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Records in this collection
- 1st Sportsman's Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 1914-1918
- 1861 Worldwide Army Index
- Afghan War, Fallen Officers & Victoria Cross Recipients 1878-1880
- Airmen Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
- Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902
- Army Deserters 1828-1840
- Army List August 1878
- Army Roll of Honour 1939-1945
- Birmingham City Battalions 1914-1918
- Birmingham Employers Roll of Honour 1914-1918
- Bradford Pals 1914-1918
- Britain, Gestapo Invasion Arrest List 1940
- British Armed Forces Soldiers' Wills 1850-1986
- British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers' Medical Records
- British Armed Forces, First World War Widows' Pensions Forms
- British Armed Forces, Roman Catholic Registers Baptisms
- British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945
- British Army Discharges, 60th Foot 1854-1880
- British Army Officers' Widows' Pension Forms 1755-1908
- British Army Service Records - WO 363 & WO 364
- British Army Service Records WO 22 & WO 23
- British Army Service Records WO 96 & WO 97
- British Army, Bond Of Sacrifice: Officers Died In The Great War 1914-1916
- British Army, British Red Cross Society volunteers 1914-1918
- British Army, East Surrey Regiment 1899-1919
- British Army, East Surrey Regiment 1899-1919
- British Army, East Surrey Regiment 1899-1919
- British Army, Honourable Artillery Company
- British Army, Imperial War Museum Bond of Sacrifice 1914-1918
- British Army, Indian Volunteer Force Medal Awards 1915-1939
- British Army, Irish regimental enlistment registers 1877-1924
- British Army, List Of Half-Pay Officers 1714
- British Army, Lloyds Of London Memorial Roll 1914-1919
- British Army, Northumberland Fusiliers 1881-1920
- British Army, Queen's Royal West Regiment 1901-1918
- British Army, Queen's Royal West Regiment 1901-1918
- British Army, Queen's Royal West Regiment 1901-1918
- British Army, Railwaymen Died in the Great War
- British Army, Royal Artillery Officer Deaths 1850-2011
- British Army, Royal Artillery Officers 1716-1899
- British Army, Royal Artillery War Commemoration Book, 1914-1918
- British Army, Royal Artillery, 80th Field Regiment, WW2
- British Army, Royal Welch Fusiliers
- British Army, War of 1812 Casualties
- British Army, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps 1917-1920
- British Army, worldwide index 1851
- British Casualties, Aden 1955-1967
- British Casualties, Indian Mutiny 1857-1859
- British Casualties, Korean War 1950 – 1953
- British Casualties, Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939
- British in Argentina 1914-1919
- British India Office Army & Navy pensions
- British Officers Taken Prisoner of War 1914-1918
- British Red Cross & Order Of St John Enquiry List, Wounded & Missing, 1914-1919
- British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers, 1914-1918
- British Royal Air Force, Airmen's Service Records 1912-1939
- British Royal Air Force, Gallantry Awards 1914-1919
- British Royal Air Force, Officers’ Service Records 1912 - 1920
- British Royal Naval Reserve 1899-1930 ADM240
- British Royal Naval Reserve 1899-1930 ADM337
- British Royal Navy & Royal Marines service and pension records, 1704-1919
- British Royal Navy & Royal Marines service and pension records, 1704-1919
- British Royal Navy & Royal Marines, Battle of Jutland 1916 servicemen
- British Royal Navy Allotment Declarations 1795-1852
- British Royal Navy personnel 1831
- British Royal Navy Seamen 1899-1924
- British Royal Navy, Foreign Awards To Officers Index 1914-1922
- British Royal Navy, Ships' Musters
- British subjects who died in the service of the Indian Empire
- British Women's Royal Air Force Service Records 1918-1920
- Chelsea: documents of soldiers awarded deferred pensions 1838-1896 - WO 131
- Chelsea: pensioners' discharge documents 1760-1887 - WO 121
- Chelsea: pensioners' discharge documents, foreign regiments 1816-1817 - WO 122
- City of York militia & muster rolls 1509-1829
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt of Honour, 1914-1921
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt of Honour, 1938-1947
- Crimean War casualties 1853-1856
- Cyprus Emergency Deaths 1955-1960
- De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914-1918
- Edinburgh Pals 1914-1918
- Essex, Clacton Roll Of Honour 1914-1918
- Glasgow Pals 1914-1918
- Hampshire, Portsmouth Military Tribunals 1916-1919
- Harold Gillles Plastic Surgery Archives from WWI
- Harts Army List 1840
- Harts Army List 1888
- Honourable Women of the Great War, 1914-1918
- Imperial Yeomanry, soldiers' documents, South African War 1899-1902 - WO 128
- Irish Officers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
- Jersey, 1815 Militia Survey
- Kempston Servicemen 1914-1920
- Kilmainham Pensioners British Army service records, 1771-1821
- Leicestershire and Rutland, Soldiers Died 1914-1920
- Lincolnshire, Kesteven Militia Ballot List 1824
- Liverpool Pals 1914-1918
- London County Council Record Of War Service 1914-1918
- London Stock Exchange Memorial Roll 1914-1918
- London volunteer soldiers, 1859-1955
- Manchester Employers' Roll Of Honour 1914-1916
- Manchester Regiment city battalions 1914-1916
- Middlesex War Memorials
- Middlesex, Poplar, Military Tribunals 1916-1918
- Military Nurses (Royal Red Cross)
- Military Nurses 1856-1994
- Napoleonic War Records
- Napoleonic War Records
- Napoleonic War Records 1775 - 1817
- National Roll of the Great War 1914-1918
- Northamptonshire Military Tribunals 1916-1918
- Northamptonshire militia lists 1771
- Officers' services, First World War - WO 339 & WO 374
- Oldham Pals 1914-1920
- Oldham Pals Roll of Honour
- Palestine Conflict British Deaths 1945-1948
- Peninsular Medal Roll 1793-1814
- Plymouth Militia records 1625-1831
- Plymouth Rolls Of Honour 1914-1919
- Plymouth Second World War records 1939-1945
- Plymouth Subscribers For Redemption Of Captives In Turkey and Algiers 1680
- Prisoners of War - Second World War (1939-1945) - Europe
- Prisoners of War - Second World War (1939-1945) - Far East
- Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 - Napoleonic
- Prisoners of war 1745-1945: Crimean War to Boer Wars
- Prisoners Of War 1914-1920
- Regimental records of officers' services 1775-1914 - WO 76
- Royal Air Force Muster Roll 1918
- Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942
- Royal Artillery Honors & Awards
- Royal Artillery Military Medal Awards
- Royal Artillery Other Ranks: casualty cards 1939-1947
- Royal Fusiliers Collection 1863-1905
- Royal Fusiliers, Stockbrokers' Battalion 1914-1918
- Royal Marine Medal Roll
- Royal Marines 1899-1919
- Royal Naval Division Casualties, 1914-1919
- Royal Naval Division Service Records, 1914-1920
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve medal roll
- Royal Navy Officers 1899-1919
- Royal Navy Officers Medal Roll, 1914-1920
- Royal Sussex Regiment Southdown Battalions 1914-1918
- Royal Tank Corps enlistment records, 1919-1934
- Salford Pals 1914-1918
- Silver War Badge roll 1914-1920
- Soldiers died in the Great War 1914-1919
- South Africa Roll Of Honour 1914-1918
- South Lancashire Regiment Prisoners of War 1914-1918
- Surrey Recruitment Records
- Surrey, Military Tribunals 1915-1918
- Swansea Pals (14th Welsh Regt)
- The Household Cavalry 1801-1919 - WO 400
- Waterloo Roll Call 1815
- Welsh Guards 1915-1918
- World War One British Army Medal Index Cards
- WW1 Ships Lost at Sea, 1914-1919
- WWI Distinguished Conduct Medal Citations
- WWII Escapers and Evaders
Discover if your ancestor volunteered overseas with the British Red Cross during World War 1. You can find out where your relative worked, his/her passport number and their department. At the start of the First World War, the British Red Cross joined forces with the Order of St. John Ambulance to create the Joint War Committee to assist with medical care in the field. Therefore, the register includes men and women who worked with the Voluntary Aid Detachments, Scottish Women’s Hospital, Order of St. John and many more. Women played a significant role during the Great War through their involvement with these voluntary organisations.
Each record includes a transcript of the original British Red Cross register. The amount of information listed varies, but the records usually include a combination of the following information about your ancestor:
- Name
- Title
- Rank
- Certificate number
- Department
- Destination - where stationed overseas
- Passport Number
Many entries in the original record have used abbreviations for forenames, such as ‘Geo.’ for George, ‘Fredk’. for Frederick, and ‘Eliz.’ for Elizabeth. In most cases we have lengthened these to help your search. If there is any doubt as to what the full version is – ‘Jas.’ for instance – we have preserved the abbreviation. ‘Fred’ without a full stop has also been left as Fred.
Discover more about the British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers 1914-1918
The British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers contains details of over 17,000 individuals who served overseas with the British Red Cross during the First World War, in a variety of territories. These included many French and Belgian locations such as Rouen, Etaples, Dunkirk and Boulogne. However, the records also cover service in a number of other places, including Malta, Salonica, Basra, Egypt and Italy.
Most of the volunteers in these records were still serving at the date of the Armistice. The British Red Cross Register also contains less detailed entries for people who had previously served, but had cancelled their contracts at the date of the Armistice.
Many of the transcripts include your relative’s passport number. Prior to World War One, passport restrictions had relaxed in Europe due to the growing popularity of travel by rail. During the war years, governments began to reinforce passport requirements including the new photographic obligation. At this time mainly civilians, most often women, were required to own a passport. Women and men who were contracted directly with the War Office did not need a passport for travel, this will explain why some records lack a passport number or instead of a passport number WAR OFFICE is listed in its place.
Although the certificate number cannot be used to obtain any further details, they do give an indication of when a person first joined up, and if they have more than one certificate number it shows a clear break in service.
Departments of the British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers 1914-1918
The register includes members of the following departments:
- British Red Cross Society - The record also includes the names of the staff at the various Red Cross Headquarters buildings in London, about 850 people.
- Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) – An ambulance service created by Quakers. Quakers are pacifists and conscientious objectors to war. In order to help with the war effort during the First World War they created the FAU to help save lives by driving ambulances.
- First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) – Also known as Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps, set up field hospitals, soup kitchens, troop canteens and drove ambulances. They were a mounted unit, as stated by the use of Yeomanry in the name. The women trained on horses to evacuate casualties or provide immediate first aid in the battlefields.
- Liverpool Merchants’ Hospital – Also known as Liverpool Merchants’ Mobile Hospital or No. 6 Hospital British Red Cross, funded by the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and staffed by Liverpool volunteers. In April 1918, C.S. Lewis recovered from wounds he received at the Battle of Arras at the Liverpool Merchant Hospital in Etaples, France. The hospital features is his novel, Spirits in Bondage.
- Order of St. John Ambulance – In 1914, the Order of St. John Ambulance joined forces with the British Red Cross Society to create the Joint War Committee to assist in providing medical care overseas during the First World War.
- Scottish Women’s Hospital – Created by the Scottish Federation of Woman’s Suffrage Societies, they operated fourteen fully equipped hospitals.
- Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD) – Volunteers trained in first aid, nursing, hygiene and sanitation, but their roles also expanded into ambulance driving and administrative duties.
Women in the Volunteer Services during World War 1
Women’s involvement in the British Red Cross and the subsequent departments was significant. Due to the growing need of medical attention in field hospitals, medical training was opened up to women. They trained as physicians and dentists. Women were put in charge of the management of some hospitals; such as, the Scottish Women’s Hospital in Serbia.
The British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers, 1914-1918 includes the names of some extraordinary women; such as, Lillian Franklin who was awarded an Order of British Empire medal in 1918 and Mentioned in Dispatches in 1917. Franklin was crucial in the running of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Another notable woman is Dorothea Crewdson, who was awarded the Military Medal, a rarity for women, and the Royal Red Cross for her service as a Voluntary Aid Detachment. Nurse Crewdson died while on active service in 1919 and is buried in a military cemetery in Etaples, France. Her detailed diaries have been published into a book, Dorothea’s War.