Below I have listed reference material about the American Red
Cross that might be useful for all who want to get more information. Many
of these sources I have used for the background information presented on
this website. This list is not meant to be a complete arrangement. I'm
still searching for more and I would be very happy about everyone who can
recommend further interesting material
During my research, I found many misleading
and erroneous information in some published books which easily confuse
the reader. Therefore, I want to point out that the information I give
on this homepage are carefully checked back with official documents kindly
provided by the American Red Cross headquarters.
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Official Sources
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1945 United States Government Manual,
Office of War Information, Pages 602-608, Washington, D.C. |
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Overview of the Organization
of the American National Red Cross at its peak strength in 1945. The compilation
contains a detailed description of the various activities of the American
Red Cross. |
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Guide for the Training of Volunteer Nurses' Aides by the American
Red Cross, U.S. Government Printing Office (1941). |
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The brochure contains
details about the Nurses' Aides program like requirements for joining,
the courses that have to be taken and the Nurses' Aides uniform.
Click here to see
the complete brochure. |
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Form
#1272-2: Optional Issue for War Department Civilian's, including Red Cross
on Overseas Movement Orders by the Army Service Forces Fort Lawton
Staging Area, Fort Lawton, Washington (1943/44) |
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This form lists Army
clothes and equipment that could be issued to Red Cross members (and other
War Department Civilians) serving overseas. This particular form is assigned
to a female Red Cross member who worked as Hospital Staff Aid in Honolulu.
Click here to see
full size image |
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Uncle
Sam needs Nurses by the Amercian National Red Cross, Washington, D.C.,
ARC 779, Jan., 1941. |
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Pre-war brochure which
foresees the war emergency and encourage nurses to join the Red Cross (and
in case of war additionally the Army Nurse Corps or Navy Nurse Corps).
Detailed information about the tasks of nurses in the ARC, NNC, ANC, requirements
of joining, payment, uniforms. |
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Articles, Magazines, Books
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American
Women in Uniform by Mary Steel Ross,
Garden City Publishing Co.,Inc. (1943) |
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Description of several
women's wartime organizations (for example Red Cross, AWHRC, AWVS, AER,
USO, and many more) especially their uniforms and insignia. The list of
Red Cross activities contains only a few examples. |
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Who
is Who in Uniform. A simplified method of knowing the Rank and Branch
of Service of the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Red Cross, Civilian
Defense and affiliated Services, Street and Smith Publication (ca.1943) |
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The brochure explains
nice and easy how to recognize the several services through their distinctive
uniforms and how to recognize the worn ranks. The brochure contains many
black and white drawings and colored plates of decorations and medals.
One chapter presents some examples of female Red Cross uniforms. |
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Who's
Who & What is What in the Women's Civilian Volunteer Organizations
by Affilinated Aetna Life Companies, (ca. 1942/43) |
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Fold-out brochure that
presents colored drawings of the uniforms of several WWII civilian women's
organizations plus pictures of their special insignia. For example, Red
Cross, AWVS, WAFS, USO and OCD. |
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Article
"Nurses' Aide" by Lorraine Ames in Life Magazine, June 8, 1942. |
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The article describes how a society
girls learns volunteer hospital work to help her nation. Nice vivid story
illustrated with balck and white pictures that should encourage more young
girls to join the American Red Cross Volunteer Services. |
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Movies
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This is the Army directed by Michael Curtis, Colored (1943),
Type: Comedy, Musical |
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Based on a musical
by Irving Berlin. A dancer sets up an all-soldier-show during WWI to boost
the morale of the fighting men. In WWII, his son Johnny does the same with
big success. Johnny's fiancee joins the Red Cross and can be seen in her
uniform (although only in very short scenes). Entertaining musical with
great songs. |
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History Books
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At
his side - The American Red Cross Overseas in WW2 by George Korsin,
Coward-McCann, Inc, New York (1945) |
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Vivid description of
the work done by American Red Cross workers overseas during World War II. |
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Dressed
for Duty. America's Women in Uniform 1898-1973 (Volume One) by Jill
Halcomb Smith, R. James Bender Publishing, ISBN 0-912138-85-8 (2004) |
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The two volumes about
women's organizations of the last century cover all military branches and
especially give interesting details about several mostly forgotten civilian
organizations.
They contain many original photographs and
some color pictures of uniform items.
The chapter about the ARC is in
Volume 1. |
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World
War II Allied Nursing Services by Martin J. Brayley, Osprey Publishing
(2002) ISBN: 1841761850 |
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Short historical overview
about allied nursing services during WWII. Contains a few authentic b&w
photographs as well as colored drawings. The part about the American Red
Cross is very small. |
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Memoirs and Novels.
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The
Clubmobile: The ARC in the Storm by Marjorie Lee Morgan, Hazlett Printing
and Publishing (1982). |
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The book contains personal
stories from each of the 12 Clubmobile groups which served in the European
Theatre of Operation during World War II. |
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Dearest
Ones : A True World War II Love Story by Rosemary Norwalk, John Wiley
& Sons (1999). |
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The former ARC Clubmobile worker
Norwalk describes her service with the American Red Cross in England and
on the continent during and immediately after World War II. It is a story
of hard work, service, and falling in love with her G.I. husband. Her book
consists of her World War II journal, a scattering of period documents,
and letters home to her family in California. |
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Between
the Lines. Overseas with the Red Cross and OSS by Elizabeth Phenix
Wiesner, Posterity Press (1998), ISBN 1-889274-04-6 |
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This book tells the story of Elizabeth
Pehix Wiesner who served with the Red Cross and later as a member of the
OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in North Africa and Europe during WWII.
Her book is mainly based on the letters she wrote her family back home
during the war. Very interesting details about the daily life of a young
woman serving overseas. |
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American Red Cross Museum
|
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The American Red Cross Museum
gives an excellent historical overview of the development of the American
Red Cross. Great historical timeline, interesting oral history stories,
online scrapbooks, photographs, exhibition of artifacts and many more.
Nice historical overviews are
also offered by the following local American Red Cross offices:
Bay
Area Chapter
American
Red Cross of Greater Columbus |
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Clubmobile.org
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Clubmobile.org celebrates the women of the
Red Cross Clubmobile Service during World War II with historical background
information, pictures and source tips. Especially recommended is the impressive
wartime story presented on the homepage that is based on the letters, scrapbook,
pictures and spoken stories of the webmaster's mother Charlotte Colburn
Gasperini who was a former Clubmobile Worker in Europe during the war. |
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Collect ARC
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Website of ARC Volunteer
Historian and collector Shirley Powers. Excellent resource for ARC pins,
posters, patches and uniforms. |
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Women
Veterans Historical Collection
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The Women Veterans Historical Collection documents
the female experience in the Armed Forces through letters, papers, photographs,
published materials, uniforms, medals and oral histories. Impressive and
most informative website! |
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[ I. Development ]..[
II. Facts about the ARC ]..[
III. Uniforms ]..[
IV. Sources ]
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