243 (The Wessex) Field Hospital

243 (The Wessex) Field Hospital is a unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps within the Army Reserve of the British Army.[2]

243 (The Wessex) Field Hospital
Active1996 – Present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
RoleMedical
SizeField Hospital
203 personnel[1]
Part of2nd Medical Brigade
Garrison/HQKeynsham

History

The hospital was formed in 1999, through the amalgamation of 211th (Wessex) Field Hospital, and 219th (Wessex) Field Hospital, as 243 (The Wessex) Field Hospital.[3] As a consequence of Army 2020, the unit now falls under 2nd Medical Brigade, and is paired with 33 Field Hospital.[4]

Under the Future Soldier programme, the hospital will be redesignated as the 243rd (Wessex) Multi-Role Medical Regiment and come under 2nd Medical Group.[5]

Current Structure

The hospital's current structure is as follows:[2]

Uniform

The Wessex Wyvern Division Sign was used by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division during the two world wars: a mythical creature said to lurk in the West Country. The sign was re-introduced to the Army in mid-1993 with the 211th Field Hospital becoming the first unit to re-use the symbol on their combat jackets. The sign was publicly worn for the first time on 24 October 1993 at the 75th Anniversary commemorations of the awards of the Croix de Guerre to the 24th Field Ambulance.[7][8]

The use of the Croix-de-Guerre is granted for the 243rd Field Hospital, though it is no longer worn on battle dress or in the field following the adoption of the new Multi-Terrain Pattern in 2010.[8]

See also

Footnotes
  1. "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. "243 Field Hospital". Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. "243rd (The Wessex) Field Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers)". Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  4. "TRANSFORMING THE BRITISH ARMY An Update" (PDF). p. 15. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  5. "Unit Details". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  6. "Google Earth". earth.google.com. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. Vassallo, Colonel (retired) David (17 February 2021). "A History of 243rd (The Wessex) Field Hospital and its predecessors" (PDF). Friends of Millbank. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  8. "Royal Army Medical Corps Reunited Newsletter" (PDF). Royal Army Medical Corps Reunited. September 2018 Edition. 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2022.


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