Burseledon Annexe

I was sent there for 6 weeks in 1971. I have no idea why and neither does my mother. I was 10 and it was frightening to be sent away. After 2 weeks I was allowed home for the weekends but that actually made things harder to cope with because then each week I was ripped away from my family. I remember that I was made to drink tea - having never had it before and I hated it. There was children there with huge medical and mental conditions and I didn't understand - I had never seen people like that before. I made friends with a girl who was learning to administer daily injections for diabetes. There was no schooling and my last night was 23 Dec and I was the only child left. I slept in a huge ward all alone with giant teddies. There was play time and some memories that were positive. But most of all I remember not know why was there and how happy and warm home seemed (and how I felt left out) and how cold the hospital was that I spent all week in. It's unthinkable now that you would remove a child from a happy middle class home and place somewhere without your parents actually knowing why.

I went there in around 1973/74 aged 4 or 5. I had been in hospital with an asthma attack but have no knowledge as to why I went there instead of going home. My 89 year old father has no recollection. I didn't like it at all, not sure how long I was there but remember being very unhappy, all I wanted to go was go home.