Hartlebury Castle WWI soldiers' scrapbooks on display Published duration 17 June 2015

image copyright Unknown image caption Injured soldiers were sent to Hartlebury Castle for rest and recuperation before returning to the Front

Scrapbooks, drawings and hand-made cards by World War One soldiers nursed at a Worcestershire castle are to be displayed for the first time.

A Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) convalescence hospital was set up at Hartlebury Castle in 1915. An exhibition at the castle to mark its centenary will include visitors books kept by the nursing sisters.

As well as the names, regiments and injuries of soldiers who passed through the unit, the books contain messages, photographs and other memorabilia.

image copyright unknown image caption A visitors book recorded patients nursed between 1915-1917

image copyright Unknown image caption Soldiers were encouraged to enjoy themselves while at the hospital, going on walks and putting on plays

image copyright Unknown image caption The men were nursed by volunteers as well as trained medical staff

VADs were established in buildings converted into hospitals, and were staffed by volunteers alongside trained nurses. Agatha Christie, Vera Brittain, Amelia Earhart and Freya Stark were among the more well-known of them.

Hartlebury Castle, between Worcester and Kidderminster was a Red Cross VAD convalescent hospital from June 1915.

image copyright Unknown image caption The injured soldiers were encouraged to compile scrapbooks and make cards

image copyright Unknown image caption Volunteer nurses staffed many VAD units across the country

image copyright Unknown image caption Once soldiers had recovered from their injuries they were sent back to war

Run by two wealthy sisters, the castle was used as a place for soldiers to rest and recuperate.

The centrepiece of the exhibition are the scrapbooks made by soldiers, which contain pictures and drawings by the men who were treated there, along with pictures of the local women who nursed them.