What a lovely, caring thread. It brought tears to my eyes.
When I was a small girl, perhaps age 6-10, I used to visit friends on the council estate about 100 yards from our house. In those days, a sensible 6-year old could do that in relative safety! To get there, I had to pass the rear of a "hospital". At the rear was a yard where "patients" were able to take some fresh air. The yard was fenced in with mesh wire about 10 feet high. But sometimes there were women in the yard, and I would peer through the fencing at them. Some of them were friendly, they would ask my name and I would tell them. And when I went again, some would remember my name. Quite a few had dolls. I thought it comical as a young child, that an old lady would cart a doll about. And some kids ridiculed them for doing so. They laughed, and threw stones, and shouted abusive remarks. I always felt sorry for the women. I regarded them as MY women, and would sometimes chastise other kids for shouting at them. One was called Kerry, so she told me. The doll was her son John who had died aged 2, so she said. But the doll was John, and he was still alive. I will always remember Kerry. I never argued with her. Other ladies showed me their dolls, and I admired them for how clean and smart they were. I was just a little girl, but I talked to these women and they looked forward to me passing by.
Unbenknown to me, my own great aunt was a patient in that hospital. Nobody told me. we never visited. I have no idea whether or not she was one of the ladies that I talked to through the fence. I only learnt she was there when I started to research my family tree and got her death certificate. Ollersett View Hospital, it said.
Sorry to intrude on the post, just memories flooding back.
Oh, and that was about 1960. 50 plus years ago. I hope we have moved on since then.
Love
Margaret
