Site of the Christie Street Veterans' Hospital

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

On a post in front of a rock at the southwest corner of Christie Street and Lambertlodge Avenue is this 1996 Toronto Historical Board plaque. Here's what it says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.673742 -79.422467

On this site stood the Christie Street Veterans' Hospital, originally the National Cash Register Company Factory. In 1919 the factory was converted to the Toronto Military Orthopaedic Hospital. Although most of the soldiers had been wounded in World War I (1914-1918), a few residents had been disabled in the Boer War (1899-1902) and the Fenian Raids of 1866. In 1936 the name was changed to the Christie Street Veterans' Hospital. The influx of wounded veterans during World War II (1939-1945) caused overcrowding in the already inadequate facility. This led to the construction, in 1948, of Sunnybrook Hospital. The Christie Street building was then occupied by a seniors' home, Lambert Lodge, named in honour of Padre Lt.Col. Sidney Lambert S.M. O.B.E., a veteran of both World Wars. Demolished in 1981, it made way for the construction of this Christie Gardens Apartments and Care Facility.

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Posted January 29, 2013
Frank Smith...perhaps your father took care of mine...my dad spent time at Christie street..he was an amputee/Operation Windsor and ret'd on the Hospital ship Aba to the Christie street hospital....in fact my dad was voted the Christie street Pin-up Boy....would anyone know where I could get that picture....my dad gave me the paper clipping and I still can't find it...can anyone help?
Thank you. His daughter Peggy

Posted July 19, 2012
In addition to my post of March 23, 2012, I have a picture of the machine shop at Christie Street Hospital with three men working at lathes if anyone is interested.
Mary

Posted March 23, 2012
My father, Frank Smith was Foreman of the Machine Shop at Christie Street Hospital from ? until his untimely death at the age of 53 in 1945. He was also listed as being a Limb Maker. At his funeral, flowers were received from The Boy's from Lyndhurst Lodge & Paraplegic Assoc., Staff of the Limb Factory and Major and Mrs. Bateman.
Mary

Posted March 15, 2012
Regarding the January 22, 2012 comment: John mcFadden's death certificate is now available on ancestry.com cause of death listed as hypostatic pneumonia and arterio- sclerosis and hypertension prior to hospital he resided at 28 Ryding Ave Toronto born in quebec aged 78 at death. i hope the person interested will see this posting..
Moments from Margaret

Posted February 11, 2012
Re: post Jun 23 2010: Hello, I recently learned my great-grandfather had spent some time at Lambert Lodge in the early 60s and came across this site while looking up the history of the hospital. As I was reading the comments section, the Jun 23 entry about a patient named Michael Ewanyshyn caught my attention. I have been researching my family history and my mother's Uncle -- William Macdonald -- was also a POW captured at Dieppe. I have been reading his War diary and William wrote of being held at Stalag 8B. He has a list of fellow soldiers that were in his company, and remarkably, a M Ewanyshyn is among them, with the abbreviation 'repat' next to his name. Wanted to share this discovery.

Posted January 22, 2012
My 2nd great grand uncle, John mcFadden died at the Christie St Hospital 29 Aug 1938. He was in the WW1.

Posted October 23, 2011
I just stumbled across this page as I was searching for info on the Christie St Hospital. My grandfather, George William Owttrim, a veteran of WW1, was a cabinet maker by trade. He became a specialist in the making of orthopaedic appliances after the war. He worked at Christie St and then at Sunnybrook Hospital creating artificial limbs for the veterans.
Tricia

Posted February 13, 2011
My 2xgreat uncle was a patient in this hospital from January 21 to January 25 1933..James Harry Kerr.He was a veteran but the cause of death was haemorrhage from an ulcer.The sign says the name was changed to Veterans Hospital in 1936 but the death record suggest the name was already in use.

Posted June 25, 2010
My grandfather Joseph Connors a veteran of WW11 died at that hospital on February 27, 1948.

Posted June 23, 2010
My father, Michael Ewanyshyn, spent some time at Christie Street Hospital also.He was one of the first exchange prisoners at the time. He was wounded and captured by the Germans during the raid on Dieppe,in August 1942.He spent about a year at the p.o.w. camp Stalag 8B. He had his right leg amputated at the knee sometime in the early spring of 1944. I have a black and white photo of him taken around this time . He is sitting up in his hospital bed. Also his voting registration card.

Posted June 15, 2010
Hello; This is a very interesting piece. Is there any way of tracking down patients who were at the hospital, particularly 1943-1945? My father spent is 21st birthday there. Also, a neighbour at our family cottage was there, and I believe my fiancee's stepfather was there as well. I would really like to find out if they were all there at the same time. Another interesting point is the fact that my aunt, my father's sister currently lives at Christie Gardens, and it was at the hospital that my aunt introduced my mother to my father!

Posted May 14, 2010
This is a fascinating bit of history about the neighbourhood. Thank you.

Posted July 4, 2009
My father was one of the WWII wounded veterans that was sent to Christie Street Hospital and in fact was voted the Christie street Hospital Pin-up boy........unfortunately we lost the picture but I do remember seeing it.....does anyone know how I would track down the newspaper article showing him as their pin-up boy? his daughter Peggy

Posted May 4, 2009
This is an informative bit of history. My great-grandfather, Joseph Hoare died in that hospital 26 Dec 1938. He lied about his age and went to War in 1916 along with his sons. Their luck held and they all returned home safe.

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