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Military hospitals in Birmingham WW1

There are many images which have been lost on this thread. So here's one of Selly Park Council school on Pershore Road, in use as a military hospital during WW1. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
Hello Terry
Yep I thought that about the blue caps. Unfortunately no dates. These came from an album full of soldiers from all regiments who all worked at the same factory in Birmingham but they are all broke up now. There were a couple of interesting pictures with names on one of which is a named group of four soldiers two of whom died but one of them is Pte 530 Frederick Chare. When I read your first book he you state he was a carpenter and made the cross for an officer who died and was being visited by his brother Lieut Furse

Steve R
Hello Terry
Yep I thought that about the blue caps. Unfortunately no dates. These came from an album full of soldiers from all regiments who all worked at the same factory in Birmingham but they are all broke up now. There were a couple of interesting pictures with names on one of which is a named group of four soldiers two of whom died but one of them is Pte 530 Frederick Chare. When I read your first book he you state he was a carpenter and made the cross for an officer who died and was being visited by his brother Lieut Furse

Steve R
Hello Terry, Frederick Chare was my grandfather and was a cabinet maker in Aston. After the war the family business divided between brothers as each had different views how to grow the business.
 
I am currently researching Dr Robert Russell HARPER who worked at 1st Birmingham War Hospital probably all the time it was open as a military hospital. (Before the war, he was in General Practice in Lincolnshire). After the war he stayed in Birmingham and became Medical Superintendent of the Pensioner's Hospital, Birmingham. I understand from wikipedia that "Hollymoor was retained by the Ministry of Pensions until 1922." Would this therefore be the Pensioner's Hospital, and does anyone have any information about the Pensioner's Hospital and ideally about Dr HARPER?Robert Russel HARPER [B.183] extract.jpg ref: The BMJ, 22 Nov 1924 p980
 
The book "history of Hollymoor hospital" by Fay Croft also states that after the end of the war it was run as a Ministry of Pensions war hospital from March 1920, but was handed back to the city in 1921 and eeopened as an asylum in 1922 She also states that the Dr Suffern was the Administrator of both Hollymoor and Rubery hill hospitals during the war up till Dec 1919, being replaced by Dr,T.C,Graves. Seems to be no mention of Dr Harper (though there is no index), but it would seem, if this information is correct, that he was only medical superintendent for a year or so
 
The first Birmingham military hospital was Rubery Hill, which seems to have been administered during WW! with the 2nd military hospital at Hollymoor. According to the book previously mentioned it was returned for use as an asylum in 1919
 
 
Many thanks for your quick replies and help. This is what I have interpreted from the information to hand which I have included here in case it is of any interest to anyone else on the Forum or anyone has any further clarity on his time in Birmingham. This information is part of a RBL War Graves Project for those buried in All Saint's Churchyard Birchington, Kent. A picture of his grave will be posted on Findagrave UK.

The first military casualties were brought to the 1st Birmingham War Hospital on the 30th July 1915
which had 1,100 beds. Robert Russell appears to have worked at the hospital throughout the war, though it is not clear from when. The hospital closed as a War Hospital on the 31st March 1919 having treated a total of 20,015 casualties. The 2nd Birmingham Hospital (formerly Hollymoor Asylum) which during the war had become a specialist Orthopaedic Hospital, closed a year later (1st March 1920) and became the Pensioner's Hospital, i.e a hospital for personnel officially retired from the military following the war. The majority of the patents would have been in the hospital prior to being "officially retired" and still recovering from their injuries, or transferred from other War Hospitals as they closed. The Pensioner's Hospital was kept open for a further two years and Dr HARPER as a medical superintendent, helped to take charge of the everyday running of the healthcare aspects of the hospital. It is likely that when the Pensioner’s Hospital was closed in 1922 and returned to being an asylum, Dr HARPER, now aged 68, retired to Westgate-on-Sea with his wife Marion. There is no obvious known connection with his choice of Westgate. He died shortly after, on the 4th of October 1924 there at 24 Adrian Square.
 
Hello Terry, Frederick Chare was my grandfather and was a cabinet maker in Aston. After the war the family business divided between brothers as each had different views how to grow the business.
Interested to see your relation to Fred Chare. I have a fascinating letter from him, to home from the front in the Fall of 1916, telling of the huge losses that the battalion has suffered. Would love to hear from you about him.
 
Hello - Fred Chare passed in 1945 before i was born so have no actual memories. My mother commented that he joined the Pals aged 37 with his work colleagues. He survived the war partly because he was sent to the Italian Front before the regiment returned to France. I know he was greatly affected by his experience and spent his latter time in Weston Super Mare . I would like to see a copy of his letter as there are only a few pictures remaining. Perhaps you could send to me at [email protected]
 

Ministry of Pensions Hospital, Hollymoor, Northfield, Birmingham​

Hi
I have found my ggrandfather as a 'Patient' at this hospital on 1921 census. He was born in Feb 1871 but on this record his birth date would calculate as being born in Feb 1867? He's listed as an out of work miner. Place of birth and number of children are correct so it does appear to be hime. He was in WW1. Not sure why he is in the hospital, or what the hospital was used for at the time of the census or if his age difference is just a mistake. Any ideas please?
 
He would have been one of the last people to be there while it was a special military surgical hospital for the midlands. Apparently , in thta guise it originally was used for orthopeadic patients, but in march 1920 went back to being for general war patients. In 1921 it was returned to the city to be a mental institution presumably after the census was taken on 19th june .
 
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If his name is uncommon then the wrong age is probably just a mistake.

A google search for Hollymoor hospital records brings up a number of results that may be of interest.
 
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he may have inflated his age to enlist in 1914, and as he is still in the hospital in 1921, he could have been suffering from mental illness due to military service, though "Nettley", was the usual military hospital for that, he may have been gassed, or some other military war injury, if you have his number, and unit, Regt etc , his war record will show what!!
 
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