Nine hospital patients in Winter Garden, Quex Park
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Nine hospital patients in Winter Garden, Quex Park
Nine hospital patients sitting in the Winter Garden at Quex Park. The Winter Garden was a large conservatory which stood between the drawing room of Quex House and the buildings of the Powell-Cotton Museum, linking the two. During the First World War it served as the VAD Hospital Mess. The men are all wearing the hospital patients uniform of hospital blues, which was blue serge jacket and trousers. Several men are smoking cigarettes. Most of the men are wearing carpet slippers. These were made for VAD Hospitals by local War Supply Depots, for the men to use indoors. The Quex Park VAD Hospital opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. The hospital was run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment. The Commandant was Hannah Powell-Cotton (1881-1964), wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton (1866-1940) of Quex Park, founder of the Powell-Cotton Museum. Major Powell-Cotton was the VAD Transport Officer for the Isle of Thanet area, responsible for organising the transport of patients from the stations to the local hospitals. Date: circa 1916
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Media ID 14305216
© The Powell-Cotton Museum Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Blues Carpet Cigarettes Conservatory Cotton Depots First Hospitals Indoors Linking Mess Most Nine Opened Patients Powell Serge Served Several Slippers Stood Supply These Trousers Made
EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph, taken circa 1916, nine hospital patients are seen gathered in the tranquil surroundings of the Winter Garden at Quex Park. The Winter Garden, a grand conservatory that once linked Quex House and the Powell-Cotton Museum, provided a respite from the harsh realities of life at the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) Hospital. During the First World War, this beautiful glasshouse served as the hospital mess, a communal space where patients could socialize and find comfort. The men in the photograph are all dressed in hospital blues, a uniform consisting of a blue serge jacket and trousers, which were standard issue for VAD patients. Several of the men are engrossed in the simple pleasure of smoking cigarettes, their faces etched with the weariness of illness and injury. Most of the men are also wearing carpet slippers, which were specially made for VAD Hospitals by local War Supply Depots, allowing patients to move around the indoor spaces with ease and comfort. The Quex Park VAD Hospital opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. It was run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment, with Hannah Powell-Cotton, wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton, serving as the Commandant. Major Powell-Cotton, who was also the VAD Transport Officer for the Isle of Thanet area, played a crucial role in organizing the transport of patients from the stations to the local hospitals. This poignant image offers a glimpse into the daily life of the patients at the Quex Park VAD Hospital, a place where they could find solace and care amidst the chaos of war.
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