Rehabilitation After Hospital Discharge Request

[heatherannej]

Hello All. Hopefully, this is the correct sub-forum for this question ....

During my research into North Essex WW1 beds/hospitals (civil, military, auxiliary, convalescent), I have come across an Australian soldier who was for a while a patient in our Colchester Military Hospital. I have been corresponding with his family and we are sharing info. He was discharged on 29 August 1916 but he doesn't rejoin his unit until 26 November 1916 - although he was hospitalised again (? don't know where at the moment) on 11 December 1916. He rejoined the 54th Battalion on 29 Dec, 1916.

At some point, he was "rehabilitating" in Chorley, Lancashire .... with a Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Parsons ( I have found Reg in Chorley before he married - in 1911 he is a "Doubler" in a Bleach Works),

Can anyone give me some idea of how this rehabilitating worked ..... I would assume that they would be given remuneration for 'caring' for him etc? Any help appreciated please ... it will expand my files :-)

Heather

[tullybrone]

Hi,

I've no knowledge of this subject but wonder whether your soldier had some personal connection to Mr & Mrs Parsons (family/friends) and they were merely acting as his "carers" as a result of that relationship rather than in an official paid capacity for a "stranger".

Regards

Steve Y

[centurion]

Convalescent centres were set up all over Britain (and some in France). They could be in a stately home (or part of one) donated by the owners, old army camps and barracks, former hospitals, ex hotels/hydros etc or just large houses. Likewise they were run by a variety of people and organisations including charities, voluntary organisations and even individuals who owned large homes, Men would be discharged from hospitals into convalescent centres and the hospitals took special care they they were clear of any contagious bugs before doing so. Men could also go to relatives or friends if the medical authorities thought it safe. If your man didn't have any relatives of friends who could take him in then the authorities would almost certainly have sent him to a convalescent centre. I would suggest it's most likely that the Parsons were either relatives (his sister or aunt and her husband perhaps?) or ran a small convalescent centre

[Sue Light]

I think this notice in the journal of No.3 London General Hospital, Wandsworth, might explain it in part:

October 1916 [and other dates]

HOSPITALITY

The Australian War Contingent Association, 59 Palace Street, S.W. (adjoining the Commonwealth Offices, 72 Victoria Street), has received many offers of hospitality at private homes in the United Kingdom, and hundreds of men have availed themselves of this opportunity of a welcome to British home life, with great pleasure to both hosts and guests. If any Australian soldier (officer or man) would like to make such a visit when on furlough, he is asked to communicate with the Hospitality Secretary at the above address.

Sue

[centurion]

I think this notice in the journal of No.3 London General Hospital, Wandsworth, might explain it in part:

October 1916 [and other dates]

HOSPITALITY

The Australian War Contingent Association, 59 Palace Street, S.W. (adjoining the Commonwealth Offices, 72 Victoria Street), has received many offers of hospitality at private homes in the United Kingdom, and hundreds of men have availed themselves of this opportunity of a welcome to British home life, with great pleasure to both hosts and guests. If any Australian soldier (officer or man) would like to make such a visit when on furlough, he is asked to communicate with the Hospitality Secretary at the above address.

Sue

Similar schemes were established for Belgian soldiers cut off from home - but such schemes were for healthy soldiers on leave not for recovering sick and wounded where they might still need some level of medical care and at least regular checking (especially in those pre antibiotic days when wounds that seemed well on the mend could still turn nasty )

[heatherannej]

Hello All ..... thanks very much for all the suggested options and I think it will pay me to list them all as to how the Australian patient came to be where he was. The "relatives/friends" question-mark did make me think, as I read down the replies, but the patient's descendants have created a family tree and have no knowledge of Mr. and Mrs. Parsons being family. He must have returned to Australia talking about being with the Parsons "who assisted in his rehabilitation"/"helped care for him" as these are the terms that have been passed down.

Mr. Parson was working in a Bleach Works in 1911 and was a postman when he joined up in 1917. I'm waiting on a reply to a possible Parson relative - that may throw more light on the subject ... if knowledge is known. Interestingly enough .... in 1925, Mrs. Parsons emigrates to Australia with her two sons ... (don't know what happened to Mr. Parsons) and she marries for a second time!

Sue's Notice of hospitality does sound feasible ... and there is a gap in the Service Record between discharge from hospital and returning to his unit. It is all very interesting ... and another path that I am being led up :-)

Many thanks for all the help .... if I get any further info, i'll come back and update this thread. Best Regards Heather

[centurion]

Hello All ..... thanks very much for all the suggested options and I think it will pay me to list them all as to how the Australian patient came to be where he was. The "relatives/friends" question-mark did make me think, as I read down the replies, but the patient's descendants have created a family tree and have no knowledge of Mr. and Mrs. Parsons being family. He must have returned to Australia talking about being with the Parsons "who assisted in his rehabilitation"/"helped care for him" as these are the terms that have been passed down.

Mr. Parson was working in a Bleach Works in 1911 and was a postman when he joined up in 1917. I'm waiting on a reply to a possible Parson relative - that may throw more light on the subject ... if knowledge is known. Interestingly enough .... in 1925, Mrs. Parsons emigrates to Australia with her two sons ... (don't know what happened to Mr. Parsons) and she marries for a second time!

Sue's Notice of hospitality does sound feasible ... and there is a gap in the Service Record between discharge from hospital and returning to his unit. It is all very interesting ... and another path that I am being led up :-)

Many thanks for all the help .... if I get any further info, i'll come back and update this thread. Best Regards Heather

In your first post you said Parsons, in this one you say Parson. Which is correct and how do you know that the Parson from the bleach works is the same one? Reg Parson(s) would not be an unusual name.If he was called up in 1917 he'd probably be about 18 at the time which doesn't sound right for a married man in 1916 (people married a bit later in those days and according to stats the age at which men married was getting later.(See J M Winter The Great War and the British People))

[centurion]

If Red Cross data is correct there was a convalescent centre in Chorley called The Grange. Coincidentally there is a care home in Chorley called The Grange but it is a modern building in a retirement village - possibly on the site of the old centre?

[heatherannej]

Thanks all, for your responses ..... re Centurion's querie .... sorry, it is PARSONS ....

An ID has come from what the Australian wrote on the back of photographs that he sent home to his brother in Australia (one of Mr. Parsons and one of Mrs. Parsons) .... "5 Sherbourne Street, Chorley, Lancashire". The East Lancs Pension Record of one Reginald Parsons gives an address of 29 Corporation Street, Chorley and an age of 24 yrs 6 months(there's a Reginald Parsons born c1891 Chorley) with his widowed mother Nancy living at this address in 1911). It looks as though he enlisted 11.12.15.; married on 25.9.15.; sons born 1.6.16 and 10.4.18 .... he does go overseas but he keeps having hernias and operations for these - which may account for him being about to father his sons although the hernias don't appear to have hindered that :-)

The Pension record gives the previous address of 5 Sherbourne Street plus names his wife as Beatrice Alice Parsons. Reg was a postman/wireman on enlisting. There is a birth registered for a Reginald Parsons in Chorley 3rd Quarter and a Reginald Parsons was baptised 26 July 1891 at St. Peters, Chorley - parents Arthur Tom and Nancy. (n.b. Arthur Tom died 1895!).

So O think I have the correct Reginald ..... with all that taken into consideration, what are your observations about his age; being married; and enlisting etc. I'll be really interested to learn what you can deduce from it all :-)

many thanks indeed Heather

[centurion]

Confused - in post 6 you say he joined up in 1917 now you say 1915?

[heatherannej]

Sorry, Centurion .... I'm not doing very well here, am I? Sorry ... it is definitely 11.12.15 when he joins up .... would you like me to send the record pages to you privately? Heather