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MIDDLEWOOD: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
This is Mr Albert Edward
Booth who worked at the then 'South Yorkshire Wadsley Asylum' from 1891 to 1933.
After 42 years of service at the Asylum, Mr Booth retired as Chief Male Nurse.
— Mr Booth's great granddaughter Sharon Booth who has supplied the
enclosed photos and illustrations explained that Mr Booth was also elected secretary
of the 'Attendants Representative Committee' at the Asylum. When Mr Booth retired
from the Asylum two of his sons were working at the institution.
Flowers and Asylum staff
Minutes
of the Attendants Representative Committee
This is the hand writing of Mr Booth when he was Secretary of the 'Attendants
Representative Committee' in 1990. The minutes give an insight into some of
the issues they faced at the time. The extracts included are: The formation
of the Committee
The attempt to organise a pension scheme, Lobbying MPs to
vote for a pension bill, A suggested pay-scale for
being late,
A Committee member refusing to pay a fine. To read some of the clipping
and minutes, click Here
The Asylum gate in
the early days.
It is of interest to note that the patients that passed through the gates of
the Asylum, their diagnostic categories entered in the admission register at
the time included: dementia senile, imbecility, idiocy, in many cases the entry
was "not known" — Other entries were prosaic and sometimes picturesque
- overwork, heredity, accidents or blows to the head, disappointments in marriage,
death of relative, religious excitement, religious doubt, childbirth, family
affairs, drinking, etc. No entry contained more than one cause.
This newspaper article printed
in 1903 approx. details an accountant report by the "West Riding Committee"(The
regional asylum authority at the time). The report includes news about the running
cost, admissions, deaths, discharges etc of the three Asylums in the area. The
article also reports about Wadsley Asylum urging the provision of accommodation
for idiot girls. — To read the full article, click here
This is the 'Summer Fete'
programme of 1892. To view this rare item, click here
Mr Albert Booth, second from
right in back.
This could be an old staff
rota.
In the early days at the Asylum, all nurses were working from 6am until 8pm
with an extension to 10pm once a week, thus making an average of 89 hours a
week.
This is the Hall
of the hospital, with some staff taking exams.
Recreation facilities for patients and staff were much in evidence. Weekly dances
and concerts were organised by staff, and the recreation hall with its fine
stage was in regular use for orchestral and dramatic entertainment. One of the
best shows was the farce "Damon and Pythias" and an oriental burlesque
extravaganza "The Bride of Abydos", performed by the staff as early
as 1876, to which friends were invited. — The Asylum Band also played
an important part in patient entertainments, with much time and effort being
devoted to its organisation and maintenance.
Newspaper item reporting
Mr Booth retirement from the Asylum. To read the article click Here
Men's hockey team
1920's. Reginald Booth is 2nd from right, front row.
Apart from Football and Hockey. One of the most favourite games in outdoor recreation
in asylums was Cricket. Both staff and patients teams achieved considerable
success in the local community matches. It was taken for granted that if any
new nursing applicant had ability as a sportsman, musician or chorister, he
was assured a job. This close association of recreation and work was characteristic
of asylum life for patients and staff, leading to a close knit, happy community
living together in semi-isolation, and showing little change over the years
until the mid-twentieth century.
Staff taking exams
in the hall. (A closer look at the previous 'Hall of the hospital'
photograph)
Nursing examinations were started by the Medico-Psychological Association in
1891. After training the term "attendant" was replaced by the term
"male nurse". Initially the course of training covered a period of
two years, but this was increased to three years.
Entertainment programme of
the Asylum in 1892. To view the full fragile item click Here
Large window of Hall.
When the construction of
the Asylum was completed on December 14th 1871, the contractors were entertained
to a dinner to mark the occasion and some 350 workmen enjoyed a good meal in
the main hall to the musical accompaniment of a local brass band.
Entertainment programme taking
place at the Asylum. To view the full item click Here
As Secretary of the "Attendants
Representative Committee" Mr Booth was in correspondence with Mr Clifton
of the West Riding County Asylum at Wakefield. Letters and drafts indicating
the restoration of a pension scheme. Apparently the first letters submitted
to the West Riding were not entertained. To read some of the letters, click
here
'Key Lodge' and
the main gate, view from the Asylum
At Wadsley Asylum in 1889 there was no official nurse's home, the nurses were
accommodated in single bedrooms close to the wards in readiness for emergency
calls. Many nurses and attendants lived in the vicinity of the asylum, collecting
their keys at the 'Key Lodge' as they came through for duty. However, years
later, it was decided to build a nurse's home in the ground of the hospital
to release many single bedrooms on the wards for the use of patients. —
Also in the early days visitation of patients, however was limited to once a
month, except of physical illness.
In the picture are Edith
and Reginald, the grandparents of Sharon Booth. They lived at the Weigh Lodge
situated in the grounds of the hospital
This pantomime, possible late 1940' to early 50's
This is Reginald
Booth at Weigh Lodge. Photo early 1900's.
The following entries relates to Sharon Booth's grandfather, Reginald. They are a record of the hospital's air raid warnings during the Second World War. Also a newspaper article and a log book indicating contact details of services to the hospital.
On
the night of Thursday 12th December 1940, the air-raid warning sounded at 7.10pm
and shortly afterwards a shower of incendiary bombs descended on the hospital.
It was a clear starlit night, and the incendiaries made a brilliant display,
but fortunately the few fires started were soon put out, and when the light
explosives fell on Sheffield the hospital was in darkness.
Despite the continuing enemy action until 4.20am, no damage to hospital occurred. The mental patients remained in bed, and with few exceptions were not unduly disturbed by the noise of the explosives. In the second Blitz on the following Sunday night the hospital again escaped a direct hit. Following these events, some 300 patients were received into the Wharncliffe Hospital from the city's damaged hospitals.
To view more pages of the
booklet, click here
Newspaper article reporting
about the Second World War fire-guards.
Address book containing suppliers
and contact for services to the hospital. To view some of the pages, click here
MIDDLEWOOD: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z