OCTOBER 1914. LOUGHBOROUGH HOSPITAL ADMITS THE FIRST WAR WOUNDED
In October 1914, war-wounded men began to arrive at Loughborough Hospital in Baxter Gate. The Loughborough Carillon Roll of Honour includes much information about the Loughborough VADs and doctors who worked there throughout the war. But what was life like for their patients?
The first twenty patients arrived by train from the 5th Northern Base Hospital in Leicester, and quite a crowd had gathered at Loughborough station to see them; whether to welcome them as returning heroes, or from morbid curiosity, we can’t be sure. The hospital, designated an auxiliary hospital by the Government, had been given just 24 hours’ notice to prepare for them.
Financial struggles
In the pre-NHS era Loughborough Hospital relied heavily on donations and subscriptions to keep going. Preparing for war, the public had been asked to donate beds, blankets, sheets and mattresses. Money was always tight and the challenges became more serious as the war progressed. Throughout, local people responded enthusiastically, with contributions from churches, charities, shop staff, workplaces, and individuals. As well as cash, they gave food, cigarettes, flowers, reading material and old linen. Even some of the hospital laundry, including soldiers’ underwear, was outsourced to private homes.
In late 1915 extra beds were provided in the schoolroom of Baxter Gate Baptist Church, across the road from the hospital. By 1918 meals were being served in a mess tent and then a temporary hut, to release more space in the wards. A new ambulance for the town was bought by charitable enterprise, but wounded soldiers were given priority in its use. Generally, the focus was on treating military casualties at the hospital, with as many civilian patients as possible being treated at home.
Who were the wounded?
The first twenty men were convalescent rather than seriously wounded, and some were discharged within a month, to be replaced by another batch. Throughout the war 1,585 came and went. Contemporary photographs show men who for the most part have all limbs intact and few visible injuries, but there is little known about the kind of treatment they received. The hospital did however have an operating theatre and X-ray facilities, as well as the dedicated professional care provided by the medical staff.
In January 1915 the Loughborough Echo printed an excerpt from a letter to the hospital from Private John Hull of the 3rd Leicesters, expressing his thanks for “the kind attention and excellent treatment” he’d received for his injured foot.
Entertaining the wounded
Most of the patients it seems were reasonably mobile and were free to leave the hospital and go into town, where they became a familiar presence in their distinctive pale blue uniforms. Fundraising concerts and other entertainments were put on for them. These included gramophone recitals in the wards, and music from visiting musicians such as the Hathern Quartet. A local lady, the Hon Mrs Weighall, hosted a garden party at Field House in Ashby Road, with music from the Lincolnshire Yeomanry Band. In November 1915 the soldiers returned the compliment by staging a concert of their own at the Town Hall, raising £50 towards their keep.
In January 1917 the Echo published a tongue-in-cheek account of a match between a local Ladies’ Hockey Club and wounded men from the hospital. The goalkeeper, who played with one foot in a carpet slipper, had a relaxed time smoking Woodbines and chatting to team members, as no attempts on the goal were made. In patronising terms, the writer concluded that “the issue was never in doubt” (it was Soldiers 3, Ladies 0). The Ladies, of course, served refreshments during the interval.
Fun and fundraising
There were fishing matches on the river Soar, a trip by the Automobile Club to Coleorton Hall, and entertainments by pupils from Rawlins Grammar School in Quorn village hall. The proprietors of local theatres and cinemas put on shows to help raise funds. In September 1918 a fete was held at the hospital with fancy dress parades, stalls, games and tea. £111 was raised. Christmas in hospital was made as festive as possible, with turkey and plum pudding, donated cigarettes, seasonal music and cards from the King and Queen. There were presents under the Christmas tree for the military and civilian patients and the staff, and the wards were decorated with artificial flowers made by patients.
The hospital had a box placed outside where the public could drop in one or two cigarettes for the soldiers. In 1916 it was stolen and discovered empty. The Loughborough Echo, reporting the crime, said “it would be difficult to imagine a more despicable form of theft than robbing wounded ‘Tommies’ of their smokes.”
No doubt the soldiers treated in Loughborough Hospital enjoyed their respite from the horrors of the front, but many of them would have been sent back there once they were fit again, and next time their luck could not be guaranteed.
