Queen Victoria

"I was sick and you visited me.  In memory of Queen Victoria 1901"

This amazing window may be found in the Chancel of St Mary's Church, Hook

This image appeared on Page 4 of a Special Edition of the London Illustrated News, commemorating the Transvaal War, 1899-1900.  The edition was published on 31st March 1900.

The original drawing was created by Samuel Begg, who was active from 1886 to 1900.

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Boer War: Queen Victoria presenting flowers to a wounded soldier during a visit to the Herbert hospital, Woolwich. Halftone after S. Begg, 1900. Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection.

The two storey Royal Herbert Hospital was built by the authority of Sidney Herbert the 1st Baron Herbert of Lea. Sidney Herbert was responsible for sending Florence Nightingale to the Crimea and led the War Office reforms after this campaign. He was particularly interested in health care and reducing military mortality rates from diseases and ill treated war wounds. There is a statue of him at Waterloo Place in London. The building work cost £209,139 and the land purchase was £6,394.

The hospital opened in 1865 and was initially called The Herbert Hospital. The first Governor was Colonel Shaw who took up his appointment on 1st November 1865. The first patients were transferred from the nearby Royal Artillery Garrison Hospital at Woolwich.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria visited the Herbert Hospital in March 1900 and was so impressed with the care and treatments of soldiers that she honoured it with royal status and patronage.  The Queen was in a wheelchair at the time of her 1900 visit and gave posies of flowers from Frogmore to some of the patients.  The caption on a postcard version of the picture states that this was the last public visit of the monarch.

The hospital became the main orthopaedic centre for the British Army. There were also general surgical and medical wards for army personnel and their families. At its peak the hospital had 15 wards which accommodated 650 beds. This included a guardroom and prison ward for 28 army prisoners.  (https://www.qaranc.co.uk/royalherbert.php)