| Notes |
- PRIVATE
- Maude had Scarlet Fever as a child, as the following extracts from "Loos book" tell:
"Maude went down with it and lay ill for weeks; in fact, I often wonder how she ever lived. She was taken with infantile paralysis, and after effect of the fever, and was in bed until December."
After several years in a wheelchair, she took ill and died:
"The year Maude was twelve, she and Maude wanted a party for their birthday so we decided to give the party on Violet's birthday - 16th June - and it was for Maude as well, as hers was 9th August. They had lots of little girls of their own age, and it was in the evening, so they felt quite grown up. Violet was 10 years. After the party Maude took ill and in the morning I had to send for the doctor. Well - she went to bed and never got up again. She was ill for six weeks and died on Sunday, 27th July 1913, a week before her birthday. I never saw anyone more upset than Dr. McLean; he just could not speak. He always came in about teatime to see Maude and came just as she was dying. It is so many years ago, but as I write, it seems quite fresh in my memory, all the things that happened on that Sunday.
On Monday morning, early, Dr. McLean motored to a place called Zeerust and he and the matron made a most wonderful wreath of violets to be put on her coffin. There were thousands of violets in that wreath and it was put in her grave. I think all the children in Mafeking followed the funeral and it was in the depths of winter and utterly cold; the flowers were so wonderful and the house smelt of them for days afterwards. The day of the funeral, Grandpa locked Spottie up, as he would not stay out of her room and would not eat, but he must have gone to the cemetery, for the next day, when Granny and I went up to see her grave (we did not got to the funeral), Spottie ran on ahead and was sitting by the grave when we got there.
«tab»Well - I had to start life all over again. We had nursed and looked after Maude for seven years and I felt as if I was lost and had nothing to do. It was always "Who is staying with Maude?" We never locked the house up, as it was never empty. You see, perhaps, why I have a strange feeling about Sunday and about the month of July. The day and month have sad memories for me."
A notice appeared in the "Mafeking Mail and Protectorate Guardian" on Monday July 28, 1913:
"Death: At Mafeking, on the 27th July 1913, Maude, third daughter of Mr&Mrs R L Clemitson, aged 11 years and 11 months. Deeply regretted. Mr and Mrs Clemitson desire to express their heartfelt gratitude to all friends for their unvarying kindness to their late daughter and to themselves and their family during their sad bereavement"
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1901 - 1913 (11 years)
