Latest News

Support the Museum as you Surf

• Use every time you search the web and they give 50% of the fees paid by their advertising sponsors to Chesham Museum. Just type 'Chesham Museum' into the box provided on the easysearch web page and start searching.

Donate On-line

• Chesham Museum is an entirely volunteer-run and independent museum. We rely on your donations to continue to record and share our town's fascinating and diverse history. Go to the Chesham Museum page of the MyCharity website and donate today.

Fund raising

• Help us by becoming a Friend of the Museum

Chesham Town Council Events

• A calendar of events in Chesham

Chesham objects in other collections

• Have you spotted an object associated with Chesham in another museum? If so, we would love to know about it. Chiltern Toys had a factory making wooden and other toys in Waterside, Chesham until the outbreak of WWII. This Chiltern Toys bear is in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Please Note: To read .pdf files you need a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat or Foxit Reader installed on your computer.

Chesham Stories

Eileen King - Chesham Hospital Children's Ward

In the early 1940's I worked as a nurse in Chesham Cottage Hospital. The children's ward was small and equipped for five children. There were three medium-sized iron bedsteads and two iron cots with rails all round. At the side of the room was a door into a small room which had one lavatory, a small square glazed stone sink and draining-board on which stood a small tin bath in which we very occasionally bathed a small infant.

No visitors were allowed into the ward as it was considered too upsetting for the children. But Mums and Dads could look through the glass window in the kitchen door which led into the ward. Children were admitted between the ages of two to 14 years. They would be suffering from any of the following - bronchitis, pneumonia, feeding problems, burns or scalds. Operations were carried out for tonsillectomies, circumcision and other minor disabilities.

Each morning at 8am breakfast was given out, after which all children were 'potted' or taken out to the toilet. This was followed by a 'bed bath' when each child was fully washed and the bed made fresh and clean and that is where the children had to stay.

A nurse would be in the ward and would read to them or help them to draw. There was also a large rocking horse in front of the window and occasionally the nurse would be allowed to give a child a ride.

Lunch was at 12 noon. In the afternoon all children were settled quietly until 4pm tea-time after which a wash and settled for the night at 6pm. No television or wireless in those days.

Most children were very good and their stay unless they were very ill was anything between one and three weeks and they were very happy when their Mums came to take them home.

Eileen King (nee Vango)

Copyright
Chesham Museum website and its contents are protected by copyright. You are welcome to access, download and print pages from the site for non-commercial personal or educational uses. If you wish to discuss commercial use of the material on this site please contact Chesham Museum using the Contact page for advice.

© Chesham Museum 2009