Lost_Hospitals_of

On 14th October 1914 the Kent/130 Voluntary Aid Detachment (V.A.D.) was mobilised and immediately set to work to convert Gardenhurst, a large house which had been empty for eight years, lent by Mrs Arthur Barrett, into an auxiliary military hospital. The equipment and funds for it were supplied by the local residents.

The Gardenhurst V.A.D. Hospital opened in October 1914, affiliated to the Ontario Military Hospital in Orpington. It had 27 beds for sick and wounded servicemen, but the bed complement was soon increased to 44, and an operating theatre and an X-ray apparatus were installed.

A Pierrot Troupe formed of five nurses and five patients was so successful that £250 was raised for local charities and for St Dunstan's Hostel for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors.

The Hospital closed on 28th February 1919. Some 1,084 patients had received treatment during the operational lifetime of the Hospital.

Present status (November 2011)

Today the apartment blocks of Balmoral Gardens occupy the site.

LOST HOSPITALS OF LONDON
	Gardenhurst V.A.D. Hospital Gardenhurst, Parkhill Road, Bexley, Kent DA5 1HR

	Medical dates: Medical character:	1914 - 1919 Convalescent (military)
	On 14th October 1914 the Kent/130 Voluntary Aid Detachment (V.A.D.) was mobilised and immediately set to work to convert Gardenhurst, a large house which had been empty for eight years, lent by Mrs Arthur Barrett, into an auxiliary military hospital. The equipment and funds for it were supplied by the local residents. The Gardenhurst V.A.D. Hospital opened in October 1914, affiliated to the Ontario Military Hospital in Orpington. It had 27 beds for sick and wounded servicemen, but the bed complement was soon increased to 44, and an operating theatre and an X-ray apparatus were installed. A Pierrot Troupe formed of five nurses and five patients was so successful that £250 was raised for local charities and for St Dunstan's Hostel for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors. The Hospital closed on 28th February 1919. Some 1,084 patients had received treatment during the operational lifetime of the Hospital. Present status (November 2011) Today the apartment blocks of Balmoral Gardens occupy the site.
	Balmoral Gardens.
	References (Author unstated) 1917 List of the various hospitals treating military cases in the United Kingdom. London, H.M.S.O. (Author unstated) 1920 Kent Voluntary Aid Detachments. Report of Hospitals and Detachments 1914-1919. Bromley, self-published. Creswick P, Pond GS and Ashton PH 1915 Kent's Care for the Wounded. London, Hodder & Stoughton. http://archives.bexley.gov.uk www.kentvad.org
Return to alphabetical list Return to home page