It’s been a good week for adding to the Twentieth Century History of Kings Weston. Today we have acquired a new photo of the house in its time as an Auxiliary Hospital during WWI. But can you help us?

The original image comes from a postcard posted in 1916 and shows some of the patients of the hospital gathered on the main steps in front of the house. Most of them look very sternly towards the photographer and amongst them you can pick out some of the injuries they had picked up on the Front that caused them to be sent back to England for care. You’ll notice a fair few have arms in slings or hidden under jackets.

All of them are wearing  ‘Hospital Blues’  a form of uniform that was adopted for use rather than military uniforms in hospitals. It consisted of a white shirt, a bright red woven tie and a blue jacket; all of which can be seen in this image. The regimental badges were often pinned to the lapels, but where caps weren’t available soldiers were permitted to wear their uniform ones.

This is where you might be able to help us in identifying where some of these soldiers came from. The Gloucestershire Regiment’s cap badge with the Sphinx is easily identified, but can you spot any others that might help identify any of the soldiers? Drop us a line if you can help.