Vernon Park Military Hospital

At the end of March 1915 four Council Schools in Stockport were converted into Military Hospitals; Hollywood Park, St George’s, Vernon Park and Alexandra Park.  The children had to go part-time to make room.  On 29th September 1915 the schools received 300 wounded from the Battle of Loos.  By December 1915 they provided enough beds for 750 patients.

Autograph Book from the First World War (1914 – 1918) Belonging to Isabella Manson

Please find below a letter and photocopies of pages extracted from of an autograph book sent to the school by Barbara Collinson whose Grand-Aunt was Isabella Manson:

 ‘I have pleasure in sending you a file containing photocopies of the pages that relate only to Vernon Park in the autograph book which belonged to Isabella Manson (my grand-aunt).

Isabella was my grandmother’s sister and we know that ‘She was a Nurse’, but it was only whilst I have been working on the autograph book that I have realised that on page 34 the entry by ‘Gunner Hopkins’ – ‘Bella is your name’ could be ‘our’ Isabella!

Added to that I have been wondering why there were so many entries in the book by patients from Vernon Park and have reached the conclusion that ‘Bella’ must have been a Nurse there – wishful thinking this might be on my part, but to me is a logical conclusion.  Isabella Manson was born in 1881, in Liverpool and that would make her 33 years of age in 1914 – a long shot on my part, however, stranger things have happened!

I hope that you and your colleagues find the file interesting and that you will decide to keep it amongst all the other ‘treasures’ and ‘memories’ of a time so many years ago of all those who fought in the 1914 – 1918 War and particularly those who had the recourse to stay at ‘Vernon Park Military hospital’.

Barbara Collinson

 Some autographs are marked ‘VP’ or VPH’ which relate to Vernon Park Military Hospital

‘B5’, ‘A10’, ‘M4’ etc these could be describing a Ward number