Enquirers researching family history often ask the Heritage Centre the following question: "What was life like in a Mother and Baby Home?" The following daily timetable for an average day (if ever there was one) gives us some idea. It was drawn up by an unknown junior officer who worked in four Salvation Army Mother and Baby homes in the 1960s. This, with small variations, was typical of three of them. The fourth one had a different timetable but all the same elements. There was no TV and not much of a garden in the fourth.

0600: The mothers were called and brought into the nursery. The baby's first feed of the day should have started by 0630. The babies were fed and bathed before breakfast.

0700: The waiting mothers were called.

0800: Breakfast. As breakfast concluded morning prayers were held. This was not compulsory but it was always assumed that the whole household (officers, staff and girls) would join together in prayer. It was always a case of opting out rather than opting in and hardly anyone did.

Beds were made and various cleaning duties were performed. The mothers worked alongside the staff by rota.

1000 and no later than 1030 the babies were "cared for".

1230: Lunch. This was the main meal of the day and lasted about an hour. The waiting mothers followed with an hours rest and the washing up was done by the other girls again on a rota and then the babies had more attention.

1430-1700: Session in the ‘Workroom' sewing, knitting, doing embroidery etc. The mothers were instructed in these skills if they did not know already how they were done. The items made could be sold to help with the funds or some of the girls who were keeping their babies made baby clothes during this time.

1730: Tea with washing up as per lunchtime. The babies would be visited again.

After tea some of the girls went to bed whilst others would read or watch television. Games, both individual or group, were also played indoors or in the garden.

2030: Supper. The babies would have their mother's care for the last time of the day.

2200: From now on Night staff were responsible for the little ones.

Two photos from Mount Cross Maternity Home, Leeds showing (left) Major Audrey Pearson leading a cookery class and (right) Captain Wendy Knowles in the Nursery demonstrating how to bathe a baby

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