Nurses bring the babies out in their cots for a spot of sun at the Duchess of York’s Hospital for Babies at Burnage, Manchester, where some of the infants spend the whole day in the open, June 1939. Nurses bring the babies out in their cots for a spot of sun at the Duchess of York’s Hospital for Babies at Burnage, Manchester, where some of the infants spend the whole day in the open, June 1939.
Nurses bring the babies out in their cots for a spot of sun at the Duchess of York’s Hospital for Babies at Burnage, Manchester, where some of the infants spend the whole day in the open, June 1939.

12 super photos celebrating Manchester’s nurses at work, rest and play across the years

Nurses are a vital part of our communities in Greater Manchester - we celebrate the wide and varied contribution they have made for generations with a nostalgic look back in the archives.

Jenny Simpson
By Jenny Simpson
Published 25th Feb 2022, 11:35 BST

Where would we be without our hardworking nurses?

It is a profession which has changed enormously over the ages but our super photo gallery illustrates how some things remain the same, whatever the generation that has taken on the role.

From caring for babies and nursery-age children, to taking on additional and sometimes perilous duties during the Second World War, their care and compassion for people in Greater Manchester shines through in the photos.

While many men are now working in the profession, our archive photos look back to eras when women took on most of the nursing work.

Here, in no particular order, is a dive into the archives to celebrate the wide and varied role nurses have played over the years,

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Nurses and their shadows exercising in the grounds of Booth’s Hall Hospital in Manchester, England, during a heatwave.

1. Time to exercise

Nurses and their shadows exercising in the grounds of Booth’s Hall Hospital in Manchester, England, during a heatwave. Photo: Getty Images/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive

A student nurse supervises a toddler on a rocking horse at Princess Christian College for Nursery Nurses in Manchester.

2. Nursery nurses in training

A student nurse supervises a toddler on a rocking horse at Princess Christian College for Nursery Nurses in Manchester. Photo: Getty Images

Nurses of the Red Cross section washing Jim the terrier in his special bath at the military hospital of the Halton camp. Mrs Buglass, of Old Trafford, Manchester, has control of the military hospital and is responsible for the health of all the troops under canvas.

3. Lucky mascot

Nurses of the Red Cross section washing Jim the terrier in his special bath at the military hospital of the Halton camp. Mrs Buglass, of Old Trafford, Manchester, has control of the military hospital and is responsible for the health of all the troops under canvas. Photo: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A nurse gargling as a ‘flu preventative at the Booth Hall Hospital, Manchester, England. A wave of influenza has followed the sudden changes in the weather. Doctors and public authorities in Manchester are working overtime preparing protective measures. Date unknown

4. Keeping the flu away

A nurse gargling as a ‘flu preventative at the Booth Hall Hospital, Manchester, England. A wave of influenza has followed the sudden changes in the weather. Doctors and public authorities in Manchester are working overtime preparing protective measures. Date unknown Photo: Getty Images/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive

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