大象传媒

In late 1914, the vicar of Ditchling, Francis Collins Norton, set up a small hospital for injured servicemen in a semi-detached house. The hospital was staffed by Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurses but was run by his daughter, Eleanor. She says it was his attempt to keep her at home whilst still allowing her to help with the war effort.

The house was called Meadowcroft and soldiers were sent there to convalesce after being treated at larger hospitals on the south coast. The soldiers were not allowed out unaccompanied and there was very little for them to do besides read and play table tennis. Nevertheless, once their recuperation was complete they were reluctant to leave.

In 1974, Eleanor gave an interview to the Imperial War Museums about her life at Meadowcroft and how she played a full part in the war effort even though her father refused to let her leave home.

Location: Ditchling, West Sussex BN6 8TT
Photograph of Meadowcroft courtesy of Ditchling History Project
Archive interview with Eleanor Millicent David courtesy of Imperial War Museums