To ask if you know your exact place of birth?

[Toffeesgirl]

Not the City but the name and address of the hospital (assuming, of course, you were born in hospital).

I ask because I am filling in a form which asks just this. Now I was born nearly 60 years ago in a non-UK but European city (I am British). I do know the hospital was knocked down about 50 years ago but as Mum is no longer with us and my Dad is very confused, I don't have a clue which one. Google tells me that there was a mass building post-war clearance in the 1970s but, oddly enough, not a list of all the hospitals (sarcasm). I was registered at the British Consulate which just lists the city name as place of birth.

The form which asks for it, is an important document I need for a new job (bit like a dbs) but apparently this piece of information is vital! The office I spoke to is checking with a higher authority but in case I need to argue my case, I just wondered if this is a piece of information that everybody else is aware of.

Yep. My daughter has the same name as my mum and when we were last in the receptionist looked up and said, 'born in 1936?' er no. So yes the hospital still exists and is my local one.

In that case you could just say that you don’t have any documentation but have been told by family and this is the best of your knowledge.

I just put the name of the hospital. If they wanted the exact place then it would be in the lift from the reception area and the maternity dept 4 floors up.

How many hospitals were in the local area at the time? Surely there cant have been that many? In my town there were 2, the one I was born in and the other one which has gone now. There was (is) also one in the nect town about half an hour away. Is there any way to narrow it down? Could a local historian help?

Yes, I even know the delivery room number. The hospital is very much still there. I’ve even worked there altho not in maternity.

I'm going to have to.

I did have the audacity to ask why they needed to know that, surely my birth certificate proves that I was actually born in that city but was soundly told that if they asked the question, then it must be important 🙄

I know the name of hospital, no idea of the address and it has since been knocked down, but could possibly find out if needed to. It was a specific maternity hospital, which was separate to the main one. Don't know how common that was at the time, but if one of the hospital you've looked up is a maternity hospital, it's probably a safe bet to put that one.

The hospital is still there, but much bigger and now has a ground floor maternity wing.

Would getting in touch with the city of birth's city hall type place maybe help narrow it down?

It wasn’t a military hospital was it? Only asking as DH has a similar background but the hospital he was born in was a military hospital, in 1952. So his birth certificate isn’t clear as it seems to have two different town names that aren’t near to each other, only one of which had a military hospital in. I assume that the British military may have records of his birth certificate though, should we ever need to be precise.

Vital for what? If it isn't recorded anywhere then it can't be cross-referenced to prove identity anyway. How odd.

Yes I know the name of the hospital and I could easily get the address

Do a bit more research, your city probably had a maternity hospital, so put that name.

If asked for more details you can say it is known from your family's verbal history.

Another thought....If you were christened, your place of birth might be mentioned on your baptismal certificate.

I was born at home, so I do know the exact address.

I know, though like many others here, the hospital itself no longer exists.

If it's not on record anywhere they can't prove you're lying either so I'd do this, just pick one. Actually I'd probably make a hospital up just to see if they bother checking, but that's just me.

I would definitely question this again OP, sounds very odd to me. Who cares about what happened like 60/70 years ago, assuming you didn’t commit a crime when you were a newborn lol

Any evidence of your adult life should be good enough.

I do, or think I do, but only because I was told the name by my parents, who were also born there. It doesn't exist any more. Only the town is mentioned on my birth certificate. I must be the same sort of vintage as you, OP.
I think my DC's BCs feature the names of the hospitals where they were born, however.

Google it, the hospital I was born in was knocked down years ago but you can find the address if you google it.

She doesn't know which hospital it was.

Yes, I know the name of the maternity home I was born in. It's now flats.

I know the name of the hospital which is still there 68 years later, so easy to get the address.

I know the exact time as well. The midwife kept telling my mum she needed to hurry up because she was due for a break at 3, and I was born at 2.55.

I know the hospital address for my brother, too, and the time he was born (2.45pm on the day of the FA cup final, so just in time for the kick off).

I work on the Labour ward I was born on, so yes. Also met my partner there, while working oddly! But I know what you mean. Hospitals that closed years ago aren't easy to trace info for.

Yes I do, although the hospital is now long gone- or at least the maternity unit has.Same with DH's birth hospital. Mine was in a very unfashionable east London borough, which I had to include on my children's birth certificates as it asks for parents' places of birth!

My two youngest children were born at home as was my mum. So I won't forget those addresses!

I know the name and location of the hospital - it closed down 40 years ago so no way of finding the postcode.

I know the town and I think it was a midwife unit, but it was over 60 years ago so not sure if it's even still there.