Lost_Hospitals_of

On 1st March 1916 Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones opened an auxiliary hospital for convalescent officers in her house at 27 Berkeley Square. It was affiliated with Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital at Millbank and had 18 beds.

It was designated a Class A hospital and, exceptionally, it was one of the few that admitted officers directly from abroad instead of via a military hospital (the others were the Weir Hospital, the Gerstley-Hoare Hospital for Officers and the Hospital for Officers at 24 Park Street).

Mrs Salisbury-Jones was the Commandant and the nursing staff consisted of 2 trained nurses, and 12 full-time and 9 part-time members of a Voluntary Aid Detachment.

The War Office later requested that accommodation be increased; the Hospital then had 22 beds.

Mrs Asher, who lived at No. 30 Berekley Square, allowed the two nurses to lodge in her house for the duration of the war, and even lent her butler to work as an orderly at the Hospital.

In March 1918 the Hospital closed for three weeks for thorough cleaning.

The Hospital closed on 1st May 1919. Of the 496 patients who had been admitted, only one had died.

Present status (June 2010)

The Grade II listed building is now used as offices. It was bought in 2010 by a private Russian investor at a cost of £3,300 per square foot (a transaction apparently worth some £21m).

LOST HOSPITALS OF LONDON
	Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones' Hospital for Officers 27 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 6EL

	Medical dates: Medical character:	1916 - 1918 Convalescent (military)
	On 1st March 1916 Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones opened an auxiliary hospital for convalescent officers in her house at 27 Berkeley Square. It was affiliated with Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital at Millbank and had 18 beds. It was designated a Class A hospital and, exceptionally, it was one of the few that admitted officers directly from abroad instead of via a military hospital (the others were the Weir Hospital, the Gerstley-Hoare Hospital for Officers and the Hospital for Officers at 24 Park Street). Mrs Salisbury-Jones was the Commandant and the nursing staff consisted of 2 trained nurses, and 12 full-time and 9 part-time members of a Voluntary Aid Detachment. The War Office later requested that accommodation be increased; the Hospital then had 22 beds. Mrs Asher, who lived at No. 30 Berekley Square, allowed the two nurses to lodge in her house for the duration of the war, and even lent her butler to work as an orderly at the Hospital. In March 1918 the Hospital closed for three weeks for thorough cleaning. The Hospital closed on 1st May 1919. Of the 496 patients who had been admitted, only one had died. Present status (June 2010) The Grade II listed building is now used as offices. It was bought in 2010 by a private Russian investor at a cost of £3,300 per square foot (a transaction apparently worth some £21m).
	No. 27 Berkeley Square was built in 1821-1823. The main entrance. The plaque fixed on the front wall of the building is signed by Winston S. Churchill on behalf of the War Office and states: "During the Great War of 1914-1919 this building was established and maintained as a hospital for British sick and wounded. The Army Council in the name of the nation thank those who have rendered to it this valuable and patriotic assistance in the hour of its emergency and they desire also to express their deep appreciation of the whole-hearted attention which the staff of this hospital gave to the patients who were under their care. The war has once again called upon the devotion and self-sacrifice of British men and women and the nation will remember with pride and gratitude their willing and inestimable service. This certificate is presented by the Army Council as a permanent record of their thanks to be placed in the building which has been known and used as Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones Hospital for Officers, 27 Berkeley Square W.1. Hospital for British sick and wounded during the Great War 1914-1919." (Although an armistice ended the major hostilities of the war on 11th November 1918, its official ending was on 28th June 1919, with the signing of a peace treaty - the Treaty of Versailles.)
	References (Author unstated) 1917 List of the various hospitals treating miltary cases in the United Kingdom. London, H.M.S.O. (Author unstated) 1925 The British Red Cross Society. County of London Branch Annual Reports 1914-1924. London, Harrison & Sons. www.flickr.com www.michaelelliott.co.uk
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