.

  Once toys went into your locker they were normally safe; other children were not meant to take toys from your locker. With three older boys, this rule would have been useless had I liked the types of toys that the average boy requested. Puzzle toys were one of my favourite possessions: everything from wooden puzzles in the shape of various objects, plastic squares that had several interlocking pieces, and nail puzzles that consisted of a selection of bent nails that were to be unlocked in a series of unusual moves. Several of these had to be kept out of the older boys’ hands as the only way they could solve the problem was to use force, and once this had been applied the puzzle was ruined.

Helping with chores was not normally something you volunteered to do; the Sister or Houseparent normally found enough of these without the need to ask for more. It was however worth offering to do odd chores for other Sisters and the staff at the Home as odd extra treats could come your way. If you were playing anywhere near the administration block you risked being called to take messages to the staff or to find out the location of a member of staff.

The other three thought I was a little odd; my main possessions were annuals, books, puzzles, pens, paper and other toys that they decided more resembled items you would find at school. None of the other boys showed any interest in a ballpoint pen I received as a present. Instead of the normal blue ink, this had twelve different colours inside. To select a colour all you needed to do was pull down a small lever on the side of the pen. The whole rainbow of colours was represented. The pen had never been an expensive type; some of the ink shades did not work very well, and the large diameter of the pen made it rather difficult to draw with, but it was fun to use.

  The Sisters or Houseparents occasionally confiscated toys and other possessions. There might be a number of reasons why such an act was thought necessary. For boys it would often be due to us having something we should not have. Matches, cigarettes and knives would be taken off us if ever found. Those that were sensible did not bring such things into the flat.

Certain toys could also risk removal if it were thought we were playing with them in a way that would injure either others or ourselves. If we had toys that did not belong to us, they might be removed until the rightful owner could be found. At times, if we were badly behaved, taking away our favourite toy, might be a way of improving our behaviour. If a toy were taken away, it might be returned that day or a day or so later; it was rare for us to be permanently deprived of a toy.

Very occasionally for health reasons it might be necessary to confiscate a toy. The older Sisters might have upset a few younger children, when they recounted past times when one of their children had gone to the isolation ward with a favourite teddy bear or the like. On their return to the flat when they were better, they could not understand why the toy did not return with them.

In an effort to prevent a disease spreading to other children, such items were burnt when the child left the hospital. If we had any thought of finding such treasures at the incinerator by the orchard, our hopes we dashed when the Sister told us that the nursing Sister had her own little incinerator at the hospital for such items. By the mid 1960s, there were few serious diseases that required such drastic action.

Toys might remain in the possession of a Sister after a child had left the Home; sometimes a child leaving the Home was not able to take all their possessions away with them. If they returned for any reason, then having something that was theirs might make returning to the Home a little easier. How long such toys should be kept was up to the Sister – such items would be put in a box and generally forgotten about.

From time to time items were donated to the Home; these could be clothing, toys, books, or various other objects that might make our lives more fun. Comics and annuals were something that I was interested in. On a few occasions I was close enough to the offices to see what might be taken inside, but not close enough to be found if simple messages needed to be relayed to members of the staff.

The best assortment on one occasion was when a pile of comics that must have been in an attic for many years was given to the Home. These comics from more than ten years ago had stories that I knew I had not read. I was not the only boy around and such gifts were meant to be evenly shared out – however as the comics were more story type rather than picture types there was not much interest from the others, so I was allowed to take as many as I could carry. There was a need to limit the amount to return to the flat with as your locker would not be allowed to overflow.