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Challenger Lodge Boswall Road, Trinity, North Edinburgh AND Dunforth Home Park Road, Trinity, North Edinburg |
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Recollections |
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1. |
Brendon
Hume + reply from
Karen Lury |
- Resident - Other Residents |
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- William Merrilees |
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2. |
Brendon
Hume |
- Home for Cripple Children |
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3. |
Brendon Hume |
- William Merrilees |
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4. |
George
T Smith |
- William Merrilees |
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5. |
Evelyn Boyd Southgate |
- Resident - Other Residents |
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6. |
Evelyn Boyd Southgate |
- Operation - Memories - Outings - Miss McGregor - Visiting Days |
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7. |
- Christmas 1954 - Do you remember? |
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8. |
Evelyn Boyd Southgate + reply from
Peter Stubbs |
- 1952 - Scran Photos |
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- Scran Photos |
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9. |
Evelyn Boyd Southgate |
- Quarantine |
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10. |
- Christine Nisbet Pollock - Names - Chief Constable Merrilees - Children's Home - My Mother's Memories |
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11. |
Evelyn Boyd Southgate |
- Quarantine |
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12. |
John Stevenson |
- Visit to the Pantomime |
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13. |
Josephine Mcgonagall |
- Jean Johnson - Resident,1935 to 1951 |
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14. |
- Josephine Mcgonagall |
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15. |
John Merrilees |
- Picnics at South Queensferry |
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16. |
- Challneger Lodge - 1946-51 |
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17. |
Hilary Millington (née
Johnson) |
- Dunforth Children's Home - 1960-70 - Willie Merrilees - |
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Recollections 1. Brendon Hume Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England |
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Brendon Hume wrote: |
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Resident "I am from Auld Reekie, Cumberland Street, Stockbridge, but owing to my disability, a club foot, I spent a few years in Challenger Lodge, Boswell Road, Granton. Challenger lodge is now a hospice. I remember: - being taken on trips to the Rosebery Estate at Cramond with Inspector William Merrilees of the Lothian Police. - being taken to Niddry with the Edinburgh Taxi Drivers day out. - a visit by Issy Bonn, a show biz star of the day. - a visit to see the Hibs team with my hero Gordon Smith. Other Residents? I am now in my 71st year and would welcome information about any other residents from Challenger Lodge, or about the cubs at Wardie Church." Brendon Hume, Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England: September 9, 2009 |
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Replies If you'd like to send a reply to Brendon, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to him. Thank you. - Peter Stubbs: September 12, 2009 |
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Update 1 Thank you to Walter Lyle Hume, now living in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, for contacting me. I've now passed on Walter's message to Brendon. - Peter Stubbs: September 13, 2009 |
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Dr Karen Lury wrote: William Merrilees "I'm trying to find out more about a visit that William Merrilees made to Challenger Lodge in 1961. I 'm an academic at Glasgow University looking at children in amateur film in Scotland. There is a short film called 'The Chief's Half Day' that seems to show William Merrilees donating the dog that played Greyfriars Bobby to the children at the Lodge. If Brendon or anybody else had any memories of that visit or of their experiences in the home, I would love to hear them. There are a number of children in the film as they greet 'Uncle Willie' in front of the lodge. The film ends with Matron (?) taking the dog in" Dr Karen Lury, Glasgow, Scotland: April 1, 2010 If you'd like to send a reply to Karen, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to her. Thank you. Peter Stubbs: April 1, 2010 |
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Recollections 2. Brendon Hume Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England |
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Brendon Hume wrote again: |
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Home for Cripple Children "In a previous email from someone - I cant remember who! - the sender stated that a girl was an orphan in Challenger Lodge (pre-changing to a Hospice). As far as i am aware to 1948 Challenger Lodge was a home for cripple children only. I stand to be corrected If am wrong." Brendon Hume: January 8, 2010 |
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Replies 1. Challenger Lodge, at 15 Boswall Road, was bought by the Edinburgh Cripple and Invalid Children's Aid Society in 1929 to replace the society's children's homes at Nellfield and Viewforth in Edinburgh. I believe that this remained a children's home in the care of the society until shortly before the premises opened as St Columba's Hospice in 1977, but I don't know what the 'rules for admission' were for the children. 2. If you have any information that you'd like to send to Brendon, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to him. Thank you. Peter Stubbs: January, 2010 |
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Recollections 3. Brendon Hume |
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Brendon Hume added: |
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William Merrilees "I'm just letting you know that I received an email from Dr Lury and was able to help by giving her some information about Chief Inspector W. Merrilees. I was wondering if any of your correspondents could provide more information about Mr. Merrilees. He was a famous 'Old Leither' and was also well known in Edinburgh. There was a book written about his life story: 'The Short Arm Of The Law' by Longmans. I believe it is now out of print." Brendon Hume, Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England: April 9, 2010 |
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Recollections 4. George T Smith Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada |
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George T Smith wrote: |
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William Merrilees "There was a book written about his life story: 'The Short Arm Of The Law' by Longmans. I believe it is now out of print, but I found a copy offered for sale on the Internet by Bookdonors CIC Ltd for £40 + postage. It strikes me that anyone really interested in these expensive memoirs would already have done a Google search and got similar results to me. However, I believe that Edinburgh Central Library is almost certain to have a copy, so impoverished researchers may be able to get a free loan." George T Smith, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada: April 11+12, 2010 |
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Recollections 5. Evelyn Boyd Southgate (née Browne) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Evelyn Southgate wrote: |
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1942 to 1951 "I was born in Edinburgh in 1942. Ibecame aware that I was in the Children's Home at about the age of four. I remained there until I was nine years old, when I was fostered to a retired couple who moved to Cornwall. I had no parents or family and so i suppose I was an orphan though I never thought of myself as such! I always wondered why everyone else seemed to come and go but I always seemed to remain there." Memories I recall a long walk to church and turning right out of the home and walking along by the wall surrounding the home's large grounds then crossing several roads. I also remember: - the school and the teacher, Miss McGregor who brought along her dog each day - a huge tree which I loved ---. - huge grassy areas covered with daisies. - the playroom covered with broken toys. - the underground bathroom which gave me the creeps." Brendon "I loved it when new people came in who could sing me new songs which I copied as I loved to sing. I don't remember a boy named Brendon, but I wonder if I'm the girl that he remembers." Evelyn Southgate, Croydon, Surrey, England: June 11, 2010 |
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Recollections 6. Evelyn Boyd Southgate (née Browne) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Evelyn Southgate added: |
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Operation "I was in Challenger Lodge because of a condition called Nail Patella Syndrome (although I only discovered through the internet that is what I have when I was 59). I was affected by both feet being clubfooted. Also, my knees were affected. I was operated on Christmas 1951 in Princess Margaret Rose Hospital for Children (as it was then). After that was completed I was ready to be fostered and was taken to be with my foster parents in Cornwall by a Children's Officer from Edinburgh called Miss Boa." Memories "I remember: - We sang hymns every morning, one of which was 'There's a friend for little children above the bright blue sky' - I was once given a doll as a reward for teaching a child The Lord's Prayer. - We had porridge for breakfast every day. When I left the home, I badly missed the lumps probably caused when the porridge burned at the bottom of the pan! - We also had malt and cod liver oil every day, which I loved the taste of. Yuk!!" Outings "I always missed the outings because I got so excited that I was sick every single time. They tried not telling me until we were about to go but I'd know something was up because our nicer clothes were laid at the bottom of the bed." Miss McGregor "Miss McGregor, our teacher, loved the birds. She hung coconut and suet cake for them in the winter and I was enchanted to see the beauty of nature so close up. She surprised and worried me when she cried at the news that King George had died, and I was very relieved when she eventually recovered herself." Visiting Days "Visiting days were always quite hard for me because I seemed to be the only one who had no visitors. I coped quite well though I found it puzzling." Evelyn Southgate, Croydon, Surrey, England: June 12, 2010 |
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Recollections 7. Elizabeth Raeburn-Fellows |
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Thank you to Elizabeth Raeburn-Fellows who wrote: |
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Christmas 1954 "I have a letter dated 28th December 1954 from the then Matron Miss C Nesbit-Pollock, of Challenger Lodge, Boswell Road, Edinburgh (The Edinburgh Cripple and Invalids Children's Aid Society), thanking a Mrs. Soanes of NW London for Christmas gifts sent to Jeffrey Bruce at Challenger Lodge. Miss Nesbit-Pollock has added that during the Christmas period 1953/54 the lodge was under quarantine for an outbreak of mumps, which meant 'the children had to miss a great many things available at this time of the year', but despite this, the children had a 'wonderful time on Christmas Day, with lots of good things from Santa!'." Do you remember? "If anyone knows anything about this timeframe at Challenger Lodge, or knows anything about Jeffrey Bruce, I would be interested to hear from them." Elizabeth Raeburn-Fellows: June 15, 2010 |
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Reply to Elizabeth Raeburn-Fellows If you would like to send a reply to Elizabeth, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to her. Thank you. Peter Stubbs: Edinburgh, June 15, 2010 |
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Recollections 8. Evelyn Boyd Southgate (née Browne) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Evelyn Southgate added: |
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1952 "I've realised that since King George VI died in 1952 I must have been at the St Columba's until then. I was nine on 15/12/51 then spent Christmas at the PMR Hospital, and was fostered, once the full leg plasters that were applied after the operation on my knees had been removed. So I suspect I was resident at Challenger Lodge until Spring 1952." Scran Photos "I wonder if Brendon has seen the 9 thumbnail photos of Challenger Lodge that can be found on the free Scran Site. Evelyn Southgate, Croydon, Surrey, England: June 13, 2010" |
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Thank you to Evelyn for telling me about the 9 thumbnail images of Challenger Lodge on the Scran web site. Here is a link to the page on the Scran web site. I've now added three of these images to the EdinPhoto web site. Please click the thumbnail images below to enlarge them. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 22, 2010 |
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Recollections 9. Evelyn Boyd Southgate (née Browne) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Evelyn Southgate added: |
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Quarantine "During my stay at the home which ended early in 1952, I had measles, chickenpox and scarlet fever. On each occasion I was transferred to a local hospital and it was so funny when, one by one, other children from the home joined me in quarantine gradually filling the ward! (I developed mumps during a stay with my prospective foster-parents.)" Evelyn Southgate, Croydon, Surrey, England: June 16, 2010" |
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Recollections 10. Heather Sims Near Basingstoke, Hampshire, England |
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Thank you to Heather Sims for sending me the two photos below. Please click on the photos to enlarge them. Heather wrote: |
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Christine Nisbet Pollock "My mother was Christine Nisbet Pollock, Matron of Challenger Lodge. She is mentioned in Recollections 7 above. I have two very precious photograph albums of her time there. I'm not sure of her precise dates as Matron. She certainly left shortly before 16th March 1956 when she married my father, and one of the albums contains a newspaper cutting from 29th January 1954, so I think she must have taken up her post some time in 1953." |
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Names Sadly, my mother did not write names against all the photos. From those she did name, I have been able to annotate this group photo taken on the steps of Challenger Lodge: Photo 1
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to Heather Sims Photographer not known I also have photos of other children, whom I can’t put a name to. I used to love looking at the photos as a child, and my mother would say “that’s little …” but I never thought to ask her to write the names down, and now it’s too late. She died in 1998. Here is another group photo: Photo 2
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to Heather Sims Photographer not known I've not been able to name the children in this one, but one of them could be Jeffrey Bruce, mentioned by Elizabeth Raeburn-Fellowes in Recollections 7 above. My mother is also in this photo. She is standing in the middle. I think this photo was possible taken a little before Photo 1. I'm afraid there is no further information on these photos, as to who took them or what the occasions were." |
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Chief Constable Merrilees "Chief Constable Merrilees is a name that I grew up with. My mother always spoke very fondly of him. Sadly, I never thought to ask much about him. I just know that he was very good to the children at Challenger Lodge. My mother’s albums include: - a newspaper photograph of the Chief Constable with the children as they celebrated their belated Christmas at the end of the whooping cough and mumps quarantine. - a newspaper photograph of the Chief Constable with my mother and two of the children in a taxi, taken during the Edinburgh taxi drivers’ annual outing for sick, crippled and orphaned children to Gullane. - original photographs of the children and adults (including Chief Constable Merrilees) on a picnic to Castle Craig in May 1954. - Chief Constable Merrilees’ obituary in the Scotsman, Thursday August 23, 1984." |
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Children's Home "As a child, I never questioned why these children should be in a home. It's certainly something I ask now. In the photos, many of the children look capable of living ordinary lives within a family (although, having no medical training myself, I may be wrong). Here are a couple of newspaper quotes, the second quote being a little sadder.
I hope Evelyn Southgate ('Recollections 8 + 9' above) was not 'deserted by her parents'. It seems as though Challenger Lodge did give her a happy, if somewhat puzzling, childhood." |
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My Mother's Memories "My mother had some sad tales about some of the children, but also some lovely heart-warming ones. Bob Hope visited the home, and I have photographs and newspaper cuttings of that occasion. But my mother also told a lovely story of Roy Rogers coming to the home to make a little boy’s dream come true. I don't have any pictures of that, nor do I know which of the little boys it was. I'd love to hear from any of the children who may remember my mother. I've looked at their photographs so many times and wondered what happened to the children. And I would, or course, be happy to share these photographs with them. I'm hoping to hear from some of these faces from the past." |
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Heather Sims: September 24, + October 2, 2011 |
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Reply to Heather? If you'd like to send a reply to Heather, please email me then I'll pass on your message to her. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: July 26, 2011 |
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Recollections 11. Evelyn Boyd Southgate (née Browne) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Evelyn Southgate added: |
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Message from Heather "I took a look at your site today to see if there were any new entries re Challenger Lodge and spotted a new photo from Heather Sims, then I found her lovely message. Heather's mother may not have known me as I have worked out that I left in the Spring of 1952. Respite Home "I've seen Challenger Lodge referred to somewhere as a 'Respite Home for Crippled Children' and this makes sense of my experiences in the home as being intended for short term residential care. For the time I was there, which includes my earliest memories until age 9, I was the only one who never received visitors and the only one who never eventually left to go home to my own family. Some of the children were severely disabled physically and came in to be nursed for a while before returning home. Some were resident for the carrying out of operations in Edinburgh and for the subsequent post -operative care Others came in to receive a course of regular physiotherapy appropriate to their condition. I had a sense of a family institution that came and went while I stood still and this applied to the staff as well as the children. However the teacher, Miss Edith McGregor was a constant and I felt a bond with her. My Treatment "I assume that my own mother became overwhelmed by the responsibility of providing for her disabled daughter on her own (she never married) and applied to the Edinburgh Crippled Children Society for help in the form of respite care for me at the home, then succumbed to the temptation to abandon me there. Those were terribly difficult days and she would have known that I would be well cared for which indeed I was because my disablement was successfully treated and for this I am so very grateful!" Evelyn Southgate, Croydon, Surrey, England: November 9, 2011 |
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Recollections 12. John Stevenson Trinity, Edinburgh |
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John Stevenson tells me: |
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Visit to the Pantomime "I remember, when I was aged about 18, and a member of the Bible Class at Wardie Parish Church, two of us from the church - a boy and a girl - would take a boy and girl from Challenger Lodge to the Pantomime at the King's Theatre each Christmas. That would have been around 1950. The church paid for the tickets for the two from Challenger Lodge. There were no burger bars then to go on to after the Pantomime, so we all went to a nearby milk bar, but we had to be sure that we were not late arriving back at Challenger Lodge." John Stevenson, Trinity, Edinburgh: February 17, 2013 |
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Recollections 13. Rhys Mckenna |
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Thank you to Rhys Mckenna for sending his gran's memories of staying at Challenger Lodge. Rhys wrote: |
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Jean Johnson At Challenger Lodge 1935 to around 1951 "My gran, Jean Johnson, was born in 1933 in Scotland. She was at the Challenger Lodge home from 1935 until around 1951, she reckons. She remembers lots about the Challenger Lodge, and in great detail. We found the EdinPhoto site today, and I am emailing you on her behalf. My gran remembers: - She remembers being taken to the Rosebery Estate for picnics.
- She remembers
Bible
Classes and Hymns. - She remembers when she was around 6 having lessons on how to put on her gasmask then having to go and collect a little Mickey Mouse one from another dormitory. - She remembers her dorm and how it stretched back and that the lodge backed on to the sea. - She remembers walking along the road to the church, just as another resident on this group said. - She speaks really warmly of William Merrilees, and spoke about how he would show the residents all that he was doing, with slide shows of work and stories of him going undercover, dressed up to catch someone at Waverley station. - She remembers Merrilees being great with the children and throwing a small girl over his shoulder in play when he came in, she says her name was Betty - She remembers the Greyfriars Bobby part and Miss MacGregor. - She remembers Matron Margaret Thompson and she was wondering if anyone else knew her. - She still remembers the malt and cod liver oil and still says 'yuk' at the taste! - She remembers the gardener's cottage at the start of the grounds by the left-hand gate and the beautiful gardens - She remembers two of the girls, Janet Fulton and Rose(bud) Owens - She also told me a story about how Matron Thompson used to lay the presents out at Christmas and how my gran woke up and asked: 'Are you Santa?' She laughs about that. We spent hours talking about Challenger Lodge, and were so surprised and warmed to see such a community and page of memories of Challenger Lodge online. We read through all the entries laughing and smiling." Rhys McKenna (age 22, gran age 83): 28 August 2016. |
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Recollections 14. Donna Stewart |
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Thank you to Donna Stewart who wrote: |
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Josephine Mcgonagall "I stumbled upon this photo while searching place names my mum told me about: Children and Staff (Please click on this photo to enlarge it) She went to Challenger Lodge, Her name was Josephine Mcgonagall back then. She is front row and bent over / leaning. I'd love to learn more about her past."
Donna Stewart: 11 June 2017 |
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Recollections 15. John Merrylees Juniper Green, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to John Merrylees who wrote: |
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Picnics to Lord Roseberry's Estate Late-1950s/early-1960s "I've just been looking at the EdinPhoto site in an effort to trace a young lad whom I believe was resident in Dunforth Orphanage around the late-1950s/early-1960s and possibly at Challenger Lodge before that. Chief Constable Willie Merrilees was my Grandfather and I used to go on the picnic trips to Lord Roseberry’s Estate in South Queensferry with him and kids from the various homes." Old Photos "It's a very long shot, I know, but I wonder if you know of anyone who may have any group photos of those picnics. I'd like to see some photos so that I could try to pick this chap out. He was particularly shy and tended to stand on the edge of any activities that were going on. I was only 9 or 10 years old myself at the time but, call it guilt if you like, I have always felt I could have done a lot more to include him in things. I am hoping to recognise him from a photo as a first step and then hopefully attempt to contact him in order to catch up and maybe meet for a coffee if he is up for it and not now living on the other side of the world. Keeping my fingers crossed but, by golly, we’ll need a fair bit of luck with this one!." John Merrylees, Juniper Green: 10+20+20 January 2018 |
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Reply to John If you know anything about picnic outings to Lord Roseberry's Estate between Cramond and South Queensferry or know of any photos of outings there and would like to contact John Merrylees to let him know, please email me, then I'll pass on John's email address to you. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 20 January 2017 |
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Recollections 16. Jack Brown Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Jack Brown who wrote: |
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Challenger Lodge Resident 1946 to 1951 "I was in Challenger lodge from 1946 to 1951 and I live in Edinburgh. Here are a few recollections from that time. Firstly, we now live in an age when we hear stories of historical institutional child abuse, but I never saw, or was aware of, any abuse to a child in Challenger. In fact; it was the complete opposite." Highs "The highs that I remember are: - Lying in my stretcher watching the trawlers in Granton harbour going to and returning from the fishing grounds, from the dormitory window. - All the kids being allowed to listen to the weekly broadcast of 'Dick Barton, Special Agent' on the staff radio. - The taxi driver’s Outings to Gullane. I was taken in the back of a privately owned Alvis Shooting Brake as I was encased in plaster and unable to travel in an ordinary taxi. - Meeting Peter Scott the artist (Son of Scott of the Antarctic) who visited the home. - A visit from a member of Royalty - the Duchess of Kent ?? - Being taken to, and meeting Mr Merrilees, at the Christmas Pantomime in the Kings Theatre. Because I was lying flat, I was given a box rather than a seat. - As a birthday treat, being wheeled round the grounds on top of a pram by the Matron as I had never been able to walk around." Lows "The lows that I remember are: - Seeing my widowed mother only at the weekends, although some other kids never saw their parents at all. - Being served sago topped with jam ( frogs eggs !) - Being terrified when in the dormitory at night with the window shutters closed and listening to a plane flying over (and thinking it was a bomber even though, the war had ended). - Running away from my home and back to Challenger after being discharged, because I was unable to cope with 'normal family living'." Jack Brown, Edinburgh: 24 + 25 January 2018 |
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Recollections 17. Hilary Millington (née Johnson) Croydon, Surrey, England |
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Hilary wrote: |
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Dunforth Children's Home 1960 to 1970 "I was resident at the Dunforth Children's Home from 1960 to roughly 1970. Willie Merrylees "I was very familiar with Willie Merrylees and remember him visiting. I believe I am in some pictures and videos that are about. I particularly remember him giving me a doll when I was around 2 years old that was the same size as myself. He was in and out of the Dunforth all the time." "My brother and I were invited to all the outings with the Dunforth. We went on the picnics and the taxi driver outings and on holiday every year with them. " Douglas Muir "I am in touch with a gentleman named Douglas Muir, his mother was the lady who ran the home then, with her husband. And another couple of Aunts as well. I have a few pics of the home around that time but I know that Douglas has some albums of pictures of residents at the home." Hilary Millington (née Johnson), Telford, Edinburgh: 28 April 2018 |