VJ Night and Other Days at Shuckburgh Hall

In 1945, my father was convalescing as a serving soldier at Shuckburgh Hall and in July, he arranged for my mother and I to stay for a week or two with Mr Baker, the game keeper and his wife in their cottage in the park. We actually stayed much longer and even celebrated VJ Night in the hall because Matron heard that Mum had been a seamstress. Matron asked Mum to help out with repairs and also with relieving her nurses at meal times. Blessed with a great memory for events I have to say that I loved my time there, even though I had an accident and became the army’s youngest patient.

Going where they shouldn’t be

Remony, the older Lady Shuckburgh’s granddaughter (who was a couple of years older than me), took me under her wing and although we got into trouble by being where we shouldn’t be, it was down to her that I saw so much of the wonderful house and its huge park. At least we didn’t fall in the octagonal(?) pond in the front of the house. Most rooms were out of bounds to the family who had their own rooms. but up the stairs under a massive dome Remy (as she was called) showed me lots of furniture and paintings piled up and covered in sheets.

I can remember virtually everything that I saw: the injured or sick men; the nurses (my favourite being Nurse Bolton who had dark red hair); Matron herself in her green uniform and the so friendly older Lady Shuckburgh herself. Not forgetting those rooms, the carvings over the doors and windows, the off limit room to the left which had pillars with a room behind, this was where the military were treated if not confined to rooms. I could go on but I had better close.  Mr Baker’s house had spiders which scared me to death but he did take me rabbiting and was a jolly fellow.

VJ Night

On VJ Night family, staff, folk from the farms plus the nurses, visitors and the patients all had a great time in the large rooms on the right of the hallway and outside too. Everyone danced with everyone else, Mum jigged along with a man with his arm in a metal, outstretched sling and another with an iron hoop under one of his feet. Dad waltzed with Lady Shuckburgh and Matron – he was a favourite of theirs due to ability to mend stuff even when ill. There was food and drink plus music.

Then a week later we were gone and I have never been back since.