information please: Chant family

The Royal Western Counties Hospital, Starcross

Hi!

My Lovely Auntie (who  passed away in 1978) Was at the southern counties Hospital when she was a child. She was born in 1929 and in 1931 suffered from Empyema which resulted in an operation where oxygen supply to her brain was cut off for several minutes, When she started to recover it was found she was ‘mentally challenged’ as the doctors called it then. She was sent to Southern counties hospital until she was 15 years old. My Grandmother had remarried after the death of my grandfather and my Aunt was ‘collected’ by grandmother and her new husband.

I understand that any medical records for her would not be available now but, admission dates and discharge dates may still survive. I wondered if you would be able to clarify these dates for me if I give you her name and the name of my grandmother? All relatives now who may have remembered this are now passed over so, I have no-one else to ask.

My Aunt was  Greta Doreen Violet Chant  born 3 January 1929   I believe that a Mrs Sinnick had recommended that she attend the hospital.

My Grandmother was Jessie I M Chant later to become Dunford, Her ‘new’ husband was James Dunford. Married in 1940. I believe that Greta was ‘collected’ around 1942/2.

I would be most grateful if you could look at your records and confirm the duration of her stay. I cannot find any other way of obtaining any records for her. If you should have any photographs of that period that you could email to me, again I would be most grateful.

I know nothing about her stay at Southern Counties not what the conditions would have been like and I sadly was never able to ask her. My Grandmother was also not someone I could ask those questions to and my late father was too young to know.

I would just like to fill in my family tree a little more so that when the tie comes, I will be writing it all in a book to be published just for the family. (my own children).

Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards

Jacqueline