David Scott Ritchie Sr dies at Hanwell

The final record contained in the research report I received from Judy Lester was a death record for my great-grandfather David Scott Ritchie Sr. An image of the death certificate was included. After learning that I am visually impaired, Judy kindly transcribed it for me so I could access all the available details.

David Ritchie Sr died on 31 January 1967 at the age of 92. The cause of death is stated as bronchopneumonia, which isn't surprising because it was the middle of winter. The death certificate also states that he was suffering from senility. His death was first reported by a fellow inmate of the hospital and certified by somebody called GC Siegruhn MB. The name of the hospital registrar is also given on the certificate.

Surviving in a mental institution to the age of 92 must be something of an anomaly, I should think. David Ritchie Sr was admitted to the asylum at 35, which meant he spent an incredible 57 years of his life disconnected from the world. Two world wars passed him by. His son raised a family in South Africa and his granddaughters both married and had children. His wife of 65 years, Maude Alice Ritchie, probably predeceased him by several years.

Most astonishing to me is that this great-grandfather of mine was alive when I was born in 1963. I never even knew of his existence. Granted, I probably never thought to ask about him when I was growing up but that was because my parents never referred to any great-grandparents at all, either on my father's side or my mother's side. We just weren't a very connected family, or so I thought. it didn't occur to me that there was a skeleton in the cupboard. Obviously, someone at some point made a conscious decision to distance him- or herself from the lunatic in the asylum and so a deep silence fell around the man. I myself wouldn't have discovered the secret except that my sister and I needed to find a birth certificate for my grandfather in order to apply for UK citizenship.

It may be possible to learn more about my great-grandfather's life at St Bernard's Hospital. Although the formal medical case-book is closed to public access under the 100-year privacy rule because it includes entries made after 1918 I could perhaps find details relating to his admission in 1909. Certainly, his is an intriguing story which i feel compelled to investigate further.

Photo credit: "Old time doc" by Thad Zajdowicz.