Item ST 40700 Postcard - Private Albert Peile to Mother, 3rd London General Hospital, London, England, 28 Sep 1915

Summary

Black and white photograph depicting the 3rd London General Hospital in 1915.

The 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, was originally opened in 1859 as the 'loyal Victoria Patriotic Asylum,' an orphanage for the daughters of the men who served in the Crimean War. In August 1914 the girls were relocated to nearby homes and the building was renovated and extended for use as a hospital able to treat 1,800 patients at a time. After the war the building was returned to use as a school for girls until they were evacuated to Wales in 1939. Today the 3rd London General Hospital is the Grade II listed Royal Victoria Patriotic Building and contains twenty-nine apartments, several studios, workshops, a drama school and a French restaurant.

Albert Victor Peile sent this postcard home to his mother on September 28, 1915 when he was recovering from dysentery in London. According to his war record, Albert was sent to the 3rd London General Hospital from Gallipoli in late September 1915 and did not return to his battalion until March 1916 in Serapeum, Egypt. The Prime Minister of Australia, Andrew Fisher, visited the hospital in February 1916 and reportedly spoke to every Australian serviceman there. It is likely that Peile was one of the men he spoke to.

Albert enlisted on August 27, 1914 with the 3rd Battalion, D Company when he was 22 years old. He served in Gallipoli and later France, and was eventually promoted to the rank of corporal. He died in Bullecourt, France on 4 May 1917 and is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. His body has never been found.

Description of Content

Large brick building in gothic style.

Physical Description

Black and white photograph.