Dates: 1927 - 1995
Princess Mary’s RAF Hospital Halton was opened in 1927 as a large military hospital and as an institute for pathology and tropical medicine after a temporary hospital was set up for training nurses during the First World War.
It also became the first Aeromed unit - meaning casualities could be evacuated using aircraft - during World War II, teaching nurses to parachute into conflict zones so they could get easier access to injured soldiers.
After peace was declared in 1945, St Mary’s was kept as a training unit and aided the NHS by using the best facilities and medical specialists.
It later became a specialist burns unit, employing the skills learnt helping victims who suffered during the Second World War. The medical unit originally grew alongside the main RAF base during the Great War.
As part of the forces involved in the 1913 army manoeuvres, 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps deployed to Halton to support the operations of the Household Division.
They landed and set up their temporary airfield on what was later to become the Maitland Parade Square.
From this site 3 Squadron launched a series of reconnaissance sorties and staged the first confrontation between aeroplane and airship.
A year later, in 1914, when Lord Kitchener called for his "first hundred thousand" volunteers to augment the professional army, many landowners offered their estates as training grounds.
Halton’s owner Alfred Rothschild, of the famous banking dynasty, was one of the first and some 20,000 troops descended onto his estate, to train for the slaughter of the Western Front.
The hospital closed in 1995 because the MOD wanted one centralised unit to train military nurses, making the Royal Hospital in Haslar, at Gosport in Hampshire, their main base.
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving RAF Hospital Halton
" I did miss this first time around and sadly missed out on the petition. As a former RAF medic and having worked in RAF miltary hospitals I know how valuable they were, was also a patient in one for a short time and appreciated the efficiency and cleanliness etc.I can remember my time nursing at ..."
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" [QUOTE]Quoting: Victor Betts I did miss this first time around and sadly missed out on the petition. As a former RAF medic and having worked in RAF miltary hospitals I know how valuable they were, was also a patient in one for a short time and appreciated the efficiency and cleanliness etc. I ..."
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" May 31st 1967 disco at PMRAF Hospital Halton - ’A whiter shade of pale’ by ’Procol Harem’’ ( Hello to Paul from Biggleswade!). At the end of the evening the D.J.dedicated a song to the nurses who were posted to RAF(H) Ely the following day. The song? - ’Silence is Golden’! "
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"Have been trying to make contact with Angie Shortland (nee Barratt) who was in PMRAFNS and trained at RAF Hospital Halton between 1964 - 1966 with some time in Germany at RAF Hospital Wegberg in 1965? She was born and raised in Southampton and married Robbie (Shortland) who was in Medical Equipment. Anyone help? "
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" 7-9 Jan 2011. Just demolished the last of the main buildings at RAF Hospital Halton; B159 nursing officers’ mess. There have been delays with this one because of bats in the roof, and then the discovery of asbestos. All that remains now is a couple of small brick ..."
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