Our first recollection of their
time at Heatherwood comes from Jean Taylor who
after discovering the web site recently, contacted us:-
Dear Secretary,
Found you whilst on the Internet and felt it would be great to make
contact with you. I was born in 1929 and raised in Heatherwood, my father
was William Taylor he joined the maintenance staff very shortly after the
hospital was opened and was the chief engineer at the time of his death in
1957. My mother, Frances Coutts, was amongst the first trained nurses to
be appointed to Heatherwood hospital when it was under the United Services
Fund.
My parents married in 1925 - Mother left the hospital staff at that time
(it was not p.c.,for the nursing staff to have an association with the
maintenance staff - even if they were husband and wife!!).
I remember the take over by the L.C.C., the War Years, and then the
nationalization of the health service. My mother returned to active
nursing at Heatherwood in 1940 and remained for a further 12 years.
Father Christmas
For many years my father played the roll of Father Christmas for the
hospital and I had great fun applying grease paint so the children, and
quite often the staff, did not recognize him. Prior to the war he
used to play cricket with the ambulant children in his off duty times.
War Time Memories
My mother Mrs. Frances Taylor (nee Coutts) S.R.N., who worked night duty
on Wd. 4 throughout the War.
The war saw Heatherwood hosting Toc H Christmas shows and I well remember
Jack Warner, Petula Clarke and Lana Morris visiting the hospital.. I also
remember the night ( I think, Sept. 30th 1942) when the bomb dropped in
the area by the covered way outside Wds lV and V. The only real
damage was a large hole, earth deposited on the roof of the wards, and
several of the pipes, drains and cables blown away.
Until my mother and I left Heatherwood in 1957 I kept a piece of
that bomb! I also remember the night an R.A.F., bomber crashed
in flames just below the nurses home - no injuries to the crew, who had
baled out, or nursing staff sleeping in the nurses home. My memento of
that occurrence was the letter 'J' made from a piece of the perspex of the
aircraft.
The hospital dances during the war were great occasions as were the
Christmas concerts put on by the staff, troops stationed in the area were
invited.
Dr Dick Ahern
Dr Dick Ahern also comes back to my mind who, during the blitz, came
flying into our lounge complaining bitterly about the shrapnel that was
falling out of the skies!!! I can also bring to mind Dr. H.J.Colvin who
was Med. Supt., during the War. My mother and I met him, and Elizabeth his
wife, again here in New Zealand in the early 1970's.
Matron
Matron Doris Howes I remember well, and her predecessor, Matron Fox (at
Heatherwood during the War}
Peter Lapper
I was a member of the Red Cross
and did some of my volunteer hours working on Ward 2 ( the babies ward)
around 1947. It was wonderful to read the news of Peter Lapper. I
well remember him when he was on Ward 2 - a real cute baby.
New Zealand
I worked as a medical secretary at Kind Edward VII Hospital Windsor
for some years, but eventually moved, with my mother, to New Zealand
in 1972 where I took up administrative work in Hospitals here in Auckland
I have so many happy memories of my life at Heatherwood for almost 28
years together with Audrey Pike (nee Grimshaw) who now lives in America
and the other children of resident Staff.
Jean Taylor. Auckland New Zealand.
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