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The Royal Navy Hospital Mtarfa, also known as '' David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital'', is a former British naval hospital in
/ref> The new hospital was taken over by 30 Coy RAMC on 23 June 1920. The old Barrack Hospital at Mtarfa, adjacent to Q Block, became a Families' Hospital. The former Families' Hospital moved from Valletta in 1920. The Cottonera Hospital was shut. In 1941, the hospital took over its war role and changed its name to ''90 British General Hospital'' (90 BGH). It increased its beds from 200 to 2000 beds by taking over the whole of the infantry barracks for hospital wards, and the pitching of tented wards on the football pitch. 90 BGH reverted to 600 beds in late 1944. On 1 March 1951, the designation of the hospital changed to ''The David Bruce Military Hospital'', after the discoverer of the root cause of
The Royal Navy Hospital Mtarfa, also known as '' David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital'', is a former British naval hospital in Mtarfa
Mtarfa ( mt, L-Imtarfa) is a small town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 2,572 as of March 2014. It was considered to be a suburb of Rabat until 2000, when it became a separate local council.
History
A number of historic s ...
, Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It was run by the Royal Navy from 1962; prior to this it had been run by the Army as a British Military Hospital
British Military Hospitals were established and operated by the British Army, both at home and overseas during the 19th and 20th centuries, to treat service personnel (and others in certain circumstances). They varied in size, purpose and permane ...
. It closed in 1979.
History
On 6 January 1915, Sir Leslie Rundle, Governor and Commander-in-Chief Malta, laid the foundation stone of the new Central Services Hospital. The building was commenced on the assumption that funds would be released to build the ancillary buildings at a later stage. By April 1915, the construction of the main block of the hospital was in hand. By 31 March 1916, the sum of £17,950 had been spent, out of the provisional total of £55,000. It was opened in June 1920 with beds for 6 officers and 190 other ranks.Malta Regimental and Military Hospitals/ref> The new hospital was taken over by 30 Coy RAMC on 23 June 1920. The old Barrack Hospital at Mtarfa, adjacent to Q Block, became a Families' Hospital. The former Families' Hospital moved from Valletta in 1920. The Cottonera Hospital was shut. In 1941, the hospital took over its war role and changed its name to ''90 British General Hospital'' (90 BGH). It increased its beds from 200 to 2000 beds by taking over the whole of the infantry barracks for hospital wards, and the pitching of tented wards on the football pitch. 90 BGH reverted to 600 beds in late 1944. On 1 March 1951, the designation of the hospital changed to ''The David Bruce Military Hospital'', after the discoverer of the root cause of
brucellosis
Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever.
The ...
in 1887 (later traced to goats' milk in 1905 by Sir Themistocles Zammit). In October 1962, the David Bruce Military Hospital was handed over to the Royal Navy Medical Services
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
. After the closure of Royal Naval Hospital ''Bighi'', Mtarfa became the central services hospital. It was modified and re-opened as the David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital Mtarfa on 2 October 1970 and remained as the only military hospital in Malta until the Royal Navy departed in 1979. It was then converted to a state secondary school named after Sir Temi Zammit, part of St Nicholas College. The school closed and moved to new premises in 2015.
Present day
The site is now derelict but plans exist to re-open it as an international school. The hospital is listed on theNational Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mo ...
.
See also
* List of hospitals and hospital ships of the Royal NavyReferences
20th century in Malta Hospital buildings completed in 1920 Defunct hospitals in Malta Hospitals established in 1912 British military hospitals Mtarfa 1912 establishments in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Hospitals disestablished in 1979 1979 disestablishments in Malta {{Malta-struct-stub