Barnwell Military Hospital

[Broznitsky]

It seems little is known about this hospital, other than it was a major treatment centre for venereal disease.

It appears to have disappeared in the 1920's.

Can anybody provide more information or a photo of it?

[BPJermyn]

No luck finding you much information at all - just references to the hospital and no pictures

[seaJane]

On my phone so look-up limited, but go to wellcome.ac.uk and search for contact with the archivist, who also manages the Hospital Records Database.

[Sue Light]

I can hazard a few guesses based on size and similar units. Barnwell was a 750-bedded unit set in a very rural area, so it was almost certainly a hutted hospital built specially for purpose. One site on the web mentions that Barnwell boy's school was taken over by the army during the Great War, so it could be that the school was used as a central focus and administrative centre for what was a large hospital. Peterborough Archives might be a starting point to check if there are any surviving photos of the camp, and it would almost certainly get a mention or two in newspapers of the period, though I realise that's not an option for you! It's most unlikely that there are any surviving patient records for the hospital, and in view of its wartime purpose, probably rather little in the way of local interest at the time. There was also another similar hospital not far away at Cherry Hinton - the same size - so perhaps any mention of that unit might show some similarities to the one at Barnwell.

Sue

[Stebie9173]

I think the Cambridgeshire Barnwell is more under Cambridge's remit, now being part of Cambridge itself. The Barnwell that would fall under the Peterborough area would be Barnwell just outside of Oundle in Northamptonshire.]

Steve.

[Sue Light]

Yes, sorry - I've got the two confused, but it does look like Barnwell and Cherry Hinton would have come under the same administration, being so close.

Sue