The First Mother & Baby Clinic

Nurse Lloyd, saved from drowning at Caswell Bay, was the wife of Mr. Lloyd, a ships’ carpenter and daughter of Mr. Thomas, Draper-Master [sic] of the Golden Goat Shop in Wind Street, Swansea, which supplied seamen’s clothing. In about 1895, despite having a small child, Olwen, she went to train as a midwife in St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. During the early days of the Great War, she became Matron at the Glynn Vivian Home for the Blind in Mary Twill Lane, where she looked after Belgian refugees and where Olwen, by then also a qualified Nurse, was one of her assistants.

Nurse Lloyd was also a maternity nurse sometimes employed for a few weeks at a time in the homes of the wealthier sections of the community. One of her earlier deliveries in Mumbles village was for a Mrs. Gammon and her baby boy, William, who was later to become the coxswain of the ill-fated Mumbles Lifeboat.

The Centre initially at Nurse Lloyd’s own home at 3, Myrtle Terrace, was opened by Miss Vivian on 9 October 1917 and was operated as a voluntary organisation with a grant from the Oystermouth Urban District Council. From November 1918, when the Mumbles area was incorporated into Swansea, the grant was received from the Swansea Corporation, but it still remained a voluntary organisation. Indeed, the project could not have been run without voluntary support, which appears to have been willingly forthcoming from the locals in time given, monetary donations and gifts, plus the goodwill of the local Doctors. The gifts received were as diverse as two tons of coal from Mr. Coonan, jugs of soup from Mrs. Eley, six eggs from Mrs. Smale, baby clothing or cash gifts such as 30/- ‘as thank-offering for baby’s recovery’ from Mrs. Humphrey Davies.

The aims were to encourage natural feeding of the infant and to look after the welfare of expectant and nursing mothers and children up to five years of age. To this end, clinics were held every Tuesday afternoon from 2.30 to 6, when mothers brought their babies to be weighed and to receive help and advice for any small ailments. At the first clinic in November 1917, four mothers and their babies attended, but the pleasing growth of attendances is detailed in the report of the Medical Officer, Dr. A. Lloyd Jones, which stated that ‘during the last nine months of 1918 and the first three months of 1919, a total of 1,014 mothers and 1,148 babies had used the Centre. In addition the Health Visitor had paid an average of ten visits a day (2,500 during that time) to mothers and babies in the district’. Nurse Lloyd reported that there had been only three infant deaths during that time—a very pleasing improvement. Every clinic afternoon, Mrs. Hopkin Evans assisted by Mrs. Symonds undertook to provide tea and biscuits for the patients.

Nurse Lloyd also took mothers along to Mr. Thomas, the Dentist on Wednesday afternoons and a record was kept of each case. The mothers paid half the fees and the association paid the other half, but where they could not afford to do so, the Association would pay all, ‘although this had not happened to date as the mothers were only too willing to pay their share’. During the year March 1921-22, there had been 277 extractions, 12 fillings and 9 scalings performed and 19 dentures fitted.

Nurse Lloyd worked tirelessly during the terrible epidemic of October and November 1918, making beef tea, soups and milk-food at the Centre, which were distributed to 51 families, some with many children, besides going into homes and caring for many sick babies and mothers. In May 1918, she collected £11..10s..0d and bought 26 pairs of boots for the children and wives or widows of soldiers and sailors of the district and during the shortage of fats, she obtained a grant of extra butter and margarine for the expectant and nursing mums. In the early years following the War, there was much distress and poverty due to unemployment, injuries and War casualties and there were very heavy calls on the Centre for milk and other nourishment, free of charge, but this gradually decreased by 1922 and the Centre’s finances recovered.

Bibliography

Documents: Mumbles Maternity and Baby Welfare Association Reports for October 1917-March 1919 and March 1921-March 1922.

My grateful thanks go to Mrs. Mary Barnes, Nurse Lloyd’s granddaughter, who proudly showed me the reports and retold her memories of a very special grandmother.