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Woman patient, St Marys Hospital, Paddington, London
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Woman patient, St Marys Hospital, Paddington, London
LFB Special Services trying to help a woman patient at St Marys Hospital, Paddington, London, on 15 April 1959. She has climbed out of a ward window at fifth floor level and is sitting with her feet on a tie rod of the drainpipe. Date: 1959
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Media ID 14158726
© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library
1959 Climbed Danger Dangerous Distress Distressed Drainpipe Feet Floor Helping Level Marys Nightdress Nightie Paddington Patient Pipe Precarious Services Special Talking Ward Waste Firefighting
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph taken on the fateful night of April 15, 1959, at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, a woman patient is seen precariously perched on a drainpipe, with her feet dangling on a tie rod, some five stories above the ground. The image, captured by an unidentified photographer, poignantly illustrates the harrowing moment when the London Fire Brigade's Special Services were called upon to help a distressed woman in distress. The woman, clad in a nightdress or nightgown, had climbed out of her hospital ward window in a desperate bid for freedom or perhaps an escape from her circumstances. The fifth-floor window offered a high and dangerous vantage point, with the drainpipe serving as her only means of support. The waste pipe, which would normally be used for disposing of water, became her lifeline, a tenuous connection to the world below. The London Fire Brigade's Special Services, a team of highly trained and skilled firefighters, were dispatched to the scene to assess the situation and provide assistance. In the photograph, two firefighters can be seen talking to the woman, attempting to calm her and coax her back into the safety of the hospital. Their faces convey a mixture of concern, determination, and compassion as they work to prevent a potentially tragic outcome. This historical photograph, taken during the 1950s, offers a glimpse into a bygone era and the vital role that emergency services played in the lives of Londoners. It serves as a poignant reminder of the human spirit's capacity for resilience and the importance of compassion and understanding during times of crisis.
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