Summary
Canvas stretcher, circa 1916. The stretcher was made and presented for use in World War I-related activities by members of the Victorian Railways. It was used for many years at Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital when it was taken over by the army during and after World War I to treat soldiers with mental illness. The stretcher became a posession of the Office of Psychiatric Services as a result.
Physical Description
Simple wood and canvas stretcher. The canvas is cream-coloured, 183.5 cm long, ending with woven ends extending slightly beyond the wooden cross-members. On either side, it is secured into place beneath a flat wooden rod screwed onto the heavier lateral frame rods. The frame rod ends are shaped to form rounded, smooth handles, very worn. The cross-members are reinforced with metal plates, 6cm wide, painted pink.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Public Life & Institutions, Public Life & Institutions, Transport
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Office of Psychiatric Services, 1989
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Maker
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Place & Date Used
Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital (Mental Asylum), Parkville, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1916
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Inscriptions
A metal plate attatched to the right side lateral frame rod reads: "MADE AND PRESENTED/ BY EMPLOYEES OF/ VICTORIAN RAILWAYS." TO the right, stamped in wood, reads "RED +" and "AUSTRALIA" (suggesting that it may have been used or intended for use outside Australia).
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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overall dimensions
231.5 cm (Length), 63 cm (Width), 4 cm (Height)
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Keywords
Australians at War, First Aid Equipment, Medical Equipment, Psychiatric Hospitals, Stretchers, Wars & Conflicts, World War I, 1914-1918, Making History - Psych Services
