77.
Duly executed leases comprising inland lot No.86, Mount Shadwell, and inland lot No.87, Mount Parish, as well as farm lot No.63 Victoria Gap. This comprised the whole naval hospital property at that time, the Victoria Gap site being that of the first naval sanatorium.
575
Several interesting sidelights appear in these records. There is a reference in April, 1885, for instance, to the Franco-Chinese hostilities. It was laid down in a letter from the Foreign Office that the sick and wounded on either side could be admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Hong Kong without contravening any international rules.
Efforts to shift the Naval Yard from the centre of the city were even extended to the hospital with similar lack of success. A letter from Commodore E.J. Church to Vice-Admiral Salmon, dated June 3, 1890, has an interesting reference to a suggestion made by the Governor that the Naval Hospital should be moved to a neighbouring site situated not far from the Mohammedan Cemetery. The suggestion appears to have been made originally by the Surveyor General. The Commodore says that he differs entirely from His Excellency on the apparent advantage to be derived by the Navy through the proposed change, and states that the only benefit of the proposed change would be that the Navy would get a little additional height, "but it would not be anything like 100 feet more.
The Navy surgeon, who had been consulted, was absolutely opposed to the change, partly owing to the proximity of the Mohammedan Cemetery. The fact that the site would not be more than "at best but a narrow ridge" is mentioned. It is evident that this opposition resulted in the scheme being abandoned. The letter refers rather pointedly to the huge profit that the Government would make out of the present site, which had greatly increased in value!
A letter dated October 28, 1890, signed by Vice-Admiral Noel Salmon, addressed to Commodore Church, states that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty had notified him as follows:
"With reference to the proposal to remove the Naval Hospital at Hongkong to a new site in Victoria, no steps can be taken in the matter pending the consideration of the removal of the whole of the Naval establishments to Kowloon."
So the hospital stands to-day on its old site - though within recent years the question of moving to a more suitable locality has again been raised.
Reference in the local Church announcements to next Sunday being Hospital Sunday, reminds us of the good work done by the Colony's hospitals, and the devotion to duty of the nurses, who work often under most trying circumstances. It is interesting to note from the local Naval records that the benefits of having women nurses was realised in the Nineties, and efforts were made to obtain sisters from the Government Civil Hospital for the R.N. Hospital.
The first reference to the employment of nursing sisters in the Royal Naval Hospital is made on September 12, 1894, when the Commodore, in writing to Vice-Admiral Sir E.R. Fremantle, pointed out that there was no building in the Hospital suitable for their accommodation and a house would have to be built for that purpose.
The question of their employment had evidently just cropped up.
77.
duly executed leases comprising inland lot No.86, Mount Shadwell, and inland lot No.87, Mount Parish, as well as farm lot No.63 Victoria Gap. This comprised the whole naval hospital property at that time, the Victoria Gap site being that of the first naval sanatorium.
575
Several interesting sidelights appear in these records. There is a reference in April, 1885, for instance, to the Franco-Chinese hostilities. It was laid down in a letter from the Foreign Office that the sick and wounded on either side could be admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Hong
· Kong without contravening any international rules.
Efforts to shift the Naval Yard from the centre of the city were even extended to the hospital with similar lack of success. A letter from Commodore E.J. Church to Vice- Admiral Salmon, dated June 3, 1890, has an interesting reference to a suggestion made by the Governor that the Naval Hospital should be moved to a neighbouring site situated not far from the Mohammedan Cemetery. The suggestion appears to have been made originally by the Surveyor General. The Commodore says that he differs entirely from His Excellency on the apparent advantage to be derived by the Navy through the proposed change,. and states that the only benefit of the proposed change would be that the Navy would get a little additional height, "but it
would not be anything like 100 feet more.
體
The Navy surgeon, who had be en consulted, was absolutely opposed to the change, partly owing to the proximity of the Mohammedan Cemetery. The fact that the site would not be more than "at best but a narrow ridge" is mentioned. It is evident that this opposition resulted in the scheme being abandoned. The letter refers rather pointedly to the huge profit that the Government would make out of the present site, which had greatly increased in value!
A letter dated October 28, 1890, signed by Vice-Admiral No-well Salmon, addressed to Commodore Church, states that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty had notified him as follows:
"With reférence to the proposal to remove the Naval Hospital at Hongkong to a new site in Victoria, no steps can be taken in the matter pending the consideration of the removal of the whole of the Naval establishments to kowloon."
So the hospital stands to-day on its old site - though within recent years the question of moving to a more suitable locality has again been raised.
►
Reference in the local Church announcements to next Sunday being Hospital Sunday, reminds us of the good work done by the Colony's hospitals, and the devotion to duty of the nurses, who work often under most trying circumstances. It is interesting to note from the local Naval records that the benefits of having women nurses was realised in the Nineties, and efforts were made to obtain sisters from the Government Civil Hospital for the R.N. Hospital.
The first reference to the employment of nursing sisters in the Royal Naval Hospital is made on September 12, 1894, when the Commodore, in writing to Vice-Admiral Sir E.R. Fremantle, pointed out that there was no building in the Hospital suitable for their accommodation and a house would have to be built for that purpose.
The question of their employment had evidently just cropped up.
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