‘Yet’: A Story of Triumph over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability (Hardback)
Discover the hidden stories that shape us—begin your journey with ‘Yet’: A Story of Triumph over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability, a moving exploration of family history, resilience, and the legacies we carry. Be inspired to uncover the connections that link your own past to the present.
A signed copy of this book is available to customers in the UK, perfect for gifting or adding a personal touch to your collection.
Genre: Portrait memoir with 161 illustrations and 299 endnotes
Hardback: 152.4 x 228.6 mm (6 x 9 inches), 322 pages, black and white, 100 gsm paper
“No one believed me. ‘Children couldn’t have been treated like that.’ But we were.”
— Harry Drabble
In 1937, two-year-old Harry Drabble was diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis after drinking unpasteurised milk. Torn from his mother’s arms, he spent much of his childhood confined to Sheffield’s King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for Crippled Children, enduring emotional neglect and years of isolation while immobilised in bed.
Told through Harry’s unflinching words and his daughter Helen Parker-Drabble’s meticulous research, this poignant memoir reveals the shocking inadequacies of early 20th-century healthcare while celebrating one boy’s extraordinary resilience.
Harry’s life was defined by a simple yet transformative mantra: ‘I can’t… yet.’ Told he would never work, find love, or support a family, Harry refused to give in to those predictions. He taught himself to read and mastered the violin while living with physical challenges, earned professional qualifications despite limited schooling, and went on to create the loving family he was told was out of reach.
This father-daughter collaboration offers a rare glimpse into a forgotten chapter of British medical history, ensuring the forgotten children institutionalised during the early to mid-20th century are seen, heard and remembered. Yet is both a tribute to Harry’s indomitable spirit and a timeless reminder of the power of hope, perseverance, and the word ‘yet.’
Reviews
A Powerful Tribute to Forgotten Childhoods
A deeply moving and beautifully written book. Yet shines a light on the hidden lives of children separated from their families in post-war Britain, capturing both the heartbreak and resilience of those times.
It struck a real chord with me — my own father and his brother went through something very similar in Sheffield — and Helen Parker-Drabble captures that world with honesty, warmth, and compassion.
A powerful reminder of how trauma, love and endurance can shape a life. Highly recommended. Neil Anderson
Reviews
An essential read for social historians of the 20th century
It’s a brilliant book! The author has a wonderful style of factual writing with deep emotion – it’s wonderful. Stur crazy
A former patient, Children’s Hospital, Birmingham 'Yet' "brought back a whole lot of memories...I hung onto every word he gave, I was there, back in the hospital with him and remembering...['Yet'] has been a mirror image of what I experienced. " Bob Shaw
The book has been well written and beautifully illustrated and describes the early life of a man
whom one can only admire by the way he overcame his difficulties.
Dr Michael Whitfield reviewed for The British Society for the History of Medicine (BSHM) Read in full at www.bshm.org.uk
Book cover for ‘Yet: A Story of Triumph over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability’ by Helen Parker‑Drabble.
Studio portrait of Harry Drabble, aged 7 months, 1935
Harry Drabble, aged about 18 months old, in a bright red metal car
A staged photograph of girls taking fresh air treatment at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for Crippled Children, Photo taken between 1920-1939. ©Picture Sheffield (Image s07418)
A staged photo showing some boys in bed on the veranda and other boys standing in a plaster Thomas splint, mainly using crutches. The child’s unaffected leg was fitted with a patten to stop the child from inadvertently putting weight on the tubercula joint. One boy has his arm in plaster.
Harry with his father, Harry Senior in the fresh air at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for Crippled Children c1937.
Harry playing the violin, 1949, aged 15.
Harry with his father. Believed to be in Skegness.
Harry Drabble and Doreen née Parker, 19 July 1958, outside St Mary’s community centre, Bramall Lane.
