The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War

The untold story of the aged and infirm facing the horrors of the Blitz at Chelsea, a significant gap in the historical record

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‘Underpinned by rigorous academic research, (Martin Cawthorne) has crafted a highly readable narrative which brings to life the characters, events, the dilemmas facing the authorities and the enduring resilience of the Royal Hospital’s Pensioners.’ – General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, KCB, OBE, DL, Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea

In May 1938 a confidential meeting was held between Officers of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and government departments responsible for civil defence planning. All participants agreed that, should war come, the 500 Chelsea In-Pensioners residing at the Royal Hospital should be evacuated to a place of safety outside London. However, toxic politics and complex logistics meant that, on the outbreak of war in September 1939, only fifty were evacuated, to a country house in Herefordshire. The remainder, many carrying physical and psychological scars from the First World War, sought sanctuary in hastily constructed air-raid shelters and awaited their fate.

Using recently uncovered archive material, some stored for decades in an attic at the Royal Hospital, Martin Cawthorne chronicles the story of Chelsea’s old soldiers, once more in the line of fire as they faced the horrors of the London Blitz.