Freda Susanne Reed
BMJ 2005; 331 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7514.458-e (Published 18 August 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;331:458Data supplement
Freda Susanne Reed
Former forensic psychiatrist Kent (b 12 November 1922; q London 1946; DPM, FRCPsych), d 23 February 2005.
Freda’s enduring qualities of endeavour, courage, generosity, and principle were not only a product of her remarkable character and life but also the hallmarks of her generation.
Born to Nat and Hettie Mackover in London’s West Hampstead, the elder sister to Leila and Harold, Freda was the senior granddaughter in a large, extended family, whose strong family values epitomised the very essence of Jewish life.
Even then she was admired by all her many cousins for her exceptional determination and sense of responsibility.
A diligent pupil at Paddington and Maida Vale High School, Freda’s vocation was settled in Wigmore Street at the age of nine. It was here, gazing into the window of John Bell and Croyden, the famous pharmacy, where she declared her wish to become a doctor. This ambition was supported and encouraged by her beloved father and mentor, a woollen merchant who studied at night to become a solicitor at the age of 49.
The wartime shattering of her happy, secure family existence in 1939 was a testing time for Freda who, at the age of 16, was evacuated with her sister and school, firstly to Cornwall, and then to Devon. Far from complaining of the deprivations, she persevered with her studies, took responsibility for others, and, in her own words, "just got on with it."
As a University College London student, the college was evacuated to Bangor, where she began her medical studies in 1940, continuing them in Leatherhead and then at the West London Hospital in the thick of the Blitz. She completed her qualifications in 1946.
A brief encounter at Leatherhead railway station in 1943 was to herald another unexpected change in her life, for it was here that Freda met Ralph Reed, an agricultural officer in the Colonial Service on leave from Nigeria. Many letters later, she went out to Nigeria to marry him in 1947. This foray into west Africa was at a time when it was still known as the "white man’s graveyard."
She immediately plunged into the challenges there, treating women who would not otherwise have had access to medical help because the Muslim laws forbade treatment of another man’s wife by a man. It was during this phase of their lives that Freda and Ralph became the proud parents of Tom (1949), Robert (1950-77), and Lucy (1953). This astonished the local people who had never seen a white woman bringing up her children in that part of Africa.
Following the end of his service in 1957, Ralph, Freda, and family returned to England and Kent, eventually settling at Jubilee Hall Farm in Ulcombe. It was at this time that Freda took up psychiatry, studying late into the night while working at Maidstone Child Guidance Clinic, while also being a farmer’s wife, a mother, and still finding time for all the members of her family.
Medically, she had already made her mark in the London Blitz and in her 10 years in Africa, where she had published several papers on local children’s illnesses, but it was here in Kent that her distinguished career really commenced. She gained her postgraduate diploma in 1962, becoming a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1973, and being elected a fellow in 1979. She continued to publish papers, mainly on the challenges of youth delinquency.
In 1970 Freda and Ralph moved to Castle Cottage in Chilham, which was to be her home for the next 35 years. But she had been working mainly at nearby Saint Augustine’s Hospital, Chartham, in a succession of responsibilities from 1960, as well as at Oakwood in Maidstone, and various child guidance centres around Kent.
It was in 1967 that she first started moving into forensic psychiatry, working at Maidstone prison and then at Canterbury prison and at various borstals and probation hostels. She was mainly based at Canterbury prison from 1974, but from then until her official retirement in 1987 she was called to prisons, courts, and probation centres across the south east of England. She dealt with the most difficult cases and particularly in the latter five years was frequently called upon to provide expert advice to juries on the sanity of murderers. Her work demanded the highest levels of expertise, sensitivity, and good judgment, but, most of all, sheer hard work. She did not carry these heavy responsibilities lightly but the work was its own reward and the results show in the numerous expressions of appreciation she received from prisoners, patients, and families.
She continued to work after her official retirement, particularly with children. Her last post was when she was called back at the age of 70 to be the consultant for Canterbury and Dover child guidance centres.
Within her own community in Chilham she was ceaseless in her activity, no less after her retirement, serving in a range of roles requiring diplomacy and responsibility. Her qualities perhaps helped the village most when she was asked to chair the primary school governors, the Chilham Society, and the village hall committee, each at a time of crisis.
Freda, like Ralph, treasured every inch of Chilham and felt privileged to live in such a beautiful environment. She loved the sound of the children playing in the village school, which to her symbolised the continuation of Chilham as a living and working environment, an ideal she fought hard for.
Less known about Freda are her personal acts of generosity, and not only to her family. Over the years she has privately supported many individuals through difficult times. Her instinct was always to find a way to help others, without passing judgment or setting conditions. Unusually for our cynical age, Freda believed in the best in people. Perhaps this is why she earned their trust and respect.
Freda’s many and diverse interests included classical music, the arts, gardening, travel, walking, and entertaining her many friends. She had an abiding passion for history, enthusiastically enrolling for courses at the university well into her 70s. Above all, she cherished her family, who not only enjoyed her famous hospitality for days on end, but also had their minds nourished. This was particularly so for her five grandchildren, Tom’s daughters, Jodie and Bel, and Lucy’s children, Naomi, Libby, and Ben. And no one ever left Castle Cottage without fruit or flowers from her garden or a jar of her gorgeous jam or marmalade.
Tragically bereft of sister Leila in 1975, son Robert in 1977 and Ralph in 1995, she had one great bonus in her final years, the return from Israel of daughter Lucy and children, who lived with her and cared for her at Castle Cottage. It is sadly ironic that Tom and his wife, Jacquie, completed the purchase of a house in Chilham the day of her funeral.
Although Freda’s memory and legendary energy had declined in her twilight years, she remained thirsty for life and her personality and sense of humour continued to shine through. Up until the very end, she greeted her visitors with warmth and affection and, so typically, wanted to look after them and ensure their every comfort. She will be a hard act to follow. [Tom Reed, Jacquie Reed]
See more
- Introductory AddressProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 1-4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.1
- Report of the Meeting of the Eastern Branch of the Provincial Association at Bury St. Edmond'sProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 10-13; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.10
- Mr. Warburton's Bill for the Regulation of the Medical ProfessionProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 13-15; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.13
- An Atlas of Plates, illustrative of the Principles and Practice of Obstetric Medicine and Surgery, with descriptive LetterpressProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.4
- A Practical Treatise on the Diseases peculiar to Women, illustrated by Cases, &cProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 4-5; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.4-a