Wounded soldiers swell infirmary count

Wounded and sick soldiers were swelling the number of patients being treated at Stirling Royal Infirmary, the Observer reported.

An annual meeting of the infirmary’s subscribers, held 100 years ago this week, was told that 964 patients were attended to in 1916 , 57 more than 1915 and 346 more than 1914.

Of those admitted in 1916, 128 were wounded soldiers and 216 were sick troops from units stationed in the Stirling area. The remainder were civilians.

There were 193 more civilian patients than 1915 and 136 fewer military patients following redeployment from Stirling of the first line of the Lowland Division.

In August 1916, the infirmary admitted wounded soldiers from the Front for the first time .

The Queen Victoria Memorial Convalescent Home, in Chartershall, received 194 patients in 1916 compared with 267 the previous year when it was largely occupied by Territorial soldiers.

Those at the meeting were also told that total income for the infirmary in 1916 was £3374, an increase of £911 on 1915, and with a further £300 still to come from the Army pay office for soldiers treated there in September.

Expenditure was up £1197 to £4205 and included £500 spend on the extra beds and furniture required for military patients. It left a deficit of £830 which was comparable with 1915 once the £300 still to come from the Army was taken into account.