Author Topic: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s  (Read 962 times)

Offline Rachael89

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Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« on: Sunday 04 February 18 11:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm just writing as I have a really fascinating collection of photos of my great-grandmother, who was a nurse in the 1900s/1910s. My great-grandmother's name was Gladys Ethel Moss (b. 1887, Chorlton), and in the 1911 census she was a sick nurse at the Isle of Thanet Workhouse. I also have a postcard that she sent in 1915, where she gives her address as The National Hospital in East Finchley.

You can see the photos I have of her in her uniform here:

https://imgur.com/a/ix8oF

What is puzzling me is that I'm not sure the photos I have can be from either of the institutions I know she was stationed at, and if one of them does seem like a good match I'm not sure which is more likely. I guess it would make more sense for it to be the workhouse, since as far as I can tell The National Hospital dealt more with neurological conditions and I don't see why it would have been home to hoards of small children! The conditions in the photos seem pretty bad, complete with children being confined in net-covered cribs.

If anyone can provide more information based on the photos or about the places where my great-grandmother worked, I would be very interested. Thank you!
Virgin, Mogford, Grant, Clay, Moss, Santer, Arkle

Offline groom

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Re: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 04 February 18 12:06 GMT (UK) »
Just a thought, it looks to me as if it could have been some sort of Childrens' Home as none of the children look ill do they - in fact they all look quite healthy and well cared for.
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Online rosie99

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Re: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 04 February 18 12:10 GMT (UK) »
The conditions in the photos seem pretty bad, complete with children being confined in net-covered cribs.

I didn't think the children were looking ill either.  Maybe the net was to keep insects out  :-\
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Offline Rachael89

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Re: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 04 February 18 12:20 GMT (UK) »
The conditions in the photos seem pretty bad, complete with children being confined in net-covered cribs.

I didn't think the children were looking ill either.  Maybe the net was to keep insects out  :-\
I don't think the children look ill or badly cared for - they're just in conditions that you wouldn't see today, for obvious reasons.
Virgin, Mogford, Grant, Clay, Moss, Santer, Arkle


Online rosie99

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Re: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 04 February 18 12:23 GMT (UK) »
Link to Thanet workhouse pictures
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Thanet/

ADDED
I wonder what this place looks like out the back
http://www.the-archer.co.uk/archive/2003/2003Mar06.pdf
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Re: Help with identifying Kent (?) hospital/workhouse in photos from 1910s
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 04 February 18 12:46 GMT (UK) »
Link to Thanet workhouse pictures
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Thanet/

ADDED
I wonder what this place looks like out the back
http://www.the-archer.co.uk/archive/2003/2003Mar06.pdf

Unfortunately it was demolished by 2008   https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/nationalef.html
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk