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17 MARY ROBBINS summary
[DVCPro Tape 01 of 04 - VHS Tape 01 of 01] 01:00:39 - 01:57:50
Earliest memories
M. born 1938. Put in convent until age one, then sent to children’s home in Burnham-on-sea. war time - recalls sleeping downstairs when bombs dropping. Age five sent to a home in Shepton Mallet - recalls punishments there and by school teacher.
Sand Hill Park school for people with learning difficulties
Aged thirteen - for two years - unhappy there.
Memories of admission to a mental hospital for people with learning difficulties
M. told by school master that she was going home to her parents but actually taken to a big mental hospital - describes the dresses, cleaning, polishing, meals, tea, supper and
M.’s Memories of the hospital and trying to find her parents
M. talks about seeing Queen’s Coronation 1953. M. had various jobs - laundry work. Wrote to the News of the World for help finding her parents, staff would not allow reply to be read, and told M. that she was mental and that her parents didn’t want her. M. punished for a month due to incident after M. retaliated staff grabbed her hair.
Selwood Hospital, Somerset
Aged eighteen, M. went here. M. on a ward with babies with physical and mental disabilities, some died. M. met her friend Rosie here. Mentions going to theatre, dances, outings to Devon and Somerset. M. stayed at Selwood for about two years.
Hostel at Cheddar
M. sent to this hostel, memories of Matron telling her to put her clothes away on first day there. M. given jobs to do - washing-up. M. told to go for an interview to work at Sidcot School - in kitchen preparing vegetables and washing-up for 600 people.
Employment at Sidcot School and Derek’s tea rooms
A Quaker school. M. worked there for a year and a half but then sacked. M. worked at D’s tea rooms from 9.30am - 10pm, poorly paid. M. couldn’t cope with work - told she’d be thrown out of the hostel. Led to M. self-harming, and breakdown. Sent to skin specialist who told M. to see psychiatrist General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare.
Admission to Medip View Hospital and ECT
M. signed a form at General Hospital, the hostel Matron told M. she was to have some treatment - ECT. M. liked one staff nurse - who persuaded M to have an enema and a tablet - stayed 3 months, returned to Cliff View. M. given another job there.
Second admission to Mendip Hospital
M. a voluntary patient, aged twenty three. Talks of v. enjoyable outings paid for by Mendip Friends (of the hospital). Recalls amusing incidents on outings and friends. Had job in laundry, man wanted her knickers - M. upset - kitchen work and cleaning.
Mr and Mrs Bladon and hopes of leaving Mendip Hospital
M. visited by Mr & Mrs Bladon at Mendip who asked M. if she would like to stay with them for two weeks to get M. out of Mendip, but the Social Worker said no. Mr & Mrs Bladon fought to have M. M. had problems with cellulitis in her leg.
Going to live with Mr & Mrs Bladon at Stanton Nursing Home, Weston-s-Mare
M. excited about idea of living here. M.’s friend Rosie (from Selwood) already living with the Bladons. Mrs Bladon’s mother (Maureen) said they could cope with M’s leg.
Talks of lovely meals at Stanton, went there in 1982, stayed there for nine months.
Suggestion of moving to a house in Nevis Walk or Albert Street
1982, M. was asked to consider living in a house here with thirteen people and two staff. M aged about forty, but did not go ahead due to fire hazards there. So Mrs & Mrs Blackmore owners of house in Albert Street agreed M. and Rosie could live there. M. not keen to go, wanted to stay at Stanton, but agreed and six months later M. experienced problems adjusting to life there, asking to go back to hospital, but didn’t.
Living in Alfred Street
M. moved here in 1996. M. broke her ankle. M tells amusing stories of life there. M. talks of her weight problem and eyesight problem.
Working at Stanton Nursing Home - Mrs Glen
M. asked to work helping out at the home, and still works there now.
Childhood memories - Shepton Mallet Children’s Home - M.’s parents
M. talks of outings to Bristol Zoo - monkeys and elephant rides. M. aged twelve. M. didn’t know her mother, later a nurse at Sand Hill Park told M. she had one sibling.
Convent - At birth M. put in convent in Bristol, mentions later visiting it, they kept photo of her. Burnham-on-Sea Children’s Home Memories of a kind Matron and rides on donkeys at beach and of Matron cutting her hair. School at Shepton Mallet - recalls being bullied by other children due to her poor eyesight and glasses.
Burnham-on-Sea Children’s Home and Shepton Mallet, Somerset
M. describes an asthmatic child, marriage of the Assistant Matron, and various other Matrons. Talks of very good memories, playing and walks and house flooded by tide.
M. unhappy at Shepton Manor in Shepton Mallet.
M’s parents
M. used to cry wanting to know where her parents were. M. told her father was killed in army in the war. Told her mother didn’t want her because M. didn’t look right.
School days in Shepton Mallet
M. unhappy at school, had poor sight, teased and bullied about eyesight and being fat, used to upset M. but not any more. Mentions how Joan Mitchell, Assistant Matron at Mendip still phones Mary now.
Shepton Manor - outings
M. talks about outings to Bristol Zoo, picnics to Westbury St. Mendip, Wells Cathedral, shopping and going to the optician. Talks of having fun as a child.
Shepton Manor - and stict discipline
Mentions Christmas cakes - told the Police would be called as M. took some cake decorations and told would be put in the cellar with rats and mice if naughty. Talks of railway bridge collapse. M. used bad language - Matron told M to scrub mouth with carbolic soap and got dogs chased her. M. aged eleven. Recalls falling in the river.
[End of DVCPro 01 – VHS Tape 01 continues] 01:57:50
[DVCPro Tape 02 of 04 - VHS Tape 01 of 01] 02:00:34 - 02:55:56
Memories of Shepton Mallet
M. talks of falling in river. Describes wearing special outfits to attend the wedding of Ms Dent (Mrs Ford). M’s first experience of a wedding. Talks of her concern for Terry an asthmatic child who M. stayed in touch with. M’s school friend died - M. v. upset.
School days and paraldehyde as a punishment
M. couldn’t read at school, has since read Bible in front of others. Learnt to read later(?) at a place for people with learning difficulties. Was naughty at Sand Hill Park and given paraldehyde - given more of it for throwing a hairbrush and refusing to have a bath. M. explains how paraldehyde used as punishment for talking/fighting at night
Being Sectioned and the Board of Control
M. Sectioned but unsure why. Describes facing the Board of Control and tests used to decide whether M. should stay Sectioned - maths tests, and if able to work - cleaning. M. told to improve behaviour and got six months parole.
Parole and License - work - Selwood, Mary Samuel Nursing Home in Bridgwater
M. describes being accompanied by nurses around hospital. Mentions nerve-wracking to face the committee of twelve people. Mentions licenses to allow M to go to work. M. worked for a month at Corner House School, then sent to Selwood then MSNH.
Mary Samuel Nursing Home (MSNH) Bridgwater, Somerset
Worked at Mary Samuel Nursing Home, but told not working properly and told she would have to go back to hospital - M. broke a window and punished - made to sleep on the floor. Had worked cleaning - kitchen, bedroom, polishing etc in a babies unit.
Leaving Sand Hill Park School and going to Cliff View hostel
Left aged fifteen. Describes separation of men and women at the hostel, winning a fancy dress prize, dances and outings. M. a resident there a place for disabled people, whilst there worked at Derek’s Tea Rooms. Talks of tricks and jokes her friend Wendy did to her when working with her at Sidcot School. M. describes an incident where three of the residents tried to put M’s head under the bath water. Talks about going to British Home Stores in W-s-M to have tea and lunch.
Memories of friends and listening to the radio, tv
M. enjoyed listening to hymns, radio programme Sunday Half-Hour. Mentions children’s TV - Rosie enjoying them. M. now enjoys TV news an soap operas.
M. taken on car trip for a holiday, sexual advances made to her by a social worker
M. describes an incident with a male social worker from County Hall, Taunton, who was driving M, in the car to go on holiday to Hillworth House. He made sexual advances. M aged about thirteen. M told the Matron and was distressed about it.
M. had tried to get out of the car, but the social worker agreed to take her home. The incident frightened Mary and has never been out with men since.
Weekend trip from Mendip Hospital to Mrs Burke’s home
M. describes being allowed to go for a weekend away to Mrs Burke’s - her house in walking distance from Mendip. M. taken to Bournemouth and enjoyed it v. much.
02:31:03
Friends of Mendip Hospital and other visitors
M. talks about going to Mrs Burke’s for weekends and being visited by her. One time M. told to close her mouth and walk properly by Mrs B. Mrs B visited fortnightly. M. had no other visitors except talks about a Barbara Allen who took M. and her friend Elizabeth out for tea to her house. Mrs Allen noticed M’s leg was infected.
Treatment of physical illness whilst a patient at Mendip
Joan Mitchell arranged for M to go to Bath Royal United Hospital to have a D and C operation due to her period problems. Says if the doctors thought your illness was in the mind they wouldn’t help much.
M. talking of a time of feeling upset at Mendip
M. describes how during a time when she was crying, the nurse, Joan Mitchell, persuaded M. to pull herself together. M. describes how she thought about this and tried to do so, mentions previously feeling unhappy and attempting suicide. Says most nurse didn’t listen and would walk away if M upset but Joan was a good nurse.
Nurse’s reports and the book (diary)
M. talks about a fire at Hillside whilst she was on Hartlake. Following this M. and others asked to go to Joan Mitchell’s office. M. describes sneaking looks at the reports and book kept on patients and noticed her name down to go to a halfway home.
Activities at the hospital - gardening, cooking, and going on a diet
M. talks of tea, television, patients doing gardening - a variety of vegetables and fruits and of M. using them in the kitchen. This stopped in later years. Explains being put on a strict diet and crying when shouted at to lose weight in order to have the D & C operation. M. talks of good food and menu choices, cream cakes - Says this stopped in the 1970’s
Locked wards and the opening of them in the 1970’s
M. recalls the Matron explaining that more wards had to be open, but says some were still kept locked. Mentions a patient (Elsie) who was put in a locked ward without a mattress, who tried to smash the window and rip the bars off, scream and shout, and given ECT. M. describes Elsie as uncooperative. Mentions patients going to pubs.
Hartlake Ward, Mendip View
M. talks about both these wards. Talks of a lovely nurse - Sister Backalar. M. talks of being on an upstairs ward and how her friends - Joan and Audrey (who used to run away, go to pubs and get drunk). Joan and Audrey slept next to each other but Audrey ‘naughty’ and sent to Burcott ward - Joan upset about this. M. tells other anecdotes about Audrey and Joan’s behaviour.
Memories of Sand Hill Park
M. describes getting into trouble for jumping on her bed and breaking it and about breaking her glasses and having to pay out of her pocket money for them. Talks of trips to Minehead and being allowed there if on parole.
Memories of people trying to escape Sandhill Park and Mendip
M. talks of people trying to get out by tying knots in sheets to climb out of window. Says some escaped, married and never came back. Some escaped through fire escapes during fire practices.
Hospital clothing and restrictions
M. says own clothes taken away if naughty. Mentions straight jackets. M. made to stay in a night dress in bed for a week as punishment. Many patients in day clothes but ‘bad cases’ in night dresses and dressing gowns all the time. Talks of older people being very physically ill and dying, M. says it was heartbreaking. M. laughs about pretending to be ill sometimes to get out of work.
[End of DVCPro Tape 02 - VHS Tape 01 continues] 02:55:46
[DVCPro Tape 03 of 04 - VHS Tape 01 of 01] 03:00:32 - 03:54:23
ECT at Mendip
M. describes being given ECT. No memory of signing consent, first M. knew it was ECT was when arrived on ward. Didn’t know she’d had it until a week after treatment. Once had ECT without anaesthetic as vein couldn’t be found. M. said she didn’t want it again. If crying a lot given ECT or antidepressants. Mentions Librium, Stelazine, and Depixol, and Modecate. M. told they would make her better.
Medication
M. talks of having large doses of medication, then got reduced when she came out into the community. M. on medication from1964 until 1982 in hospital. Then carried on having tablets but eventually stopped these and had monthly injections instead.
OT and other activities at Mendip
M, talks of trips into Weston-s-Mare, knitting in OT. M. only taught basic cooking just before leaving Mendip. Talks of Whist drives, walks, exercises, videos, bingo, cards, music therapy, sewing, basket making, stool making, woodwork, pottery.
IT - Industrial Therapy
M. talks about two factories - Patients packed screws, chalks and plasticine. M. packed and sorted coloured chalks into boxes - M enjoyed it and was paid £10 a week in about 1970 when decimalisation came in. Worked 9am -12 then 1-5pm every weekday.
M. working on Hartlake ward
M. describes her jobs being changed round. M. worked on a ward helping undress women, put them to bed and feed them, serve drinks, wash-up. Saturday was a free day - M. went to Wells and Cheddar.
Sleeping arrangements
M. mentions going from a dormitory to a room on her own with barred window.
Dining room
M. explains how the dining room would be divided by a screen to partition off patients who were difficult who needed to be fed and ordinary people who didn’t need feeding.
Toilet, sink and washing facilities
M. talks of six toilets and four or five basins in a row. Old fashioned screens used sometimes for privacy. Mentions child size toilets that got replaced with ordinary ones later during modernisation. Staff had separate toilet to patients - locked after use.
Kitchen
Staff had a separate kitchen to patients, nurses ate at a canteen, and had a nurse’s home.
Houses within the hospital grounds - and Fairbank House - halfway house
M. talks of two Doctor’s houses and a halfway house called Fairbank next door. M. went there with five others. M. explains how it was different living there to being on the ward - cooking and shopping for themselves. Talks of problem of one of the others not wanting meat - this patient returned to the ward. M. describes herself and others going back and forth between Fairbank and the ward and bedroom arrangement. Talks of pranks that her friend Elizabeth got up to and her punishments.
Hillside - Dove’s cottage - another halfway house
M. lived here with one other, it didn’t work out, so M went back to Burcott ward after three weeks there staff wanted M. to try halfway house again, but M. chose not to. M. stayed on the ward until she moved to Weston-super-Mare.
Reactions to Mendip patients from the public
M. says most people were quite helpful. M. talks about getting prepared for life in the community and going to United Church. M. wanted to go to a Baptist Church and the nurse arranged for the Minister to visit M. in Mendip. M went to church from Mendip on Sundays and was baptised in 1975, helped with Parish open days - preparing food. Talks of introducing Rosie to the church members and of Rosie working well.
Alfred Street - Weston-super-Mare and working at Stanton
M. explains how she helped Rosie work at Stanton and how M. asked the owner if she could help as M. getting fed up having nothing to do at home. They eventually agreed to M. helping an taught her to do some cooking. M. had previously had six weeks training in cooking but at Stanton learnt more cookery.
Preparing for living in the community
M. talks of going on outings, visiting Mrs Burke, watching TV quiz shows, returning to Weston. Says had some good times at Mendip hospital too. During time at halfway house M. learning to handle money and shop, budgeting, own washing, cleaning etc.
03:31:45
Access to money and preparing to handle money for living in the community
M. describes how patients had to sign to get money and being restricted in the amount allowed out at any one time. M. still restricted when at halfway house.
Activities at Mendip Hospital - social and sports
M. describes the Hospital Shop and Canteen, sports facilities, fete days, smoking concerts, pantomime. Talks of behaviour of two patients - Moira and Margaret. Mentions showing films, fancy dress balls, Christmas raffles, dinner, dancing, music. M. says this was in the 1960’s and that it stopped by the end of the 1970’s. Says the gardening continued.
Mendip Hospital closure
M. describes at length how she and Joan travelled from Weston to the closing party of Mendip - a tea dance, but when they arrived were told it was only for the staff but were eventually allowed to join. Mentions that Mr Derek (of the tea-room?) had a stoke at the party. M. says there was no leaving party for the patients. M. says most patients that had been left to go to own home, residential home, or new flat/house.
Numbers of patients on wards - and Burcott Ward
M. talks about the numbers of patients on wards and talks about Burcott being the smallest with twelve people. M. says she was put in Burcott if she was ‘naughty’.
M’s memories of what she used to think psychaitric hospitals were as a child
M. mentions being teased about going to Well’s Asylum -’a mad place where you had to work all day’. M. never imagined she would end up there. M. talks of having some photo’s of Mendip and describes photos of nurses in their uniforms.
Changes in nurses and nursing from 1960’s onwards
M. says nurses started wearing own clothes from early 1970’s - and in 1970’s were allowed to call them by their first names rather than Sister or Staff Nurse or Matron.
Day to day routine in hospital
Talks briefly about hospital routine - told when to get up and when to go to bed, and having lights out at 10pm, not allowed to talk at night. In morning - getting up and having to go to work, talks of being ill with cellulitis of her leg. Says those days were quite good though.
Sand Hill Park
M. explains why this was the worst place she ever came across - talks of being “booked” - put in the book - all patients got punished by the Matron by having money stopped for a month, going to bed early, working all day. Punishment for being v. naughty was to be woken in the night to scrub downstairs corridors with steel wool, whilst watched over by a nurse, then allowed back to bed. M. preferred Mendip hospital. Talks of punishment for talking about men or escaping to go out with men.
Cliff View
M. talks about a time when three people escaped after 10pm and stayed out for two or three days. The police called and the three sent elsewhere to live.
Men and women in the hostel and in the hospital
M. talks of men and women on separate wards, but how this changed and how some men got ladies ‘into trouble.’ Says some had sexual relationships. No men in the hostel. More men than women in Mendip, men took women to pubs.
Other incidents at Mendip
M. joined Weight Watchers on Avalon (ard?). Then describes incident when she was frightened by someone down the hospital driveway who had muzzled dogs.
[End of DVCProTape 03 - VHS Tape 01 continues] 03:54:23
DVC ProTape 04 of 04 - VHS Tape 01 of 01] 04:00:31 - 05:01:33
M’s earlier experience of institutions
M. gives her views of being in psychiatric hospital and in Sand Hill a place for people with learning difficulties.
Childhood
M. talks about being told she was not quick enough to take school exams. Talks of her poor eyesight. Mentions patients in a hospital teaching her to read which she picked up well. Talks of older people at Sand Hill helping her to read.
OT
M. talks of getting newspapers and reading books. Mentions having done lots of knitting, but no longer able to follow metric knitting patterns.
Cooking and cataract operation
M. talks of her enjoyment of cooking - now able to due it since her cataract operation at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
Church life now - and how M. became a Christian
M. describes now going to a different Baptist church nearer to her present flat. Describes how she went to see Billy Graham in Bristol in the 1970’s and in London another time.
Trips to London and Longleat, and Exmouth and Worcester
M. Describes at length amusing incidents that happened the first time she had ever been to London with some friends and nurses in 1986. Talks more about amusing incidents on trips to Longleat and Exmouth with a Community Nurse from Weston-super-Mare. Also describes amusing incidents going to Worcester with friends and going to the pub.
Birthdays during the time of living in hospitals and homes
M. says the nurse Joan Mitchell always remembered her birthday, recalls another occasion when she was made a birthday cake and tea on a visit to someone’s house from Mendip. M. says she always cried at thought of going back into hospital.
Friend - Mental Health Resource Centre - Weston-super-Mare
M. living in Wadham Street and went along to the Baptist Church looking for a fellowship. M. thought it would be a bible study or similar and discovered that it was actually ‘Friend’. M. told initially she couldn’t go there without referral from a nurse and had various problems getting permission to go there. After this a CPN eventually introduced M. to Friend. Talks of doing crafts there and mixing with other people who had been in Mendip Hospital.
Friend - moving premises to the Boulevard, W-s-M then to current premises in W-s-M
M. explains how Friend used to be run by two psychiatric nurses. Describes how ‘Friend’ was different to hospital - nurses not giving medication
M. describes process of coming off injections
M. went for regular injections up until 1986, then gradually taken off the injection and had some withdrawal symptoms. M. describes at length her dilemmas about whether or not to have injections saying she was addicted, but eventually decided to try to get used to not having it. M. describes why she eventually felt better not having it.
04:32:10
M. describes not being believed that her eyesight was failing
M. talks in some detail about not being believed by Mr. and Mrs. Bladon that she was having great difficulty seeing properly and how eventually M’s. CPN arranged for her to see an optician and following that M. had operation in hospital. M. talks a bit further about generally not being believed about physical complaints.
Current contact with the psychiatric system
M. no longer has any contact with the psychiatric system, apart from accompanying Rosie to a clinic.
Life at home now with Rosie and Joan
M. talks about her current flat share with her two friends. M. describes how household tasks are divided. M. mentions her concern about Joan’s level of smoking. M. smoked for a short period years ago but gave it up.
M’s work at the nursing home
M. explains the hours she used to work at the nursing home, cleaning, cleaning toilets and the kitchen and cooking. The owners of M’s current flat also own the nursing home. M. explains why her hours and duties were changed. Talks of enjoying making cakes there with Rosie. M. describes the current work she does there - cleaning and so on, and is paid £30 a week for the work working 4-7pm on part-time basis.
M’s activities on days off work
M. goes into town with Joan twice a week, would like to visit the lady at Wells (lady who visited at Mendip) but she is now too elderly.
M’s first experience of using public transport without accompniment of a nurse.
M. describes a day when she went to accompany Rosie for an appointment at Bristol General Hospital. Later, when M. aged about 50 M. went for a mammogram at General Hospital in Weston, but was told she needed to go to Bristol instead due to six of the plates needed! M. went unaccompanied by a nurse for the first ever time on a bus with Rosie for company.
M accompanies Joan to Bristol General Hospital and uses a bus on her own for the first time in her life.
M. describes at length a time when M. was encouraged to go to Bristol unaccompanied by a nurse, to accompany Joan for an appointment in Bristol. M. describes the taxi driver and the journey there. Joan had to stay in hospital and M. had to return to W-s-M on her own so that Rosie would not be alone. M. describes how the return journey by bus was unexpected and how it was the first time she had ever travelled alone on a bus. M. explains how surprised the nurses seemed that she had managed to do this.
Living in the community
M’s pride with her achievements and thanks to those who have helped her
M. says she’s proud of her achievements and thanks the nurse Joan Mitchell for all he help and other nurses and doctors. Also thanks Mr and Mrs Bladon who M. describes as excellent and is grateful they have given her a home. M. explains how at first she wasn’t keen to live in the community but is glad that she has done so now.
Thanks
Interviewer thanks Mary and Mary thanks interviewer and camerawoman
[End of DVCPro Tape 04 of 04 – End of VHS Tape 01 of 01] 05:01:33
INTERVIEW ENDS
