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Next meeting...

Wednesday 28th May 2025 AGM & Raffle

"Celebrating 45 Years of ODFHS"

Family History and the Landmarks of West Lancashire

Find out more about some of West Lancashire's most iconic and lesser known landmarks

No need to book, just come along,

Guide Hut, Moorgate, Ormskirk (Opposite Hesford's) L39 4RU

Doors open 7pm, talk starts 7.30pm

All welcome, non-members £2.00 entrance

Next Ormskirk Library Family History Helpdesk

Monday 2nd June 2025

10.30 a.m.- 11.30 a.m.

Out and About with ODFHS this Spring and Summer

9th - 17th May Ormskirk Library, a display celebrating 45 years of ODFHS

Saturday 10th-Sunday 11th May, Ormskirk Medieval Festival Coronation Park

ODFHS 45^th Anniversary Competition

2025 is the 45^th anniversary of ODFHS and, in celebration, we’ve decided to mark this with a competition, open to both members and non-members. The subject of the competition is “Who is your most interesting West Lancashire ancestor?” or “What is your most interesting family discovery related to West Lancashire?”. Choose one of these and tell us about it in 300-750 words. Add photos and illustrations as you want.

Entries by email or post - any reasonable format accepted. The winner will get a year’s free membership. Entries must be received by 31^st May 2025 and the results will be announced 1^st August 2025.

The best entries will be published in the ODFHS Magazine “The Ormskirk and District Family Historian” (subject to space). Full competition rules can be found by following this link (click here).

Sharing People's History of West Lancashire project

Family History and the Lost Buildings of West Lancashire

Family History and the Landmarks of West Lancashire

Our books are still available as a digital downloads, please follow this link

Family History and the Landmarks of West Lancashire

A Slice of Gingerbread

A Slice of Gingerbread - the Ormskirk Gingerbread Sellers is available to purchase:

A Slice of Gingerbread

See "Events" and "Meetings" pages for details of upcoming events.

Nurses of Ormskirk Hospital - 1940s and 50s

Betty Underwood Ormskirk

The photographs in this section form part of a collection donated to the ODFHS Library by Betty Underwood. In 2007 Betty published a book called "Ormskirk Workhouse Two World Wars N.H.S. Hospital" published by the Raven Entomological and Natural History Society. The book is based on stories told by nurses who worked at Ormskirk Hospital, which together with Betty's extensive research, brings the history of the workhouse and hospital to life. Amongst the acknowledgements for help given with her book, Betty has written "My thanks are extended to... The people of Ormskirk who gave me their photographs and lastly the nurses of Ormskirk Hospital without whom this story would never have been written at all, and have waited so patiently for me to finish." Although many of the photographs collected were reproduced in the book, there are some which were not and these can be seen below.

There is a copy of "Ormskirk Workhouse Two World Wars N.H.S. Hospital" available for members to consult in the ODFHS Library.

#1 This photograph has the following names written on the reverse, although it is not clear which nurse is being referred to and not all are named:

1. Critchley

2. Armstrong

5. Sister Shacklady

6. Blindell

#2 Left to right: Nurse Howard, Dr. Morrissey, Sister McCormack, Nurse Charles, Sister Draper, Nurse Critchley, ?

#3 Nurses Home, Ormskirk, May 1941

Left to right: Nurse Crane, _ , Sister Sanderson

"Uniform navy with red piping on collar and hat"

#4 1950 - showing the female house. The nurse is not named.

#5 1950s - outside W.D.s 5 and 6. Nurses are not named.

#6 Left to right: Sister Fagan, Dr. Ansell, Nurse Critchley, Nurse Forshaw, Nurse Briscoe, Nurse Foden, patient in bed - Lavery, seated Sgt. Fulford.

#7: 1952

#8: 1940s - Old maternity steps in the background. Nurses are not named

#9: 1950s - Now OPD. Ward 9 behind

Patients were taken outside on the lawn on good days

Chapman, Leadbetter, Miss Birchill

#10: 1947 - Nurses Taylor and Cropper

#11: 1950s

Far right - Leadbetter, second from right - Redmond

#12: 1940s - Shows pathway to maternity

Ida Lowe

#13: 1952

#14: 1950 - Female house. Nurse is not named.

#15: 1940s Outside Blundell House. Sister German (left) House doctor - no name given (right)

#16: Back row left ro right; Cpl. Laverie, _, Nurse Briscoe, _, Sister Fagan, Sgt. McKenna.

Front row left to right; Nurse Critchley, Sgt. Fulford, Nurse Forshaw

#17: Outside Maternity

Nurse Culshaw (Mercer) left

Bessie Johnson (teacher, then became a nurse) right

Patient at the back - Mr. Rowland. Front not known.

#18: Outside W.4.

Back row; Nurse Critchley,_, _, Nurse Leadbetter, Nurse Farrington

Seated; _, Sister Boardman

#19: 1940

Blackburn, Skelmersdale

Sheila Gashil, Ormskirk

Mary Mansfield, Ormskirk

Mrs. Findlay, Ormskirk

Newbold, Manchester

Bartholomew, Liverpool

Arnot, Ormskirk

Crane?, Bootle

Houghton, Skelmersdale

Foster

Cameron, Scotland

Me (Farrington)

Anderton, Wigan Road, ormskirk

Connie Warlow, Aughton

#20: Old Chapel c.1949

Left to right.

Front row: Dr. Bullough, Anaesthetist

Mr. W.R. Hunter, Surgeon

Mrs. Henderson

Miss. Boyle, Matron

Dr. Henderson

Miss Morris, Deputy Matron

Dr. Haslam Fox

Mr. H.E. Beck, Hospital Secretary

(from Hazel Snape)

#21: Left to Right; Nurse Green, ?

#22: 1940s - after the war

Left to Right; Abe Ansell, John Pugh, Bill Slytes (?)

#23: 1941 Bradford, Dutton, Bruno Paccard

#24: March 1941 Barker

#25: 1957

Left to Right (standing); Green, Mansfield, Yarwood, Gibson, Critchley, Frampton

#26: Old theatre of 1940s

#27: Agnes Hardman S.E.N., R.H.N. at Ormskirk 1939-48. Later Sister at Green Lane. Died 1975.

Ormskirk and District Family History Society

Main Menu

Members

Boat Families

News update

ODFHS 45^th Anniversary Competition

Nurses of Ormskirk Hospital - 1940s and 50s

Ormskirk and District Family History Society

Main Menu

Members

Boat Families

News update

ODFHS 45th Anniversary Competition

Nurses of Ormskirk Hospital - 1940s and 50s

ODFHS 45^th Anniversary Competition