British Red Cross Society Annual Report, 1948
Production date
1948-1949
Audio tour
Description
This report was published by the British Red Cross Society in 1949 and summarised the activities of the Society for the year 1948. It includes Headquarters’, Joint Committees Department’s and Branch’s reports, as well as summaries of the Home and Foreign Relationship Departments. The back cover is a black and white recruitment poster. It depicts a woman and a man wearing a Red Cross uniform and states: ‘The British Red Cross URGENTLY needs recruits … men, women and young people’.
The report describes some of the main events of the year 1948 such as the groundbreaking establishment of the National Health Service that took place on July 1st. In this report, the Society expressed its devotion in making the new service fully effective, whilst also emphasising that the voluntary service of the British Red Cross still remained necessary, particularly abroad. The Foreign Relations Department stressed the involvement of the British Red Cross Society in repatriations, support of refugees of the second World War and reuniting displaced families. The Society facilitated the journey of children, elderly and the sick, and coordinated supplies of food and clothing. The Society supported individuals of many nationalities and emphasised the challenges of the Polish section due to the recent war. Remarkably, it also shows the discrepancy between services provided in the past and today – the necessity to supply both food and cigarettes to prisoners of war in Amman seems quite surprising to today’s standards.
Altogether, the booklet serves as a document to present the various activities and achievements of the British Red Cross Society. It is most likely to be aimed at both the public and the Society’s funders. Its principal aim is to communicate the engagement of the Society, whilst also to publicise its activities and to recruit volunteers. Seventy years on, this report embodies a historical document about the British Red Cross Society, showing the development and continuity of the Society’s commitment to supporting those in need.
Audio recording by Polina Chizhova/Michael Simkins (Volunteer), London.
The report describes some of the main events of the year 1948 such as the groundbreaking establishment of the National Health Service that took place on July 1st. In this report, the Society expressed its devotion in making the new service fully effective, whilst also emphasising that the voluntary service of the British Red Cross still remained necessary, particularly abroad. The Foreign Relations Department stressed the involvement of the British Red Cross Society in repatriations, support of refugees of the second World War and reuniting displaced families. The Society facilitated the journey of children, elderly and the sick, and coordinated supplies of food and clothing. The Society supported individuals of many nationalities and emphasised the challenges of the Polish section due to the recent war. Remarkably, it also shows the discrepancy between services provided in the past and today – the necessity to supply both food and cigarettes to prisoners of war in Amman seems quite surprising to today’s standards.
Altogether, the booklet serves as a document to present the various activities and achievements of the British Red Cross Society. It is most likely to be aimed at both the public and the Society’s funders. Its principal aim is to communicate the engagement of the Society, whilst also to publicise its activities and to recruit volunteers. Seventy years on, this report embodies a historical document about the British Red Cross Society, showing the development and continuity of the Society’s commitment to supporting those in need.
Audio recording by Polina Chizhova/Michael Simkins (Volunteer), London.
Collection Type
Archives
Level of Current Record
item
History
Some of the main events during 1948 were: the sending of a commission to India and Pakistan to work with refugees; the sending of a commission to the Middle East to work with refugees in Transjordan; the XVIIth International Red Cross Conference in Stockholm; an exhibition at the Royal Agricultural Society of England Show in York; and the introduction of the National Health Insurance Act.
Catalogue Number
RCC/1/29/25
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