Blog
19
blog posts
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11 Mar 2025
Matron Florence Birkin: one nurse's untold history
The Royal Berkshire Medical Museum Reading, holds the archive of Wallingford and Crowmarsh Joint Isolation Hospital (WCJIH) from its inception in 1899 to 1948. The archive provides a valuable insight into what a nurse’s duties consisted of prior to the establishment of the NHS in 1948. This blog looks at the untold story of Matron Florence Birkin.
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29 Jan 2025
From the Archives: Alice Bird's Atlantic adventure
The RCN archives hold a wealth of artefacts and papers documenting the history of nursing from individual lives to major events. This blog series from the History of Nursing Forum is delving into the collection to share its treasures and to bring the archive to life.
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3 Jan 2025
Nurses in Red - putting nurses back into history
Are you interested in the history of nursing and want to learn more? In this blog we describe our experiences in the History of Nursing Forum 'Nurses in Red' Project. We have a wiki learning event on February 3 2025, 1-3pm.
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11 Dec 2024
From the Archives: Alice Bird - Shaping the profession at Leeds General Infirmary
The RCN archives hold a wealth of artifacts and papers documenting the history of nursing from individual lives to major events. This blog series from the History of Nursing Forum is delving into the collection to share its treasures and to bring the archive to life. This is the second of 3 posts, concerning Alice Bird, a 20th Century nurse, midwife and tutor who worked in Sussex and London during World War 2, before becoming a nurse tutor at Leeds General Infirmary.
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24 Oct 2024
Ethical Responsibilities of Nurses: Exploring Lessons from History
The study of nurses' roles during the Nazi regime is not just a historical enquiry but a crucial learning opportunity for nursing students. It significantly shapes the understanding of the ethical responsibilities inherent in the profession and serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences when caregivers fail to protect life.
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9 Oct 2024
From the Archives: Alice Bird in World War Two
The RCN archives hold a wealth of artefacts and papers documenting the history of nursing from individual lives to major events. This blog series from the History of Nursing Forum is delving into the collection to share its treasures and to bring the archive to life. This is the first of 3 posts, concerning Alice Bird, a 20th Century nurse, midwife and tutor who worked in Sussex and London during World War Two.
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12 Sep 2024
Dr. West's 'How to Nurse Sick Children'
Lifting the lid on children's nursing in 1854.
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12 Aug 2024
Congratulations to Dr Jane Brooks for winning the 2024 Lavinia L. Dock book prize
Congratulations are due to Dr Jane Brooks for achieving the prestigious 2024 Lavinia L. Dock Award for her latest book Jewish Refugees and the British Nursing Profession, A Gendered Opportunity.
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31 Jul 2024
Sister Freda Airey S R N: ‘lost at sea’ 12 February 1944
I volunteer with a thriving local history and archive group in my village of Arnside. A recent acquisition is the painstaking research of a resident, documenting every villager who died in WW1, WW2 and the Korean War. My attention was drawn to the only woman in the list, Sister Freda Airey. Who was she? How did she die?
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29 May 2024
Louisa’s Lament: where history meets fiction.
This book review explores the writing of 'Louisa's lament', a novel which sheds light on a group of pioneering nurses in 1880, and the trouble they experienced. For me it was a good read - a fascinating glimpse into history, with resonance for contemporary organisational conflict.
