BUILDINGS: OLD AND NEW USES
Before embarking on an account of the events of the1980s, I thought it might be useful at this stage to recapitulate on the varied changes of use that many of the wartime buildings went through, up to and including the early 1990s. This is by way of a summary; a sort of overview of the hospital's evolving 'anatomy'.
Building (1992 use) Earlier use 1943/44 use
Ambulance Control* Guard Quarters
Whole of OPD R side Officer's Mess
Part of OPD L side Officer's Kitchen
Doctors' Mess Officers' Club
Doctors' Quarters Senior Officers
Works Dept Offices Fire Station
Demolished Guard House
Site of Boiler House Boiler House Boiler House
Water Tower Water Tower
Site Support Services Dept of Medicine Linen & Pack Supply
Thoracic Surgery Offices Linen & Pack Supply
Stores Medical Supply
Main Kitchen Main Kitchen
Plumber's Shop Works Dept Store Patients' Baggage
Neuro X-ray Patients'Mess
Middle of Accident Centre site Personnel
Orthopaedic OPD CSSD Central Supplies
Pharmacy and part Path Lab Pharmacy and Path Lab
Haematology (part of) Medical Records Chapel
Social Workers' offices Major's Quarters
Wards 1-15 Wards 1-15^
Linen Store Ward 17
Sewing Room and Hairdresser Ward 18
Wards 16 and 17 Wards 19 and 20
W.R.V.S. Shop/Pain Clinic W.R.V.S. Shop Ward 21
Wards 18, 19, 20, 21 Wards 22, 23, 24, 25
General X-ray Ward 26
Wards 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Wards 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Ward 27 Ward 32
School School Ward 33: British Stores
Speech Therapy Ward 34
Oral Surgery General Theatres N Emergency ward
Before that Games Room
Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy Red Cross
Dept of Medicine Dept of Plastic Surgery Eyes & ENT
Demolished Med Illustration/Pain Dental
Clinic taking over from
Oral Surgery and Dental
General Theatres South Operating Room
(the only one)
Nissen Huts Stores: Dept Enlisted Mens' and
of Neuropath Junior Officers' Quarters
Nurses' Home across Enlisted Mens' Dining
rear of Postgrad. Centre
Nurses' Home at rear Enlisted Mens' Kitchen
corner Postgrad. Centre
PM Room Morgue
Supplies Dept (site of) Porters' rest room PX x 2 i.e. U.S. NAAFI
W.V.S. shop before that
CSSD (site of) Garages and Garage and water tank
Emergency water tank
Postgrad. Centre car park Tennis Court Motor Pool and British Stores
Blocks A and B (Doctors' rooms) Nurses' Quarters
Staff Canteen site Nurses' Mess
Demolished, but similar to Blocks A and B Nurses' Quarters
Block 95 (?96) (Nurses' rooms) V.D. Section+
Block 96 (?95) (Nurses' rooms) Enlisted Mens' Recreational Hall
Recreational Hall Theatre/cinema
Part of Social Club 1st Sergeant
* Demolished mid 1992 to make way for the improvements to the northern (Hambrook) entrance.
^ There was no apparent Ward 16.
+ In 1992 the building labelled 'V.D. Section' on the 1943/44 map mentioned earlier still had the word 'GYMNASIUM' painted over the door, on the lintel. This building, and the adjacent Block (Enlisted Mens' Rec. Hall), thus seem to have been mis-labelled on the map.
Note: During late 1990 to early 1992 many of the higher numbered wards ceased to be used for this purpose as their patients were transferred to the new hospital. They were either used as stores, or were given completely different functions, e.g. Ward 20 became Medical Physics.