Lemnos Hospital in Shenton Park to be placed on the State's register of Heritage places

1/7/99
The hospital built to care for World War I soldiers suffering from shell shock has won the protection of the State's heritage laws.
Lemnos Hospital was named after the idyllic Greek island which was used as an evacuation point for injured troops.
The picturesque grounds of the hospital also contain a pine tree believed to have been grown from a seed taken from Lemnos Island.
Heritage Minister Graham Kierath said the Shenton Park building would be placed on the Heritage Council of Western Australia's register of heritage places.
Mr Kierath said Lemnos Hospital had a special place in the hearts of its patients and their families, as well as many members of the wider community.
"Lemnos was the main hospital built in Western Australia to provide care for returned servicemen suffering from mental illness as a result of World War I," Mr Kierath said.
"It has played an important part in the history of mental care in WA.
"It is also regarded architecturally as a high quality group of buildings in an attractively landscaped area."
Mr Kierath said that in the years following World War I, a number of servicemen returning home were found to be suffering from mental disorders, or "shell shock", but that existing facilities were inappropriate.
The Mental Treatment Act of 1917 was specifically designed for servicemen and meant they could receive medical treatment without being certified insane.
The Returned and Services League (RSL) began to lobby the Government to provide a purpose built hospital for these servicemen.
Lemnos was opened by the Governor, Sir William Campion, on July 12, 1926 and was regarded as a "beautiful haven of rest", with none of the traces of institutionalism associated with other mental hospitals.
Mr Kierath said in the same year Lemnos was opened, Dr James Bentley was appointed Inspector General of the Insane.
"Dr Bentley had served in the AIF during World War I and after contracting malaria, had spent time recuperating on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea, " Mr Kierath said.
"It would appear that Dr Bentley chose the name Lemnos as it evoked an image of the island where many had escaped from the horrors of war.
"It is also believed that an Aleppo Pine tree planted in the grounds of the hospital came from a seedling from the island.
"Reminders of the war were ever present with the wards bearing the names of famous theatres of war - Crete, Borneo and Alamein, and later Gallipoli and Flanders."
Mr Kierath said Lemnos was built to accommodate 70 patients and included the administration building, the three wards, a services block, sports oval, pavilion and tennis court.
Pressure on accommodation rose sharply after World War II, although accommodation was not increased until 1956 when a new, 32 bed ward was opened (Gallipoli). Another new ward, Flanders, was opened in the 1960s.
Lemnos is located within a precinct of health-related buildings, known as the Selby-Lemnos Complex, which has been developed around the hospital since the 1960s.
Mr Kierath said the hospital buildings were in good condition and had high degrees of integrity and authenticity.
Media contact: Steve Manchee (08) 9213 6400