'Lost' Erskine Hospital archive to be catalogued

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Carpenter in Erskine workshopImage source, Erskine

Historical documents and artefacts from an old hospital, some of which were found underneath floorboards, are to be formally catalogued.

Some of the archive, charting the 100-year-history of the Erskine Hospital, was recently found in a locked room in a disused part of the hospital.

The hospital was formerly known as the Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Sailors and Soldiers.

Woodworking tools used to make prosthetic limbs are among the archive.

The tools were used by some of the recovering soldiers as part of their rehabilitation and training in new skills.

They made a wide range of wooden medical appliances for disabled soldiers, including the then pioneering Erskine Leg - a prosthetic limb designed and pioneered by Sir William Macewen, co-founder of the hospital and Regius Professor of Surgery at the University of Glasgow.

Image source, Erskine

Sir William's work led to a global advancement in prosthetic limbs.

The archive contains a full collection of wooden shoe-size moulds used in the workshops for the manufacture of prosthetic legs.

It is not known how long the objects and archive material had been stored in the building, but some items date back to the original founding of the hospital which celebrates its centenary next year.

Additional records and documents were kept in boxes in various rooms throughout the hospital.

The collection will now be catalogued by Glasgow University's Archives Services and stored at the university.

Erskine are currently working on a patient database of every soldier admitted and discharged at the hospital during its history, which will become a research resource for families tracing their ancestry.

Image source, Erskine

The project has been funded by the Wellcome Trust which awards grants to libraries and archives to support cataloguing, preservation and digitisation projects.

Steve Conway, chief Executive of The Erskine, said: "Archiving records and preserving artefacts was never high on the priority list until we started to prepare for our centenary. It was only then that we realised how much of our history had been recorded but largely neglected.

"Hopefully, these records and artefacts will help people to research family histories and also support research in to the care of veterans with physical or mental injuries sustained in the service of their country."

Dr Tony Pollard, senior lecturer in history and battlefield archaeology at Glasgow University, said: "What we are unearthing at Erskine is quite remarkable.

"There are boxes upon boxes of wartime history which will shine a light on so many personal stories of bravery and endurance during the First World War, but also the incredible advancement in the treatment of injured personnel not just physically but mentally since 1916.

Image source, Erskine

"This archive will not only chart the hospital's history but also provide an insight into the many medical developments over the last century, methods which helped change care practices towards casualties of war around the globe.

"I am quite certain once we really start to delve into the vast collection, the findings will be used in research for many years to come."

The archive team is appealing for help to find an original Erskine Leg.

Only one known Macewen-designed Erskine Leg survives in the British Museum, but archivists and historians at the University of Glasgow are convinced there are more.

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