The No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital was a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

military hospital in

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

, England. The hospital opened in 1915 by requisitioning the essentially 15th century Mount Felix estate, a grand house with gardens, and closed in 1920. It was the first hospital in the United Kingdom used specifically for soldiers of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. In 1916 a new hospital was built in

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

, Hampshire, as the

No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital The № 1 New Zealand General Hospital (1NZGH) was a World War I military hospital in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, England. The hospital was established in June 1916, after moving from Abasseyeh in Egypt. It was operated by the Royal New Zealand Ar ...

, and Mount Felix was renamed as the number two hospital. Approximately 27,000 New Zealand soldiers were treated at the hospital during the war. The hospital was memorialised by the Mount Felix Tapestry which toured New Zealand in 2018 and the next year. The buildings were demolished in 1967 to leave the clock tower and stable block –

grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s – which is by far the most abundant category of statutory protection and recognition. The first matron of the hospital was

Mabel Thurston Mabel Thurston (22 July 1869 – 1960) was a notable New Zealand nurse, hospital matron and army nursing administrator. Early life She was born in Manea, Cambridgeshire, England on 22 July 1869 to Mary Ann (nee Green) and her husband, Freder ...

who later became matron-in-chief of the

New Zealand Army Nursing Service The New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) formally came into being in early 1915, when the Army Council in London accepted an offer of nurses to help in the war effort during the First World War from the New Zealand Government. The heavy losses ...

. '2 General Hospital' was a unit of the

New Zealand Medical Corps New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

. The unit was re-raised in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and served with the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

in Egypt, the Western Desert, Tunisia, and Italy. The unit is now called '2 (General Hospital) Field Hospital'.

Site

The site four decades before the requisitioning was drawn by government survey as shown. The gardens to north (river) and south and east (road) came with these buildings.

References

External links

The Mount Felix Tapestry homepage
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:New Zealand General Hospital, 2, No. Military units and formations of the New Zealand Army Military hospitals in the United Kingdom Army medical units and formations Defunct hospitals in England Hospitals disestablished in 1920 Hospitals established in 1915

Site

See also

References

Further reading

External links