Joyce Woodman(nee Bartlett) Personal Memories
Former Heatherwood patient recalls their experiences at a dearly loved hospital.
Joyce Woodman contacted us:-
My Stay in Heatherwood Hospital in 1940’s
Dear Peter
I was so thrilled when I came across the LOF’s website. It was really nice to read some of the ex-patients stories from the 1940’s and wondered if any of them were in at the same time as myself.
I was admitted to Heatherwood from Tite Street Hospital at the age of 4/5 years of age in 1945 to 1950/51 with a TB right hip, after my father noticed I had a limp.
Mr Aherne
Mr D. Aherne was the surgeon, and it is down to him that I managed to live a fairly normal and active life up to recent years.Now at the age of 78 years I am still managing to get out and about with the aid of using a walking stick.
I also had to visit Mr Aherne yearly at London County Hall.On my last visit I was wearing heeled shoes, his words to me that day was that “I would suffer with back ache in later life”,and right he was because for the last 5 years I have suffered with lower backache when walking.
After reading some of the memories of the hospital and staff names, it makes me wonder if my memory is correct,because I have always thought a lot about my hospital days and always remember a nurse or ward sister by the name of March or Marsh who was always really nice to me.
I am sure I used to tinker on a piano and was shown how to play “put another nickel in, in the nickelodeon” and we use to sing songs such as “you are my sunshine” it may have been at Christmas time.
I also remember, when on a full moon night we use to talk about, and wait for the grey lady to walk across the field, some of us use to be scared.I remember the little day room and the covered walkway that went around the outside of the hospital wards.
In the bad winter of 1947 there was a Sunday when our parents were unable to visit due to the snow.(Sundays was the only visiting day)not like it is today.
Friends
I remember a girl named Rosie Rainbow, (the girl beside my bed in photo).There
was another girl named June, she did not have a lot of visits and my mum use to
bring her sweets and books.There was a boy by the name of Johnny Bennyworth and
another Jimmy Simmonds, their parents use to travel to Ascot with my parents
because they all lived near each other in the same area in Battersea,S.W
London.
On my release we use to keep in touch for a while. I think Rosie's
parents came from S.E London.
I remember screaming if I saw a spider on the wall, and the time I got stung by a wasp on my hand as I went to pick my teapot cup up.We use to use these for drinking if you were on a frame, because you were strapped down on your back and only able to move head and arms. Even to this day I still do not like spiders and especially wasps, I hate them.
Bad Memories
Although I have a lot of good memories of my time in hospital,I also have some bad ones.
Breakfast was always Porridge, which I dislike to this day.Some of the staff use to leave it in front of me until lunchtime, trying to make me eat it. Even now,the thought of Porridge makes me feel sick.At dinner time some of the nurses or orderly's use to try and force-feed me with vegetables, especially swede and cabbage until I was sick.
I also remember when the day came to be wheeled into the plaster room too have the plaster removed and changed, in those days they use to use something that looks like garden loppers.It was quite painful when they reached the areas of the knee joints and ankle joints.I remember screaming.The plaster use to go from the waist down one leg, around your foot, and halfway down the other leg.This was the treatment used to keep the TB hip immobile.
The saddest memory of all was when an orderly came to me, (I was on a frame at this time.) I was about 6 years of age, and she said to me she was going to put one of my toys away somewhere safe, it was new, it was a doll on a swing in a wooden frame, roughly 18 inches high x 18 inches wide.Being just after the war, I would imagine it cost a tidy sum.When my parents arrived on the following Sunday they made enquiries with the ward sister, a search was carried out but it was never found.I believe the Orderly was dismissed.
Four And Half Years
There were lots of times spent crying and lots of times laughing, but I wish I could remember more of my time in Heatherwood seeing that I spent 4 and a half years in there.
Released
It's strange although I was about 4/5 yrs of age,I remember that journey
traveling to Heatherwood,yet I cannot remember traveling home once released. I
always believe from the age of 5yrs to 10yrs,is a part of life's childhood
memories and Heatherwood hospital are mine.
Thank you for your help and interest.
Joyce Woodman Nee Joyce Bartlett
Webmaster writes:- “Thankyou Joyce for sharing these lovely memories and pictures with us and our visitors.”
Below some pictures which exist of happier times:-
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