The Washington herald., 1911-05-09
RED CROSS WORK
IN GREAT BRITAIN

British nobility is vastly interested in
Red Cross work. The Princess Royal
Duchess OF Fife is the president Of the
County of London Association: Lady
Ampthill is in charge Of Bedfordshire,
and the Duchess of Norfolk OF Sussex.
The Duchess Of Westminster, who is
taking a very keen interest in the move
ment, is the president for Cheshire, and
among the ladies who are giving her
their assistance as vice presidents Of diff
ferent districts are Lady Newton. Lady
Shakerley, Lady Arthur Grosvenor. Lady
Brooke, and Mrs. Stapleton Cotton.
BY no means all the English counties
have yet formed associations; there are
plenty of openings for patriotic and pub
lic-spirited people to come forward.
Lady Leucha Warner Is president Of
Staffordshire; Mrs. Brocklehursf. presi-
dent Of little Rutland. in which county
that admirable display took place which
has been described; the Duchess Of De-
vonshire, president OF Derbyshire; Lady
Evelyn Cottrell. president Of Hereford
shire, and the Countess Of Warwick,
president of Essex. Four counties in
Wales have associations. and nine in
Scotland. Among the Scottish presidents
are the Duchess Of Montrose and the
Marchioness of Tullibardine.
One of the most satisfactory points
about the movement is the way in which
il is helping to bring all classes together
In turning over the lists sent up by each
detachment, it is pleasant to see. under
the column devoted to occupations of
members, such words as gentleman"
groom" gardener" "tradesman." so
.SrhnnlYyoa or
occurring one after the other in happy
equality; while in the similar lists sent
liz from the women's detachments the
name of Lady So-andSo will he followed
by Sarah Brown. "housemaid." or by
Mary Jones, cook
For this is a field in which no distinc-
ton should be- known except that Of
knowledge and efficiency, and in hastily
improvised camp the really capable cook
or nurse will be valued more than all
the titles in the world.
Men are prepared to fight for their
country, but what can women do? IT is
a very familiar anti-suffragist argument,
and those who use II are quite untroubled
by the fact that under present coSfitions
a vast number of men would be danger
and burden to themselves and others II
they were called upon. suddenly TO fulfill
this universal masculine duty OF defend
ing their native land. But IL such
calamity occurred as the invasion OF
country, not only would an army Of de-
tenders be required, but an army OF
nurses cooks, stretcher-bearers, to assist |
the regular medical service, and the
greater the number of the women compe- |
tent and trained to perform these duties
the larger would be the number of men
set free to take their part in the fighting |
line.
Under the auspices OF the British Red
Cross Society. scheme for the organiza-
ton of voluntary aid has been set on |
foot which would supplement the event Of
war at home. As no one knows better |
than the authorities of the Red Cross !
Society, when war breaks out, and help !
and supplies are needed for the wounded |
there is never any lack of generosity, but |
there is only too often a lamentahle lack !
of knowledge.
If we try to imagine war actually |
waged We can realize what anxiety |
there would be on every hand that the |
wounded should have every possible care |
and attention; how eagerly every house. |
from the mansion to the cottage, would |
be put at their disposal; and We can |
also realize in many cases what utter |
confusion would reign among the en-
thusiastic but unframed civilian assist |
ants. Too often the local doctor, and, |
perhaps, a village nurse, would be the /
only people who would know anything |
about how injured persons should be |
lifted or handled: how wounds should be
dressed: how stretchers could be impro-
vised: even how suitable food. especially |
in isolated places, at a distance from /
shops and houses, could be prepared.
But If the scheme of the British Red !
Cross Society should be widely taken |
up as ii deserves to be, then there would 7
not be a county or a village without its |
properly trained voluntary and detach-
ment fit to give efficient and valuable |
service. And IL it be suggested that this |
is TO prepare for a very distant and un- :
likely contingency. the answer is that /
the training alike of the mems and |
women's detachments is a training that |
will be of infinite value to everybody |
in peace as well as in war. 1t gives
knowledge which every one ought to pos
sess, a knowledge of how to act in sud
den emergencies, and that would be as
valuable in the case Of a railway COLI
sion, or a motor accident, or an epidemic,
as in the case of battle.
These are some of the duties that the
voluntary aid detachments would be pre-
pared to perform: The arrangement of
country carts and other vehicles for the
removal of patients lying down; the i'm
of stretchers; the conversion
OF houses, farms, and other buildings
into temporary hospitals: the formation
of rest stations; the arrangement of
empty goods, vans. and other rolling
stock for the transport of the sick and
wounded by rail
The detachments can be composed
either of men or women. In the former
case the members must be trained as
stretcher-bearers and have a first-aid
certificate, while members of the latter
must hold first aid and home nursing
certificates. A womens detachment
should consist Of a commandant, who
may be a man or woman; quartermas-
ter, who may also be a man or woman;
a trained nurse, as lady superintendent,
and twenty women, of whom four should
be qualified as cooks.
As to the work they have to do at a
display given last year by the British
Red Cross Society two temporary hos
pitfalls were first arranged, One was a
rife range. the sides of which were taken
down and the long alley used as ward;
while the second was made by using a
stone wall and making a roof with some
rick covers, supported on poles. This
work was done by the director. quarter
master. and four men. AS soon as the
nurses arrived. they began to. roll band
ages, prepare antiseptic solutions. make
beds out of straw, and arrange the i'm