With the National Health Service (NHS) celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, in the Nostalgia page on July 6 we began a series of articles looking at the history of health services in High Wycombe. 

That article considered the first hospital to provide care to the sick and injured of the town, this being the Cottage Hospital in Priory Road, High Wycombe.

During the first world war, the population of the town was increased dramatically by an in-flux of refugees, including from Belgium, and by military personnel attached to the Royal Field Artillery training unit located in the town.

In November 1914, the military authorities established a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital in Wycombe by taking over the Girls High School in Benjamin Road.

The Head Mistress was told to vacate the school and on December 1 the girls moved into two houses in London Road. These were Oxcroft House and Bedford House, opposite The Rye and within a few minutes walk of each other.

Apparently this move was intended to be only temporary, and the school moved back to Benjamin Road in June 1915. Presumably the authorities had believed their own rhetoric, thinking that the war would be over quickly.

However in November 1915 the War Office asked for the school premises again, to be used for soldiers convalescing from their injuries.

This time the girls moved to the old Royal Grammar school buildings in Easton Street. It would be nearly another four years before they were able to return to their old premises, in June 1919.

During the four years or so when the VAD hospital was in operation, around 3,500 wounded soldiers were treated. In 1916 the average number of patients per day was 63, increasing to 90 in 1917 and c.100 in 1918.

In 1916 a total of 834 patients were treated, and 1,044 in 1917. Such an increase required several temporary buildings to be erected in the grounds.

Many of the nurses and auxiliary workers in the hospital were local women. The Housekeeper, later Commandant, was Miss Florence Affleck. She worked at the hospital from November 1914 until January 1918.

Florence was born in the town in 1879, the daughter of a draper whose premises were in Crown Lane. She was awarded an OBE for her work in 1919. The local nurses included two daughters of the well-known chairmaker Walter Birch, Gertrude and Roseen.

Other local nurses, each with thousands of hours of service, were Joan Baker from a house called Beechwood in Loudwater (2,500 hrs), Kathleen Allard who lived in Priory Avenue (3,000 hrs), and Mrs Cordelia Britnell who lived at No.89 Hughenden Rd and whose husband was a Professor of Music (5,000 hrs).

The townspeople organised a rota of mainly women who would visit the convalescing soldiers in the hospital. The town also provided regular entertainment to the patients.

For example the Bucks Free Press reported that "A most interesting lecture on Army Badges was given at the Hospital on Tuesday Feb 19th by Mrs Antrobus. Many of the badges were shown on lantern slides kindly lent for the occasion and worked by Mr Lanham.

The lecture was greatly enjoyed by the patients, many of whom are at present embroidering designs of the badges under the efficient instruction of Lady Alexandra Palmer, who holds an embroidery class at the Hospital twice weekly."

An insight into the finances of the hospital can be gained from the Annual Report for 1917, which was published in the BFP. "The total expenditure for the year, owing to the increased number of patients, has risen from £4,155 12s 4d in 1916 to £5,536 17s 01/2d, but the cost per head, notwithstanding the continuous rise in prices, is down from 3s 5d per man per day to 3s 4d.

"‘Capitation grants’, amounting to £4,933.11s, were received from the War Office during the year, compared to £3,522 2s 4d the year before.”

The War Office were not covering the whole cost of the hospital, the deficit in 1916 was reported to be £633. 9s. This was met from voluntary subscriptions and donations, presumably by the people and businesses of the Wycombe area “putting their hands in their pockets” to financially support the hospital.

Local businesses also helped in other ways, for example one of the local cinemas, the Picture Palace, provided free admission to soldiers from the hospital.

In January 1918 Miss Affleck was succeeded as Commandant of the hospital by Miss Edith M Thurlow, another local woman and grand-daughter of the well-known architect Thomas Thurlow. Miss Thurlow had been the Quartermaster at the hospital since November 1914 and was made an MBE in 1919 for her work.

The VAD Hospital closed on Monday January 20th 1919, when the “military patients” left. The following day the staff, nurses and helpers held a farewell gathering.

Two weeks later, on February 7th, an auction was held "when the whole of the surplus effects remaining, after making generous grants to the Cottage Hospital, and the new Memorial Hospital, and other institutions, were disposed of by public auction". 

The Auctioneer, acting in an Honorary capacity, was Mr Percy Raffety, and a number of VAD nurses were present "to whom the offering of the various lots must have repeatedly during the afternoon recalled many hours of devoted work during the past few years."

It therefore seems that many of the staff and nurses acquired auction lots as a momento of their service at the hospital. I wonder if descendants of these still have any of these items in their possession. If so, we would love to hear from you.

Readers might like to know that Wycombe High School Archive contains records relevant to the school’s use as a Military Hospital.

To find out more about their archive online, visit the school website - WHS.bucks.sch.uk.

To be continued, with the next article describing the health services in the town between the two world wars. 

If any of our older readers have stories to tell about their experiences during this period we would love to hear from them.

Contact Mike Dewey on 01494 755070 or email him deweymiked@aol.com.