Nurses at the Naval Convalescent Hospital at Springfield College (ca. 1944)
Description:
This photograph shows a furnished sitting room at the Naval Convalescent Hospital on the campus of Springfield College (ca. 1944). Two nurses are sitting, one in an arm chair and the other on a sofa. Both nurse are reading magazine, while a dog is seen sitting on the floor in front of them. There are tables, sofas, and table lamps in the room. At the start of World War II, Springfield College served as training grounds for the Army Air Corps, which allotted the college $90,000 for upgrading facilities. In the spring of 1944, the training program was canceled; in order to conserve its assets for expanded postwar operations in the face of decreasing student enrollment, Springfield College negotiated a contract with the U.S. Navy to serve as a Naval Special Hospital. The Navy allotted $75,000 to bring the college up to the mark of a naval hospital, and the first contingent of one hundred and fifty patients arrived on September 22, 1944. It was estimated that five hundred patients could be served. Alumni Hall was used as the hospital, and the old dormitory (now called the Administration Building) became administrative offices and housing for nurses and WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
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