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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Berkshire => England => Berkshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: clovis on Monday 12 July 10 16:19 BST (UK)
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hi, trying to find out what happened to my g-grandmother mary schofield - she had my grandmother adopted and returned to nursing. A distant family member has given me a newspaper photo of her in uniform with the caption that she was joining King Edward VII hospital windsor as a matron. Unfortunately the photo was clipped out and the relative doesn't know what paper it was in or the date. Mary was born in 1875 and is middleaged (50ish?) in the picture. The Reading records office is meant to hold staff records for this hospital and I would be eternally grateful if anyone is doing their own search of the records, if they let me know whether there is any info on her.
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I know she retired in 1953 ish. She was a kindly and intelligent person, in my opinion. Motherly. Am sad to hear she gave up her daughter (or had to) for adoption. Judy
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The matron at King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor, was a Mabel Schofield, not a Mary.
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Welcome to rootschat judy peake
'clovis' has not been on here since 2010 but they may still have the same email and get notified of your reply.
Their Mary was apparently born in 1875, the Mabel Schofield that you mention appears to have been born in 1895 and was in Windsor on the prewar register
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Yes, I realized that the birth dates did not " compute", but I also, thought her message was more recent. Hopefully she'll see it sometime!
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Miss Schofield was matron of King Edward VII Hospital when my mother trained there in the second half of the 1930's. I have a super photograph of her. When I find it, I will post it.
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Herewith photo of 'Miss' Schofield. She was known as 'Miss', as Matron of King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor. My mother liked her much. She attended the annual re-unions of former nurses.
One anecdote was that the trainee nurses didn't like the food. A deputation of nurses took their complaint to Matron. Matron said 'the food is good', to which the leader, one Vinicombe, a Blackshirt (Mosley) replied 'Matron, good fish doesn't stink'.
Won't let me post pic.
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If she were born in 1875 and retired around 1953, that would have made her almost 80. Is that possible for nurses in the 1950's?
Think original poster has some slightly wrong information.
Extremely unlikely that there was a Mary Schofield born 1875 and a Mable Schofield 1895, both matrons at the same hospital, (almost) simultaneously.
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Quite right Chempat. My mother trained something like 1935 to 1940. Re-unions would have been post war. I remember my mother talking of her with affection in the 1950's.
There was only one Matron per hospital, don't know the rule now. Very powerful people.
I might do a search for Matron Schofield's life.
Would some kind person tell me why I can't post the photo of Matron Schofield.
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The right Miss Schofield who was Matron ie Mabel is doing that job at the right hospital on the pre war register, she was born 1895 as I mentioned earlier. I can't see a Mary that would fit the 1875 one
ADDED
There is a post a few years ago about her here
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=439520.
Mary Annora Schofield was my great grandmother. In 1915 she is in Bath but then I lose sight of her in the records. The family story is that by the late 1920s she was employed as a nurse in Cheltenham as we think that my grandmother, who had been given up for adoption, went there in 1930 to see her.
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Yes Rosie the 1895 Mabel should be right. Matron was alive 1950's. My mother still knew her, through the re-unions.
I remember ex nurse Vinicombe, she visited us once at Wexham, so before 1958. Tall, slim and very impressive. Must have been in her 40's by then.
Again, why can't I post the photo?
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You can't post a photo because it is on a 'look up' board - Berkshire lookup requests :)
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Ah! Thanks, Rosie. I'll get round that.
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This is the Mary A Schofield, 1875, after marrying Joseph Tompkins
Deaths December quarter 1961 Mary A Tompkins age 86 in Bedford
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She could not be the Matron, Chempat. An 1895 Mabel has to be the one. I have looked and there are several of them. She was Matron in the 1930's and 1940's.
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The Mabel Schofield recorded on the 1939 register in Windsor is recorded as Mabel A Schofield and has a birth date of 19th Aug 1895.
There is this baptism with that birth date (but parents are Julia and Horace):
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L96P-67KW?i=550
Marriage:
Marriages Sep 1894
Metcalfe Julia Pontefract 9c 167
Schofield Horace Pontefract 9c 167
Working back from this posting on the other thread:
Hi,
Do you know her Birth & Death date?. There is a Mary Schofield who died Bath 1962 aged 91. Maybe you know this but just in case.
Jim
Cheltenham
this looks to be the probate for this Mary in 1962:
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=schofield&yearOfDeath=1962&page=5#calendar
Probate to Percy Gordon Schofield
Possible birth:
SCHOFIELD, PERCY GORDON MMN BENCE
GRO Reference: 1903 M Quarter in READING Volume 02C Page 362
possible marriage:
Marriages Sep 1898
BENCE Mary Chippenham 5a 121
Schofield Frank Arthur Chippenham 5a 121
Possible census for Mary & Percy in 1911:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWTG-T4P
Possibly Frank and Mary in 1901 census:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSJC-6Z9
Possibly Frank in 1911 census:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWQD-7TK
Possible Mary Bence in 1891 census (working as a Nurse):
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3PC7-LZM
Possible Mary Bence in 1881 census:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q278-VYM5
But no birth for a Mabel Bence or a Mabel Schofield found that would fit with birth 19/08/1895
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Mary Annora Schofield, 1875, appears to have had 3 illegitimate children, according to some trees on Ancestry, before marrying Mr Tompkins. clovis was perhaps only aware of one, her grandmother. She is a nurse in certain censuses etc
Also, clovis might have found all this out since 2010, and worked out that she had been given the wrong information about her becoming a matron in Windsor.
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Moderator comment: this post refers to the photo here
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=821393.0
What a lovely photo ;D
Rosie
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Yes Rosie. I wonder what the medals were.
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Been trying to find a reference to her on the internet but without success.
Best I could find is this. The Site is interesting and includes a photo of the trained nurses badge. I still have my mother's. My mother told me it was embarrassing as patients thought it was the Victoria Cross!
It mentions Princess Christian Maternity Home. I was born there. It was all private then, prior to 1948.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/theroyalwindsorforum/king-edward-vii-hospital-t1380.html.
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I have not found anything about her either. Some interesting photo's on your link, thank you. I have driven past it many times :)
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Tried to photograph my mothers badge, but no good, dismal morning and camera batteries may be low.
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There is a photograph (in the Slough Observer) of HM Queen Elizabeth II outside the Nurses Home 2nd April, 1959.
My mother did go back to the hospital for a while. Why she'd got this photo? In those days nurses wore coloured belts. My mother had one of her own, although trained, pre SRN.