walk down memory lane TB hospital

meritaten

I thought you may like to see this pic of me with two of the nurses. I am the one at the top of the photo.







me and dad. I chose this because you can see the ward. I believe this was just after Christmas. edit - DOH! its written on there!



On the verandah. Sorry I don't remember the lads names! ang on - I appear to be holding a gun! think this was 1958 its not very clear in the pic. Its no wonder I was a right tomboy, I only had boys to play with and they were not into dolls!





Gosh - This cot's a bit crowded! me, the other girl on the ward and just a few of our 'boyfriends'! Can you see that someone is holding the strings of the little girls nighty through the bars?

meritaten

my mother knew the names of the two nurses in the photo - I do wish she had written them on the back of it! mum made a point of getting to know all the nursing staff.

Despite it being a happy place for me - it totally broke the bond between me and my mother. and I don't know if it was just a clash of personalities, but really think its why we never 'got on'.
it sounds harsh, but when I came 'home' it was like I was being wrenched from my family and sent to live with strangers.
I can remember sobbing that I wanted to go home and I wanted MY doctor, and MY Cot, MY nurses and poor mum would get so frustrated she used to yell at me' I AM your mother - THIS IS home!
She had bought me a lovely little childs bed - which I wouldn't sleep in for months as it was too big and didn't have bars - so it scared me!
I even had a childs armchair in their living room (we had rooms with Nan and Grancher) nan and granch had bought me. a proper child size version of their settee and chairs! and they thoroughly spoiled me! I've posted before how fortunate I was compared to most working class kids of the time.
at the time - I just wanted to go back to hospital! I believe they term it 'institutionalised' now. It took me a long time before I settled in - going to school helped but that wasn't until I was five!

My poor mum was expecting to have 'her baby' back - and she got me! very quiet and obedient usually - but with a very stubborn streak! and a temper when I judged things not to be 'fair'. I was very good at 'sharing' and was considerate to friends - but I had an overdeveloped (probably) sense of fairness and justice!

She had my brother when I was five and in first year of Primary School - I could never decide if I was relieved her attention was focused on him - or annoyed that I wasn't the 'only one'!

Sorry to talk so much - but this is ever so 'cathartic'! and photos I have seen for years - I am seeing much more in them and they bring back so many memories all in a flood - makes me feel a bit overwhelmed but very very happy.
It is like with mums death this year - I can 'remember' things. She would talk about when I was in hospital - but it was more related to her and dad - how she had to go on her own one week in three because dad was on 'shifts' of days, afternoons or nights which meant he couldn't visit weekdays. and only parents were allowed. I believe siblings were allowed to visit on weekends - I seem to remember the ward had loads of kids running round! some dressed very strangely to us!
I am also thinking that only Parents were allowed except for weekends - and you could get a special dispensation if it was your birthday - I have a pic of Nan being there and think its the only time she was allowed to visit - and dad must have been in work.

Goldiegirl

Jackie, thanks for your remembrances of Joyce Green - it sounds completely traumatic for all of you. Things have changed so much - it just wouldn't happen these days.


I've been looking at photos, it looks a very imposing place.


I can understand why my mum never really wanted to talk about her time there. She was very close to her mum and sisters, and at the age of 10, to be so far away from them must have been very difficult. Now I know it's location, I'm even more sure that she'd have had very few visitors. My nan would have had to have caught the ferry from Tilbury, and then buses.... if buses went to the Joyce Green.


About a year before this, my mum's dad had died. He was about 25 years older than my nan, and I get the impression that he was quite a distant figure anyway. Then a few months later, my nan married her late husband's brother, and had a baby 9 months later! It was certainly a time of upheaval and uncertainty.




Meritaten, I really enjoyed looking at your photos. It looks like a happy place, and you look a bit like I did at that age