• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Davos, Switzerland Sunday Mercury & Kunzle

Hello I went to Davos in 1967 , I was ten at the time my name is Keith jones and I am from Birmingham . The lad I went with was John hemming , also from brum , my first time on this forum so any help our news would be a great help thanks .
 
Hello,
This is also my first time on this forum. I went to Pro Juventute in May1966 and moved to Caselva when it opened. I was almost 13 so they let me move there with the other teenagers. I flew out with 2 lads, Douggie and Keith (I think that was their names) and sadly Keith died. I don't remember you, do you remember me? Really hope I can find some of the people I was out there with. By the way, I am not from Birmingham, at the time I was from Hertfordshire. Best wishes, Babs
 
Hello,
This is also my first time on this forum. I went to Pro Juventute in May1966 and moved to Caselva when it opened. I was almost 13 so they let me move there with the other teenagers. I flew out with 2 lads, Dougie and Keith (I think that was their names) and sadly Keith died. I don't remember you, do you remember me? Really hope I can find some of the people I was out there with. By the way, I am not from Birmingham, at the time I was from Hertfordshire. Best wishes, Babs

Hello , thanks for the reply I went over in march 67 I think I came home about oct that year , can't remember your name but it was a long time ago , I had my 10 th birthday in Davos , do you live in Birmingham at the moment .
 
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.

Do we know each other Gillian? I was at Pro Juventute in 1966 and moved to Caselva when it was opened. I wasn't quite 13, but they let me go with the teenagers.
 
Malcom do we know each other? I was in Pro Juventute from May 1966 and moved over to Caselva when it opened. I left in June/July 1967. Babs
 
No sorry I finished my tour in June 1965 , so we missed each other . Have you seen my photos ? I have now found a photo of Albert Schweizer snowman ,but the scan will not transfer to the site ,so if Mike or anyone wants to see it ,please contact me
 
Gosh you were young when you went to Davos. I never lived in Birmingham, I grew up in Hertfordshire and now live in Somerset. Maybe you could run some names by me of people you remember, we might know some of the same people as we were out there at the same time.
 
No sorry I finished my tour in June 1965 , so we missed each other . Have you seen my photos ? I have now found a photo of Albert Schweizer snowman ,but the scan will not transfer to the site ,so if Mike or anyone wants to see it ,please contact me
Hi Malcolm I would love to see your photo of the albert schweizer snowman I believe the reason they had it was because he had just died around the time we were there, try scaning the photo to your pc then upload to BHF all the best michael
 
Hi Malcolm I would love to see your photo of the albert schweizer snowman I believe the reason they had it was because he had just died around the time we were there, try scaning the photo to your pc then upload to BHF all the best michael
Hello Michael , The scan will not transfer to this site ,so I have posted it onto facebook page "people who went to Davos " Its a good site . I can print you off a better image if you want one , All the best Malcolm
 
Just found this facebook page after a notification on my e mail - great to see. (Why not upload these pictures to this site as well?) or should I join the facebook world?
Best Wishes
Steve
 
Hello Michael , The scan will not transfer to this site ,so I have posted it onto facebook page "people who went to Davos " Its a good site . I can print you off a better image if you want one , All the best Malcolm
Thanks for your reply Malcolm albert schwizer snowman Davos 1964.jpgas you can see I,ve got ur pic of albert s. it would be nice to have a better image if at all possible all the best Michael, and I forgot to say thank you for this image,
 
We have just returned from a visiit to Davos Platz and boy has it changed in 45 years only to be expected though. We stayed in a hotel called Waldhotel (which is easily the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in) which is only a stone's throw away from Pro Juventute and it was lucky that we went this year as redevelopment is upon these old sanitoriums. The sanitorium that I used to go to school in (which is on the left as you look up the hill) has been demolished and a plush new apartment block built so it looks like the old Pro Juventute sanitorium may be next to be developed. Casselva looks just the same and we were able to walk around it as it is now a youth hostel.

Looking for information on the old sanitoriums we met a very knowledgeable man who worked in the public library (which is very close to the English church) and we had a fascinating conversation with him about the history and development of Davos. He is very interested in this period of sanitorium life (asthma etc) as sadly this era is coming to a close. I will try to upload images etc that he has sent me and also post his e mail address. Hoping this is interesting to you. Steve

Timothy Nelson
E-mail Address(es):
[email protected]
The short chronology of the Pro Juventute on the pages oft he inventory show that most of the buildings were purchased by Pro Juventute in the year 1929. Before that time they were rented. Some changes and renovations were carried out in the 40s, but most of what you saw in the sixties was more or less the condition from before the Second World War.

As an attachment I'm sending you eight photos of the various Pro Juventute buildings just above Schweizerhaus. The dates range fro the early 20s until the 80s, but you should be able to recognize all of the buildiungs owing to the fact that they remained largely unchanged during these years - quite a shock to see the area now, wasn't it?
 
Hello Steve , from what I remember there were trees behind and to the right of Projuventute in 1964/65 ,so someone must have knocked them down .
Our school building has been knocked down to make way for the new building. Thanks Malcolm
 
IMG2.jpgHI all here,s a clip from the sunday mercury dated 11th april 1965 found it today at the new libraryIMG1.jpgmichael, from left colleen Steadman, ann lineham, Stephen summerhill, Michael emery.
 
oh wow michael if you read my post 13 i mentioned a friend of mine who lived opposite me in villa st going to switzerland and there she is in the photo you have found...colleen steadman on the left...the years have just rolled back seeing that pic of her...thanks ever so much

lyn
 
HI lyn that's great for you, to see a photo of your friend, I believe I travelled there and back with the same three children, Stephen summerhill was the brother of a blues player, all the best Michael
 
morning michael the penny has just dropped that you are also in that photo how wonderful...i remember a blues player called summerhill...i am going to try and track down colleen will let you know if i have any luck..

lyn
 
Hi.
My name is Tony Beasley and i went out to Chateau Bruxelles in 1953. What is your name?. I have some photos from when we were their. I shall be going back next year especially to visit St Lukes church where we had to clean the brass fittments every three or four weeks. Yes i remember a drowning. Hope to here from you.
 
I do not recall cleaning the brass in St Luke's, though I remember the Chaplain; I think his name was Mr Dolley and he was most appreciated for arranging chess contests. I rather think that he was in charge of the English Library across the road. St Luke's has long since ceased to be an Anglican church and is only occasionally open. I was fortunate this summer to find it open one evening: it brought back many memories, chiefly though of the funeral of Susan Wilson (known as 'Mole') in April 1968.
Charles
 
10608762_1491902011089290_7960857930204093652_o.jpgCan't contribute anything to this thread other than this photo of a plate on a writing slope I bought off e-bay last week.
 
Back
Top