Rossland Red Cross: Women's Volunteer Service During the Second World War
Rossland Red Cross
Pictured: Personnel of the Canadian Red Cross Ambulance Convoy, Charlton Park, England, January 7, 1945. Credit: Sgt. Karen M. Hermiston / Canada Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-133602.
During the Second World War, 15,000 women formed a volunteer organisation known as the Canadian Red Cross Corps. It consisted of four separate divisions, each with a specific purpose. Notably, the Overseas Detachment of 641 brave women left Canada to serve on the frontlines during the war. Their jobs involved driving ambulances, working as nurses, and assisting patients and other military hospital staff.
Members of the Red Cross who remained on the homefront worked tirelessly making bandages, sewing surgical gowns, and assembling food packages to send to soldiers overseas. In particular, these food packages were lifelines to prisoners of war who had little to no contact with the outside world. After the war, the Red Cross helped accompany 45,000 war brides and their 21,000 children to start their new lives in Canada.
In Rossland
A dedicated group of women organised a Rossland branch of the Red Cross, led by Mrs. R.W. Clark. Together, they worked tirelessly to raise money for the war effort, create food packages, and sew clothing for troops and refugees both in Canada and overseas. By the end of the war, the Rossland branch of the Red Cross had raised an estimated $15,000 (approximately $250,000 in 2022) and created close to 50,000 pieces of clothing and other textiles.
