Children's Hospital

I was in this hospital in 1954ish being sent there after a heart operation at the chest hospital Southampton. I can recall bits like the big wooden door at the entrance and the huge hallway and the big wooden staircase, my ward was the second on the right and like you being pushed out on to veranda when the weather was nice to do are lessons, and I recall the pond bellow the steps and when we were better the nurses let us go out down in the fields to play. I have just turned 70.

I was in this hospital in 1954ish being sent there after a heart operation at the chest hospital Southampton. I can recall bits like the big wooden door at the entrance and the huge hallway and the big wooden staircase, my ward was the second on the right and like you being pushed out on to veranda when the weather was nice to do are lessons, and I recall the pond bellow the steps and when we were better the nurses let us go out down in the fields to play. I have just turned 70.

I was a patient at the hospital in 1954/55 for six months, being transferred from the Children's hospital in Shirley. I was in the first ward on the right, the girls ward, and I think that the second ward was for TB patients, and the third ward was for the boys. I remember having school lessons in our beds, Mrs. Groll was the headmistress. The nurses were all wonderful, I especially remember Nurse Hook and Nurse Laversuch who were so kind to us. I spent Chistmas and my tenth birthday there. We had our beds pushed into the large hall to watch children's television. I too recall having our beds pushed out onto the veranda during the day. I often think that I would love to go back and see the building, but I think it is owned by a drug company now.

I was at Bursledon in the Autumn of 1967. I was six and was there for nine weeks after a week in Southampton Children's Hospital to recover after rheumatic fever. After a shaky start when I was put firstly in the babies' ward and then into a ward with a boy with behavioural problems, I ended up in a downstairs ward at the bottom of the large staircase and things improved. I was there for Halloween and the house was decorated with spooky things and we played bob apple. I recall that my parents arranged for the hospital radio to play 'Thank you very much' by Scaffold. There was a rather frightening nurse called Nurse West but thinking about it 50 years later it was a fun place. The ward must have been mixed since I remember a girl there who was called Joan Cook. They even took us to Warsash to watch the final departure of the Queen Mary. Yes. I get a good feeling about it now.

I was at the hospital several times during the 60’s, was recovering from Tuberculosis. Can’t really remember to much about it as I was quite young. I do remember I didn’t want to be there and me and one of the other children was thinking how we could escape. If I remember correctly as you went in through the main entrance there was ward on the right of the big hall. The older children were in the ward close to the main door. I was in the ward furthest away from the main door. There was a nice view of the river Hamble.

HI - I was also sent there at 13, after horrendous bullying at school and undiagnosed ADHD until I was 48, 4 years ago. I am writing a book and believe so many of us were there for emotional burnout and of course at that time none even knew about ADHD, OCD, Autism etc until after 2000 and would be keen to know if you realised you were neurodivergent?

Thanks
Mel
@theadhdhumingbird
mel@melsimslifecoach.co.uk