A web site dedicated to the study of The Confederation Of Health Service Employees (COHSE) and National Asylum Workers Union (NAWU), National Union of County Officers (NUCO)including the Guild of Nurses.
The site also notes the positive role COHSE, NUPE & NALGO Nurses played in the formation of UNISON Nursing Sector, the premier nursing union
Cargill, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. Sister of James Ritchie of The Neuk, Rosemount Blairgowrie, Pertshire, Scotland.
Trained at the Royal infirmary Dundee Scotland.
later worked for the Nurses Co-operative in London based at Cavendish Square.
Served in the Boer War and was the Matron at the Orange River (concentration) Refugee Camp 1902.
Meet General Smuts on 2nd June 1902.
Joined the British Expeditionary Forces in France during the first days of World War One as a Staff Nurse in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, transfered to Egypt and later to the Salonika front in Greece.
Died of dysentery 13th August 1916
Buried: Salonika Lembet Road Cemetery The Cemetery is on the northern outskirts of Thessalonika, Greece
Commemorated on Wolfill Village Hall, Perthshire Memorial
AGNES GREIG MANN
Dundee Staff Nurse: AGNES GREIG MANN QAIMNS aged 25, drowned as a result of the German U boat mining of the H.M.H.S. "Salta." 10th April 1917buried Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre;
Miss Mary Rodwell (Brockdish, Norfolk) was a member Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.). She was killed on the night of 17th November 1915 when the Hospital Ship Anglia was returning from Calais to Dover with 390 injured soldiers, 56 crew members and a compliment doctors and nurses during World War 1.
The nursing complement included Matron, Mrs. Mitchell, Nurse Walton, Nurse Meldrum, and Nurse Mary Rodwell,At around 12:30 pm, in pitch darkness and one mile East of Folkestone Gate, the Hospital Ship "Anglia" hit a mine laid by a German U boat, within 15 minutes the ship had sunk. Claiming the lives of over one hundred soldiers, crewmen and also the life of nursing sister Mary Rodwell.
According to the Nursing Times 27th November 1915, "The horror of that first moment have been indescribable when the doomed vessel plunged her bows into the water at an angle which suggested her instant death, and the staff were faced with the problem of getting nearly 200 cot cases up from wards and lower wards in almost impossible conditions. "
The water at once rushed into the lowest wards, and the orderlies who went to investigate reported that it was up over their heads. From the other wards every man who could move himself scrambled as best he could to the deck, and some of the wounded, officers and men alike, did all in their power to save the others, hunting out lifeboats for them and fastening onAll the time the nurses were working steadily, chiefly concerned with the lifebelts, but bringing up all the wounded who could be moved along those slanting corridors."
Some of the men reported sister Rodwell had been injured in the initial explosion. The Matron and sister on deck when urged to get into a boat, which had come alongside, would not hear of it. saying "we have the right to be last this time""I offered to help one nurse you come with me and I'll get you to safety. i am a very strong swimmer. You'll be safe with me. But she shook her head an said she could not leave her men. So she was with them to the last ".
Between 127 and 164 were killed in the sinking of the Hospital ship Anglia, The survivors described sights which were worse than anything they had seen at in Flanders. The Army Orders in relation to the tragic sinking of the hospital ship Anglia contained the following Statement:
"The Army Council desire to place on record their appreciation of the presence of mind and devotion to duty shown by the Royal Army Medical Corps personnel on the occasion of the sinking of the hospital ship Anglia which struck a mine on November 17th 1915.
"Through the courage and presence of mind of the Matron Mrs Mitchell, and devotion of the nursing sisters, most of the cot cases were evacuated, from the ship. in this work, lieutenants P.L.T. Bennet and H.W. Hodgson Royal Medical Corps, were conspicuous and aided by Private Darwen and McGuire of the same corps, they succeeded in saving wounded from the lower wards when they were awash and almost submergedMary Rodwell friends testified that "she was well aware of the risks she ran in serving the sick and wounded on a hospital ship.
The Matron and sister rescued from Anglia say that they cannot speak too highly of her (Nurse Mary Rodwell). The last the Matron (Mrs Mitchell) saw of her was shortly before the explosion, when she came up to fetch some warm woollies for her patients When war broke out she felt it her duty to volunteer for foreign service, and was from February till may 1915 on hospital trains, and on the Anglia since May.
Mary Rodwell prophetically wrote a letter dated 8th September 1915
The large hospital ships have gone to the Dardanelles leaving us only the small ones for France. I saw the XXXXX she takes 3,000 patients and is enormous. I prefer a smaller boat myself, in case anything should go wrong. and just now the German mines are a great many over here. we have also seen (German) submarines at times. ......"So far we have been lucky with the hospital ships. We had a narrow escape with bombs a few weeks ago. The explosion threw us out of our bunks .... The high explosive bomb was only forty yards from us, and several fire bombs only 10 yards from us burnt themselves out on the pier without doing any damage, as they were on a stone pier, but the noise of the explosive bombs was terrific. We just rocked and dashed, the boast listing very much, but recovering itself without any damage done except lights and telephone broke, but a trawler near had some men killed and injured"
Hospital ships regularly had no escort and on one trip the ship's passengers even included the King, who's entourage suffered from sea sickness and who Mary Rodwell nursed.
The wreck of the hospital ship Anglia is now an Official War Grave, which lies on a sandy bed, where she was struck on that tragic night.A number of those killed are recorded on the war Memorial at Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton including Mary Rodwell.
Mary Rodwell was born at Brockdish, Norfolk (near Diss) on June 7th, 1874 the daughter of Mr J. Rodwell, she later lived in the village of Oakley on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.
She trained at Hendon Infirmary Hospital in North West London from 1901 to 1904. Later nurse Rodwell worked at Samaritan Free Hospital, Maryleboune Road, London and later still in private nursing homes in the Capital.
When war broke out she felt it her duty to volunteer for foreign service, and was from February till may 1915 on hospital trains, and on the Anglia from May 1915.It was reported in the British Nursing Journal that she was a supporter of their magazine (as opposed to the (Royal) College Nursing of Nursing Journal the Nursing Times) and that she was supporter of a nursing regulatory body which the (Royal) College of Nursing then opposed.
Mary
Rodwell would have undoubtedly therefore have supported the
development of nursing trade unionism as outlined by Maude MacCallum's Professional Union of Trained Nurses Nursing Union established in 1919.Miss
Elma Smith Matron at Hendon Infirmary stated"She herself could wish for
no better end than to die with the patients under her care".
MaryRodwell was also recorded as being an enthusiastic suffragist being an member "ardent" supporter of the Crystal Palace and Anerley Women's Freedom League (WFL). She seems to have become involved in the local branch while living with her uncle Robert Eagle in Upper Norwood, South London (22 Palace Road).
After her tragic death the The Crystal Palace & Anerley Women's Freedom League stated that Mary Rodwell's "name will be held in honour and reverence"
The WFL was a "progressive" more working class women orientated breakaway group from the WSPU established by Charlotte Despard, Edith How-Martyn and Teresa Billington-Grieg on 22nd October 1907. The WFL objected to the lack of democracy in the WSPU, it's deferance to wealthy women rather than tackle the issues facing working women's, they also opposed the WSPU's vandalism and particular it's arson campaigns.
The WFL while willing to break the law in furtherance of "Votes for Women" through direct action, Muriel Matters a WFL famously sailed over London in a hot air balloon showering London with "Votes for women" leaflets, The WFL was completely non-violent (over 100 of its members went to jail for direct action demonstrations and refusing to pay taxes and )
The colours of the Women's Freedom League (WFL) were Green, Gold and White.
Mary Rodwells name appears at the church in Ditchingham, Norfolk.
On 2nd July 1920 a memorial bronze plaque was unveiled at Colindale hospital, it was stated that the memorial would remind nurses "who come after, of their courage self abnegation and devotion to duty when the hour of trial came".
NOTES
BJN British Journal of Nursing 11 December 1915 (and others) Nursing Times 27 November 1915
See also Jerry Green's excellent article re the Crystal Palace connections and family reasearch
Mureil Matters of the Womens Freedom League also organised the WFL van tour starting in mid October in Oxshott, Surrey and touring Surrey, Kent, Sussex and East Anglia
Tragically,
another Hendon nurse sister Julia Winchester returning to her post on
the Gold Coast was also drowned on the "Falaba" which was torpedoed 28th
March 1915 by a German U boat.
Julia Winchester's body was afterwards recovered from the sea and buried in the churchyard at St Agnes, Cornwall.
Robert Eagle was a noted supporter of Crystal Palace Football Club
Private Fred Cartmell; 8th Battalion King's Own Royal Lanacter Regiment, Rainhill Asylum staff and union member
He was invalided home early in from wounds received in September 1917 returned to the front and was killed in action 26/09/1917 aged 27. Husband of Emma Cartmell 25 New Road, Rainhill, Lancashire, Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Private Frederick Curtis; 1st battalion Welsh Guards active union member at Maidstone Mental Hospital, killed in France July 31st 1917 aged 32. Duhallow Cemetery. Son of Elizabeth Waterman, Edinburgh Villa, Barming Heath, Maidstone.
Sergeant Oliver; 2nd North Midlands Royal Garrison Artillery. died in hospital in France aged 32 on 27/08/1917 mentioned in dispatches, Dozinghem cemetery . He was a reservist at outbreak of the War an an attendant at Wakefield Asylum and a member of the local union branch. Husband 12 Denstone Street, Mount Pleasant, Wakefield. Son of Louis Kossuth Batty.
Private H. Wilson; (Charles Henry Wilson) 8th East Surrey Regiment was killed in action at Messines Ridge near Ypres on July 23rd 1917, buried at Ypres Menin Gate, union member at Napsbury Hospital.
The first hospital ship used during war time, came into service during the American Civil War.
The USS Mound City had captured the "Red Rover" from the Confederates on 7 April 1862 and the ship was later turned into a hospital ship, USS Red Rover on the Mississippi.
The ships medical crew included a complement of Catholic Sisters of the Holy Cross nurses and a section Afro-American nurses.
Renamed the hospital ship "Red Rover" she was placed in service of the U.S. Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla in June 1862. Hospital Ship "Red Rover" served on the Mississippi in this role through the summer of 1862,
We know the names of at least four nurses - Alice Kennedy, Sarah Kinno, Ellen Campbell and Betsy Young.
The nursing staff aboard the "Red Rover" represented the first US Navy nurses and some of the first recognised Afro American nurses.
Sometimes fate gives us a chance to do things that we might otherwise miss.
A couple of weeks ago I was updating the cause of death for all the Nursing Sisters in the Canadian Great war Project. When I got to Henrietta Mellett, I noticed that the Cause of Death in Ed Wigneys Roll of Honour was listed as “Drowning”.
Henrietta Mellett was born in Galway, Ireland October 21, 1883, and enlisted into the Canadian Army Medical Corps (No 15 General Hospital) at London, Ontario on 22nd January 1918 . She appears on the 1911 Census, so she immigrated to Canada sometime prior to 1911.
As with any attempt to reconstruct events from over 90 years ago, there is some degree of speculation, but it is likely that her family had moved from Galway to Dublin and was living there in 1918. It is likely that Henrietta Mellett was returning to England on 10 October 1918 after visiting them. She was aboard the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster, with a crew of 77 and 694 passengers, bound for Holyhead, Wales when it was attacked and sunk by the German submarine UB-123 just before 10:00 AM. The Leinster went down about 6 km outside of Dublin Bay. The official loss of life was 501 personnel, and it was possibly higher.
Fate came in to play when I saw that her body had been recovered and she was buried in Dublin. My wife and I were planning an Irish vacation, so last Tuesday, 3 weeks after looking up her cause of death, on a drizzly morning, I found myself in Mt. Jerome Cemetery in Dublin. I located her grave, as well as the grave of Private Fryday, the only other Canadian buried there. Nursing Sister Mellette is buried with her brother and sister, with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission marker atop the grave.
It is very satisfying to be able to be fortunate enough to have found that she was buried there, and to be able to make the trip to the Cemetery to honour her memory.
Canadian Nurses WW1
By Michael Walker Canadian Nurses who died WW1
46 of the 3,000 women who served as "nursing sisters" in the Canadian Army Medical Corps lost their lives during the war. Of info available, six were killed or mortally wounded (of which three died in the deliberate bombing of the military hospital in Étaples, France);
15 died at sea, with the sinking of the hospital ship, Llandovery Castle; 15 died of disease; and seven died later in Canada
AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY 1920. Short, simple and deeply impressive was the ceremony, says The Canadian Nurse, which took place in the wide corridor just outside the Legislative Chamber of the Parliament Buildings, Toronto, when the memorial tablet to the memory of the nurses of the Ontario Military Hospital, Orpington, Kent, England, who gave their lives during the war, was unveiled by Major Margaret C. MacDonald, R.R.C. Matron-in-Chief of the Canadian overseas military forces.
Family and many persons of note attended the ceremony. Present for the occasion were the near relatives of the heroines whose names appear on the tablet :
Nursing Sister Mary McKenzie, formerly of Toronto, who was drowned in the sinking by the enemy of the hospital ship Llandovery Castle;
Nursing Sister S. E. Garbutt, who went overseas for service in June, 1917(?), and died of cancer the following (20th August 1917);
Nursing Sister M. Lowe, Of Binscarth, Manitoba, who was killed during the bombing outrages at Etaples in May, 1918 ; (28th May 1918)
Nursing Sister D. H. Baldwin, who died as a result of wounds received during the enemy raids at. Doulens, France, in May, 1918 ; (30th May 1918)
Nursing Sister M. E. Greene, who died of double pneumonia, at No. 24 British General Hospital, Etaples, France, in October, 1918. (9th October 1918)
Hon. Dr. H. J. Cody, former Minister of Education, read the memorial service and dedicated the tablet, erected by the matron and nursing sisters of the Orpington (Canadian) Hospital unit.
May 29 1920 British Nursing JournalROLL OF HONOUR NURSES CANADA WORLD WAR ONECANADIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
Alpaugh. A Baker. M. E Baker. M. E Bolton. G. E. Campbell. C. Champagne. E. Cumming. I. Dagg. A. St. C. Donaldson. G. Douglas. C. J. Dussault. A. Follette. M. A. Forneri. A. F. Fortescue. M. J. Fraser. M. M. Frederickson. C. Gallaher. M. K. Grant.G. M. Herman .V. B. Henshaw. I. Hunt. M. Jaggard. J. B. Jarvis. J. Jenner. L. M. Kealy. I. L. King. J. N. MacIntosh. R. MacLeod. M. McDiarmid .J. M. McDougall .A. McEachen. R. McGinnis. M. G. McKay. E. V. McKenzie. M. A. McLean. R. M. Mellett. H. Munro. M. F. E Roberts. J. Rogers. N. G. Ross. A. J. Ross E. G. Sampson. M. B. Sare. G. I. Sparks. E. Stamers. A. I. Templeman. J. Trusdale. A. Tupper. A. A.
CANADIAN ARMY NURSING SERVICE
Baldwin. G (30 May 1918) wounds Davis. L.A (21 February 1918) K/N Garbutt S. E (20 August 1917) K/N Green. M (9 October 1918) Disease Lowe. M (28 May 1918) wounds MacDonald. K.M. (19 May 1918) wounds MacPherson. A (30 May 1918) wounds Pringle. E.L (30 May 1918) wounds Wake. Gladys M.M (21 May 1918) wounds Whitely. A (21 April 1918) wounds
SINKING OF THE LLANDOVERY CASTLE
At the end of the month of June 1918, the "LLANDOVERY CASTLE" was on her way back to England from Halifax. She has on board the crew, consisting of one hundred and sixty-four men, eighty officers and men of the Canadian Medical Corps, and fourteen nurses, a total of two hundred and fifty-eight persons. There were no combatants on board. The vessel had not taken on board any munitions or other war material. This has been clearly established.
In the evening of 27th of June, 1918, at about nine-thirty (local time) the "LLANDOVERY CASTLE" was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, about one hundred and sixteen miles south-west of Fastnet (Ireland), by a torpedo from the German U-boat 86. Of those aboard only twenty-four persons were saved, two hundred and thirty-four having been drowned.
For a superb account of nurses in WW1 read "It's a long way to Tipperary " (British & Irish nurses in the Great War) by Yvonne McEwen
Tangley/Tilford ward new Royal Surrey County Hospital, Simply the best staff and ward at RSCH in the 1980's solid COHSE, many ex Milford Chest Hospital nurses
I salute you all and hope your doing well
at least one important nurse missing from this picture
SIPTU members to take industrial action at Gweedore Nursing Home in the Donegal Gaeltacht (Ireland's largest Irish speaking area)
Members of SIPTU at the Bainistiocht Aras Gaoth Dobhair Teoranta nursing home in Gweeedore County Donegal are taking industrial action in pursuit of their claim for terms and conditions of employment comparable to similar grades in the Health Service Executive (HSE). The initial stoppage is for 24 hours on September 1 and the Union says it will do everything possible to avoid discomfort to patients if the action goes ahead.
Aras Gaoth Dobhair, a 41 bed community nursing home, was set up in 2004 on a partnership basis between the HSE, Udarás na Gaeltacht and a local community group. The Director of Service at the nursing home is a HSE employee, while two community care managers are nominated by the HSE to sit on the management committee of the nursing home.
“However, SIPTU members, who comprise the majority of the 47 employees and work in the administrative and maintenance areas, do not enjoy the same terms and conditions of employment as similar grades within the HSE”, Branch Organiser, Martin O’Rourke said today. He added that Union members have waited patiently for over three years to have their employment issues resolved.
“In July, the Labour Court recommended very marginal improvements which do not resolve the issues of concern to our members. The Court’s recommendations on pensions, sick pay and shift allowances were overwhelmingly rejected as completely inadequate and far short of what HSE employees enjoy,” he said.
“SIPTU issued notice of industrial action to the company on August 6, 2009 to allow it the best possible opportunity to resolve the dispute. Regretfully, we have yet to received any meaningful proposals which might resolve the outstanding issues.
“Many of the clients are vulnerable and elderly and for that reason we have decided to limit the initial action to one 24-hour period commencing at 8.00am on Tuesday, September 1 until 8.00am on Wednesday, September 2. ” he said. “If the strike goes ahead, every effort will be made to avert possible discomfort clients.”
He stressed that SIPTU remains available for talks, “But it is not fair, reasonable nor acceptable that all employees do not enjoy the same terms and conditions of employment as similar grades within the HSE who do exactly the same work. Frankly, our members deserve better than this.”
NOTE
SIPTU/ITGWU has for many years a strong base amongst nurses in Donegal, starting with nurses at Letterkenny Mental Hospital thanks to the work of ITGWU pioneers such as Peadar O'Donnell (Irish speaker born at Meenmore, Dugloe, Co Donegal) appointed ITGWU organiser in1918.
John Nugent was elected as ITGWU branch secretary in 1947 at Letterkenny Mental Hospital.
The ITGWU had members in Donegal from the beginnings of the union in 1909, while Peadar O'Donnell had increased membership, by 1920 Donegal had just four branches Donegal town, Letterkenny, Ballyshannon and Dugloe (?). It was not until the organisation of workers at a Woollen Mill at Convoy, the largest private employer in the county that membership took off.
The first branch Secretary of the Convoy branch was John Anthony McElhinney.
Today's Sunday Telegraph (26th April 2009) Editorial today states that "Outdated dogma will not get us out of this mess".
I trust that they are referring to the Conservative Parties statements on the NHS which now include
1) Continuation of privatisation (Such a cleaning which has killed thousands in cross infection) 2) Continuation of failed PFI (which has cost millions 3) A pay freeze (refusing to honour the independent review body) 4) Scrapping the present NHS Pension scheme (Do they know how small a nurses NHS pension is) 5) Foundation hospitals (more failed privatisation plans 6) naming and shamming NHS Bosses over £150k a year (look forward to seeing how much those General Practitioners and Consultants earn)
As the NHS Consultants association state "No one has ever been able to provide information that shows that privatisation or competition improves the quality of health care, far from it. research from America shows increased "competition" leads to bigger bureaucracy and poorer quality of health care.
but of course............the Sunday Telegraph was complaining that the rich might have to pay more for THEIR FINANCIAL CRISIS
Something about millionaire Tory bankers telling nurses that we have to make more sacrifices because of their crisis
Jack Jones Born 29th March 1913 Died 21st April 2009 A Great Man - A Great Life Trade Unionist, International Brigader and Pensioners' Leader "They went because their open eyes could see no other way" No Pasaran You are History - You are Legend
One Day strike organised by COHSE and NUPE Domestics at Hillingdon Hospital 23rd May 1985. (100%) (pic below)
The strike was in protest at the hospital's privatisation programme and support with Barking hospital strikers.
Management asked them either to lose their bonus or be privatised. The staff voted overwhelmingly against cutting their bonus.
equally solid amongst white staff from Colham and Asian staff from Southall
In September 1985 at the civic centre, (pic below)the District Health Authority voted to privatise the service was privatised, with the loss of 213 jobs.
Private contractor started February 1st 1986 ICC Hospital services Ltd Hillingdon was one of the first private contracts after St Helier, Hammersmith to be forced through by the Tories.
Of course this was only a dress rehearsal for the great Hillingdon Hospital cleaners strike ten years later.
After an employment tribunal had finally ruled that they should receive maximum compensation and must be reinstated.
The now famous Hillingdon Hospital strike lasted five years and Malkiat Bilku the NUPE/UNISON Steward walked back into work on October 30th 2000 with Alan Keen MP, to the first day back at work.
Hillingdon Hospital Cleaners strike 1st October 1995 to 29th October 2000
Crothall's (a subsidiary of Pritchards) held the contract for hospital cleaning at Barking Hospital in East London for a number of years prior to 1984. This company had close links to the Conservative Party and in particular arch privateer Michael Forsyth MP (Stirling) who's Michael Forsyth Associates were consultants to Pritchards. (Likewise Lord Ashcroft and Mediclean)
Michael Forsyth now states hospital cleaning privatisation went to far in driving down standards, however his late clarification of his views, fail to hide the fact that thousands of patients have needlessly died or been maimed as a direct result of the Tories hospital cleaning privatisation, which deliberately and callously drove down cleaning hours and standards.
After the introduction of the Tories hospital cleaning privatisation at all cost charter outlined in the now infamous and hated DHSS Circular (HC) 18 83 .
This Circular forced hospital to award hospital cleaning contracts to the lowest tender and cared little for the impact on cross infection or staff pay and conditions, it was riddled with Tory dogma, revenge for the 1982 hospital workers pay battle.
Crothalls decided that in order to maintain the contract at Barking Hospital they would reduce the cost by a massive 41%. Cleaning hours were cut from 2,189 to 1,330, the cleaners pay by a third, cut holiday pay from 4 weeks to three weeks, no sick pay and massive changes in staff shifts. When the Barking Hospital cleaners(mainly NUPE members) came out on strike in March 1983, Crothalls sacked them using the new anti union laws introduced by the Tories,
Rodney Bickerstaffe NUPE General Secretary stated that Barking Hospital was "our Cortonwood" in a reference to the Miners strike against pit closures.
A London wide day of Action was organised by rank & file activists and did secure good support, even in areas such as Hillingdon where solidarity action had previously been unknown.
Their s very strong 24 hour picket line at the hospital, but unfortunately Police showed every sympathy with the casual labour now filling the strikes jobs arrested numerous activists.
The depute went o into 1985, but the very courageous battle waged by the women (with the support of Barking Health Emergency) the strike ended in defeat.
However, they had manged to highlight the very real impact of privatisation on cleaning standards and staff.
At Barking Hospital cross infection rates at the hospital soared and cockroaches were founding crawling in the hospital's baby incubator's.
Hospital cleaners were forced to strike against OCS contractors at Addenbrookes hospital (Cambridge), six months at Scarsdale Hospital, Chesterfield and three months at Hammersmith against Mediclean.
One Day strike organised by COHSE and NUPE Domestics at Hillingdon Hospital 23rd May 1985. (100%) (pic below)
The strike was in protest at the hospital's privatisation programme and support with Barking hospital strikers.
Management asked them either to lose their bonus or be privatised. The staff voted overwhelmingly against cutting their bonus.
The strike was equally solid amongst white staff from Colham and Asian staff from Southall
National Nurses 1988 Clinical Grading dispute at Hillingdon Hospital, day of action. Nurses outside the A&E entrance. COHSE nursing members.
One of the best and most successful campaigns run by NHS unions.
Securing massive improvements in Clinical Grading and London Weighting
Below 1988 Clical Grading Dispute at Central Middlesex Hospital (with newly elected Paul Boateng MP for Brent South (1987-2005). Demo organised by COHSE. Click pictures to enlarge
In 1983 the Conservative Party keen to destroy public services decided to force through privatisation of hospital cleaning. This led to cuts of 50% in cleaning staff, poor pay and more importantly a massive increase in infection rates.
One of the first contracts to be awarded to the private sector (as the NHS Cleaning staff refused to cut their staff and pay) was at Hammersmith hospital. The subsequent strike was one of the most aggressive fought and included occupations and breaking up of Board meetings.
The contract went to Mediclean (who also won contracts at St Helier, Sutton and Bridge Hospital, Essex. The £450,000 Hammersmith contract started on 28th January 1985.
While a majority of the NUPE and COHSE members struck, a significant minority remained in work and the strike divided by country, the Irish and Portuguese being the strongest. helped no doubt that the NUPE Branch secretary Lydia Fraser was Portuguese (her husband Pete Fraser wasNUPE branch secretary at St Charles Hospital. While a number of the COHSE branch officers were Irish.
Not all workers had their pay cut the contract manager Simon Cox at Hammersmith it was discovered was on £15,000 a year. COHSE was able to secure the pay and benefits package for all key Mediclean staff much to Medicleans embarrassment, this included BUPA coverage and top of the range cars while cleaning staff had their pay cut, holidays, sick pay, pensions, overtinme and weekend rates.
The Cleaning staff at Hammersmith Hospitalwas was cut from the original 220 staff to 158 and the number of full time staff was cut from 122 to just 28.
Withe regard to cleaning hours in the contracts they were cut from 6,170 to 2,802 per week hardly surprising that "so called" savings were made. but this was at the direct cost of hospital cleanliness. Today over 70% of hospital cleaning contracts are still in the private sector and the Tories have a cheek to complain about dirty NHS hospitals....who made them dirty ?.
Below right Lydia and Pete Fraser at COHSE Conference 1984
Hayes Cottage Hospital Occupation (Work-in) for 24 hours circa 1990 organised by COHSE Hillingdon & District Branch. This was the second occupation in opposition to the proposal to sell off Hayes Cottage Hospitaland was successful in securing redeployment for all staff within the NHS.
The first Hayes Cottage Hospital Occupation started Tuesday 25th October 1983 and lasted until Christmas when the hospital Occupation secured a victory and closure plans were dropped,
When it was all over and the station was almost quiet again, the oldest porter to be found was asked if he had ever seen anything like this. "No", he said, "I saw nothing like it even at the end of the last war" Replying to speeches of welcome to the returning Brigadiers,Sam Wild, Commander of the British Battalion said:
"We intend to keep the promise we made to the Spanish people before we left — that we would only change our front and continue to fight in Britain for the assistance of Spain "These extracts from "newspapers of the time convey the atmosphere as the Brigadiers returned home:
From the Daily Worker, December 8, 1938
At last the train steamed into Victoria Station;, and from its windows there waved the flags of fifty-two nations. Even before it stopped, mothers and sons, wives and husbands were re-united.
As they left the train, headed by Battalion Commander Sam Wild, Political Commissar Bob Cooney and Quartermaster "Hookey" Walker, they were welcomed by Mr Attlee, leader of the Labour Party. With him were Will Lawther of the Miners Federation, Mr William Gallacher, M.P., of the Communist Party, Mr J. R. Squance, Railmen's Union Leader, Sir Norman Angell, Lord Strabolgi, Sir Stafford Cripps and Tom Mann."
From the evening paper Star December 8 1938.
Led proudly by their wounded comrades, the men marched into London. With them marched the spirit of Byron, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartists, Keir Hardie ... Britain's bravest fighters for liberty through the centuries. Behind and around them marched twenty thousand British democrats- Men as well as women wept and cheered alternately; It was no political affair for all parties were represented, both on the platform and in the crowd. It was British democracy spontaneously expressingits abhorrence of Fascism and its appreciation of bravery.
These men have made history, by forming part of the greatest international democratic army the world has ever known. They have inspired the world by their example.
Something of this seemed to enter into everyone who was at Victoria last night, and the memory of it will never be eradicated"
Sam Wild commander of the British Battalion of the International Brigade, was quoted as saying:
"The British Battalion is prepared to carry on the work begun here to see to it that our 500 comrades who sleep for ever beneath Spanish soil shall serve as an example to the entire British people in the struggle against fascism.
Those who were killed included member of the nursing and ambulance volunteers sent by the Spanish Medical Aid Committee (SMAC) established 1st August 1936.
The following SMAC personnel died in Spain.
Percy Batson: Ambulance Driver - Feb 1938
Julian Bell: Ambulance Driver July 1937
Anthony Carritt: Ambulance Driver July 1937
George de Groode: Ambulance Driver July 1937
George Green: Ambulance Driver/Orderly Sept 1938
Vincent Hunt: Ambulance Driver July 1937
Emmanuel Julius: Hospital Stores Oct 1936
Issie Kupchik: Ambulance Driver June 1937
Ruth Ormesby: Nurse April 1938
E. Petrie: Ambulance Driver July 1937
Randall Sollenberger: Doctor July 1937
Halcrow Verstage: Ambulance Driver 1937
END
Below video of Maxine Peake reading the "Farewell to the International Brigade " given originally by Dolores Ibarruri in 1938.
The badge of NUCO Guild of Nurses (estb 1937) with the Justicia symbol a remnant of the older Poor Law Workers Union.
The National Union of County Officers (NUCO) Guild of Nurses was established at an inaugural meeting held at St Pancras Town Hall, London on 26th November 1937 with an audience of 500 nurses.
The Guild of Nurses from the start took on a pro active campaign to highlight the plight of general nurses, unlike the (Royal) College of Nursing which maintained that better pay and conditions would on lead to the "wrong type" of girl entering nursing.
MASKED NURSES DEMONSTRATION 1938
The Guild of Nurses organised meeting, street demonstrations and disrupting meetings (such as that at the London county Council).
On the 4th April 1938 a small group of masked nurses in uniform with placards dared to march through central London, the next day at 3pm on 5th April the small group had been joined by a further eight female nurses (making 12 masked nurses in white uniforms). They were stopped and turned away by Police when they tried to march down Fleet Street (The home of the British Newspapers).
The demonstration received massive press and newsreel coverage.
This was the first time "general nurses" had taken their grievances to the streets.
The first Guild of Nurses organiser's were Councillor Beatrice Drapper and Iris Brook (nee Iris Beynon) followed by Doris Westmacott.
Filmed by Movietone
First Chairman of the Guild of Nurses was Tudor O Morgan (St David's - Cardiff) followed by Doris Westmacott (Mile End)
