Today’s Memory Monday coincides with the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, which ran from 1st September 1939 to 2nd September 1945. It is, therefore, timely for me to ask for your help. As we did with World War I, Westwood Heath History Group would like to create an online memorial to fallen and serving soldiers here, and would like to extend this to include relatives of current residents of the area. Please do get in touch if you would like to share your family stories.
On the subject of war memorials, today’s post takes a look at an earlier one - from WWI - in a slightly unexpected location, which you might not be aware of.
THE WESTWOOD HEATH MEMORIAL & NURSES’ HOME
Driving along Cromwell Lane from Tile Hill, you might have noticed the care home, Lee Gordon House, located at 93, Cromwell Lane. You might be surprised to learn that this building was once a nurse’s cottage dedicated as a WWI memorial. The cottage was opened as a “maternity home and a shelter to nurses working in the district” in 1920.
In pre-NHS days, very few of the local farming community could afford to pay for a doctor. By paying regular, affordable, sums of money into a scheme run by the Westwood Charity, they could receive visits from the doctor as needed, often saving them a visit to hospital in Coventry or Warwick. Over the years, as funds grew, the charity was able to install a nurse in the Memorial Cottage, who acted as a district nurse to the area, thus augmenting essential health care for the local population in Westwood Heath and Tile Hill.
The Nurses’ Home eventually became a home for the elderly, before becoming Lee Gordon House, a specialist care home.
Sources:
Unpublished notes prepared by Coventry City Archives held at Tile Hill Library
Images:
Copyright The Coventry Society, permission kindly given to use them.
As always, please get in touch with your comments, questions and suggestions. We would love to hear from anyone with their own recollections and photographs!
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