OK Chris, I hope to talk to others that shared this experience with me, its so long ago now, I will start it like a book and just tell my story if it gets too long I suppose it can be deleted.
I was born in 1952, all though my early school years I suffered from Bronchitis, so lost a lot of time from school sick, but I didn't like school anyway, I would fight all the way to school with my mum and do anything to avoid it. Evantually mom and I got hauled up in front of a board and they asked me if I would like to go to Open Air School, (I said yes) I had been told it was that, or be locked up in some way for not going to school. I don't know the details but I ended up being packed off to Cropwood, I think it was around 1960 I think I had my eighth birthday there, but it could easily be a year either way I don't remember. So Arriving at Cropwood I don't remember, but being there I do.
I was there when Miss Uquart a very strong Scottish woman was Head Mistress, there were two other staff(I think they were nurses) not sure, but one of them was called Miss Addis, she was slim,blonde and wore her hair up in a pleat, along with the lady that sat high up in the attic and polished our shoes, lace ups brown, and the Cook and her helpers. Lots of other staff, but I don't really remember them. So I arrive and I am shown to my bed in what they called Extension (which is what it was, the main house if I recall was high and built of grey stone, in wonderful gardens, that at the time I did not appreciate at all. In Extension there were 4 bi-fold doors that were always open at night, it was a long dormitory and my bed was the first on the left after you walked in, before that were four beds inset in a square, with Miss Addis's room before that, then a corridor down to the bathrooms, when I was there, the baths were white and we got about 3 inches of water to wash in, it was usually damn cold. We had a bath every morning, made our bed almost army like, and then went over to the main building for breakfast, for some reason I do not remember where we ate. I do remember assembly, in a large room I think it had a bay window as I used to sit there look out of the window and sometimes read. Other times that same room was used for PT, we had to do a funny exercise, where you lie on your tummy grasp your ankles and rock back and forth (I think it was called a Fisherman's Basket) (again not sure) If I recall it had a polished wooden floor.
I was so homesick, one Sunday I think it was, I ran away, started to walk down that gravel drive and kept going, turned left out of the gates past the entrace to Hunters Hill the boys school, and kept going I knew roughly the direction I was going in, at the top of that lane, I saw a farmer, and asked if me could give me 2 and 6 (half a crown at that time) as I wanted to visit my aunt, He said I think you are from that School down there, and I said no I wasn't he gave me half a crown, and I went on to the terminus and got on a bus headed for Birmingham, I don't recall the details, but I got on another bus in the city centre and got back to Small Heath where I lived, my mom was sitting by the fire and I walked in she did not seem all that suprised. Then dad came home, and the police came and mom and dad had to take me back to that dreadful place. I don't think they had a choice, all I remember is standing in that lobby with my poor dad looking mistyfied and mom, and Miss Urquart, who was not at all amused, they told mom and dad to go, and I don't remember much, just going to bed back there, the following morning in Assembly I was told to stand up along with Poor Ann, she had short reddish hair and she had run off the very same day, and she was back to, some words were said, like we were bad girls and how all the others better think before they tried the same. I remember we both stood there looking down, until the ordeal was over.Shortly after that there was a day trip to a (Manor House, Hall, anyway a big place) it was a Brownies and I think Girl Guides meeting. I remember the coach with all the girls aboard turning round in the carpark/courtyard of Cropwood, and I was left standing there, as a punishment for running away, then the coach stopped and Miss Urquart (I think) said come on get in, which I did, then I remember during the day they were showing off a new Brownie outfit, and I was chosen to model it, I couldn't believe it me the runaway. There were many times we ate outside I remember I hated the taste of the butter?spread, on our bread and for some reason inside it was ok, but outside, YUK! No idea why. We had lessons, and I don't remember them at all, except that I was never made to feel stupid like I was at school back at home. I absolutely LOVED that icy cold freezing and I kid you not swimming pool, it was at the bottom of a lot of steps, and I think it had wooden changing rooms on one side, but I might be wrong, it was Kidney shaped and I remember the polystyrene floats we were given to hold onto and kick our way across the shall end, it never got warm, surrounded by trees and we just had to get in. Although it was shudderingly cold, I loved it. I was allowed to be a Brownie, but never got any badges, or anything.
We used to go out of the gates and turn right, then over a stile, and run down Hunters Hill, there were little rhill type things that filled with water and I used to skip over them. Other times we were taken down thru the grounds at the back of Cropwood to a lane, where we wollected wild flowers and pressed into a book, I liked that, we would walk to a place we called Clover it was on the left of the lane and was a group of trees on a hill, below some kond of earth moving was taking place, and there were mounds of clay like stuff that filled with water. My favorite time was play time, at the back of Cropwood turn right and right again, there was an almighty tree, so big that we could play inside amongst the roots, I loved it there, I also loved the Gorse bushes that spread down the hill at the back. Lilac and Yellow, there was a classroom that I never went to that was down a hill to the right of extension, past a big tree, I forget now what type it was, but to a little girl it was big. I have to say now that I was a monster to one little girl bullying her and making her cry, I didn't realise until her little face broke I think her name was Francis, if she ever reads this I have your face in my memory and will never forgive myself, and hope you went on to a happy life.
Then there was Rosemary a cottage like place where the older girls went to stay, and the beloved Tuck shop, if I recall it was something on the side of the road, and this lady had all the goodies, we were allowed to buy sweets there. Time passed Christmas being a nice time our parents were allowed to come and Cook made pudding with money in it, I think it was either a threepenny bit of sixpence at that time, not sure. Me in trouble again for telling my mum that cook's pudding was better than hers, I never did live that one down, still haven't and never will, out of the mouth of babes!!
I remember one girl in particular, she was dark skinned very tall and her name was Naomi, always quiet. Then the day Miss Urquart was standing at the top of the basins in the lobby, the toilets were long the bottom and the toilet roll was outside, so you took a piece and then went to the toilet, in trouble again, a loud voice, states, just what do you think you are doing, how much paper do you think you need for that little bottom, I could have died, you know I still take more toilet paper than I need and at 63, I can!!!
What else can I share about Cropwood, I think I have laid myself bare to all that read this, I hope you understand. 8 years later when I was 16 I went back for an appointment with Miss Urquart, I couldn't and still can;t get Cropwood out of my head, I hoped to get a job there, by that time, I had grown my hair and was very proud of it, she explained at the interview, that she was retiring as they were going to send a different type of girl to Cropwood and she did not want o deal with that sort of girl, I think she was referring to other than sick (illness) girls, when I was there, it was mostly about the Coughers as they were referred to they had to cough and spit into metal mugs with lids, then empty them and I presume wash them out, I did not have to do that. For that interview I left my now long hair loose, so she could see it, she just said, well if you did work here, you would not wear your hair like that, I was mortified, my mum said to her, she only left it down to show you, so yes in a way Miss Urquart could hurt you so easily. I have not been back, I think I may visit Blackwell if I were in the UK but I am now in Australia, but the memories never leave me, like the parcels from home, a Beano, sweets, a bit of cash to spend oh how I looked forward to that. I don't honestly know if that year did me good, or scarred me for life, happy to hear from anyone that shares these type of memories. I think thats all, but I could remember something else by tomorrow, so I shall post it next. I never appreciated that others were going thru what I went thru for good or bad, but I wish you ALL well xx Oh to sit in that tree hollow again!!
www.formerchildrenshomes.org.uk
