The original caption may contain language which is historic and which may no longer be considered appropriate. It has been retained in the record in the interest of historical accuracy.
The caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: “Mothers at the seaside. Picture shows a mother in the maternity department at Walton Hospital, Liverpool, having an early morning cup of tea before being got ready for taking to the mothers’ convalescent home at Southport.”
The Walton Workhouse was opened in the 1860s and by 1930 could house 2,500 people. In 1897 and infirmary had opened at the site and in 1935 the workhouse became Walton Hospital. During the Second World War, Walton Hospital was fully equipped for receiving casualties, whilst non-urgent cases were sent to other hospitals. An emergency theatre was built, along with air raid shelter and an emergency ambulance station. The training of nurses continued: a system which had been arranged by 1935 allowed both male and female nurses to attend lectures together. During the Second World War women were “expected to contribute to the war effort through motherhood”. The declining birth rate in the interwar period raised concerns for increasing the country’s population, and a pronatalist approach was adopted by the government. Large houses were requisitioned for use as temporary maternity hospitals, and maternal and infant care became important. The mothers' convalescent home used by Walton Hospital was located at Rosefield Hall, Southport. Most of the services provided at the Walton Hospital were transferred to other locations in the 1990s; all outpatient and surgery clinics were moved in 2006 and the hospital officially closed. See also MED01/01/1791-1805 and MED01/01/1808-1817. High-resolution copies of this image are available for free for non-commercial use. Please Enquire to place an order.
This is part of the Series: MED01/01 Series of prints; within the Collection: MED01 Topical Press Agency Medical Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Photographer: Topical Press Agency Limited
Photographer: Harrison, Norman Kingsley
Maternity Block, Hospital, Second World War, Women's History, Health And Welfare
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