US Hospitals in the UK (AAF Use)

P wrote:

White Court Hospital, Braintree.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

All the best,
PB

This was a great find for me. I was looking at photos my uncle took while a medic at braintree durning WW2 and these air photos seem to match his ground photos perfectly.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

stevewiltshire;142519 wrote:

Hi! The one in Longleats grounds was the 216th general hospital, and I am trying to find out more about it if anybody can help.

Hello again.
Well, I've dug up some more.
The hospital was in place to deal with casualties from the allied invasion of Europe, which took place only a matter of weeks after the hospital staffs’ arrival (6th June 1944). There are local reports of German POWs in residence on the Longleat estate before the hospitals arrival. It seems unlikely that they would have had nurses and doctors building their own facilities, especially bearing in mind the tight time frame. A practice that was quite common later in the war was to use Prisoners of War for construction projects. There were two German POW working camps nearby (Hill camp, No 658, and Eden Vale Camp, No 114), both in Westbury, so it seems quite possible that the hospital was built ahead of time by POWs, who probably resided on site during the construction period, though this is conjecture. The hospital was built for the most part of more permanent buildings than Nissen huts (very similar to those that made up RAF Crabtree / Warminster, and similar to those still found at Knook Camp, Knook, which dates from the a similar time. Nissen huts could be erected in hours as they came in a complete kit, and would be perfect for temporary prisoner accommodation.
It seems that the hospital staff got on with the estate. There is an account from the 216ths Chaplain that tells of him enjoying pheasant shooting on the estate, an activity that surely would only be sanctioned by the Marquis.
The 216th departed Longleat for a new site at Le Havre, France on 16th June 45, arriving on the 17th, six weeks after VE day. On VE day they reportedly partied with the residents on Horningsham common until the small hours of the morning. They later moved to Etretat, then Verdun, and lastly Bad Cannstatt, Germany on 6th August 1945.
Information about the hospital is thin, but according to Longleat records, it had accommodation for (whilst at Longleat) of 51 officers, 24 sergeants, 420 enlisted men, 96 nurses, 16 female civilians (total 607).

Once the hospital had moved out, I can find no records of the site being used until December 1945, when it became the base for the Royal Engineers, specifically the Survey Training Centre (STC), which trained surveyors for map making. There were four disciplines of instruction: geodesy with field survey; topography, cartography and photogrammetry; lithography; engineer survey/testing. Map compilation and graphical air survey were also further developed at Longleat.
In 1949 the STC was renamed the School of Military Survey, and transferred to Hermitage, Berkshire, and with their departure the hospital site fell into disuse until its demolition in the 1950s.
Today there are no buildings left from the American Hospital. All that does remain are a few random concrete pads, and the access road that leads from Knapps Gate to the Camel /Ankole/ Antelope housing, which originally formed the hospitals main access road.

The illustration shows the hospital layout, with the current road layout for the safari park overlaid.

[IMG]/community/148829=17720-Hospital with roads vip pic.jpg[/img]

P wrote:

Wimpole Park Hospital.
Open 1942-1945, situated just north of Bassingbourn airfield.
Main unit: 163rd General Hospital, US Army.
Current status: Parkland, all traces removed.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

Acton Place Hospital.
Open 194?-1945, situated just north of Sudbury airfield.
Main Unit: 136th Station Hospital, US Army.
Current status: Industrial estate, some buildings remain.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

Diddington Hall Hospital.
Open 1943-1945, situated just south of Brampton Grange (8AF 1AD HQ)
Main Units: 49th Station Hospital, US Army. 2nd Evacuation Hospital, US Army.
Current status: Parkland. Other than a few yards of roadway no trace remains.

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

More to come as I draw the sketch plans.

All the best,
PB

Paul,

Have you seen any reference to the WW2 hospital at Ross on Wye?

Thanks Ian

TommyUSA;20600 wrote:

Regarding the Acton hospital, the circled building in the image below seems to still be there. Any idea what it was or is now?

TommyU

This image is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

I believe this to be the guard house. my mother served here during WWII and has looked at this view and concluded that. She is also in touch with
someone who lives there so I could find out that way if you wanted. I am very interested in this Station Hospital because of my mothers history here.

Meldreth Train Station was the Hospital Train Reception for Wimpole Park Hospital. www.meldrethhistory.org.uk/page_id__449.aspx?path=0p4p24p110p
Behind the surviving Nissen huts was a brick built boiler structure, was this related to the Hospital Train Reception?
archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/vi...s.cfm?id=28190&det=y

cynde;155970 wrote:

I believe this to be the guard house. my mother served here during WWII and has looked at this view and concluded that. She is also in touch with
someone who lives there so I could find out that way if you wanted. I am very interested in this Station Hospital because of my mothers history here.

The building is 'Wally's Cafe', popular for its great value menu, especially the breakfasts!

the most recent Google images show building outlines in the park at Wimpole

Layout for 1000 bed hospital:



Courtesy of Fold3

Steve
I believe that there are two buildings still remaining from the American Hospital and both are within the Safari Park.
Tim