Genealogy Chat

This article appeared in our local paper, the Bromley Times, last week...

IN February 1916, just under four months before the start of one of the bloodiest battles in history, a hospital opened in a quiet Kent town that was to prove vital to the war effort. The Ontario Military Hospital, fully funded by the Canadian Government, was built to treat Canadian and British soldiers wounded in The Great War. It was situated off what is now Sevenoaks Road in Orpington, and many of its wooden foundations still form part of the hospital that stands there today. The hospital's several wooden huts were to provide much needed beds and health care for soldiers wounded in one of the war's greatest battles, the Battle of the Somme. As Sir William Hearst, Prime Minister of Ontario, said in 1917: 'I can say without boasting or fear of contradiction that the building, equipment and general arrangement of this hospital are not surpassed by any hospital in England. 'I believe that the work being done there is as good as the best.' The Ontario Military Hospital was built between 1915 and 1916 because there were not enough hospital beds to treat the vast numbers of wounded soldiers. In August 1915, two Canadian military officials came to England to supervise the provision of a hospital to address this. Historian John Bateman wrote: 'Orpington was then described as a charming and healthful district placed amid rural surroundings, with a good water supply.' The hospital covered about 70 acres and provided accommodation for 2,160 patients. This included an isolation unit of about 60 beds. However, by August 1917, after The Battle of the Somme, the beds were no longer reserved for the men of Canada, and an extension was opened. The design of the hospital was temporary and therefore simple - single story huts made of timber frames covered with asbestos sheets. By the end of the war, more funding came from Canada and consequently the name of the hospital was changed to 16th Canadian General Military Hospital. It was considered one of the largest and most up to date hospitals in the world. The Ontario Military hospital treated 12,000 British soldiers, 12,500 Canadian soldiers and 1,500 soldiers of other nationalities up until the end of the war. The significance of the hospital to the war effort was not lost on the Canadians. In a letter to a Mr Ferguson, the Canadian Minister of Lands, Forests and Mines, dated July 4, 1919, just three days after the start of the Somme battle, a Canadian official wrote: 'There is not the slightest doubt that the Orpington Hospital represents the finest piece of war work done in this country by any Government of the Overseas Dominions. 'There has been nothing like it during the war and everyone who has visited the hospital, from their Majesties the King and Queen downwards, has been unanimous in praising the generosity of the Government and people of Ontario.' The Prime Minister of Ontario, Sir William Hearst, said in an address to the Empire Club of Canada in Toronto on October 19, 1916: 'A committee of experts visited England and France for the purpose of inspecting and reporting on War hospitals, and out of the hundreds visited chose this hospital as the one best adapted for the purposes for which it was used, and Ontario's hospital is now being adopted as a model for others. 'This hospital and its excellent staff of highly educated doctors and nurses have not only done much for the sick and wounded, but have also done much to advertise Ontario in that part of England.' The exact number of admissions to the hospital up to the end of January 1919 are as follows: British: 12,156; Canadian: 12,483; Australian: 1,626; Newfoundland: 2; New Zealand: 11; Total: 26,278. The number of those treated ther that came direct from the battlefield of The Somme is unknown. In the cemetery of All Saint's Church off Orpington High Street, there is a war memorial that serves as a permanent reminder of the role Orpington played in the victory. In the cemetery, in what has been dubbed 'Canadian Corner', a total of 88 Canadian soldiers are buried. Next to them are the names and details of 23 UK soldiers.

I work near the cemetary. If anyone wants me to take a look I can while away a lunch hour or two I guess.... Not sure what my colleagues would make of me though..... Karen

Hi Karen, thank you for sharing the article. I was just doing a bit of research with WWI and the soldiers, so this fits right in.

You're very welcome. Not much of the original hospital remains - but I remember it when it did. I broke my arm and stayed in overnight - in what was one of the original wards. That was in the early 80s.