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The Charing Cross Military Hospital on Agar Street was situated in the heart of central London, very near to Charing Cross Station; a hustling transport hub.

The station was an arrival point for thousands of injured servicemen coming back to Britain from the fronts so the hospital was well placed to receive them.

However, its location meant it was also a very busy and noisy part of the capital. Men who had come off the battlefront needed a quiet place to be treated to aid in their recovery. In an attempt to reduce the noise around the hospital an enormous sign was put up across Agar Street. It read: ‘QUIET for the WOUNDED’.

But how effective was this and just how important was the call for quiet?

Location: Agar Street, Charing Cross, London WC2N
Image: Agar Street during the war, courtesy of IWM, compared to how the street stands today