1 How did the United States Military Hospital at Wimpole Hall develop and how did it link to the evacuation of injured from the 2 European Theatre of operations (1944-5)? A Report by George Duncan (
[email protected]) 3 Contents Page Title page –page 1 Contents page- 2 Introduction to Interest- 3 Source Analysis-3 Introduction to project- 3 Wimpole Hall Prior to Hospital Formation- 4 The United States Army Medical Department and Diferent Types of Military Hospitals- 4 Brief overview of Normandy Beach Landings in 1944 and the Second World War-5 American Hospitals Overseas in WWII- 6 Beginnings of hospital at Wimpole Hall- 6 Arrival, setting-up and layout- 8 Evacuation Route for Injured-11 Life and Work in the Hospital- 12 POW camp- 14 Recreation- 15 The Closing of the Hospital- 15 The Site after Closure- 16 Why is it not remembered?- 18 Bibliography- 19 Title Page Pictures- 19 Appendix 1: Wiley’s Report- 19 Appendix 2: Tree Carvings at Wimpole Hall- 24 Appendix 3: Notice Board at Wimpole Park- 25 4 Appendix 4: Captain Bambridge’s Telegram- 26 Appendix 5: Pictures of site prior to Demolition- 26 Appendix 6: Email Correspondence with English Heritage- 27 Appendix 7: Email received from US Army Military Institute- 28 5 Introduction to interest My research on the Military Hospital at Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire originally stemmed from an interest in the operating of WWII Hospital Trains in my own village of Meldreth, something I discovered from talking to members of the Meldreth Local History Group. Finding out more about the hospital trains, I was intrigued to learn that the injured men taken of at Meldreth Station were in fact Americans operating overseas and were transported to a hospital set within the grounds of Wimpole Estate, next to the village of Arrington.