Canada Wing

This is an unusual sight in a local hospital, a small clock tower in what is known as the Canada Wing at Orpington Hospital. The building first opened in 1916 as the Ontario Military Hospital, specifically to care for soldiers wounded during the First World War.

Canada was then part of the British Empire, and sent 560,000 men and women to support the war effort, many of them from Ontario. A year into the war, the scale of casualties was such that more beds were needed in south east England, and Orpington was chosen as the best location.

"Orpington is a most charming and healthful district, placed amidst rural surroundings and giving the requisite change and rest so essential to the wounded soldier," was the explanation given by the Canadian authorities for the choice of location..

The hospital was one of the best equipped in the country, with 20 wards and 52 beds in each. Hand-picked staff came across from Canada, and there was a special train platform for soldiers to be brought in.

Between 1916 and 1919 the hospital treated all manner of wartime injuries, and 3,392 operations were performed. Total admissions numbered well over 30,000, and it's remarkable that the vast majority were saved, just 184 died of their injuries.

My visit there today was to take someone else for a blood test, and the amazing history of the place was an interesting distraction.