St Helier Hospital

In 1938 St Helier Hospital opened as the most modern hospital in Britain.  This year it celebrates it's 75th anniversary.  St Helier has a rich history, starting in 1938 when Queen Mary laid the first foundation stone at the site. The first patients were admitted in 1941 and the building was completed in 1942. The cost of the rent at the time was just £1 a year. Sadly, less than a month after completion, the hospital was damaged by a bomb dropped during an air raid in World War Two.  Further damage was caused throughout the war, and the hospital was struck by two flying bombs in June 1944.  However, St Helier remained open and continued to grow after the War.  In 1974, St Helier Hospital accommodated the first kidney transplant: a 24-year-old man had an operation at the hospital where he received a kidney from his sister. In 1977, the A&E department was opened for the first time following an investment of £200,000. St Helier Hospital has also played host to royalty in the past. During the hospital's Jubilee year in 1963, the Queen Mother visited the hospital to give nursing awards to staff. In 1987, the Princess of Wales officially opened the new maternity unit.

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