Historic records of 1.5 million nurses go digital on family history website

Records of more than 1.5 million nurses dating back 125 years have been digitised for the first time.

Information on nurses' registrations and appointments between 1891 and 1968 have been uploaded to the family history website Ancestry.

The project, which includes records from the RCN and the Wellcome Trust, is being launched in the RCN's centenary year.

Amongst the files spanning two world wars and several continents are those of RCN founder Dame Sarah Swift.

Other well-known nursing names include the founder of the Royal Air Force Nursing Service Dame Joanna Margaret Cruickshank, and former matron-in-chief of the British Red Cross Society Dame Emily Mathieson Blair.

RCN general secretary Janet Davies said: ‘Nurses have touched the lives of so many families, and this resource gives people the chance to travel back in time to discover the real lives of their nursing relatives.

‘Caring for the nation for generations, often through wars and crises, these nursing staff deserve to be remembered.’

Further information

Ancestry.co.uk