Selby War Memorial History - Portholme Methodist Church

Local Historian David Lewis will be talking about the history of the Selby War Memorial Hospital. The foundation stone for the original hospital was laid in 1926, so to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the hospital, David, in conjunction with the Friends of Selby Hospital, has put together a new book entitled “A Century of Care,” to tell the story.

The talk will describe the pre-1914 medical provision in the town, along with the town meetings that led to the War Memorial Hospital. The talk will explore the many and various ways in which Selebians raised the money, often just a penny at a time, to pay for the hospital.

It will describe the royal dedication and opening ceremonies. It will go on to consider how the coming of the NHS affected local medical provision, developments during the subsequent forty years, the demise of the original hospital and its replacement by the current dual-purpose medical facility and Civic Centre.