I blog about the stories I have discovered after researching gravestones in my local churchyard of St Peter's in Formby. When I found a headstone with the inscription "Edith Aspinall RRC" I knew immediately that this was the grave of a nurse from WW1. The initials "RRC" stand for "Royal Red Cross". Edith had been awarded a medal for "exceptional devotion and competency in military nursing" Further - her sister's name was also on the headstone. Her epitaph - "Life's work well done" and the fact that she was unmarried made me wonder if she too had been a nurse. My hunch was correct - not only was Mary Jane a nurse, she had been the matron of a large hospital in Liverpool and had been a nurse for decades.
Edith and Mary Jane's headstone.
Both had a life serving others.
The RRC is the highest honour for distinguished military nursing within the Commonwealth. Not only was Edith awarded it - she was presented with it by the King himself, at Buckingham Palace on 3rd July 1918.
I decided to research Edith and Mary Jane's family. What I couldn't have guessed was what an amazing family Edith and Mary Jane were part of! Their mother Mary Jane Scarborough was a barmaid who married Samuel Aspinall, a "druggist/chemist". .Samuel and Mary Jane had 7 children
between them - 5 daughters and 2 sons and Samuel had two daughters from a
previous marriange. Their children lead incredible lives, with sons who became esteemed surgeons, independent women and a grandson who was awarded the MC in WW1. That
a woman who was a barmaid could raise 9 such successful children
belies the idea that social mobility did not exist in the late 19th and
early 20th Century.
In order to tell the whole story of this wonderful bunch I will finish the story of Edith and her sister and then do a separate blog for each member of the family. They are so interesting!
Edith Aspinall - 1877-1960
Edith was the youngest child of Samuel and Mary Jane Aspinall. She was born on 13th August 1877 when her mother was 45. She had 5 sisters, 2 brothers and 2 stepsisters - quite a family! Edith was born in Hindley, Lancashire and her early years were spent at home with her family. By the 1911 census however, she is living with her brother John (a surgeon) in Stoke on Trent. Her occupation is given as "sick nurse" and the UK and Ireland Nursing Register shows that she trained from 1910-1913 at the Stanley Hospital in Liverpool and was certified in 1913.
I have been unable to trace any records relating to Edith's service at the hospital. However, she was awarded the RRC and so her contribution to the war effort must have been substantial (interestingly her sister, Mary Jane, was Matron at the hospital but was not awarded a medal). Edith continued to work at the hospital until her retirement in 1935.
Mary Jane Aspinall 1869-1954
Mary Jane was born on 25th June 1869 in Hindley. She was named after her mother, Mary Jane Aspinall (nee Scarborough) and was her 6th daughter. Interestingly, the children were all baptised on the same day in 1876 -the year that Edith was born. Mary is sometimes referred to as "Polly" - which is why it took me a while to find her on the 1891 census! aged 22, she is still living at home and has no occupation.
Some time after this census, Mary must have made a life changing decision because by 1902 she was a fully trained nurse! She had trained at Guest Hospital in Dudley, qualifying in 1902.
Guest Hospital Dudley West Midlands
Mary returned to the North West and by 1910 she was nursing at Stanley
Hospital, Liverpool. From 1910 I have found several local news articles
that refer to her as the Matron of the hospital, and indeed she seems to
have nursed throughout the years of WW1 - by which time her sister
Edith had qualified and was nursing with her at the hospital. In 1921
both sisters are still working and living at the hospital. Edith is referred to as an "officer" - perhaps equivalent to Sister. Mary Jane and Edith retired from the same hospital on the same day in 1935. Both had worked in the hospital for over 20 years. According to the 1939 Register the sisters were living together at "Shere" Graburn Road, Formby which is just a few roads away from me. Both stated their occupation as "retired nurse"
Mary Jane died in 1954 and Edith died 6 years later. Both are buried together in the beautiful churchyard of St Peter's Church, Formby, not far from where they spent their last years.
What amazing women. They both dedicated their whole lives to nursing -
including the terrible years of the Great War where they helped nurse wounded
men. Mary Jane had the additinal responsibility of running the hosppital and also taking care of her staff. Their mother, who had been a barmaid in Wigan before her marriage,
raised two exceptional women. Or so I thought. In fact, Mary Jane
Scarborough had raised 9 children and every one of them was just as
exceptional - two other daughters also becoming nurses and her two sons doctors! One grandson was awarded an MC in the Great War and was killed in action. They all contributed so much to their local community and the war effort.
And so my next blog will go back to the beginning of this remarkable family's story - to that of their parents, Samuel Aspinall, druggist and Mary Jane Scarboroug, barmaid!.
http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2025/04/liverpool-hospitals-liverpool-stanley.html?q=stanley+hospital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Red_Cross
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guest_Hospital
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