vad hospital stockport

[rayharris185]

I have a photograph of my grandfather + other patients and staff taken when he was injured in WW1. On the reverse it states that it was taken at VAD Stockport.
Has anyone any idea of where the records for this period may be held as he was very reluctant to talk about WW1. I believe he was injured at Ypres and was discharged from the hospital to the Labour Corps which shows up on his medal record.
Thanks
Ray Harris

[mshrmh]

Hi Ray - I can only suggest contacting Stockport's Local Heritage Library, for general information on the hospital.
http://www.stockport.gov.uk/contacts/localheritagelib

[rayharris185]

Hi mshrmh
Thanks for that I'll give it a try - I've contacted the welcome trust but they can't help
Ray

[Mair]

Voluntary Aid Detatchment

See this thread on another forum - oohh la la!

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49807


I will see if I can find out anything else but take a while. 

Mair

[Barbara.H]

The VAD hospital might have been in the Heaton Chapel Reform Club on Heaton Moor Road:

http://www.stockport1914-1918.co.uk/othermemorials.php

Sorry if this duplicates the info in Mair's link, but my puter isn't loading that one at the moment - maybe loads of other rootschatters have rushed off to check it at the same time 

  Barbara

[rayharris185]

Hi Mair

Thanks for your interest. Like many others I have a postcard which like others has the name of the hospital on the reverse.
My grandfather had a bullet lodged in his lung from Ypres (I think) which was never removed and he still lived to 90 and smoked his pipe to the end. He was also still riding a bicycle at 80.

Thanks again
Ray

[rayharris185]

Hi Barbara

The link, from what I can see, deals mainly with Stockport men.
My grandfather was in the Dorsetshire Regiment - why he was sent to Stockport is one of things that baffle me, unless it was the severity of the injury.

Thanks for the help
Ray

[Mair]

Those more expert on here may be able to deny or verify the following

I have been in touch with my now "mature" contact (MOTHER!) from Stockport and asks that the following be considered.

She knows nothing of anything known as the old VAD hospital.  However she thought of two possible candidates

1. The old isolation hospital on Cherry Tree Lane  (the bit that runs between A6 and Dialstone lane)  it would now appear to be Cherry tree Hospital.  ( in the 30's it was considered to be the isolation hospital for the town)

2. St Thomas's on Shaw Heath - apparently used as a "convalescent" type of hospital in the past and those in Edgeley knew it Mum says as a main hospital to go to if recovering.

My mother thinks that it was possible that a few old schools were converted to take those convalescing after WW1 ( obviously before her time)  from the tales she used to hear but nothing definite about one particular place. 

If the above means anything to any of the chatters here - feel free to dive in and dispell or prove the rumour.!

Mair

[Barbara.H]

I had a look on the RCN archives but could not see anything (searched on VAD + Stockport)  although I did see Shaw Heath mentioned generally in the 1914-18 period)

This site gives Brinnington as a Stockport location for neurological cases in WW1:
http://www.1914-1918.net/hospitals_uk.htm

but it does say the list is not complete. The VAD hospitals were presumably additional to the main military ones. but if hospitals with perticular specialisms were dotted around the country, it might explain why a Dorset man ended up in Cheshire.

  Barbara