Roecliffe Manor Or Charnwood?

A Memory of Woodhouse Eaves.

I think this was the convalescent home I was sent to in 1947 when I was 5 years old. My family referred to it as "Charnwood" which is confusing me. The picture is vaguely familiar.though.

I was very unhappy there and the nursing staff and matron seemed heartless and stupid! I was sent there because I had measles and whooping cough in quick succession. I remember the Matron coming in the middle of the night and telling me not to cough since it was waking the other children!

I also remember being sent to the matron when I spat out a piece of bread when I suddenly had a coughing fit and the bread became mixed with phlegm from the cough! I was told that this was very bad and that I must eat it up again and would lose my sweets for a week. Even the nurse who sent me to the matron was too shocked to force me to eat it up again!

I remember being shaken by the shoulders when I asked to go to the toilet at story time. This led to me being too scared to ask to go to the toilet when I was going to bed and I piddled on the wooden floor! The nurse told me that I would not be allowed to wear pyjama bottoms again because of that offence. A couple of days later the Matron saw me without pyjama trousers and told the horrible nurse off which gave me some satisfaction!

The matron used the cane on some patients and I was worried that I was going to get it when I was sent to her over the bread incident. I had previously seen an older boy crying in the corridor. His crumpled shirt was half hanging out of his shorts and he had obviously been caned.

Parents were not allowed to visit. I felt that my stay there did me psychological harm and no good whatsoever.