The British Society which has so recently been called upon to reap such a rich harvest in the field of Volunteer Aid, will doubtless have important communications to make to its guests; moreover its organization and peculiar workings, will offer an ample subject of study to delegates assembled to perfect their knowledge in the line of aid to wounded soldiers.
It seems of interest to us, to trace in a few lines, the origin of this Society, thereby learning to know it in advance, because few countries have shown as much zeal and expended as much money in succoring wounded soldiers, as Great Britain. This Society owes its existence to the Members of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who conceived the idea in April, 1869. It was regularly incorporated August 4, 1870. Its operations were confined at the outset, in time of peace, to the training of nurses, but in time of war, it played an important and beneficent part in sending aid in money, or in kind, by furnishing detachments of nurses, not only for the wars in which England participated, but also for those in which she was not engaged.
In 1899 a British Central Committee of the Red Cross was created, uniting the delegates of the National Society for Aid to the Wounded, the Ambulance of St. John and the Reserve Corps of Army Nurses, to serve as a bond between these three institutions and for the purpose of distributing in time of war, all voluntary relief contributions, whether made in personal service, in materials or in funds. It was destined to enlarge the sphere of action and of influence of the British Red Cross, and to neutralize the efforts of all the Relief Societies of the country. The Chairman of the National Society, Lord Wantage, was placed at the head of this Central Committee, and the new combination proved efficacious and useful in the Anglo-Boer War, where the Volunteer Sanitary Service played such an important part.
Finally in 1905 a new transformation became operative. Lord Wantage, deceased in 1901, was succeeded by Lord Rothschild. A committee presided over by the latter, under the auspices of the Queen and in response to an appeal made by her, was charged with the work of rendering more effective the concentration of all British Societies concerned with Relief Work amongst the sick and wounded in the Army. The efforts of this committee of organization have resulted in an association which assures to the Red Cross in Great Britain, the position it should occupy. Lord Rothschild is Chairman of the Executive Committee. We will undoubtedly be able in the next issue of the “Bulletin” to give more complete details concerning this entirely recent institution.
The Headquarters of the British Red Cross Society are at 9 Victoria St., London, S. W.
The program of each Congress is as you know, finally arranged by the Committee of the Country acting as host, according to the subjects suggested by the other National Societies and also by those which it desires itself to discuss. We therefore request you to inform the British Society directly and at your earliest convenience, of the questions you would wish to see appear on the program for deliberation. The British Society in transmitting to you the final program, will give full, practical and necessary directions.
In accordance with resolutions passed at St. Petersburg, an exhibition will be held in connection with the next Congress, with the object of showing the technical progress made in relief methods. Moreover the prize founded by the Empress Marie-Feodorovna, will be awarded for the first time, to the authors of the best inventions for alleviating the sufferings of sick and wounded soldiers.[1] The inventions to be shown at the aforesaid exhibition. The jury charged with awarding the prize is composed of eight members, of which two are named by right, one by the Russian Central Committee, the other by the International Committee; besides these, the Central Committees charged with designating in 1907, each a member of the jury, are those of Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France, Italy and Holland.
Finally, and in conformity with a decision of the last Congress, we invite those of the Red Cross Societies which have not yet informed us of how far they have been able to carry out the wishes and the resolutions adopted in St. Petersburg, to do so at once, or at least to notify the London Committee in time to enable them to present a report on the matter to the Eighth Congress.
Having given ourselves the pleasure of announcing the gracious invitation which the British Red Cross Society intends addressing to you, with the special communications which it will send to you directly, we beg to renew to that Society the expression of our gratitude and to present to you, Gentlemen, the assurance of our most distinguished sentiments.
For the International Committee of the Red Cross: