The display of memorabilia on at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals
Nurse Gill Hodgkinson shows off the historic cape with one of our NHS75 banners
“Not all heroes wear capes” was a popular saying online during the Covid pandemic about NHS staff … but at one time they really did.
Anyone familiar with TV’s Call The Midwife will know that the cape was once a key part of a nurse or midwife’s uniform.
One such example can be seen in the mezzanine seating area above the main entrance at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals which has been decorated to mark the 75th birthday of the NHS on Wednesday.
The heavy wool cape is navy blue with a scarlet lining and trim. Inside the collar, the cape is embroidered “638 Str J. Johnson”.
Assembled by Data and Performance Manager Darren Yarnold, the cape is part of a collection of memorabilia which includes scrapbooks, photographs and what is believed to be a nurse’s scarf. There is also the casualty register featured earlier in our NHS75 blog.