Group Picture of Nurses at St. James' Hospital, Balham

Scope and Content

Black and white mounted photograph of thirty eight nurses in full uniform. Eldridge is seated in the second row from the front

Administrative / Biographical History

Mabel Eldridge (nee Bagnall) was born c. 1912. She grew up in Balham, London and was the youngest of six children. She completed her nursing training at St. James Hospital, Balham and took her final state examination with the General Nursing Council for England and Wales in 1934. After qualifying, she began to work as a district nurse with the Queen’s Nursing Institute, first in Guildford, then Dover. She later moved back to Surrey where she worked as a midwife and got married. During the Second World War, she took a break from nursing to raise her children while her husband served overseas. When her four children were older, she returned to district nursing. Mary Eldridge passed away in 2012, aged 100.

Access Information

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact the RCN Archives in advance of their first visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Bruce and Webster Photographers, 57 Lambeth Place, London SE1