Medical dates:

Medical character:

During WW1 Louise Hoare, cousin of the politician Samuel Hoare, joined the British Red Cross.  After initial training, she was appointed Commandant of the London /58 Westminster Voluntary Aid Detachment (V.A.D.)

In January 1916, together with her wealthy friend Mrs Adele Gerstley, she opened a Hospital for Officers at 53 Cadogan Square.  It was designated a Class A Hospital and had 25 beds.  The nursing staff consisted of 3 trained nurses, and 5 full-time and 20 part-time members of the /58 V.A.D.  Mrs Gerstley acted as administrator and Miss Hoare as Commandant.

Affiliated with Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital at Millbank, it was one of the few London hospitals that admitted casualties direct from abroad rather than via a military hospital (the others were the Weir Hospital, Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones' Hospital for Officers and the Hospital for Officers at 24 Park Street.

The Hospital closed for three weeks in February 1918 for thorough cleaning, opening again in March 1918.

It finally closed in April 1919.  During its operational lifetime, some 550 patients had been treated, of whom two had died.

Present status (May 2010)

No. 53 Cadogan Square has been converted into an apartment block.