George Samuel Evans

George Samuel Evans, whose parents were Samuel and Deborah Evans was born on 19 November 1897 and baptised at St Peter's Church Liverpool on 12.1897, when his father was said to be a fishmonger. In 1891, aged 14, George was a dock labourer and he and his family were living at 92 Hughes Street Liverpool. Sometime later he joined the Army, because we know from his Army discharge papers, that he was discharged from the 105th Training Reserve on the 6.9.1917 at Hounslow, "being no longer physically fit for War service under Para 392 (XV1) Kings Regulations." The intended address to which George was expected to return was 4 Mackenzie Street Liverpool.

His military character was said to be "Good* his personal character was described as "honest and sober." The discharge papers provide a description of George who at the time was said to be 19 years 9months old, his height was 4 feet 11 and 7/8 inches, his girth was 52 (32) Inches with maximum expansion of 2 inches. He had a pale complexion, blue/grey eyes and dark brown hair and his trade was given as being a printer. We know from his army records that he had a curvature of the spine and epilepsy. George was on the electoral role in Liverpool with his mother until at least 1929 when he would have been 32, so his admission to Calderstones takes place sometime after 1929. In the 1939 register he is listed as being at Calderstones and described as a labourer, which might suggest that he was capable of working, while an inmate of the Institution. He died on 16 January 1946 and is buried in Grave number 5 in the C of E section along with Thomas Oldham Owen

Thomas Owen

Thomas Oldham Owen was born 20 August 1880 in the Chorion area of Manchester where his parents, Robert and Harriet Ann Owen, who was said to be a government clerk were living at the time. He was baptised on the 14* May 1881 at St Mary

St Denys and St George Manchester, which is the Manchester Cathedral. In 1901, aged 21 Thomas was at the Royal Albert Asylum Lancaster and in 1911 he was registered as an imbecile living at the County Asylum Lancaster. He died in Calderstones on 7 January 1946 aged 65 and was buried with George Samuel Evans. We do not know when Thomas first went to the Royal Albert, nor when and why he was subsequently transferred to Calderstones (he was at Calderstones by September 1939). As Calderstones did not open for non-military admissions until 1921 it is probable that the Royal Albert which was known to take privately funded admissions was the only place available to provide the care which George's parents felt that needed at the time, and his first admission to institutional care might have been at a very early age. We do not know if George and Thomas knew each other prior to death, but it would not be uncommon for the people who were known as inmates and subsequently patients to have been buried in the same grave, especially when the date of death was so close. Hopetully we may discover more about George the dock labourer, printer, soldier and labourer who ended his days in Calderstones, and the interesting experiences of Thomas who spent his relatively long life in two very different institutions.