page_title: London medical students at Belsen
section_title: Life outside the camp
hierarchical_section_title: London medical students at Belsen / Belsen / Life outside the camp
caption_attribution_description: English: The Liberation of Bergen-belsen Concentration Camp, May 1945 A group of British medical students employed at Belsen discuss some of the medical problems and clinical test results experienced during the day with E M De Greff, British Red Cross Relief Officer and second in command of the medical students during a daily evening conference. Ninety seven British medical students from London teaching hospitals volunteered for relief work in Belsen.
context_page_description: In early April 1945, the British Red Cross and the War Office, at the request of the British Army, called for 100 volunteers from among medical students at London hospitals to assist in feeding starving Dutch children who had been liberated from German occupation by advancing Allied forces. However, in the meantime, British troops had liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and the students were diverted there on the day they were due to travel to the Netherlands. The students had previously spent most of the Second World War at school and in medical training.
  The students were tasked with taking over one or two of the 200 camp huts each, with the responsibility of cleaning and feeding the survivors and supervising a fair distribution of food. Their work was instrumental in reducing the death rate from over 500 a day at liberation to less than 100 a day by mid-May 1945.
  Sources show that twelve students came from each of Guy's Hospital, St Thomas', St Mary's, The London and University College, eleven from Westminster, nine from St Bartholomew's, eight from the Middlesex and the remainder from King's.
context_section_description: They were issued with SS Panzer dot-camouflaged coats by Captain Walter Carton “Frosty” Winterbottom. Some Canadian airmen bought them cigarettes and chocolates. Each student was given twice the usual ration of rum every night. Theatre and cinema was provided for entertainment. Local RAF units gave wine and the Red Cross issued cigarettes to them.Later, a wireless and a dartboard became available.
caption: A group of students discuss some of the medical details experienced during the day with E. M. De Greff, British Red Cross Relief Officer and second-in-command of the medical students, at their daily evening conference.[22]
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