My Name Back In 1954 Was Doreen Lipman

A Memory of Delamere.

I don't know what made me google Delamerites but was amazed to find this website. It seems I'm not the only one with bitter memories. I hated every single minute of every single day and night and was one of those naughty children who kept running away.  We once made it to a gypsy caravan in a nearby field and even more daring, we once made it to the local train station.  The handyman was sent to collect us each time and we were sent to bed without any supper.  Miss Landau told us we were being punished not for running away but because we called it 'escaping'.  She had a 'sausage' dog called Rupert who I adored.

Our parents were allowed to visit us once a month and visiting time lasted an hour.  Any sweets they brought us had to be handed in and were shared out every Saturday after lunch.

We had an afternoon nap in the hall every day - we had to get our 'stretchers' out and a blanket and Daphne Oxenford was on the radio telling us a story.  I think that was possibly my only nice memories of Delamere, apart from the smell of the Succah during the festival when it was covered in pine trees and fresh fruit hanging from the branches.

The girls were made to have their hair cut very short once a month when Mrs Powell would visit, and the boys had their hair cut every fortnight.  Some girls were very lucky, they were allowed to keep their hair long, especially if their parents said they were going to be a bridesmaid.  Alas, I was never allowed leave to be a bridesmaid.  My only leave, apart from the summer, was when I was taken to the Jewish Hospital to have my tonsils out, and when I came back I was put in isolation for a week.  One day the nurse, I think she was called Mrs Webster, caught me pouring my tomato soup down the sink because it was stinging my throat after the op and she really shouted at me.

I used to have to sing a solo during the Shabbat service and I lived in absolute dread waiting for my turn, my throat would dry up and there were giggles from around the room while I tried my best to deliver and get it over with as fast as I could.

We used to have knicker inspection when the girls would have to stand and hold our knickers out before we put them in the dirty wash, to make sure we hadn't had an accident.  In the summer we all wore the same itchy boys trunks and nothing else and the girls who were on the big side used to hide in the toilets.

I do remember Miss Davies, a very kind teacher, and sometimes when she came to say goodnight to us, she'd be dressed to go out and she looked the most glamorous thing I'd ever seen.  Miss Davies once gave me her leftover sardines on toast with a real slice of lemon.  I was so excited - I was eating the same food as the teachers.

One Christmas we were all allowed in the staff quarters to look at the Christmas decorations that the non-Jewish staff were allowed to put up in their rooms.  It was so magical, not even really knowing what Christmas was about.

Our clothes were chosen for us, even for the weekend.  My mum once bought me a lovely dress with a big velvet collar which had little white tassles on, but the tassles were cut off as 'they were not considered suitable'.  I was heartbroken.

I hated rice pudding and Miss Dunster used to spoon feed me with it, which sometimes took hours, to make sure I'd eaten it all.  I'd sometimes still be in the dining room when everyone returned for their evening meal, which I wasn't allowed to eat until all my rice pudding had gone.

We wrote letters home - I think it was possibly once a month and we were told what to write.  Our lessons were quite infrequent and when I eventually left nearly aged 11 I was far behind in my classwork.

No, I'm afraid I don't have any nice memories of Delamere, the only nice memory I had was when I was given the 10 Delamere Laws which meant I would be leaving.

I remember lots of names, too many to mention, but a few during my unhappy time there:

Michael Lipman (my cousin)
Leon Powsney
Jeremy ?
Stephen Linton
Henry Hyatt
Phyllis Chapman
Iris Finley
Carol Finley
Janet Leigh
Carol Goldman) My co-escapees
Deborah ?       )
Doreen Reece
Ruth ?
Joan Selby