SchoolsofNursing.co.uk

Site News
May 2019
(Vol 13 Issue 2) 

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Welcome to our forty-eighth news page here at Schools of Nursing.   This is our second issue this year - 2019.  Once again this issue has been difficult for us - personal injury combined with several technical problems have delayed us again. Much preparatory work also always takes place in the background - researching possible content; collating (and sometimes writing) articles; grammar and spell checking; plus preparing photographs, obtaining permissions where appropriate and a whole myriad of activities before we even get around to things like layout. We do our best and acknowledge our occasional shortcomings!

And we do have one or two, although we try hard to pretend otherwise.... Please - if you see errors, just say so, no offence will be taken!!

The article links in this column - Two from Will B - 'Badge Manufacturers' and 'Nurse belts & buckles & Badges' one from Sue in progress (Ann Braddick) are below.


1. Badge manufacturers and their Maker Marks. (New)
Link.

2. Miss Ann Braddick - Military Nurse/Hospital Matron - QA/Bristol Southmead Hospital/Matron  St John's Hospital, Towbridge, Wilts. (preview)

5. Nurse Belts and Buckles.
 Link.

The Nursing badges public gallery 
We now have 3 galleries which are open to the public without login.  They take a lot of time:-

1. Eric's Gallery - The original and much neglected gallery still awaiting update.
CLICK LINK...

2. Peter's 'backman' gallery - 50 pages of 24 badges per page and 1250 pages  - (2400 photographs).
CLICK LINK...

3. Mike's 'myk1066' gallery - 17)pages of 24 badges per page and 34 pages - (816 photographs) *with more in progress. CLICK LINK...  

(*Temporarily - You may need to use your browser 'back' button to get back here).

Our original aim is unchanged.  'Individual hospital/school locations have been (and are still being) added; badge shapes; materials used; badge weights; type of fixings; central design (picture) ; inscriptions on the rear (nurse names/dates/maker marks/hallmarks where applicable); designer/s; manufacturers; number made; and dates first awarded are all salient points in our quest being addressed'. Reverse sides being added to each badge wherever we have the photographs.

In short, everyone who has agreed to our publishing a public gallery will have one - using their own photographs wherever possible. We must surely have a copy of almost every UK nursing/hospital badge ever produced.

Click a badge photograph to see the single page!  The links can take you back and forward - a page at a time (24 badges per page) - for all 1310 pages if you like.  Or go to the 'Gallery Start" page at the bottom of any individual badge to get back to the numbered 24 badge page. Sound complicated but you will quickly get the hang of it - promise!

Email messages - Training Transcripts - Qualified Nurses.
In our experience it has not been possible for nurses seeking transcripts from schools which no longer exist to obtain copies. However, we can offer a couple of links which may help in your search, *But please note: We simply cannot respond to transcript requests individually:- 

http://www.nmc-uk.org/Registration/Leaving-the-register/Planning-to-work-overseas-Obtaining-a-copy-of-your-transcript-of-training/ 
http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/rcn_archives/research_advice_-_tracing_nurses/nursing_records
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 
Member Photograph Galleries.
Still accumulating, albeit now more slowly. The 'National' galleries now contain 5861 nursing/hospital badge photographs encompassing all areas of the UK; 593 photographs (buildings/people/ephemera); and 170 photographs (nurse uniforms), both civilian and military. We have achieved 5861 already! By the end of 2019?  6050 still a target. It is possible. We continue to make solid progress and will perhaps achieve the largest collection in the UK, if we are not already there. New additions continue, albeit slowly...
 


National Galleries
-
Member Uploads

Photographic rights

nursesue@SoN
'backman@SoN
 

 Solihull School of Midwifery

Solihull Area Health Authority
 Midwifery Services

We are now at 5861 - 6050 now seems a definite possibility. We are well on the way and just maybe, we will see another magic number shortly, thanks to our many contributors. And it is not just a matter of quantity but rather a combination of quantity and quality. The quality of additions made to the site - both in the way of photographs and contributions to our forum has created an irreplaceable contribution to nursing history. We can now claim to have a mini photographic museum here at schoolsofnursing. Sincere, heartfelt, thanks...

But the photographs are not our be all/end all. Our online articles (42) are gaining too, to say nothing of our nursing histories and news pages. There is a great deal of research involved. Someone's time. Someone's money. All given selflessly without thought of gain. What we have here are the seeds of success.

But please, don't break copyrights when uploading/sending photographs. If you are ever uncertain please ask us. Most copyright holders we have met so far have been only to keen to assist.

And if you want to join - welcome to the Forum and Member Galleries -
Register Here.

Failed Registration. Please be aware, our site is rated on Google by Norton Internet Security as being absolutely safe. *We intend to keep it that way. You can help by using a reasonable ID and your own genuine email address. Anything that appears dubious may result in failed registration. Our site is free to users. It is hosted by the largest ISP in Europe at commercial rates - with highly professional back-up. Safe and secure!


Worldwide..
Certainly our visitors are wide ranging - from 44 countries worldwide... Australia & New Zealand and Canada are well represented in addition to the UK and USA. There are also some more esoteric sounding countries - China; Russia; Cayman Islands; Japan; Malaysia; plus Romania and Spain.

E-Mail Contact - 'contact' link (here and throughout the site) arrives directly on the webmaster's desk. Use it to communicate directly with the site. All mail is considered confidential unless the contents are stated to be otherwise. Stated to be for public consumption by you. Publication itself is an editorial decision. **Please note that we cannot supply transcripts of training.

Collecting... All badges on this occasion...

Surprise, surprise! Here we go again then - every time I think that I have nothing to offer this time, fate takes a hand and drags me to another badge...  It  would be really nice to think that all the hard work was my own and that I had discovered and obtained another superb badge all on my own, but no such luck, I seems that I couldn't fall off a pair of roller skates if I hit a patch of gravel!!  Have a look at these:-
 

Above images copyright burgess@SoN

So how did I obtain it? ebay? Peters Nursing Collectables? Sally Bosley? Auction House? Stole it!?  No, none of these - read on this email:-

"Hello
A Birkenhead school of nursing pin badge has come into my hands though a distant friend of a family member.
It has no real personal significance and we were wondering if there is someone or somewhere that collects the badges or would find it if some use?
Best wishes,
Rebecca D
."

So, always unable to refuse a lady, I offered SoN as a home - all suggestions of sale or payment were turned down and the badge duly arrived in my inbox in Stamford. I also said that
we would display the badge on site (with the donors permission) and will always return it if there is a change of mind at any time.  I always regard all my collections as being in my temporary custodianship, as they will hopefully one day pass to another collector - (or be returned where promised) - and here I am, once more the temporary guardian of a 1974 (awarded) Birkenhead School of Nursing badge.  Manufactured by Thomas Fattorini at Birmingham. Green enamel surround, but perhaps confusingly, blue enamel around the Saint.

The green enamel I have always associated with the SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) qualification.  A total blue with the SRN (State Registered Nurse). But here we have two different blues on the same badge. We have several variations of this badge recorded on site. Have another look at these Birkenhead badges:-
 

Above images copyright burgess@SoN

Of the eight badges, no less than six are different to the last two. Reading left to right, top to bottom,

1. Badge 1 reads 'The General Hospital Birkenhead'. Enamel only around the identical blue/green central motif.

2. Badge 2 reads 'The Birkenhead General Hospital'. Enamel only around the identical blue/green central motif.

3. Badge 3 reads 'Birkenhead school of nursing. Combination of green circumference enamel and blue/green central motif.               

4. Badge 4 reads 'Birkenhead school of nursing. Combination of blue circumference enamel blue/green central motif.

5. Badge 5 reads 'The maternity hospital Birkenhead'. Enamel only around the identical blue/green central motif.

6. Badge 6 reads 'Saint Catherine's Hospital Birkenhead'. Enamel only around the identical blue/green central motif.

Six badges, six differences to the main basic design!  Seven and eight of course are the badges which started it all - excepting the chromium plate on the last two - again different from the others. The magnificent roller catch badge is let down by the simple bent-hook through vertical hole - would seem very prone to pressure wear - but at least the roller catch would be secure.

* The overall badge size and shape are identical to  the first badge shown above -  slight variations in appearance have resulted from copy photography and lack of time to correct.  The badges really are the same size and shape.

The central motif (may well be St Catherine) appears identical on all versions. The colour variations are due simply to the copy process used by the different member uploads.  I cannot help but wonder if other versions exist - perhaps the bronze; the silver; and the gold as applied to other schools of nursing/hospitals.  Now they really would be something to collect! Maker: Thomas Fattorini, Regent St, Birmingham. The lettering  and dates inscribed are the modern versions, obviously done by machine in the interests of accuracy and speed.

In short
That single badge - so generously gifted by Rebecca D - may well be seen by a great many people for a very long time!  It has certainly given me a bit of a challenge. And we haven't even got around to the nitty-gritty of maker marks; materials used; badge designer; weights and so on, so necessary to describing badge provenance and marinating our contribution to nursing history.... A final note from Rebecca...

Dear Will & Alan,
As promised. (The badge) Can you
please email
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.com
with an update on what
happens with the badge
Best Wishes
Rebecca D.

We surely can Rebecca - consider it done. With many grateful thanks. We have removed you email in the interests of your privacy.  Enjoy!!

Imagine
, that whilst dreaming, literally hundreds if not thousands of badges were made made available to me, and all I had to do was supply my address, but I had forgotten to include it...  Forgive yourself? You never would... Until the next time you forgot something!!
WB.

 

 

 

Another photograph from the past
this one from 1951

Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast
'The Beeches'
P.T.S. January - April 1951

*Training Hospitals/Details *Link

Back Row
Middle Row    
Can you help name the nurses and others in the photograph above?
Front Row

                                                                                                                                                              
                                            Photo Gallery Click Here.

*Sincere thanks to SoN member 'eric' for the supply of this photograph. I wonder if any of the nurses can still be identified? It is really not so long ago.. Another 23 not so long-ago nurses! Perhaps one of them will appear or a descendant or friend with a name - but it does seem remote possibility - but a chance chance this time....

Well, that is yet another very pleasant note upon which to end the 46th Schools of Nursing Site News.

 

Would you like to see your PTS or training group featured here? We desperately need more photographs to feature. Can you help?  If so please Contact us.
 

We express our grateful appreciation to those people who have contributed the original photographs
used to produce the News Pages.

1. News heading photo (all dates) - John Reeves
2. Bristol Southmead Gold (April) - John Reeves
3. St Bartholomew's Gold (April) - Ruth Watkin-Jones
4. Haygarth Silver (April) - 'ukhistory' (ebay)
5. Newcastle LS (April) - Peter Backman (Nursing badges)
6. RRC Medal (April)  photo's- 'Caulgisbo' (ebay)
8. 'catandfrog' (July) - (ebay).
9. bokojnr (Dec) - (ebay).
10. blue.bottle (Dec) - (ebay).
11. 'backman' - (ebay).*
12. Hotminicooper (Jun) - (ebay).
13. Right-one50 (Oct - (ebay).
14. jcollinsmedals (Dec - (ebay).
15. Brittania Medals (Dec 2009).
16. elaine3080 (Feb 2010) - (ebay).
17. Fran Biley (Feb 2010) - schoolsofnursing.
18. St Andrews Children's Hospice - Grimsby.
19.themedalcentre - (ebay).
 20. Christmas 1923 - Eric Wilkinson, schoolsofnursing.
21. past-modern - (ebay).
22. susie1156 - (ebay).
23. redsunshine525 - (ebay).
24. nbarton8 - (ebay).
25. magpieantics - (ebay)
26. rayofhope0 - (ebay).
27. Anotherluckyb - (ebay).
28. Helen M Coan.
29. yazandlaz - (ebay).
30. delroyb - (ebay).
31. Burmeseblue - (ebay).
32. amersham417 - (ebay).
33.Bethesda - (ebay).
34. nikkibarnard - (ebay).
35. madeinireland - ebay.
36. jamesmcg - (ebay).
37. pugwash - schoolsofnursing.
38. Sarah Rogers - schoolsofnursing.
 
40. Bill, schoolsofnursing.
41.
alastaircox - (ebay).
42. Margaret Maxwell - (ebay).
43. soisjack - (ebay).
44. blubberlover - (ebay).
45. the collectique - (ebay).
46.
mandacollectables@hotmail.co.uk
47. Dart Silver Lid - ebay
48. 'gawincole' - ebay
49. Dr Patricia Mumford
50.
dedsure@yahoo.com
51.
steve@lloy.ball
52.
R STRINGFELLOW@ebay
53
.bobstish1709@ebay
54.
phillipsbay@ebay.
54.
backintday@ebay).
55.
sallybosley.com
56. armyoutfitters@ebay.com
57. The Welcome Institutue
58. Val Smyth.
59. Rebbeca D.
All Copyrights are Asserted

 
 
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