The First World War The First World War saw huge numbers of casualties brought back to Kent in age when there were no antibiotics and infectious diseases were still widespread. The effects of the trenches and new types of warfare meant hospitals had to deal with an ever growing number of previous unseen injuries in hospitals. Many soldiers had gangrene and trench foot which often meant amputation, there was the effects of gas attacks, trench fever caused by infected lice and of course traumatic injuries caused by bullets and exploding shells. The constant bombardment and horrendous conditions also led to shell shock – a poorly understood condition for which most military commanders had little patience. Casualties that were seen in the First Aid stations on the front and Field Hospitals were transferred back to the UK to Military Hospitals. In Kent Fort Pitt in Chatham and Shorncliffe near Folkestone were examples. These became reserved for the most severely injured and others were then moved to hospitals in towns and then to Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospitals in almost every town and village in Kent. At the end of September the Tunbridge Wells General Hospital received its first batch of casualties who arrived in a fleet of private cars from Chatham. There was a huge welcome in Tunbridge Wells as crowds of people lined the streets. Maidstone soon followed with patients arriving by train and moved to the West Kent Hospital. One of the other effects of the war was that costs increased especially in ingredients and drugs many of which came from Germany and were in short supply or at greatly increased costs. It wasn’t just British Troops – Belgium had been invaded and huge numbers of refugees and wounded soldiers poured into Kent through the Channel Ports. At The Tunbridge Wells General Hospital a whole ward was decked in Belgian Flags and created to care for Belgian wounded and some Belgian Civilians evacuated from hospitals there. Pressure on hospitals was growing and on October 13th 1914 the order was given to mobilise the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD). These volunteers had been training since before the war and now were keen to play their part. By the end of the war the VAD hospitals in Kent had taken in over 125,000 patients some 30,000 more than any other county with over 4,000 beds available. In Tunbridge Wells the Pembury VAD who had been trained on the wards of the Workhouse Infirmary at Pembury initially set up at Paddock Wood before moving to Pembury Village with 26 beds. By the end of the War they had treated 478 patients. The Red Cross flag from the hospital was taken down when it closed in December 1919 and is in the Pembury Old Church. Other VAD detachments set up hospitals at Bidborough Court with 50 beds, Neville Park 70 beds including marquees. Southborough saw over 1,000 patients, Rusthall where Canadian Forestry Corps men built open air wards for 250 beds saw 3,600 patients by the time it closed in 1919. At Kingswood in Tunbridge wells and its annexes at Blackhurst and Macquarie saw over 2,300 patients by the end of the war. As the old Empire Countries became involved Kent treated troops from many countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In Maidstone the Red Cross took over Preston Hall in Aylesford and VAD hospitals were opened at Hayle Place leant by Earl Romney and saw over 2230 patient by 1919 including a large amount of Belgian Soldiers. Howard de Walden VAD Hospital had 50 beds mainly for surgical patients as it had its own theatre. Others included Lenham, West Malling, Goudhurst, Hawkhurst, Hollingbourne and Teston. At Tunbridge Wells General Hospital Matron Ada Smith was in charge. She worked long hours helping with the VAD hospitals and her own hospital often walking the wards at night to make sure anyone dying was not alone and those who could not sleep were comforted. At the end of the war she was awarded the Royal Red Cross in Silver by The King. Several others including Grace Cox Matron of the Hayle VAD hospital who later become Matron at the Ophthalmic Hospital in Maidstone received honours after the war. At Tunbridge Wells The King and Queen Mary sent Pheasants and Hares from the Sandringham Estate to help feed the troops in hospital there. Perhaps the biggest single tragedy of the war for Tunbridge Wells was the HMS Hythe Disaster in October 1915. Sir David Salomons had raised a regiment – his son being a captain and their ship was sunk in Gallipoli after it was struck by another ship.129 men from Kent died. Sir David paid for a new X ray room at the General Hospital in Tunbridge Wells in memory of his son. By the end of the war there were serious financial pressures on the main hospitals and they were in debt for the first time. The end of the war would see no let up in the challenges as the Spanish Flu Pandemic swept the country filing hospitals again. This virulent strain of flu affected young fit people more than ever – some who survived the war would loose their lives to the flu. John Weeks [email protected] Southborough VAD Hayle place VAD Hospital in Maidstone – Wounded Belgians Wounded Australians at Southborough VAD Maidstone VAD – new ambulance presented 1914 Wounded Belgians at Hayle place VAD Hospital Maidstone – 1914 Fund Raising VAD stamp Wounded Soldiers outside the Tunbridge Wells General Hospital Matron Ada Smith in the converted Outpatients Hall made into a temporary Ward – Tunbridge Wells General Hospital Soldiers camp out on Tunbridge wells Common 1914 Southborough VAD Hospital Southborough VAD Hospital Theatres Tunbridge Wells General Hospital Christmas at Bredbury VAD Hospital Tunbridge Wells Open Air Wards built by Canadian Foresters at Kingwood VAD Hospital Tunbridge Wells Tunbridge Wells General Hospital – Soldiers Ward Kingswood VAD Nurses and Doctors Tunbridge Wells
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