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Davos, Switzerland Sunday Mercury & Kunzle

Hello Alfred, dont know whether your dad is still with us,but when in 53 did he go to Davos.Adderley does ring a bell. Cheers AK.
 
Hi AK, yes i will ask him the weekend not sure when, we were taking a few weeks ago about Davos, this is how we found the site, i will see him this weekend i check the date and add some stories, which may sound familar. thanks for the reply
 
Hi AK i think my dad was at Davos in 1952-53 some memories for thought, it was one of the worst avalanche we experienced, hearing the rumberling sound of the snow during the night,in the spring we used to climb up the mountains, picking the flowers, the cows were being let loose from the sheds after the winter, remember the bells ringing round their necks, one day we were walking along the side the mountian and there was land slide, does anyone remember? we were lucky we just missed it. We used to have choir pratice in the week ready for the service on Sundays, in the local village church, (i was in the choir) also local singing lesson was how to yodel! one of the best bits was the dungeons when we used go under the court yard from the main chateau run along from one end to the other switching off the lights while some one was passing scaring :)
 
Hi AK i think my dad was at Davos in 1952-53 some memories for thought, it was one of the worst avalanche we experienced, hearing the rumberling sound of the snow during the night,in the spring we used to climb up the mountains, picking the flowers, the cows were being let loose from the sheds after the winter, remember the bells ringing round their necks, one day we were walking along the side the mountian and there was land slide, does anyone remember? we were lucky we just missed it. We used to have choir pratice in the week ready for the service on Sundays, in the local village church, (i was in the choir) also local singing lesson was how to yodel! one of the best bits was the dungeons when we used go under the court yard from the main chateau run along from one end to the other switching off the lights while some one was passing scaring them.
 
New to this site. In 1968 I was at this sanitorium for asthma, I was there for a year and a half and without being melodramatic this probably saved my life. My parents could not afford to send me so from what I can gather most of it was paid for by the Red Cross. We as a family were living in Wales at the time, I was taken to Macynlleth, Mid Wales to meet a Red Cross representative called Mrs Reddish who took me to London where I was joined by a group of boys from the Midlands and we flew out to Zurich and then trained up to Davos. I was eight at the time, the boys were mostly around my age. After getting over the initial homesickness really this place was a boys paradise. We had two hours of school a day in the morning, could play as much football as we liked, went tabogganing in the winter, was taken on guided walks and really had a lot of fun, only downside was missing the family and having to lie on a veranda every day for two hours between 2pm and 4pm. We had injections on Fridays every week, suppositries quite often, fresh farm yogurt and milk but I never remember having an egg for the year and a half that I was there. There were boys of all nationalities and I became quite friendly with not only the English boys but also one or two German. Ice skating was another thing we did in the winter which was always good fun. The nurses were good and became like our serrogate mothers. It was lovely to have mail from home, it used to come as airmail. Some parents could afford to come out to see their children and they always used to make a fuss of all of us at the same time. My parents were surprised when I returned home that I spoke with a Birmingham accent but as I shared a room with two Brummies Eddie and David this was to be expected.

After catching this information you guys have posted I thought I would write this note. Thank you for the pictures as I have had trouble finding them.

I have waffled on enough - I hope this will be of interest to some of you.

Yours sincerely

Steve
 
Steve thanks for a lovely insight into your time in Switzerland as a boy. This thread is so interesting as many like myself had no idea it took place. I have visited the country myself it's so clean and views amazing.:)

By the way I spend a lot of time in Wales Llanrhystud to be precise
 
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Steve you might enjoy looking at old Davos postcards on Delcampe & Ebay. I did post links but for some reason the post was not accepted!
 
Does anyone remember my husband Christopher Greenway at the Kunzles Chateau Bruexelles in Davos in the early 1950s ?
 
No - I was at a sanitorium called Projuventute Davos Platz - It was later renamed AKD (Alpine Kinderlinken Davos). Thanks for the postcard link.
 
I was delighted to read your thread, I was also in Pro Juventute from November 1965 - May 1968. I was there when the English children moved up to Caselva. As I said I went home in May 1968 but in 1971 I returned to Davos again and stayed in Sanatorium Sanitas where the elder patients stayed, and I went home again in 1973, so in all I've spent four and half years in Davos and can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it. Dr. Hans Meyer was the doctor we were under, a real gentleman. We used to go tobogganing and ice-skating, also we went for lots of walks, and as you remembered the squirrels used to eat of our hands they were very tame. As I said I was deighted to come across this site as Davos has been in my toughts a lot lately and I don't seem to be able to find out much about it. I think you probaly went out there when I went home in May 1968 as I don't remember you but it 's nice to hear from someone who was there as well as they are great memories to have.
 
To Steve Hooper,
I'm sorry I didn't put your name on my thread but I'm sure you could guess it was directed to you and also anyone else who was in Pro juventute and Sanatorium Sanitas when we were there or after us, do you know are children and adults still going out to Davos, as it is a lovely place and it has saved many lives.
 
To Charles Lock,
I did reply to your email earlier this evening but I don't seem to have any record of it being sent, so if you read this maybe you will let me know if you received it. As I always say Davos is a great place and we were lucky to go there.
Best wishes from Gillian.
 
Dear Gillian,
I have not yet received your message, but I'm glad you received mine. I'd be interested to hear from others at Caselva at that time: those hours spent lying out on the balcony in Lieger are not easily forgotten. Much remains in the memory, but the memories of others would certainly refresh mine.
All best wishes,
Charles
 
Hi Charles, Steve and everyone else that was in Davos,
Don't take any notice of the last thread it was my daughter trying to do a reply as I tried a couple of times last week but it wouldn't let me.
I'm sorry I can't remember you Charles although we probably did know each other but it is over 40 years ago since we were in Davos. I can remember a Sean and also Ivor and If my memory is correct Ivor also had an older brother who went to Davos. I do remember a couple of the girls, Lynda, Sharon, Susan also a Margaret Lock (any relation I wonder). Do you remember a Mr. Richardson he was the teacher there around that time.
We used to go tobogganing down Schaltz Alp and we used to go ice skating there were lots of skiers around Davos in the winter but we were't allowed to go sking. Do you remember Chur Park and Davos Sea was a lake we used to walk around sometimes.
Best wishes I'll write again soon.
Gillian.
 
Hi Stephen Linney,
You must think I'm really terrible not replying to your email sooner but one of my daughters got married last week so as you can imagion everything has been hectic and I'm only starting to catch up on things now.
I would have been in Davos when you was there was you in Caselva or Sanitas, no I didn't do O Level French, but some of the names you mention do sound a bit familier, do you remember anyone else. When I was in Caselva I was in the four bed room on the girls floor, the room with the lovely wood panelling all aound it.
I can remember a shop in Davos that sold lovely cuchoo clocks and musical boxes and lots of other things most of it was hand made, I can't remember the name of the shop can you.
Well Stephen I'll say bye for now, I hope to hear from you again soon and hear any other memorys you might have and also anyone else who might have been in Davos.
Best wishes from
Gillian.
 
Hi Gillian,

My last post has not appeared.....I attach a pic of Bob and Nigel Lewis who were in Sanitas...I was in the main Caselva building.

View attachment 53380


Sisters Jill Fisher, Anne and Ford were in charge at the time and Frau Schwitter our teacher....Bob and Nigel did some German lessons as well as French with me and I did think you were also involved? Miss Fitzgerald taught me O level RE.

I remember the wood pannelling and, for some reason, I also recall somebody had written "The Monkees" on the cupboard inside!





Will post further shortly.

Kind regards,

Steve
 
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