Dean Orphanage

Recollections

1.

Donald Campbell

East Kent, England

Thank you to Donald Campbell Veale, formerly of Edinburgh, now living in East Kent for adding the following comment to the EdinPhoto Guestbook in January 2004:

The Last to Leave

"I  was the last person to leave the Dean when it closed to Orphans. Mr Barnes the Governor saw me out with a couple of blankets under my arm.  I went of to stay with my married sister for a short while.

I have made contact with one other ex-inmate in Oz.  Are there any more out there?"

Reply to Donald?

If you'd like to send a reply to Donald, please email me, then I'll pass on your reply to him.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs:  January 2004

Recollections

2.

Susan

Ireland

Susan asked this question in the EdinPhoto guestbook:

Which School?

"Would anyone know what school would children aged around 4 or 5 would have attended if they were in the dean orphanage around 1962/63?  Any information would be most welcome."

Susan, Ireland:  Message and email address posted in EdinPhoto guest book:  August 26, 2010

Reply to Susan?

If you'd like to send a reply to Susan, please email me, then I'll pass on your reply to her.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs:  September 1, 2010

Recollections

3.

Lois Pack (nee Cessford)

Bournemouth, Dorset, England

Thank you to Lois Pack who wrote:

Recent Visit

"I recently went to visit the Dean Orphanage.   My grandmother, Mary Powell,  who was living in Tay Street when I was born,

Tay Street

    ©

spent some time there as a child with her elder brother Alex who was killed in the Fist World War.

Dean Orphanage

©

For Children
Aged 5 to 15

My grandmother and her older brother were at the orphanage for at least five years, and were then joined by their sister. who had to be five before the orphanage would take her in.

I believe that children could only stay at the orphanage until they were fifteen.  They were then  put into service or joined the forces.

My great grandmother was widowed and I guess had no way of supporting my grandmother and her other children until she remarried.

I found the orphanage to be very iinteresting.  The attic, which looked as though it had been a dorm as one time, has a fireplace at either end.  I could just imagine the children going up and down the stairs to bed."

Lois Pack (nee Cessford), Bournemouth, Dorset, England:  November 11, 2010

Recollections

4.

David Hutchison

Thank you to David Hutchison for replying to Susan's comments (2 above).

David wrote:

Which School?

"I'm not sure if this well help Susan, but children from the Dean Orphanage did go to the Dean Primary (in the Dean Village).

I went to the Dean Village primary until it closed.  That would have been around 1960/61, so this may not 'fit' Susan's 1962/63, but I remember children from Dean Orphanage in my class."

David Hutchison:  November 21, 2010

Recollections

5.

Willie Malcolm

Edinburgh

Willie Malcolm wrote:

Pre-War

"As a boy of 10, I was in Dean Orphanage in June, 1937.  We were the Malcolm family:

-  Mary, 12

-  Willie, 10

-  Sandy, 8

-  John, 6

We were there until the war started 1939, and were then evacuated to East Calder.

We all went to Dean Village school and Mary later went to Flora Stevenson's Secondary School.

Mr Barnes was 'The Gov' and Miss Beattie was Matron at the Orphanage.  Mr. Barnes lost his wife and later married Miss Beattie."

1945

Our family never attended to the Orphanage after the war, but  I did play snooker, as a former pupil, with Mr Barnes and some others in the Billiard Room before being called-up for Army Service in 1945

Willie Malcolm, Edinburgh:  February 26, 2011

Recollections

6.

Stephen McMahon

Stephen McMahon wrote:

Which School?

"I've been reading the various recollections above.  I, too, have memories related to the place, but from a very different angle.

My family attended the services at Belford Church when it was still a church.  (I was christened there, as were my brother and two sisters.)

I recall the children from the orphanage being brought there for Sunday School.  They were a noisy bunch, but good fun to be with, especially at the Christmas parties we used to have at the church.

Stephen McMahon,  July 31, 2011

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