Nurse Agnes Brooks, the woman who became known as “The mother of Burton Latimer” because she delivered thousands of babies in the town in a career spanning more than 40 years, died yesterday in Kettering General Hospital.

Nurse Brooks was a familiar figure in the town, whether driving to a house call in her black Hillman car or out for a long walk with a large labrador dog. She moved to her house at 15 William Street 46 years ago. “She was a wonderful nurse, and must have delivered several thousand babies. But she was not only a midwife, she was a very good district nurse and will be greatly missed, especially by the old people,” said Burton Latimer medical practitioner Dr. A. P. Kingsley.

Nurse Brooks was born in Bentworth in Hampshire and her first nursing job was near Arundel in Sussex. After other nursing jobs in the south of England she moved to Burton Latimer in the mid 1920’s.

Retired

She retired in March 1968, after a period when she was nursing only part-time. Two years later she suffered an illness: she recovered and was in good health until early this month. She was admitted to hospital a week ago.

She began her rounds in Burton on a bicycle but it was not long before she bought the first of a long line of black Hillman cars which became something of a “trademark.” A constant companion her most of her life was a labrador usually black. Her last dog, this time a golden labrador called Tina, is going to be cared for by a friend.

The woman who was in charge of Nurse Brooks until her retirement, Miss. N. Taylorson, superintendent nursing officer for Northamptonshire, paid this tribute today:“She was a marvellous little woman and was quite a character. She loved her work and was quite distressed when she had to give it up. They don’t make them like her anymore.”

A funeral service will be held at Burton Latimer Parish Church at 1pm on Friday.