1917

During the war years four pavilions of wood and corrugated iron were erected by the military authorities for the accommodation of infective cases occurring amongst returned soldiers. Each of these units contained twenty-five beds, narrow Army type.

This brought the total number of hospital beds with the addition of the six new pavilions of the Flowers Hospital in 1920, to 716, of which 502 were for general medical and surgical cases, 192 were for infectious diseases and the lazaret contained twenty-two beds.

These military wards were used for their original purpose for about a year; subsequently they were used to house influenza victims during 1919 and 1920, and in 1925 they were handed over by the Army to the State to be used for infectious cases occurring in the metropolitan area.

After many years use accommodating infectious cases and later, convalescent diphtheria and polio myelitis sufferers, the army wards were finally renovated for use as animal breeding and holding houses.