A new war memorial at Salford Royal will pay tribute to six members of staff who died when a parachute mine hit the then Hope Hospital in the Manchester Blitz of Christmas 1940.

The Medical Superintendent Dr J Dudgeon Giles, his wife Annie, Matron Mary Ross, Steward’s wife Florence Hankins and two others lost their lives – among around 800 people killed across Salford and Manchester in two nights of German bombing.

A small memorial plaque near the entrance to the Emergency Department commemorates those who died. But now Donna Harrison, the Trust’s Welfare Officer for the charity Defence Medical Welfare Service, and A&E Consultant and Armed Forces Champion Anthony Gleeson have joined forces to commission a new, larger memorial to be sited in the gardens at Ladywell Building.

They plan to have the new plaque dedicated by the Trust’s chaplains in time for Remembrance Sunday this year.

Donna and Anthony are asking local people to contribute any memories or information about the bombing and they are especially keen to hear from anyone who can confirm the names of the other members of staff who died in the incident at the administration block on 23 December 1940.

Thanks to local historian George Cogswell they have four other names – Eliza Forshaw, Norman Hertzog, Adolphus William Nicholls and Harold Perrett – but don’t know which of these were staff members killed in the raid and which patients who died here on the same date but had been injured elsewhere.

Donna works at Salford Royal supporting ex-services personnel aged 65 and over, their families and carers. She said: “We would love to hear from anyone with a family connection to these members of staff or anyone who has more information. Dr Giles had been awarded an OBE and Matron Ross a Royal Red Cross for their care of injured servicemen who were looked after at Hope in the First World War and it’s important that we honour them and their colleagues.”

Anyone who has information can email dharrison@dmws.org.uk

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