The first baby to be born on the NHS, Aneira Thomas, has named a Great Western Railway train in memory of Aneurin Bevan. The unveiling took place in Newport on Tuesday amid celebrations of the National Health Service's 75th anniversary.
Aneira Thomas was born at one minute past midnight on July 5, 1948, making her the first NHS baby born. To celebrate, her parents named her after the Welsh politician, Aneurin Bevan, who was the minister for health responsible for the launch of the NHS in 1948.
On Tuesday, Aneira travelled from her home in Swansea for the train-naming ceremony at Newport, the closest station GWR calls to Bevan's Ebbw Vale constituency and birthplace of Tredegar. Following the ceremony, the Aneurin Bevan train then went on to operate a service to London Paddington, calling at Swindon in Wiltshire to acknowledge the role of the town's railway industry played in the formation of the NHS.
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Aneira, who has spent her career working in the NHS as a mental health nurse and is the author of a best-selling novel called Hold on Edna, said it was an "honour" to have a train named after the Welsh politician. She said: "It is such an honour for the 75th anniversary of our NHS to have a train named Aneurin Bevan by GWR.
"What better compliment to the legacy left to us by the founder of the National Health Service and also the GWR Medical Fund in Swindon, which played a crucial role in getting the wheels in motion. This amazing train will forever be a reminder of the great man and the National Health Service that delivers with such skill, care and compassion. Happy 75th Birthday NHS, thank you GWR."
Welsh Government Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan MS, said: "Our NHS is cherished by everyone in Wales and we are particularly proud that it was created by a Welshman. So naming this train after Aneurin Bevan is a fitting tribute to the NHS and a great way to celebrate its 75th anniversary in Wales."
Described as "such an important figure in the history of Wales", Aneurin "Nye" Bevan is widely considered as the "architect" of the health service. He was born in November 1897 in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, and was the son of a miner.
He became active in politics from the age of 19. Following the Second World War, the post-war Labour government led by Clement Attlee saw Bevan appointed as its youngest member. He was given responsibility for housing, local authorities and health.
He is viewed by many as a reformer, overseeing the building of a million new houses before 1950 and the introduction of the National Insurance Act. This created what later became known as the Welfare State. In 1948, the National Health Service Act became law and the NHS became operational on July 5, 1948.
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