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Marston Green Hospital

Degsy, sorry mate but a maternity hospital certainly would have the facilties for stitching.

Incidently I did volunteer work at Chelmsley hospital and we often took male patients there for various treatments. mainly injections and X Rays.

I am asthmatic and was once sent there for a chest X Ray.
 
Hi All.
Sorrry for the delay. I am trying to upload pics but its not working.
Derek
 

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Re Canadians at Marston Green Hospital. A friend of mines father was with the Canadians at MGH during the war. His father had told him of the maple leave plaques either side of the gates at the entrance and that some of them had scratched their names on them. When we looked very closely we found his fathers name still there some 20 years later. I wonder what happened to those plaques ?
 
crimble said:
Re Canadians at Marston Green Hospital. A friend of mines father was with the Canadians at MGH during the war. His father had told him of the maple leave plaques either side of the gates at the entrance and that some of them had scratched their names on them. When we looked very closely we found his fathers name still there some 20 years later. I wonder what happened to those plaques ?
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"Crimble"
My name is Mark LINNELL and I live in Alberta Canada.
Your entry above has my interest. My father William LINNELL was a Canadian Soldier stationed at the Marston Green hospital with the Canadian Forces during WW11. Luckily he married my mother Margaret Dudley who lived in Marston Green. Any way. I was born in the Marston Green maternity hospital on July 30th 1950. I joined the Royal Marines in 1966 and Mom and Dad went back to Canada in 1967. My Dad had mentioned that he had inscribed his initials in one the Maple leaf plaques at the main gate. On one occasion I went there and found his initials WHRL (William Hubert Richard LINNELL), and I have a photo of that day with me pointing at his Initials. I too would like to know where the plaques are with a mind to purchase that particular one or a least have a close up photo of. My parents have since passed away and myself and my brothers would love something like this. Of note after leaving the Royal Marines in 1980, I came back home to Canada and my parents and brothers. I then joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and I retired in 2011 after 31 years service. Any info that you may have or anyone else, please reply here. Thank you, you have made my day.
Regards, Mark LINNELL.
 
Nothing to do with Canadian soldiers at MGH, but our two sons where born therewhile we lived in Chelmsley Wood back in the '70s. I really hope someone, somewhere can help in your search Mark. It would really be great for you. All the best for success in your quest. Barry.
 
Hi Mark: Greetings from a Brummie living in Vancouver. I read through the Marston Green Hospital threads sometime ago and had another look at them this am. One of our ex-forum members made mention of the fact that plaques from Marston Green regarding when the place was part of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps hospital during WW2
had been taken by the Western Front Association. The WFA have a very active website with a Contact tab. https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/birmingham.html
They may have some knowledge about the plagues and also the signed gate posts. It's worth a try to contact them. Good luck.
 
jennyann said:
Hi Mark: Greetings from a Brummie living in Vancouver. I read through the Marston Green Hospital threads sometime ago and had another look at them this am. One of our ex-forum members made mention of the fact that plaques from Marston Green regarding when the place was part of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps hospital during WW2
had been taken by the Western Front Association. The WFA have a very active website with a Contact tab. https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/birmingham.html
They may have some knowledge about the plagues and also the signed gate posts. It's worth a try to contact them. Good luck.
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Thank you both, I will endure. Mark
 
Hello Mark, Well what a lovely surprise ! Guess who searched with you and took your photo very proudly pointing out your Dad`s initials on the plaque? We were so excited to find the plaques and his initials. So pleased that you have found this posting and that it`s made your day. Sadly I do not have any more info on the location of the plaques but I am sure that the folk on the forum will endeavour to help you in your search. Have you thought of posting the photo ? It would be nice for others to see what the plaques looked like. So good to hear that you finally made it home to Canada. Hard to believe that photo was taken 40 years ago !! Happy memories.
 
crimble said:
Hello Mark, Well what a lovely surprise ! Guess who searched with you and took your photo very proudly pointing out your Dad`s initials on the plaque? We were so excited to find the plaques and his initials. So pleased that you have found this posting and that it`s made your day. Sadly I do not have any more info on the location of the plaques but I am sure that the folk on the forum will endeavour to help you in your search. Have you thought of posting the photo ? It would be nice for others to see what the plaques looked like. So good to hear that you finally made it home to Canada. Hard to believe that photo was taken 40 years ago !! Happy memories.
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Thanks for this. Who was it that took the photo? I will try and find the photo and post it.
al the best Mark
 
Does anyone know the location of the plaque that was supposedly placed on the site of Marston Green Maternity hospital? I have walked all around Maple Leaf Drive etc, even quizzed the locals but to no avail.
 
I found this after a Google search, it seems the Plaque is in the Library.

www.bickenhillparishcouncil.org.uk/history/history.htmlBickenhill is an old Anglo Saxon settlement and its original name was ... Marston Green was originally part of the manor of Merestone, which was ... A Plaque commemorating this can be viewed in the village library. ... During the Second World War, a base for the Canadian Air force was built on a site off Coleshill Road.
Missing: blue
 
Can anyone put me in touch with Mark Linell or crimble?
Both have posted in this thread. I would like to get in touch with Mark with regards to my post titled Marston Green Nurses. The email address in his post is not recognised!
Thanks
 
Does anyone know where this building fits into the MG story?
It stands near an entrance to the Brooklands Hospital and at the edge of the housing development on what was the MGH site.
Was it part of MGH?
 

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Colin posted this picture of MGH in message number 39 in this topic. This confuses me because it bears no resemblance to the buildings built to house the 19th Canadian General Hospital which became the MG Maternity Hospital.

Was this an earlier hospital?

upload_2017-2-12_22-8-49.png
 
More on MGH ........ may be of interest/help to someone.

26/10/40
Buildings leased from Ministry of Health.
No.1 Canadian General Hospital (CGH) assigned to MG.
November 1940, approx. 140 children moved to hospital with nurses from B'ham hospitals due to air raids.

9/1/41
Canadian Nursing Sisters arrive along with first military patients.

24/11/41
No.1 CGH relieved by No.7 CGH

Summer/Autumn 1943
MG occupied by No. 16 CGH

May 1944
No.16 CGH duty in Europe, replaced by No.19 CGH

D - day, June 44
Other hospitals allocated specific responsibilities, but for MG ............... "casualties arriving from Mediterranean theatre to go to N0.19 CGH Marston Green".

Will post the source of above when - I can find it again!
 
Pat the photo you have shown in post 170 is the Gatehouse of Chelmsley hospital, in the 70s it was the Admin office.It is in Coleshill road.
It is still there now, the porch is smaller but it is easily identified by the ornate chimneybreast by the front door and the shape of the upstairs windows.
As far as my memory goes MG hospital didn't have any brick built buildings it was just the
prefab buildings left over from the war.
I had a minor op there in the early 70s and remember that although inside was fine the outside was so drab.All the wards were accessed along a glass veranda style corridor.
 
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Back in 2008, post 32 in this thread there is mention of a book in the Central Library - "Canadian General Hospital", Kimmerly and Hamm.
This item is now found in the new Library of Birmingham, Level 4 (has to be requested at the Level 4 desk). The book is actually a photograph album put together by Earl Hann who worked in X-ray at No1 CGH MG. The album contains a small number of photos and a little commentary, dated 1941.
 
Mark linnell said:
Thanks for this. Who was it that took the photo? I will try and find the photo and post it.
al the best Mark
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Re:- The plaques that everyone is looking for. The first plaque to be removed was on the left hand gate post. This was framed and boxed and presented to one of the consultant gynaecologists who retired in the late seventies. It may have been Mr. Noble.
The other plaque was removed and is located at the new Womens Unit at Heartlands Hospital.
 
Pat56 said:
Can anyone put me in touch with Mark Linell or crimble?
Both have posted in this thread. I would like to get in touch with Mark with regards to my post titled Marston Green Nurses. The email address in his post is not recognised!
Thanks
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Sorry just found your post. I haven't signed in to BHF for a long time. The posts at the side of the gates look wooden in the photograph and I am pretty confident that they were brick. Taller than we were. Did anyone discover their whereabouts? There was some talk of plaques being in the Marston Green Library. No contact with Mark through his email sadly not reconised
.
 
I was born at MGH in May 1951, I am trying to locate the following:
Hospital staff wore an enamel badge, the City of Birmingham coat-of-arms superimposed on a maple leaf, the symbol of Canada.
Many thanks, Mike
 

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