Hi, does anyone remember being in King Teds Hospital in '65? Remember Nurses Marshman & Travis? I had to learn to walk again after being kept in bed for about a fortnight, (due to a neck op!) & decided that it'd be much more fun trying to surf down the ward on my walking frame. However, the floors were newly polished, so I shot under 3 beds before coming to a halt with a bump on my head! Never was right after that!!

I was in the same hospital in 1967,I was there from 23rd Jan to Dec 12th,it was a great place,my best mate was Lee Platts Bobby Knutts nephew.

My consultant was Dr Hertzog, & he used to also be in attendance at Firth Park Clinic, where I had to go for physio. Is he still around, does anyone know?

My consultants were Mr Sharrard & Holdsworth.

My consultant was Dr Hertzog, & he used to also be in attendance at Firth Park Clinic, where I had to go for physio. Is he still around, does anyone know?

Dr Hertzog died a few years ago. I read somewhere he wrote a book on the history of Rivilin Hospital. I was in Rivilin when he first started, taking over from Dr Patterson.

My Dr, was Mr, Pappworth.

Thanks for that, Dido - have often wondered!

Thanks for that, Dido - have often wondered!

One day I will get round to sorting my photos out on Photo bucket. I have a photo taken on ward B3, when Billy Smarts Cicus came to visit. Ithink it was taken about 1953.

My Dad was in King Edwards for about 2 years 64-66? I got so used to visiting him there that I did my nurse training there from 73-75. He was also in there alot when he was a boy. I have lots of very old pics from then, when they were outside on the beds in the snow!

My Dad was in King Edwards for about 2 years 64-66? I got so used to visiting him there that I did my nurse training there from 73-75. He was also in there alot when he was a boy. I have lots of very old pics from then, when they were outside on the beds in the snow!



What years was your Dad in King Edwards?. I remember they used to put us outside about May and bring us back in about September. I was there from 1950 to 1954/5.

My mumwas a nursing auxillary there from about 1974 until it closed

Dido, do you remember Billy, he had some sort of special chair, he was in some of the pics with my Dad. He must have been there from about 1948 or there abouts. He had TB in his leg.

Sanman, what ward did your Mum work on?

My consultant was Dr Hertzog, & he used to also be in attendance at Firth Park Clinic, where I had to go for physio. Is he still around, does anyone know?

The German-born Dr Eric Herzog was medical superintendent at King Edward's Hospital from 1952 to 1972. He died in Manchester, aged 90, in February 1997 - he was a fine doctor. His friend Prof. William Sharrard died, aged, 80 in 2001 - another fine orthopaedic surgeon. He did a grand job after my 1972 motorbike accident - three months in the Infirmary and a few weeks in a caliper and I was OK again.

Dido, do you remember Billy, he had some sort of special chair, he was in some of the pics with my Dad. He must have been there from about 1948 or there abouts. He had TB in his leg.

Yes I do remember him. I havent even thought about him for over 55 years.

The German-born Dr Eric Herzog was medical superintendent at King Edward's Hospital from 1952 to 1972. He died in Manchester, aged 90, of bronchopneumonia in February 1997. A fine doctor. Prof. William Sharrard died, aged, 80 in 2001 - another fine orthopaedic surgeon. He did a grand job after my 1972 motorbike accident - three months in the Infirmary and a few weeks in a caliper and I was OK again.

I spent many weeks in King Edwards hospital, Dr Herzog and Prof Sharrard were my doctors too. I had polio when i was young and had many operations on my legs.

I remember Prof Sharrard asking me on one of my clinic visits what i wanted to do when i grew up and i said i wanted to be a nurse, and he said you can come and work for me lol.

Years later when i trained as a pupil nurse, I worked in the theatre as a swab nurse, I got all the bloody swabs thrown at me and i had to wash them in formaldahyde and hang them up and count them at the end of the op to make sure that none were left in the wound.

I had the honour to watch him operate. If there was an interesting operation going on in the next theatre, he would take his camera and take pictures, then come back and finish what he was doing. He gave the scrub nurse a hard time i remember if she didnt hand him an instrament so that he could feel it slap into his hand he would just let it slip from his fingers on to the floor and demand another one.

I remember seeing him walking down the corridor at the childrens hospital, I was in uniform and only 18 at the time and just started my training and i remember shouting his name, after the words were out of my mouth, i realised what i had done and i thaught "God now i am dead" lol. But he turned round and spoke to me, and when i reminded him who i was he said that he was glad i had started my training and good luck with it. If matron had been around i would have been on the carpet for sure.

As a child i remember at King Edwards they would wheel us out in our beds on to the patio so that we could be outside in the sunshine. It was a beautiful hospital back then. Im glad that both doctors lived into old age, they were both brilliant men.

One day I will get round to sorting my photos out on Photo bucket. I have a photo taken on ward B3, when Billy Smarts Cicus came to visit. Ithink it was taken about 1953.

Dido i would love to see the pictures hun.

Bellstar, My scanner has died on me, and I am going to have to buy a new one , I'll post photos as soon as I can.
You did'nt say what years you were in Rivilin, there were a couple of girls names from that era I know, Annette Haywood and Joyce Green. Do you remember them?

I was born in 1953, I started with polio when i was about 18 months old, and was in and out of King Edwards and the Childrens Hospital and Thornbury Annexe up until the age of 15. Im not too good with names at the best of times lol, and they dont ring a bell for me im afraid.
I hope you can get your scanner up and running again soon love.

I was born in 1953, I started with polio when i was about 18 months old, and was in and out of King Edwards and the Childrens Hospital and Thornbury Annexe up until the age of 15. Im not too good with names at the best of times lol, and they dont ring a bell for me im afraid.
I hope you can get your scanner up and running again soon love.

Bellstar I was very surprised when I saw your post as I was born in 1953 and had polio at the age of 2. I was in Lodge Moor Hospital isolation ward initially and after that spells in King Edwards for operations on my foot and both legs. I saw Dr. Herzog at KE VII and Firth Park Clinic and I also remember going to Thornbury Annexe I think. I had a friend there who I saw most times when I went up to KE his name was Kenneth Frost. I remember my mum and his mum used to chat while we waited to see the doctors and we all rode back to Malin Bridge together on the No. 2 Circular bus. It sounds silly but they were happy times! I wonder if we met at the hospital?

I was born in 1953, I started with polio when i was about 18 months old, and was in and out of King Edwards and the Childrens Hospital and Thornbury Annexe up until the age of 15. Im not too good with names at the best of times lol, and they dont ring a bell for me im afraid.
I hope you can get your scanner up and running again soon love.

I left King Edwards 1954/5, so I dont think we were there at the same time.
When I was in there, there were about 20 beds on each ward, I had to go back there about 15 years ago for a hip replacement, and there were only 10 beds to a ward. The ward seemed twice as big somehow.

Bellstar I was very surprised when I saw your post as I was born in 1953 and had polio at the age of 2. I was in Lodge Moor Hospital isolation ward initially and after that spells in King Edwards for operations on my foot and both legs. I saw Dr. Herzog at KE VII and Firth Park Clinic and I also remember going to Thornbury Annexe I think. I had a friend there who I saw most times when I went up to KE his name was Kenneth Frost. I remember my mum and his mum used to chat while we waited to see the doctors and we all rode back to Malin Bridge together on the No. 2 Circular bus. It sounds silly but they were happy times! I wonder if we met at the hospital?

I dug out these photographs of when i was in hospital at various times as a baby, Obviously i cant remember them being taken, and i dont even know which hospital is which, maybe someone may recognise the backgrounds in the pictures, or maybe even recognise the nurses.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n147/bellstar_2006/T%20Family%20fun/Image3.jpg
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n147/bellstar_2006/T%20Family%20fun/Image2.jpg
It says on the back of this photograph July 1954 and i am with nurse taylor.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n147/bellstar_2006/T%20Family%20fun/Image1.jpg.
At the time i had polio my mother was being treated for TB so dad had to go to visit mum in Western Park and then come and visit me at the Childrens. Dad used to swear that i caught polio from someone at the hospital because the nurses used to carry me around the wards.
Mum said that she would come from western park when she was able and stand outside the hospital window, as they wouldnt let her in and the nurses used to bring me to the window so that she could see me.
Dad must have had a real hard time of it back then because he had my brother and sister to look after as well as working full time.
Mum had me late in life and i think dad resented me in some way, cos mum was ill and so was i. We never really hit it off very well.

When I was in the KE hospital in 67 I recall being wheeled outside & the sodding wasps landing on my bed ,good job I had a comic,with only me being able to move my head arms & feet it was a little difficult,I cannot recall the name of the old teacher who taught us she was a lovely lady,she told me she taught Roger Taylor (tennis player)how to play tennis,she also taught us french & german,I got a action man for my birthday & me and Lee Platt (Bobby Knutts Nephew) used to tie crape bandage to it's legs & throw it over the curtain rails around the beds to move ourselves about,I got a right rollicking,I also got put in the female ward for a day for throwing peas at the tv.Then me and Lee got out of our beds & put into wheelchairs & we were racing down the corridors ,I think the nurses were glad when we went home,funny but great days even though I was strapped on my bed on a frame for 11 months.the callipers I had on for 6 months were murder,but the shoes I had made looked like frankensteins boots.

It seems strange that everyone who was in King Edwards for a long time, seemed to enjoy themselves, yet our parents and other people felt so sorry for us. What they did not understand was that each ward became like a small village, where we lived in a small world of our own making. We had to make our own entertainment etc, and were always in trouble.
I remember one day we were outside on B1, during school lessons we tore all our exercise books up, made them into paper aeroplanes and tried to see who could send them the furthest. The lawn looked like it was covered in snow. As a punishment I also was put on the girls ward.

Bob Monkhouse came to the ward I was on,it was my birthday and he walked down the ward wearing a blue pinstripe suit & sunglasses,my mum brought a coconut cake it was massive & Bob came up to my bed and took some cake from my mum ,he gave me a picture & signed good luck from Bob Monkhouse ,my kid brother drew a moustache on him & it got lost when we moved from Heeley.But it was a great day.

I think that people who were appearing at the old Empire Theatre often came to visit. I've got three signed pictures, One from Tessy O'Shea, Lenny The Lion And one from Harry Corbet And Sooty. I know Billy Smarts Cicus always came to visit evry year when they were in town.

Hi Suzyq my younger brother was in King Edwards during world cup year 1966, he had perths disease and he had to be strapped to a frame for a year ! . He was only 4 yrs old. I dont remember any nurses or wards but i remember the cooking apple trees near the cafe and i remember getting Dave Berrys autograph once when he came to visit someone there ,i also remember the long ride on the number 2 circular bus (we were living on the flower estate then).I will also never forget his screams when we had to go home .

I spent many weeks in King Edwards hospital, Dr Herzog and Prof Sharrard were my doctors too. I had polio when i was young and had many operations on my legs.

I remember Prof Sharrard asking me on one of my clinic visits what i wanted to do when i grew up and i said i wanted to be a nurse, and he said you can come and work for me lol.

Years later when i trained as a pupil nurse, I worked in the theatre as a swab nurse, I got all the bloody swabs thrown at me and i had to wash them in formaldahyde and hang them up and count them at the end of the op to make sure that none were left in the wound.

I had the honour to watch him operate. If there was an interesting operation going on in the next theatre, he would take his camera and take pictures, then come back and finish what he was doing. He gave the scrub nurse a hard time i remember if she didnt hand him an instrament so that he could feel it slap into his hand he would just let it slip from his fingers on to the floor and demand another one.

I remember seeing him walking down the corridor at the childrens hospital, I was in uniform and only 18 at the time and just started my training and i remember shouting his name, after the words were out of my mouth, i realised what i had done and i thaught "God now i am dead" lol. But he turned round and spoke to me, and when i reminded him who i was he said that he was glad i had started my training and good luck with it. If matron had been around i would have been on the carpet for sure.

As a child i remember at King Edwards they would wheel us out in our beds on to the patio so that we could be outside in the sunshine. It was a beautiful hospital back then. Im glad that both doctors lived into old age, they were both brilliant men.

It was a lovely surprise to find such fond memories of my father on this site!

He was a remarkable man, with an almost unbelievable commitment to his work. I know he had a fearsome reputation among the nursing staff (and indeed his colleagues), but for his patients and anyone who shared his passion for orthopaedics he would go to immense lengths. He would think nothing of spending eight hours on one complex operation. He would also think nothing of ringing up a colleague at 3 am to discuss an idea for a new technique!

so what kind of hospital was this did it have A&E or was it just a general for minor operations or physio etc & when did it close?

so what kind of hospital was this did it have A&E or was it just a general for minor operations or physio etc & when did it close?
It was a specialist orthopaedics hospital i dont think it had an A&E , i think it closed in the nineties and i believe it has now been converted into flats.

It was a lovely surprise to find such fond memories of my father on this site!

He was a remarkable man, with an almost unbelievable commitment to his work. I know he had a fearsome reputation among the nursing staff (and indeed his colleagues), but for his patients and anyone who shared his passion for orthopaedics he would go to immense lengths. He would think nothing of spending eight hours on one complex operation. He would also think nothing of ringing up a colleague at 3 am to discuss an idea for a new technique!

Hi mike, It's an honour to meet you. You must have been so proud of your dad, he was a great surgeon. Did you follow in his footsteps?
I have three daughters and a son and i would have dearly loved one of my kids to have gone into the medical profession but they all find it far too squeemish lol.
Your dad gave his all to his patients, and would never tolorate anything but the best from anyone.

I spent 10 days there in 1974 having a cartilage sorted out on my knee. In those days, pre keyhole surgery, I was confined to bed for the duration with a huge wadding dressing on the offending leg.
Whilst not saying I enjoyed being in hospital I can only confer that the atmosphere amongst the long term patients and staff was terrific. Even in my relatively trivial state I too remember being wheeled out onto the patio to take the air in the spring sunshine.
Whenever I hear The 3 Degrees "When Will I See You" I am taken back to those few days it King Ted's.

Hi mike, It's an honour to meet you. You must have been so proud of your dad, he was a great surgeon. Did you follow in his footsteps?
I have three daughters and a son and i would have dearly loved one of my kids to have gone into the medical profession but they all find it far too squeemish lol.
Your dad gave his all to his patients, and would never tolorate anything but the best from anyone.

Thank you! Yes, I am indeed proud of him. He was not only a very talented surgeon but extremely hard-working (it used to be said that he had operated on at least one member of every family in Sheffield) and, as you say, would not put up with anything but the best from anyone, including himself.

I started out as a medical student, but found it very difficult to work in a medical school in which my father was such a larger-than-life member of staff, and I felt uncomfortable with the assumption that others made that I was 'trading on the family name'. In the end I changed courses to Biochemistry, got my degree and PhD, and stayed on in academic research. For the past two decades I've been working on the molecular biology of cancer, so I don't think I've dropped the baton - just moved it to the other hand.

My dad gave more to his patients than most people realise. Often he would be frustrated by long waiting lists and lack of NHS funding for operations, especially for children who risked permanent deformities and lack of mobility as a result of delay. He found many logistical and financial ways round these problems, including very long working hours (his theatre staff had to be very patient!), and where the cost of an operation might have been a prohibitive factor he would automatically waive his fee. On one occasion a wealthy middle-eastern magnate (grateful for a successful operation on his child) offered him a personal present - essentially a blank cheque. To his surprise, the magnate found himself funding a dozen children's leg-lengthening operations.

He was, nevertheless, not an angel all the way through. He didn't suffer fools, and would terrorise students and colleagues if he thought they were not pulling their weight. He considered most hospital bureaucrats to be a species of demon bred to get in his way. He was also a notoriously bad time-keeper, to the extent that he was known as 'the late Professor Sharrard' decades before he died. He appeared to be convinced that he could travel backwards in time, and would cheerfully book a clinic at the Childrens' Hospital ('The Kids', as it was always known) to end at 11 am on a day when he was due to start operating at King Ted's ('Rivelin') at 10 am.

Your memory of him taking pictures of operations (and your mention of squeamish children) reminded me of the day he enthusiastically showed me a film of himself doing an operation (an Iliopsoas Transplant). The hour-long movie was in extreme close-up on the working area, and suffered from the startlingly garish reds and greens of early 16 mm colour film. I managed to watch until he started to drill through the ilium. There's only so much gore I could take at the age of eight!

does anyone have the exact date of it closing as a hospital

does anyone have the exact date of it closing as a hospital

Ive found this site which shows the former King Edwards Hospital and now as converted apartments, but im afraid it doesnt state when it closed as a hospital.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1151252.
Perhaps mike will know?

Thank you! Yes, I am indeed proud of him. He was not only a very talented surgeon but extremely hard-working (it used to be said that he had operated on at least one member of every family in Sheffield) and, as you say, would not put up with anything but the best from anyone, including himself.

I started out as a medical student, but found it very difficult to work in a medical school in which my father was such a larger-than-life member of staff, and I felt uncomfortable with the assumption that others made that I was 'trading on the family name'. In the end I changed courses to Biochemistry, got my degree and PhD, and stayed on in academic research. For the past two decades I've been working on the molecular biology of cancer, so I don't think I've dropped the baton - just moved it to the other hand.

My dad gave more to his patients than most people realise. Often he would be frustrated by long waiting lists and lack of NHS funding for operations, especially for children who risked permanent deformities and lack of mobility as a result of delay. He found many logistical and financial ways round these problems, including very long working hours (his theatre staff had to be very patient!), and where the cost of an operation might have been a prohibitive factor he would automatically waive his fee. On one occasion a wealthy middle-eastern magnate (grateful for a successful operation on his child) offered him a personal present - essentially a blank cheque. To his surprise, the magnate found himself funding a dozen children's leg-lengthening operations.

He was, nevertheless, not an angel all the way through. He didn't suffer fools, and would terrorise students and colleagues if he thought they were not pulling their weight. He considered most hospital bureaucrats to be a species of demon bred to get in his way. He was also a notoriously bad time-keeper, to the extent that he was known as 'the late Professor Sharrard' decades before he died. He appeared to be convinced that he could travel backwards in time, and would cheerfully book a clinic at the Childrens' Hospital ('The Kids', as it was always known) to end at 11 am on a day when he was due to start operating at King Ted's ('Rivelin') at 10 am.

Your memory of him taking pictures of operations (and your mention of squeamish children) reminded me of the day he enthusiastically showed me a film of himself doing an operation (an Iliopsoas Transplant). The hour-long movie was in extreme close-up on the working area, and suffered from the startlingly garish reds and greens of early 16 mm colour film. I managed to watch until he started to drill through the ilium. There's only so much gore I could take at the age of eight!

Hi mike and thanks for replying,
Yes your dad was a formidable man and everyone was in awe of his wonderful gift as a surgeon. I can imagine how difficult it was for you to show your own skills under the shadow of your dad. The work you are doing now is so important and i wish we could find a cure for all cancers.
It made me smile when you wrote about the "blank Check" I bet your dad had great pleasure spending the money lol.

Hi Suzyq my younger brother was in King Edwards during world cup year 1966, he had perths disease and he had to be strapped to a frame for a year ! . He was only 4 yrs old. I dont remember any nurses or wards but i remember the cooking apple trees near the cafe and i remember getting Dave Berrys autograph once when he came to visit someone there ,i also remember the long ride on the number 2 circular bus (we were living on the flower estate then).I will also never forget his screams when we had to go home .
Hi gracie, I used to love the ride to the hospital especially if it was a hot summers day, we lived on the stradbroke estate then and it was a full days outing.
I remember dreading the end of my parents visiting time too :(

Ive found this site which shows the former King Edwards Hospital and now as converted apartments, but im afraid it doesnt state when it closed as a hospital.
Perhaps mike will know?
The hospital closed in September 1992. It doesn't seem that long ago! I remember it as a thriving place in the mid-1980s, when I was doing some research on the growth of bone cells, and I used to go out to the hospital to collect small samples of bone reamings collected during operations such as hip joint replacements (family connections did help in this case). I always used to enjoy the drive, even when I got called out three times in one afternoon to collect three samples!

The hospital closed in September 1992. It doesn't seem that long ago! I remember it as a thriving place in the mid-1980s, when I was doing some research on the growth of bone cells, and I used to go out to the hospital to collect small samples of bone reamings collected during operations such as hip joint replacements (family connections did help in this case). I always used to enjoy the drive, even when I got called out three times in one afternoon to collect three samples!
Thanks mike xx

Hello Mike - I was amazed & delighted to find a post from you on this site.I too had Polio - in 1951,when I was just a few months old.Your father performed several operations on my legs,although all of mine were carried out at The Royal Infirmary on Ward 6.I only visited King Edward's as an outpatient & then only on a very few occasions.I remember him as a wonderful man who always called me "poppet" & would often pop in to see me very late in the evenings,much to the consternation of the nursing staff,who ran around in demented fashion at the arrival of the great man!
He once gave me half a crown for being brave when I had my stitches out (I would be about 4 years old then).
My other memory is of coming to his consulting rooms on Manchester Road where a ginger cat came & sat on my knee,but Mr S wouldn't let the cat come in for the consultation!
Thanks to your father,I have led & continue to lead a very happy & busy life - I became a teacher,had two healthy & handsome sons(slightly biased opinion)& still work 4 days a week.There can be few people who have changed so many lives for the better as your father did - you must be very proud of him.
When I saw the notice of his death in the Telegraph,I did write a note to your mother via the Funeral Directors & she sent me a letter of thanks in reply.What a lovely family! Very Best Wishes
Janet

Billy Smarts Circus early 50s on B3

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm229/dido3438/circushospital.jpg

Billy Smarts Circus early 50s on B3

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm229/dido3438/circushospital.jpg

Wow what a great photo DIDO, thanks for posting it xxx

Hello Mike - I was amazed & delighted to find a post from you on this site.I too had Polio - in 1951,when I was just a few months old.Your father performed several operations on my legs,although all of mine were carried out at The Royal Infirmary on Ward 6.I only visited King Edward's as an outpatient & then only on a very few occasions.I remember him as a wonderful man who always called me "poppet" & would often pop in to see me very late in the evenings,much to the consternation of the nursing staff,who ran around in demented fashion at the arrival of the great man!
He once gave me half a crown for being brave when I had my stitches out (I would be about 4 years old then).
My other memory is of coming to his consulting rooms on Manchester Road where a ginger cat came & sat on my knee,but Mr S wouldn't let the cat come in for the consultation!
Thanks to your father,I have led & continue to lead a very happy & busy life - I became a teacher,had two healthy & handsome sons(slightly biased opinion)& still work 4 days a week.There can be few people who have changed so many lives for the better as your father did - you must be very proud of him.
When I saw the notice of his death in the Telegraph,I did write a note to your mother via the Funeral Directors & she sent me a letter of thanks in reply.What a lovely family! Very Best Wishes
Janet
Hello Janet,

It is wonderful to find such appreciation of my father's work! I know he would be very pleased to find that his efforts are so well remembered. Yes, his main appointment was at the Royal Infirmary, although he also operated at the Children's Hospital, King Edward's, Claremont, and other hospitals in Sheffield and indeed around the world. His unique approach to time (he was very much a night person, a feature I've inherited) meant that he would regularly visit his patients - and do impromptu ward rounds - at hours that the nursing staff considered to be the middle of the night. As he seldom finished work before 4 am, it was the middle of the working day to him.

He did have a great ability to establish a rapport with his patients, especially children, much to the envy of his fellow surgeons.

The house on Manchester Road was the family home - we moved there in 1961 and my parents lived there until my father died. The four children were supposed to keep very quiet when my father had his consulting sessions, which often lasted from 6 pm to 9.30 pm three or four evenings each week (and sometimes in the afternoon as well). My mother, who acted as his receptionist, notes clerk, and part-time secretary and telephonist, would show patients into the waiting room (and sometimes the living room when the waiting room was full) while dashing back and forth to the kitchen to cook supper. Very few patients realised that, when my father collected them from the waiting room and took them down the hall to the consulting room, it allowed him to assess how well they were walking without their becoming self-conscious about it.

The ginger cat was called Brandy, and was officially my cat (he was one year younger than me, and lived to a great age in cat years). You were quite privileged if he sat on your knee - he was choosy with his favours, and would often do his own round of the waiting room and stalk out again if no-one met with his approval!

Hello Mike
I see from the time your reply was posted that you have indeed inherited your father's night owl traits- I'm a lark myself!
Just as a footnote,you may be interested to know that I bred & showed Siamese & Oriental Shorthair cats for thirty years & am a judge of both breeds.Your discerning Brandy obviously recognised a cat-lover!
Best Wishes
Janet

Just found this thread I was in King Edwards in the 60's I remember Dave Berry's(of pop fame)mum was in the same ward as me I thought it was great when he came ,being only 16 got him to sign a LP I had .I also remember being put outside in our beds in the hot weather and being dive bombed by wasps

Hi mike and thanks for replying,
Yes your dad was a formidable man and everyone was in awe of his wonderful gift as a surgeon. I can imagine how difficult it was for you to show your own skills under the shadow of your dad. The work you are doing now is so important and i wish we could find a cure for all cancers.
It made me smile when you wrote about the "blank Check" I bet your dad had great pleasure spending the money lol.

Professor Sharrard was indeed a remarkable man and a talented, hard-working surgeon (and I can quite imagine he didn't suffer fools!) I know that, 37 years on from my RTA, I owe my almost total lack of disability to the care given by him and his team* (despite "collecting" half a dozen fractures including femur, pelvis and ulna, the worst long-term effect is a slightly stiff knee). He would no doubt have been pleased to know that I climbed Ben Nevis in 2006 and Snowdon last year!
..*.at the Royal Infirmary at that time, two of his registrars were the Australian Dr Gaye, who repaired my arm with a 6-inch plate, and the Malaysian Dr Kwong who installed a Kuntscher nail in my femur. Both bits of ironmongery are still there!

My late nephew [Paul Evans] secured an apprenticeship in the gardening department at the hospital, possibly in the late 70's, unfortunately he was on his way home and was found deceased alongside his motor bike just outside the hospital gate, no one actually knows what happened to him as the only damage was a cracked headlight glass, does anyone remember that incident ?

I remember this well, such a mystery. My father (a lifelong biker) kept a diary which gives the date as February 1974. The poor lad was only 18.

Thanks hillsbro, I'v sent you a PM.

I was under Prof Sharrad from 1958 to the mid '60s. I was born in '58 and at 3 months was diagnosed with spinal scoliosis. My mum told me that the first doctor I saw told mum that I would be a vegetable and that she should have me instutionalised and forget about me. Poor mum. Thankfully she wasn't going to give up her first born and demanded to see another doctor. The other doctor turned out to be Prof Sharrad. From 15months to 5 years of age I wore a Milwaukee brace which I hated. I remember hating the brace and anyone I associated with it. I had a fine pair of lungs which I exercised at every hospital visit. Prof Sharrod had the patience of a saint and waited patiently until I had tired myself out. Mum later told me that he often had stern words for her as he thought she was spoiling me by trying to appease me with treats when I had a temper tantrum!

After Prof Sharrad I saw Mr Evans at the Royal Infirmary. I was admitted to King Eds in February 1969 and was in and out until the summer of 1970. I had a metal rod fixed to my spine. In preparation for that I was stretched and put in plaster of paris body casts. Over several months I was stretched 3 inches. After the op I was bedridden for 3 months. As well as Mr Evans I saw Mr Baker who was a Canadian doctor.

I was back in King Eds in the spring of '73 as the rod had broken and it was going to be changed. I was on a mixed ward. A boy on the ward died of viral pnumonia which I caught. I was taken to the isolation ward at Lodge Moor. As I recovered I was allowed to walk around the unit. I remember seeing someone in an iron lung and waving at them through the glass wall.

I cannot remember any other names but I am always grateful for the doctors, nurses and auxillary staff who looked after me. I'm sure that nurses today would be horrified at the working conditions (and uniforms) the nurses in the 60's worked under.