NEARLY 800 mothers with their babies packing the Municipal Hall at the end of October in 1908 formed a unique Keighley gathering, hosted by Mayor Robert Clough, who is standing slightly to the right of the centre.

In a period of high infant mortality – in 1907 for example, 116 children under the age of one had died in Keighley – Robert Clough took a special interest in child welfare.

His year of office saw the appointment of a lady health visitor with a team of voluntary helpers.

At the close of his mayoral term he held this reception for all the babies born in the borough during the year. They filled the auditorium, the balcony and the platform.

The mothers were treated to tea, and the babies each received commemorative mug bearing the Keighley coat of arms, Mr Clough hoping that “it may be the aim and ambition of each children to live up to” its motto, “By Worth”.

This photograph is from a postcard produced by Albert Sachs of Bradford. It was taken by flashlight when, according to the Keighley Herald at the time, “the ignition of the magnesium powder caused some little fright amongst the mothers, but the alarm was changed to laughter as they found that their precious babes were unharmed”.