Find your ancestors in Wiltshire Great Western Railway Hospital Records, 1883-1916

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On 31 August 1835 the Great Western Railway Act was passed by Parliament, and work began on the construction of the railway line from Bristol to London, passing through Bath, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot, Maidenhead, Reading and Slough. By May 1838 the first GWR railway train, which was a Directors' special, hauled by the famous North Star engine, made its maiden journey. By 1840 only the Swindon to Bath section remained to be completed and on the 16 December the railway line eventually reached Swindon. In 1842 Swindon Station was opened and work on the Railway Village began with the first residents moving into the cottages towards the end of 1842 and a list exists for these new residents. The Swindon Locomotive Works opened in 1843 and by 1861 a Rolling Mill for rails was opened where a total of 727 engines were built at Swindon between 1877 and 1902. Throughout the years many men with their families moved into this town of New Swindon, not just from neighbouring parishes, but from all around the country, including some even from overseas, to work in the now famous GWR Railway Works. More and more housing was built to accommodate these workers and the town of New Swindon grew ever larger with numbers of families coming into the town to live and to help service the community with shops and necessary trades.

The GWR Medical Fund Society was founded in Swindon in 1847 by weekly subscription to help care for the health of the workers and their families and it was this Society which, it was said, became the basic concept for the 20th/21st centuries National Health Service. The Medical Fund services were scattered throughout the various parts of the Railway Village until, eventually, they were gathered together under one roof in 1892 in Milton Road. The GWR Medical Fund Hospital opened in 1872 and was part of the Medical Fund. The hospital was extended in the 1930's and used, not only by GWR workers and their families, but by other residents in the town until it eventually closed in the 1960's to become a Community Centre for the residents of the Railway Village and the central Swindon area.

The hospital reports referring to in-patients did not commence until 1883 and continued somewhat irregularly, through to 1916 when they were discontinued. The dates which began in 1883 continued through 1884: 1888: 1892: 1895: 1898: 1899: 1901: 1902: 1903: 1904: 1905: 1906: 1907: 1908: 1909: 1910: 1911: 1912: 1913: 1914: 1915 and 1916 when they eventually ceased. These were reports of patient admissions and treatment submitted to the Committee of the Medical Fund by the doctors and surgeons employed by the Fund. The format of the reports changed considerably throughout these years with a great deal more information being provided as to the works numbers of the patients with addresses and these details have been transcribed in full as shown in the recordset. It has to be pointed out that a man may have been transferred within the factory and therefore his Works number would not necessarily be the same as before. From 1912 onwards addresses of patients were included in the reports and all these are of Swindon, unless otherwise stated. Obviously, there were many more who were treated as out-patients and who, therefore, do not show on these reports.

The doctors and surgeons who served the Medical Fund and Hospital were famous ones in the annals of New Swindon and the GWR - names such as the various generations of the Doctors Swinhoe which show in these reports - Dr G.M Swinhoe, Dr Geo. Radway Swinhoe, Dr Astley C Swinhoe, Dr W Howse, Dr J.M Bromley, Dr W Boxer Mayne and Dr T Percival Berry who was also the Assistant Medical Superintendent.

The Surgeons' introduction to the reports were, in general, fairly similar to the ones for 1895 and 1901 and those which followed.

Accident Hospital Doctors' Report. New Swindon. January 1st 1895. To the GWR Medical Fund Committee. Gentlemen, The past year found us with a clean Bill of Health in the Accident Hospital. During the year 62 Patients have been admitted for treatment of these three died from injuries received4 are now in Hospital doing well, and the remainder have been discharged convalescent. We enclose tabulated list for your fuller information. We are, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servants Swinhoe, Howse and Swinhoe.

Accident Hospital - Surgeon's Report for the Year 1901 Swindon, Wilts January 2nd 1902

Towards the end of the above 1902 report there seemed to have been an accident in the vicinity of the B Loco and V Loco areas of the Works when five men were admitted to the hospital on the same day, 28 November 1901, suffering from various injuries such as sprains and cuts including one man, R Robinson, who had been admitted with fractured legs. There is a possibility this accident may have been reported in the `Swindon Advertiser' around that date.

On the 1912 Report for admissions into hospital for the previous year, the bottom of the first page had been trimmed thereby cutting off one of the patient's names. The admission was that of child as the father's work's number was shown, and who had possibly lived in Cricklade Road but unfortunately no more details were decipherable.

In 1918 it was reported that a Lady Doctor had been appointed, Dr Longland, Medical Officer and this was the beginning of women doctors playing their role in post WW1 Swindon medical matters.

The 1919 Report, for example, revealed that 102 new cases had been admitted in 1918 and that there had been seven deaths. There were 1667 Out-patients who had received medical attention for injuries and minor operations, 7,322 dressings with the average cost of maintenance of 2s 9 & ¾d per day, per patient.The 1930 Report welcomed the advance of treatment for cancer with the discovery in 1898 by Becquerel and Curie of radium where it was stated that this discovery brought a step nearer the conquest of this dread disease.

As the years progressed it was seen that more cases of employees' sons were admitted to the hospital including one or two cases which did not show whether a child was a son of an employee. This was the case in the 1888 when a Wm G Clarke, aged 14, who lived at the `Running Horse' public house (built in 1881 situated opposite Westcott Place park and recreation ground and still in existence) was admitted to the hospital suffering from a lacerated hand which resulted in the boy dying from lockjaw after two days in hospital. In one or two rare cases a boy's mother was shown, possibly employed as a cleaner in the Works and in these cases it is quite likely that the woman was a widow. Other names which did not supply information as to their employment or that of a parent in the GWR did occur occasionally in the early lists. However, later on it seems quite likely that non GWR employees may have paid to become members of the now popular Medical Fund.

As time went by other departments were instituted by the Medical Fund Society - washing baths, Turkish Baths, Russian Baths, Swimming Baths, Dental Department, Ophthalmic Clinic, Dispensary, Out-patients Department, Massage treatments, Physiotherapy and a Pathology Department. There was also a midwifery service for those women who wished to have their babies at home with a Maternity Home at Milton Road. In addition, shillabiers were available for hire - small shillabier - horse hire radius 4 miles, cost 8s and large shillabier 12s, but any distance beyond the four miles cost 2s per mile extra although this hire was free for widows of GWR employees. Invalid chairs and other appliances were available for the workmen.

This hospital, established and situated in Faringdon Road, cared for the men employed by the GWR who sustained accidents through their work the hospital also received employees' male children for treatment. As the years passed more information was provided in the reports whilst other details such as to what accident or illness had occurred was omitted and only the information as to whether treatment or an operation was provided. During the period of the reports it was noticed that no females were shown as being treated at the hospital. When the range and scope of the Railway works is considered with the great number of men employed there it would seem that their accident record was exemplary. The hospital building is still in existence today but is now used for recreational purposes by the residents of the Railway Village.

Although these reports only survive for a few years it has been seen that it was a valuable record of the GWR and the men who worked there. Men who were not necessarily Swindon born but who had come from all corners of the country and overseas to work in this large factory and who had become members of the GWR Medical Fund (the precursor of the National Health Service) and who, therefore, were able to receive illness, accident and other treatment from the Fund.

By 1899 it was seen that the hospital took men and boys, whose fathers worked in the GWR and who were members of the GWR Medical Fund, for various treatments and operations, for complaints and accidents which were not necessarily associated with their work.

the hospital in 1911 after suffering an accident and after a stay of 18 days, was discharged as cured. Leonard Thorpe eventually became a Mayor of Swindon Borough.

In the report for 1914 there were the names of eight soldiers who had been admitted to the GWR hospital, Pte Little aged 21 and Pte Eldon aged 26 of the 8th Battn. of the Warwick Regiment L/Cpl Hughes 34, Pte H Price 20, Pte J Bonney 19, Pte R Burton 22, all of the Loyal North Lancs Regiment Pte W London 22, of D Co. New Welsh Regt and Pte G Williams aged 25 of N Co. New Welsh Regt who sadly died at the beginning of December 1914 after an operation - all the other men were discharged convalescent. On reading the account of `Swindon's War Record' by W.D Bavin (1922 funded by the Swindon Borough Council and printed by Drew of Swindon), this showed that a Red Cross Hospital had been set up at the Milton Road Baths for the accommodation and treatment of soldiers. It would seem this was the reason that no more WW1 soldiers were shown on the GWR Fund lists. As Bavin's book reads

The Red Cross Hospital at the Baths continued to attract public sympathy as long as it existence lasted, and the Christmas of 1914 was the occasion for a fine list of presents from friends amongst the public. Before the end of February 1915, 815 patients had been admitted to the hospital of whom 752 has been discharged, 3 had died, and 60 were still under treatment the number of out-patients up to that time was nearly 2,000. In June 1915, a hospital was established within Draycott Camp (Chiseldon) itself and this substantially reduced the work that came to the Swindon Red Cross Hospital. The building in Faringdon Street, too, designed with a glass roof... was now uncomfortably hot and application was made to the War Office for leave to close for the Summer at least permission was granted and on July 5th, when the building was closed, there were only six patients in the hospital, and these were transferred to the hospital at the Camp. During the time the hospital had been in existence from three to four thousand outpatients had been treated, 1070 patients had been admitted, and although there had been a large number of serious cases the number of deaths was only three... The funds for the Red Cross Hospital came from the Government...'

In addition, it was noticed that two of the doctors from the GWR Hospital had treated some of these men at their own expense at the Red Cross hospital at Milton Road Baths.

It is possible there may possibly be some more documentation concerning these two army hospitals and the men who were treated in them at the National Archives at Kew or in the archives of the British Red Cross.

Wherever a man died through an accident it is possible that there may have been a coroner's inquisition but, unfortunately, any coroners' records for these dates have not survived for Swindon (reference `Coroners' Records in England and Wales' by J Gibson and C Rogers (FFHS 2nd ed 2000) but there should be some information given in the local newspapers for Swindon such as the `Swindon Advertiser' and the `North Wilts Herald'. The runs of both are held on microfiche in the Swindon Reference Library, the County Local Studies Reference Library and at the British Library Newspaper Library, Colindale Avenue, London. It is possible too, that there may be some other information supplied in the various railway gazettes (see Reading) deposited in the Swindon Reference Library, the British Newspaper Archive, Colindale Avenue, London, and railway museums such as that at York.

Reference to the 1881, 1891 and 2001 census returns for Swindon and area and the various street directories for the dates may well reveal the addresses of some of the men and boys who were admitted to the GWR Medical Fund Hospital. The various Swindon directories held on microfiche in Swindon and at the County Reference Library may also be of assistance in discovering addresses.

The Medical Fund Society subscribed to a number of hospitals throughout the early years such as Bath Mineral Water Hospital, Bath United Hospital, Bath Eye Infirmary, Bristol Eye Infirmary, Blind School, Consumption Brompton, Consumption Hampstead, Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Guys Hospital, Ophthalmic City Road, Ophthalmic Royal Westminster, Orthopaedic Hospital, Ockenden Convalescent Home, St Mary's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, Swindon Victoria Hospital, University College Hospital, Sanatoriums at Weston (super Mare), St Leonard's and Winsley. By 1930 the list had been reduced to include St Mary's Hospital, Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, Lord Mayor's Treloar Cripple Hospital and College, Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, Margate, Royal Mineral Water Hospital, Bath, St John's Hospital for Disease of Skin and Winsley Sanatorium (Tuberculosis Hospital).

Much later on in date, after the advent of the National Health Service, the hospital and Medical Departments still catered for the residents of the town who were cared for by its dedicated staff until it eventually closed around 1960.

At the beginning of 2003 a new Great Western Hospital was opened at Common Head in Swindon which was to carry on the tradition of the proud name of the Great Western Railway and the families who had worked in the factory and the town's subsidiary firms, shops and trades which had sprung up around the `Works'.

The references in these reports which vary in format over the years show the name of the patient, man or boy, who worked in the GWR works, with their age, their occupation and area of residence initially given in general terms such as Gorse Hill, New Swindon, Old Swindon, Purton, Haydon (Haydon Wick), and so on.

Later in time, more information was given, such as a man's work number with his full address. This was followed by the injuries sustained with the number of days spent in hospital, whether still in hospital, followed by general remarks such as discharged convalescent, Out-patient, still in hospital or died, with the month and year of the report in brackets. As some patients continued in hospital for a lengthy period they may also show on the following year's report. Later on the format of the reports changed including the increasing numbers of men and male children treated. It is worth remembering where addresses have been given that it is quite possible the street and road numbering may have changed.

The reports have been transcribed exactly as printed including the spelling of the various accidents and illnesses, together with date of the doctors' report to the Committee. Places mentioned such as Stratton (Upper and Lower), Gorse Hill, Rodbourne, Crowdy's Hill etc. became part of the New Swindon district. As the reports progressed forenames and addresses were shown.