King's College Hospital Nurses' League

King's College Hospital opened in 1840, on a site at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. In 1913 it moved to its present site at Denmark Hill, South London. In 1856, the Sisterhood of St John the Evangelist signed an agreement with King's College Hospital to provide all nursing and catering for the hospital. When this arrangement was terminated in 1885, the Committee of Management of the Hospital formed its own nursing staff, under Sister-Matron Katharine Monk. Monk reorganised the nursing department and founded the Training School of Nurses.
In 1916, five nurses who were leaving King's at that time decided to meet in five years time to renew friendship and exchange news. After that, they met annually until 1924, when they asked the Sister Matron if they could form a League. A small committee was established which was chaired by Miss M A Wilcox (Sister Matron). Its aims were to maintain links between nurses and their training school, and between past and present nurses; to uphold and forward the profession; to publish an annual magazine, and hold annual reunions. Twenty-eight members attended the first reunion of the Nurses' League on 6 Jun 1925.