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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Anglesey => Topic started by: bendywendy on Monday 18 April 11 20:28 BST (UK)
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Can anyone help me with information regarding the Lady Thomas Convalescent Home, Holyhead.
This home was founded and equipped by Sir Robert John Thomas for the nursing care of Discharged and Disabled Soldiers and Sailors of WW1.
Do you have a photograph, where did it stand and is it still standing??
What uniforms did the nursing staff wear??
During the 1920's a Dr Clay "Clay of Holyhead" worked for the Ministry of Pensions within the building?? So was this building taken over by local government for their offices and maybe the name was replaced??
Bendywendy
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I believe the Cliff Hotel Treaddur Bay Holyhead is the building you are looking for. Sir R J Thomas had it built it still stands and is now holiday flats there is an old postcard on Ebay that you can check out showing the Cliff hotel between the wars under Holyhead your best bet for your other question is to contact Anglesey archives to see if they have any papers on the hotel
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Thank you cae howell, I did wonder if this hotel was in fact the Home, I was told that it may have been known locally as the Beach Hospital too.
I will contact the Anglesey archives again.
I also now know that Sir R J Thomas was in shipping, had a business called the Thomas Shipping Co, so hopefully the archives may have something for that, maybe the info for the Home could be with the families shipping records.
Going to look for the postcard on Ebay now.
Many thanks
Bendywendy
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Just an update that I am still searching for answers with this and have asked for help on another thread about where various WW1 hospitals were sited on Anglesey, this is the link:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=699294.new#new
If anyone can still help with the original request for information regarding Lady Thomas and or the headwear that they would have worn as I believe my husband's grandmother may have worked there, this is the link to her photograph of the headwear:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=508278.msg3647866#msg3647866
Kind regards
bendywendy
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Newspaper article on opening if you are still interested, has a photo of the hospital:
http://cymru1914.org/en/view/newspaper/4245988/8
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Hi from Sweden.
I've been reading through your topic today and have a couple of observations to make. The photo of the hospital shown in the newspaper article is the Gors hospital at Gorse Avenue, Holyhead. It eventually became the local maternity hospital.
Shown on a map of 1888 is what later became the Gareglwyd Estate at holyhead, Purchased by Sir R.J.Thomas in 1897. (The newspaper article states that the hospital was built on this Gareglwyd estate. The straight line distance between the Main Estate house and the Gors hospital is 200 meters.
The uniform worn by your relative is almost certainly that of a nanny/nurse ... she may have been employed as such in one of the many wealthy homes in Anglesey and, quite possibly, at Rhosneigr where she has a connection. This would explain the lack of any records showing her as being a 'nurse', in the accepted sense of the word.
P.S. My family connection to Sir R.J. Thomas.
Anita, the daughter of Jeannette Tildesley, (nee Richards), married George Henry Thomas at Llangefni in 1907. George was the brother of R.J. and was also a shipowner living at Sefton, Liverpool. Ánita lived in the large family home in Rhosneigr!
Hoping that this helps, hinders, or just opens new doors
regards, Peter.
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More info.
From the Maritime Museum at Holyhead.
[Soon after the First World War the 'Lady Thomas Convalescence Home for Discharged and Disabled Soldiers and Sailors' was opened at the top of what is now Gors Avenue. It is thought to have been intended as a house but building work was stopped during the war. It was equipped with all the modern facilities of the time at a cost of £15,000 and provided beds for 44 patients. The building later became the Gors Maternity Hospital (date unknown - possibly 1948?). It has now been converted into flats.]
From the ' Daily Post*
Other buildings also took the role of hospitals although in reality they were convalescent homes for the large number of wounded servicemen. The Assembly Rooms (Holborn Road), the Sailors’ Home (Newry Beach), and Llys y Gwynt (Llanfawr Close), all in Holyhead, assumed this role. In Trearddur Bay, Isallt Fawr, Ty‘r Enfys and the Darien Hotel also became wartime convalescent homes, as did the Lady Thomas Convalescent Home which was opened in Holyhead a few months after the war (and later became the Gors Maternity Hospital). Ty Wridin, Rhoscolyn (maintained by Sir MM Grayson MP) was also used for a while.
regards, Peter
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I was also searching for references to this Convalescent home because one of my father's aunts was the Matron. I have some photos of the hospital in operation along with pictures of some of the nurses in their uniforms (and some patients too) There's also one showing Dr Clay
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I am researching Anita Elizabeth Tildesley and her husband George henry Thomas.
Married in 1907 as you have detailed, they changed their name to Tregarneth in 1928.
I am particularly interested in anything during the second world war when Anita Elizabeth was named on Land tax for Plas Bodfa, Beaumauris. Anita was a writer, poet and artist. (The Call of the Sea and Founders of Faith in Wales). Photographs, stories anything would be wonderful. Their address varies over the years 1935 to late 50s but one was Voel Vanna (Church Bay) Porth Swtan.
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I have extensive details of the Tildesley family but alas, for Anita, I lost sight of her after the 1911 census showed her and her husband staying at a Bloomsbury hotel. No wonder I couldn't trace her much after that, changing their surname really put me off the scent. Send me your e-mail by PM and I'll send you all the information that I have managed to collect of this family.
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Thanks that would be great but I'm new to this so I don't think I can PM yet?
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Hi, I never knew this history of the Gors Hospital as it were. I was born there in 1964, it's recently been on the market as a building with several flats, I'm not sure if it sold or not.
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I was one of many girls and boys born in this hospital, I was born on the 7th July 1977, i don't know how long it remained open. My mum told me about the day she gave birth to me and how you were expected to stay on the maternity ward for 12 days so the midwifes could show you how to take care of a baby, and fathers could only visit for an hour each day. Most nurses were nice but a few were not, its amazing to see how times have changed over the years, it has been renovated quite a few years back to create flats, I don't think I could live in one just too spooky for me as it is very ugly building
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Welsh Journals -
https://journals.library.wales
Tregarneth in the search field returns 22 hits - I've only checked a few..
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Thank you. I have checked those out.
Many Anita’s books and George’s member of various society’s
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Hi,
This photo includes my grandfather Bertram Brassington (far left). On the back it is inscribed:
May 4th 1920
Taken by Nurse M Williams at Lady Thomas Home
Holy head
Marriage of Nurse Rose & R Strahan
I cannot find a record of this marriage.
Must be a coincidence being Nurse Rose but the home is without doubt the one you are looking for. It does give some idea of the uniforms. I'm happy to send bigger files if of interest
Joe