VAD Hospital stores, Quex House

The Billiard Room of Quex House was used as the Hospital Stores during the War. Two VAD nurses are seated either side of a table. One is sewing, the other is writing. The Billiard Table can be seen in the foreground, also part of the light fitting hanging above it. Boxes piled up on the right include one with the instruction Do not drop or contents will be broken'. The side of another box is being used as a noticeboard. By the window can be seen an army pack with a label. Patients handed in all their kit on admission, except their regimental cap and personal items they needed. The uniform was cleaned and repaired and returned on the patient's discharge. Patients were issued with hospital blues a uniform of blue serge jacket and trousers, white shirt and red tie. There was a lot of paperwork in a VAD hospital - returns, reports, records, orders, payments were all required. The bureaucracy increased after 1917 when food rationing came in. The Quex Park VAD Hospital opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. The hospital was run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment. The Commandant was Hannah Powell-Cotton (1881-1964), wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton (1866-1940) of Quex Park, founder of the Powell-Cotton Museum. Major Powell-Cotton was the VAD Transport Officer for the Isle of Thanet area, responsible for organising the transport of patients from the stations to the local hospitals

Admission Billiard Brichington Bureaucracy Cleaned Commandant Contents Detachment Discharge Drop Either Except Fitting Handed Hospitals Include Increased Instruction Issued Needed Noticeboard Organising Paperwork Patients Payments Percy Piled Quex Rationing Recuperation Regimental Rehabilitation Repaired Reports Required Responsible Returned Serge Thanet Voluntary

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