Red Cross vans on a fund-raising mission outside the City Chambers in George Square during the First World War.
The Red Cross was founded in 1863 in Switzerland to provide neutral and impartial help and relief from suffering on the battlefield. The British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War was established in London in 1870, changing its name to British Red Cross Society in 1905.
During the First World War the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John formed the Joint War Committee, pooling resources and working together on the battlefield under the red cross symbol. They were the first to supply motorised ambulances to the battlefields and these proved far more effective on battlefield terrain than horse-drawn ambulances.
Reference: 1530.82.329
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, British Red Cross Society Scottish Branch, charities, charity, City Chambers, First World War, Red Cross ambulances, Red Cross vans, women