Richard Simpson has been back in touch with an update on his grandfather’s cousin, Archibald Leary, who was a post office worker in Wigan in the 1920s. He contracted tuberculosis (TB) and died in Benenden Sanatorium on 30th December 1930. The sanatorium was established in 1905 after postal workers were falling ill with TB but could not afford to take time off for treatment, and thus continued to infect their colleagues.
Richard had asked me if I was aware of any records of admissions to the sanatorium and I passed on some ideas as to where he could go.
The leads came up trumps, as Richard explains: “I contacted Benenden and they very kindly sent me a copy of his medical records which I have attached.
“As a retired GP they made interesting reading and it was clear that he was very poorly on admission. Good to know, however, that for himself and his family he received such good care and attention at the end of his life.”
It was quite remarkable that Benenden were able to lay their hands on the handwritten notes relating to Archibald so quickly, bearing in mind they would have been almost 100 years old, and no doubt just one record among thousands.
I noticed the word ‘asthenic’ was used in Archibald’s medical notes, and I was unfamiliar with it, and asked Richard to explain what it meant.
“It could have been a description of his physical state; i.e. frail and narrow chested, or more likely related to him suffering from asthenia which was a common term used in relation to patients with advanced TB indicating the general overwhelming tiredness and frailty, along with weight loss which was characteristic of the condition.
“Looking at his weight of 8st 10lbs, even without knowing his height, he was clearly significantly underweight and his temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (which would be 38 degrees Celsius) would indicate that his TB was very active (hence TB stage 3).”
“In terms of his records, I suspect this is just a summary and that considering he was in the sanatorium for 90 days, it was highly likely that he had a separate set of day to day notes. Certainly nowadays they would be much more comprehensive! I am still amazed as to how quickly he was buried up in Wigan only a few days after his death and over a new year holiday. Do you know whether the Post Office Society would have been involved in arranging this?”
I couldn’t answer that question, but they may well have done so.
Family history research is booming, with websites like Ancestry and MyHeritage making it so much easier to trace relatives. I have dabbled myself occasionally, but usually end up down a rabbit hole being diverted from my original quest. I think you need endless patience and great detective skills to be able to build a comprehensive (and accurate) family tree.
On another note, reader Les Myers got in touch after reading about our family reunion with my dad’s old Mark 2 Jaguar at the Heartbeat Vehicle Rally in June: “It reminded me of the day my two cousins and I went from Middlesborough to Torquay loaded with camping gear. I’m now 79 and we were 15 (myself), 16 and 17. It was the days before motorways and in our turquoise Morris Minor it took us 13 hours to arrive!”
Les adds: “I will never forget that car and still remember the reg number – SPO 79. We camped on a sloping farmer’s field in Paignton. Sadly it poured down all week and the night before we were due to return we awakened to the pouring rain running through the tent. We had no groundsheets then but we all had camp beds (recently invented!). We looked at each other and said “Let’s b****r off home!” So in the middle of the night, we loaded the car and returned home safely.”
I’m relieved to hear Les and his cousins returned home without incident following his soggy adventure, and it’s clear that the car holds a special place in his heart, despite his story occurring more than 60 years ago.
Do you have any tales about vehicles that hold special memories for you? Do get in touch in the usual ways.
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This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 4th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 2nd September 2026
The Countryman's Daughter 