Medical dates:

Medical character:

At the outbreak of WW1 the Kent/42 and /92 Voluntary Aid Detachments (V.A.D.s) quickly established two hospitals near Gravesend -  in the Yacht Club and in the Parish Room at All Hallows, east of the town.  On 15th October 1914 the first patients arrived - wounded Belgian soldiers - and all available beds were filled.

The property of Mr John Russell, the long disused Rosherville Hotel on the west side of Lansdowne Square, was then requisitioned. (The Victorian Rosherville Gardens had finally closed in 1913 after a brief revival.)  Each of the hotel's many rooms was allocated to a volunteer, who was responsible for its furnishing.  In this way, the Hospital was made ready without any call being made on local or country funds.  

The Rosherville V.A.D. Hospital opened in November 1914 with 64 beds for enlisted men and, in its turn, was quickly filled.  The Hospital was affiliated with the Graylingwell War Hospital in Chichester.  It had a fully equipped operating theatre, a surgery for dressing wounds and a dispensary.

In 1917 the patient accommodation was increased to 126 beds and, in July, when Ingress Abbey became an annexe to the Hospital, it had a bed complement of 201.

The convalescent patients were entertained by the local population, who arranged regular whist drives and concerts.  In the summer, river trips were provided by the local pilots.

The Hospital closed on 31st January 1919.


Present status (June 2011)

After the war the Rosherville Hotel was converted into apartments.  

The 4-storey building was demolished in 1963 to make way for industrial development.