Genealogy Chat

Can someone tell me how to find out from a photo what grade a nurse was? I have an old photo of my grand mother in uniform but do not know what grade she was.Her first child was born in 1921 so the photo was taken before then. The rumour through the family is that she was a matron. There is no one left to ask as my father has had several strokes so is unable to confirm or deny this. Vanessa

Do you have any idea whereabouts she was nursing? If you have, there might be an 'old nurses' league who could assist with uniforms. However, unless she was very old when her first child was born, I would suggest that she was unlikely to have made it to matron, since that was a very senior job and not a post likely to be filled by someone young. Unfortunately, ever hospital has its own uniforms and there is no system of badges of rank, so, unlike the armed forces, you can't tell by their clothes what 'rank' they held. It is usually the style of cap and/or belt, and colour of uniform which gives the clue - but your photo will be monochrome, and you need to know which hospital to be able to work out the cap/belt clues. Tina

Thanks Tina. I beleive she was nursing in wales. She had nine children the last being born in 1939. I have enlarged the photo but can not see any badges etc. I will keep on hunting because i can not find her marriage either. But that is what this family history is all about. If they made it too easy we would all be bored. Vanessa

Hi Vanessa Was trying to find info on an ancestor of my partners family who was a nurse and the archives at the Royal College of Nursing are very helpful having a problem sending you their email addy, will try and do it in a private message. Hope it helps. Looby