American Red Cross
(ARC)
. ..IV. Sources
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-. WWII Sources
Official Sources
Articles, Magazines, Books
Movies
-. Literature
History books
Memoirs and Novels
-. Links
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Sources
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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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WWII Sources
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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. ... 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).
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) 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. 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)
. 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) 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) 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. 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
.... 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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Literature
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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) 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) 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 . 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).  ... 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). . 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 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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Links
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American Red Cross Museum
... 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
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
. Website of ARC Volunteer Historian and collector Shirley Powers. Excellent resource for ARC pins, posters, patches and uniforms.
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http://library.uncg.edu/depts/archives/veterans/index.html
Women Veterans Historical Collection
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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