BROCKHALL HOSPITAL 1960s - Page 4

Alan Gilmartin · 12-05-2008, 00:06

Have a look at this, hope you have more names to add& memories.

E-J Anderson · 04-08-2008, 12:14

Hi, my names Emma i'm 16. I found out recently my Grandma worked at Brockhall. Only i don't know when she worked there. all i know is she was a nurse, my dad doesn't remember much about her working there, she died when he was 13 so i can't ask her. When i found out where she worked i thought it was so interesting, i want to know some stories, the history anything about Brockhall. I feel like there is so much i won't know about her and about what she did so thats why i've spent the past two weeks searching. My grandmas name was Mary Kenmuir it could have been Mary Anderson at the time, i don't know when she got divorced. She was normally known as May and she had three children, Linda, Anne and Gordon. I don't know if my dad or my Auntie Anne was born at the time she worked there. My dad is the youngest by 13 years, and there is two years between my Auntie Anne and Auntie Linday i think. My dad told me there were rumours of the hospital being haunted, my grandmas reply was how would you know. I found it all interesting, please if any one knows of her, or would be kind enough to share your stories of working in the hospital i would be so greatful. If you could PM me that would be even better. Thank you so much.
Emma.

Alan Gilmartin · 05-08-2008, 09:49

Do you live localy.

arthur bithell · 09-10-2008, 11:42

Wow reading through this makes me home sick. i was born in the staff houses at brockhall in 1957 and lived there til 1978. knew about a third of the names mantioned in this thread. know every nook and cranny of the place as kids do and the gossip. used to have great parties there at christmas. used to work in the kitchen and laundry also spent lots of my youth with the local fire engine. I remember the queens golden jubilee they cut the drinks price in the club to 25% and we stayed ****ed all week until they put it back up again. drunken bodys could be found any where day or night. i remember the lady who did the morning shift in the staff kitchen. She was supposed to wake up any one sleeping it off in the room near there. she was bright red as she kept finding naked people. they were the days. lots of young nurses will to go the full 9 yards.

arthur bithell · 09-10-2008, 11:56

Re....Can anyone help!! My uncle (whom i have only just found out about) was instituionalised in Brockhall Hospital as a child. Around 1945ish and lived there till his death in 2004, aged 65years. His name was Henry Collier.

GO to friends united and find brockhall hospital. lots of ex staff have there names down ask your questions there.
From asking the same questions about some of the inmates i found out that if doctors of the day found out that a child had a problem they told the parents that the best thing to do is to put them in to the hospital and just forget about them. so people did. Also some kids were put there suspected of a problem but as they grew older they were found to be just slow not stupid (sorry for puttin it this way). but as they were now in the system they got used to it so prefered to stay. they were instititionalised as they say. this is a big reason why these places had to close.

Alan Gilmartin · 10-10-2008, 07:31

The Steward at the Club in the 60s Aarthur, was it Harry and his daughter Violet. Do you remember Mrs Birtwistle. in the Staff Mess Hall.

arthur bithell · 10-10-2008, 11:45

Her name is familiar. i think one of my dads friend was called birtwistle i think. My dad was the charge on Johnswood (the rough tough boys) and before that thistleHouse. Dick Hazelteen (spelt wrong i know) was the baker for years my brother Larry used to get hand fulls of bakers yeast off him and eat it (strange tastes). i remember lots of food was going missing from the kitchens so they started using bugs placed under food containers that alerted security when they triggered. Dad was shown one so he stood on it and marched in to the main office with it told them the next one he finds and every one is out. Finally they found out that a quiet kitchen porter who lived above the staff kitchen was stealing food, selling it and sending the money over seas to his family. I remember playing lots of cards in the kitchen for penny a spot two a christmas. One of the comments mentioned the guy who became the kitchin supervisor. He walked in to his office and found my friend Russel walmsley (Rodger was his dad i think) in his chair and his hand up a girls skirt (the only girl chef we had). later that week he caught me in the breeze way getting it on with another girl, she was a jeohvers whitness (OK so i can not spell) and worked in the staff kitchen, one to get converts i suppose shame it did not work. both times he was good enough to walk away and leave us to it.

By the way never heard of any haunting stories all the years i was there. All the strange people there would have scared them off and that is just the staff.

flashy · 10-10-2008, 12:04

lol, poor Russell i know him and his father extremely well, also know his step mum Lesley Walmsley (was Marsden when she worked at Brock) if you know Russell then you will probably know the Morgans too Arthur, i'm related to them, i hate admitting that though

arthur bithell · 15-10-2008, 11:44

that probably means i know you. So give us a hint. Age did you live there etc.
Do not know his step mums name but his sister was called Lesley. i remember Russell and i broke her sholder when she was six giving her a (leg and a wing) swing.

flashy · 15-10-2008, 16:36

lol, you wont know me, i didnt live around there, but like i said, i'm related to the Morgans

Alan Gilmartin · 16-10-2008, 08:20

I knew Mick Morgan, & Jimmy Mare, used to drink with them. I think Mick's still around. My dad says Manuel is a cook at the Dog Inn, Whalley. Dicks still living in Clitheroe.

flashy · 16-10-2008, 14:51

yes Mick Morgan is still around, although he's my uncle i can't stand the bloke

my mum used to work at Brock too, Maralynne Mclean (Sillitoe)

Alan Gilmartin · 17-10-2008, 07:59

Its been 40 years since I last saw Mick he was a smart ass then, so maybe he has'nt changed. Your uncle you say, you cant help bad luck. The only reason he would remember me is that I threw up all over his brand new suit in the Ace of Spades Club in Whalley, he wanted to kill me but I was too quick for him, I ran to the toilets climbed out the window and down a drain pipe , then kept out if his way for a couple of weeks.

flashy · 17-10-2008, 08:11

words cant describe how much i despise that horrible man, i've never liked him since i was 8 and he told me i was greedy because i was eating too much salad at a family do

im thankfully only related to him by marriage, he married my mums sister Colleen, who i also despise, she's a money grabbing old witch

Neil · 17-10-2008, 08:15

Families, don't you just love 'em?