Nursing Staff at Sidcup

The nursing staff at Sidcup were integral to the care and wellbeing of their patients.

The fortitude and dedication of these young women in dealing with the often grotesquely injured servicemen in their charge cannot be underestimated. 

But of all the clinical professionals at the hospital, we know least about them. Photographs almost always show them happy, in the company of the patients, or in semi-official portraits. They wear a variety of uniforms. Many are in the cape and headdress of the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS). Some are from the red cross, displaying its emblem on their aprons.  Others are more simply dressed, probably lesser qualified nursing auxiliaries. 

We know that whilst the vast majority were women, some images from the wards demonstrate that there were a few male orderlies, presumably exempt from military service. We know from Census data that many lived on site. Some at Frognal House, which not only served as the officer’s mess, but a nursing home too. 

Click on any picture below to view the gallery of images.

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If you recognise any of the nurses depicted in these pages, and can add to our knowledge about their lives and work, please contact us: collection@bapras.org.uk