Flesh and Blood
Page 27
15. Heidi and me on our wedding day – August 1990. The sun shone, outside and in.
16. Heidi, just after the birth of our son Dominic in 1996. Bruises, joy and exhaustion.
17. Christmas 2016. The McGann and Thomas clans gather to celebrate at our home. David’s candlesticks have pride of place at the centre of the table.
1. My mother Clare in 1953. A sheltered eighteen-year-old.
2. My dad Joseph at eighteen in 1942. He entered the war as a navy conscript, and served as a ship’s telegraphist before joining the Royal Naval Commandos for the D-Day invasion in June 1944.
3. Mum and Dad on their wedding day in 1956. She was just turned twenty-one. He was eleven years older. ‘I was expecting him to show me the ropes.’
4. 1963: my first summer as a bonny baby, on a family outing. The Beatles are topping the UK charts for the first time. Dad holds me in his arms, with brother Paul on our left.
5. The four boys on the front wall of the house in Birstall Road, 1965. From left: Paul, me, Joe and Mark. I’m the blond with the ice lolly.
6. Birstall Road, 1966. The earliest photograph we have of all five siblings. From left: Mark, Joe, Clare, me, Paul.
7. Butlin’s holiday camp, Minehead, 1972. The McGanns are plucky runners-up in the ‘Happy Families’ competition. Back, from left: Dad, Joe, Mum; front: Paul, Clare, me and Mark. The consolation prize was a year’s supply of pickled chutney. I still can’t eat a ploughman’s lunch without a lingering sense of thwarted ambition.
8. My first year as a grammar school pupil in 1974. Before life got complicated.
9. Newly arrived in London, 1982. I’m nineteen years old, and about as brave and scared as I’ll ever be.
10. The siblings singing together in an aunt’s house in the late seventies. Clockwise from bottom left: Paul, Joe, me in the background, sister Clare and Mark on guitar. Our harmonies were always there when other forms of unity eluded us.
© UPP/Topfoto
11. The Four Musketeers: the McGann brothers on the opening night of Yakety Yak at the Half Moon Theatre, London, 1982. From left: Paul, Mark, me and Joe as an irreverent reverend.
© Daily Mail / Solo Syndication
12. The last time my family were photographed all together. A newspaper shoot in Hyde Park, 1983. I’m far left, Dad is kneeling in front, Mum is centre and my sister Clare is behind her. It was my first year as an actor, and my father’s last year of life.
13. In between performances of Blood Brothers at the Albery Theatre, London, 1989. Exhausted but in love. I’d drive up to Liverpool every weekend after the show to be with Heidi.
© Sven Arnstein/Photoshot
14. Full circle: Owen McGann’s descendants – Mark, me, Paul, Joe – starring in the Irish famine drama The Hanging Gale in Donegal, Ireland, 1994.
15. Heidi and me on our wedding day – August 1990. The sun shone, outside and in.
16. Heidi, just after the birth of our son Dominic in 1996. Bruises, joy and exhaustion.
17. Christmas 2016. The McGann and Thomas clans gather to celebrate at our home. David’s candlesticks have pride of place at the centre of the table.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to Iain MacGregor for believing in this book, and for his skill, warmth and good humour; to Annabel Merullo for her endless good advice and support; to Jo Whitford, Sue Stephens, Liz Marvin, Lorraine Jerram and everyone at Simon & Schuster for helping to make it a reality. Thanks also to Ann Tricklebank, Dame Pippa Harris and the production team at Call the Midwife for their constant generosity and help with my schedule.
My special thanks to Mary Routledge for her beautiful recollections of husband Billy; to Professor Sharon Peacock CBE for her friendship and invaluable expertise; and to my good friend Jessamy Carlson at the UK National Archives, whose brilliant research and insight have transformed my family tree, and without whom this book could never have been written. I’m particularly grateful for the recollections of my father given by my late aunt and uncle, Mary and Jimmy McGann, and for the living testimony provided by my mother Clare and my wife Heidi, placing essential flesh on the documentary skeleton.
My deepest thanks to my own flesh and blood – McGann, Thomas, Green, Routledge, Walls – for the bonds that endure beyond all maladies. To my wonderful brothers Joe, Paul and Mark, my fellow musketeers, for all their love and courage under the glare of strong lights; to my brilliant sister Clare, my cradle companion and my inspiration, for showing me the right way off the dockside; to Joseph and John, the lost boys, now found; to my brother-in-law Johnny, my lifelong comrade, and my motherin-law Marie-Louise, whose love for her son David outlasts all wounds; to my dad Joe McGann, who I love so much and miss so often; and to my mother Clare – my friend, my guide, my teacher, my strength, my moral compass – for showing me what it means to grow.
Lastly, endless thanks to my own little family for putting up with me this past year. To my beautiful son Dominic for the light in his eyes, the laughter in our home and the well-timed cups of tea. And to my wife Heidi – my partner in time and the greatest thing that ever happened to me. For her advice, patience, comfort, support, sustenance and strength which made everything possible, and for her love which made me who I am, finally.
INDEX
A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.
Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations
abdominal adhesions 259, 260
abortion, spontaneous 256–7
acid/alkaline balance in the body 169
adrenaline 86
Afric, SS 97
agoraphobia 168–70, 173, 195–7, 198–208, 264
incidence of 169
social causes 169
treatments for 170
Albert Hall 195–6
Alder Hey organs scandal 248–53
Ali, Muhammad 260
Alzheimer’s disease 88
amino acids 2
amputation 125
amygdala 128
anastomosis 260
Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool 153, 160
antibiotics 125, 126, 134, 211
penicillin 125–6, 134, 140, 183–4
sulphonamide drugs 125
anxiety disorders
agoraphobia 168–70, 173, 195–7, 198–208, 264
generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) 128
genetic component 128
physical symptoms 128
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 127–8
apoptosis 256, 265, 266
appendix 283, 286
Aristotle 212
asthma 165–6, 174–5, 176, 187
cardiac asthma 243
causes and consequences 166
children 166, 167
fatalities 166
psychological and social dimensions 166
psychosomatic dimension 184
trigger reactions 166
Astoria Theatre, London 205–6, 205
Australian Imperial Force 100–3, 104
autophagy 3
Bassett, Mary Jane xi–xii, 304–5
Bates, Hilda 30
battlefield wounds 124–5
Batu Lintang POW camp, Borneo 30–5, 36
BBC Northern Ireland 264
Beardsley, Peter 72
Beckett, Roger 101
begging 22
bereavement counselling 159
beriberi 3–4, 31, 123
Big Freeze (1962–63) 171
Birstall Road, Liverpool 171
birth certificates 9, 277
black gangs 92–6, 93, 97, 111–13, 119
black pan 94
Blitz 135, 136, 143–4
blood poisoning see sepsis
body temperature 83–4
>
brain chemistry 86–7, 128, 170
Branwell, Elizabeth 260
breathing 163–4
conscious control of 165
directed 193
hyperventilation 85, 169, 200
pulmonary ventilation 164, 165
respiratory system 164
unconscious 164–5
breathlessness 163–208, 211, 212
asthma 165–6, 167, 174–5, 176, 177, 184, 187
bronchitis 168
definitions 163
emotional 163
emphysema 168
Bride, Harold 113, 114, 117, 120
bronchitis 63, 168
Brontë, Branwell 260
Brunel, Isambard Kingdom 91
Calamity Jane 269, 270
Call the Midwife (TV drama series) 293
Campbell, Ken 194
Canterra 103
cardiac asthma 243
Cardinal Allen Grammar School, Liverpool 185–6
cardiovascular system 209–10
Carlton Street, Liverpool 62
Carpathia, RMS 119, 120
‘chip girls’ 61
Chippindale, Peter 77
Clay Street, Liverpool 47, 48
climate change 4
coal steamers 20
cold shock 85, 86, 115–16
colostomy 285, 289, 290
cowpox 45
Crimean War 52
Croghan, County Roscommon 12
Crosfield, Joseph 16
Crying Shames (band) 37
Cubitt, Allan 264
cyanosis 243
death 255–6
bureaucracy of 224
cell death 256, 257
infant mortality xi–xii, 7–8, 14, 127, 172
neonatal death 128, 159
as process 256
witnessing 223–4
death certificates 8, 38, 55, 62, 224–6, 225
depression 127, 154–6
Dexter Street washhouse, Liverpool 132
diabetes 127, 257
digestion 2, 258
diverticulitis 259
divorce, taboo of 218
dizziness 4, 169
DNA 5, 215
Donegal 264
Down’s syndrome 212, 234, 235, 242–3
drama
culture of competition 237
human transmission 207
real human experience and xiii, xiv–xv
drought 4
Duncan, Dr William 22–3, 52–3, 57, 68, 69
dysentery 3, 18, 31
amoebic 3
bacillary 3
Ebola 43
education
Education Act, 1918 134
Education Act, 1944 181
eleven-plus examination 181, 184, 185
grammar schools 134, 144, 181, 184, 185
mass 126, 130, 221
secondary moderns 181
technical schools 181
Edward, King VII 98, 283
Egyptians, ancient 44, 212
Eisenhower, Dwight 260
electroconvulsive therapy 155, 156
eleven-plus examination 181, 184, 185
emigration runners 58–9
emotional catharsis 128
emphysema 168
endometrioid cysts 261, 267–8
endometriosis 260–1, 267–8
Everton FC 67, 71
Everyman Youth Theatre, Liverpool 190, 191, 192, 194
exposure 83–121
definitions 83
Fallot’s Tetralogy 212, 213, 243, 245, 250
families
bonds, chosen 216
familial creation myths 9–10
geographical and economic dislocation 220–1
memory and 235
shared blood metaphor 214, 215–16, 241
famines 3, 4
and disease 18, 31
war-induced 5, 26
see also potato famines
Fanstone, Alfred 96
Farquharson, William 113
‘fear of the fear’ 169
fertility 261, 268, 278
firemen see black gangs
First World War 99–104
Hundred Days Offensive 104
Fleming, Alexander 125, 126
flight-or-fight response 86
Florey, Howard 126
foetal growth 256
football
Hillsborough Stadium disaster 69–81
lingua franca 68, 70
Liverpudlian passion for 67–8
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 42
free market economics 17
Fresh, Thomas 52
frostbite 85–6, 120, 257
frostnip 85
funeral wakes 56–7
Gaelic football 67
Gandhi, Mahatma 5
gangrene 36, 125, 257–8, 288
dry 257
wet 257–8, 259, 281
gastritis 104
genealogy
drama in disguise xiv–xv
familial creation myths 9–10
human health and xv–xvii
generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) 128
genetic inheritance 214–15
effects of hunger on 5
Genie (feral child) 88
Gibb, Maurice 259–60
glucose depletion 2
glycogen 2
Gracie, Colonel Archibald 108, 113, 114, 117, 118–19, 120
grammar schools 134, 144, 181, 184, 185
Great Britain, SS 91
Great Depression 133
Green, Abraham (SM’s grandfather) 142–3, 147
Green, Mary 143
Green, Rose 142, 143, 146, 147, 148
grenades 124, 139–40
grief 128
unresolved 128, 159
Griffiths, Trevor 197
Half Moon Theatre, London 203–4
‘Hanging Gale’ 13–14, 18
The Hanging Gale (TV drama) 264–6
Hartley, Joseph 188–9
hatred 35, 37
Hayworth, Rita 147
health
and genealogy xv–xvii
metaphorical references xvi
heart 209–53
definitions 209
emotional and metaphorical value 209, 212–13
heartbeats 210
physical organ 209
sacred heart of the family 220, 236, 248
Sacred Heart of Jesus 218–19
heart failure 3, 4, 211, 212
heart problems
congenital heart disease 211–12
Fallot’s Tetralogy 212, 213, 243, 245, 250
mitral valve stenosis (MVS) 211, 217, 222
heat exhaustion 84
heat stroke 84
hemicolectomy 288
Henderson, Donald 45, 46
high blood pressure 257
Hillsborough Justice Campaign 80
Hillsborough Stadium disaster 69–81
hippocampus 87
Hiroshima 36
Horrie, Chris 77
housekeeping money 174
Human Tissue Act, 2004 213
hunger 1–39
behavioural effects 6
body’s responses to 2–3
definitions 1
focused 7, 24, 31, 34, 35, 304
impact on food choices 6–7
and infection 3, 18
political hunger protests 4–5
psychological dimensions of 5–6
hurling 67
hydration 5
hyperthermia 84
hyperventilation 85, 169, 200
hypothalamus 83
hypothermia 85
immune system
compromised 3, 18
trauma, response to 124–5
Industrial Revolution 91
infant mortality xi–xii, 7–8, 143
Ireland 14
Liverpool 127
national 172
infectious disease 41–81
distinctiveness 43
epidemic infections 22, 41
insanitary conditions and 52
public fear of 42
reproduction rate 43
transmission 3, 41, 43, 44
insomnia 128
International Ice Patrol 110
intestinal obstruction 258–9
IRA hunger strikers 4–5
Ireland
Catholic emancipation 12
infant mortality 14
Irish diaspora 10, 16, 19–20
land ownership 13
potato famines see potato famines
rent bondage 13–14, 18
tenancies 13
‘Irish fever’ see typhus
Irish National Party (Liverpool) 61
Japanese prisoner-of-war camps 3–4, 24–5, 27, 30–5
Jenner, Edward 44–5
Karori, SS 98
Kemish, George 111–12
ketosis 2
Kinfauns Castle 98, 105–6
kwashiorkor 4
Lamport Street, Liverpool 142
Lapland, SS 120
Lennon, John 194, 195, 236
leprosy 42
lethargy 4
leukocytes 125
lice 42–3, 123
Lightoller, Charles 94, 113, 114, 117, 119, 120
Little Bird 264
Littlewoods Football Pools 145, 148, 154, 156
Liverpool
arts culture 192
court dwellings 48–50, 49, 62, 65
dance palaces 146
docklands 21–2, 60–1
economic decline 195
Edge Hill 25
embarkation point for the United States xiii, 10, 65
Everton 63
Hillsborough Stadium disaster 69–81
infant mortality 127
Liverpudlian humour 33–4
lodging houses and cellars 22–3
multicultural heritage 66
passion for football 67–8
patriarchal economy 174
sanitation 48, 51–2
Second World War 135, 136, 143–4
slum clearance 63–4, 65, 68
smallpox outbreaks 54–6
social housing 64–5
‘Squalid Liverpool’ report 49–51, 62
starvation in 7–8, 23
tenements 64–5
Toxteth riots 195
Vauxhall 22
Liverpool Daily Post 49, 55
Liverpool FC 67
Hillsborough Stadium disaster 69–81
Liverpool Insanitary Property Committee 63
Liverpool Irish
Catholicism 10, 67, 220
criminal networks 60
dominance of dock labour 60–1, 94–5
‘infected tribe’ 51, 53, 56, 57, 59, 66, 68, 69, 79–80
insular community 60, 66
Irish National Party 61, 63–4
population growth 60