THE ADMISSION TO TURNER VILLAGE

On March 2nd 1968 Bernard Cheeseman was admitted to Turner Village disability hospital because his mother had to have an operation.
The social worker, Mr. Sums, came to his house and picked him up in his car then sped off, out of the street, into the main road and onto the A12.


At Colchester the car left the A12 and went through the back doubles, then,’ onto Turner Village hospital, then got out of the car, to Mr. Strain’s office to be signed in and along to Villa H8, the hospital block, so called because of its hospital – like appearance.
As soon as the new arrival walked through the door the staff started to prepare him for his hospital stay. 
The new patient was given a bath by male nurses, dried, examined and put to bed for he had to be observed as all new patients are.
The idea of being put to bed was so doctors could monitor him, then when all was well he could go down to the day room.


The new patient dreaded the hospital – like appearance of the ward.
This block was full of developmentally disabled patients, some very profound, with IQs ranging from 0 to 79, and autistic patients, even though their IQs were normal, but they did in some cases have the traits of a learning disabled person.
One patient, Albert Gardener, had toilet habits that weren’t all that clean. For instance he never used toilet paper whenever he went to toilet because his mind was that of a toddler. Because of this his clothes were often soiled, because he didn’t have the ability to keep himself clean because of his very low IQ.
Some inmates were so severely disabled in learning that they always soiled themselves. Because of the terrible pong nurses had to spray the air with Antiseptic air freshener all the time.
These patients were always incontinent.
One of the inmates, a big stout chap, was given the task of collecting the soiled sheets every day, where they would be taken along to the laundry to be washed.
People going to the toilet often had to pass piles of soiled bed sheets which must have been quite overpowering at times.


One sight you were often met with, were the very low height toilets. This was so nurses could enter the loo if anyone had a fit.


Come lunchtime the new patient was given his meal but didn’t have much of an appetite.
The next day the nurse came along with an injection but the patient shied away because he was so scared but the nurse grabbed him and stuck the needle in. 
The patient screamed.


Two days later the patient was ready to go down to the day room.
The male nurse on duty was Mr. Pressard, who was a real bully who often hit patients across the floor. he also clouted patients, one such case being a man who refused to have a bath.


There was a man, one of the inmates, who often urinated on the floor because he didn’t know better, but the nurse gave him a good hiding, the sort of thing that would have happened in 1968.


The new patient, Bernard Cheeseman, went up to the ward but was caught by Mr. Pressard who said, ‘he better not be scatty with me.


Bedtime was very early, about 7.00 pm.


On day three the new patient went into a leisure room run by Mrs Housey, a nurse who ran the class.
The leisure room was at the end of the day room.


At the end of the corridor was the dentist’s surgery, feared my most inmates at this institution.


After two weeks when it was thought that the man was ready to go home it was announced that the man’s mother would have to be in hospital longer than expected so he had to stay longer at Turner village – up to ten weeks.


After three weeks the man was transferred to another block, Villa C3, which was far less oppressive than the hospital villa because it was less hospital – like than the former, but there was one drawback.
Quite a lot of the inmates in this block were bullies; one boy particularly, Jimmy Learmont, who happened to be on the same table as Bernard Cheeseman.
Another yob was John Streeter. He often punched Bernard Cheeseman for very little reason, for John Streeter was a dope basher.
Brian Baker was the other dope basher.


Bernard Cheeseman was often given a hard time by these bullies.


At this block was another inmate, Michael Boots. He often told other people to f--- off for no absolute reason.
Fred Offord was another nasty type, also a dope basher.


There were toilets in this block, consisting of cubicles  without any doors. this was to catch any person in time if he had a fit.


At Turner Village there was a very disturbed patient called Stuart Pitman, who often banged doors. For this he often got punished by the nurse, who told him:
''If you ever do this again I have no other choice than to give you an injection''.


One day Bernard Cheeseman had a mental spasm.
He started to pull at the door and the nurse warned him that he would have to have the needle if he don't stop doing it.
It all started when he went berserk and punched an armchair, shouting:
''Take that Chair", and one of the inmates came along and forced him to sit down, then shouted:
'' want me to force Bromide down your throat, I will if you don't stop going off your rocker".


One morning the radio was on but at Breakfast time the nurse switched it off, much Bernard Cheeseman's annoyance.


Then there was the record session run by one of the inmates, and when Bernard Cheeseman complained about the noise the other man threw him out of the room.


After ten weeks the man was ready to return home.