Video of Napsbury Hospital (Military & Mental Health)

Military

Some years ago I provided the above picture of first world war patients in Napsbury Military Hospital for a TV program - and I am not sure I ever saw the result. John, whose parents worked at Napsbury when it had reverted to it original role as a mental hospital, has drawn my attention to the fact that rge program is now available online on the Who do you think you are pages on Youtube - for Julian Clary. Part 2 of the video relates to Julian's grandfather working with planes in the First World War, followed by information relating to his grandfather's mental illness which resulted in his being a patient between 1936 and 1938. There are pictures of the hospital when it was a military hospital, when it was a mental hospital, and of some of the buildings after it had been closed.

[I have more information to post on Napsbury Hospital during the First World War which I will post when I have time.]

Tracking Down a WW1 Photographer in St Albans

Advert from Herts Advertiser, April 1907

Post Cards

WW1

In my search for information about how the First World War affected Hertfordshire I have come across several post cards showing wounded soldiers - apparently all taken at Napsbury Military Hospital - and embossed with the words "Ricardo Studios, London Road, St Albans." At last I have found some clues as to who the photographer might have been - as the result of finding a 1907 advert for the studios. It would seem that in about 1907 William Harold Cox moved from Luton and set up the Ricardo Studio in St Albans. However he returned to Luton and a Richard Catcheside seems to have been operating as a photographer from the same address, and apparently continuing to use the name "The Ricardo Studios."  Click on the pictures for full details of what has been discovered.

Wounded Soldiers at Napsbury Hospital - Picture from City of Vancouver Archives

We Will Remember Them

Next year we will all be remembering those who fought, and in some cases died, during the First World War. If you have any post cards with a definite link to the war in Hertfordshire why not let me know - so the people in the pictures can be remembered when we come to the anniversary of the outbreak of the war in August 1914.

Something to do over Christmas

Valerie's grandfather was in the London Scottish Regiment and she has kindly supplied a picture of some of the soldiers who were trained in Hertfordshire during the First World War, photographed by the Watford photographer, Harry Cull, who took so many photographs of troops training in the area. The negative number suggests that the picture was taken after the first line of the London Scottish went to France, and this picture may show new recruits of the second line. 

Such contributions to this web site can help to make it more useful to more people. So how can you help over the Christmas Holidays?

My current plans are to significantly increase my coverage of the First World War in time for the anniversary of the outbreak of war in August 1914. I would like to include one or more pictures of soldiers in each of the units who trained in Hertfordshire, and also of the military hospitals. and not just Napsbury, but some of the many smaller Military Hospitals based in large private houses, such as those at Boxmoor, Gustard Wood and Kings Walden. Pictures of camps such as Britons Camp and the one at Hitchin, and of military training will be included when I can get them.

If your ancestor was in the First World War and was trained in Hertfordshire, or was a member of the Hertfordshire Regiment, why not.over the Christmas holiday, look out any relevant photographs to add to the online Centenary collection I am preparing. Tell me what you have, and I will send you instructions for sending digital copies - and I may be able to tell you more about what he was doing or what the picture shows. Simple information, such as the address where he was billeted can be useful, while messages home on the back of post cards can be most helpful in revealing .

In addition, if you know of web sites or books which have World War 1 pictures of troops training in Hertfordshire tell me the URL or book details. The more information you can let me have the better we can celebrate what our ancestors did to protect this country in 1914-1918.