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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: rayharris185 on Sunday 16 March 08 13:54 GMT (UK)
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I have a photograph of my grandfather + other patients and staff taken when he was injured in WW1. On the reverse it states that it was taken at VAD Stockport.
Has anyone any idea of where the records for this period may be held as he was very reluctant to talk about WW1. I believe he was injured at Ypres and was discharged from the hospital to the Labour Corps which shows up on his medal record.
Thanks
Ray Harris
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Hi Ray - I can only suggest contacting Stockport's Local Heritage Library, for general information on the hospital.
http://www.stockport.gov.uk/contacts/localheritagelib
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Hi mshrmh
Thanks for that I'll give it a try - I've contacted the welcome trust but they can't help
Ray
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Voluntary Aid Detatchment
See this thread on another forum - oohh la la!
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49807
I will see if I can find out anything else but take a while.
Mair
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The VAD hospital might have been in the Heaton Chapel Reform Club on Heaton Moor Road:
http://www.stockport1914-1918.co.uk/othermemorials.php
Sorry if this duplicates the info in Mair's link, but my puter isn't loading that one at the moment - maybe loads of other rootschatters have rushed off to check it at the same time ;D
:) Barbara
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Hi Mair
Thanks for your interest. Like many others I have a postcard which like others has the name of the hospital on the reverse.
My grandfather had a bullet lodged in his lung from Ypres (I think) which was never removed and he still lived to 90 and smoked his pipe to the end. He was also still riding a bicycle at 80.
Thanks again
Ray
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Hi Barbara
The link, from what I can see, deals mainly with Stockport men.
My grandfather was in the Dorsetshire Regiment - why he was sent to Stockport is one of things that baffle me, unless it was the severity of the injury.
Thanks for the help
Ray
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Those more expert on here may be able to deny or verify the following
I have been in touch with my now "mature" contact (MOTHER!) from Stockport and asks that the following be considered.
She knows nothing of anything known as the old VAD hospital. However she thought of two possible candidates
1. The old isolation hospital on Cherry Tree Lane (the bit that runs between A6 and Dialstone lane) it would now appear to be Cherry tree Hospital. ( in the 30's it was considered to be the isolation hospital for the town)
2. St Thomas's on Shaw Heath - apparently used as a "convalescent" type of hospital in the past and those in Edgeley knew it Mum says as a main hospital to go to if recovering.
My mother thinks that it was possible that a few old schools were converted to take those convalescing after WW1 ( obviously before her time) from the tales she used to hear but nothing definite about one particular place.
If the above means anything to any of the chatters here - feel free to dive in and dispell or prove the rumour.!
Mair
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I had a look on the RCN archives but could not see anything (searched on VAD + Stockport) although I did see Shaw Heath mentioned generally in the 1914-18 period)
This site gives Brinnington as a Stockport location for neurological cases in WW1:
http://www.1914-1918.net/hospitals_uk.htm
but it does say the list is not complete. The VAD hospitals were presumably additional to the main military ones. but if hospitals with perticular specialisms were dotted around the country, it might explain why a Dorset man ended up in Cheshire.
:) Barbara
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Hi all (from a Stockport lass) ;D
There was also Stockport Infirmary
Here's some info on St Thomas' when it closed. It used to be a workhouse - and I know later it was used for psychiatric patients but what it was in the war I don't know
http://www.rootschat.com/links/03bc/
Milly
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Looks like St Thomas was still a workhouse in 1914-18.
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Stockport/Stockport.shtml
But here's another possibility. There's a ref here to Pendlebury Hall in Stockport being used as a Red Cross Hospital in WW1.
http://www.andybarson.co.uk/Stockport2006.htm
Stockport is/was quite big - there could well be a few other possibilities.
Milly ;D
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Ray,
If you can upload the picture and I will have a look to see if I recognise the background. I have lived in Stockport all my life so you never know.
Regards
Trilobite
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Photo attached although it is an internal view only
Ray
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Hi Ray
I have a book called THE DARK CLOUD Stockport Life in the Great War by David Kelsall which has a section on wounded and the hospitals and a couple of interesting pages about the hospitals and the VAD. For anyone interested in that time in Stockport it is a great read. It's one of the booklet type books from Lancashire Family History Society and looks to be well researched (although as it doesn't give individual sources for the facts and figures you can't really check. But it looks like it might have come from old news reports of the time)
It mentions the wounded being treated at base hospitals well behind the front line and then the worst cases brought back by hospital ship for treatment in Britain.
It says that Stockport - with ultimately 12 hospitals played a major role in the care of the wounded. Patients arrived by hospital train to Stockport and also Manchester stations.
It gives a run-down of what was happening with some photos of some of the buildings - but here are the main bits of info.
Stockport VAD HQ was at Bucknau House on Wyatt Street in Heaton Norris. St John's Ambulance also helped in the running of the VADs and their HQ was at Rechabite Hall, Higher Hillgate, Stockport.
Stockport Infirmary reserved beds within a week of the start of the war and then within a few days received wounded who were cared for by regular nurses and also the VAD. By July 1916 there were 48 beds for the wounded. After the Battle of the Somme, they gave over a new extension wing with 100 beds to the injured...and for the remainder of the war there were between 30 and 50 being cared for at any one time.
But there were also other places converted to care for the wounded.
Within three days of declaration of war Pendlebury Hall, orphanage (Lancashire Hill) was converted into a hospital run by the Red Cross Society's VAD (50 women and 5 men). It had a max of 75 beds and cared for 1811 men during the war.
A second Red Cross hospital was opened in nov 1914 at the Wesleyan School in Heaton Mersey (with 25 -30 beds)
In May 1915 Stepping Hill Hospital had nine wards reserved for the wounded - it's first were vitims of the first gas attacks at 2nd Battle of Ypres.
At end March 1915 - four council schools were converted into Military hospitals... Hollywood Park, St George's, Vernon Park and Alexandra Park. (The children had to go part time to make room). 29th Sep 1915 - the schools received 300 wounded from the Battle of Loos. By Dec 1915 they provided enough beds for 750 patients
End September 1916 and wounded were arriving at North Reddish Council School.
By Sep 1918 Stockport had two shell shock hospitals - both in Brinnington. 300 victims distributed between these and Vernon park Hospital.
Towards the end of the war the Town Hall was being used to house the wounded. Also Cale Green School.
Other hospitals in the area supplied wounded soldier's rest huts... Highfield Hall in Bredbury, Brabyns Hall in Marple Bridge. Plus two in Reddish - in Gorton Road and Station Approach. (There is a pic and it looks rather like a bus shelter)
There appear to have been so many hospitals involved with so many soldiers that it would be hard to pin down the specific one in the photo unfortunately - but perhaps some of the info may give more clues. Do you have a date of when and where he was wounded? Do you have his service records from Kew? If you knew when he was wounded maybe some of the info above would at least give you a picture of where he may possibly have been cared for.
Hope that helps - if you post your chap's name or any details I can have another look for you and see if there is anything else ...
Milly ;D ;D
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Hi Milly
Thanks for the information - my grandfathers service record was one of those destroyed during WW2. I believe he was wounded 1915-16 during one of the engagements around Ypres.
I was wondering if it might be any use in putting the photo on a local (Stockport) family history site as although it might be a long shot someone might recognise one of the staff.
Thanks again
Ray
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By 1916 - it could have been either Stockport Infirmary or Stepping Hill, or Pendlebury Hall, or any of the six schools mentioned (or another place that isn't mentioned ::)) -
Posting a picture is a very long shot (but I like long shots - you never know).
In the original post you said you were trying to find any records... it might be worth posting on the WW1 board to see if anyone there has ever heard of any hospital records being kept, or anything on movement of wounded soldiers.
Other than that maybe the local records office my have some info - now you can ask a more specific question giving names of the hospitals and schools. Or you could try old newspaper reports from the local papers of the time (try Stockport library).....again all very very long shots to try to find mention of a specific name.
Good Luck
Milly ;D
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The booklet sounds like a brilliant read, can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
I had thought that the local Stockport newspapers would be a likely source of information and have intended to look at them but been a bit busy with other things lately and not had much time to spend at the library.
I have shown a copy of the photograph to various people of some senior years without much success. General consensus was The Infirmary or Stepping Hill.
Ray, just a thought, if you wanted to go “public” with this how about contacting The Stockport Express newspaper at www.stockportexpress.co.uk I feel sure they would find it interesting enough to print your photograph and run the story.
Pat.
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Hi Pat
Thanks for the info re Sockport Express - have sent them an email with the photo and will wait for their response.
Regards
Ray
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For those interested, there was a military hospital in Poynton in WW1 on the A523 at a large house called Barlow Fold.
The photo of injured/ soldier looks to me as though in a ward rather than in a large room in a large house.
KimH
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Hi Kim
Welcome to Rootschat ;D ;D
Milly
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there are a few group photos of nursing staff+doctors,in stockport library,i think most of them,are VAD nurses.
mack
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Hello Ray,
Many moons ago (2005!), I put a thread on regarding recuperating soldiers at my Gt Grandmothers home on Wellington Road, Stockport. Onr of the hospitals mentioned was Lilly Lane, and also St Georges Military Hospital.
These are all well documented at Stockport Library, History section.
I have a list of the soldiers and nurses based at my Gt Grandmother's if it's of any use to you.
Obadiah.
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Hi Obadiah
The person I'm trying to place is my grandfather Thomas Frederick Larkham of the Dorsetshire Regiment - He was injured at Ypres
Thanks
Ray
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Hello Ray,
So sorry, cannot find any in my book from Dorsetshire Regiment. The nearest is Royal Sussex Regt.
Good luck with your research.
Obadiah.
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If You could email the photo to Stockport Library. They might be able to check it against other Hospital photos, and put a name to it.
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I have a postcard of Alexandra Park School used as a hospital and the postmark is November 1916.
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Picture too small so I will try again
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Just an extra thing - cherry tree hospital was definitely used - my aunt was sent there as a child in isolation when she had scarlet fever.
regards
Maria
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Sorry to join this thread so late... like ten years too late... but I actually know where that photograph was taken and by whom!
It is at 2nd Western General Hospital, Stockport St George. It was taken by Harry Clarke in approx December 1917. I know this information because I have the original magic lantern slide.
In addition I'm currently researching the history of the Military Hospital based at St George's School.
I can now even name the nurses - the Sister in Charge is Sister Annie Mary Flynn from the TFNS.
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Hi Peter
Thanks for posting that info - How interesting. And incredible you have the original
Milly