Updated 16 October 2024.

Please do not be intimidated by the amount of pages - more than half are bullet points and photo references. You can navigate this document via the table of contents (icon with three dots w/lines in the upper left hand corner).

Overview of document:

        This document will cover a brief history of the Rote Kreuz, goals for the group at Newville, uniform options, pictures, and sources.  The DRK did not exist until 1921, though there were many forms/chapters of the Red Cross in Germany prior to 1921. Due to the DRK not existing until after WWI, we would like the unit at Newville to have the proper wartime name – Das Rote Kreuz.

Group goals:

        In working to revamp the DRK, some disparaging remarks such as a “glorified lemonade stand” or “girlfriend babysitting club” (direct quotes) were presented. If this is the understanding on some reenactors’ parts, we want to ensure that this is not the focus of this group, but rather a group of serious reenactors performing a critical function for the Central Powers and the Great War Association. We intend to distance ourselves from this false perception. To further this mental separation, as well as being more historically accurate, the DRK will go by the proper wartime name – Das Rote Kreuz. While we will still obviously provide refreshments and snacks, as that is a much loved part of the group being at Newville, Das Rote Kreuz did so much more than that. The Roten Kreuz at Newville will provide a solid and consistent place for women (and men) to be.

        A few initial ideas for the group is assisting the Swiss in processing POWs, and focus on more recreational activities such as checkers, chess, dominoes and similar games played on boards with dice and figures (these could also be delivered to the trench line).

A uniquely challenging aspect of the Roten Kreuz is how many local chapters and other organizations that were affiliated with the Roten Kreuz there were. While the primary region of focus for this group will be Berlin/Prussia (as that is one of the first established, and more well documented with English sources, etc.), other regions will absolutely be considered if there is an interest and research backing the impression.

Contact info: Julz Zenisek, julzespensen120@gmail.com

Brief history of the Roten Kreuz:

        The International Red Cross was founded in 1863, and Germany founded her first chapter(s) of the Red Cross the following year (1864) in Berlin (Prussia), as well as in Oldenburg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg and Hesse. However, the various chapters did not go by the united name of Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) until 1921. The Central Committee of the Prussian Red Cross was made a permanent institution by 1869, and “it combined all the German principalities at a time when the political union of the country was still unrealized.”^[1] These chapters continued to operate through and after the German unification in 1871, however they were still very much regionally operated. In Austria-Hungary, shortly before the outbreak of the war, the National Red Cross Society was divided into various federalist associations under the coordination of the central office in Vienna.^[2] Like in other countries, the Red Cross’ activities were largely integrated within the military medical services. Other organizations that were very closely affiliated with the Roten Kreuz were “various confessional sisterhoods of trained nurses, both Catholic and Protestant, the Knights of St. John and of Malta and others”,“the great ‘Vaterländische Frauenverein’ or National League of Women,”” and the ‘Organization of Voluntary Nurses’ founded by John Wickern in 1866 for the training of men nurses.”^[3] 

        A major subsection/affiliate organization of the Red Cross was the The Vaterländische Frauenverein, so that is another aspect the unit at Newville will likely focus on. The Vaterländische Frauenverein was founded in 1866, by Queen Augusta of Prussia, with the goal of preserving relief aid through times of peace and times of war, working in conjunction with the Central Committee of the Prussian Red Cross. This organization constituted the women's branch of the German Red Cross and used the Red Cross insignia. Its aim was to combine efforts of relief workers throughout the entire kingdom, and to increase membership by inviting all women's organizations in the empire to affiliate themselves as branch societies, as well as being devoted to the training and employment of competent nursing personnel. In 1914 the number of members amounted to 400,000 and the league owned property inclusive of real estate and institutions to the value of 20,000,000 marks. By September, 1916 there were 2335 branches throughout the Empire and a membership of 1,000,000 women.

        The Roten Kreuz at Newville can also be a place for men - “The Organization of Voluntary Nurses in the War Work of the Red Cross” was the society for the training of men nurses and hospital attendants. Its various branches belonged to the national and provincial societies of the Red Cross which supervised its work and financed it. The justification for its existence and activity in recruiting in times of peace is that it considered  itself “the shadow of the army.” Its personnel could be drawn only from those men who are unfit for military duty either in active service or in the reserve.

Divisions/jobs:

        There were three main roles of the Roten Kreuz: medical, military support (including support for POWs),  and relief for civilian populations. These were then split down further into thirteen divisions^[4]:

1. Mobilization
2. Volunteer staff - male nurses
3. Depot affairs
4. Volunteer nurses - female
5. For collections and recruiting,
6. For administration
7. For prisoners
8. For exhibits of war booty for the purpose of raising funds
9. For health resorts and institutional care for the disabled
10.  For welfare work divided into groups for:

1.  Tuberculosis and contagious diseases
2. The care of infants and mothers and group
3. The care of families

1. “The work of these groups extends over everything that is necessary to the maintenance and reattainment of health in families, and the training of a healthy, able-bodied rising generation… This division also sees to the training, examination and graduation of girls and women as voluntary nurses, their vaccination and so forth…”

11. For the care of refugees and the families of interned Germans
12.  For securing employment for the disabled

1.  Closely associated with Division 9, both divisions work closely with The Welfare Commission for the War Disabled.

13. For the “financial provision for the disabled and their families supplementary to State aid or pensions; the latter concerns itself only with the actual injury and not with the special requirements of the pensioner, such as a large family, old and feeble parents, sick relatives and similar conditions.”

Statistics:

By February, 1917, the Red Cross personnel amounted to 179,000:^[5] 

• 40,000 were men nurses, 30,000 of whom were in the line of communications;
• 62,000 women nurses, 11,000 in the line of' communications;
• 1,000 women laboratory assistants, 700 in the line of communications;
• 5000 kitchen personnel, 1500 in the line of communications;
• 45,000 bearers, 35,000 in home hospitals;
• 2500 supply depot personnel, 1500 at home;
• 700 clerks, 600 at home;
• 800 disinfectors, half at home;
• The remaining balance consists of laborers and workers of all kinds.

Uniform:

        As previously mentioned, the uniform for many Red Cross organizations (regardless of nationality) were fairly universal, which thankfully simplifies things. However, all uniforms were privately purchased or privately made, there are obviously some further variations outside the standard (which complicates things - there wasn’t a single standard uniform).

        Generally, the uniform consisted of a cotton or wool shirtwaist dress, a headcovering, brassard, and apron. The dress could be a variety of colors, mainly dark gray, gray-blue, navy blue, black, white, or white and blue striped. The headcovering would be white. The brassard cross was different per region, and needs to be further researched per impression. The standard red cross is fine for Prussia, from photos seen. Again, due to uniforms being privately purchased/privately made, and further they differ regionally, there are a lot of options.

        Important to note is that your clothing will not fit right without the proper foundation wear. For those unfamiliar with undergarments/foundation layers during the Edwardian period, it’s generally as follows. The first layer would either be a chemise (like a slip), or a "combination" (which is the top of a chemise, bottom with the split drawers). This would be to protect your corset from sweat, etc.. You would also put on stockings and shoes on at this time. The second layer would be your corset (corsets weren't torture, they were bras - so don’t be scared of them). While you could get away with a brasserie, since getting a new corset during wartime would be unpatriotic due to fabric and metal usage, women of the day would have worn some form of adult corset since the age of 10 (regardless of social status, again, corsets were equivalent to our bras now) and so they would have the figure waist training typically produces. Again clothing would fit incorrectly if they did not have the general shape (notice how even heavier set women at the time still had that hourglass-esque shape), this is just how clothing and patterns were cut at the time. Over your corset, you would have a corset cover, drawers (not necessary if you do combinations for your first layer), and a petticoat.

Base Required uniform:

• Dress OR blouse and skirt

• If making your own, fabric should be charcoal, light gray, blue-gray, blue/gray and white striped, or white cotton. Skirt and blouse should match in fabric.
• You’ll probably want to shy away from white, Newville tends to be rainy or muddy for both the fall and spring events, but again it’s a valid uniform color option otherwise.

• Apron, in white (no red cross on bib)
• Cap/veil, white. This can be as simple as a square bandana/flour cloth, tied around the nape of your neck.
• Armband, white with red cross

•  White band roughly 3.5in high, and long enough to go around your bicep; the cross should be about 3inx3in

• Boots, black or brown, or work brogans, black or brown

• No heels more than 2 inches in height

• Stockings, in black, with garter
• Undergarments: Corset is not required for your first event, however a chemise or slip, open drawers, petticoat, and corset cover are highly recommended.
• Wool sweater, or wool cardigan

• Look at period knitting books, or talk to Julz if you think you have found a reproduction or modern sweater that would work.

• Hair should be worn up and out of your face. See inspo pics here
• Makeup should be VERY minimal, if anything. No eyeliner, but  light or brown mascara, light coverage foundation or tinted moisturizer is permitted. Little Bits on Etsy has some great period cosmetic and hair items

*For your first event, since the Roten Kruez was a volunteer/civilian organization, civilian (non-uniform) clothing may be considered if you already have clothing of the era. Talk to Julz, and send photos of clothing.

It is highly recommended that you obtain a corset by your second event.

Regulations and packing list, found in the 1913 Unterrichtsbuch für die weibliche freiwillige Krankenpflege (Lesson Book for Female Volunteer Nurses), published in Berlin (translated by Juliana Zenisek, 2024):

Page 8, Section 2.D.  (General employment conditions of voluntary female nursing staff, Clothing and equipment):

1. Sisters and assistant sisters from the Red Cross in Prussia wear a Ge. His Majesty the Emperor approved the uniform costume on March 16, 1912, which thus provided protection against imitation. The main characteristics of this costume were also adopted in other federal states. Sisters from religious orders keep the costume of their mother house in the service of caring for war victims.

Appendix 3 provides the list of the equipment of the sisters who were intended for service in the theater of war.

2. For the helpers who are to be used in the same service, a folding costume was approved by the same cabinet order: work dress made of gray and white striped washable linen fabric; a white linen collar and a white nurse's bonnet, but without the forehead stripe prescribed for nurses and without a bonnet scarf. There is also a brooch in the form of a black, gold-rimmed enamel pin, in the middle of which is a round, white enamel shield with the Red Cross. (See appendix 1, paragraph 12 and the note thereto.)
3. In the event of war, every member of the voluntary nursing service must wear the neutrality badge with the stamp of the Imperial Commissar, a white bandage with a red cross around the left upper arm for the duration of their service and carry the identification card issued by the Imperial Commissar that entitles them to wear it.
4. Every nurse on hospital duty receives a bandage kit.

It contains in a leather case 1 straight scissors, 1 pair of tweezers, 1 spatula, 1 nail cleaner, 1 marimal thermometer in a nickel case.

5. Furthermore, every nurse would do well to purchase a not too small notebook with a pencil. A good fountain pen in your case can provide advantages, e.g. B. Inkwells do not belong in a sickbed. Regarding the lesson book f. Supplement 1, paragraph 5

Pages 277-278: List of supplements (Appendix), section 3: List of the clothing and equipment required for a volunteer nurse working on the scene of war

1. Travel equipment

1. Suitcase : Size 69cm long, 34cm width, 28cm height
2. Handbag
3. Bread bag
4. Blanket with a light cover or sleeping strap

2. Clothing and equipment

Pg. 278

Below you will find photo references:

Gray uniform variations:

White uniform variations:

Black/VFV uniform variations:

*some with white uniform under jacket - jacket photo reference

*also looks like a mix of uniform styles

Red gingham *specifically a Kingdom of Bavaria - regional uniform.

Gray-blue and white striped uniform variations:

Pin options:

Standard ICRC pin

Common Roten Kreuz pin

Bavarian Roten Kreuz pin

VFV Roten Kreuz pin

Required Reading:

Nurse Memoirs from the Great War in Britain, France, and Germany. Jerry Palmer.  2021. Downloaded in Drive. Gives a very good overview of the nursing profession in Europe before, during, and after the First World War. While its focus is not just on Germany, it gives really good context.

Lessons from the Enemy: How Germany Cares for Her War Disabled. John R. McDill. 1918. Downloaded in Drive. English primary source, focus especially on pages 141-154.

Frauenfleiß in Kriegszeiten: enthält eine bildreiche Anleitung zur Ausführung zweckmäßiger Gegenstände der Kriegsausrüstung, der Verwundetenpflege u. der einfachen Frauen- u. Kinderkleidung, wie sie in jedem Haus zu eigenem Nutzen oder zur Linderung fremder Not leicht u. preiswert hergestellt werden könnenI. 1914. Downloaded in Drive. Translates to: “Women's industriousness in times of war: contains a picture-rich instruction on how to make useful items of war equipment, care for the wounded and simple women's and children's clothing, which can be easily and inexpensively produced in every home for one's own benefit or to alleviate the need of others” Really good uniform reference pics, and if you can read German, even better. We’re working on a translation.

Great War: Total War Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914–1918. Roger Chickering (Editor) and Stig Förster (Editor). Downloaded in Drive. NOT THE WHOLE BOOK: Chapters 1, 2, 9, 22.  If you don’t know anything about WWI, this is a good start.

“Mobilizing Women for War: The History, Historiography, and Memory of German Women's War Service in the Two World Wars” in Journal of Military History, Vol. 75 Issue 3, pages 1055-1093. Karen Hagemann. Downloaded in Drive.

Further Reading:

Can be found here

Personal statement from acting commander:

My name is Juliana (Julz) Zenisek, married to Skyler Zenisek of IR23 who is  also a member of the safety committee, site planning committee, and God knows what else (I hate falling into the reenactor wife stereotype, but here I am). I wanted to give a brief overview of myself as a historian and the leadership roles I’ve held in reenacting as an introduction.

I went to Dickinson College (in Carlisle, so just a skip and a jump away from the Newville site) and majored in history with a concentration in war and genocide. I’m shamelessly a Europeanist; my thesis was on WWI female munition workers in Great Britain and their uniforms/protections, so researching under- documented female roles during wartime is my bread and butter. I’ve been in the hobby for close to a decade. My primary impression continues to be WWII Army Nurse Corps, however I do many impressions of that era. Last year, I took on a leadership position at D-Day Conneaut working under Hannah Schultz (Allied Female Coordinator) as coordinator for all ANC. My primary research focus for WWI women’s roles have been the American Red Cross and the Army Nurse Corps - however, I am finding much of the work done and uniforms were fairly standard across the board, even if individual experiences from the war will be VERY different. Thankfully, through Skyler, I’ve had contact with some incredibly knowledgeable and supportive people in the hobby who are able to help with my research in the nitty gritty aspects of the impression/personal experiences. I am so excited by the support we’ve had thus far in reviving the unit, and already have several recruits who are equally excited that they will have a place on the CP lines.