A book chronicling more than a century of memoirs from patients and staff at Shropshire’s world-renowned Orthopaedic Hospital is to be launched next week.
‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ gives a unique perspective on life at what is now called The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital – with stories dating back over 100 years to the organisation’s origins in the village of Baschurch.
The book’s title is a reference to the hospital wards, which were open on one side and exposed to the elements. These were in use from early days until the late 1950s.
It has been compiled by Archives Officer Marie Carter, and is her second published book on the history of the hospital. In 2000 she wrote ‘Healing & Hope’ which was a collection of 100 pictures brought to life with descriptive captions.
Her latest work is packed full of quirky anecdotes – including from two nurses who recalled how the nursing accommodation around the time of the First World War was in horse boxes, and another recalling a patient in the winter of 1967-68 who woke to find his false teeth frozen in a glass by his bed.
“In the Orthopaedic Hospital archives there are over 100 personal memoirs by patients and staff, dating from early days at the Baschurch Home to the 1970s,” said Marie.
“Some are very short, others longer, often written to record family history. They all paint a fascinating picture of hospital life in the days when orthopaedic treatment was very different from today.
“Having looked after the archives as Health Sciences Librarian, and now as Archives Officer, I always wanted to make these stories available to a wider audience,” she added.
“This book is the result. I hope that all concerned will feel that I have done justice to their memories.
“Funds raised from the sale of this book will go to the hospital’s League of Friends, who do such terrific work in supporting patients and staff.”
The book will be launched on Monday 18 April at 12.30pm and will be for sale from a stall in the Main Entrance of the hospital, with Marie available to sign copies. It is priced at £7.
It will then be available from the League of Friends shop, or for order by downloading a postal form from the History section of the Trust website.
Copies are also available from Booka, Oswestry’s foremost independent bookshop.
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