|William Loney RN - Background| |Home-Loney-Background-The Naval
Surgeon| The Royal Naval Hospital, Hong Kong Hong Kong was first
occupied by British forces in early 1841. In April of that year
the Navy erected matshed buildings - including store sheds and a
naval hospital - on the site that later became the Wellington
Barracks, but these were soon destroyed by the typhoon of 22
July. Minden, a third rate sailing ship, was then taken into use
as a hospital ship for Navy personnel. The island proved to be
very unhealthy, and between May and October 1843, fever killed
24 % of the troops and 10 % of the civilians there. In about
1846 Minden was replaced by Alligator, a sixth rate frigate
which had participated in the first Opium War, and in 1857 by
Melville, another third rate, which had been Rear-Admiral George
Elliot's flagship during the early part of the war. In 1850 the
medical staff consisted of a Surgeon and two Assistant Surgeons.
In 1856 a Deputy Medical Inspector of Hospitals and Fleets was
first appoi