As with many Salvation Army social centres for unmarried women, Crossley Hospital was also used by married women from the surrounding area for the births of their babies. These 'local' patients as they were referred to, helped to subsidise the running of the homes/hospitals as the unmarried women were often unable to pay much/anything towards their stay and treatment. The unmarried women usually stayed at our maternity home 'Oak Hill' in Cheetham Hill or (from 1933) Mandley Park Avenue, for several months both before and after the birth of the babies.
Unfortunately the ‘huge ledgers’ do not appear to have survived, as they are not at the SA heritage centre, which is a great shame. However, some discharge records do survive from our Women’s Social Work (WSW) headquarters, although there is a gap in coverage from early 1942 to early 1949.
The SA heritage centre can be contacted on:
heritage[at]salvationarmy.org.uk