a lump of hard skin the same shape as my foot that came away.  For some reason beyond my comprehension one of the nurses thought this was fascinating.  I still feel a debt of gratitude to the very kind nurses.

I then went to Potternewton Mansion School quite near where I lived.  It was a special school for handicapped children for the whole of Leeds.  Some had learning difficulties, some behavioural problems, so it was not really conducive for efficient learning. 

I was in a Miss Grahams Class who was sort of a bit miserable, she was a middle aged spinster, but she was quite an efficient teacher. 

For nature studies we had Miss Clark, I used to love her classes. 

There were two male teachers Mr Tempest and Mr Perry who very occasionally would take us in a English and Poetry Class.  Then a Mr Attack took over our class, he was a bit airy-fairy, but a lovely person.  The headmaster was a Mr Paden whose main hobby was stamp collecting.  I don’t know where he got them from but he seemed to get boxes and boxes of stamps. 

When I first started there I was a bit shocked at the wide range of disabilities.  Quite often people died at this school.  Some children had muscular dystrophy; others had a hole in the heart. These children would have blue lips. They often went into hospital and you would never se them again. 

I remember one boy, Phillip Stead 11 years old who I got very close to.  Sadly he had M.D. and just before he died he was take for a day out into the country.  He brought me back 2 yellow snails; I called 1 marigold and 1 buttercup.  I never saw him again.

We had a physiotherapy department.  The physiotherapist was Mr Lewis who was also the physio for the Leeds Rugby team and sometimes for the England Cricket team, when they played at Headingly. He was a large man, who gave the impression that he was very hard, both physically and emotionally. 

Swimming was quite a big feature of this school. Once a year we competed in a swimming gala with other local schools. We were given so many yards start.  I was never a brilliant swimmer but always enjoyed classes.  Except my first one as I couldn’t swim and I didn’t know if I was more scared of the water or more scared of Mr Lewis. I decided I was more scared of Mr Lewis, so got in the pool and learnt to swim

My close friend at the school was Jennifer Kemp, sadly we lost touch when she moved away.. I think she went on to be a lawyer

The actual school was an old mansion house located on the edge of a park.  We had quite a large landscaped area of grass and trees.  There were may different types of trees, a rare one being a tulip tree, and an evergreen oak. 

Just before I left to go to a normal school we had another new teacher Mr Hyatt a Jewish Vegetarian.  He was very laid back.  He influenced quite a few of us to become vegetarian.  He also did a lot of charity work for the RSPCA and encouraged us to become members. 

After a couple of years I was given a chance to go to a normal school.  It came as a big shock to me that some people just wanted to mess around and some had been over indulged by parents.  There were some idiots and worse bullies and being different I was a target for them.  I found this difficult to get used to.  They used to push me around and liked finding ways to cause me problems.  It made me realise how privileged I had been to know such wonderful, brave children from my last school.  Children who helped each other and supported each other and who  looked out for their team mates. 

I wasn’t allowed to do P.E. or swimming at the so-called ‘normal’ school. 

I must admit that I am a little nervous even to this day of falling, and lack confidence physically.

However, after leaving school I got a job in a sweet shop locally, which I loved.  The years went on and I got married and had 3 children.  Now I have several grand children and 2 great grand children. 

I have had a total hip replacement, which is probably one of the best parts of my body (no arthritis in it). I lead a normal life and I feel that I am a better, more patient person.  Having osteomyelitis has made me stronger and given me so many privileges in life.  I have been blessed to have me such wonderful people who have taught me so many of life’s values.  

Jane posting anonymous comment from someone seeking Joseph Dooker, a former patient born 1904

We don't normally like posting anonymous comments, but this might be of interest to some:
"Looking for information on a Joseph Dooker born 1904 Leeds, Yorkshire and was a patient at Thorp Arch Wetherby. On the 1911 census Helen Backhouse (37) was the Head, Matron of Convalescent Home and Florence Smith (26) Servant, General Domestic Servant."

Jane to Philip Sunderland

It would be great if you could share more of your memories from that time, Phil
Jane

Philip Sutherland - a patient from 1960-1963 responds to Vera Duxbury's posting on 5 February

I was in Marguerite Hepton Hospital from 1960 to 1963.
I remember Mr.Clarke the consultant,Some of the patients were Steven Rouse, Peter Hooton, Tony Wrench we had a nurse Carrick, Nurse Bedford, Sister Wheelan who was very fond of Frank Ifield. I met Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, and Eden Kane at the hospital, and the nurses were ready to faint at these pop stars.
I saw The Wizard of Oz on 16mm film at the hospital and Summer Holiday with Cliff Richard. I am always grateful to the doctors and nurses who cared for me and I have lots of fond memories.
Philip Sunderland

Jane responds to Robin Watson

Robin, I have posted your comment so that everyone can see it. I was a contemporary of yours (1944-8), though being a girl probably never even set eyes on you! I do agree with you about the debt of gratitude we owe to the nurses and doctors of that time. For ages when I was growing up, I wanted to be a nurse, but eventually went off in a different direction.
If you have any more memories to add,do get in touch, either with comments, or through the email contact.

Robin Watson (1941-48) - contemporary with Vera, acknowledges his debt to MH nurses like her

How amazing to hear from a member of staff who was at MH in the early 1940s. I was there at the same time as Vera, but being about 6 years old, don't remember Vera or any of the other staff. However, I would like to reassure her that because of the dedication and affection she and her friends showed, in those dark days, this is one patient who went on to have a good and successful life. At the age of 74 and after 7 years of incarceration in MH, she and her colleagues helped myself and many others, to survive. In fact, the girls must have influenced me in later life, because I married a nurse!! Many thanks Vera. Robin Watson ( MH 1941-1948)