Erection date: 10/9/2021
{On the right hand side of the sculpture:}
Windrush & Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives statue created by Nubian Jak Community Trust with support from Whittington Health NHS and Islington Council.
{On a plaque attached to a post at the right of the sculpture:}
The Windrush & Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives Statue was conceived and designed by Johnny Alexander Bebeula Dodd, aka Dr Jak Beula. He named the piece "NICU Suite 16" because of the 16 pieces of granite used to create the statue. It is dedicated to all Commonwealth National Health Service staff, notably nurses and midwives from Africa and the Caribbean, who have worked in the NHS since its foundation in 1948.
The Nubian Jak Community Trust thanks Whittington Health NHS Trust and Islington Council for supporting this NHS memorial. Special thanks to Islington BH365, Haringey Council, Ernst & Young, Arsenal Football Club, Entain PLC, Havas Group, Aviva, Crowdfunder UK and the generous donations from nursing organisations and the general public for the successful delivery of this statue. May she be a source of inspiration to all NHS staff and provide light, hope and pride to those who come into contact with this memorial.
London Post has drawings for the sculpture and informs "16 pieces of granite, and is 7ft high x 7ft wide to commemorate the 7 decades of service to the NHS". It's interesting that the baby is represented in white granite.
The statue is powerfully abstract with no details other than the watch pinned to the nurse's chest. But we think it's on the wrong side. All the photos we can find show the watch on the left side, presumably to leave the dominant right hand free for more complex actions. Maybe this nurse is left-handed.
August 2025: A letter in the Camden New Journal raises the issue of the Irish contribution to the NHS, and why this is not similarly acknowledged.
Site: Windrush & Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives Statue (1 memorial)
N19, Magdala Avenue, Whittington Hospital
The unveiling was planned for 22nd June 2020, but the pandemic delayed it.
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