Papers of Katherine Molly Denman (1909-1990), sister and principal tutor at Nottingham General Hospital; c.1912-1991

The collection consists of the following items:

Certificates awarded to Miss K.M. Denman for her nursing and midwifery training, 1933-1947, and for attendance at a course of lectures in Air Raid Precautions and First Aid for Air Raid Casualties, 1942 (MS 334/1/1-20);

Scrapbook kept by Miss Denman. Includes Christmas card signed by a number of colleagues; various poems or prayers copied into the volume [last one dated 1989]; various black and white and colour photographs of groups of colleagues and friends, mostly labelled [1950s-1960s]; printed photographs of the Preliminary Training School and the General Hospital Chapel; and two childhood photographs of Molly Denman, aged about 7 years and about 3 years. (MS 334/2);

Pamphlets and other printed items relating to Miss Denman, Nottingham General Hospital, and the Training School. Includes printed welcome leaflet for patients, pre-1948; printed prospectus of the Nurses Training School, c.1950s; Nottingham No. 1 Hospital Management Committee printed agreements and standing orders for Sister Tutors and for senior staff and staf nurses, 1951; 'The Basic Education of the Professional Nurse', prepared by the Committee on Education and the International Council of Nurses, reprinted edn., 1952; orders of service for the End of Term service for the Preliminary Training School at Nottingham General Hospital, n.d. [1950s-1960s]; newspaper cuttings relating to a conference for young people considering medical work, at the Preliminary Training School, including a photograph of Miss Denman with the delegates, n.d. [1950s-early 1960s]; newspaper cutting relating to Miss Florence Jepson, Matron of Nottingham Hospital for Women, n.d.; 'Christianity and Nursing Today': Report of a Working Party appointed by the Nurses' Christian Movement to study Christian work among nurses, 1964; invitation to a Reception to mark the retirement of Miss Denman, 2 Apr. 1969; photocopied notes on the history of Nottingham General Hospital and Nottingham's coat of arms, sent with the compliments of 'Yvonne' from the Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority (Teaching) South Nottingham District, n.d. [1970-1974]; Nottingham General Hospital Bicentenary Thanksgiving Service brochure and order of service, 15 Sep. 1982; photocopied newspaper obituary of Miss Denman; Nottingham Nurses League order of thanksgiving service for the lives of five nurses including Miss Denman, 2 Jun. 1990; letter from Margaret Plucknett [former Matron at Nottingham General Hospital], to 'Alex and Geoff', thanking them for the newspaper cutting, and remembering Molly Denman and the Nottingham General Hospital, Dec 1990; and newsclipping from the Nottingham Evening Post, 9 May 1991, including article on the 'Nottingham Blitz' in the Second World War. (MS 334/3/1-24);

Photographs collected by Miss Denman: group photograph of trainee nurses including Miss Denman, 1934; series of group photographs of trainee nurses at the Preliminary Training School with Miss Denman, 1940s-1960s; group photograph of prize giving day 1960; group photograph of meeting of the General Hospital Nottingham Nurses' League, 1950; photographs of Miss Denman with colleagues and at the Sisters' Annual Ball, 1940s-1950s; photographs of buildings at Nottingham General Hospital, and photographs taken for the Nottingham Evening Post including procession of nursing staff to the Annual Hospital Service at St Mary's Church, 1930s-1940s; snapshot photographs of hospital buildings, people, and views of and from 5 Devonshire Park [the home of the Preliminary Training School]. (MS 334/4/1-50);

52 slides of external and internal views of Nottingham General Hospital and the Nurses' Training School, c.1895-1972 (MS 334/5);

Annual Reports of the General Hospital Nottingham Nurses' League, 1956, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1970, and of the Nottingham Hospitals Nurses League, 1972; and list of members of the General Hospital Nurses League, Oct. 1973 (MS 334/6/1-8);

Nottingham General Hospital cloth badge, and GHN emblem embossed on card (MS 334/7/1-2).

(Katherine) Molly Denman began her training as a nurse at Nottingham General Hospital in 1930. After passing the examination for State Registered Nurse in 1933, she trained as a midwife in Leeds. She worked briefly in London, and was then appointed as a junior night sister at Nottingham General Hospital. She was appointed as sister of the Preliminary Training School at the hospital in 1941. Miss Denman was registered as a Sister Tutor in 1947 and received her Diploma in Nursing from the University of London in the same year. She was promoted to principal tutor in 1959, and retired in 1969. Before and after her retirement she acted as Honorary Secretary and later Honorary Treasurer of the General Hospital Nottingham Nurses' League. Miss Denman died in 1990, aged 81.

The collection has been arranged into seven series. Within these series, items have been arranged chronologically.

Accessible to all registered readers.

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright on the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

Good

Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections

The collection was given to the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham by family members in 1992.

Papers of the General Hospital Nottingham Nurses' League (Ref: NNL) and a separate Nottingham Nurses' League minute book (Ref: MS 343)

Papers of Nottingham General Hospital (Ref: Uhg)

Papers of Margaret Plucknett, Matron at Nottingham General Hospital (MS 360)