"Some recollections of a childhood at the Sacred Heart Convent"

A review of The Sacred Heart Convent by Linda written on Tuesday 12th of January 2010

In May 1943 I was placed in the care of the nuns of the Sacred Heart Convent, Honor Oak, Forest Hill, London. I was 2 years and 10 months old. I spent the next 10 years as a boarder until July 1953, when boarding facilities were withdrawn.

I remember so much of those years. Some of my experiences still make me shudder, but others I remember with some fondness. At such a young age I was left to sink or swim. I very quickly learnt to swim, when at the age of six I was responsible for the personal needs of the younger children, which included washing and dressing, plaiting hair and helping with feeding duties. By the age of eight I was responsible for supper time routine. Clearing the tables and washing the dishes in cold water and soda.

I was petrified of the nuns and still have some reminders which remind me how strict they could be if you smiled, spoke or giggled out of turn. Disobedience was a mortal sin.

However, I survived to tell the tale as it were. Still hate my celery boiled having been told to eat it up as a child or no play time, but I out foxed the nuns and hid it behind the cast iron radiators. I often wonder how long it stayed there before being discovered. .

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