Esquimalt Military Convalescent Hospital - Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 26.176 W 123° 25.247
10U E 468877 N 5364876
This group of buildings operated as the Esquimalt Military Convalescent Hospital during World War I, treating sick and injured servicemen coming home from the war. They now house the naval museum at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.
Waymark Code: WM17M3X
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 03/07/2023
Views: 4
There has been a military hospital at this location at various times since 1862. In that year, the Royal Naval Hospital relocated to three wooden buildings at the site. The hospital continued to operate until August 1869, when it closed for a short time before reopening in 1872. The wooden buildings were later replaced by more permanent wood and brick constructions in the late 1800s.
- 1888 - South Ward (now NAD 35)
- 1889 - North Ward (now NAD 39)
- 1889 - Administration Building (now NAD 37)
- 1891 - Sick Officer's Ward (now NAD 20)
- 1894 - Stores Building (now NAD 29)
By 1905, a decrease in world tensions led to the hospital closing yet again. The buildings continued to receive minimal maintenance while talks were underway with the British government, and were taken over by the Canadian Navy when the service was formed in 1910. However, the buildings remained unused.
In 1915, after the outbreak of World War I, this group of buildings was activated as the Esquimalt Military Convalescent Hospital, operated by the Military Hospitals Commission. Staffed by Army doctors and nurses, the hospital treated sick and injured servicemen and prepared them for a return to civilian life. In addition to wounds, the facility also treated servicemen with shell shock and tuberculosis. The hospital continued to operate for a short time beyond the end of the war, ultimately closing on April 2, 1921.
After their many stints operating as a hospital, these buildings would later be used as part of the HMCS Naden training establishment, and then as general office space. They're now preserved and house the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum.
Access to the museum is via the main Naden gate on Naden Way off of Admirals Road. Government-issued photo ID (e.g. driver's license or passport) must be shown at the gate, but the public is welcome to enter and visit the museum.