Sunday 21 March 2010

The Happy Hospital

Once upon a time I started this blog in another place, but it faltered, and somehow got buried under many other things.  The content has been saved, and is now due to be re-cycled here, with new bits added along the way.  All these items are taken from issues of 'The Gazette of the 3rd London General Hospital Wandsworth,' a Territorial Force military hospital which existed between 1914 and 1920 to care for wounded and sick soldiers of the Great War. I shall go slowly, for fear of running out of material, and to make the joy last as long as possible ...

How do I even start to explain how wonderful the 3rd London Gazette is?  Soon after war broke out in August 1914, No.3 London General Hospital was mobilised at the Royal Patriotic School, Wandsworth Common.  To augment his rather meagre staff, the Commanding Officer, Colonel Bruce Porter, agreed to take on a group of men as Royal Army Medical Corps orderlies, who were all members of the Chelsea Arts Club.  These men were either too old or unfit for other military service, but had talent beyond the price of rubies, and he accumulated a wonderful collection of artists, sculptors, writers and poets.  Thus, he laid the foundations for a wartime hospital journal which became a prince among all others. It contains wonderful artwork, poetry both serious and humorous, cartoons, and anecdotes of daily life - hard to describe such a treasure trove.  One impression that comes through all the writing is that it was a happy hospital - well run, and where discipline was at a minimum for most of the time.  Through these pages I hope the story of that happy hospital will be told.

4 comments:

  1. This is GREAT, Sue; what a lovely blog and again I find myself offering up a silent prayer to those people who chronicled these events nearly a hundred years ago (not to mention those who are reproducing their efforts on a blog). Blogger should add another category: Avid Followers. I'd be one of those.

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  2. I've got a feeling there's a lot of typing to do here :>)

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  3. Hi Sue - don't know if you will pick this up so long after the blog! it's marvellous- i shall be adding some of this to my Remembering Women on the Home front in WW1 and pointing people to this blog. Brilliant. Thanks so much.

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  4. Hello Debbie - Thank you, and yes, a notification quickly drops through my letter box. Sometimes I think I might add a bit more to this, but somehow there never seems enough time for everything.

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