Black History Month 2022 - St George's Hospital 1966

October is Black History Month, and over a series of four blog posts we will be highlighting new discoveries in our collections, local heroes and the findings of ongoing research relating to Black History in the Wakefield district.

Today, we're starting with this fantastic photo of staff at St George's Hospital, Rothwell, on prize-giving day in April 1966.

This photograph shows how diversity was of increasing importance to the hospital and its workforce in the 1960s, with several People of Colour being chosen to receive awards for their work.

In 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) was established. It brought access to hospitals, doctors, nurses and dentists together under one service which was free at the point of delivery for the first time. It was very ambitious, and Britain, bombed-out and bruised by the Second World War, needed a huge injection of skilled workers to rebuild and make the NHS work. 

Citizens from across the Commonwealth answered the call for help. The first boat of workers arrived in Britain from Jamaica on the passenger ship Empire Windrush in 1948.

Many of the staff members at St George's Hospital lived in the Wakefield District, however we do not have names or information for most of the people in this photo! Can you help - do you recognise anyone? Did your relatives, friends or neighbours work at the hospital in the 1960s?

Comment below or drop us an email at museums@wakefield.gov.uk - we'd love to hear from you!