"I thought you might be interested in my story about my sister
Amelia Harper who worked in the hospital in 1940. She was asked by,
I believe, the then chaplain Rev Loveday if she would like to go
into domestic service for him and his wife, as he was moving to
London to be vicar of St Martin In The Fields.
Being 24 years old, she got permission from our parents to do
so. She worked for them all through the War, until a couple of
years after Rev Loveday passed away during a trip to Australia. She
then looked after Mrs Loveday until she died in the late 80s. After
that, my sister returned to Bristol and died five years ago, aged
89.
I remember spending a week in the Eye Hospital in 1957, through
an injury at work. I recall the nurses were dressed in white
starched uniforms and red aprons. They, and the doctors, saved the
sight in my right eye."
Mr Tom Harper, Bedminster
"I was a patient at the hospital in the '70s and '80s. I
was operated on twice by Mr Dallas (1971 and 1976) and had
appointments with Mrs Aldney (?) in Opthalmology at least 50 times.
My mum has found my operation wristband from 1971 and my last
appointment cards.
My hospital number was 161584 and I can now confirm that I was a
patient from 1971 until 26th March 1986! This last appointment was
at the temporary hospital in the Old Building of the BRI so I never
actually got to be a patient at the new building.
When the old building was being demolished, I went to Maudlin
Street for one last look at it and one of the workmen gave me part
of a brick (unfortunately mislaid when I moved house in the '90s)
and a booklet he had found in one of the skips. It is called
"The Bristol Eye Hospital" and was published by the Board of
Governors to mark the 150th Anniversary."
Amanda Day
