Hello Stan The various VAD Hospitals in Sunderland were not run by the Ministry of Pensions. During the war they were administered by the Joint War Committee of the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John, overseen by Dame Katherine Furse and later Lady Ampthill, Margaret Lygon Russell. At this time there was no Ministry of Health. A scheme for Voluntary Aid was introduced well before the First World War following the 1907 Territorial Forces and Reserve Act. Jeffrey Hall and Hammerton House VADs were established around 1911; Jeffrey Hall being affiliated to the Order of St. John and Hammerton House to the British Red Cross. The VAD Hospitals received casualties directly in the case of Ashburne House, Hammerton House and Jeffrey Hall; the others received convalescent cases discharged from the larger Sunderland Hospitals (Sunderland Royal Infirmary, Workhouse Infirmary, Sunderland War Hospital) There were also beds used at Sunderland Children's Hospital and Monkwearmouth and Southwick Hospital The Pensions War Hospital evolved from the War Hospital opened in Chester Road in 1917, which utilised part of the Sunderland Union Workhouse to which numerous 'pavillions' were added. Many of these buildings survived on the site of Sunderland District General Hospital (now Sunderland Royal Hospital) until relatively recently. At the end of hostilities the War Hospital became the Pensions War Hospital and was certainly functioning in this role well into the 1920s. The VAD Hospitals closed soon after the end of the war in late 1918 or early 1919 and any remaining patients moved to the (Pensions) War Hospital. There were also a small number of beds reserved for army pensioners at Sunderland Royal Infirmary. Rob

Hi Rob, Thanks for the explanation. The War Hospital had 500 Beds, and apparently was later developed into the Physiotherapy and Geriatric Wards Stan Mapstone -----Original Message----- From: ROB SHEPHERD <robshepherd1974@googlemail.com> To: eng-dur-sunderland@rootsweb.com CC: Stanmapstone@aol.com Sent: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 20:58 Subject: Re: VAD Hospitals Sunderland Hello Stan The Pensions War Hospital evolved from the War Hospital opened in Chester Road in 1917, which utilised part of the Sunderland Union Workhouse to which numerous 'pavillions' were added. Many of these buildings survived on the site of Sunderland District General Hospital (now Sunderland Royal Hospital) until relatively recently. Rob