Tales from the Treasure House - a healthy heritage

There are many jobs in the world that we tend to take for granted.  The people in those jobs work tirelessly in the background, often not getting the thanks that they deserve – sometimes even receiving abuse instead. 

It could be said that the men and women of the nursing profession perform such a job.  Without them, our hospitals and GP surgeries could not function, but we rarely acknowledge this, nor do the nurses themselves ask us to do so. 

Fortunately, the annual International Nurses Day, which took place in May, is there to celebrate the contribution that nurses make to society across the world, and give thanks that we have such a dedicated and valuable profession. 

The date of this celebration, by no coincidence, also marks the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (born 12th May 1820), in whom the nursing profession arguably has its roots. 

Given that the celebration of nursing is also a commemoration of its heritage, the East Riding Archives have assembled a very small display of items from the local area, which relate to the history of nursing.

Archivist Sam Bartle said:  “It’s nice to be able to bring items together from various collections to celebrate a theme such as nursing.  Sometimes, if you’re poring over the catalogues in our search room, it’s easy to miss certain records or photographs , because they might be in a collection you wouldn’t think to look in.”  

The items include a handful of photographs from the early 20th century, an old nursing certificate, and a scrapbook from the Second World War.

To view the items, pop into the Treasure House in Champney Road, Beverley.

For information about how to view historic items at East Riding Archives, go to http://www2.eastriding.gov.uk/leisure/archives-family-and-local-history/visiting-us/