PRINCESS OF WALES'S PRIVATE MILITARY HOSPITAL THE GABLES SOUVENIR MEDALLION, bronze-gilt, by Warrington, London, obverse, bust of Princess of Wales, with her Hospital Ship off the South African coast, and 'Transvaal War, 1899-1900' flanking to left and right, the whole encircled by the inscription, 'Souvenir of The Princess of Wales's Private Military Hospital, The Gables, Surbiton', reverse, the front of The Gables, with 'For Sick & Wounded from S. Africa' in exergue, the whole encircled by the inscription 'Maintained by Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Cooper as an Adjunct to H.R.H.'s Hospital Ship', 58mm., rim with traces of test mark, extremely fine, in fitted case of issue with gilt embossed lid bearing the Prince of Wales's feathers and inscription similar to obverse

Details

PRINCESS OF WALES'S PRIVATE MILITARY HOSPITAL THE GABLES SOUVENIR MEDALLION, bronze-gilt, by Warrington, London, obverse, bust of Princess of Wales, with her Hospital Ship off the South African coast, and 'Transvaal War, 1899-1900' flanking to left and right, the whole encircled by the inscription, 'Souvenir of The Princess of Wales's Private Military Hospital, The Gables, Surbiton', reverse, the front of The Gables, with 'For Sick & Wounded from S. Africa' in exergue, the whole encircled by the inscription 'Maintained by Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Cooper as an Adjunct to H.R.H.'s Hospital Ship', 58mm., rim with traces of test mark, extremely fine, in fitted case of issue with gilt embossed lid bearing the Prince of Wales's feathers and inscription similar to obverse

Lot Essay

'Two of the original offers of convalescent homes eventually developed into hospitals attached to and administered by the authorities of neighbouring military hospitals. The first of these was a hospital provided by Sir Alfred Cooper in his private theatre at The Gables, Surbiton. The theatre was admirably arranged and fitted out as a hospital for 30 patients, and was specially provided with a view to receiving the invalids who came home on board the "Princess of Wales" Hospital Ship. Its establishment consisted of a matron, two nursing sisters, and a non-commissioned officer supplied from the garrison at Kingston-on-Thames. It was under the adminstrative medical charge of the medical officer in charge of the station hospital at Kingston-on-Thames. Local medical practitioners and consulting surgeons from London carried out the professional work. This hospital was kept constantly occupied from April 1900 to 24th January 1901, and the number of patients admitted and maintained in it during that time was 133' (Report on Voluntary Organisations refers).