Wartime Evacuation – The Royal Hospital Chelsea and Ross-on-Wye
In St Mary’s churchyard is a memorial to 22 Chelsea Pensioners and an Officer of the Royal Hospital Chelsea who died whilst evacuated to Ross-on-Wye during the Second World War. There is also a memorial in Bridstow to other Chelsea Pensioners who died whilst evacuated during the war.
But why were Chelsea Pensioners evacuated to Ross-on-Wye? Were other Chelsea Pensioners evacuated, and if so, where did they go? How long were they here? What happened to those Pensioners who stayed behind in Chelsea?
Martin Cawthorne, author of The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War has worked with the Royal Hospital Chelsea since 2014. Initially working on a project to digitise wartime archives left for decades in an attic at the Royal Hospital, Martin subsequently studied at Oxford University, where he researched the Royal Hospital’s wartime history.
In his talk Martin will describe how the Royal Hospital Chelsea prepared for the Second World War, and what happened to Chelsea Pensioners during the conflict. He will explain the part played by wartime evacuation, and the important role which Ross-on-Wye plays in the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s wartime story.
Martin’s talk aims to place the wartime role of Ross-on-Wye in the context of the broader story of the Royal Hospital Chelsea during the Second World War.
