Happily Ever After?

[jennifer41]

Good Afternoon Forum

I am trying to find information on Wesham Military Hospital (not Wesham Heights Dover)f for a community display in November.

It is not included in the list on the Long Long Trail and "google" states the infirmary of Fylde Union Workhouse was used as a miliatry hospital. I have treid Kirkham Military Hospital and Fylde Hospital - but that brings up Blackpool or Lytham St Annes.

I have a 1918 postcard of the exterior, I have been to Pilling to photograph the grave of Private Benjamin Curwen who died in the hospital, and a Private Arthur Simpson RAMC is buried in Christ Church Wesham who could have been stationed at the hospital as he is from Yorkshire.

A search of the local newspapers has not unearthed anything except (Preston Herald 1917) the reporting of a wedding between a nurse Mabel Green of Brixburn and Corporal Herbet Johnson from South Bank Yorkshire where 24 wounded men from the hospital formed a guard of honour for the couple. (Sorry i have tried to include it - but must be doing something wrong as I can't get it to insert). It was not accompanied by a picture, but It was good to read something about a happy occasion in amongst the memorial services and orbituaries I have been serching for.

If anyone has traced an injured soilder being treated at this hospital, or someone stationed there please could you forward any information. If anyone could suggest how I can find out how big the hospital was I would be very gratfeul.

Thank you

Jennifer

[Sue Light]

Jennifer

As you've already worked out, Wesham Military Hospital was housed within the Fyled Union Workhouse Infirmary. It was a small unit - just 60 beds in 1917. For maps and the history of the Fylde Union Infirmary, there is lots of information on the wonderful 'Workhouse' site here, including a photo of the military hospital at the bottom, although it might be the same as the one you already have:

Fylde Union Workhouse

Sue

[jennifer41]

Hi Sue

Thank you for responding. I have loads of info on the workhouse as such as I am in contact with Martin who had much of the info for that page (He's doing a Phd on paupers) but he does not have any further info on how the workhouse was used as a miltary hospital during the war. The Poor Law Guardians mins book for that period is also missing. There was an inital thought locally that it was a hospital for those who had contracted specific diseases. However, the wedding report says that the groom was injured at Beaumont Hamel. There doesn't seem to be any other images of the hospital either, and it hardley gets a mention in the local papers.

Jennifer

[Sue Light]

Jennifer

Originally there was provision for 23 Territorial Force hospitals in the UK (later 25). Pre-war these were 'virtual' hospitals, and public buildings were requisitioned for the hospitals to move in to in case of hostilities. These included schools, colleges, asylums and Poor Law infirmaries. Some were not named in the pre-war scheme, but as the number of casualties grew and outpaced existing accommodation, more and more buildings were acquired by the War Office. Poor Law Infirmaries and asylums were particularly useful as they often had spare capacity, and patients/residents could be moved to either another part of the same site, or to another workhouse site in the vicinity. So it was perfectly in keeping with the acquisition of buildings at the time that part of Fylde Union Infirmary would either be offered to the War Office, or asked for, to act as an auxiliary hospital and accept any suitable casualties. The hospital was affiliated to No.1 Western General Hospital (Territorial Force) in Fazakerley, and would be under their 'umbrella', taking the less seriously wounded, or men on the road to convalescence.

Sue

[jennifer41]

Hi Sue

Thank you for that information it has given me another angle to explore.

Jennifer

[Sue Light]

I think it's easy to underestimate how many hospitals there were in the UK at that time. I've just had a look through all the hospitals in the area (Western Command) and there were simply hundreds. There were ninety-two auxiliary and VAD units affiliated to No.1 Western General Hospital alone, so not really surprising that a relatively small unit didn't get much of a mention in the press.

Sue

[jennifer41]

Thanks for your help Sue. I have managed to write a paragraph to support the postcard and newspaper article on the Wesham Military Hospital for the display.

Regards

Jennifer

[airman]

I'm trying to find out where RAMC Private William Victor Greenwood service # 10959 enlisted and trained before moving to Aldershot and then Gallipoli and Egypt. He was a resident of Padiham Lancashire in 1911 but post 1920 lived in Blackpool. Was the Wesham Hospital the location of the RAMC #5 Training Battalion Blackpool? Were Service men returned to their enlisting location for discharge?

From his notebook he left Aldershot on 17/5/15 and arrived on the island of lemnos 29/5/15, then to Suvla Bay 6/8/15. his next entries show that he spent a year in Alexandria and then moved to Port Said on 16/1/17.

[jennifer41]

Hi Airman

I know very little about this subject, but I think there were at three Hospitals in Blackpool during the war. Wesham does not have a military hospital before 1917 and it closes quite soon after the war ends.

This is not very useful. There are many of this forum who have lots of knowledge and will be in a much better position to help you.

There is a website called The Long Long Trail and there is a link to it in the top corner of this page. It has a list of some of the hospitals in Lancashire,

Jennifer