Brian Thomas- abandoned child

I have just made an amazing discovery: Brian Thomas, abandoned in Craig-y-nos as a two year old, lives less than 30 miles from me in Scotland!

During research for the book several people had mentioned that some children were left at Craig-y-nos by parents who found themselves overhwelmed by the sheer burden of poverty and disease made worse by the difficulty of getting to Craig-y-nos on public tranport.

These children moved on to orphanges but at least one was adopted locally though no-one could remember the details.

Now we have found him.

His name is Brian and he was adopted by local bus driver George Thomas and his wife Gladys.

Today Brian works and lives as an electrician in Glasgow and he tells me he hopes to come to the book launch on May 1st "if at all possible."

We look forwad to meeting you there Brian.

Margaret Scott

Receive phone call from Linda Delve in Swansea.

Her aunt, Margaret Scott, died some time ago and the family,
while clearing out the attic, found in pristine condition the body cast of five year old Margaret .

She had been sent home from Craig-y-nos with the cast and told to sleep in it every night.


For Margaret had been put into Craig-y-nos in the early 1940s as an 18 month old toddler, uncertain whether she had TB or polio. She remained there until she was five years of age



Now the family are faced with the problem of disposing of the cast. That's why Linda rang me. I suggest Swansea museum but first, I ask, would she like to bring it up to Craig-y-nos as a medical artefact on May 1st for the mini exhibition and book launch?

Linda is delighted at the suggestion.
" I am reluctant to just throw this cast into the bin. It has such memories."

Too true.
Many ex child patients will remember the years they spent encased in similar body casts.

Book launch - invitation

If you would like to attend the launch of "The Children of Craig-y-nos" on May 1st then ring up Craig-y-nos Castle direct and book in for the carvery lunch ( £12.95).

The number is: 01639 730205.

Over 150 invitations ( an example is featured here) have already been sent out.


The invitation says:
"A celebration to launch the book

will be held at
Craig-y-nos Castle, Brecon Rd., Pen-y-case, Powys SA9 1GL
on 1 May 2009 at 12 noon

followed by a carvery lunch ( priced £12.95) at 1pm

If numbers exceed restaurant places, there will be a second lunch sitting at 2.30 pm

If you and members of yourr family or friends and colleagues would like to attend please book directly with Craig-y-nos Castle
Tel 01639 730205

Ann and Carole hope to welcome you there

There will be a limited number of books for sale at a discounted price of £8.50 ( cover price £9.99)

We regret that we are unable to accept creid or debit cards.

The book will be available through Amazon and selected bookshops
You will also be able to download copies from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/histmed ( after May 1st).

Iris Jones - 1937

Iris Jones (front row) on the balcony of Ward 2 in 1937.


David Jones, husband of Iris, just rang wanting to place an order for the book, "Children of Craig-y-nos". He will be at the book launch so I have assured him that a copy will be put aside for him lest we run out on the day.

However, it is worth reminding people that we received over 1,200 photos and only 200 could be used in the book so we have had to do some drastic editing.

Book launch- May 1st- Craig-y-nos Castle

Plans are well in hand now for the book launch on May 1st in Craig-y-nos Castle. Carole will be sending out invitations shortly either by snail-mail or email and we are expecting a terrific response.


It will be a lunch time "do" - similar to the Reunion- and it will take place in the Glass Conservatory which has recently been refurbished and I am assured it looks magnificent - Patti would be proud of it!


The book is selling for £9.99 but at the book launch there will be a special price of £8.50.

Knots, Girl Guides and Craig-y-nos

What would Health and Safety have to say about this today?
Girl Guides teaching patients how to light a fire and barbecue on Ward 2 balcony.




Guide leader prepares a sausage for the balcony barbecue.


Every time I tie a reef knot I remember where I learnt it: as a guide at Craig-y-nos.

Therefore I have fond memories of the guides for they represented a direct contact with the outside world, apart from monthly visits from parents, so I was delighted to receive the following email from Helena Thomas.


" Next year Guiding will be celebrating its Centenary. We hope to publish a pictorial book about Guding in Wales and I am hoping you will give permission to publish some of the photographs you sent me. The Guides at Craig-y-Nos are an important part of our history. I have found out the names of the leaders who helped and the dates they were there, but that is all the information I have at present.

You have certainly found out a lot about Craig-y-Nos when it was a hospital. Our county AGM is on 24th April and our guest speaker is going to talk about Craig-y-nos."

Gwynne Arms- visiting Craig-y-nos

(From left to right):
David, my brother, unknown man, Mrs Price, owner of the Gwynne Arms, my mother and father.

The Gwynne Arms was a popular pub with visitors to Craig-y-nos. My mother struck up a close friendship with the owner, Mrs Price, throughout the four years she visited me in Craig-y-nos.

Here's a rare photo of my mother, father and brother. I never did see my brother while I was in hospital because children were not allowed in though once I did wave to him from inside Ward 2 though to be honest I had no idea which one was him in the huge crowd gathered in the courtyard before the doors opened at 2pm to allow visitors in.

I had only been in a few months and Nurse Glen carried me to the window to wave to him.

Mari Friend ( nee Jenkins), 1950-53

After Mari and I left Craig-y-nos our mothers kept in contact and Mari came to stay with me on the farm, Ty-Llangenny, near Crickhowell.

Who is this girl?

At home- Ty-llangenny Farm

Trawling through my album I came across some photos taken on the farm shortly after leaving Craig-y-nos. This is one with Mari Friend ( nee Jenkins), her father and my mother.

I am holding Bonnie the corgi my mother bought for me to come home.

Girls on the balcony with teacher- - early 1950's

This should stir some memories!

Yet another photo from Mari Friend (nee Jenkins) vast collection. Miss Thomas ( teacher) is second from left followed by Jean Shakeshaft and Mari.

In the front row (right) is Barbara O' Connell ( Paines). We don't know the names of the other two girls.

Mari Jenkins - 1951

Mari Jenkins , August 1951

Mari's son, Chris, emailed me this photo of her in Craig-y-nos which she has just found. It's amazing how, more than two years after this project started, photos are still coming in.


Thank you one and all!

What's more, Mari still has her doll....

Former nurse's story of her time in Craig-y-nos 1955

Brian Jones sent in this account from the South Wales Voice of his mother who worked at Craig-y-nos. It offers a fascinating insight into life there from the perspective of a part-time member of staff"

"South Wales Voice
29th April 1955

What it is like to be a part-time nurse

I live quite near Craig-y-nos, the former home of the famous soprano, Adelina Patti, which has now been converted into a chest hospital for children and adult women. After hearing a broadcast appeal for part-time helpers, and having several free hours every day when my husband was at work and my children at school, I applied for a position and was accepted. No previous nursing experience was necessary so I would begin as a very raw recruit, knowing nothing about hospitals except the little I had observed during the short period I had spent in one as a patient - only two weeks to be exact,

Early the next Monday morning, after I had seen my children off to school, I went to the hospital to start my new work. I was taken to the sewing room and issued with a very starchy uniform and a small round cap which reminded me of Mrs Beeton. It took me some time to master the art of getting into this uniform but eventually I was dressed and ready to become Florence Nightingale's most fervent follower.

I was assigned to Ward 4, a new building, modern in style, which was built after Craig-y-nos had been converted from a country house into a hospital. The ward was bright and cheerful with large windows overlooking the lawns and the river Tawe which, in dry weather, was a mere trickle but in the rainy season deverloped into a raging brown torrent, the roar of which could be heard clearly in the wards.

It was all quite strange and confusing at first, and I had great difficulty in remembering the names of the twentyfour patients. Most of these were young girls but there were also several young married women. They were all very charming and friendly and their gaiety and courage filled me with admiration. Their humour was all the more astonishing because many of them had to spend months, even years, away from their homes and children. They hardly ever grumbled and only an occasional one or two became depressed. Indeed, their cheerfulness was so infectious that they often cheered me up and made me see the lighter side of my several small troubles.

I soon became accustomed to the unchanging routine of the ward, Every morning, the sweeping and dusting had to be done, beds made, flowers brought in from the bathroom where they were kept overnight, and everything tidied up in readiness for the doctors' daily visits. At ten o'clock the patients had what I think was meant to be "elevenses" but which was called "lunch".

After we had given this out and collected the cups we got down to the serious business of blanket-bathing the bed-patients. This was very popular as it gave us a good excuse for having a nice long chat. Esconsed in screens, we discussed everything under the sun - books, films, fashion, radio programmes and our respective families. We soon knew all about each other and our children. My son's progress at school created enormous interest and, when he passed an exam, he had a lovely surprise when a congratulatory telegram arrived, sent by the patients of the entire ward.

Some of the other jobs I had to do were filling hot-water bottles, helping to serve meals, washing combs and brushes, tidying lockers, changing library books and, of course, there was the inevitable bed-making.

I have been at Craig-y-nos for seven years now. They have slipped past with what seems incredible speed. I have seen hundreds of patients come in ill and go home cured. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I, in my humble and insignificant way, have helped to nurse so many of them back to health. I often think of them, and I know they think of me, too, because every Christmas, the largest number of my greeting cards come from ex-patients of Adelina Patti Hospital.

Margaret Teresa Jones
Dan-yr-ogof Cottage
Penycae
Swansea Valley"

Book launch - May 1st 2009

At last we have got a firm date for the book launch. It will take place on Friday May 1st in Craig-y-nos Castle.


More details to follow but it will follow roughly the same pattern as the highly successful Reunion - folk will ring up the castle and book themselves in for the lunch/book launch.

California and Craig-y-nos...

Emails pop up from all over the world regarding Craig-y-nos.

Take this one which has just arrived from California:

"I just had to say hello because I was looking on the web for other "Ann Shaw's" to see how many might be out there and found you!

What makes it even more interesting is that during the 70's I lived for a while just north of Glasgow on the east shore of Loch Lomond, just off the road between Drymen & Balmaha.

I later found that a good number of my ancestors were Scots from the north end of the loch.

I can't tell you how many times I climbed Conic Hill.

Anyhow, I don't know if this means anything to you. I'm impressed that you survived your ordeal and then had the moxie to bring up an apparently buried subject and bring it to light. How nice that you helped others tell their stories too.

--Ann Shaw
(now in sunny Southern California)



Great to hear from you Ann!

Highland Moors - comment

The following comment has just been posted on the blog relating to
Highland Moors posted on August 8th 2008.

This is it:


"I was banged up in Highland Moors from some time in 1944 to 1944 (VE day +14 or so). Among those I remember are Bruce Griffiths (Welsh Dictionary compiler), and a friend whom I briefly met at RAF Yatesbury many years later.

I appeared to be the only Welsh speaker there until a chap from Caernarfon appeared, who could not speak a word of English, whereupon I became his official interpreter.
As my father was serving in N. Africa and Italy,and travelling from Blaenau Ffestiniog was difficult in waretime, I only received one lot of visitors in nine months, there now, times were indeed hard. "

Is this the dentist?

s




Dentist -aka "Father Christmas"- Jenkyn Evans


Now that we are in the final stages of editing and checking names for the book it is proving to be extremely useful to be able to call up ex-patients to verify certain facts and names.

So it was with the above photo. It came in with no name on it.





Christine Perry (nee Bennett) is able to tell us that it is the dentist, Jenkyn Evans who always dressed up as Father Christmas.

Christine says:

"He removed two "fangs" that had grown in my upper jaw.

The dental surgery was in the stable block.

Because of our respiratory condition, he had to use injection as an anaesthetic on us all, no gas.

It was the first time that I had had dental anaesthesia using injection."

Brenda Bates- early 1950's

Brenda Bates

Barbara Paines ( O'Donnell) is determined to track down as many girls as she can from those early days in Craig-y-nos.

After much searching through the phone book she found Brenda Bates of Morley St, Barry.

But Brenda is in a residential home. She rang her.
Brenda answered.

"I tried to speak to her about her childhood in Craig-y-nos. She has no memory of her time there."

So it was with regret that Barbara rang yesterday to inform me of both Brenda's discovery and her mental decline.

Girls- early 1950s

We've a problem. The girl on the back row right is said to be Norma Pearce, according to her grand-son Jerry. But Barbara Paines (middle row right- says its Pat Sullivan.
So - who's right?


Just for the record these girls are: (top row Jean Griffiths ( left) Norma Pearce/Pat Sullivan?
middle row Mari Friend ( Jenkins), Barbara Paines (O'Donnell)
front row Alice Smith

Roy and the medieval banquet

Roy Harry ( Craig-y-nos 1940's age 4 ) tells me that he and his partner Valerie were given tickets for a medieval banquet at Craig-y-nos over the festive season.

Says Roy:
"It was held in the main banqueting room which used to be my ward. What's more I was sitting three feet from where I had my bed."

Yes it did stir some memories!

The food, he says, was excellent " and plenty of it".