by Ian Wheeler
Plays and concerts were arranged, originally in the dining hall and, from 1881, in the new Recreation Hall. Superintendent Gilland recorded that, on 11 August 1871, the Gower Company gave ‘a musical and dramatic entertainment’ to much laughter and enjoyment on the part of the patients. A later report tells that J.M. Morton’s farce Box and Cox was performed, entirely from the asylum’s own resources, on Boxing Day 1872. This, too, met with much approval. Dr Gilland, his assistant Dr Alexander Reid Urquhart, and Head Male Attendant Alfred Lockie are on record as being frequent and enthusiastic performers.
An April 1886 journal reports another successful, hired musical entertainment costing £1 11s 6d and goes on to mark the arrival of the asylum’s first pianoforte. Rather than being rushed into service, and in due deference to the Powers That Be, it was placed in the luncheon room to await inspection by the Committee of Visitors during their next meeting.
December saw Wallingford Amateur Dramatic Club deliver a gratis performance to 250 persons, described as ‘most enjoyable’ whilst, in January 1887, at the considerable cost of 3 guineas, patients received ‘a very good lecture on China and the Afghan War, illustrated with numerous magic lantern views’. Meanwhile the attendants had been provided with a dance and supper on New Year’s Eve. Although this was an annual custom, Gilland had reported discontent among his employees and would have wanted to keep them ‘on side’.
The festive season was a time for making special efforts to provide amusement and a good Christmas dinner. Although details have proved elusive, the BRO tells us that in 1913 there was a friends’ society that assisted in decorating the hospital and providing Christmas cards and small gifts to the patients, while the staff were rewarded with roast goose.
Box and Cox poster. (Reproduced by permission of the Berkshire Record Office)
Christmas in either Male 8 or Male 9 in about 1913. Seen from the gallery, with the day room beyond. (Spackman collection)
Under Superintendent Douty, indeed from his first monthly report of March 1887, we learn that steps were taken to form a choir from among the patients and staff ‘for use in the Chapel and at the Weekly Entertainments’. This is slightly mysterious, as choir practice was mentioned by the chaplain as early as 1870. Adding variety, a conjuror named Seaton ‘gave a good and very amusing entertainment’ on 6 April 1887 and in August, in keeping with the customs of the countryside, a Harvest Home supper was organised for patients who worked on the farm.
Over time, the stage of the Recreation Hall also hosted amateur thespians from Cholsey. An active contributor in this way was Revd Sheehan, vicar of Cholsey from 1940–45, who did a great deal of fine work with young people. ‘The Vicar’s Group’ is still remembered for its pantomimes and we are fortunate to have a picture of a full cast, all of whom can be named.
Royal occasions were an excellent reason to splash out and, marking Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on 20 June 1887, the entertainments included ‘athletic sports with a large number of useful and acceptable prizes for the events’. There was also a dance in the hall and ‘Glees and Choruses by the staff, of appropriate nature’. A budget of £5 was allocated, the final cost being a commendable £4 5s 5d. Costs had soared by June 1911, when £15 was set aside to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
‘The Vicar’s Group’, led by Revd Sheehan, performed plays in the village and at the BMH, as here in around 1940. This was Sleeping Beauty. Rear (elevated) from left: Mr Hitchins; Mrs Barnard; Mrs Beaumont; Gerald Woolley. Standing: Dick Vickery; Vi Hearmon; J.R.F. Davis; Celia Gibbs; John Money; Eileen Gibbs; Ron Brasher; Peter Basher; Alan Barnard; Ray Beasley; Roddy Hutt; Kathy Rumble. Kneeling: Edna Wyatt; Alice ‘Betty’ Hawkins; Edna Crook; possibly Margaret Bryant; Donald Valentine; Fred Ebsworth; Donald ‘Donkey’ Brewerton; Marina Heath; Daphne Howse; Jeanne Wheeler; Margie Woolley; Barbara Butler. Ron Brasher was a wartime evacuee from London, while Donald Brewerton was an upholsterer at the BMH. Vi Hearmon was very popular for her singing voice. (Spackman collection)
Although no budget was mentioned for celebrating the next coronation, that of King George VI in May 1937, the occasion coincided with the visit of Commissioners J. Coffin Duncan and H.C. Devas, who noted:
The grounds, which are looking at their best at this time of year, are charmingly decorated with bunting and flags and the majority of patients are wearing loyal emblems. A special diet is to be provided tomorrow and there is a long programme of sports and other entertainments.
Peace Celebrations
The passage of a century has inevitably softened the trauma and agonies of ‘the war to end all wars’ but we can still imagine the nation’s enthusiasm for the official Peace Day celebrations on 19 July 1919. It is known that local female revellers dressed up as servicemen, while men donned skirts and make-up before everyone paraded through the streets of Wallingford, meaning that the accompanying photo probably shows a contingent from the Berkshire Mental Hospital on that joyful day.
Cross-dressing for the Peace Celebrations of 19 July 1919 is described in David Beasley’s Wallingford at War and this group from the Berkshire Lunatic Asylum was probably photographed in Wallingford. Note the Union Jack and Stars & Stripes flags. Second from left is Mary Ratcliffe, who was by this time Head Female Nurse. (Spackman collection)
Reading Matter
Books and other reading material were provided from a very early date, the role of librarian falling upon the chaplain, who distributed books to the wards when necessary. From time to time, the Commissioners were moved to suggest that stocks be renewed and expanded, as in November 1939, when Commissioner Adamson opined that ‘The library is small and not very interesting to the generality of patients’, but he was sensible enough to suggest that sixpenny paperback editions be purchased to supplement the hardback volumes. The subject came up again over the years, but by 1950 a library service was operated by the County Library Service and included books in braille. From 1955, there was also a library in one of the unused wards, run by the League of Friends.
Cinema
It is easy to see the attraction of entertaining patients by a means that we now take completely for granted: moving pictures. In January 1930, Commissioner Rollisham’s inspection report included the timely and enlightened proposal of a cinema projector ‘as this form of entertainment is so popular in similar hospitals that I venture to ask that they (the Committee of Visitors) should consider its early provision’. The next that is known of this idea comes from November 1934, when the Commissioners observed that ‘A talking film apparatus is under consideration’, to which they added, ‘we hope that the Committee will consider the possibility of portable wireless sets in some of the wards.’
The following year, Commissioners Wilson and Devas found that the cinematograph was expected but still not in place. Lack of progress by mid-1936 was blamed on ‘difficulties with regard to seating’. A projector must finally have arrived during 1939, when we hear that the Hall hosted dances, whist drives, concerts, and two cinema shows weekly. It is assumed that the unsightly projection room was tacked on to the Recreation Hall at the same time, to protect the precious and long-overdue equipment, which was operated by the hospital’s electricians. In the 1950s there was a Friday afternoon showing for patients, followed in the evening by a performance for staff.
Radio
In similar vein, wireless sets arrived only after years of good intentions and cajoling. They were not yet present in all wards in July 1936 but Dr Read gave assurances that they would be supplied. Yet in May 1937, the eagle-eyed J. Coffin Duncan and H.C. Devas were only able to manage:
We were glad to find that wards in each side of the hospital are used as club wards, where patients can sit up until 9.30 p.m. This in some measure compensates for the fact that there are a number of wards still without wireless. Patients from these wards are therefore able to enjoy listening in the Club Ward.
After the war, local electrical retailer Lionel Baldwin helped to install a ‘master’ radio set, c
onnected to speakers in the wards, where a switch on the wall alternated between the Light Programme and the Home Service. He said this led to frequent squabbles.
Television
The purchase of television sets was suggested by the Commissioners in 1954 and the matter found its way into the hands of the League of Friends, which was raising funds for eight of the expensive sets in 1956. Lionel Baldwin remembers installing the necessary cables and visiting to repair the sets so frequently that he was given a master key to all the wards! The effect of TV on other forms of amusement is not hard to imagine but we know that theatre trips to Oxford were still taking place in 1960.
Dances
Until something went haywire in the 1960s, ‘proper’ social dancing was second nature to most and it was natural that dances were held at the asylum. This challenged the general policy of strict segregation of the sexes but, in the 1880s, there was weekly dancing on the front lawn in clement summer weather. Formal dances were held four times a year in the 1930s and, aided by advances in medication, were established twice-weekly events by the end of the 1940s. Segregation had long been relaxed for special occasions, when much care would go into dressing trusted patients in the finest clothes available, staff sometimes lending their own things. The regular New Year dance was timed to end well before midnight, so that the staff could go on to their own parties at the appointed hour. The BMH was the venue of choice for dances in the Second World War years, having the largest hall in the district, a well-maintained dance floor and its own band. These high-class events, sometimes in fancy dress, are still remembered with great affection
A glittering occasion for Fair Mile staff in about 1950. Tom Shorten standing left; Charge Nurses Lem White and Dick Nicholls standing tall at rear. Instructor Fran DeCondé leaning forward at centre. (Bill Nicholls)
DANCES WITH WOLVES
After the Second World War, there were dances on Monday evenings in the Villa. Vera, the attractive daughter of Hall Porter Leslie Talbot, was at that time working as secretary to Matron Hodges and was somewhat put out to be told that her duties included attending these dances, so that the visiting men had partners. As things turned out, there was nothing plural about ‘partners’ for Vera, since one male patient insisted on dancing with her to the exclusion of all others – and reportedly not at all well. The unfortunate man reeked of paraldehyde (a sedative and anticonvulsive) and his smile was all too easily interpreted as a leer. Vera took drastic measures to avoid such excessive attention and quit her job not long afterwards.
The BMH’s band in around 1920. The violinist is Cyril Pryce. (The late Gwilym Pryce)
The BMH’s own Rhythm Commanders on stage in about 1940. Mervyn Lovegrove, trombone, far left; Wilf Marshall on trumpet, seated third from left. The tattered ‘teaser’ above the players is also noticeable in the pantomime photo here. (Rod Wilkins)
BMH staff ready for a fancy dress ball in about 1940. (Bill Nicholls)
Miss Fair Mile
At a time when beauty pageants were seen as an amusing diversion, rather than the hyper-competitive angst-fests that had given them a bad name by the end of the twentieth century, Fair Mile held its own contest for members of staff. The only known Miss Fair Mile Dance was in May 1974. As the accompanying picture shows, Fair Mile’s nursing staff were truly multi-racial by this time. Sadly, the name of the winner is not known.
The only known Miss Fair Mile dance was on 24 May 1974. Conchita Polley is holding number 4. (Conchita Polley)
Exercise
Supervised patients took fresh air and exercise outside the wards in the airing courts. These were surrounded by a ha-ha (or ditch) and then a wall. The wall was not tall enough to spoil the view from the court but could not be scaled from the bottom of the ha-ha. Despite vigilant supervision, escape attempts sometimes succeeded, resulting in the walls being raised by Boshers, the local building firm.
Charge Nurse Irene Wyatt in one of the Female airing courts in the 1920s. Note the ha-ha beyond the path. From the bottom of this, it was very hard to climb over the wall; meanwhile, the view of the kitchen garden was not blocked. (The late Gerald Wyatt)
Special attention had to be paid to ‘noisy patients’, as pointed out by Commissioner Herbert C. Bailey in May 1929, when he examined the courts. He pointed out the potential for damage or injury, ‘there being a good many stones quite large enough to be used as missiles lying about’.
This lady taking exercise is not a patient. In fact she is believed to be Mrs Celia Murdoch, the young wife of Superintendent William Murdoch. The picture is from about 1895. (Spackman collection)
Supervised walking parties outside the hospital were established practice from at least the mid-1930s. Villagers became quite familiar with these groups and knew some patients by name. With due respect to all concerned, there was no mistaking a ‘crocodile’ of Fair Mile patients, who were instantly recognisable by the unfortunate effects of drugs on their expressions and gaits.
Holidays
It proved possible to give patients an occasional break from hospital surroundings. From the Commissioners, we know that in 1935 ‘Expeditions to the neighbouring country by motor bus have been carried out for many patients, who enjoy a picnic tea which they take with them’ and it was hoped that this would extend to all patients who were fit. Seaside trips for ‘working’ patients were taking place by 1949 and a Fair Mile Newsletter of April 1974 also tells us that groups of patients appreciated the comfort and stimulation of a week’s visit to the Royal Court Holiday Home at Clevedon in Somerset. Summer outings could be selected by the individual wards.
Patients taking a boat trip on the Thames, which runs past Fair Mile’s grounds. The date is about 1970 and, with a name like Friendship II, the boat might have been provided by the League of Friends. (Spackman collection)
Garden Fêtes
The hospital’s well-run garden fêtes, besides tending to be rather larger than those organised in the nearby villages, were good opportunities for patients to interact with their neighbours. Especially in the Fair Mile era, they were an annual event and sometimes organised on a lavish scale, with bands, games for adults, bouncy castles and rides for children. As late as 2002, the day’s attractions included the arrival of a Puma helicopter from nearby RAF Benson and displays of vintage motor transport.
Sport
Not surprisingly, outdoor games and sports were regarded as therapeutic and were arranged from the earliest days of the Moulsford Asylum. The hospital developed a proud sporting tradition over its 133 years, not least in football and cricket.
The original cricket field existed before 1883; there were games twice weekly in the season, with informal matches on every fine evening in summer. Up to the time of the Second World War, the cricket field occupied the northern corner of the grounds, close to the farm and the Reading Road. Surrounded by Marnock’s elegant parkland and with very little traffic noise from the turnpike road, this would have been a pleasant setting in which to hear the thwack of leather on willow.
A BMH cricket team in around 1922. Back row from left: Revd Philip E. Raynor, Chaplain; Leslie Talbot, Hall Porter; Bill Southby, Clerk of Works; Bert Wooldridge; Chris Carter, Farm Bailiff and Dr Read, Medical Superintendent. Middle Row: 2nd from left, probably Archie Barnett; 2nd from right, Gerald Woolley. Front: Arthur ‘Pop’ Swain on the left. (John Talbot)
BMH cricket team in the 1930s. Back row from left: ‘Strad’ Challenor; unknown; unknown; J.R.F. Davis; Archie Barnett; Jack Hutt. Middle row: ‘Pop’ Swain; Bill Southby; unknown; Gerald Woolley. Front row: Roly Abbots; unknown. Bill Southby was Clerk of Works from 1917 to 1939. (Spackman collection)
After the war Mr Smithers, the farm manager, set out a first-class cricket field on the former kitchen gardens at the rear of the hospital. His manicured turf hosted many visiting teams, including some of the star players of the Marylebone Cricket Club, and the Fair Mile team was widely respected until it disbanded in 1995. A pavilion was erected on a corner of the fiel
d in about 1957, financed by the hospital’s League of Friends, and appears to have served the needs of both cricket and football. It was rescued from a state of dilapidation during redevelopment of the site and is now in regular use by the Cholsey Cricket Club.
Football was played on a pitch by the Reading Road/Ferry Lane crossroads. The asylum’s team won its first match – at home against Cholsey – in June 1872; the goalposts are visible in the aerial photograph here. An adequate history of Fair Mile Hospital Football Club’s exploits would demand a book of its own and the team enjoyed considerable success over many years. Patients and staff teamed up, playing at home and away against other hospitals and later expanding their horizons in various leagues, with some headline victories in the 1980s. A selection of team photographs is presented below as testament to their achievements.
In 1929, to make way for a new house for the superintendent, the pitch was relocated behind the north end of the main hospital, directly opposite the Bungalow. The whole of the original pitch was built on when the redundant hospital was converted to housing.