Weddington Castle
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PICTURE GALLERY 2: Weddington Castle as a Red Cross Hospital

In March 1916 one Edward Melly secured the lease of Weddington Castle in order to establish a Red Cross Hospital for wounded soldiers in the building. This was managed under the auspices of the Commandant, an extraordinary lady, named Margaret Fowler. Rooms on the first floor were converted into hospital wards and named after local industrial companies who contributed to their upkeep: “Griff”, “Arley”, “Hall and Phillips”, “Birch Coppice”, “Haunchwood” and “Stanleys” were names painted onto the doors of each ward. These images show soldiers and nurses at the Castle during the First World War and give a unique glimpse of the Castle's interior. You can read more about the Castle as a Red Cross Hospital at this link. 

A feature of these pictures is Mrs Maitland's little dog who is photographed in many of the shots.

Members of the British Red Cross and the Order of St John were organised into Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs). The term ‘VAD’ was used for an individual member as well as a detachment. All members were trained in first aid and some trained in nursing, cookery, hygiene and sanitation. The majority of female VADs volunteered as nurses, trained by the Red Cross. 

You can click on this link to see the VAD cards of several nurses who volunteered at Weddington, giving details of their address, dates of service and duties - note a Mrs Shawe from the Grove is amongst these.

​Hover your mouse over the thumbnails below to see a description of each picture and click to see a larger image.
Soldiers and nurses outside Weddington Castle **
A hospital ward in Weddington Castle **
A hospital ward in Weddington Castle **
A hospital ward in Weddington Castle **
Nurses in the kitchen as Weddington Castle **
Nuneaton & Hartshill Red Cross detachments who staffed Weddington Hall Hospital (c.1917) These include Mrs Bowman, Mrs Mander, Mrs Wilson and Annie Baxter. Benefactor Edward Melly is on the far right
Patients and nurses at the Red Cross Hospital
Drawing from the Red Cross Hospital - possibly from a programme for the 'Pierrots' show **
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Patients and nurses at the Red Cross Hospital ***
Production of 'Pierrots' at Weddington Hall on 17/07/1917. At the time this was a WW1 Red Cross Hospital. Patient William Moore is pictured sitting, second from left *
Soldiers dressed up for 'Pierrots' play with Red Cross nurses **
Red Cross nurses dressed up for a pageant at the Hospital **
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A rare glimpse of the estate's boating lake (located where Sandon Fields now are)**
Patients and nurses at the Red Cross Hospital ***
The local hunt at the Castle in the 1910s
William Harold Moore, a World War One soldier and patient at Weddington Hall Red Cross Hospital in 1917 *
1918 portrait of soldier at the Hospital **
Mrs Fowler, centre, 2nd row, Weddington Hall VAD Hospital **
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A re-touched coloured photo of wounded soldiers convalescing at the WW1 Red Cross Hospital at Weddington in the picturesque grounds of the Hall. One of the soldiers is nursing Mrs. Fowler's dog. Margaret Mary Maitland Fowler (1881-1957) was the Commandant and a keen theatrical, and took every opportunity of cheering her boys up by putting on shows and getting them to take part. The nurses and Mrs. Fowler ran up a wide variety of costumes as well**
Mrs. Fowler arranged an impressive variety of theatrical costumes for her boys.**
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Mrs Fowler, the Red Cross Hospital Commandant **
Birthday wishes present to Mrs Fowler from 'Griff Ward' soldiers 1917 **
Mrs Fowler and soldiers**
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Soldiers and nurses outside Weddington Castle
Two nurses (and dog!) at the Hospital **
Two soldiers at the Hospital **
Dr Edward Nason (1860 - 1940) Dr Nason was head doctor at the Castle whilst it was a Red Cross Hospital. There is a ward named after his family at the current George Eliot Hospital
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Weddington Hall Red Cross Hospital soldiers enjoy a soiree presumably in one of the Hall's main rooms.**/***
Life in the trenches re-enacted at Weddington in 1916. Mrs. Fowler the Commandant at Weddington Hall kept three albums of photos of her days in charge at the VAD hospital there and persuaded the recovering troops to stage various theatricals and set piece scenarios for the camera. In this case she has had the men re-create what trench life was like in the magnificent parkland surrounding the Hall whose gardens can be seen extending away into the distance.**/***
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St Johns Ambulance Brigade Nurses at Weddngton Castle 1916
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Soldiers and nurses at the hospital .**/***
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
**** Kathleen McGale
Weddington soldiers' tribute to Mrs Fowler 1918 **
Mabel Rosina Taylor, a Red Cross volunteer at the Hospital who later married a soldier-patient there, Harold Draper ****
A very young Harold Draper after signing up to the Leicestershire Regiment, he was later injured and sent to the Red Cross Hospital, where he met nurse Mabel ****
Harold Draper after recovery, having joined a new regiment ****
The marriage of Mabel Taylor to Harold Draper in 1923. Mabel (May) was a former volunteer nurse at Weddington Red Cross Hospital ****
In 2016 a street in a new Weddington housing development was named in honour of the hospital (pic by Lily Jones)
* ​Photos provided by Thomas Peeke in 2013, featuring his Great Grandfather, William Moore, then aged 27. 

​** Courtesy Mr. P. Chater/Nuneaton Local History Group,
www.nuneatonhistory.co.uk

​*** Courtesy Peter Lee/Nuneaton Local History Group, www.nuneatonhistory.co.uk

​**** Courtesy Kathleen McGale. Drawing from an autograph book kept by her aunt containing letters, poems and drawings by soldiers at both Arbury and Weddington Red Cross Hospital: "The book was owned by my mums oldest sister, who was the eldest in a family of seven children. Her name was Mabel Rosina Taylor of Arbury Road born 1897. She was about 18 when she started the book in 1916 and she was obviously a Red Cross nursing volunteer First at Arbury Estate army hospital and later at Weddington Hall hospital. Her day job was a milliner at a shop called Coleys which sold hats and was in Newdegate Street... My mum never mentioned this but she was much younger born June 1911 . My aunty must have volunteered with the Red Cross on weekends or evenings or Thursday afternoons as that was always half day closing in town. She married Harold Draper in 1923 and they went to live in Hinckley. He worked in the offices at Sketchley Dye Works."

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There is a photograph of the Wedding above, as well as a sketch and poem by Private Draper of the Army Ordnance Corps, made in 1918 whilst at Weddington Hosital.
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