Pregnancy Nurses - How was this dealt with?

[greymarehill]

Hello

This may sound like a myth but the story in my family is that my grandfather Fred Foster Norris Royal Field Artillery after recovering from being gassed or shot (not sure which) met a nurse and made her pregnant. She was said to have had the baby on the boat coming home in 1919 or 1920. I can't find any evidence of this.

Does anyone know if any records were kept of nurses that may have become pregnant whilst in service? The problem is that I don't know her name. How will I find it? Where would the birth have been recorded - overseas births?

Thanks

Yvonne

[hillgorilla]

Hi,

The birth should have been recorded as per the normal way, my Gran wan was born in Spain, but was registered at the Embassy there is 1917, and has a UK birth certificate. Have you tried looking through the birth indexes, to see if there is a child with your grandfathers surname, but that is possibly a long shot, as it would mean looking through a lot of certifiactes, and could also work out expensive. As for the nurse getting pregnant, in those days it was mostly frownd on for nurses not be single, and getting pregnant would have probably meant for her to leave the profession. This I have heard from speaking to nurses about the past. The QARANC Museum may be of some help.It is also possible that this person born out of this union is still alive.

[keithfazzani]

Certainly up until after 2nd World War nurses were expected to remain single. If this nurse had a baby on a cross channel boat I would expect the birth to be registered in Folkstone or possibly Dover.