MAY What was my childhood made of?
Ribbons and bows so pretty and nice?
My head was shaven to rid me of lice. Many a visitor, bringing laughter and fun? No, no visitors – never – not one. What of the food, did you eat well? Gum from the ground, if truth is to tell. But your first memories, some must be good? Brain hemorrhage – an infirmary – blood, lots of blood. Surely your guardians were caring and kind? Sadly no – not to my mind! What was the reason, what was the manner? Reason? – NO reason! – a ladle or hammer! Excursions and outings there must have been some? Yes, to Trauma and Terror – all just good fun: I was sent to a cemetery, alone, late one night Where a ‘good sister’ awaited me dressed all in white! 1941 - I was taken into ‘care’. Mother neglected us, poor father wasn’t there… |
At the age of 4, May Quinn along with her two sisters June and Evelyn, was placed in St Joseph’s in 1941. May's brother, Edward, was sent to St Peter’s Home for Boys in nearby Gainford.
Neglected by their mother, the children had been taken into ‘care’ by the authorities whilst their father was abroad serving in the army. May's father was taken prisoner of war in Poland and sadly died in a military hospital in Surrey in 1946. When May turned 15 - legally of an age when she could have let the home - she was told she was 'going to the seaside', put on a train and sent to Southampton. There she was set to work in the kitchens and laudry at Redcote Convent, Bitterne, run by the Sisters of Charity of our Lord the Good Shepherd. Whilst May received kinder treatment at this institution, she left at the first opportunity four years later and went on to lead a happy 'normal' life thereafter as a loving wife and mother. May's main recollections of her time in St. Joseph's were kindly shared by her daughter Claire. |
For May, June, Evelyn and Edward Quinn - July 2016
'On Angel's Wings she was taken away...' - November 2016