Broadstairs And St Mary's Home 1957
I was 6 years old and had had bronchitis and asthma and so I was sent away from smoggy London to St Mary's Home in Broadstairs. I was taken with other young children on a train by a nurse in a brown uniform. We all slept in dormitories and every Wednesday we had early morning exercises. Sometimes we were taken down the steps to the beach which was lovely. A friendly nurse sewed me a smocked dress, it was very pretty. All parents arrived every Sunday and took us out... it was so exciting to hear your mum calling you as the gates were opened. I remember feeling very lonely and I was moved from my dorm to another as unkind children called me 'ten ton Tessy!' My best memory was the sweets. We had to put the sweets given by parents to the staff, but they were never seen again, so my parents told me to hide my sweets in my coat pocket and every day I would have a few. My Auntie Tess and cousin Margaret came down to stay in Broadstairs for a week and took me out every day, it was brilliant. I have mainly good memories. I seem to remember getting better. I was there for 6 weeks in June/ July 1957. One girl came with severe burns all ova her, a result of a house fire.
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RE: RE: Broadstairs And St Mary's Home 1957
Hello Tessa. I was at St. Mary's around about 1956 when I was 9 years old, I stayed for about 6 weeks. The train jouney from my home of Stoke-on-Trent seemed endless and I cried most of the way, one of the nuns comforted me. I remember bath nights with all the other boys of the dormitory, it was noisy. The compulsory one hour's rest after each meal, the doorstep bread and Marmite on the front lawns and of course the tunnel, it was wet and damp and smelled, it went under the road to the beach. If you would like to contact me and share our memories please telephone 01782 304055 or e-mail me at billstoke@billmarg.plus.com I hope to hear from you and any others who stayed at St. Mary's, Broadstairs. Best wishes, Bill Hall.
Comment from William Hall on Monday, 3rd May 2010.