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44-971: Until the latter part of the 20th century the term 'Military Hospital' in British usage always signified a hospital run by the Army, whereas those run by the Navy were designated Royal Naval Hospitals and those run by the Royal Air Force RAF Hospitals . In the UK the last of these Military Hospitals were closed in the 1990s, replaced by a single tri-service hospital (which was itself closed in 2007); since then, service personnel (except when deployed on active service) have usually been treated in civilian (NHS) hospitals (some of which have had integrated Ministry of Defence Hospital Units provided as part of their establishment). Prior to 1873, medical services in

88-421: A hospital was established on a more permanent footing in 1689. All these, however, were 'contract' hospitals: privately owned and staffed by civilians, who were treating naval personnel under contract. Further afield in the seventeenth century, crews began to be exposed to unfamiliar illnesses on increasingly long sea-voyages. One response, first proposed in 1664, was the provision of hospital ships to accompany

132-622: A service locally 'for all soldiers, seamen of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, and others duly authorized to be admitted therein'. For smaller detachments (of less than a hundred men) hospital provision could be placed under a civilian medical practitioner. Provision of hospitals in the field of battle, as envisaged in the late 19th century, depended on medical officers being attached to front-line regiments and corps, with regimental bearer companies under their command who would convey

176-539: A tri-service institution); by the end of the decade, its closure too had been announced. Hospitals were established close to several of the overseas Naval Yards and anchorages, including: Other naval hospitals were established in other overseas locations, usually in the vicinity of other small naval establishments (e.g. coaling or supply yards) including on Long Island, New York (1779), Newfoundland , St Lucia (1783), Kingston, Ontario (1813–14), Barbados (1815), Fernando Po , Mauritius and Wei-Hai-Wei . During

220-578: The Cold War , a decision was taken to cut the number of Defence Services hospitals in the UK from seven to three (one for each Service ): Haslar for the Navy, Aldershot for the Army and Wroughton for the RAF. The following year, as part of Front Line First , it was announced that the latter two would also close (leaving only Haslar, which would be reconstituted as a tri-service hospital); Aldershot and Wroughton duly closed in 1996. Two years later, as part of

264-692: The Crimean War , the Depôt Hospital at Fort Pitt, Chatham was the only General Military Hospital in England; Ireland (which had a separate Medical Department until 1833) had two: one in Dublin and one in Cork. After Crimea, the recommendations of Florence Nightingale , Douglas Galton , Sidney Herbert , John Sutherland and others led to the formation of a Barracks and Hospitals Commission (1858) and

308-780: The Grand Fleet was based, saw two hospitals commandeered for use by the Admiralty: Leith Public Health Hospital became Royal Hospital Granton in 1917, and the Stirling District Asylum briefly became RNH Larbert in 1918. The main overseas Royal Naval Hospitals at this time were on Malta, Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Cape of Good Hope and Hong Kong. In the 1920s a degree of rationalisation took place: Chatham Military Hospital and Gibraltar's Royal Naval Hospital were both closed (on

352-861: The Napoleonic Wars there were five naval hospitals operating in England: in addition to Haslar and Plymouth, hospitals were established at Paignton (for the Channel Fleet ), Great Yarmouth (for the North Sea and Baltic Fleets) and Deal. At the same time hospital ships were provided at Woolwich, Sheerness and Chatham. Gibraltar served the needs of the fleet in the Mediterranean at this time (Minorca having been ceded to Spain); while, further afield, Royal Naval Hospitals had been established in various locations including India, North America and

396-548: The Royal Naval College, Greenwich between 1873 and 1998 and are now open to the public as the Old Royal Naval College . The size and capacity of the naval hospitals varied over time, as well as from place to place. The hospital at Port Mahon had opened with 356 beds in 1711; its capacity was later increased to 550, and then more than doubled to 1,200 (following the addition of an upper floor to

440-497: The Royal Naval Medical Service . The British Army equivalent was a Military Hospital , and in the 20th century a number of RAF Hospitals were also established. The list below includes significant Royal Naval Hospitals established in the 18th-20th centuries; in addition numerous smaller facilities (often classed as Sick Quarters) were set up, where and when needed (especially in times of war). In 1996

484-694: The Second World War around thirty 'R.N. Auxiliary Hospitals' were established in various locations, at home and abroad, on a temporary basis. In addition to the RN Hospitals, the Admiralty established Royal Marine Infirmaries near the divisional headquarters in Chatham , Deal , Plymouth , Portsmouth and Woolwich , along with a separate Royal Marine Artillery Infirmary at Gun Wharf Barracks , Portsmouth (which later moved, together with

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528-535: The 1998 Strategic Defence Review , it was announced that Haslar too would close; subsequently, provision of a specialised military hospital service would be limited to a number of small MOD units established within (civilian) NHS hospitals. During the 19th and 20th centuries the British Army operated a large variety of permanent and temporary military hospitals, both at home and overseas, some of which are listed here. Permanent hospital facilities established by

572-495: The British Army were for the most part provided on a regimental basis. Each regiment had its own regimental surgeon, whose duties (from 1796) included provision of suitable equipment, staff and premises for the regimental hospital. The hospital moved with the regiment: when the regiment was in barracks, the barrack hospital block would be used; otherwise another suitable location would have to be found and prepared. Some larger garrisons, with several different corps and regiments based on

616-617: The Caribbean. At the start of the First World War, the three principal naval hospitals in the UK were Haslar, Plymouth and the new RNH Chatham (each serving the needs of one of the three home Commands: Portsmouth , Plymouth and The Nore , respectively). Yarmouth was also retained, as a psychiatric hospital (having served in that capacity since 1863). Smaller hospitals at Portland, South Queensferry, Pembroke Dock and Haulbowline served nearby naval dockyards; while Scotland, where

660-593: The Governor was replaced by a Resident Commissioner of the Victualling Service , who had oversight of the local victualling yard as well as of the hospital. In 1840 the title of this 'dual-hatted' officer was changed to Captain-superintendent. (Throughout this period the overseas hospitals, which had a far smaller staff establishment, continued (almost invariably) to be overseen by the senior medical officer on station.) In 1869 an enquiry took place into

704-728: The Infirmary of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea ) and a new hospital in Chatham . (The latter was intended to serve as the national Army Depôt Hospital for invalids; but when the Invalid Depôt moved away from Chatham to the Isle of Wight, in 1801, the hospital moved with it to Parkhurst .) Other General Hospitals were planned or opened during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , but all were short-lived and

748-599: The RMA, to nearby Fort Cumberland ). Greenwich Hospital , which predated all the above institutions, was established on somewhat different grounds, as it cared for retired seamen rather than those on active service. Also called the Royal Hospital for Seamen in Greenwich, it was a home for Greenwich pensioners , established in 1692, and although closed at Greenwich in 1869 still exists as a charity. Its buildings housed

792-521: The RN Hospital closed down, and naval personnel were transferred to the local Military Hospital . Later in the century, during the two world wars several civilian hospitals and county mental asylums were commandeered (or part-commandeered) to serve as military hospitals, as were a number of large houses and other buildings. In 1993, following on from the Options for Change review at the end of

836-461: The UK's last remaining Royal Naval Hospital was redesignated as a Joint Services establishment; it finally closed just over a decade later. No Royal Naval Hospitals survive in operation, although some have become civilian hospitals. Individual surgeons had been appointed to naval vessels since Tudor times; the Company of Barber-Surgeons was expected to provide them in suitable numbers whenever

880-489: The army overseas were often designated 'BMH' (signifying 'British Military Hospital'). The following is an incomplete list: Royal Naval Hospital A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were part of

924-481: The building of new Army General Hospitals in accordance with the latest design principles for improving health and hygiene. The thousand-bed Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley (1863) was one of the most prominent new military hospitals of this time (albeit its design, finalised before the recommendations were published, was heavily criticised by members of the Commission). The Royal Herbert Hospital , Woolwich (1865)

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968-672: The care and treatment of sick and wounded seamen. A house was hired in Deal (and staffed by a surgeon under contract) to serve as a hospital; and elsewhere civilian hospitals were part-requisitioned for naval use. The following year, commissioners of sick and wounded were appointed to supervise the distribution of funds, the provision of surgeons and medicines, the deployment of patients (and, where possible, their eventual return to service). Later, temporary hospitals were provided in locations such as Ipswich, Harwich and Rochester; while in Plymouth

1012-664: The concept as a whole was criticised both for high running costs and for high rates of infection and mortality. By the end of the war the only remaining General Hospitals were York Hospital in Chelsea and the Depôt Hospital in Parkhurst. When the Invalid Depôt moved back to Chatham in 1819 a Military Hospital was re-established in Fort Pitt (whereupon the General Hospital at Chelsea was discontinued). From then until after

1056-477: The decision was finally taken to establish Royal Naval Hospitals on a permanent footing in Gosport ( Royal Hospital Haslar ) and Stonehouse ( Royal Hospital Plymouth ); however a proposed third hospital (at Queenborough ) was not then built, as Chatham by that time had ceased to function as a front-line base. In the decades that followed more Royal Naval Hospitals were established, both at home and abroad. During

1100-526: The early decades of their existence, the hospitals at Haslar and Plymouth were each overseen by a 'Physician and Council' (the Physician being the senior medical officer on the staff). The Council was made up of a small number of Surgeons and two other hospital officers (the Agent and Steward) who had administrative and logistical responsibilities. In 1795, following an enquiry into the situation at Haslar, it

1144-420: The end of the 19th century Plymouth had fourteen beds to a ward, rather than twenty). In times of war, on the other hand, hospital capacities were often significantly increased (sometimes by the addition of tented or hutted or other temporary accommodation). By the end of the 19th century Haslar had accommodation for just under 1,300 patients, but on average fewer than 500 beds were occupied at any one time. At

1188-653: The fleet on more distant expeditions; but by the beginning of the 18th century permanent onshore hospital provision was being contemplated for overseas bases. An early experiment was the prefabricated hospital set up in Jamaica by Admiral John Benbow in 1701, for which the Sick and Hurt Commissioners provided a salaried surgeon and other staff. This was followed by the provision of staffed hospitals in Lisbon in 1705 and Minorca in 1709; those at Jamaica and Lisbon closed in 1712, but

1232-546: The fleet was due to set sail. Once the fleet returned, responsibility for the care of any sick or injured seamen reverted to their home parishes . This arrangement came under significant pressure during the Anglo-Dutch Wars : in 1652 the Admiralty Committee resolved to provide the mayors and magistrates of seaport towns (and other affected locations) with financial support to provide accommodation for

1276-436: The hospital building in 1772). Meanwhile RNH Gibraltar was designed to accommodate up to a thousand patients when it opened in 1746. Haslar was always the largest of the naval hospitals: when fully opened in 1762 it had beds for 1,800 patients, by 1778 it could accommodate 2,100; while RNH Plymouth opened in 1762 with 1,200 beds. These numbers were subsequently scaled down, as efforts were made to reduce overcrowding (e.g. by

1320-427: The injured personnel back to the hospitals. The Field Hospitals (those closest to the front line) were lightly-equipped to enable them to move forward with the troops; further back were Stationary Hospitals, which were more heavily equipped, located on the lines of communication; and further back still there would be a fully-equipped General Hospital at the base of operations. Large-scale military hospitals were built in

1364-509: The large London hospitals. During the War of Jenkins' Ear , however, the system was overwhelmed by large numbers of returning sick and injured (over 15,000 in the 13 months from July 1739 to August 1740). The following year a proposal was put forward to the Admiralty for the establishment of three hospitals, to be owned, built and run by the Royal Navy, in the vicinity of the principal home ports. In 1744, with France having declared war on Britain,

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1408-535: The last new general military hospitals to be built on the pavilion plan. In 1922, as part of a process of rationalisation, the Military Hospitals in Chatham , Cosham and Devonport were closed, with military patients in these districts instead being treated at the nearby naval hospitals (at Gillingham , Haslar and Stonehouse ). At the same time the opposite process took place in Gibraltar, where

1452-804: The late Victorian period to serve the expanding garrison towns of Aldershot (the Cambridge Military Hospital , 1875-79 and the Connaught Military Hospital, 1895-98) and Colchester (the Colchester Military Hospital, 1893-98). Hospitals on a similar scale were built in the Edwardian period, in London ( Queen Alexandra Military Hospital, Millbank , 1903-5) and Portsmouth ( Queen Alexandra Military Hospital, Portsdown Hill , 1904-7); these were

1496-423: The moment: by 1945 there were over a hundred such facilities operating at home and several dozen abroad. A number of naval hospitals were closed (or transferred to civilian operation) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the 1990s, the total number of remaining Naval, Military and RAF Hospitals in the UK was progressively cut from seven, to three, to one: the naval hospital at Haslar (thenceforward to be run as

1540-545: The naval hospital at Port Mahon, Minorca was retained on a more permanent footing (having moved into a new purpose-built complex on the Illa del Rei that same year). At home, however, the navy continued to rely on contract hospitals, such as the Fortune Hospital in Gosport (opened under contract in 1713). When additional capacity was required inns were often hired and converted into sick quarters, or beds set aside in

1584-598: The needs of the Mediterranean Fleet . Further east, RNH Hong Kong was destroyed by bombing in 1941, leaving auxiliary hospitals in Ceylon, South Africa and Oceania to take up the strain. In addition, numerous Royal Naval Sick Quarters (defined as 'junior to a general hospital, but senior to a sick bay ') were established during the Second World War ('sometimes almost overnight') to meet the needs of

1628-403: The older hospitals (which were prominent buildings close to naval dockyards) to aerial bombardment. Auxiliary hospitals were opened in safer locations around Britain (usually in requisitioned civilian hospitals, but schools, hotels and country houses were also used). Malta was also seen as vulnerable to attack, so an auxiliary hospital was opened in a wing of Victoria College, Alexandria to serve

1672-465: The other end of the scale, the naval hospital on Ascension Island, had 65 beds, and RNH Esquimalt (the smallest of the naval hospitals at that time) had accommodation for 40. Several of the hospitals had their capacities increased during the First and Second World Wars; the following table shows the peace time capacity of the principal home and overseas Royal Naval Hospitals during the inter-war period. In

1716-886: The reception and treatment of sick from all corps in garrison, including those of the Auxiliary Forces') and Field Hospitals . In some stations separate Family Hospitals were provided in addition, for the wives and children of soldiers. All would be staffed by officers of the Army Medical Department , assisted by the other ranks of the Medical Staff Corps (who would later combine to form the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1898). Hospitals were provided both at home and overseas; and, although they were staffed by army personnel and placed under army discipline and command, they provided

1760-668: The same site, had garrison hospitals in which patients would be accommodated together; but individuals would still be treated by the medical staff of their own regiment or unit . In addition, the Board of Ordnance (whose military branch included the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers ) maintained its own independent medical facilities until 1853. The first example of more integrated facilities being set up in Britain

1804-402: The understanding that Chatham's army personnel could be treated at the naval hospital there, and Gibraltar's naval personnel at the military hospital there). Not long afterwards military hospitals near Portsmouth and Plymouth were also closed on the understanding that soldiers could be treated at the nearby naval hospitals. During the Second World War there was concern about the vulnerability of

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1848-560: Was celebrated as an exemplary 'pavilion plan' hospital. Barrack hospitals were also rebuilt at this time according to the same principles (as happened at Hilsea , Hounslow and elsewhere). In 1873 the regiment-based provision of medical services was abolished and regimental hospitals ceased to exist. Thenceforward the British Army had three main classes of hospital: General Hospitals ('for the reception of invalids, local sick of corps, and all others entitles or specially authorized to be admitted into military hospitals'), Station Hospitals ('for

1892-818: Was during the War of American Independence , when (by 1781) three hospitals had been put in place to receive returning wounded servicemen (one in Portsmouth , on in Chatham and one in Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight); but these were only temporary provisions. A more permanent establishment of General (as opposed to regimental) Hospitals was envisaged by the Army Medical Board (formed in 1793), which opened new purpose-built General Hospitals in Plymouth (1795), Gosport (1796) and Walmer (1797), as well as establishing York Hospital in London (based around

1936-420: Was judged that the two naval hospitals were suffering from 'a want of proper discipline and subordination'. To counter this, the decision was taken to remove administrative oversight from the medical staff and to vest it in a trio or quartet of serving naval officers, who were given accommodation on site: the Governor (usually a post-captain ) and two or three Lieutenants. This situation pertained until 1820, when

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