We received a lovely letter from Christine telling us about her aunt and uncle and their lives at Mildmay.
Maud was a nurse at Mildmay in 1921 and worked here for many years. Charlie was a patient who was admitted to Mildmay following a violent assault. But there is much more to this story, particularly for Charlie Haynes, who led a disordered life until he experienced a momentous change in direction during his stay as a patient at Mildmay, as is told in the booklet Changed (reproduced below), produced by the League of Friends of Mildmay Mission Hospital in the late 1960s.
This is Christine's letter:
"Dear Sirs
Following an article forwarded to me by my sister, I am enclosing a booklet and photos which may be of interest for your archives. Charlie Haynes was my uncle by marriage to Maude, who was a nurse at Mildmay.
The book, ‘God Lifting Men’ by FH Wrintmore, features 2 chapters about Charlie Haynes, a copy of which you may have, telling stories of the London City Mission.
The photo is of Maude as a nurse and one when Princess Alexandra visited and met Uncle Charlie – I have no date.
Should these be of interest, you are welcome to keep them for your archive.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Christine F"
Changed tells of Charlies Haynes' troubled life before his monumental spiritual transformation while recuperating at Mildmay sometime after the First World War.
Maude and Charlie came to be married, and we can see that Maude was a nurse at Mildmay, as evidenced by this lovely photo, which is dated 1921 on the back.
According to Changed, when Charlie died in 1966 (at Mildmay), over 300 letters were received by Maude, not least of which was one from Princess Alexandra, expressing extreme sorrow on hearing of his passing, remarking that she well remembered her visit to Mildmay when Charlie was presented to her.
Changed - the Life of Charlie Haynes
(Click to view fullscreen)
When time and resources permit, we aim to research and record Princess Alexandra's visit, as well as those of other members of the Royal Family who have visited Mildmay throughout its long history.
Until then, we are delighted to be able to add this story to our archive, and you will find it here in our Staff Stories.
Thanks to Christina for her kind thoughtfulness in writing to us.