Psychiatric Bulletin (2001) 25: 404-405. doi: 10.1192/pb.25.10.404-a
© 2001 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2001) 25: 404-405
© 2001 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
William Henry Allchin
Formerly Consultant Psychiatrist Hampshire Area Health Authority
Leslie Bartlet
Bill Allchin died in Wales on New Year's Day aged 79 years. He was born in
Harrow into a medical family; his father was a pioneering specialist in
radiotherapy at the Westminster Hospital. After school, in 1940, he joined the
army and landed in Singapore shortly before the 1942 surrender. As a prisoner
of war he worked on the notorious Burma railroad and his terrible experiences
in captivity affected him greatly. He was much impressed by a fellow prisoner,
Ron Wait, a missionary, and like him, he was able to forgive his abusive
captors. Indeed, he kept in touch with some of the Korean and Japanese guards
for many years. In 1995, at the commemoration service for VJ Day in Winchester
Cathedral, he was chosen to give the address. He spoke of the posttraumatic
stress that affected former prisoners for decades and referred to his own good
fortune in the relief he obtained through his personal
analysis.
Returning from the Far East, he decided on a medical career and after
completing his preclinical studies in Oxford (Balliol College) he moved to
Westminster Hospital. After qualification in 1953 he opted for psychiatry and
started training at the Maudsley in the era of Aubrey Lewis. He then underwent
a personal analysis (Jungian) with Professor Robert Hobson. Interested in
adolescence, he studied alongside Dr Philip Boyd, who later set up the
adolescent unit at St Luke's Hospital. Other influences at that time were Drs
Anthony Storr, Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Warren. The final phase of his
training was at the Portman Clinic treating patients with personality and
sexual disorders.
In 1962 he was appointed consultant psychiatrist in the Wessex Region,
where he took over the medical directorship of Leigh house, the regional
adolescent unit in Chandlers Ford. The unit had been open barely a year and
had just lost its first director. In the second consultant there Bill found a
kindred spirit and they worked together in a happy and creative way until Dr
Rosenberg retired in 1976. Together with their team they developed a
pioneering treatment programme that gained a national reputation. In parallel
with his in-patient work, Bill made a considerable contribution to the
community services in Hampshire from his second base at the Southampton Child
and Family Guidance Clinic. In the 1960s, when multidisciplinary team work was
in its infancy, he was there already. His gentle demeanour and his quiet
reflective style meant he was ideal in this context. His skills as a clinical
adviser and teacher were greatly valued by all the young people's services. A
moving speaker, he made regular contributions to courses and training
programmes in and around Southampton and its university. He initiated
‘hands on’ liaison work in several residential units. He worked
with the Richmond Fellowship in the development of the Bracken Place Hostel.
Together with David Duff and John Evans he was a key figure in establishing
the Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescence.
He retired from the NHS in 1978 but carried on working privately and with a
number of agencies. He had a long and fruitful attachment to the Cotswold
Community. His sense of community ran deep and his endeavours took him well
beyond the confines of medicine. He stood as a parliamentary Labour candidate
for Winchester on four occasions — well aware he was unlikely to be
elected. Other organisations that benefited from his efforts were the
Winchester Film Society and the local Housing Association. For more than 20
years he was a member of the Society of Friends, where his input was greatly
valued.
A unique, compassionate person, Bill is greatly missed. Contemplative and
almost ascetic at times, he had a rich sense of humour and he loved good food
or an evening in the pub. On leaving a case conference with him, a colleague
once remarked ‘he's all altruism’: there was more than a grain of
truth in that comment.
