Publish date: 21 April 2023
These three boys and three girls were the first babies to be delivered in hospital at Blackpool on the same day the NHS was born – Monday 5 July 1948.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is counting down the 75 days to that anniversary, starting today.
The “six darlings”, as the caption in the following day’s Evening Gazette put it, are from the left twins: Rita and Charles Evans (twins), David Tomlinson, Marcia Flavill, Allan Ward and Patricia Clayton.
A notice in the Gazette a few days later gives further details about baby Marcia: “On July 5 at Glenroyd, to Dorothy and Maurice Flavell, 36, Dutton Road, God’s gift of a daughter, Marcia. Both well.”
Holly Martinez, who is matron for today’s maternity service at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said: “It must have been an amazing day for the parents to be the first to have NHS babies. It would be wonderful to hear any of these ‘babies’ now they’re all grown up!”
The babies were born at Glenroyd Maternity Home on Whitegate Drive which was the maternity unit for the town until 1975 when the service moved to Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Formerly a convalescent home for Co-operative Society members, Glenroyd was requisitioned for maternity care and run by Blackpool Corporation until the NHS took over in 1948.
If you’re one of the six babies, or related to them, Holly would love to hear from you. Please email the Communications team at Blackpool hospital or call us in office hours, Monday to Friday, on 01253 956941.
