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Blue plaque unveiled at First World War military hospital (From This Is Local London)
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Loughton Town Council unveils blue plaque at former British Red Cross hospital in Connaught Avenue, Loughton
10:30am Monday 10th December 2012 in Where I Live By Katie Bamber
Councillors including Caroline and Chris Pond, Ken Angold-Stephens, Judy Jennings and David Wixley with locals at the unveiling of a blue plaque on the former Braeside Military Hospital in Loughton.
A CROWD braved the snow to commemorate the crucial role played by a former military hospital in the First World War.
Councillors and residents gathered on Wednesday to see Loughton town mayor Stephen Pewsey unveil a blue plaque at 1 Connaught Avenue, off the High Road.
The large empty property - then known as Braeside - was enlisted as a Red Cross military hospital in 1914, providing care for wounded servicemen until 1919.
In his speech, Cllr Pewsey said Loughton, then only a small village, had still felt the effects of the conflict.
He said: "The young women of Loughton volunteered to train as unpaid nurses and worked at Braeside night and day throughout World War One, looking after our wounded servicemen.
"While the First World War always evokes images of Flanders Fields, this plaque is a reminder of the selfless devotion of the women of our town during that terrible conflict."
The opening was also attended by representatives of the British Red Cross, Loughton's Royal British Legion branch and the Loughton and District Historical Society.
