MEMORIES of a former orthopaedic children’s hospital have been brought together in a book by Kirkbymoorside History Group.

The letters and conversations between former patients and staff recalling their personal experiences of life on wards at the Adela Shaw hospital are recorded in Fresh Air on the Verandah.

The book, which costs £10, features stories which date from the 1920s through to 1970, when the hospital closed.

Funding for the book was provided by the Two Ridings Community Fund, which has also provided a sign and information board at the site of the old hospital. The sign was unveiled at the end of last year by Donella Agar, who was one of the last child patients there.

The hospital was established in the town in 1925, on the site of a former Red Cross Hospital, which dated from the First World War.

Army buildings were donated by the Shaw family, who lived in nearby Welburn Hall, but it was Adela Shaw who was the driving force behind establishing the Yorkshire Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital, which would later bear her name.

Opened by Princess Mary, the hospital survived on subscriptions and donations from the wealthy, but was eventually taken under the wing of the National Health Service when it was established after the Second World War.

By 1968, however, with the hospital caring for adults as well as children, suggestions were being made by the health authorities that the hospital be closed and services moved to Scarborough.

By 1970, despite local protests, the hospital was closed down and some of the buildings were demolished.

Kirkbymoorside History Group member Louise Mudd said: “The book has proved very popular and we have had a lot of contact from former relatives and friends of patients and staff from around the country.

“We must have sold more than 200 copies of the book to date, which has also meant we have had to reprint the first two books in the series as well.

“We are thrilled with the response and it seems the Adela Shaw is still very important to so many people, even after all these years. We had some wonderful letters of thanks for our efforts and also held an exhibition at the British Legion Club on book’s launch day.”

Louise said numerous former patients and relatives have returned over the years seeking out the site and now there is a sign, it would ensure visitors would be able to find the spot where the hospital once stood.

Former patients and staff travelled from across the country for a reunion to mark the launch of the book. Louise said the aim had been to get together as many of the patients and staff who had contributed to the book.

“The hospital was an important part of many people’s lives and it meant a great deal to some of those people to get together and enjoy a wonderful reunion,” she said.

The book, which costs £10, is available from the Children in Distress charity shop, in Kirkbymoorside, the Ryedale Family History website at www.reyedalefamilyhistory.org or by phoning 01751 431272.