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Photograph of three VAD patients
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Photograph of three VAD patients
Photograph of three VAD patients at Quex Park VAD Hospital. The man on the right is Artieme Mettrie who was a patient at the hospital between 14th November 1914 and 13th May 1915. He had had a finger amputated; a dressing can be seen on his left hand in the photograph. He is dressed in civilian clothes, as is the man on the left who may also be a Belgian patient. The man in the middle, whose left leg has been amputated, is dressing in Hospital Blues the hospital uniform worn by Imperial Army (so British, Canadian, Australian) patients. The men are standing near the Winter Garden at Quex Park. This was used as the Hospitals Mess. The Quex Park VAD Hospital opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. The hospital was run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment. The Commandant was Hannah Powell-Cotton (1881-1964), wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton (1866-1940) of Quex Park, founder of the Powell-Cotton Museum. Date: 1915
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Media ID 14305150
© The Powell-Cotton Museum Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Amputated Australian Belgian Blues Civilian Closed Dressed Dressing Finger Hospitals Mess Opened Patient Patients Photograph Worn January
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures the daily life of three veterans of the First World War at Quex Park VAD Hospital in 1915. The man on the right, identified as Artieme Mettrie, is a Belgian patient who had undergone a finger amputation and is dressed in civilian clothes. The man on the left, also believed to be a Belgian patient, is similarly attired. In contrast, the man in the middle, with a dressing on his left leg indicating an amputation, wears the Hospital Blues uniform, signifying that he was a patient of the Imperial Army, likely British, Canadian, or Australian. Quex Park VAD Hospital, run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment, opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. The Commandant was Hannah Powell-Cotton, wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton of Quex Park, who founded the Powell-Cotton Museum. The men in this photograph are standing near the Winter Garden, which served as the Hospital Mess. The photograph offers a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during the war, with the men's injuries and their shared experience of recovery in this makeshift hospital setting. The Winter Garden, with its lush foliage and sunlit atmosphere, offers a brief respite from the harsh realities of their wartime existence.
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