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Donaldson's College formerly Donaldson's Hospital |
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Gay Florida, USA |
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Thank you to Gay, Florida, USA for sending me the following message concerning her mother. Gay wrote |
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Donaldson's Pupil "I am 70. My mother went to Donaldson's, as a poor child whose name was Donaldson. She was not deaf. She had to leave at 14. I would love to visit and wonder if it is still a school." |
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Yes the building in the engraving above is still Donaldson's College in Edinburgh, but not for much longer. The college describes itself on its web site as "Scotland’s national residential and day school providing education and care for pupils aged 3-18 who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing." The Edinburgh building is to be converted into housing, and Donaldson's College is due to move to a new building at Linlithgow West Lothian. Building of the new college in Linlithgow commenced in March 2006 and the school is due to move there between October 2007 and January 2008. - Peter Stubbs: April 17, 2007 |
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Visit to the School "My mother always wanted to go back for a visit and buy ice cream because that was what visitors did, ex-students, that is. She had an excellent education there." |
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Kerosene "My mother recalled that kerosene was put on the students hair to prevent lice." |
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Servant "My mother was a servant in the house of Lord and Lady Styles when she was 14. I gathered that he was the physician to the king when he came to Edinburgh. Would you know where this was?" |
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Gay, Florida, USA: April 14, 2007 |
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Jan Birnie Muskoka, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada |
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Thank you to Jan Birnie who wrote: |
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Request for photos |
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Donaldson's School "My father would like a photograph of Donaldsons Hospital for the Deaf and Dumb. How my father went there I don't know - he has his hearing - but he thinks it my be because his brother who also went there had a stutter. Dad lived at this school from 1934 to 1938. He was very young when he went there, around 6 years old. If anyone has any pictures of the school and the children during that period my father would love to see them." |
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Dean Village Orphanage and Dean Village Public School "In 1938, the 'hearing' children were transferred from Donaldson's to the Dean Village Orphanage and went to the Dean Village Public School. Any pictures of the Dean Village Orphanage or the Dean Village Public school during this period would also be appreciated." |
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Dad's Family "Dad's name is John T. Birnie. His father was John F. Birnie and his mother was Nellie McKinley. Nellie came from 13 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh. His dad, John F Birnie, had lived at 57 Calton Road, Edinburgh. |
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Jan Birnie, Muskoka, Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada: March 8, 2008 |