In August 1915 before Oakwood Hall
opened soldiers were nursed at Doncaster Gate Hospital. The Joint War Committee gratefully
accepted a ward for that purpose with 20 beds on the 29 October. Wounded Belgian soldiers
were immediately sent there from the military based hospital in Sheffield.
All the soldiers were worn out from fighting, their wounds were not very serious and
they soon completely recovered and left the hospital. After a request from Colonel
Mitchell, Commanding the Reserve Battalion of the 5th York and Lancaster Regiment which
was training at Rotherham. Doncaster Gate Hospital offered the regiment 5 beds for
soldiers with general illnesses. An arrangement was also made for Red Cross nurses
(V.A.D.) to attend the sick soldiers. Gathering these nurses was the job of Miss Goodall,
who also ensured they attended the hospital to receive a certain amount of training in
case their services were ever required.
By the end of the year 15 wounded soldiers (mostly from the British Indian Army) were nursed at the hospital, almost all of them were suffering from severe frost bite which had affected their feet. This was due to the long occupation of the trenches in France and Belgium and all these cases recovered well. Any soldiers occupying Doncaster Gate Hospital were transferred to Oakwood Hall on its opening in 1916. A year later on the 26th October 1917 Moorgate's Military Auxiliary Hospital was opened, previously known as E Block at the workhouse hospital. On opening the new military ward had been completely boarded off from the rest of the hospital. The 240 bedded ward would treat soldiers and sailors who had served their king and country.
© Neil and Janet Croft 2005