Devonshire Hospital, Buxton (1916)

Built in 1785 as a stable for the Duke of Devonshire's 110 horses, the former Royal Devonshire Hospital in Buxton features an impressive dome larger than St. Paul's in London. By 1881 the buildings had been converted into a pioneering hospital, and were later home to British soldiers returning from the battlefields of the First World War.

This Topical Budget newsreel footage of men undergoing new-fangled treatments in the gleaming thermal mineral water baths is wonderful, though you may wonder how pleasant some of these 'Vapour, Needle and Douche-Spray Baths' actually were. But unlike the happy, healthy-looking veterans shown here, for many horribly injured troops returning from the trenches of the Somme, rheumatism and sciatica would have been the least of their worries. (Simon McCallum)

For more information about Topical Budget newsreels, visit:
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/583128/

You can watch over 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge in the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank, London and from October 2008 at the new QUAD centre for art and film in Derby -- http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/bfi-mediatheque

For information about the BBC Learning campaign 1918-2008: Ninety Years of Remembrance, marking the 90th anniversary of Armistice, visit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/remembrance

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• BFI
• hospital
• medical
• buxton
• Derbyshire
• WWI
• world
• war
• one
• shower
• soldiers
• thermal
• baths
• disability
• disabled

[stellalouise1]

Love the cheerful, animated guy at the end!  It is amazing and touching to see this entire generation of people who are no longer with us. Thanks for the post.

[mchudi91]

the guy at begining of the footage didnt look like he was enjoying his bath 2 much...man, i really feel 4 those who fought in ww1 & ww2....loads of respect

[balckbebeko24]

.. such a strong personality the men at 1:46 still had the power to smile..

[TheRalphus666]

@nholt Thats not waterboarding

[TheMichellepop]

this must have seemed like luxery after the hell they went thro. such little treats but so good for ther morals and health...well done. what strong men to have did what they did, u must remember these men didnt join the army and navy like the men do now, they had to go to war from all walks of life,young boys to family men. even if they didnt want to.

[nholt]

@0:40 the guy is getting waterboarded

[MsOneiroi77]

@sauroid1 douch is the French for shower not a vaginal wash as in the American term

[sauroid1]

Douche Spray Bath, nah, I think I'll skip it.

[zzzut]

All these treatments and I bet most of these guys are dead now.

[sweetypie000]

poor bastards never had a chance

[333Chrome]

WW1 was not a war but just plain slaughter, and it happened not even a 100 ago

[YOOETO]

please high comment