Baddow & Galleywood

July 2020 Speaker

Due to the Corona Virus situation Linda stepped in to give us a very informative talk on the use of ‘Hylands House’ during World War One. The Zoom meeting was watched by about 40 members in their own homes on their personal devices.

In the early 1900s Sir Daniel and Lady Gooch resided at Hylands House with their four children Lancelot, Phyllis, Robert and Daphne (aged between 4 and 17 years old) and for those who have visited Hylands House, their palatial mansion was well appointed and the servants' quarters beside the house were almost as big as the main house!

When the war started Hylands House became a Military Hospital and the Gooch family moved out to their holiday home at Frinton on Sea. The whole ground floor of Hylands was made into 5 wards, each providing 20 beds for wounded soldiers. An operating Theatre and X-ray room were also installed.

Men from all counties around Essex and from the Midlands and South of England came to Essex to train for the War. They practised digging trenches, chopping down trees etc from 4.30am to 11pm at night, to prepare themselves for the work they would have to do when they were sent over to France to change the land and prevent the Germans invading England. Blacksmiths and harness makers were also employed to kit out the horses (which were needed as well as motor cycles) as only few cars were around then!!

Some of the soldiers were injured whilst still learning their skills here and had to be treated at Hylands Hospital.

Hylands was so important to the country that in 1914 the King George V visited to review the troops and commented that they were very Smart Soldiers and Officers, he was then driven through Chelmsford. In 1915 Lord Kitchener also reviewed the troops as they marched through the town and later had lunch in The Saracen’s Head Hotel. There are photos for these events in The Chelmsford Museum.

As the war progressed injured soldiers from the Front in France were brought back to Hylands Military Hospital and some were sent to Clacton and Colchester hospitals and moved to Hylands later. Soldiers were volunteers from Canada, Australia, Belgium as well as the British soldiers and on a recent Open Day at Hylands, a visitor produced an autograph album with pictures, cartoons and poems written by those patients whilst in Hylands Hospital. If soldiers recovered they often went back to fight in France. Many local young soldiers died and some have memorials in local cemeteries and churches.

Our grateful thanks go to Linda for stepping in at short notice and giving us such an interesting presentation.