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August 2019
 (Vol 13 Issue 3) 
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Welcome to our forty-nineth news page here at Schools of Nursing.   This is our third issue this year - 2019.  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.  Photographs added from Windows programs are often the wrong format and need conversion. But, 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. (No Change) Link.

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

3. Nurse Belts and Buckles. *(One new addition) 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...  
 4. **Barry Sutton's gallery is now en-route and updates will follow as soon as possible - many more badges....

(*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

 

 Grampian Foresterhill College

Gray's Hospital Elgin

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... Buckles and Buckles...

Surprise, surprise, SURPRISE! Here we go yet again then - it seems to have become a serious habit!  Every time I think that I have nothing to offer this time, fate takes a hand and drags me to another badge - or in this case, buckle.  It  would be really nice to think that all the hard work was my own and that I had discovered and obtained another superb item 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 this:-
 

Above images copyright burgess@SoN


It was very difficult to picture without the curvatures as the buckle itself is curved. Concave front and convex rear. Made no doubt, especially to fit a narrow-waisted female nurse!

The seller, Peter 'backman' says in his advert:-

"St Bartholomew's Hospital, Silver Nurses Belt Buckle 1897
A rare Sterling Silver one piece nurses belt buckle engraved with the Wakering Shield device of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital and the date 1897. The slightly convex buckle measures 54mm by 63mm and consists of an outer mesh framework with a plain central rectangle on which the shield has been engraved above the date 1897. Condition is good although with surface scratches and what appears to be a repair to the mesh at 11 o'clock. The belt loop is intact and is marked Sterling. I believe this may have been a fashion item which has been privately decorated with the shield and date by it's owner at the time.

Whilst Silver Buckles were a popular fashion accessory in the late 19th and early 20th century, they are seldom seen in contemporary photographs of nurses at that time. Those associated with the particular training hospital are even rarer and the only hospital that I do tend to see is Bart's where the wearing of a buckle appears to have been more widespread.

A Scarce and desirable addition to any Nursing History collection".

What can I add?  Except that it is certainly a very rare find of a beautiful and very old belt buckle.  The wearer must have been a lady of some standing to be able to afford such an item. That I am the current custodian for a while is something that I have difficulty believing..  And so many unanswered questions.  Who was the owner; how did she acquire the buckle - a gift from an admirer perhaps; where did she spend her career;  oh'' just so much that we do not know....

And! But!  Could I, or anyone else for that matter, ever be so lucky as to obtain an even more elusive Bart's buckle?  Is that really so impossible?  Well, I don't know. But perhaps there is perhaps another one equally desirable - If you have not spotted it already....
 

Boer War Nurses

Above images copyright backman@SoN

Have a closer look...

Above images copyright backman@SoN


Where, I wonder, is that Bart's buckle now?  Did it perish in the Boer War?  Is it buried in an African field somewhere?  Or did the nurse and buckle survive and the buckle went back to the UK somewhere. Perhaps sitting in some long-lost descendants drawer?  Will it ever resurface?  Tantalizing questions which may never be answered....

Imagine, that the 1897 Bart's Buckle featured first above had been found, later to be given the decorative surround pictured in photographs 2 & 3. And that no one recognized it as the Boer War buckle...  And that you kept on searching for it..!  Forgive yourself? You never would... But then, that isn't very likely, is it?
 WB.

 

 

 

Another photograph from the past
this one from 1953

Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast
'The Beeches'
P.T.S. January - April 1953

*Training Hospitals/Details *Link


                                                                                                                                                                                                           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.
60. 'backman'@schoolsofnursing.

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