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Remembered Today:

Back to Blighty: the choice of hospital?


Dragon

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What was the logic or decision making process which would lead to an injured soldier being sent to one hospital rather than another when he arrived back in Britain? What factors influenced the choice of hospital? Eg, location?

I'm thinking of, say, fairly serious leg injuries which were unlikely to prove fatal, rather than mental health problems or specific illnesses.

I have already looked at the medical section on the main site, which was very helpful and informative: thank you.

Many thanks.

Gwyn

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Gwyn - Probably not much help but I can relate two cases to you with regards to hospitals.

One of my Great Grandfathers was buried by shellfire 4 times in a day at St. Eloi, he was sent to Southend-on-Sea for treatment for severe shell-shock.

My Grandfather was blown up by a shell (which vaporised one of his mates and severely wounded 3 others) and suffered horrendous wounds to his stomach and legs. He was sent all the way up to Scotland for treatment!

So it seems, in these cases, that the severity of a wound didn't have a bearing on a man being admitted to a hospital closer to the channel ports.

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Thank you, Lee. I am rather lost for words at the thought of somone undertaking such a long journey with horrific wounds.

Are you suggesting that it might have been random?

Gwyn

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Gwyn

There is some evidence that men were purposely sent a considerable distance from their homes as it was thought that they were easier to care for without the 'unnecessary interference' caused by families visiting - a bit on the lines of the old days when children were not allowed to see their parents during a hospital stay as it was less upsetting!

Regards - Sue

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Thank you, Sue. This is rather the conclusion I was coming to.

Are you able to point me in the direction of somewhere where I might be able to find this evidence?

Gwyn

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Gwyn

I'd had a search through before I wrote last, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. There are some references in a small, locally [to me] published book called 'The Tale of a Boy Soldier' by George Parker [QueenSpark Books ISBN 0 904733 86 6], but not exact enough to support the 'on purpose' theory. He was a Brighton boy who enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters - and writes:

'Our destination turned out to be Stockport, Cheshire, not far from Manchester........being in a Midland regiment, I was always put up north, so never once were my people able to afford to come and see me, ill or wounded. It worried them, and was disappointing to me.'

So he accepts it as being 'regimental', although his next admission, from France, was to Bristol. Over the last few months I've read a much more direct reference to allocation of wounded, but must have been in something from the library. I'll have a think.

Regards - Sue

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Thanks, Sue. If you do remember where you came across the reference, I should be very interested to know.

It's queries like this that I wish I'd had the foresight to ask the people concerned before they died.

Gwyn

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If it was Stockport, then it was probably Hollywood Military Hospital.

One of my memorial guys, Edward Harrop, lived in Cheadle (a couple of miles away from the site of the hospital).He was wounded on a third occasion whilst serving with the Lancashire Fusiliers and died whilst being treated at the hsopital. He is buried in Cheadle Churchyard.

I know this doesnt particularly aid your research but it does confirm that some men , at least were treated locally.

John

B)

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Gwyn - This one totally escaped my memory when I replied to your posting:-

William George Swain, my great uncle, joined up underage in 1914. He went to F&F and was shot in the foot and also gassed whilst on a wiring party in 1915, he was brought back to the UK to recover from both the injuries.

He was sent to his own house to recover from the effects of gas, being visited each day by the local Doctor and having to use a special breathing apparatus supplied for him. He was still in the Army at this point and it wasn't until a few weeks later that his grandmother informed the Army of his real age!

He was later killed on 21 March 1918 but the WD wouldn't issue his father with the 1915 Star because he joined underage!!

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