RAF Hospital Uxbridge was a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...

within the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

station

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years b ...

History

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

arrived at the hospital in 1932 to recover after the amputation of both of his legs following a flying accident. It was during his stay that he met the Desoutter brothers who were pioneering the use of lightweight

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

for the production of prosthetic limbs. Bader was fitted with the new style of legs and returned to active service with the RAF, to become known as "the legless pilot". In early 1940, the officers' hospital on the station became the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force during the World War II, Second World War. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 181,000 at its peak ...

Hospital,Crozier 2007, p. 15 with the Officers' hospital moving to the

RAF Hospital Torquay The RAF Hospital Torquay (also known as the RAF Officer's Convalescent Hospital), was a medical facility run by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Torquay suburb of Babbacombe, Devon, England, during the Second World War. The RAF requisitioned the ...

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Crozier, Hazel. (2007) ''RAF Uxbridge 90th Anniversary 1917–2007''. RAF High Wycombe: Air Command Media Services {{DEFAULTSORT:Uxbridge, RAF Hospital Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hillingdon

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

Military hospitals in the United Kingdom Military history of Middlesex Defunct hospitals in London Health in the London Borough of Hillingdon Royal Air Force Medical Services