The people of Bognor worked together in an endeavour to establish a hospital in the town. Even the new Picturedrome Cinema in 1919 donated the proceeds from its debut showing to the Bognor War Memorial Hospital Fund. On 16th July 1919 a house on the Chichester Road known as Springfield House was opened as a Voluntary Hospital to service the area. The house had originally belonged to Teresa Mercer, an authoress, who moved there in 1839. It was to be quite a small hospital with only eight beds and in its first year the hospital had 76 patients with a further 40 people being treated as outpatients.   It did not take the residents long to appreciate the hospital service and by 1925 the hospital had increased its number of patients to 190 with 244 outpatients.

It soon became apparent that although we now

had a hospital in the town it quite quickly became totally inadequate as the population increasingly used the services provided. The hospital at this time was able to perform operations and also had a massage department and a radiograph unit.  As with many things in life if you don’t have one, you don’t miss it, however once the hospital had arrived so the use was to increase annually. The population of the town increased from 13,510 in 1932 to 18,440 in 1939. However during this same period the hospital had not grown to take into account the increased usage.  

Other things were also changing, there was now a provision of medical care in hospital in addition to the surgical service and the medical profession was now able to provide a much wider service: However this meant more beds, nursing and other staff, and also expensive equipment.

Whilst the hospital had moved away from its early concept of a Cottage Hospital it had remained a Voluntary General Hospital. One of their annual reports commented that the Committee who were running the hospital in 1929 had serious concerns that an additional building containing a further 25 beds could be made to pay its way!    However the Committee took a serious look at their expenses, which had risen from the annual £1,531.5s.8d to £3,017.10s.9d.due to the increased usage by the general public.  There was however one element that was causing particular concern; whilst Bognor did not even have sufficient facilities available for its own residents, the problem was further exacerbated by the annual influx of holidaymakers to the resort, creating an extra strain on the already stretched services.

During his stay not only local residents but the world media focused for a time on this small seaside resort on the South coast of England watching and waiting for the recovery of the King, so that he was able to return to London and once again carry out his duties. Following the King’s visit, both visitors and new residents were attracted to the area for the benefit of their health, which again stretched even further the hospital provision.

In 1931 Lord Leconfield JP (Lord Lieutenant of Sussex), using a silver trowel laid the foundation stone of the new Bognor Regis Hospital building. Mr. W. Seymour, a local builder, was present as Chairman of the Building Committee and also in attendance were hospital Doctors and other staff to watch the event. The Bognor War Memorial Hospital was to formally open on September 24th 1932, containing 29 beds, an x-ray department, outpatients, and administration.  The new hospital was to have on display in the entrance hall a record of the names of the 324 men, from the town, who had given their lives in the war.  The hospital was to be dedicated to the memory of those men who died in the First World War and to commemorate King George V’s restoration to good health. This was to be the concept of the hospital service as a Memorial Hospital. Over the years wards and units have been named after notables in the town who have made their own contribution.

By 1933 the hospital was now treating 259 patients with a further 235 out patients.  They were also able to carry out 189 operations and one particular report advised that the cost per head for in-patients was £8.8s.4d, which averaged out to 9s.4d. per day.  The hospital carried out 58 X-rays in that particular year.

In 1952 The Observer again reported that the Bognor Hospital was ‘undoubtedly inadequate in comparison with the population of the town,” and recounted the fact that the efforts of the townspeople of Bognor Regis had been very much responsible for the hospital being handed over as a “going concern to the National Health authorities in 1948.” 

Another extension was added in 1959 costing £10,000 and this at a time when the holidaymakers to the town were again regularly expanding the local population of 27,000

The hospital came to the forefront again at the start of 2000 when it was thought that the original building, Springfield’s, was to be demolished.  It was announced that this building, which had served so many of the hospital’s earliest patients, was not now able to be improved, increased in size or fitted with the necessary access for disabled people.

Today the hospital is part of the South Weald and Downs NHS Trust and now has a total of 61 beds to service the area. This very busy hospital had in 2000 a total of 1,107 in-patients, and a further 26,857 outpatients.  There is no casualty department only a Minor Injuries unit open Monday to Friday, which treats in the region of 12,000 patients in a year.

The hospital continues to be much supported by the local residents. Of course no one can forget the Friends of the Hospital who held their first fete to help the hospital in 1919.  It was in 1953 that The Bognor Rotary club first formed the Bognor

Regis Friends of the Hospital that was originally known as the Friends of Bognor and Aldingbourne Hospitals. They provided so much for the patients and the hospital over the years, in much the same way as the early donations and awards that were made to the hospital.

In 1956 the Hospital Fete was so successful that nearly 20,000 attended when it was opened by radio stars from the very popular “Archers.” During the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1989 the Friends of the Hospital again were raising money to help equip the new hospital that was to be opened in the future.

Today the hospital is a very modern much used facility, complete with its locally renowned restaurant which is enjoyed by many people. Whilst this is in distinct contrast to the service provided in the early days of a small cottage hospital, it is very much in keeping with provision for a local community in the 21st century.

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