Allocation of convalescents to auxiliary hospitals in UK

[Moonraker]

With several hundred auxiliary hospitals, a great deal of office work must have been necessary to monitor discharges and vacant beds and to place new patients in beds. Was this done at national level - or (perhaps more likely) regionally or sub-regionally? Presumably individual hospitals regularly filed returns of filled and empty beds - but to whom? Whoever it was, presumably the same organisation received details of soldiers needing beds - from whom? Were there many instances of "bed-blocking", that is, just not enough beds being available?

And - I think this may have been asked before - were any attempts made to place soldiers in hospitals of their choice - such as close to their families?

When a patient was discharged, who made the arrangements for him to return to his unit, which presumably included issuing him with travel warrants and orders. Were army clerks ever based in larger hospitals to facilitate this?

Moonraker

[Guest]

My paternal grandfather supposedly convalessed at Queen Mary's Convalscent Auxiliary hospital for limbless men.  From what I understand there were also Command Depots where men who would be rejoining their units could convaless.

[Coldstreamer]

from the Coldstream casualties I've seen records of, on many occasions they have been no where near home . With so many beds needed I've always thought you got where there was a bed regardless of location.

a huge logistical nightmare which needed lots of people to process

[Margosh]

My Grandfather, from Yorkshire, was in hospital in Bristol. So not very close to home.

The story he told was that he recalled nothing after being injured in France, he awoke in a hospital bed with BLA written on the sheets, Not knowing where he was he tried to work out what BLA meant, British something Army? He asked a passing nurse and her brisk reply was ‘Bristol Lunatic Asylum’,  he wondered whatever had happened to him! 

The asylum had become Beaufort War Hopital at Glenside, Bristol. I have his furlough pass from there. 

 

Margaret

[seaJane]

Have you seen Stanley Spencer's paintings of the Beaufort War Hospital in Sandham Chapel, Margaret?

[Margosh]

34 minutes ago, seaJane said:

Have you seen Stanley Spencer's paintings of the Beaufort War Hospital in Sandham Chapel, Margaret?

 

It’s funny you should say that. Today I watched an episode of Bargain Hunt and they went into the chapel to show the paintings. They said that the bottom row were based on his experience as an orderly in Bristol so I wondered if it was Beaufort. I didn’t know about the chapel or the paintings before (I have seen photos of Beaufort and I have one of Pop there as a patient). 

 

Margaret

[seaJane]

Coincidence! The Sandham Memorial Chapel is well worth a visit if you are ever near that section of the A34.