Maud Twidle – Essex‑Born Nurse Killed During the Lambeth Blitz

Early Life and Family Background

1891 Census

Maud Twidle was born in 1890 in Forest Gate, Essex, the daughter of Alfred Twidle and Eliza Lockwood. By the 1891 Census, the family were living at 28 Wellington Street, West Ham, where Alfred, aged 31, worked as a Clerk, and Eliza, aged 25, cared for their young children: Alfred G., 5; Rachel S., 3; and baby Maude, then just four months old.

Growing Up in East Ham

1901 Census

By 1901, the Twidle family had moved to 10 Nigel Road, East Ham. Alfred, now 41, was employed as a Commercial Clerk, and Eliza, aged 35, remained at home. Their children at this time were Alfred J., 15; Rachel S., 13; Maude, 10; Eliza, 6; and Walter, aged 4.

1911 Census

The family were still at 10 Nigel Road in the 1911 Census. Alfred, aged 51, was working as a Mercantile Clerk, and Eliza, aged 45, continued to manage the household. Several children remained at home, including Maude, now 20, who was employed as a Restaurant Waitress, along with Eliza, 16; Walter, 14; Clara, 9; and Sarah, aged 7.

Career in Nursing

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, Maud had entered the nursing profession. She was recorded as a Sick Nurse employed at Lambeth Infirmary, one of London’s major Poor Law hospitals. Her work placed her at the centre of the city’s medical care system during a period of significant social need.

1939 Register – Still Serving at Lambeth Hospital

1939 Register

The 1939 Register confirms that Maud was still working at Lambeth Hospital, employed as a Hospital Nurse. This places her directly within the London medical services at the outbreak of the Second World War, when hospitals were preparing for mass casualties from air raids.

Life in Swansea

Although working in London, Maud was recorded as residing at 7 Caebryn Avenue, Sketty Green, Swansea, suggesting she maintained family or personal ties in Wales. It was common for nurses to travel for work or undertake long‑term placements away from home.

Bombing in Lambeth – 12^th January 1941

Maud died on 12^th January 1941 at Lambeth Hospital, during one of the most intense phases of the London Blitz. On this date, London was struck by a major night‑time air raid, part of a sustained campaign of bombing that targeted South London heavily throughout the winter of 1940–41.

Lambeth, with its dense housing, railway lines, and public institutions, suffered repeated attacks. High‑explosive bombs and incendiaries fell across the borough during early January 1941, causing widespread destruction, fires, and civilian casualties. Hospitals such as Lambeth Hospital were under immense pressure, receiving both direct casualties from bomb blasts and those injured in collapsing buildings or burning homes.

Although the exact incident that led to Maud’s injuries is not individually recorded in surviving public summaries, her death at Lambeth Hospital on a night of heavy bombing places her firmly among the many civilian victims of the sustained Luftwaffe attacks on the borough.

Burial

Maud was buried at Lambeth Cemetery and Crematorium, Wandsworth, close to the area where she had worked and served as a nurse