Hickleton Hall during WW1

Hickleton Hall is located just over 6 miles North West of  Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The hall was built during the 1740s and subsequently purchased by the Wood family in 1828. Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, Charles Wood, The 2nd Viscount Halifax opened up his home to some of the

Soldiers stood outside Hickleton Hall by photographer P Rogers

Postcard from my personal collection.

many Belgian refugees, who had fled to England after their homeland had been destroyed by German troops: Allowing them to stay in the hall's reading room. Through out the war the house also functioned as an unofficial military hospital for injured soldiers.

I recently bought this postcard of convalescing soldiers stood outside the main entrance to Hickleton Hall. The style of uniforms pictured & crossed flags suggest this could be a mixed group of allied soldiers rather than just British soldiers.

Postcard of Hickleton Hall dated 1918
From my personal collection

Lord Halifax's son, the future 1st Earl of Halifax, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood also played an important role in WW1. During the first part of the war he saw active service as a Captain with the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons, despite rising to the role of  Major, in late 1917 he was relived from duty, in order to take up the post of deputy director in the Ministry of National Service, an unsurprising job offer, considering Edward had always been a keen supporter for the introduction of conscription. Prior to the war he had been elected as Conservative MP for Ripon, a position he held until 1925. In 1904 Edward had inherited Temple Newsam at Leeds, from an aunt, which was also re-purposed as a military hospital for the duration of the war. Edward's wife Dorothy even worked there as a nurse, tending to wounded soldiers.

During in the Second World War, Hickleton Hall was made headquarters of I Corps after the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940. In 1947 the family relocated to their alternative home at Garrowby, East Yorkshire and leased the hall to St, Hilda's School. From 1961 to 2012 it functioned as a Sue Ryder care home. Hickleton Hall is currently undergoing renovations, you can learn more by visiting this website: Hickletonhall.co.uk/

Information sources:
Doncaster1914-18.org.uk - Hickleton Hall
Wikipedia.org - Edward Wood,1st Earl of Halifax