Celebrating One Hundred and Fifty Years
Sport has featured prominently in Vaughan’s life. A keen tennis player from an early age he still keeps his hand in two or three times a week. But I found that Vaughan is no singly talented person. Not only did he play tennis at a high level when at university, once his studies were over … Continue reading A man of many interests | Vaughan Ruckley
Hospitals can be very functional and occasionally somewhat drab places. Acres of magnolia are not proven to damage health, but there is now quite a lot of evidence that making the caring environment visually more attractive has a positive effect. Andy Elder has been an important voice and long standing advocate for the inclusion of … Continue reading The Dividing Line | Andy Elder
The Western Review became a tradition in the 1960s. The shows took place in the Recreation Hall, a large building which stood next to Porterfield Road , roughly on the site of the present Royal Victoria Building. The performers included nurses , junior doctors, medical students, radiographers, pharmacists, physiotherapists , porters and anyone else who … Continue reading Listen to the Western Revue 1966
Tessa Millar (now Macintyre) trained at the Western General Hospital in the early 1960s and in our conversation it soon became clear that life in the 60s was quite different. Tessa left school at 17 and applied for a job as a student nurse at the Western, where her interview questions included ‘What does your … Continue reading Training to be a Nurse | Tessa Macintyre
After the very well attended Edinburgh Park Run in June it was suggested I should meet up with Allan, not only a well-respected Consultant in Clinical Oncology at the Western General, but also a runner of nearly one hundred marathons. My interest was piqued, possibly because I have a run a few marathons myself. When … Continue reading Nearly 100 Marathons | Allan Price
We have two Western Revue LPs one from 1966 properly recorded and a bootleg version from 1969. For the younger amongst you they look just like 12inch singles. For the older amongst you the twelve-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and is commonly used in disco and dance … Continue reading A find from the 1960s
One of Edinburgh’s military hospitals was the Second General Military Hospital, Craigleith. The hospital was run by a Territorial Unit, who requisitioned the hospital wing of the Craigleith Hospital and Poorhouse. The first patient was received as early as August 1914, and the hospital was handed back to Edinburgh Town Council in Spring 1919. When the Local … Continue reading Second General Military Hospital, Craigleith
The exhibition at the City Arts Centre on Market Street continues until the 8th of July 2018. Each painting in ‘The Human Comedy’ series by James Pryde (1866-1941) depicts a facet of the human condition. From the series, this exhibition features ‘The Red Bed’ (1916) from the City of Edinburgh collection, alongside work from Lothian … Continue reading The Re(a)d Bed exhibition at the City Arts Centre
Chris Stirling, Site Director and Catriona Rostron, Associate Nurse Director have established a small working group of people to assist in the planning the 150th anniversary of care being provided on the Western General site. The group comprises existing and retired staff, and is supported by colleagues from the Edinburgh and Lothian Health Foundation, Lothian … Continue reading WGH150 | Your Ideas and Suggestions
I arrived at Café 1505 part of Surgeons Hall complex on Nicholson Street. I was soon joined by Iain MacIntyre who had, quite by chance, met Vaughan Ruckley, formerly a surgeon at the Western who had given Iain his first job as a house surgeon there in 1968 - it’s a small world! Iain told … Continue reading A Place for Innovation | Iain MacIntyre
