Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital

A Memory of Heswall.

I spent two years and three months on Florence Gibson ward (1950-1952) and was hoping to visit the hospital when I returned to visit Liverpool. I'm sorry to know that it has closed. The first half of the ward was for boys; this was separated from the girls' half by a wall and a connecting door. My favourite nurse went to work in a Dr. Barnado's home. The only other patient I remember by name was Donald. I don't know why I remember him. A girl I became friendly with died a few years after she returned home.
Though I was in full body traction, I learned a great deal while I was there. For the first few months, I had my lessons from a nun who was there to teach another patient from her church. When that patient left, I had my lessons from Miss Wentworth who taught all the other children. I learned to crochet, knit, play three balls on the wall behind me - I was strapped down in traction - and kept up with my lessons. I liked Miss Wentworth. I still have a pocket dictionary which she gave me when I left.
We had some excellent visiting shows; those of us who were bed bound would be pushed into the hall where the shows were held. Once, Miss Wentworth took me out in a huge pram. I believe it proved too heavy because she never did it again. One entire wall was windowed; the windows were left open all year round unless the rain and snow blew in. One day a nurse looked at my face in horror when she removed the head straps from my face to oversee my washing; since I couldn't see my face, I had no idea what the problem was. I'd been in the space by the windows all day and my face bore the marks of the head straps. I was tanned! What a laugh! I became so used to being outdoors (while indoors) that I didn't need a coat the day I went home - much to my mother's embarrassment because it was a cool May day.
I also remember playing in the grounds when I was finally able to walk again. There were gorse bushes there, and I fell into one. We all laughed so much that I slipped from the grasp of the children pulling me out and fell back in. When I had my back rub that evening the alcohol stung!

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