The Seafarers Hospital Society, formerly the Seamen's Hospital Society, is a

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

for people currently or previously employed by the

British Merchant Navy The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensi ...

and fishing fleets, and their families. It was established in 1821.

Current activities

The Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital continues to the present day under the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

as the 'Dreadnought Unit' at

St Thomas's Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospit ...

and the dedicated Hospital for Tropical Diseases, part of the

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...

s London

NHS Trust An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...

. The society currently part-funds the ''Seafarers' Advice and Information Line'', a national advice service operated by the Greenwich

Citizens Advice Bureau Citizens AdviceCitizens Advice is the operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, which is the umbrella charity for a wider network of local advice centres. The abbreviation CitA is sometimes used to refer to this natio ...

. In addition it provides funds to nursing and residential care units for seafarers, and helps those in need by providing hardship grants.UK Statutory Instrument
1999 No. 73
- "The Charities (Seamen's Hospital Society) Order 1999". An order amending the Seaman's Hospital Society Act 1833, removing impractical or anachronistic measures and extending benefits to seawomen as well as seamen.

Foundation

The first meeting of the society's committee of management was on 8 March 1821 and they initially provided the Seaman's Infirmary

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

using the ex-naval HMS ''Grampus'' at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

in October 1821. Founding members of the management committee included Thomas Sturge,

Zachary Macaulay Zachary Macaulay (; 2 May 1768 – 13 May 1838) was a Scottish statistician and abolitionist who was a founder of London University and of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and a Governor of British Sierra Leone. Early life Macaulay wa ...

and Captain William Young.

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...

was one of the many vice presidents, and the patron was the king himself.

19th century

It relocated twice to other ex-naval ships; 1831 to 1857 HMS ''Dreadnought'' and then 1857 to 1870 HMS ''Caledonia'' (renamed ''Dreadnought''). In June 1866, the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

lent to the society to enable them to treat

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

patients in London. Following the closure of the Royal Naval Hospital at the site of the Royal Greenwich Hospital in 1869, the society was granted the lease in 1870 and on transferring became known as the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital, after its last floating home. Thus the Greenwich Hospital switched from the care of ex-members of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

to those of the Merchant Navy. Meanwhile, the ''Dreadnought'' remained in use as isolation accommodation until 1872. The

Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital The Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital was a hospital provided by the Seamen's Hospital Society for the care of ex-members of the Merchant navy, the fishing fleets and their dependents. It was opened in 1890 as a branch of the Dreadnought Seamen's ...

was opened in 1890 as a branch of the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich. The

London School of Tropical Medicine London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

was established here in October 1899, by Sir

Patrick Manson Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology, and was a founder of the field of tropical medicine. He graduated from the University of Aberdeen with degrees in Ma ...

, and remained there until moving to Euston in February 1920.Archives in London and the M25 area
AIM25Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital
/ref>

20th century

In 1919 the dedicated Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) was set up by the Seamen's Hospital Society in the Endsleigh Palace Hotel, 25 Gordon Street (near

Euston Square Euston Square is a large square in the London Borough of Camden in Central London. It lies on Euston Road, and Euston railway station and Euston bus station are on its northernmost side. Although “Euston Square” strictly refers to the squ ...

in central London). This was evacuated at the start of the Second World War back to the Dreadnought Hospital in Greenwich. The HTD moved temporarily to 23 Devonshire Street in 1947, before being reestablished under the newly formed NHS in 1951 at the site of the

St Pancras Hospital St Pancras Hospital is part of the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust in St Pancras area of Central London, near Camden Town. The hospital specialises in geriatric and psychiatric medicine. History The hospital was established as the i ...

in Camden. The HTD moved again in 1998 to new purpose-built premises within part of the

s London

. Meanwhile, the in-patient Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital continued at Greenwich until its closure in 1986, with special services for seamen and their families then provided by the 'Dreadnought Unit' at

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

. This originally consisted of two 28-bed 'Dreadnought wards', but nowadays Dreadnought patients are treated according to clinical need and so are placed in the ward most suitable for their medical condition. Since the formation of the NHS, the Dreadnought Hospital/Unit has been funded by central government with money separate from other NHS trust funds.

21st century

The former hospital building is now being redeveloped to become a new Students' Union & study space as part of the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along wi ...

Notable staff

* Christina Graham Knight (1862-1959),

Matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in a hospital in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person in charge ...

, 1898-1919.Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022) Knight trained at

The London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and spe ...

under

Eva Luckes Eva Charlotte Ellis Luckes (8 July 1854 – 16 February 1919) was matron of the London Hospital from 1880 to 1919. Early life Eva Charlotte Ellis Luckes (she spelled her name Lückes with the umlaut until World War I)Rogers, Sarah (2022). ...

between 1891 and 1893. Knight became sister at the Seamen's Hospital,

Royal Albert Dock Albert Dock may refer to: * Albert Dock, Hull, in Kingston upon Hull, England *Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool The Royal Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwi ...

, Greenwich in 1896, and was promoted to matron in 1898.

References

External links

Seafarers Hospital Society

Seafarers' Advice & Information Line
{{Authority control Cultural and educational buildings in London Health in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Health in the London Borough of Lambeth Health in the London Borough of Camden Transport on the River Thames University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Health charities in the United Kingdom 1821 establishments in the United Kingdom British Merchant Navy Port of London Seafarers' Welfare Organizations