CONTACTCONTACTThe restoration of the splendid Grade II listed building, The Star and Garter, at the top of Richmond Hill, has just been completed. It is the former home of the Royal Star & Garter Home where injured ex-servicemen and women were cared for from 1924 until 1913 when they moved to a new purpose-built home. An archery tournament took place at the Royal Star & Garter in 1948 against Stoke Mandeville and this was the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. Private Charlie Groves is the archer featured in the historic image. Charlie, whose spine was smashed by a sniper’s bullet in the Second World War, moved to the Home in 1948 at the age of 25 and lived there for the next 50 years. To mark the completion of this next chapter in the history of the building of The Star and Garter, Invictus archer Duncan Moyse, who was injured in Iraq and is in training for the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, recreated the historic scene with the help of the Royal Richmond Archery Club. Invictus Games were established in 2014 by Prince Harry and attract competitors from across the globe. Duncan Moyse said: “It is a privilege to recreate this historic scene and pay tribute to the dedication of the Royal Star & Garter Homes charity in supporting injured ex-servicemen and women.” The Royal Star & Garter Homes took in its first residents in January 1916 when the seriously injured young men returned from fighting on the battlefields of the First World War. The Second World War brought more young men into the Home on Richmond Hill. In the late 1940s, a special paraplegic ward was established under the direction of Dr Ludwig Guttmann, consultant at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Dr Guttmann used pioneering techniques to get patients moving, working and playing sport. In 1948, to coincide with the Olympic Games being held in London, Dr Guttmann launched the ‘Stoke Mandeville Games’ with an archery competition between teams from The Royal Star & Garter Homes and Stoke Mandeville. The Star & Garter team won that year, and again in 1949. This was the first recorded competition between disabled athletes and provided the inspiration for the establishment of the Paralympic Games.
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