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Patients in the Mess Room, Quex Park
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Patients in the Mess Room, Quex Park
Belgian Patients in the Mess Room, Quex Park. The Mess Room was situated in the Winter Garden, a large conservatory situated between Quex House and the Museum buildings. The man serving food on the left may be Camille Van Dyck, a Belgian soldier who remained at Quex for the duration of the war and worked as a hospital orderly. He had suffered the loss of his speech through shock and his home was in occupied Belgium. The man just behind his left shoulder is Oscar Van Audenhove, the Belgian patients who painted the background to a diorama in the B Ward Gallery. 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. Date: 1915
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Media ID 14244853
© The Powell-Cotton Museum Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Belgian Birchington Camille Conservatory Detachment Duration Dyck Mess Orderly Patients Quex Recuperation Rehabilitation Remained Serving Situated Voluntary Worked
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> World War I and II
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures a moment of respite and camaraderie among Belgian patients at the Quex Park VAD Hospital in Birchington, Kent, during World War I. The Mess Room, situated in the Winter Garden of the grand Quex House, offers a temporary escape from the rigors of medical care and rehabilitation. The man serving food on the left, identified as Camille Van Dyck, was a Belgian soldier who remained at Quex for the duration of the war and worked as a hospital orderly. He had suffered the loss of his speech through shock and his home was in occupied Belgium. The man just behind his left shoulder is Oscar Van Audenhove, another Belgian patient who painted the background to a diorama in the B Ward Gallery. The Quex Park VAD Hospital opened on 15 October 1914 and closed on 31 January 1919. It was run by Kent/178, the Birchington Detachment, under the command of Hannah Powell-Cotton, wife of Major Percy HG Powell-Cotton of Quex Park, founder of the Powell-Cotton Museum. The hospital provided medical care, rehabilitation, and recuperation for soldiers and civilians affected by the war. The Winter Garden, a large conservatory situated between Quex House and the Museum buildings, provided a bright and airy space for patients to gather and socialize. The Mess Room, with its long table and steaming pots, offered a sense of normalcy and comfort amidst the chaos of war. This photograph is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices and resilience of those who lived through the First World War and the vital role of volunteers in providing care and support to those in need.
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