Menu

Willie Hodgkinson’s Sister Ada V.A.D. Nurse at Leeswood Hall Auxiliary Hospital

After the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, The British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John, joined forces to form ‘The Joint War Committee’. This Committee organised Voluntary Aid Detachments (V.A.Ds). Members were all trained in first aid and others undertook training in cookery, hygene, sanitation or nursing. Ada Hodgkinson chose to do nursing. Throughout the war VAD nurses worked in hospitals, convalescent homes and resting stations.

‘The Joint War Committee’ secured many buildings in the UK to use as temporary hospitals. These included town halls, schools and private houses. Leeswood Hall in Flintshire was used for this purpose. Auxiliary Hospitals were attached to central military hospitals. They were usually staffed by a Commandant, a Quartermaster, a Matron, Professional nursing staff and members of the local V.A.D. In many cases ladies in the neighbourhood, volunteered on a part time basis. Ada Hodgkinson was such a lady.

Patients at these hospitals were generally less seriously wounded or in need of convalescence. Servicemen preferred the auxiliary hospitals where the discipline was not so strict as in the military hospitals. Conditions were less crowded and generally more homely.

The  Hodgkinson family has loaned us a number of mementos from Ada’s time at Leeswood Hall and we reproduce them below. Perhaps the most special of these is her autograph book. Ada’s brother John gave her the book as a birthday present. She asked many people to write or draw in her book including the patients at the hospital. We have scanned a selection of the pages from this wonderful book.

ada-hodgkinson_02

Ada Hodgkinson VAD Nurse and her brother John

 

ada-hodgkinson_01

Members of staff at Leeswood Hall Hospital. Ada is standing on the left in the back row – without a hat or cap.

 

Leeswood Hall Hospital

ada-hodgkinson_03

 

 

ada-hodgkinson_03a

A post card chosen especially for Ada by her brother John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ada-hodgkinson_04

ada-hodgkinson_04a

A birthday card for Ada

 

 

ada-hodg_autograph_01

ada-hodg_autograph_02

The autograph book birthday present from John to Ada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ada-hodg_autograph_04

Ada’s own rhyme to start her book off

ada-hodg_autograph_05

Drawing by Ada’s brother, John Hodgkinson who was in the Machine Gun Corps RWF

ada-hodg_autograph_06

Pte 3128 W J Gracey 2/5th Btn RWF Machine Gun Section

ada-hodg_autograph_07

Corporal Joe Shepherd 60th Rifles

ada-hodg_autograph_08

Corporal S Dixon 8th Yorkshire Regiment

ada-hodg_autograph_09

ada-hodg_autograph_10

L P Boden

ada-hodg_autograph_11

Pte J Crannes 11 Middlesex Regiment

ada-hodg_autograph_12

Corporal J C Smaker Grenadier Guards

ada-hodg_autograph_13

Pte S Clark 5040 1st R. W. Kent Wounded at High Wood

ada-hodg_autograph_14

Pte J Teare 18th KLR

ada-hodg_autograph_15

Pte P Donaldson 2nd K.O.S. Brs

ada-hodg_autograph_16

Sgt Osborne 18th Hussar’s

ada-hodg_autograph_18

Sgt J Sherret Glasgow Highlanders

ada-hodg_autograph_19

Sgt J Sherret Glasgow Highlanders

ada-hodg_autograph_20

Cpl Joe Shepherd 60th Rifles

ada-hodg_autograph_21

Pte Bill Porteous (Military Medal) 9th Royal Scots

ada-hodg_autograph_22

Pte O Kirkpatrick

ada-hodg_autograph_24

W Mason

ada-hodg_autograph_25

J Mc Naughton 5th South Lancs

ada-hodgkinson_05

Ada

 Link to Ada’s brother’s page William T Hodgkinson

Many thanks to Mary Marrow and Robert Hodgkinson for these lovely family archives.


Back to top