2 NEW ZEALAND GENERAL HOSPITAL
Second New Zealand General Hospital, Walton-on-Thames, England
In December 2014 after a short walk from my daughter's home in Shepperton, and over the River Thames, I was at the gate pillars to the site of the Mount Felix mansion that during WW1 was the No 2 NZ General Hospital (2 NZGH), in Walton-on-Thames. In 1966 the mansion was destroyed by fire and today the area has residential houses and council flats. The sixth Walton bridge over the Thames was opened in July 2013.
This Mount Felix mansion, the fourth known building on that land by the River Thames, was used to billet British soldiers from October 1914 to May 1915. The New Zealand War Contingent Association moved in from June 1915, converted the main building for use as a military hospital and the first patients were casualties from the Gallipoli campaign. It was officially opened by the New Zealand High Commissioner and in early August 1915 King George V visited this hospital, with Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales, and spoke to every patient.
Later expansion was to the other side of the Walton bridge approach road, with five large wooden huts for extra wards. There was a pedestrian footbridge over the road to enable staff and patients to cross easily between the two sites. The Oatlands Park Hotel was also used by this hospital. Eventually 2 NZGH at Walton-on-Thames had 1900 beds and remained in operation until March 1920.
"New Zealand Avenue", on the Walton side of the bridge, was a new road to take the increasing bridge traffic away from the town centre, and was opened in November 1935. It starts close to the Mount Felix gate and was named in memory of the hospital at Mount Felix and the 27,000 soldiers who served or were treated there. The “Wellington Pub” on High Street is also named in memory of the kiwi soldiers.
Nearby in the Walton-on-Thames Homebase store carpark is one kowhai tree within a rectangular metal fence with a small memorial plaque:
This kowhai tree (Sophora tetraptera)
was given by the
New Zealand High Commission
in 1970
in recognition of the Walton & Weybridge
people's support for
New Zealand armed forces personnel
who were hospitalised or died here during
and after World War I
Re-dedicated 30th June 2003
commemoration of our ongoing association
Today the two gate pillars at the entrance survive as a reminder of the Mount Felix mansion and later 2 NZGH. The wrought iron gates and lanterns (on top of the gate pillars) were removed and sold to an American buyer.
New Zealand service personnel who died and are buried at Walton-on-Thames are remembered in St Mary's Church and churchyard, on Church Street. Within the church, where an annual service of remembrance is held, is a memorial plaque (since 1932) with 21 names listed under the heading:
1914-1918
in memory of
New Zealanders buried
at Walton-on-Thames
Within the extensive churchyard are two stone screen wall memorials, at the north entrance, listing details of 22 patients and staff at 2 NZGH who are remembered and buried in nearby plots. The gravesites of two men, McDiarmid and Ward, are unknown, as both were declared missing believed dead. Boyd who was a patient at 2 NZGH with a paraplegia from an injury in February 1917, was discharged in April 1918 to his mother’s home in Kingswood, Hampshire, and died in 1932; he was farming in NZ before enlisting. The one extra entry is for: 375430, Private, G D H SEARS, Essex Regiment, UK service, died 8 May 1919.
The following link is about a beautiful community tapestry which tells the story the ANZAC hospital at Mount Felix in Walton on Thames:
http://www.mountfelixtapestry.co.uk/
I have enlarged (with full names and NOK) the stone screen walls memorial list of the 21 whose service was for New Zealand with the banner heading:
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE
Miss Wilmot Annie BENNETT, VAD member, d 21 11 1918, age 32, from Masterton
10/2846, Private, Montrose Arthur BAKER, Wellington Regiment, d 12 10 1916, age 21, NOK in
Gisborne
3/306, Colonel, Charles Mackie BEGG CB CMG, DMS NZ Medical Corps, d 02 02 1919, age 39,
NOK in Dunedin
19109, Private, Frederick Robert BLACK, Wellington Regiment, d 05 04 1917, age 36, NOK in
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
22717, Rifleman, Roland George BLINKO, NZ Rifle Brigade, d 06 01 1917, age 31, NOK in
Hastings
13/2300, Private, John Lewis BOYD, Auckland Regiment, d 28 02 1932, age 47 in London, NOK
in Hampshire, England
9/903, Serjeant, John Brian DALTON, Otago Mounted Rifles, d 02 12 1915, age 35, NOK in
Hawera
4/2083, Sapper, Jack FLEMING, NZ Engineers, d 08 10 1916, age 39, NOK in Auckland
6/1848, Private, William FOX, Canterbury Regiment, d 26 10 1915, age 22, NOK in Queensland,
Australia
5/236, Driver, Alfred Henry HALL, NZ Army Service Corps, d 08 06 1916, age 32, NOK in
Wokingham, England
16/6, Private, Kingi HAMANA, NZ Maori Battalion, d 03 10 1916, age 22, NOK in Hawkes Bay
10/727, Corporal, Thomas Henry HUDSON, Wellington Regiment, d 18 05 1916, age 21, NOK
in Motueka
10/1890, Private, William Orr McDIARMID, Wellington Regiment, d 07 04 1916, age 26, NOK
in Edinburgh, Scotland
13/728, Corporal, Thomas Wallace PHILLIPS, Auckland Mounted Rifles, d 18 10 1915, age 20,
NOK in Waikato
8/787, Private, James Livingstone PORTER, Otago Regiment, d 26 10 1915, age 24, NOK in
Dunedin
11340, Private, William Henry RISHWORTH, Otago Regiment, d 04 11 1916, age 25, NOK in
Dunedin
23/1168, Rifleman, Edward ROUT, NZ Rifle Brigade, d 03 10 1916, age 22, NOK in Cumberland,
England
2/2714, Driver, William Henry RUSSELL, NZ Field Artillery, d 20 09 1916, age 40, son of
William and Jane Russell, Lower Hutt
16/1202, Private, TAURA, NZ Maori Battalion, d 07 01 1917, age 23, NOK in Rarotonga, Cook
Islands
16/779, Private, Raniera WAIRAU, NZ Maori Battalion, d 30 10 1916, age 21, NOK in Hawkes
Bay
3/71, Captain, Charles Kay WARD, NZ Dental Corps, d 18 01 1918, age 33, wife Mrs H R
Ward, Coromandel St, Wellington
References:
The history of Walton Bridge by Nick Pollard, 2013
Mt Felix, Walton-on-Thames by John Archer Stonebanks, 1978
Commonwealth War Graves Commission website www.cwgc.org
www.archway.archives.govt.nz Boyd, McDiarmid and Ward
http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2011/09/05/stories-from-the-first-world-war-soldiers
Photographs taken by the author Pendreigh Brown in December 2014
Wellington Branch, NZSG
IMAGES
1. Street sign
2. Kowhai tree in Homebase store car park
3. Gate pillars at entrance to 2 NZGH site
4. Screen wall memorials in St Mary’s cemetery—showing 2 stone screen wall memorials near the north entrance in Church Street, Walton-on-Thames
5. One screen wall memorial---with the names Bennett, Black, Dalton, Fleming, Fox, Hall, Hamana on the left and Hudson, Rout, Russell, Sears, Taura, Wairau on the right.
6. Second screen wall memorial---with the names Baker , Boyd, Begg, Blinko, McDiarmid on the left and Phillips, Porter, Rishworth, Ward on the right. 1 Feb 2015
Second New Zealand General Hospital, Walton-on-Thames, England
In December 2014 after a short walk from my daughter's home in Shepperton, and over the River Thames, I was at the gate pillars to the site of the Mount Felix mansion that during WW1 was the No 2 NZ General Hospital (2 NZGH), in Walton-on-Thames. In 1966 the mansion was destroyed by fire and today the area has residential houses and council flats. The sixth Walton bridge over the Thames was opened in July 2013.
This Mount Felix mansion, the fourth known building on that land by the River Thames, was used to billet British soldiers from October 1914 to May 1915. The New Zealand War Contingent Association moved in from June 1915, converted the main building for use as a military hospital and the first patients were casualties from the Gallipoli campaign. It was officially opened by the New Zealand High Commissioner and in early August 1915 King George V visited this hospital, with Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales, and spoke to every patient.
Later expansion was to the other side of the Walton bridge approach road, with five large wooden huts for extra wards. There was a pedestrian footbridge over the road to enable staff and patients to cross easily between the two sites. The Oatlands Park Hotel was also used by this hospital. Eventually 2 NZGH at Walton-on-Thames had 1900 beds and remained in operation until March 1920.
"New Zealand Avenue", on the Walton side of the bridge, was a new road to take the increasing bridge traffic away from the town centre, and was opened in November 1935. It starts close to the Mount Felix gate and was named in memory of the hospital at Mount Felix and the 27,000 soldiers who served or were treated there. The “Wellington Pub” on High Street is also named in memory of the kiwi soldiers.
Nearby in the Walton-on-Thames Homebase store carpark is one kowhai tree within a rectangular metal fence with a small memorial plaque:
This kowhai tree (Sophora tetraptera)
was given by the
New Zealand High Commission
in 1970
in recognition of the Walton & Weybridge
people's support for
New Zealand armed forces personnel
who were hospitalised or died here during
and after World War I
Re-dedicated 30th June 2003
commemoration of our ongoing association
Today the two gate pillars at the entrance survive as a reminder of the Mount Felix mansion and later 2 NZGH. The wrought iron gates and lanterns (on top of the gate pillars) were removed and sold to an American buyer.
New Zealand service personnel who died and are buried at Walton-on-Thames are remembered in St Mary's Church and churchyard, on Church Street. Within the church, where an annual service of remembrance is held, is a memorial plaque (since 1932) with 21 names listed under the heading:
1914-1918
in memory of
New Zealanders buried
at Walton-on-Thames
Within the extensive churchyard are two stone screen wall memorials, at the north entrance, listing details of 22 patients and staff at 2 NZGH who are remembered and buried in nearby plots. The gravesites of two men, McDiarmid and Ward, are unknown, as both were declared missing believed dead. Boyd who was a patient at 2 NZGH with a paraplegia from an injury in February 1917, was discharged in April 1918 to his mother’s home in Kingswood, Hampshire, and died in 1932; he was farming in NZ before enlisting. The one extra entry is for: 375430, Private, G D H SEARS, Essex Regiment, UK service, died 8 May 1919.
The following link is about a beautiful community tapestry which tells the story the ANZAC hospital at Mount Felix in Walton on Thames:
http://www.mountfelixtapestry.co.uk/
I have enlarged (with full names and NOK) the stone screen walls memorial list of the 21 whose service was for New Zealand with the banner heading:
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE
Miss Wilmot Annie BENNETT, VAD member, d 21 11 1918, age 32, from Masterton
10/2846, Private, Montrose Arthur BAKER, Wellington Regiment, d 12 10 1916, age 21, NOK in
Gisborne
3/306, Colonel, Charles Mackie BEGG CB CMG, DMS NZ Medical Corps, d 02 02 1919, age 39,
NOK in Dunedin
19109, Private, Frederick Robert BLACK, Wellington Regiment, d 05 04 1917, age 36, NOK in
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
22717, Rifleman, Roland George BLINKO, NZ Rifle Brigade, d 06 01 1917, age 31, NOK in
Hastings
13/2300, Private, John Lewis BOYD, Auckland Regiment, d 28 02 1932, age 47 in London, NOK
in Hampshire, England
9/903, Serjeant, John Brian DALTON, Otago Mounted Rifles, d 02 12 1915, age 35, NOK in
Hawera
4/2083, Sapper, Jack FLEMING, NZ Engineers, d 08 10 1916, age 39, NOK in Auckland
6/1848, Private, William FOX, Canterbury Regiment, d 26 10 1915, age 22, NOK in Queensland,
Australia
5/236, Driver, Alfred Henry HALL, NZ Army Service Corps, d 08 06 1916, age 32, NOK in
Wokingham, England
16/6, Private, Kingi HAMANA, NZ Maori Battalion, d 03 10 1916, age 22, NOK in Hawkes Bay
10/727, Corporal, Thomas Henry HUDSON, Wellington Regiment, d 18 05 1916, age 21, NOK
in Motueka
10/1890, Private, William Orr McDIARMID, Wellington Regiment, d 07 04 1916, age 26, NOK
in Edinburgh, Scotland
13/728, Corporal, Thomas Wallace PHILLIPS, Auckland Mounted Rifles, d 18 10 1915, age 20,
NOK in Waikato
8/787, Private, James Livingstone PORTER, Otago Regiment, d 26 10 1915, age 24, NOK in
Dunedin
11340, Private, William Henry RISHWORTH, Otago Regiment, d 04 11 1916, age 25, NOK in
Dunedin
23/1168, Rifleman, Edward ROUT, NZ Rifle Brigade, d 03 10 1916, age 22, NOK in Cumberland,
England
2/2714, Driver, William Henry RUSSELL, NZ Field Artillery, d 20 09 1916, age 40, son of
William and Jane Russell, Lower Hutt
16/1202, Private, TAURA, NZ Maori Battalion, d 07 01 1917, age 23, NOK in Rarotonga, Cook
Islands
16/779, Private, Raniera WAIRAU, NZ Maori Battalion, d 30 10 1916, age 21, NOK in Hawkes
Bay
3/71, Captain, Charles Kay WARD, NZ Dental Corps, d 18 01 1918, age 33, wife Mrs H R
Ward, Coromandel St, Wellington
References:
The history of Walton Bridge by Nick Pollard, 2013
Mt Felix, Walton-on-Thames by John Archer Stonebanks, 1978
Commonwealth War Graves Commission website www.cwgc.org
www.archway.archives.govt.nz Boyd, McDiarmid and Ward
http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2011/09/05/stories-from-the-first-world-war-soldiers
Photographs taken by the author Pendreigh Brown in December 2014
Wellington Branch, NZSG
IMAGES
1. Street sign
2. Kowhai tree in Homebase store car park
3. Gate pillars at entrance to 2 NZGH site
4. Screen wall memorials in St Mary’s cemetery—showing 2 stone screen wall memorials near the north entrance in Church Street, Walton-on-Thames
5. One screen wall memorial---with the names Bennett, Black, Dalton, Fleming, Fox, Hall, Hamana on the left and Hudson, Rout, Russell, Sears, Taura, Wairau on the right.
6. Second screen wall memorial---with the names Baker , Boyd, Begg, Blinko, McDiarmid on the left and Phillips, Porter, Rishworth, Ward on the right. 1 Feb 2015