Additional units

The Irish Hospital was offered to the Central Committee of the British Red Cross, in Dec 99, by Lord Iveagh, who offered to pay for equipping the hospital for service in South Africa.  He proposed that ‘it should be as far as possible a mobile unit and that the management should be left to whatever civilian medical gentleman he should select'.  The hospital was established on 28 Dec 1899, and the first personnel and equipment sailed for the Cape in Feb 00. On arrival at Cape Town the staff went into camp at Green Point and then moved by rail to Naauwport, arriving there on 10 Mar.  The following day two surgeons, two dressers and eighteen orderlies, with stores, were sent by rail to De Aar.  The rest of the unit, being under orders to move to Bloemfontein, were unable to operate at Naauwport. The final move was made between 10th and 12th Apr and the De Aar detachment joined the main body on 21 Apr at Bloemfontein.

On 10 May 1900 a section under Sir William Thomson marched out to join Lord Roberts’ force at Kroonstadt, were attached to the 11th Division on the advance which commenced on 22 May, and reached Pretoria on 6 Jun. On 14 Jun the Irish Hospital commenced operations in the Palace of Justice and by 19 June had had 93 admissions. The original capacity of 100 beds was soon extended to 250 beds and by 10 July there were 500 beds, the staff being supplemented by military personnel. No patients were admitted after 30 September 1900 and the unit left South Africa on 15 October, passing its remaining 180 patients to the RAMC.

The medal roll for the Irish Hospital lists 67 members entitled to the medal.  Also included in the roll are three members of the RAMC and 25 Nursing Sisters of the Army Nursing Service Reserve.

QSA (3) CC OFS Tr (Clerk T W Harris. Irish Hospital).  City Coins Sep 03

QSA (3) CC OFS Joh (Servt W Wisking, Irish Hospital). Only 4 servants on the roll.  Kaplan Jul 05

QSA (5) CC OFS Tr 01 02 (Dvr T Moore. Irish Hospital)  Later served with SAC.  Last two bars loose. £335.00.  Burman Dec 01.

QSA (3) CC OFS Tr (Dvr T  Nolan Irish Hospital).  City Coins Dec 05.

QSA (2) CC OFS (Whrmn. J Hamilton, Irish Hospital).  DNW Sep 03.  £430.

CB (civil) b/b gold HM 1877.  1897 Jubilee (From the Queen to Sir Wm. Thomson, President RCSI 1897), 1902 Coronation, QSA (3) CC OFS Joh (Sir W Thomson CB).  RCSI = Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.  DNW Sep 98 £1,500.

QSA (2) CC OFS (Dvr P J Murphy, Irish Hospital).  DNW Sep 98 £160.

QSA (0) (Nurs Sis H J Henderson, Irish Hospital), KSA (0) (Nursing Sister).  DNW Sep 98 £460.

The Scottish National Red Cross Hospital was organised in the first instance by the St Andrew’s Association and was funded by voluntary donations. The organisation of the hospital commenced in January 1900, the personnel eventually consisting of an officer in charge, 18 civil medical officers, 1 Quartermaster, 1 Warrant Officer, 2 secretaries, 35 nursing sisters of the Army Nursing Service Reserve, 45 first-class orderlies, all of whom were medical students, and 57 second-class orderlies, making a total of 160.

The first section arrived at Cape Town on 13 May 1900, and the hospital was opened for patients on 4 June, at Kroonstadt. Previous to that time however, the hospital staff had been employed on duty in the military hospitals at Bloemfontein and Kroonstadt. It remained during the whole period at Kroonstadt, and its equipment was handed over to the Government, when it ceased to exist as a private hospital, on 14 October 1900.

QSA (2) CC OFS (Ord. J. Thomson. Scottish Hos.)  City Coins Sep 03.

QSA (2) CC OFS (Surg. G Graves. Scottish Hospital).  Kaplan May 03

Afghan (0) (6994 Gunr W Patterson, H/1st Bde. R.A.); Egypt (1) Tel-El-Kebir (14876 Gunr, H/1st Bde. R.A.); QSA (2) CC OFS (Ord., Scottish Hos.); Khedive’s Star 1882.  DNW Apr 04 £460.

QSA (1) CC (R Lowe, Scottish Hosp).  DNW Sep 03 £370.