Rauceby (Kesteven) Hospital, Lincolnshire

[Raymo]

Hi,

My grandparents met during the Great War, when she was a nurse and he was a wounded solider.

I *think* they met in Rauceby Hospital (which I think is pronounced locally as "Rosby"), otherwise known as Kesteven Mental Asylum, but I'm not certain.

Does anyone know anything about this hospital? Was it a military hospital during the Great War? Was it the sort of place a soldier with shell shock would go? I would be grateful for any information at all, no matter how small, about this hospital.

Thank you.

Raymo

[Frank_East]

Rauceby was built as a mental hospital in the Victorian era but had a background of being a Military Hospital in both world wars.

From 1940 to 1947, it was requisitioned by the RAF as a military hospital specialising in burns treatment.It was also a first line hospital for the RAF, where the injuried from the many incidents and aircraft crashes in the East Midlands involving Bomber Command and Fighter Command Units, were first taken. On it doorstep was RAF Cranwell which had various types of Training Schools based there and Rauceby provided the first hospital for medical treatment.

I remember there were a number of protests when the mental hospital was closed down in 1997 on NHS restructuring.It was thought it was a valuable site.Now being developed for housing.

[Raymo]

Rauceby was built as a mental hospital in the Victorian era but had a background of being a Military Hospital in both world wars.

From 1940 to 1947, it was requisitioned by the RAF as a military hospital specialising in burns treatment.It was also a first line hospital for the RAF, where the injuried from the many incidents and aircraft crashes in the East Midlands involving Bomber Command and Fighter Command Units, were first taken. On it doorstep was RAF Cranwell which had various types of Training Schools based there and Rauceby provided the first hospital for medical treatment.

I remember there were a number of protests when the mental hospital was closed down in 1997 on NHS restructuring.It was thought it was a valuable site.Now being developed for housing.

Thanks very much, that's very helpful. Do you know where I can find out more about the hospital in the Great War period?

[Frank_East]

Sorry not to have replied earlier.

The information is contained in the Lincolnshire Archives held by Lincolnshire County Council. Go on to their web site then search for archives.

The information is sparse as revealed by the web site, it just lists contents regarding Rauceby Hospital.I suppose an inspection of the archive files at Lincoln will give the deeper detail.