Monument record MHG56917 - WWI Naval hospital main building - Invergordon

The main building of a former WWI naval hospital, constructed close to a WWI army camp to the immediate northwest of Invergordon, originally intended for use as an officer's club. Although subsequently used as a Royal Navy Shore Establishment (HMS Flora II) and a school (Invergordon Academy) it has now been converted into flats.

According to the First World War map of the Invergordon Naval Base (held in a private collection) the hospital comprised the main building, which is still extant, and an observation hut to the rear. To the W of the existing building were the staff quarters and the ward to the rear. Two further buildings lie to the N of the ward. The 4th edition of the OS 6-inch map shows the main hospital building as a school. During the Second World War a map (held in a private collection) shows the building became HMS Flora, with an air raid shelter to the rear.
Information from HS/RCAHMS World War One Audit Project (GJB) and (AKK) 2 August 2013.

A project to characterise the quantity and quality of the Scottish resource of known surviving remains of the First World War. Carried out in partnership between Historic Scotland and RCAHMS. <1>

The site was investigated in 2015 as part of the ARCH project 'Invergordon in World War I'. The main hospital building was originally built as a Naval Officer's Club just before WWI, but was taken over for the hospital. Patients were taken from ships, using specially fitted steam-drifters. The hospital was conveniently located to transport casualties to the nearby station for ambulance trains. This hospital was small, at most with 50 beds, and during the war a larger Naval hospital was built on the east of the town. <2> An aerial photograph shows that the other buildings around the main building were single storey wooden huts. After the war it was used by the primary school, and some local people remember having classes here. In the 1930s aerial photograph it has a flagpole in front. It has been converted into flats. <3>

See MHG56916 for general record for the hospital site.