The No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital was a
World War I military hospital in
Walton-on-Thames, 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, 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 ...
, 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 buildings – which is by far the most abundant category of statutory protection and recognition.
The first matron of the hospital was
Mabel Thurston who later became matron-in-chief of the
New Zealand Army Nursing Service.
'2 General Hospital' was a unit of the
New Zealand Medical Corps. The unit was re-raised in
World War II 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.
See also
*
Henry Percy Pickerill, a dental surgeon posted to the hospital
*
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 ...
References
Further reading
Remembering the New Zealanders in Walton-on-Thames New Zealand Women's Association and New Zealand High Commission, London.
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