Lancing Children's Convalescent Home.

A Memory of Lancing.

In 1952 or 1953 I was a sickly 5 year old. I had 2 brothers, they were twins and one, unbeknown to me was dying of leukaemia. I was sent on a train with a lady and some other children, for a holiday in Lancing. I had never been away from home, where we lived with my mum's mum and my dad. We arrived at a house with a large concreted yard which opened to the beach. I played happily with an older girl and at the end of the day asked if we could go home now. They explained that we were staying for a few days. I was astounded and started to cry at bath time and never stopped for days. I can't remember how many nights I spent there but it was at least 3. I was inconsolable, couldn't sleep or eat and cried all night. I don't know how my mum was contacted as we didn't have phones. When she arrived with the healthy twin, ( the other was in hospital) I refused to acknowledge or even look at her and turned my back, held my brother's hand and stood away from her. Looking back, as a retired Early Years Teacher, I know I was punishing my mum for abandoning me. The staff were teenagers and the lady in charge we called Big Susan, and she had 2 Daschounds called Susie and Maggie. I have no idea where this was in Lancing. It seemed a biggish house with ground floor and at least 1 other floor and a basement where the kitchen was. We used to go onto the beach and play between breakwaters with an older lady called Olive.
There were probably about 10 children under 7 years old. Does anyone know whereabouts this was. I would like to go back to see the house. A few years ago something happened to me and I felt abandoned. I had a strong reaction to this, which alarmed me. Recently, I realised my sense of abandonment in Lancing had resurfaced and took me completely by suprise. If I go there I think I would feel I had 'laid' this ghost of my past. It wasn't a bad place, I was just shocked by being away from home.

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