Volunteer for Victory: American National Red Cross Nurses
From providing assistance in times of emergency, to offering instruction and caring for the sick, nurses have always been essential to the mission of the American National Red Cross.
As the National Archives celebrates Women’s History Month, we recognize the contributions of women to our nation’s history. This week, we honor the dedicated American National Red Cross nurses who served during the First and Second World Wars.
These rich biographical records may include some or all of the following: correspondence, applications, assignments, letters of reference, military orders, efficiency reports, invoices, press clippings, reports, completed Red Cross forms (including biographical questionnaires), and memoranda. The files relate to the activities of individual nurses during wartime and their subsequent dealings with the Red Cross.
Historical Nurse Files, ca. 1916 - ca. 1959, Anderson, Mrs. Sarah E. (J.B.) nee Sarah E. Albers National Archives Identifier 2661049 (images 3, 27)
Red Cross Nurse's Uniform
In June 1943, Mary Beard, Director of Nursing Service, writes of the importance of the Red Cross uniform in a letter to Jeanie Lees Adkerson(National Archives Identifier 2661016):
“A nurse's uniform stands in the eyes of the public for certain qualities inseparable from an ideal nurse. A Red Cross nurse's uniform stands for these qualities and also for those inseparable from war nursing. Briefly, this--so great a desire to help the wounded fighting man that one is willing to undergo great danger and hardship in order to do so."
"Honor, integrity, obedience, unselfish devotion to duty, courage, that kind of patience which results in unrelenting persistence in our efforts to relieve our patients, the best possible use of our intelligence sometimes hard to exercise under the discipline inseparable from war; all these qualities are associated with the Red Cross nurse's uniform. It is a symbol of them.”
Historical Nurse Files, ca. 1916 - ca. 1959, Meagher, Nora Rita,
Aileen Bertha Cole completed her nursing program at Howard University in 1917 and became one of the first Black nurses admitted by the American Red Cross in World War I. Learn about her long career on the Rediscovering Black History blog, and view her digitized nurse file in the National Archives Catalog.
Help us transcribe case files on American National Red Cross (Red Cross) nurses who served during the First and Second World Wars. Individual case files vary greatly in their contents, but they may include some or all of the following: correspondence, applications, letters of reference, military orders, efficiency reports, invoices, press clippings, reports, completed Red Cross forms (including biographical questionnaires), and memoranda.
Every word you transcribe helps to make these records more searchable and accessible online. Get started transcribing!
Searching for information on women’s wartime contributions, the history of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, pioneering female leaders, or women in the armed forces? Bring all your questions for Women’s History Month to History Hub's Women’s Rights and Suffrage Community.
The clock is ticking down to the April 1, 2022 launch of the 1950 Census! Less than one month remains before the National Archives makes the 1950 census available for free on a dedicated website at 12:01 am on April 1, 2022. As we count down to the April 1 release of the 1950 Census, sign up for updates including an opportunity to join a name index transcription project that will support free access to our nation’s history.
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