A Chelsea Pensioner, or In-Pensioner, is a resident at the
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an ...
, a
retirement home
A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple i ...
and nursing home for former members of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
located in
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area.
Chelsea histori ...
. The Royal Hospital Chelsea is home to 300 retired British soldiers, male and female (the latter since 2009), and is located on
Royal Hospital Road
Royal Hospital Road is a street in Chelsea, London, England. It runs between Chelsea Embankment on the north bank of the River Thames to the southwest and a junction with Lower Sloane Street, Pimlico Road and Chelsea Bridge Road to the northeas ...
. Historically, the term "Chelsea Pensioner" applied more widely, referring to both In-Pensioners and Out-Pensioners who live elsewhere.
In- and Out-Pensioners
![William Hiseland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/William_Hiseland.jpg)
The Royal Hospital was founded by
King Charles II in 1682 as a retreat for veterans.
[Guidebook, p. 3] The provision of a hostel rather than the payment of pensions was inspired by
Les Invalides
The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...
in Paris.
[
During the reign of ]King William III
William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...
and Queen Mary II
Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.
Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...
, the Royal Hospital was still under construction so they introduced a system for distribution of army pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
s in 1689. The pension was to be made available to all former soldiers who had been injured in service, or who had served for more than 20 years.
By the time the Royal Hospital was completed, there were more pensioners than places available in the Royal Hospital. Eligible ex-soldiers who could not be housed in the Hospital were termed ''Out-Pensioners'', receiving their pension from the Royal Hospital but living outside it. ''In-Pensioners'', by contrast, surrender their army pension and live within the Royal Hospital. A number of veterans were incorporated into the Corps of Invalids from 1688 to 1802, receiving the equivalent of the out-pension in exchange for performing garrison duty.
In 1703 there were 51 Out-Pensioners. By 1815 this had risen to 36,757. The Royal Hospital remained responsible for distributing army pensions until 1955, following which the phrase "Out-Pensioner" became less common, and "Chelsea Pensioner" was used largely to refer to "In-Pensioners".
Conditions for admission as a Pensioner
To be eligible for admission as a Chelsea Pensioner a candidate must be a former soldier or non-commissioned officer of the British Army (including National Service) or a former officer of the British Army who served in the ranks or was awarded a disablement pension while serving in the ranks. They must be of pensionable age, be able to live independently on arrival at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and be free of any financial obligation to support a spouse or family.
Life of In-Pensioners
Applicants for the Royal Hospital Chelsea (RHC) are invited for a four-day stay during which they get a taste of what life is like for a Chelsea Pensioner. If they enjoy their stay and it is felt that they will fit in they are invited to become a Chelsea Pensioner. Upon arrival at the Royal Hospital, each In-Pensioner is measured up for their Blues (day-to-day uniform) and Scarlets (the famous uniform that they wear on parade). They are given their own room, or "berth" in a ward, and are allocated to a Company. Up until refurbishment works carried out in the 1950s, these rooms measured 6 × 6 feet. Work completed in 2015 has ensured that all In-Pensioner berths include en suite facilities, a writing desk, and natural light.
On entry, In-Pensioners surrender their army pension, in return receiving board, lodging, clothing and full medical care.[
In-Pensioners also have their own club with a bar, lounges and restaurant; there are allotments for those who enjoy gardening and facilities for ]lawn bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
. If an In-Pensioner becomes unwell they are moved into the Infirmary, which is a care home with nursing and a G.P. medical centre. The Royal Hospital Burial Ground is at Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...
in Surrey.
The Chelsea Pensioners were among the first to be included in the UK's rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, having received their first dose on 23 December 2020.
Admission of women
Until 2009, only male candidates were admitted. It was announced in 2007 that female ex-service personnel would be admitted on the completion of modernisation of the long wards. In March 2009 the first women in the Hospital's 317-year history were admitted as In-Pensioners: Dorothy Hughes (aged 85) and Winifred Phillips (aged 82).
Winifred Phillips (1926–2016) trained as a nurse and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service
The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...
in 1948 and enlisted in the Women's Royal Army Corps
The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992, except medical, dental and veterinary officers and cha ...
in 1949 while serving in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. For the next 22 years she served in Singapore, Cyprus and Egypt reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...
. She wrote two books about becoming one of the first female Chelsea Pensioners: ''My Journey to Becoming the First Lady Chelsea Pensioner'' (2010), and ''Mum's Army: Love and Adventure from the NAAFI to Civvy Street'' (2013). She never married.
Dorothy Hughes joined the British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in 1941, later working as part of 450 Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery in the London Division. In 1945 the Battery was deployed near Dover to defend against V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...
attacks. She later worked with the Army Operational Research Group developing fuses in shells used against V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed ...
s and was discharged from the Army in 1946 with the rank of Sergeant.
The records at Royal Hospital show that another woman, Christian Davies, was admitted to Chelsea Hospital circa 1717, and was awarded a pension for her service in the army and the wounds she received in the service of Queen Anne. She died in 1739 and was buried in the Royal Hospital Chelsea with full military honours.
Clothing
Chelsea Pensioners are entitled to come and go from the Royal Hospital as they please, and are permitted to wear civilian clothing wherever they travel. However, within the Hospital, and in the surrounding area, they are encouraged to wear a blue uniform. If they travel further from the Royal Hospital, they should wear the distinctive scarlet coats instead of the blue uniform. The scarlet coats are also worn for ceremonial occasions, accompanied by tricorne
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, hats of this general style were refer ...
hats. At other times a peaked hat, known as a shako
A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...
, is generally worn.
In uniform, the pensioners wear their medal ribbons and the insignia of the rank they reached while serving in the armed forces. They may also wear other insignia they earned during their service and this has included parachute jump wings
A parachutist badge (or parachutist brevet) is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was th ...
and SAS jump wings.
Memorials and burial sites
Several cemeteries have memorials to and graves of Chelsea Pensioners. Burials were initially at Old Burial Ground, Royal Hospital Chelsea and then Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...
, where the Chelsea Pensioners' Monument was erected in 1901. Since 1893, burials have taken place at Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...
in Surrey where the care of the graves was transferred in 1961 to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
.
''Men In Scarlet'' album
Seven Chelsea Pensioners at the Royal Hospital Chelsea released an album on 8 November 2010 in order to raise money for the Chelsea Pensioners' Appeal. Featuring Dame Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...
, Katherine Jenkins, The Soldiers
The Soldiers is a singing trio consisting of serving British Army soldiers, whose debut album, ''Coming Home'', was released on 26 October 2009, and who have since continued their singing career whilst remaining full-time army personnel. Signe ...
and Janey Cutler, the album is full of well known wartime songs and includes their traditional march, "The Old Brigade ''For the Irish Republican song see The Boys of the Old Brigade''
The Old Brigade is a slow march composed in 1881 with music by Irishman Edward Slater, and words by Frederic Weatherly. It was popularised by a recording of 1926 by Peter Dawson. ...
".
Chelsea Football Club
Nearby Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. ...
has been affiliated with the Chelsea Pensioners for many years; the club's first nickname was the ''Pensioners'' and until the 1950s the club crest featured a Chelsea pensioner. Residents of the Hospital can be seen attending Chelsea's home games at Stamford Bridge.
When Chelsea won the Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
title in 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, Chelsea Pensioners formed a guard of honour
A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...
as the players and management came out for the trophy presentation. This was repeated when Chelsea won the title in 2010. In tribute to the trademark scarlet coats worn by the pensioners, Chelsea's kit for the 2010–11 season featured a red trim on the collars.
See also
* ''Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch
''The Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch'', originally entitled ''Chelsea Pensioners Receiving the London Gazette Extraordinary of Thursday, June 22, 1815, Announcing the Battle of Waterloo'', is an oil painting by David Wilkie (ar ...
''
References
External links
Chelsea Pensioners Website
Selected service records of Chelsea pensioners available from the UK National Archives' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelsea Pensioner
1682 establishments in England
British Army
British ceremonial units
Chelsea, London
Retirement in the United Kingdom
Veterans' affairs in the United Kingdom
*