Sister Agnes: History of King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers, 1899-1999 Book

As war broke out in South Africa in 1899, Britain was struck by a wave of patriotism. Women offered to serve as nurses, and rich people gave yachts as hospital ships. When Agnes Keyser asked the Prince of Wales "what part can we play?" he suggested she convert her Belgravia home into a hospital. Only weeks later she received her first wounded officers, and had been named by the Prince "Sister Agnes". When the war ended, the Prince, now King Edward VII, persuaded her to keep the hospital open, using his name. The royal connection has endured to this day. Although Sister Agnes died, of grief it was said, when her hospital was bombed in 1941, the spirit and high standards she set have prevailed. Gone is the butler who brought round drinks every evening; the private house with converted bedrooms in Grosvenor Gardens is now a modern charitable acute hospital in Beaumont Street with 62 en suite rooms, state-of-the-art facilities, unparalleled nursing care and a superb medical reputation. Yet the personal touch and unique atmosphere remain. None of this could have been achieved without ingenuity, perseverance, generosity, loyalty and dedication. These have been watchwords for a century and will be for the next 100 years. In this book the reader meets selfless staff, consultants and patients, from young subalterns from the Flanders trenches to Montgomery of Alamein, who presented the hospital with the union flag he flew at the German surrender in 1945. They leave no doubt why this hospital is in a class of its own.Read More