Aberystwyth Hospitals during the Great War - Part 1

Aberystwyth had two hospitals during the First World War. The first hospital to be established  was set up in the Old Bank House, Bridge Street under the auspices of the Red Cross Society. It was run entirely by volunteers and the necessary equipment was donated by townspeople, as was all the food and other provisions. Donations were listed every week in the local newspaper along with the names of donors.  A typical weekly list included items such as tablecloths, rabbits, preserved fruit, jelly, eggs and jam as well practical things like soap dishes and shaving mugs. 

The purpose of the hospital was to offer a homely form of convalescence to soldiers who were well on the road to recovery. A Mrs Ashton of Elmtree Avenue was the matron in charge, assisted by two Sisters. Other help was provided by members of the Aberystwyth and Gogerddan branches of the Red Cross. The staff of the hospital were all volunteers. 

In January 1915 there were nine patients in the hospital and a number of outpatients. One patient mentioned in the local newspaper as receiving treatment was a soldier from the Llanrhystud area. He had returned from the front having lost a thumb, taken off by a dumdum bullet (a type of bullet that expanded on impact and often produced a larger area of wound)
The hospital succeeded in its purpose at the time but it was only intended to serve the needs of the soldiers billeted in Aberystwyth. As soon the troops had all left the town in the summer of 1915 the hospital was closed.

The second hospital which opened in the town was the Red Cross Hospital based in the present day Cambria opposite the Pier. This was a much larger hospital and was founded as a direct result of contact from the War Office. In a letter received in early December 1915, the War Office drew attention to the fact that Cardiganshire and Merionethshire were the only two counties in England and Wales that had not so far established an auxiliary hospital for wounded soldiers. This led to an urgent meeting in the town on 8 December.  It was decided to establish a hospital in the Theological College - the premises having already been offered for this purpose in the previous month.  As the number of students in the Theological College had decreased markedly since the outbreak of war due to enlistment and other student commitments linked to the war, such as helping in the YMCA movement, it was decided to merge the Aberystwyth  college with that of Bala for the duration of the war. No rent was charged for the use of the building and the medical men of Aberystwyth were reported as having unanimously offered their services free of charge. The plan was that the hospital, like the many other auxiliary hospitals throughout the country, would provide facilities for convalescence and was not intended for soldiers who were seriously ill or needed operations.

Once the decision had been made to establish a hospital, the first step was to raise the money needed to set it up. The sum needed was calculated to be £1000 - equivalent in today’s money to about £95,000. This would provide for 50 beds for 12 months. The War Office would also help with the running costs by contributing a grant of two shillings a day for every occupied bed. Generous donations flowed in quickly and anyone who gave more than ten shillings was invited to a meeting to elect representatives on a Committee of Management.

It took five months of preparation for the Cardiganshire Red Cross Hospital to be ready to take in patients. In April 1916 Miss B.L. Collins, who had had valuable experience working since the outbreak of war at the Leicestershire Military Hospital, was appointed as matron. On May 8th and 10th 1916 the hospital was opened to the public to view. A large number of people went to have a look round and found it “comfortable and well set up”.  
In mid June 1916 the first wounded soldiers arrived after receiving treatment in Neath Hospital. These men had fought in France, Belgium and one of them in the Mediterranean.  Their names and regiments were printed in the local paper.  Not long afterwards a further five patients arrived and by the end of the month 43 patients were being cared for. Many of the men seem to have been suffering from the effects of being gassed.

From the outset the hospital seems to have been very successful and its success was recognised by the Western General Hospital which in July 1916 requested that the number of beds should be increased by 15. The Theological College was able to offer additional space and an appeal was made to the public to supply the necessary equipment.  An article in the Cambrian News asked for the following items:

15 beds
30 pillows
2 wheelchairs 
12 bedside chairs
6 small tables with tablecloths
12 tablespoons
12 dessert spoons
12 large ash trays
6 wastepaper baskets 
1 mangle
12 oven clothes
12 plant pots
12 beakers
In addition there were requests for pyjamas, vests, pants and handkerchiefs. 

Local people also supported the hospital by supplying much of the food. Every week The Cambrian News again published a list of donations naming individuals and their gifts which were mainly food items such as fruit, vegetables, flowers and other produce.  One rather bizarre donation from a Mrs Bassett was of 600 preserved eggs. The newspaper said that one or two had been opened and (fortunately) found to be “in excellent condition”.  In the summer of 1916 schoolchildren and also visitors to the town were encouraged to pick blackberries to use to make puddings for the patients.

To aid their recovery, those patients who could do so were encouraged to walk along the Promenade where they frequently  got to know local people who would join them whilst they took their exercise  Requests were made by the hospital authorities for people with motor cars to take patients - accompanied by a member of staff- out for a drive. One of many such outings was to Llanrhystud where some of the men were treated to a traditional Welsh farmhouse tea. The Cambrian News reported that the wounded soldiers and those recovering from illness were having a good time in Aberystwyth “but no better than the brave fellows deserve.” 

Staff and patients of the Red Cross hospital courtesy of NLW

Blog by one of our project volunteers 

Sources:  George Eyre Evans collection of cuttings from the Cambrian News