Does one mean Blandford Camp in Dorset -the sigs hq After the fall of France the British Army went through a period of reorganisation and from August to November 1940 the 4th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers trained at Blandford for their new role of being a 'Reconnaissance Battalion'. The Battalion was fully equipped with motor cycles and motor combinations. The camp was, after the departure of that battalion, used as a Battle Training Camp. It was staffed by a cadre of officers and NCO's who organised the training of the units who passed through the Camp. Each unit spent a month carrying out intensive training prior to being sent to a combat area such as North Africa, or preparing for the planned invasion of Normandy in 1944. With the large build up of Allied forces in the UK during 1943-1944 it was anticipated that once the invasion had begun Blandford Camp would no longer be required as a training camp and because of this it was decided to convert the camp into a General Hospital for the US Armed Forces. World War 2 - 22nd General Hospital The camp was converted into a five hospital complex. The staff of the first hospital, 22nd General Hospital, arrived in April 1944 with the other hospitals arriving soon after these being the 119th, 125th 131st and 140th General Hospitals. The task of the hospital complex was to ''receive and give treatment to patients from the Combat Zone. To provide opportunities to perform surgical operations which would not be possible in Casualty Clearing Stations''. The hospitals started receiving patients about two weeks after D-Day and many were brought from the combat area to the wartime airfield at Tarrant Rushton. The hospitals were often working at full capacity and receiving as many as 500 casualties during one night. The hospital complex closed after VE Day the majority of the staff returned to the USA during October 1945. After the closure of the hospitals the camp was reconverted to its original use that of being a training camp and during the post war years it was used by the RASC (later to become the RCT), the REME, and ACC and the APTC. It was used by the RASC as a National Service driving training camp. 30th Signal Regiment It was not until 1960 that the first Royal Signals unit moved into the camp, this was 30th Signal Regiment which moved from Middle Wallop to Evans Lines. The camp was then selected to be the future home of the School of Signals and early in 1964 a Blandford Camp Project Staff was established and the present day camp planned. School of Signals In 1967 the School of Signals moved from Catterick Camp to its present home - Blandford Camp.
Thanks for the sent information although i am hoping for more specific information on details of the 140th General Hospital at Camp Blandford if possible.
A suggestion would be to contact the RAMC museum at Ash Vale in Surrey. Royal Signals museum at Blandford Camp would be specific to the Sigs. Try this link, http://www.army.mod.uk/medical/ams_museum/ams_research/index.htm
When it came to the main hospital ready for the returning wounded, then that was Shaftesbury. There was a huge military hospital there, the care there was quite wonderful. Blandford was only ever a small place, as was Bovington, where I stayed for a while until they discovered that my injuries were quite outside their ability to put right. Bandford now is under a threat of closure? Sapper
looking for information on australian servicemen who were in world war 2,names of some thanx,for my child project for school
looking for information on australian servicemen who were in world war 2,names of some thanx,for my child project for school Check the Victoria Cross winners here. There are mixed WW1 & WW2 here so read them to separate them. http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-medals/australian_vc.htm
