First World War: Then and Now
The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home (QAHH) is a national charity providing nursing and rehabilitation to disabled veterans. Established in 1919, QAHH has provided ongoing care to servicemen who sustained serious injuries and disabilities during the First World War and subsequent conflicts.
Volunteers were shown how to handle the photographs and sort through them. They dated, archived and digitised the photographs to protect them for the future.
Members of the local community were able to visit QAHH on heritage tours and over 300 people from local community organisations, schools and universities attended talks on the history of the home. Pop up banners at these events meant that people could see the photos.
Twenty of the photos were chosen by QAHH residents to be printed on canvases and hung around the Hospital Home. This provides a permanent reminder of the Home’s history to staff, residents and visitors.
One volunteer said: “We always knew that we had some photo albums up in the attic, but nothing prepared me for these treasures. The more time I spent with the photographs, the more I discovered about the journey of patients and the nurses who cared for them. The pictures depict the courage and resilience of the patients and nurses. Wonderful stories of Christmas celebrations, royal visits, and above all humour and cheerfulness, which undoubtedly helped the men to overcome the horrors of war.”