
North Crawley Historical Society
Friday, 24th January 2025 at 7.30 pm
North Crawley Institute, North Crawley, Newport Pagnell MK16 9LH
A talk by Richard Luscombe.
Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas, known as Bron, offered his country house for use as a hospital in August 1914. After training at the Metropolitan Hospital in London, Bron’s sister, Nan Herbert, took up the position of Matron in February 1915.
Wrest Park Hospital consisted of three wards, an operating theatre and and an x-ray room. The medical staff were a Medical Officer, who could call on the services of three London-based surgeons, and a team of about two dozen nurses.
Wrest Park’s life as a hospital came to an end in September 1916 when the mansion was badly damaged by fire. All the patients were safely evacuated but the damage was so serious that the hospital was not reopened.