Christine Bennett -(1954-57) to celebrate Ruby wedding at Craig-y-nos

Christine is the first on the left on the balcony of Ward 2.



Christine with her grandson,Tomas, at home.




Christine Perry ( nee Bennett) will be celebrating her Ruby wedding on April 22nd by going back to Craig-y-nos and spending the night in the bridal suite.

And she is inviting all the people who came to her wedding to her party in the castle.

One slight concern is that the bridal suite is the former private chapel of Adelina Patti and that is where she was laid out following her death by a fall down the stairs.

But, as Christine says, she spent three years in Craig-y-nos and never saw or heard anything spooky.

“I have happy memories of my time there.”

Of Dr Huppert she says:” She terrified me. We used to have regular monthly examinations in her office and
she always used to complain:”this child never puts on any weight.”

When she was leaving Craig-y-nos her grandmother saw Dr Huppert standing at the top of the stairs and she went up to thank her for all she had done and

and Dr Huppert shouted at her:
“Don’t thank me! if I had my way she would be in for another year until she had put on some weight.”


Christine weighed 6 stone. She still weighs 6 stone.

Adjusting to life at home was very difficult.”My Gran couldn’t understand why I was not pleased to be back home . It was difficult to explain. I was an only child. In Craig-y-nos I had lots of company. At home the house seemed so small and the ceilings so low. I couldn’t get used to it.
Also by this time I had left school and it was another year before I could start work.”


She remembers that every Christmas Day Dr Williams would come into Ward 2 to carve the turkey and later his wife and daughters would appear at the door to wish us a Merry Christmas.


On Christmas morning all the patients would have pillow cases at the foot of their beds with presents in it.

“If you tell people you used to live out on the balcony and there would be snow on your beds and you had to cover them covered with tarpaulins they don't believe you.”


Christine is married with 3 sons and one grandchild.