WW1 - Researching Nurses & Military Hospitals (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Sunday, March 30, 2014, 00:50 (3886 days ago) @ Jefff

Another former Mental Asylum turned WW1 Military Hospital, but closer to home, was the Beaufort Hospital at Fishponds near Bristol; history and wonderful photoset here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_Hospital
http://www.glensidemuseum.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/beaufort_war_hospital_gallery.htm

Another Gloucestershire WW1 Hospital was Cleve Hill Hospital, Downend, Bristol,
http://www.frenchaymuseumarchives.co.uk/WW1.htm
This should not be confused with the later “Frenchay Hospital” better known to Foresters, which first opened in 1921 and was hugely expanded during WW2.

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Recently I've been learning about our WW1 military Hospitals, it's been very moving to see just how many thousands of casualties were being treated all over the UK. I hope this forum allows me to illustrate what can be found, despite my research not being about a Dean Forester. I have a Lincolnshire friend who's long nursing career had been inspired by her Grandma, a WW1 Nurse supposedly at the seemingly "unlikely" Kings College, Cambridge ?!.
I found that this famous place of learning was indeed a WW1 Hospital, a temporary extension of tents and chalets to the existing Addenbrooke's Hospital, some great photos and history here
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Medical/CambridgeEasternNo1Hospital.html

This was just one of a great many Home War Hospitals created either by expanding existing ones, or creating new, such as in large country houses including Longleat. By 1914 the UK’s fast expanding military hospitals had already been increased to have 7,000 beds, by late 1918 demand meant there were over 350,000 beds all across the UK.

My friend's Grandma Ellen Sewell was one of thousands of civilian Hospital staff who had volunteered as a Territorial Nurse, this was just one part of the Territorial Force first created in 1908 to "defend the country in case of invasion"; even then a European war seemed highly-likely. By an odd coincidence given our earlier mention of Notts County War Hospital, the 1911 Census shows Lincoln-born Ellen as a young probationer-nurse training at another Nottinghamshire Hospital. Like many of our modern Hospitals this originated as the Infirmary for the local Workhouse (Bagthorpe), like so many this Hospital was substantially enlarged during WW1. As terrible as WW1 was, there is perhaps a consolation - it seems to have been key to the very foundation of most of the hospitals which make up our NHS.

Very luckily for my researches the National Archives held not only Ellen Sewell's Medal card, so a few clues to her nursing history, but also 48 images of her personal letters and records from that time, a real treasure !
TNA is easily the best online source of nursing records, eg
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/s/res?_q=ellen+sewell
Altho' the search findings seemed routine at first glance, clicking the understated "preview this record" tab gave great excitement, I do hope others are as lucky as we were !

WW1 Nurses may have served in a variety of different organizations at Home and Overseas, many not within the Armed Forces as I had first presumed. This book is a highly recommended guide thro’ this quite complex maze, plus the military Nurses, other Women’s branches of Armed Services, Land Army, etc.
“Tracing Your Service Women Ancestors” by Mary Ingham, many public libraries hold it.

These websites are all excellent sources for further reference;
http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/casualties-medcal/1140-british...
http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/92.html
http://greatwarnurses.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Medical/index.html
http://www.photodetective.co.uk/TFNS.html

The Royal College of Nursing website carries pdf files of their monthly Journals from 1888 to 1956, all fully searchable
http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/
I was able to find interesting background articles about the Bagthorpe Institution Hospital, and the devoted hardwork of Matron E.Dwight who'd been in charge of Ellen's training there during the 1911 Census. Just one example,
http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/VOLUME033-1904/page478-volume33-10thdecember1904.pdf

Finally, here are just a few of the great many period film clips on the Pathe website, an excellent source but be beware of occasionally careless cataloguing.
http://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/ww1+nurse

I do hope this is of interest and wish others well researching their Nurses, all hardworking devoted heroes and heroines in their own right.