List of RAF hospitals

Last updated

British Forces in Aden: Steamer Poin. The RAF hospital is in the background British Forces in Aden HQ, Barrack Hill, Steamer Point, Aden (RAF Hospital).png
British Forces in Aden: Steamer Poin. The RAF hospital is in the background

Royal Air Force hospitals were dedicated medical care facilities at strategic locations to cater for RAF personnel. The hospitals were staffed by the medical branches of the Royal Air Force, and would serve as a higher tier of medical facility above the normal station sick quarters, or later, station medical centre. The RAF had many hospitals within the United Kingdom, and additionally had several hospitals abroad.

Contents

The Second World War caused an expansion of facilities and locations, however the end of that conflict, and the withdrawal by the RAF from the Middle and Far East, accelerated closures.

History

Matlock - Rockside Hall, used as a neuro-psychiatric hospital Matlock - Rockside Hall from top of Bank Road.jpg
Matlock - Rockside Hall, used as a neuro-psychiatric hospital

The first hospital for aviation personnel in the British military was at Hampstead in London. This facility opened in 1917 and was open to those from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. [1] Staffing at RAF Hospitals was based on the number of beds and the work that was undertaken at that facility. Some of the larger bases could have a roll of between 4,000 and 10,000 people to cater for. Halton, Cranwell, Matlock, Ely, and Torquay were considered separate entities from any RAF bases. Halton and Cranwell had 20 and 12 medical officers respectively, whereas the large training bases at Cosford and St Athan only had eight each. [2] The original RAF Officers Hospital was opened at Finchley in 1919, moved to Uxbridge in 1925, and then to Torquay in 1940. A third move was precipitated in October 1942 when the hospital at Torquay was bombed incurring 19 fatalities. [3] Most of the hospitals were built in the 1930s or 1940s, to cater either for the RAF Expansion Period, or due to the outbreak of the Second World War. [4]

The hospitals were spread out across Great Britain, and at strategic points throughout the world. One oddity was Lancashire, which had five RAF Hospitals within its borders (RAF Hospital Cleveleys, RAF Hospital Kirkham, RAF Hospital Morecambe, RAF Hospital Padgate, and RAF Hospital Weeton), which were deemed to be far enough away from enemy action in the Second World War to be relatively safe from bombing. [5] By the second half of the 1980s, the RAF had five service hospitals (three in the UK, and two abroad, Ely, Halton, Wroughton, and Akrotiri and Wegberg respectively). The average that each hospital had in terms of complement of staff was broken down as 22% officers, 54% other ranks, and 24% civilian employees. [6]

By 1996, all RAF hospitals in the UK and abroad had closed apart from the one at RAF Akrotiri, but by that time, the hospital had been changed into a joint asset, rather than strictly just RAF. All three forces in the UK concentrated their medical services at bases and in Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHU), which meant that military medical staff were embedded in public hospitals. [7]

Hospitals in the United Kingdom

List of Royal Air Force Hospitals in the United Kingdom
LocationCoordinatesOpenBeds [lower-alpha 1] DetailsRef
Bridgnorth, England 52°32′02″N2°22′48″W / 52.534°N 2.380°W / 52.534; -2.380 1939 – 1946(?)140 (1940)Situated at RAF Bridgnorth, and looked after basic recruits and the local population. [8]
Church Village, Wales 51°34′19″N3°18′58″W / 51.572°N 3.316°W / 51.572; -3.316 September 1942 – April 1946290 (1943)The hospital was located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Pontypridd to avoid the areas being bombed in South Wales. [9]
Cleveleys, England 53°52′26″N3°02′49″W / 53.874°N 3.047°W / 53.874; -3.047 March 1943 – October 1945200 (1942)Known as the RAF Officers' Hospital, it took on the role of the officers' convalescent hospital after RAF Hospital Torquay was bombed in October 1942. [10] [11]
Cosford, England 52°39′04″N2°17′20″W / 52.651°N 2.289°W / 52.651; -2.289 1939 – December 1977500 (1940)(Motto: Via ad salutem – Latin : The road to health) [12] [13] [14]
Cranwell, England 53°02′07″N0°29′49″W / 53.0354°N 0.497°W / 53.0354; -0.497 April 1918 – June 1940355 (1939)Replaced as a hospital by RAF Hospital Rauceby. Cranwell was reduced to a station sick quarters. [15] [16] [17]
Ely, England 52°24′47″N0°16′30″E / 52.413°N 0.275°E / 52.413; 0.275 1939 – 1992185 (1985)The Princess of Wales Hospital [note 1] [19]
Evesham, England 52°05′06″N1°56′49″W / 52.085°N 1.947°W / 52.085; -1.947 August 1941 – March 1946378 (1940)As the hospital was not on a main RAF camp, it was used to treat cases of VD in the RAF. When treatment was complete, service personnel (both RAF and WAAF) could then be posted to a 'fresh' unit, rather than back to the one they arrived from. However, the stigma of the hospital treating such cases caused some local concern in the short-term. To combat this, non-VD patients were wheeled around the hospital environs and in the town to promote the notion that the hospital was actually there to treat injured service personnel. [20] [21] [22]
Finchley, England 51°35′46″N0°11′42″W / 51.596°N 0.195°W / 51.596; -0.195 May 1919 – June 1925Initially called the RAF Central Hospital, it was formed at Hampstead in 1917, it soon moved to Finchley. It was one of the three post-war RAF Hospitals along with Halton and Cranwell, but was the smallest and first to close. In June 1925, the hospital was moved to RAF Uxbridge, becoming the officer's Hospital. [23] [24]
Halton, England 51°46′08″N0°43′37″W / 51.769°N 0.727°W / 51.769; -0.727 31 October 1927 – 31 March 1996180 (1972)The first purpose built RAF Hospital in the Air Force's history. On opening, it had 204 beds and the hospital building formed three sides of a quadrangle, the fourth side being the nurses accommodation. (Motto: Vigilance) [25] [19] [26]
Haverfordwest, Wales 51°49′52″N4°57′47″W / 51.831°N 4.963°W / 51.831; -4.963 February 1945 – April 1946Short-lived hospital. The RAF personnel in the area numbered between 5,000 and 6,000 (across RAF Haverfordwest, RAF Pembroke Dock and RAF St Davids), and medical services were undertaken at Haverfordwest under the aegis of Coastal Command (most other RAF hospitals being under Technical Training Command). Was raised to hospital status in 1945. [27]
Henlow, England 52°00′54″N0°18′11″W / 52.015°N 0.303°W / 52.015; -0.303 1939 – 1948200 (1939) [28] [29]
Hereford, England 52°05′06″N2°47′42″W / 52.085°N 2.795°W / 52.085; -2.795 June 1940 – November 1947192 (1942)Cared for the service personnel at Hereford, Ludlow, Madley, Newland and Shobdon. [30] [29]
Innsworth, England 51°53′35″N2°11′49″W / 51.893°N 2.197°W / 51.893; -2.197 June 1940 – September 1948117 (1940) [31]
Kirkham, England 53°46′30″N2°52′23″W / 53.775°N 2.873°W / 53.775; -2.873 June 1940 – June 1948270 (1940) [5]
Lochnaw, Scotland 54°55′23″N5°07′34″W / 54.923°N 5.126°W / 54.923; -5.126 June 1942 – October 1945Originally opened to cater for the remoter stations in south-west Scotland which were less able to reach civilian hospitals. The RAF Hospital was moved in the first year into Nissen huts built in the castle grounds. These had been provided for, and built by American forces which were then diverted elsewhere. However, the particular design of hut was at serious risk of fire, of which several did occur before the hospital could accept patients. [32] [33]
Locking, England 51°20′17″N2°54′14″W / 51.338°N 2.904°W / 51.338; -2.904 1939 – 1949Based at RAF Locking, at its peak, the hospital on the training base had to provide medical needs to 7,000 personnel. In 1944, it treated many of the casualties arising from Operation Overlord (D-Day). After 1949, the hospital was downgraded to a normal station sick quarters (SSQ). [34]
Matlock, England 53°08′38″N1°32′56″W / 53.144°N 1.549°W / 53.144; -1.549 October 1939 – May 1945Based in Rockside Hydro in Matlock, the facility was used between October 1918 and April 1919 for personnel returning from the First World War. During the Second World War, it was used as a neurological hospital. [35] [36]
Melksham, England 51°21′07″N2°07′37″W / 51.352°N 2.127°W / 51.352; -2.127 July 1940 – 1946218 (1943) [37]
Morecambe, England 54°04′19″N2°52′30″W / 54.072°N 2.875°W / 54.072; -2.875 February 1940 – April 1944RAF station hospital. Several hotels and large buildings were requisitioned in the Second World War for basic training, driver training, and engine and airframe fitters. [38] [39]
Nocton Hall, England 53°09′54″N0°24′47″W / 53.165°N 0.413°W / 53.165; -0.413 1940 – 1983740 (?)Was used by the USAF post 1983, including during the First Gulf War, when it provided an overspill capability for wounded personnel. During the period under American control, the beds numbered 1,500. (Motto: Sicut qui ministrant – Latin : (We are) as they who serve) [40] [41] [42]
Northallerton, England 54°20′35″N1°25′48″W / 54.343°N 1.430°W / 54.343; -1.430 1940 – 1947450 (1944)Operated by the RAF, but catered mostly for patients from the Royal Canadian Air Force (No. 6 Group RAF), whose bases were nearby. [43] [44]
Padgate, England 53°24′32″N2°33′32″W / 53.409°N 2.559°W / 53.409; -2.559 May 1939 – 1957110 (1941)Originally opened at the recruit centre of RAF Padgate to deal with recruits, it later dealt with suspected smallpox cases among troops disembarking ships at Liverpool docks. [45] [46]
Rauceby, England 52°58′59″N0°27′00″W / 52.983°N 0.450°W / 52.983; -0.450 June 1940 – January 1945250 (1940)Took over from RAF Cranwell Hospital in 1940. [47]
St Athan, Wales 51°24′29″N3°26′49″W / 51.408°N 3.447°W / 51.408; -3.447 1940 – 1961The hospital was too close to the docks at Cardiff and was bombed several times, with one instance in 1940 requiring patients to be moved to civilian hospitals until repairs could be made [48] [29]
Torquay, England 50°28′19″N3°30′18″W / 50.472°N 3.505°W / 50.472; -3.505 October 1939 – October 1942243 (1940)Used as a convalescent hospital. Was bombed in October 1942 with 19 deaths and multiple injuries. [12]
Uxbridge, England 51°32′42″N0°28′16″W / 51.545°N 0.471°W / 51.545; -0.471 June 1925 – 1972This hospital opened in 1925 when the hospital at Finchley was closed down. After the officers hospital was moved in 1940, it became a WAAF hospital, then a station hospital until closure. (Motto: Count nothing human indifferent) [49] [50] [51]
Weeton, England 53°49′12″N2°56′06″W / 53.820°N 2.935°W / 53.820; -2.935 May 1940 – December 1959198 (1940)The hospital survived past the end of the Second World War, with a commanding officer being appointed for the last time in June 1959. [52] [53]
West Kirkby, England 53°22′19″N3°10′55″W / 53.372°N 3.182°W / 53.372; -3.182 1940 – 1957 [29]
Wilmslow, England 53°20′10″N2°12′11″W / 53.336°N 2.203°W / 53.336; -2.203 July 1940 – December 1958 [29]
Wroughton, England 51°30′43″N1°46′01″W / 51.512°N 1.767°W / 51.512; -1.767 1941 – 1996280 (1985)In 1982, all aeromedical evacuations from the Falklands Conflict were assessed at Wroughton, being the nearest military hospital to RAF Lyneham (the disembarkation point). (Motto: Salubritas per industriam – Latin : Health through work) [29] [54] [55] [56] [19]
Yatesbury, England 51°26′10″N1°55′23″W / 51.436°N 1.923°W / 51.436; -1.923 February 1949 – December 1947232 (1940) [57] [29]
  1. ↑ Peak capacity if known

    Hospitals outside the United Kingdom

    List of Royal Air Force Hospitals outside of the United Kingdom
    Location [lower-alpha 1] Name [lower-alpha 2] CoordinatesOpenBeds [lower-alpha 3] DetailsMottoRef
    Cairo, EgyptRAF No. 5 Hospital Middle East 30°03′46″N31°16′26″E / 30.0629°N 31.274°E / 30.0629; 31.274 March 1943 – March 1947Formed at Cairo in March 1942, and moved to Abassia in January 1943.Alatos Recreamus – Latin : We restore to health the wing borne men [58] [59] [60] [61]
    Aden, YemenRAF Khormaksar Hospital Beach 12°49′52″N45°01′44″E / 12.831°N 45.029°E / 12.831; 45.029 1959 – 1967163 (1959)Smaller hospital in the Aden Protectorate adjacent to RAF Khormaksar.Health is a crown on the heads of the fit that is seen by none but the sick [note 2] [62] [63] [64]
    Aden, YemenRAF Steamer Point 12°47′06″N44°58′52″E / 12.785°N 44.981°E / 12.785; 44.981 1928 – 1967180 (1955)Hospital was taken over by the RAF in 1928, and was used by all service personnel in the Aden Protectorate and their families. Merchant seaman also used the facilities.Cuilibet adjumenta salutus [65] [66] [67] [68]
    Akrotiri, Cyprus The Princess Mary's Hospital 34°34′11″N32°56′14″E / 34.5696°N 32.9373°E / 34.5696; 32.9373 1963 – 1996170 (1972)Opened in 1963, the unit was turned into a military hospital in 1996, after all the RAF Hospitals closed. It continued as Joint military hospital until 2013.Strive to heal [69] [70] [71]
    Brussels, BelgiumRAF No. 8 General Hospital 50°49′59″N4°20′56″E / 50.833°N 4.349°E / 50.833; 4.349 September 1944 – 1945Was originally created at Ashton Down in England, and then moved to Bayeaux, Normandy after D-Day, before becoming permanent at Brussels. [72] [73]
    Changi, Singapore 1°22′34″N103°58′59″E / 1.376°N 103.983°E / 1.376; 103.983 1947 – 1973RAF Hospital which opened post-war near to RAF Changi airfield.Wings of mercy [74] [75]
    Habbaniya, IraqNo. 6 RAF Hospital 33°22′55″N43°34′23″E / 33.382°N 43.573°E / 33.382; 43.573 December 1937 – 1956500 (1937)Was deemed to be an RAF General Hospital (RAFGH), but was downgraded to a station hospital in 1956. [75]
    Hinaidi, Iraq 33°17′13″N44°28′30″E / 33.287°N 44.475°E / 33.287; 44.475 ? – 1936A report from 1930/1931, stated that temperatures in the shade at Hinaidi were 49 °C (120 °F), which proved problematic in keeping patients cool. Hospital was moved to RAF Habbaniya in December 1937. [76]
    Lagens, Azores 38°45′47″N27°05′20″W / 38.763°N 27.089°W / 38.763; -27.089 September 1943 – October 1946150 (1943) [77]
    Maison Carrée, AlgeriaNo. 2 RAF General Hospital 36°43′16″N3°08′13″E / 36.721°N 3.137°E / 36.721; 3.137 September 1943 – August 1946200 [78] [79]
    Reykjavik, IcelandRAF No. 11 General Hospital 64°07′19″N21°55′41″W / 64.122°N 21.928°W / 64.122; -21.928 March 1942 – 1946200 (1942)Taken over from the Army in 1942; was administered by Coastal Command. [80] [81] [82]
    Rostrup, Germany 53°12′36″N7°59′13″E / 53.210°N 7.987°E / 53.210; 7.987 1952 – 1953The hospital was a temporary one, being replaced by RAFH Webgerg. The design of Rostrup was considered poor by the Air Commodore of the Construction Branch of the RAF, and he redesigned the plans, which were put into effect for Wegberg. [83]
    Takoradi, Gold Coast [note 3] 4°53′42″N1°46′26″W / 4.895°N 1.774°W / 4.895; -1.774 January 1942 – November 1947170 [84] [85]
    Wegberg, Germany, 51°09′26.21″N6°18′19.81″E / 51.1572806°N 6.3055028°E / 51.1572806; 6.3055028 November 1953 – April 1996220 (1972)The hospital was built to replace one at Rostrup. Wegberg was known as the 100-day hospital due to the amount of time it took to construct (which was actually 111 days).Inter era sales – Latin : In [the] midst of ferocity, healing [86] [83] [19]
    1. ↑ Modern day location; some non-UK locations may have been in different sovereign states
    2. ↑ Some hospitals did not have names
    3. ↑ Peak capacity

      See also

      Notes

      1. ↑ Was known as RAF Hospital Ely between 1939 and 1987. It was renamed in 1987. [18]
      2. ↑ Original motto was in Arabic.
      3. ↑ The Gold Coast is now known as Ghana.

      Related Research Articles

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Halton</span> Royal Air Force training base in Buckinghamshire, England

      Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Support Command</span> Defunct command element of the Royal Air Force

      Support Command was a command of the Royal Air Force between 1973 and 1994. The headquarters was located at RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 34 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

      No. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron and in the 1930s operated light bombers. It was re-equipped with fighter-bombers in the later half of the Second World War and in the post-war period was reformed four times; first as a photo-reconnaissance unit, then anti-aircraft co-operation, then as a jet fighter squadron through the 1950s. It was last active in the 1960s, as a Blackburn Beverley transport squadron.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service</span> Military unit

      Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Habbaniya</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Iraq (1936–1959)

      Royal Air Force Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, , was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about 55 miles (89 km) west of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah. It was developed from 1934, and was operational from October 1936 until 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the July 1958 Revolution made the British military presence no longer welcome. It was the scene of fierce fighting in May 1941 when it was besieged by the Iraqi Military following the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Bridgnorth</span> Former Royal Air Force base in Shropshire, England

      Royal Air Force Bridgnorth or more simply RAF Bridgnorth is a former Royal Air Force station, created after the outbreak of the Second World War on 6 November 1939, at Stanmore, to the east of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. However, as RAF Stanmore Park already existed in Middlesex, it was named RAF Bridgnorth. Although during its existence various static aeroplanes were displayed as gate guardians, RAF Bridgnorth never had a runway.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 256 Squadron RAF</span> Former flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

      No. 256 Squadron RAF was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force which operated during the First and Second World Wars. Initially equipped with Dh6 and Kangaroo aircraft, it operated Defiant Mk IIs, Beaufighters, and Mosquitoes in the Second World War.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Evans (RAF officer)</span> RAF officer and doctor

      Air Marshal Christopher Paul Anthony Evans, is a former senior Royal Air Force officer and medical doctor. He served as Surgeon General of the British Armed Forces from 2012 to 2015.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Division (Royal Navy)</span>

      The Air Division originally known as the Air Section and later known as the Naval Air Division was first established in 1924 and it was a Directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff, that was initially responsible for operational control of aircraft supplied to the Royal Navy by the Air Ministry. In 1939 it was gained full control for the all matters relating to administration, control, policy and organisation of the Fleet Air Arm, it underwent various name changes until it was absorbed as part of the merger of the Admiralty into the new Ministry of Defence in April 1964 as part of the Navy Department where it continued until May 1966 when its remit was changed and when became the Directorate of Naval Warfare.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 5131 (BD) Squadron RAF</span> Former bomb disposal squadron of the Royal Air Force

      No. 5131 (BD) Squadron was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squadron of the Royal Air Force. First formed in 1943, 5131 Bomb Disposal Squadron was the Royal Air Force’s explosive ordnance disposal capability for 77 years. Its technicians were trained to deal with conventional munitions, chemical munitions and improvised explosive devices. The Squadron also responded to aircraft crashes; clearing the area of explosive risks and making any ordnance, aircraft assisted escape systems and flare countermeasures safe. During the 77-year operational history of the squadron, it saw action in World War II, the Suez conflict, the Indonesian conflict, the Cyprus invasion, the Falkland Islands war, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland as well as Military Assistance to Police taskings in the UK.

      Royal Air Force Harrogate or RAF Harrogate, sometimes known as Ministry of Defence (MoD) Harrogate, was the name for two distinct Royal Air Force establishments within the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The main site was at St George's in the south-west of the town and was home to a medical training establishment (MTE), supply branch and Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) training centre. The site was demolished in 1994. The term RAF Harrogate was also applied to the requisition of several hotels in Harrogate town centre which acted as a No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre during World War II. This should not be confused with RAF Menwith Hill, a current RAF base near Harrogate.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force</span> Insignia of certain groups and branches within the Royal Air Force

      Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force are the insignia of certain commands, squadrons, units, wings, groups, branches and stations within the Royal Air Force. They are also commonly known as crests, especially by serving members of the Royal Air Force, but officially they are badges. Each badge must be approved by the reigning monarch of the time, and as such will either have a King's or Queen's Crown upon the top of the badge, dependent upon which monarch granted approval and the disbandment date of the unit. The approval process involves a member of the College of Arms who acts as an advisory on all matters pertaining to the design and suitability of the insignia and motto.

      The Princess Mary's Hospital, RAF Akrotiri,, was a military hospital located on the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus. The hospital was the last British military hospital to remain in operation after all other hospitals had closed down in the 1990s and 2000s. Originally the site was a dedicated RAF Hospital, but since 1996 it had been a Defence Medical Services asset. The hospital provided care for service personnel, their dependants and the local Cypriot population. It also treated many others from non-British and non-Cypriot countries. The setting of the hospital gave rise to the nickname Alcatraz, and it was staffed by personnel from the Royal Air Force and the British Army.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hospital Cosford</span> Former RAF Hospital in, Shropshire, England

      RAF Hospital Cosford was a Royal Air Force staffed military hospital at RAF Cosford, Shropshire, England. The hospital opened in 1940, and was one of a handful of Second World War era RAF hospitals that were kept open post Second World War, remaining a military asset until 1977, although it also treated non-service patients. It was known for its personnel reception centre, which dealt with returning prisoners of war in 1945.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hospital Ely</span> Former Royal Air Force hospital in Cambridgeshire, England

      RAF Hospital Ely, was a Royal Air Force staffed military hospital in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The hospital opened in 1940, and was one of a handful of Second World War era RAF hospitals that were kept open post Second World War, remaining a military asset until 1992, although it also treated non-service patients, usually those who lived locally. On closure, the hospital became a civilian hospital under the NHS. Although not located on an established RAF Base, RAFH Ely was located within 50 miles (80 km) of forty RAF bases in the Second World War.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hospital Northallerton</span> Former RAF Hospital in North Yorkshire, England

      RAF Hospital Northallerton, was a Second World War era military hospital, in Northallerton, Yorkshire, England. The Friarage Hospital now stands where the former hospital once stood.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hospital Torquay</span> Former military hospital in Torquay, England

      The RAF Hospital Torquay, was a medical facility run by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Torquay suburb of Babbacombe, Devon, England, during the Second World War. The RAF requisitioned the Palace Hotel, and set about converting it into a hospital, which opened in 1939. The hospital was subjected to at least two bombing raids in October 1942 and January 1943. The first raid resulted in at least 21 deaths, with the function of the hospital ceasing immediately and all work being transferred to other RAF Hospitals. It was never used as a hospital again, and after the war, was returned to civilian use.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton</span> Former RAF hospital in Buckinghamshire, England

      The Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton, was the first Royal Air Force hospital to be built that was dedicated to air force personnel. Located on what was then the largest of the RAF camps at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, England, the hospital treated over 20,000 patients during the Second World War and was the first place in the world to use penicillin on a large-scale. The hospital continued in use throughout the Cold War, only closing in 1996 due to defence cuts.

      Iris "Fluffy" Bower was a British nurse who served in the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service during Second World War. She was one of only two women in Normandy during the first few days of the D-Day campaign, and attended patients at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. Prior to D-Day, she had been in two different RAF hospitals which had suffered from bombing raids.

      Royal Air Force Norton, was a non-flying RAF station on the southern edge of Sheffield in Yorkshire, England. The base had two distinct stages in its RAF career, being known as RAF Lightwood between 1939 and 1943, and later RAF Norton between 1943 and 1965. On opening it was part of Balloon Command designated to protect the city of Sheffield, and in its second iteration, the base was part of Signals Command and an aircrew refresher school was also based there.

      References

      1. ↑ Hopson, J. A. (5 October 1968). "R.A.F. Medicine: The First 50 Years". British Medical Journal. 4 (5, 622). London: British Medical Association: 49. doi:10.1136/bmj.4.5622.48. ISSN   0959-8146. OCLC   183305543. PMC   1912063 . PMID   4877880.
      2. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 33.
      3. ↑ Mackie 2001, p. 125.
      4. ↑ TRAFBFW 1997, p. 64.
      5. 1 2 Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 218.
      6. ↑ Downey 1987, pp. 10, 18.
      7. ↑ "Evacuation/Hospital Treatment". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2022. Column 306W - In the last five years, Service personnel requiring hospital treatment in the UK, including those suffering from injuries sustained in theatre, have been treated at the following six MOD Hospital Units (MDHU)
      8. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, pp. 37, 187–188.
      9. ↑ "RAF General Hospital, Church Village, Pontypridd (UK); formed September 1942, disbanded..." discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
      10. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 191.
      11. ↑ "RAF Officers Hospital, Cleveleys, Blackpool (UK); formed May 1943, disbanded October 1945". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
      12. 1 2 Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 37.
      13. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 250.
      14. ↑ "RAF Cosford Hospital Key Tag". collections.rafmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
      15. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 198.
      16. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 199.
      17. ↑ "Lincolnshire HER". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
      18. ↑ "Princess of Wales Hospital, Ely". www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
      19. 1 2 3 4 Downey 1987, p. 19.
      20. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, pp. 203, 205, 206.
      21. ↑ "RAF Hospital Evesham; formed August 1941, disbanded December 1945". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
      22. ↑ Crang, Jeremy A. (2020). Sisters in arms : women in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 134. ISBN   978-1107013476.
      23. ↑ "RAF Central Hospital, formed at Hampstead in 1918 and moved to Finchley May 1919; became..." discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
      24. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 48–49.
      25. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 252.
      26. ↑ Gordon Fenwick, Ethel, ed. (November 1927). "The Royal Air Force Hospital Halton". The British Journal of Nursing. 75. London: 273–274. OCLC   1157714856.
      27. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, pp. 212–213.
      28. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 213.
      29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mackie 2001, p. 366.
      30. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 215.
      31. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 216.
      32. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 220.
      33. ↑ "RAF General Hospital Lochnaw, Stranraer (UK); formed July 1942, disbanded October 1945". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
      34. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, pp. 222–223.
      35. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 364, 366.
      36. ↑ "RAF Hospital Matlock (UK); formed September 1939, disbanded April 1945". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
      37. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 227.
      38. ↑ "RAF Morecambe [concept] · IBCC Digital Archive". ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
      39. ↑ Jordan, Trevor (2020). Morecambe Wings. Create Space. p. 2. ISBN   978-1482527315.
      40. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 214.
      41. ↑ "Genuki: Nocton, Lincolnshire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
      42. ↑ "TREATING THE WOUNDED". Los Angeles Times. 4 February 1991. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
      43. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 230.
      44. ↑ Riordan, Michael (2006). The Friarage Story (2 ed.). Northallerton: Friends of The Friarage Hospital. p. 23. OCLC   258043247.
      45. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 233.
      46. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 94, 366.
      47. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 234.
      48. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 107–108.
      49. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 40.
      50. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 364–366.
      51. ↑ Philpott 2005, p. 218.
      52. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 243.
      53. ↑ "Appointments In The Forces". The Times. No. 54523. 27 July 1959. p. 8. ISSN   0140-0460.
      54. ↑ "Princess Alexandria's Hospital, Wroughton | RAF Heraldry Trust". rafht.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
      55. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 202.
      56. ↑ Marsh, A R (1 November 1983). "A Short but Distant War - the Falklands Campaign". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 76 (11): 981. doi: 10.1177/014107688307601119 . PMC   1439657 . PMID   6138433.
      57. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 263.
      58. ↑ "RAF Hospital Middle East | RAF Heraldry Trust". rafht.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
      59. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 8.
      60. ↑ "ROYAL AIR FORCE MEDICAL SERVICES, 1939-1945". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
      61. ↑ "RAF Hospital Egypt, formed Cairo in March 1942 and moved to Abbassia in January 1943;..." discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
      62. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 96.
      63. ↑ Mackie 2001, p. 260.
      64. ↑ Saeed Fareh Mohammed 2016, p. 111.
      65. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 110.
      66. ↑ Saeed Fareh Mohammed 2016, p. 110.
      67. ↑ Lee, David (1998). "The Unified Command in Aden". Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal (18). Royal Air Force Historical Society: 34. ISSN   1361-4231.
      68. ↑ Williams, Simon, ed. (27 November 2020). "This week in history". RAF News. No. 1504. p. 3. ISSN   0035-8614.
      69. ↑ "New Royal Air Force Hospital in Cyprus". The Lancet. 282 (7317): 1110–1111. November 1963. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(63)92875-7.
      70. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 223.
      71. ↑ Vassallo, David (2017). A history of the Princess Mary Hospital; Royal Air Force Akrotiri 1963-2013. Vassallo. pp. 20–21. ISBN   9780992798017.
      72. ↑ "No 8 RAF General Hospital (located at Ashton Down until July 1944 the "Bayeaux and..." discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
      73. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1954, p. 161.
      74. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 265.
      75. 1 2 Mackie 2001, p. 369.
      76. ↑ Morton, T. C. St. C. (June 1932). "The Ætiology and Treatment of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Hyperpyrexia, with Special Reference to Experiences in Iraq". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 25 (8): 1261–1271. doi: 10.1177/003591573202500843 .
      77. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 132–133.
      78. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1958, p. 174.
      79. ↑ "RAF General Hospital; formed Maison Carree, Algeria, September 1943, disbanded August..." discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
      80. ↑ Rexford-Welch 1955, pp. 351–357.
      81. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 128–131.
      82. ↑ "Charles Hunter - EAST GRINSTEAD MUSEUM". eastgrinsteadmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
      83. 1 2 Fox, John (2011). "Cold War - warm climes". Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal (51): 50. ISSN   1361-4231.
      84. ↑ TRAFBFW 1997, p. 396.
      85. ↑ Mackie 2001, pp. 131–132.
      86. ↑ Pine 1983, p. 115.

      Sources

      This page is based on this Wikipedia article
      Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
      Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.