Chapel Allerton Military Hospital
The original Chapel Allerton Hospital was opened in May 1927 by HRH Princess Mary, and was located in the grounds of the stately mansion of Gledhow Grove, off Harehills Lane, with the house itself also being used as part of the site.
The hospital, operated by the Ministry of Pensions, was built in response to the continuing needs of the thousands of servicemen who suffered grievous wounds during the 1914-1918 war. Costing £130,000, it provided a total of 200 beds and was designed for former military personnel while replacing the old military hospital at Beckett's Park in Leeds.
As war in Europe surged again in the late 1930s, the need to expand facilities at Chapel Allerton Hospital. Eight wards were built in 1940, and the nurses' home was expanded. Wartime casualties were mostly long-term convalescences from the Air Forces, and those hurt at Dunkirk, D-day and beyond.
After the war, Chapel Allerton Hospital passed from the Ministry of Pensions to the Ministry of Health in 1953.
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Capping ceremony by a staff nurse and hospital matron
Molly in oil painting right, is based on center person in photo above.