Nurse Buckle ID

[wilfb]

Hello and good Morning.

An apology to Laura Nelson. I have definitely lost our original emails. Hopefully you will have retained copies re these which you can send to me.

Meanwhile. I do recall the content and have added the photograph of your mothers nursing belt buckle below. **Only logged-in members will be able to see this  - but I have also sent the photograph directly to members who may be able to help.

As soon as I hear from Laura again I will add the information agreed here. Meanwhile, can you identify the buckle? Click the photo to enlarge. I think that it is sufficiently unusual to make an ID a possibility.

Will.

[wilfb]

And here is Laura' reply. Perhaps it may just help jog someone's memory. Could the buckle be an official St Helier?

Hi Will

This is my original enquiry: I think I have a buckle from a nurse's belt.  I would like to be able to identify it.  I believe it belonged to my mother who trained as a nurse at St Helier hospital, Carshalton around 1950. 

The design includes what appear to be two horizontally placed torches, one on each side of the join of the buckle.

Are you able to clarify this for me, please?

Many thanks

**Ps. Remember to log-in to see the photo in the first message. Will.

[wilfb]

Good Morning.

The finding is an email reply from a past St Helier's Hopital Silver Medalist we asked for his opinion.

I hadn't any idea, so I just entered 'nurse buckle finding torch' into
Google and this is what came up:

http://cgi.ebay.com/finding-TORCH-STERLING-SILVER-NURSES-BUCKLE-1972-/360309199596

The seller may be able to give you the answer to your question. Note that if
you scroll down the page it is made by E.S. & Co. (whoever they are) and
hallmarked Birmingham 1972

Kind regards


He was able to follow up with:-

Subject: FW: finding TORCH STERLING SILVER NURSES BUCKLE 1972 - eBay (item 360309199596 end time Nov-10-10 08:08:47 PST)

( http://cgi.ebay.com/finding-TORCH-STERLING-SILVER-NURSES-BUCKLE-1972-/360309199596 )

Further to my reply, I am certain this is nothing to do with St Helier
Hospital. The St Helier buckle always featured the same design as the St
Helier Badge as far as I am aware (at least as far back as 1965).


This reply will hopefully be helpful - buckles being notoriously difficult to attribute to particular hospitals. I personally suspect that very few hospitals actually gave buckles to qualifying nurses, although we have photographs of a few onsite. Plus an article by edelweiss James of course:-

http://www.schoolsofnursing.co.uk/Articles/EdelweisJBA2.htm

The article itemises at least four buckles - one from The Royal Free; one from the Royal London Orthopaedic Hospital; one from the Royal Victoria hospital (Belfast); and one the perhaps better known Queen Victoria Institue of District Nurses.

The article is well worth a read.

Will.

** NB: Broken Link Corrected.

[backman]

Interesting discussion,my own opinion on the buckle featured is that it doesn't relate to a specific hospital per se but is rather a commercially produced item which could be purchased by any nurse.I vaguely remember advertisements in the Nursing journals in the 1970s every week for a range of buckles and this one seems to be familiar from those ads.I will assault the loft at the weekend to try to confirm this theory from my old magazines.

[backman]

Confirmed! Found an advert which I have copied from the Nursing Mirror 1974 and which should feature once Will has OKed this.Silver was 7.90 with .15p postage

[wilfb]

All Online Peter.

Since it was simply part of a page I don't think that there are any copyright issues.

And isn't that just the very buckle in question in the top illustration....

http://www.schoolsofnursing.co.uk/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=0

*Please note that this link will change as more photographs are added. If it has when you try it simply put 'buckle 1974' - (no quotes) in the seach facility and it will appear.


And the SRN/Sister version at only £7.90 (Cash) and fifteen pence (old pennies?) post and package!! A real steal... SEN bronze buckles at only £1.85 - plus the postage and packing.

PLUS - real Petersham belting at 30pence (!) per yard - any choice of four colours!

From 'The Nurses Supply Association' - I wonder if they are still around in some other guise?

Plus - a message to Laura (risking sounding like The Everley Brothers!) I think that this solves the mystery of your mothers belt and buckle. She probably purchased it privately from the Nurses Supply Association. But she undoubtedly wore it proudly and more than likely when on duty at St Heliers hospital. Treasure it - we are sure she must have.

Our thanks to Peter (Backman) and Colin Easton for their valued assistance.

Laura's enquiry has undoubtedly added a little detail to the buckle photo for us, we will add it, with her permission to our National Gallery, and it may have resulted in Peter discovering a lost hoard of cash in his attic!

Will.

[barrysutton]

Hello,
I have a St.Helliers belt buckle and will post the photograph of it soonest.

The one shown was a commercially produced nurses buckle.


*Buckle photo added below for Barry. Only logged in members will be able to see the photo. Click photo to enlarge.

[nursesue]

I have a Great Ormond Street Buckle - would you like a photo?? Alas my training hospital didn't have there own issue so my parents got me one from Birmingham jewellary quarter as a congrats pressie and what a pain it was to sew onto the petersham belt
sue.

*Buckle photo added below for Sue. Only logged in members will be able to see the photo. Click photo to enlarge.

[wilfb]

Hello All.

Many thanks for all contributions, pleaase keep them coming if you wish.

We have received the finding email from Laura Nelson, whose enquiry originally led to the posts:-

Hi Will

Thank you so much and would you please be kind enough to pass on my immense thanks to all who have been able to help me.

I am so pleased to know the origin of this buckle and agree that my Mum probably bought it in the 1970s.

I cannot get over how helpful you and your members have been - brought tears to my eyes.

Please feel free to add it to your gallery.

Thank you once again.

Kind regards.


We have eleven different belt buckles in our photograph galleries contributed by members, which are well worth a look by anyone interested in these very collectable and not very common items. They include - Royal London Opthalmic Hospital (2 different); League of Westminster Hospital Nurses; St Helier Hospital Nursing Belt-Buckle; National Examining Board for Dental Nurses Buckle; Buckle for Great Ormond Street Hospital (2); Buckle Great Yarmouth HA Enrolled Nurse; Queens Institute of District Nursing (2) - 1 Badge & Buckle. All nice!

Because of the way that our database works links here would become rapidy outdated. To view these items as a group (which can then be viewed individually) simply log into the photograph gallery and type the word 'Buckle' into the search facility. You will be rewarded with the whole group, including any future additions.

Thanks to all contibutors.

Will.