The girls started by doing all the scrubbing and nappy sluicing etc for the children, in what was, by present standards very primitive surroundings. Extreme physical care was taken of the children, who were kept very clean and well fed, as were the staff, but the hours worked were horrendous.

On duty at 6am until 8pm with only 2 hours off during the day, and 3 hours on Sunday. One half day off a fortnight and one day per month, two weeks holiday a year. One gradually moved up in seniority with less manual work, just as, at the time, hospital nurses did. In fact the training was largely on hospital lines, as done at that time.

The course was for 2 years, and lectures were given at night after working hours, by either the matron or sister. Having spent a year previously working in my old school Froebel run kindergarten, I was quite horrified to find that talking to the children was not encouraged as they would be spoilt and in fact I was severely reprimanded when found out hugging a little mite who was holding out her arms to be cuddled.

The children were babies and toddlers at the place where I trained, but I felt that I had learnt what not to do in caring for little ones, except in the area of feeding. The babies were almost all illegitimate and few ever had any visitors, and just progressed from one Home to another at stages in their life. I cannot help but be thankful that nowadays girls who get pregnant have help in keeping their babies, as those poor women who had to put their children in homes must have suffered, even more than the children did psychologically.

Submitted by Patty
Location: Bristol