Over 1,000 sick and disabled veterans of The Great War were treated at Craigdarroch Military Hospital. War injuries and disease had rendered these patriots unfit for military service, but the Canadian government was committed to helping them return to civilian life. For some, the situation was hopeless - the Castle was their last home. For others, curative occupations at the bedside and in a workshop on the south lawn enabled a partial recovery that allowed them to return to their families and perhaps augment pension income.
Most hospital staff members were also war veterans. Under Craigdarroch’s roof, patients and staff together made the best of painful wartime experiences. Their story will be told in a permanent gallery planned for a room on the third floor. A synopsis of Craigdarroch Military Hospital and the Dunsmuir family’s contributions to the Great War can be seen by clicking here. The author invites family members of the patients or staff of Craigdarroch Military Hospital to contact him with information about their ancestor’s time at Craigdarroch:
Bruce Davies
Curator
Craigdarroch Castle
1050 Joan Crescent
Victoria, BC V8S 3L5
250-592-5323
bruce@thecastle.ca
