The Red Cross took over Belle Vue House, Sudbury, after the outbreak of the First World War and used it as a hospital for soldiers, in need of convalescence, from many different military field hospitals.

A number of local women became Red Cross VADs (Volunteer Auxiliary Division) who volunteered to work at Belle Vue. The Sudbury Freemen’s Trust is planning a new project in 2020 to remember the work of the nurses and other local people who worked in the kitchens, the wards and the grounds.