The First World War caused unimaginable catastrophe and distress, making it among the most disastrous conflicts in the history of the United States. Apart from the soldiers serving on the battlefield, individuals at home were heavily involved in the struggle in several ways to keep things stable. Since a large percentage of the male population was sent away to serve on the battlefield, women took over responsibilities that have historically been held by men. Women fulfilled important responsibilities in order to maintain the country’s economy pushing forward. With the goal of keeping people hopeful and convincing them to support the war, governments used propaganda. The poster “What can you do? Join our Red Cross Membership including Red Cross magazine $2.00 : No field service required.” ¹ is a poster by the Red Cross during World War I. It functioned as a method to persuade civilians to make contributions to the Red Cross as well as help the war struggle.

Source: “What Can You Do? Join Our Red Cross Membership Including Red Cross Magazine $2.00 : No Field Service Required.” Library of Congress, January 1, 1970. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/wwipos/item/00651753/.

The Red Cross was not established entirely by Americans. It was in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1863 when Henry Durant founded the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1881, Clara Barton established the American Red Cross. The compassionate principles implemented by the Geneva Convention and the dedication of the International Red Cross throughout the Franco-Prussian War served as inspiration for Barton.²  The poster displays someone who appears to be a nurse, a soldier, alongside what seems to be a mother with both of her kids getting in the middle of a big white cross. The soldier looks to be dressed in an army uniform with injuries to his head and arm, while the nurse is dressed in a white dress with a Red Cross hat. For the purpose of offering soldiers and their loved ones aid and health services, the Red Cross was valuable. Individuals participated in blood drives, volunteered in healthcare facilities, and supported those who had been injured. Veterans coping with both the physical and psychological impacts of war received the opportunity to participate in programs that offered professional treatment and mental health services. When compared to soldiers of past wars, the medical attention that handicapped veterans got was significantly greater. Mrs. Ladd was a well-known American sculptor who grew fascinated by the sculptures of Captain Derwent Wood, an English pioneer who was producing masks for survivors of facially disfigured injured soldiers who were beyond a cosmetic surgeon’s medical treatment.³ The book American Women in World War I: They Also Served by Lettie Gavin, goes into depth about what nurse Mrs.Ladd experienced with soldiers who suffered facial injuries, “The psychological impacts of those severe facial wounds especially inspired Mrs. Ladd’s work. “People get used to seeing men with arms and legs missing, but they never get used to an abnormal face….Not surprisingly, the disfigured soldiers had serious problems with self-esteem.”⁴ The Red Cross played a crucial role in providing desperately needed relief and easing the suffering of countless soldiers and civilians throughout World War I. Battlefield conflicts and advancements in technology during World War I caused enormous deaths and overwhelming tragedy. Throughout World War I, the American Red Cross significantly contributed to the advancement of medical procedures. 

Source: “Category:Francis Derwent Wood.” Wikimedia Commons. Accessed November 29, 2023. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Francis_Derwent_Wood.

Throughout the war, the Red Cross made a great effort to increase the effectiveness of medical care. Improvements in medical treatment, surgery, and the mobilization of injured soldiers were brought about by Red Cross nurses and doctors. In the book Providing for the Casualties of War: The American Experience Through World War II goes into depth about medical advancements, “Medical support at the front during World War I saw two innovations in the transportation of the sick and wounded. First was the advent of the motorized ambulance, and the second was the widespread use of hospital trains.”⁵ They established a foundation for innovative military medical treatment, which considerably raised the chances of a successful recovery for soldiers with severe injuries. Furthermore, the Red Cross gave medical personnel full training programs that gave them the abilities and knowledge necessary to deal with certain challenges brought on by the war.  The American Red Cross not only saved many lives during the war but also set an advanced standard for future relief efforts with its commitment to reducing suffering and providing medical care.

Source: “Ambulances on Their Way to Villers.” Omeka RSS. Accessed November 29, 2023. http://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/greatwar/exhibits/show/military/item/487.

There was a shortage of workers as the war carried on because men had to leave their families to serve on the battlefield. As women entered the fields of industry, agriculture, and administrative duties, they assumed responsibilities that were previously held by men. Their presence in working life was essential to maintaining America’s stability. Women were essential in providing immediate assistance to the war effort in addition to their activities at home. As a result of their persistent dedication to caring for injured soldiers, nursing rose to importance in society. In the article “Ambiguous Duty: Red Cross Nurses and the First World War” explains,“Their involvement in the employment industry played a crucial role in keeping America grounded. Women were essential in providing immediate assistance to the war effort in addition to their activities at home. As a result of their persistent dedication to caring for injured soldiers, nursing rose to importance in society.”⁶ Gender norms that had been in place before World War I began to crumble. Social norms and standards were reconsidered as a result of the war’s tremendous pressures. The capacity and efficiency of women grew noticeable while they engaged in roles that had been believed to be inappropriate for a woman.  The war was an important period in society when women demonstrated their ability, resiliency, and dedication to the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What can you do? Join our Red Cross Membership including Red Cross magazine $2.00 : No field service required
2. Denis L Gavin, American Women in World War I: They Also Served (Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 1997), 179.
   
3. Ibid, 195.
4. Ibid, 196.
5. Bernard Rostker, Providing for the Casualties of War: The American Experience Through World War II (California: RAND Corporation 2013), 133.
6. Denis L Alfin, “Ambiguous Duty: Red Cross Nurses and the First World War”, U.S. Army Medical Department Journal (January 2018), 101.