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VIDEO: Yorkshire war babies return
HUNDREDS of babies born at a castle which was converted into a wartime maternity hospital have been reunited.
Families from Australia, Ireland and France were among those invited to a garden party at Hazlewood Castle near Tadcaster, which is now a four-star hotel.
More than 1,000 people shared their stories and memories at the big event, with around 500 of the castle's babies joining former nurses, midwives and mums.
Guests included Hazel Hewitt, who was the first baby born at the unit on September 15, 1939 – and was named after the castle.
Mrs Hewitt said: "My family were originally from Holbeck, but because it was close to the railway line, we were evacuated to Tadcaster.
"It's a nice feeling to be part of something so special and I'm proud to be the first baby born here. It's a real talking point for the family."
Hazlewood Castle was requisitioned by the Ministry of Health in 1939 and spent 14 years as a maternity hospital, welcoming 5,000 babies into the world.
Bosses at the hotel organised yesterday's event – for the castle's 'princes and princesses' – to mark the unit's 70th anniversary.
Other guests included Celia Foote, 58, and her younger brother Michael, who was one of the last babies born at Hazlewood on May 15, 1953.
Mr Foote, now of Adel, said: "When I was born, my mother said she saw the local hunt galloping across the fields, and my father had to hitch a lift on the back of a motorbike because it was so far out. We love coming here, it's such a special place."
Fellow guest Margaret Whiteley, of Methley, Leeds, was given up for adoption shortly after she was born at the castle on May 24, 1944.
Mrs Whiteley said she was "thrilled" to return because it was "the only place" which made her feel close to her mum, who was 19 when she gave birth.
John Udakis, 61, and his sisters Eileen Johnson, 64, and Joan Dixon, 62, were born at the castle, where mum Bessie worked as a cook and cleaner.
The siblings all still live within 10 miles of Hazlewood, with Mrs Johnson saying it was "lovely" to return and see so many of their old classmates.
Former midwife Edna Box, who worked at the castle from 1950 until 1951, met several 'babies'who she might have delivered.
Mrs Box, 82, said: "I can't say for definite but it's been a pleasure to come back. It was such an enjoyable and special place to work."
The maternity ward officially closed on June 30, 1953 and was later used as a retreat by Carmelite friars, before becoming a hotel in 1997.
The stories of the Hazlewood babies will now be published in a commemorative book.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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