Home

Search

Member login

St Andrews Hospital, Thorpe in WW1

Speaker: Dale Wiseman

St Andrews Hospital, Thorpe

The presentation will look at some of the people who worked, visited or been patients of St Andrews Hospital since it opened in 1813. It will look at the challenges and changes that were imposed on the hospital when it became a War Hospital in 1915.

A feature will be a nurse who worked in the hospital in WW1 but sadly killed in WW2. The talk will also cover the closure of the hospital in the 1990's.

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

Event organiser: Norfolk branch

13 January 2026 19:30 to 13 January 2026 21:30

White Horse Inn, The Street, Trowse, Norwich NR14 8ST

Branch contacts

Rob Burkett
(Branch Chairman)

Email Rob Burkett

Bob Kerry
(Branch Secretary)

Email Bob Kerry

Other upcoming events for Norfolk branch

3 February 2026

Steve Smith

Looking at 3 men who served in the 9th Bn Norfolk Regiment who wrote diaries and memoirs. They were the C.O. Lt Col Leathes-Prior DSO, Capt Bassinthwaite MC & Bar and Pvt James Copper a stretcher bearer and bandman.

Maj Phil Watson

3 March 2026

Maj Phil Watson

In 1928, a decade after the end of the First World War, the 12th Lancers and 11th Hussars were the first two cavalry regiments to modernise (mechanise) to the armoured car. The talk will examine why it took a decade, the process of mechanisation, and briefly how the Lancers used these skills during the Retreat to Dunkirk. Significantly, the Lancers were carrying out the same reconnaissance role in 1914 as they were in 1940; however, this time in armoured cars. This is also or AGM

7 April 2026

Scott Lindgren

On 23 April 1918, the Royal Navy made a daring coast assault raid on the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. This talk discusses the logistics, limited effects and future influence of this famous Naval attack.

Dr Peter Hodgkinson

5 May 2026

Dr Peter Hodgkinson

The British Army went to war with a cadre of officers who had been promoted largely on the basis of seniority. With the rapid promotion of junior officers and the influx of civilians, did a meritocracy establish itself? This talk focuses on the development of a skill-based partial meritocracy within infantry battalion command. Who were the men who commanded the infantry battalions of the BEF in 1918? What were their qualities and how were these developed?

2 June 2026

John Chester

The story of the Austrian politician who fought for the Italians and his subsequent capture, his trial and his execution with two friends. A somewhat different talk, the details of Cesari’s life and his execution capture the imagination. It also raises several interesting questions and looks at the Battisti Memorial in Trento

Jonathan Dutton

7 July 2026

Jonathan Dutton

An antique, art and ceramics expert, Dutton will cover all aspects of war memorabilia from the collection of Trench art to paintings.