Hi All,
Firstly I am not sure I have this query on the correct board but couldn't find anywhere more suitable to put it.
I am trying to find out how two country sisters would have been trained as hospital nurses in the late 1890s in England. They are listed on the 1901 census at their home in Berkshire with this occupation. One was just 21 years of age at the time and the other a couple of years older.
Can anyone tell me what was involved in nurses training at this time such as how old they would have to be to start training, how long the training would go for and did they end up with any certificates etc. to show that they were trained nurses.
One sister remained in Berkshire whilst the other married in Singapore in 1902 to an English doctor from a Malaysian hospital.
The question of training is difficult as I know she was in Singapore at the age of 17 years and then returned to England in time for the 1901 census and then went back to Singapore to marry in 1902. Her mother was ill in Berkshire and died in 1901 so this could have been the reason for the return to England. This history means she might have done her nurses training at a very young age, say 16 or 17 years. Would this have been likely? I am assuming that she was already engaged to her husband whom she must have met in Singapore before she returned to England as she married him on her 21st birthday. This leads me to believe she may have originally gone to Singapore as a trained nurse at the age of 17 years.
I am in Australia so know very little about British nursing training at that time. Any information would be gratefully received.
Cheers,
Andcarred
