| Arrangement | There are 27 items in this Sub collection [HC RO/B] because of the small amount and type of material these have not been broken down into Series. Where runs of material were continuous they have been kept as a group and not split across the Sub Collections, for example the group of Workmen's Auxiliary Committee minute books covers a continuous period from 1907-1936, covering a time after the amalgamation in 1925. The Administrative structure of the organisation made it impractical to separate material relating to Woodlands and Forelands [the two convalescent homes]: material directly relevant to Woodlands are items HC RO/B/11-14, material directly relevant to Forelands are items HC RO/B/15-16.
Items HC RO/B/1-5 covering dates from 1899-1925 appear to be the highest level minute books and although are mixed minute books they seem to primarily record the activities of the General Committee. Item HC RO/B/6 is the only Finance Committee Minute book, and is related to HC RO/C/1/1/3/5. Items HC RO/B/7-10 are minute books of the Handicraft Committee. Items HC RO/B/11-12 are minute books relating to Woodlands and HC RO/B/13-14 are Woodlands Matron's Report books. Items HC RO/B/15-16 relate to Forelands. Items HC RO/B/17-20 are Minutes of the Workmen's Auxiliary Committee, a fundraising group for the Union. Minute books following the amalgamation are in sub-series HC RO/C/1/1.
Material relating to the Amalgamation of the Hospitals is in sub-series HC RO/C/1/1/3. The considerable amount of ephemera in the collection has been kept as one group, HC RO/C/6 Miscellaneous Records, which includes a large group of photographs, along with postcards, newspaper clippings, programmes and so on. |
| AdminHistory | Founded in 1896 as part of "The Hurst Street Mission" separated as "The Birmingham and Districted Crippled Children's Union" 1899, amalgamating with the "Adult Cripples Guild to form the "The Birmingham & District Cripples Union" 1909.
In less than a generation this institution succeeded from very modest beginnings to great achievements under the spirits of Frank Mathews: beginning with an annual income of £365 and 330 children on its registers, it expanded to an expenditure of £29000 in its final year and had over 1,500 children and 500 adults under its care. Beginning as a Department of the Hurst Street Mission in 1896, three years later it was inaugurated as the "The Birmingham and District Crippled Children's Union" and Frank Mathews began 25 years in the post of Secretary. The first public meeting outlined the aims: "To promote the interests of all Birmingham Crippled Children of School age by: Supplying Medical and Surgical advice that parents are unable to procure; Education for those unable to attend school (and ensure it for those that could); Brighten their lives by parties, entertainments etc.; Arrange for sick children to go to Convalescent Homes and Summer Holidays; Teach trades and Occupations."
The first offices were at 46 Newhall Hill. A Smethwick branch of the Union was started in 1903 and a Selly Oak Branch in 1905. [Sandwell Community History and Archive Service hold a collection of Records of Smethwick Cripples Union, 1940-1957.] 1905 also saw the formation of the Workmen's Auxiliary Committee which raised funds and raised awareness of the institution. In 1909 there was an amalgamation with the "Adult Cripples Guild" to form the "Birmingham & District Cripples Union". The organisation recruited and sustained a large number of visitors who carried out the mainly outreach work.
In the second Annual Report in 1902 it was announced that a bold step had been made - that, due to a lack of available beds in the area, the Union had opened a convalescent home of its own in Chadwick End near Knowle (this house was and still is called Woodlands). It quickly became clear that this accommodation was wholly inadequate and an appeal fund was established to build a new home; meanwhile the Union resorted to housing a good number of children in a large marquee. The Union had set up a special school in Dean Street near the Bull Ring and arrangements were made for children to learn trades all over the city.
Woodlands in Bristol Road, Northfield was generously given by Mr George Cadbury (Vice President of the Union) in 1907 and opened as a convalescent home in 1909. It is described: "Not far from the Manor House, and situated on the other side of Bristol Road, in the parish of Northfield, was a spacious residence known as the Woodlands. It was a substantially built house, which was said to have cost £15,000 to erect, and was surrounded by six acres of gardens, parklands and woodland. The opportunity of purchasing this estate fell to George Cadbury at a time when he was feeling the need of some better means of dealing with the cripples of Birmingham than existed, and he bought the place, spent some thousands of pounds in converting it into an open air hospital, and vested the control in the hands of the Birmingham Cripples Union. As the demands on the hospital increased, he added to the accommodation, and no work in which he engaged gave him more satisfaction. Every Sunday evening it was his practice to visit his little guests before their bed time. On these occasions he left the Manor House with a large box of chocolate under his arm." In 1914 the Education Board provided a teacher and Woodlands Hospital School commenced; 57 children were admitted.
In 1914 new administrative and school premises were taken at Daimler House on Paradise Street, which were then vacated in 1921 and new administrative, school and treatment rooms were taken at 42-44 Islington Road. The Union formed a Joint Committee with the Birmingham Guardians of the Poor.
In 1913 Naughton Dunn joined the medical team at Woodlands as Honorary Surgeon. Naughton Dunn had worked under Robert Jones, who was considered to be the father of modern orthopaedics at the Royal Southern Hospital, Liverpool. He would have certainly have visited Baschurch Hospital, Oswestry, the first open-air convalescent hospital for crippled children from the time it opened in 1900. However, due to the outbreak of war Naughton Dunn was primarily involved in military duties until 1920, when he became instrumental in the amalgamation of the two institutions.
The Forelands in Bromsgrove was purchased in 1919 on the advice of John Middlemore, and opened in 1920 as a convalescent home for children.
Following over six years of negotiations (which were abandoned more than once), the Birmingham and District Cripples Union merged with The Royal Orthopaedic & Spinal Hospital to form the Birmingham Cripples Union & Royal Orthopaedic & Spinal Hospital (Amalgamated) on 31 March 1925. The Birmingham and District Cripples Union brought to the amalgamation Woodlands' 97 beds, Forelands' 80 beds, an Administrative Department on Islington Row, the School and the Schools/Workshops. |