- RNH Bighi
RNH Bighi, also known as Bighi Hospital, was a major naval
hospital located in the small town ofKalkara on the island ofMalta . It served the eastern Mediterranean in the 19th and 20th centuries and, in conjunction with the with the RN Memorial Hospital at Imtarfa, contributed to the nursing and medical care of casualties whenever hostilities occurred in the Mediterranean.Construction
The foundation stone was laid by Vice Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm on 23rd March 1830. The design of Bighi Hospital is generally attributed to Colonel (later Major General) Sir George Whitmore (1775 - 1862) who headed the Royal Engineers between 1811 and 1829 The works were completed on 24th September 1832, at a total cost of £20,000. The West and East Wings' architecture is in the modern Doric style and built with high floors. The Surgical (also known as the General Hospital Block) and the
Zymotic Blocks were built in 1901 and 1903 respectively.ervice
Bighi Hospital contributed to the nursing and medical care of casualties whenever hostilities occurred in the Mediterranean, making Malta "the nurse of the Mediterranean". During the First World War, RNH Bighi accommodated a very large number of causalities from the Daradanelles. During the
Second World War , the Hospital was well within the target area of the heavy bombing since it was surrounded by military establishments. A number of its buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the x-ray theatre, the East and West Wings, the Villa and the Cot Lift from the Bighi Jetty to the Hospital. Among several Doctors and nurses of renown to serve here wereDoris Beale DBE .Closure and Subsequent Site Usage
In 1967, during the second rundown of the British services and their employees in Malta, Bighi Hospital was on the brink of closing down. On September 17th, 1970 Bighi was closed down indefinitely.In 1977 parts of the building were occupied by the former Senglea Trade School while other sections accommodated a secondary school.
Links
* Annotated Map on
WikiMapia http://wikimapia.org/1971530/ (RNH Bighi is anotated as [http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=35.893083&lon=14.524495&z=16&l=5&m=a&v=2&show=/1971530/ Bighi Complex (Kalkara)] )
* Bighi Complex (Kalkara))
* [http://www.mcst.org.mt/page.aspx?id=53 Villa Bighi - Origins and History]
*List of hospitals and hospital ships of the Royal Navy
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
