Collecting... Collecting on! And on, and on....
It seems to have been a very long haul from there to here! Four months in fact... But I have not been sleeping, I promise. No, far from it, my collection has grown by no less than eight items, four of which are here below.  Perhaps not a vast number, but the quality is not bad at all, and that is what matters in the first four cases...  All based on a geographical theme - Nottingham - perhaps my favourite school of nursing!

So here we go - back to the future! Nottingham and Manchester..

Nottingham City Infirmary!  And what superb condition - un-named unfortunately, but I am no means certain that  badges of this provenance - especially age, were ever named.  Solid silver and clearly hallmarked. Very nice geographical location item. But like all early
badges the pin is sharp and needs treating with respect. Originally the workhouse at Nottingham Bagthorpe, it became the City Infirmary in 1929. The makers marks are JWT - J.W. Tiptaff & Sons.

My collection does contain other Nottingham items of course, but these current items I did not possess.  So again I was particularly pleased to be able to obtain this much later date Nottingham School of Nursing - University of Nottingham - version. Again un-named and differing in shape to the previous items, whilst having the more modern hinge and safety catch - which now ends safely within the catch! The hallmark is V&S (Vaughton & Sons)

All are hallmarked so, although the last is a gold colour finish, we can definitely claim sterling silver for the material used.  I will need to research the hallmark further to reassure myself that the University Of Nottingham version is not (unlikely) gold.

Not a bad haul, but there is yet a little way to go before I have finished the Nottingham collection. Rest assured that I am working on it - there are several unanswered questions between Nottingham Bagthorpe and Nottingham University.  What, for example of the psychiatric hospitals like Mapperly? And what of the Nottingham Children's hospital? Of Nottingham midwifery? et al... And what I ask myself, happened to the badge (if indeed she had one) of Ethel Manston - aka Mrs. Bedford Fenwick? She may have had one whilst working in Nottingham. Now what a find that would be...

And what of the badges  of my first mentor -  Mary Glass. I said last time that I had managed, by pure chance, to collect her Parkside Hospital badge. I also said that I was still searching for her Manchester Royal Hospital and her General Nursing Council registration badges - 'Two more, very precious, very personal, 'wants'.....'

I have never seen Mary's Manchester Royal badge - I am assuming that it is like the one below (although the name illustrated is of another nurse - Gillian Southern).  I am assuming that the pin is as in the picture. Perhaps one day...
 

Nursing and hospital badges offer a lasting reminder of our history. Particularly so as they carry hospital - and often individual nurse details - an absolutely stunning research tool.  Where else would you be able to find such a superb record in such a small package?

Interestingly, although like many other nurses, I have worked in several different NHS regions and a fair number of hospitals, it did not occur to me to collect nursing badges at the time. If I had started earlier perhaps I would have been much wiser and certainly much richer if only within the realms of nursing history. But then, of all the nurses, midwives and others working in all those hospitals and schools of nursing, no one ever raised the subject of nursing and hospital badges. Ever! No, it was not until my final years as a nurse-teacher that the (historical) penny finally dropped... Agnes E. Pavey finally hooked me with her book "The History of the Nursing Profession" - the chapter on 'Crete' was bewitching.  If you have not read it (out of print) don't! Or you will end up here collecting British nursing badges....

Imagine, that whilst dreaming, you had collected every British nursing badge ever made, all properly listed, saved in beautiful polished wooden cabinets...... What are you going to do now?!!
WB.

Another photograph from the past - this one thought to be
nurses at an unidentified Hospital

Perhaps badge/identification is possible?

*Training Hospitals/Details *Not Available.

*Sincere thanks to SoN member who supplied this photograph - **especially as I have committed an almost unforgivable sin as lost your details...  I apologize unreservedly and trust that you can forgive.  However, I am committed to publishing the photograph as penance. If you will contact me I will add the details and an enlarged gallery photograph.

Well, that is yet another very pleasant note upon which to end the 39th Schools of Nursing Site News.