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Fever hospitals in Birmingham 1930's

M

memoriescharts

New Member
My father was admitted as a baby to a fever hospital in Birmingham. We do not know where this was and i am trying to find the records of his admittance. He was a carrier of diptheria and spent twelve months in isolation.
Does anyone know where i can start

Thanking you
Christine Welch
 
It's very un-likely records will still exist after this amout of time,
there are a number of possibilities around the City, all have had isolation/fever units
Little Bromwich Hospital which became part of East Birmingham Hospital,
All Saints Hospital, Winson Green,
Dudley Road Hospital now City Hospital,
There's some information on my website, https://www.bhamb14.co.uk/index_files/BIRMINGHAMHOSPITALS.htm
or maybe even Catherine-de Barnes Isolation Hospital Solihull.

Colin
 
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My Aunt had diptheria as a smaall child in the late thirties, early forties and spent months in Little Bromwich Hospital. I know she had no visitors at all. How times change. Anne
 
They sure have Ann... I work as a Play Specialist in the children's ward at our local hospital many are in isolation for many reasons, but parents are encouraged to spend most of the day and even to stay sleep with their children.
 
Good thing too. My Mother was told my brother had leukaemia in 1950, they took him away and she never saw him again. He died the folowing day and she never got over it. I know they meant well back then but I am so glad things have changed for the better. There was no such thing as counselling, you just had to deal with it.
 
I had whooping cough in the 47 epidemic and was in the birmingham childrens hospital in isolation I was told my sister jane died there.
paul
 
I remember an old aunt of mine telling me there was a fever hospital in Wagon Lane Sheldon, halfway down on the left betwen Barn Lane and the Coventry Road.
 
Hi All,

I lived in Marcot Road, off Wagon Lane, when we were bombed out of Carlton Road during the war. I delivered papers in Wagon Lane but cannot remember any building that could have been an hospital. It was mainly houses and the recreation ground that I think was called Lyndon Rec.

Old Boy
 
In 1941 aged 5 I was sent on my own , at a few minutes notice by our doctor visiting the house,to Little Bromwich fever hospital by ambulance and kept there for 3 weeks. This was because there was a baby brother at home aged 6 months and I had scarlet fever. No visitors ! I remember a member of staff coming round and asking if I had had my bowels open,I had no idea what they meant at that tender age. How times change. The following year I went to hospital again (don't remember which one ) for removal of tonsils,only a week that time but don't know if visitors were allowed. Two nasty experiences .
 
Old Boy said:
Hi All,

I lived in Marcot Road, off Wagon Lane, when we were bombed out of Carlton Road during the war. I delivered papers in Wagon Lane but cannot remember any building that could have been an hospital. It was mainly houses and the recreation ground that I think was called Lyndon Rec.

Old Boy
Click to expand...
Hello Old boy. The building I was thinking of was on the right hand side of Wagon Lane going from Marcot Road to Barn Lane, close to the bend in the road on possibly what is now the recreation ground.
 
memoriescharts said:
My father was admitted as a baby to a fever hospital in Birmingham. We do not know where this was and i am trying to find the records of his admittance. He was a carrier of diptheria and spent twelve months in isolation.
Does anyone know where i can start

Thanking you
Christine Welch
Click to expand...

You might be able to glean some info from your fathers medical records Letters to / from his GP etc.

I can remember seeing a photograph of a sign posted daily on the gates of Little Bromwich, which listed the condition of patients, as there were no visitors allowed presumably the ommission of a name must have spelt out bad news.
 
When I was 4 years old in 1942 I had diptheria and spent 17 weeks at Little Bromwich Fever Hospital, I can remember how kind the nurses were and I loved their dark blue capes lined in red which they wore going off duty. We had scarlet red blankets on the beds which were pushed outside for quite long periods, presumably so we could get the benefit of fresh air. My parents did visit but had to wear masks on their faces and gowns, I don't remember whether they came to the bedside but I do recall seeing them through the glass doors on a number of occasions. When the day came to take me home they bought me a little white and brown toy dog on a red frame which I could push around as my legs were weak after spending so long in bed. I named the dog Robbie and really loved hiim.
 
I was about 2 years, about 1951, when I was in isolation with Paratyphoid. I think I was in Little Bromwich. They took me off my parents outside the hospital. Although I was so young, I remember my mom peeking through the small door window, and then she was gone. I also remember waiting at the top of a large staircase and seeing my mom and dad, when they came to pick me up.
 
Just come across this thread which I noticed hasn't been added to since May 2011. I read many accounts of Little Bromwich Hospital. I was a patient there in March 1942 for 6 weeks with a very critical kidney disease. My main treatment for 4 weeks was to be wrapped in blankets surrounded by hot water bottles. I only received one dose of foul tasting medicine once a day which now I realise was probably almost useless but the only known aid. Every night the bed cover was stretched from the head board to the foot board to at the least keep off shattered glass, a result of heavy bombing in the area. One night a very close bomb exploded shaking the ward vigorously. As a child I thought a German plane had crashed the crew baling out as I could hear what I thought were German voices. To my relief I worked out it was a little girl next to my bed talking in her sleep! As it was an isolation hospital I was told that my only personal position, a crayoning book, was confiscated when I dropped it on the floor!! As mentioned in earlier posts , visitors were a very rare event. My Mother was allowed once and my father twice once in his uniform!. I didn't realise until I went into the local police station with lost property, that the names of those in Little Bromwich who were critically ill, were pinned to the back of the main door. T o my surprise my name was there. I am still grateful to the staff in those dark days to pull me through with the minimum of aids and sadly knowledge as we have today.
 
An ordinance map of the 1930's clearly shows a hospital in Waggon Lane. I remember as a boy seeing (to the right of the park in Waggon Lane) some derelict wooden hut type buildings. I was told this was the old isolation hospital.
 
Bookworm said:
An ordinance map of the 1930's clearly shows a hospital in Waggon Lane. I remember as a boy seeing (to the right of the park in Waggon Lane) some derelict wooden hut type buildings. I was told this was the old isolation hospital.
Click to expand...

I guess that's why this building is called "Hospital Farm" Wagon Lane.jpg
 
Would that aerial shot really be the old Little Bromwich Hospital just pre WW2? I suppose it would be isolated then, the post war developments are clearly to be seen. Has anyone more info i.e. Ordinance Survey Map of that era in close up?
 
carolina............... Was this actualy latter known as Little Bromwich Hospital? From my memory back to 1942 the verandah looks like the one I was pushed under when I was in recovery. I had been critically ill and on the first signs of improvement I was pushed out into the bitter March weather!! Fresh air was considered a good option no matter what the illness..
 
Anvil Man you are correct it started to be built in 1893 and then became East Birmingham Hospital in 1966 and at one time was called Yardley Green Chest Hospital. The emphasis was bed rest, good diet and fresh air.

City Hospital Grounds Yardley.jpgCity Hospital Grounds Yardley 2.jpg
 
hi carolina and anvil man
yes you are quite correct both of you it became the east birmingham hospital years later and even today thous building within the grpound are still operational
for special decead cases of the most kind you could ever imagine of todays case of
decead you name you will be sent there it over the back ground of the hospital
away from the main wards best wishes Astonian;;
 
I remember one of the neighbour's son going to a sanitorium because he had TB and was away for some time up in The Lickeys as I can recall visiting him. I presume it was Blackwell.

Blackwell sanitorium early 1900s.jpg
 
Anne Watton said:
My Aunt had diptheria as a smaall child in the late thirties, early forties and spent months in Little Bromwich Hospital. I know she had no visitors at all. How times change. Anne
Click to expand...
My brother had Diptheria at the age of five in 1933 and was admitted to Little Bromwich Hospital but unfortunately he died , I was about three at the time and just about remember him. It was quite a while before I was told what had happened to him.Sad days for my parents.

Regards Reg
 
In 1938, the City of Birmingham Infectious Diseases Hospital at Yardley Green Road, Little Bromwich, had 592 beds and was being enlarged to accommodate 748 patients. These included cases of scarlet fever and diphtheria, together with selected cases of measles, whooping cough and other diseases. A hospital at Witton, capable of holding 60 beds, was reserved for the treatment of smallpox cases, should any occur. For the disinfection of clothing and bedding which might carry infection there was a disinfecting station at Bacchus Road, Winson Green, where articles were disinfected by exposure to super-heated steam. A plant was also provided there for the disinfection by hydrocyanic gas of household furniture and belongings. Exterior and interior views of the new (1938) cubicle block at Little Bromwich Isolation Hospital are shown. Dave.
P1020505 (2).jpgP1020504 (2).JPG
 
fever hospital lodge road winson green...this little bit of the area was not what you would call a happy place as we had winson green prison.the lunatic asylum and the fever hospital all next to each other as you will see on the map below..if you move the blue dot (bottom left of the page) back and forth the map will fade to show you what is there now.you can travel all over birmingham useing this useful map site..click on link below

lyn

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.4933&lon=-1.9355&layers=6&b=3
 
They were still admitting patients with infectious diseases at Little Bromwich, now Heartlands, in the early 1980's. My son was in there - he had to go into Good Hope and caught measles while in there. Very poorly. The staff were really good though.
 
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