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 The Great War
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Boots the Chemist John Street

4/11/2014

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While talking to local traders about our planed events for the August Centenary we received from Boots the Chemist in John St an interesting artefact on loan for our new exhibition. in 2010 a doctor’s medical kit was given to the store following a house clearance.
After some research the kit has been identified as belonging to Major Stanley Alwyn Smith Who possibly used the kit judging by the content while serving on the front line.

This extract is  his obituary dated 1935 published by the BMA

STANLEY ALWYN SMITH, D.S.O. O.B.E. MI.D., M.CiI., F.R.C.S.ED.

Consulting Surgeon,  Ministry of Pensions, Wales  Region; formerly Orthopedic Surgeon in Chief, Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital

Stanley Alwyn Smith was the son of Lieut.-Colonel T.  F. Smith of Leek, Staffordshire, in 1884
He entered Edinburgh University as a medical student soon after graduating M.B., Ch.B.  in 1905
he became house-surgeon, and then personal assistant, to Sir Robert Jones in Liverpool, in collaboration with whom he laid  the foundations  of that knowledge which  made him one of the world's leading authorities on disorders of the knee-joint and  their surgical treatment.  He proceeded M.D.  in 1908,  and in  1911 obtained the M.Ch. degree and he diploma  of F.R.C.S.Ed.

Alwyn Smith went to Canada by invitation in 1912, and practised as a consulting orthopedic  surgeon to the Winnipeg General Hospital and the Children's Hospital. Immediately  on the outbreak of the  great war, he was mobilized with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, and served in France all through 1915.  He was awarded the D.S.O. at Festubert in recognition of his devotion to  his work, when his power of intense concentration, combined
He was twice mentioned in dispatches. He returned  to England in 1916 to take charge of all Canadian orthopedic cases, and was appointed surgeon in-Chief of the Granville Special Hospital at Ramsgate.
This was the first orthopedic hospital started in England during the  war, and  was a model of efficiency and organization. In 1917, by special request, he was transferred to the British Army, and was placed  in charge of the Welsh Metropolitan  War Hospital  at Whitchurch, (Whitchurch Hospital) Cardiff,  as orthopedic surgeon-in-chief. After the war Alwyn Smith became consulting surgeon to the Ministry of Pensions and surgeon-in-chief  to the Prince  of Wales Limbless Hospital, which later became the orthopedic hospital for Wales.
His son Peter was also a Doctor and lived at Orchard Cottage Newton Porthcawl during which time he was appointed Principal Medical officer at the Welsh office.




Below are some of the contents of the box


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    Author

    David Swidenbank Vice Chairman of Porthcawl Museum 

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