VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
  • Blog

Dr William Eggeling

26/7/2016

2 Comments

 
Having written previously about both Dr George Lumgair and Dr Stuart Palm, I would like to turn attention now to the next in the succession of long-serving Largo doctors, namely Dr William Eggeling.  He was in practice in Largo from soon after the death of Dr Palm in March 1908 until his own death in 1946.  It's possible that some people living today may remember Dr Eggeling or at least recall parents or older relatives speaking of him.  If you have any information about him at all, please get in touch by commenting on this post or by using the 'Contact' button - his descendants would love to learn more about him!  
Picture
Julius Franz Wilhelm Eggeling was born in London to German parents on 28 October 1873.  When his family moved to Scotland, he was educated at George Watson's College and Edinburgh University.  He obtained an M.A. before going on to study Medicine and Surgery - being awarded his M.B. Ch. B. in 1901.  Seven years later, William filled the gap left by the death of Dr Palm and was living and practising at the Palms' former residence, St Leonard's, on South Feus, Upper Largo. In 1908, at the age of 35, he married Ellis Mitchell Wood.  The photograph above, shows Dr Eggeling probably not long after that on his motorcycle. The couple had four children: William Julius (born 1909), Minnie Anne Annandale (1911), Alfred Homann (1914) and Thomas Frederick (1916).  The family can be seen together in the photograph below. The Doctor had a distinctive car (a British-made G.W.K. - see below) which became well-known in the area and even featured on a popular postcard of Upper Largo at the time.
Picture
Picture
Dr Eggeling had a challenging time during the First World War, when some highlighted his German descent.  However, his work seems to have been tireless through this period and beyond.  During the Second World War the Eggelings, like many others, took in evacuees from cities threatened by air raids.  In fact, they took a family of five, who stayed longest of all the locally hosted evacuees. Their oldest son would later comment that in all the decades that his father worked in Largo, he only took two holidays that he can recall. 

Sometimes patients could not afford to pay the medical fees but Dr Eggeling would not turn them away.  He was often given gifts instead, for example books.  His daughter-in-law recalled one particular case...

"On one occasion, a motorist crashed his car at the bad corner on the main road between Upper Largo and Lundin Links" and in the resultant accident, bit off the end of his tongue.  He "walked up to the surgery at St Leonard's with the tip of his tongue in his hands.  Dr William Eggeling simply sewed it back on again" and once healed, the tongue was apparently "as good as new"!

There was another story about a man who had an accident near Peat Inn during a severe winter and whose leg was so badly injured that Dr Eggeling had to amputate it back at Largo without anaesthetic (only whisky). Do you know more about these stories or others?

Dr Eggeling died on 23 May 1946, aged 73, while his wife passed only weeks later on 11 July.  The pair are shown in the photograph below in their garden at Upper Largo.
Picture
If this information and these photographs stir any recollections of the Eggeling family, please do get in touch.

[With thanks to David Eggeling for sharing the information and images]
2 Comments
Wendy Myles
16/11/2016 02:35:19 am

I have just checked some of the Lundin Links family death certificates - found two pages with Dr Eggeling's certification, one in 1912 which was an entry above my relative's death, and the other for my family member in 1922.

Reply
Max Eggeling
15/12/2020 02:36:54 am

As Dr Eggeling's great grandson, I found this article very interesting. I knew very little about him before coming across this, so I'm very grateful to the author for gathering so much detail.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About

    This blog is about the history of the villages of Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo in Fife, Scotland. Comments and contributions from readers are very welcome!

    Search

    There is no in-built search facility on this site. To search for content, go to Google and type your search words followed by "lundin weebly".

    Contact

    Categories

    All
    Antiquities
    Beach
    Boarding Houses
    Business
    Churches
    Clubs And Societies
    Drummochy
    Facilities
    Farming
    Fishing
    Golf
    Houses
    Keil's Den
    Largo Law
    Lower Largo
    Masseney Braes
    New Gilston
    People
    Railway
    School
    Shops
    Standing Stanes
    Streets
    Tourism
    Upper Largo
    Viaduct
    War

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Links

    Largo Baywatch Blog
    Fife Family History Society
    ​
    Polish Parachute Brigade Info​

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.