I’m pretty sure in 1969 – Mum was amongst some of the first Filipinos to come over to work in the NHS.
I’m trying to find out more, there isn’t much written officially about Filipino nurses during this period, partly why I’m doing this I suppose!
Mum came over with her friend Tanni, there were three Filipino nurses already working at their hospital – so they became a group of five.
I wonder what kind of impression these women made, visually? I’ve always been interested in how people express their identity through the way they present themselves; the choices we make, the attention to detail.
“I introduced the white socks and shoes!” Mum said
“They loved our new style. You never saw a Filipino with a creased uniform, we were really proud of how we looked and the other nurses copied our style!”
Tanni died during childbirth.
What Mum must’ve gone through losing her. She was an experienced midwife in The Philippines and had seen it all, she just couldn’t understand how it could happen here.
” … to come all this way and die”
Tanni’s daughter was adopted by the hospital Manager and his family, who were Scottish. I don’t know what became of her but along with my sister and me – we are all some of the first women born here with Filipina mothers.
Pearls of the NHS 