Wigan Album

My son Jamie was born at Billinge in 1976 and my daughter Ashley in 1981. I imagine many, many Wigan babies were born there. xx

At that time it would be a 10 day stay. Nowadays they go home on the same day or the day after.

My oldest son Daniel was born there in 1977 and next son Michael in 1979. When I was a photographer for the Wigan papers we used to go there every week to picture the new born babies. Hard to believe but the first babies that I photographed will be about 50 years old now.

I was born at the old blacksmiths stables 3 Church Lane Shevington.

Mick I love all your contributions on Wigan World even though you get some abuse don't stop making your entertaining contributions. I think I have a picture of the row of cottages where you were born from a more recent date so I'll have a search.

There's a lot of stories going about as to where I was born, but I think I was born in Billinge as my Mum refused to have me in Cowley Hill.

I rocked up in there September 1960

No privacy there was there?

It was where I first opened my eyes, like most Wiganers post war. Must confess I wouldn't have known whereabouts it was afterwards.

Imagine the din in there at 2 in the morning, one starts off and they all join in - pure bliss.

A lot of babies was born at home Mick, especially so when they had older brothers and sisters for their mothers to look after with father having to go to work, they'd no choice to do otherwise, even with maternity wards at hospitals.

Beryl, there was to be a lot more privacy in the soon to be opened state of the art Roy Hartley Maternity Unit, as there were only four beds to each wardroom.

Nobody handles the newborn like a woman.

Both of my sons were born in RHMU 1st in1978 and the 2nd in 1981. One week stay for both of them. How times have changed 2nd Grandson (born at Bolton) D-in-Law admitted about midnight had the baby at 1-30AM was home with baby at 7-30AM.He was still covered in blood etc not even bathed before coming home.

Hi Frank,
Any idea what month this was in 68. I am sure the lady in bed 3 from the left is my mum.

Keith the date when the negatives for this picture were filed is the week ending March 16th.

Frank , Mick can also dish out abuse .

i had my son there in 1967 ,there was an italian lady in who's baby cot kept rocking to and fro seemingly by itself they were at the bottom of the bed then, when the sister investigated she had tied a piece of string round her foot and was rocking the baby, the very poe faced sister actually had to smile and of course remove the string

I was born there in January 1954. Neat to see a photo.

i was born there in january 1953

I was born there in June 1960. I've been able to do nothing but imagine it all of these years and that is not what I imagined. Nothing private about it, how did anyone sleep with all those babies about?

I was born in that ward in November 1954. My mother was prescribed bed rest for some weeks before. Her treatment also stipulated that she had to drink Mackeson (remember that ?) daily to keep up her iron levels.

The family story says that on the day of my birth, the area was covered in thick fog, so no buses were able to run. The story goes that there was only one visitor to the ward that evening because of the weather. My indomitable grandmother had walked the 7.8 miles from Heaton Street, Aspull to Billinge Hospital to make sure her daughter & new baby were ok.

The past is a foreign country place - they do things differently there.

Does anyone have photos from sept 1969 or sept 1970?

I was born in Billinge May 1955

I was born here in February 1966, we lived in Ashton at the time