British Military Hospital The British Military Hospital Gibraltar opened c. 1903 to provide medical care for local sailors and British military personnel in
Gibraltar. It included three three-story buildings, with a capacity of about three hundred beds. The light blue colour of its exterior gave the hospital its nickname, the
Wedgwood Castle. During 1915 there was a continuous stream of Australian, British and New Zealander wounded who arrived in Gibraltar, via hospital ship, from Gallipoli. Many of the wounded were carried on stretchers onto the Rock by the
Gibraltar Volunteer corps but there were far too many to fit in the hospital. Satellite hospitals were created as the only other choice was a long sea voyage. The British Military Hospital cared for casualties of the
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Among the casualties were 55 men from the
German cruiser
Deutschland which had been bombed while at anchor off the
Spanish island of
Ibiza. The hospital had already been at capacity due to casualties from , a Royal Navy ship that had hit a
mine while on patrol near
Almería in May 1937. At the same time, staff were tending to casualties from
HM Maine, a
hospital ship. Many of the casualties had sustained burn injuries. The influx of casualties was such that four nurses from
Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service arrived at Gibraltar by
flying boat to assist in the care of the German casualties. The following year, one of those nurses was awarded the
German Red Cross Decoration, as well as a certificate from
Adolf Hitler. The operating room was said to have been better than that at the conventional hospital as it had been equipped by the
United States. Other underground Hospitals were Gort's Hospital (opposite the BMH) Fordham's Hospital, Monkey's Cave Convalescent Hospital and Flat Bastion Road Hospital. The
rubble stone from tunneling was utilised to construct an
airstrip into the
Bay of Gibraltar. Conversion of portions of the hospital to apartments was underway by 2006. within the
Devil's Tower Camp complex just off
Eastern Beach. During its last full year of operation, 2007, the hospital received permission to fly the
White Ensign for several months, instead of the traditional
Union Flag. The move to new premises took place over a two-week period in February 2008, with the hospital remaining open during the process of relocation. Block A of the hospital was renovated by
Profield Contractors and the MSMR architectural firm for
Taylor Woodrow while the hospital was still in operation. The
Government of Gibraltar has applied for
European Heritage Site status for the hospital. The process of conversion of the former hospital to apartments is expected to continue.
Military care of the barbary macaques Gibraltar's barbary macaque population was under the care of the
British Army and later the
Gibraltar Regiment from 1915 to 1991, who carefully controlled a population that initially consisted of a single troop. An officer was appointed to supervise their welfare, and a food allowance of fruit, vegetables and nuts was included in the budget. Births were gazetted in military fashion, and each new arrival was named. They were named after
governors,
brigadiers and high-ranking officers. Any ill or injured monkey needing surgery or any other form of medical attention was taken to Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar and received the same treatment as would an enlisted service man. Following the withdrawal of the British garrison, the Government of Gibraltar took over responsibility for the monkeys. == References ==