Former Matron of Falkirk Royal Infirmary’s life dedicated to nursing

In these days when we honour our NHS staff, Miss Cadger stands out as a shining example of all that is best in the nursing profession. ‘‘Service before self’’ could have been her motto from the day she first put on the uniform.

I had the pleasure of spending many hours with her as I prepared a history of the infirmary in 1998 and she could not have been more helpful, telling me many tales of her time as a nurse, especially of her love of Falkirk where she came as Assistant Matron to Miss Sarah Chalmers in 1963.

Agnes was born in Methlick in Aberdeenshire and she began her nurse training just before the war.

She had a long association with the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow where she won prizes as a young nurse and rose to the position of Assistant Matron.

I remember her telling me of the time when she was a member of the air ambulance team flying 65 rescue missions across the country. She was deeply committed to her Christian faith and spoke of her life as a calling like that of the ministry.

She had no doubt that her arrival in Falkirk was part of that plan and that Falkirk Royal Infirmary was where she was meant to be.

She was, of course, one of the old school who believed in strong personal discipline and demanded high standards of all the nurses in her charge. Many remember her as firm – very firm some said – but always fair and always supportive.

A few years ago, a local nurse, Betty Wright, looking back on her own career remembered that “when you saw Miss Cadger, the matron, you didn’t breathe when passing her!’’

When Agnes arrived in the Infirmary it was the focus of much outside attention with a national initiative, the so called ‘‘Falkirk Ward’’, drawing visitors from all over the world.

This was a departure from the old Nightingale style wards and the new building housed state of the art operating facilities on the ground floor with wards above made up of small one and four bed units built round a central atrium. The building, which was a sensation at the time, has survived when much of the rest was demolished.

In 1966 the year the building was completed, Miss Cadger replaced Miss Chalmers as Matron and took over a hospital which was bigger than at any time in its history with 420 beds, 350 nurses and over 100 domestic staff.

For the next 15 years she was at the heart of everything of importance that happened as the institution entered a new world where old ways were changing and power moving away from the hospital to managers and administrators in other places.

When her title changed to Senior Nursing Officer she no doubt bit her lip and carried on.

She remained the ‘‘Matron’’ to everyone until her retirement in 1981.

On that occasion her colleagues brought the celebrated Scottish Minister, Rev. James Currie, to Falkirk to present a ‘‘This is your Life’’ evening when the big red book tracing her life of service was handed over to a delighted Agnes.

When I wrote about her in the history in 1989 I said this: “Gentle but firm, dedicated and compassionate, quietly spoken though forthright and determined, she had all the gifts and gave them freely to all who came her way”.

Agnes Cadger deserves to be remembered of one of the greatest adopted daughters of Falkirk.