Great War Centenary

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Voluntary Support

Auxiliary Hospitals

Over 3000 hospitals were established under the auspices of the Joint War Committee of the Red Cross and Order of St John's to take convalescing soldiers from the military hospitals. Staffing of these was mainly voluntary with support from the local communities to raise additional funding.



Approximately 1500 of the buildings used are known to survive ranging from stately homes, civic and public halls, vicarages and private houses. The article records over 650 of these.

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War Hospital Supply Depots

In the first year of the war supplies of bandages and other supplies were made or collected by a wide range of groups. In Devon the Ladies Linen Leagues associated with hospitals were in the forefront. Within a month of the declaration of war the Lady Mayoress of Exeter and her working party had supplied nearly 5000 items to the Linen League for Belgian refugees and soldiers at the front. The working party moved from the Guildhall to the vacant shop premises of the Domestic Bazaar Company next door.



With growing numbers of casualties the Central Work Rooms were established in 1915 in the Royal Academy's Burlington House in Piccadilly to co-ordinate the efforts of volunteer groups.






Work Parties gathered in rectories, public buildings and private houses to hand make bedclothes, gowns, nightshirts and bandages for hospitals. More than 2700 were registered with the Red Cross and Order of St John.

The War Hospital Supply Depot at 8 The Causeway in Horsham operated from 1915 to 1918 with volunteers able to work their own hours up to six hours per day and six days per week producing 335,169 articles including bandages, surgeons gowns, swabs, pneumonia jackets and pyjamas. Money was raised through appeals, exhibitions and fetes.

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