Dr Arthur Hurst

Played by Mark Heap

Fact title	Fact data
Date of birth	23 July 1879
Place of birth	Bradford
Age at outbreak of WW1	35
Occupation	Doctor
Address	Seale Hayne Military Hospital, Devon

A precociously successful doctor, Arthur Hurst joined the Royal Army Medical Corps with the outbreak of World War One. After being posted to Salonika for a time, Hurst returned to England and focused on treating soldiers with neurological problems brought about by shell shock.

He was first based at Netley Military Hospital outside Southampton and then in April 1918 took charge of the newly-acquired Seale Hayne facility near Newton Abbot. Funded by the Medical Research Committee in an attempt to improve understanding of shell shock and therefore its treatment, Hurst made a film of his patients, showcasing apparently miraculous cures, as well as a re-enactment of the Battle of the Somme.

In Home Front, Hurst is intrigued by an unusual case of “hysterical blindness” displayed by Victor Lumley. Meanwhile, his esoteric, often theatrical, approach to treatment is questioned by Dr Howard Argent, who has been tasked with reporting on Hurst's elusive methods for the War Office.