Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Moose Jaw Canadian Red Cross Society fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
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Fonds
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Physical description
98.0 cm of textual records.
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Red Cross Society was founded by Swiss citizen Henri Dunant in 1863. A Canadian branch was formed in 1896, but was not officially recognized as an independent national society until 1927. It is a non-profit , humanitarian organization dedicated to helping Canadians and the victims of conflicts and disasters throughout the world.
The Moose Jaw Canadian Red Cross Society was formed in 1914. The first executive elected were Mr. L.G. Knowles, Member of Parliament, honorary chairman; Mr. H. Dorrell, chairman; Mrs. Spotton, 1st vice-chairman, Dr. McCulloch, 2nd vice-chairman, Mrs. F. Simpson, secretary, Mr. L. Grayson, treasurer. At first the Moose Jaw Red Cross was occupied in making clothing for service men and war victims. Work on behalf of refugees began in 1918. In 1919 the charter was changed to allow for peace time work. During the Depression the local Red Cross was very active in aiding families on relief with clothing, household items, medical supplies and eye glasses and whatever else they were able to help with.
Local volunteers ran blood donor clinics during the Second World War. After the War, all the equipment was sold, but blood clinics resumed again in the early 1950's. Blood was made available at no cost to hospital patients. In 1998 the Canadian Blood Services replaced the Red Cross as the sole blood collector.
As well as supplies and monetary support to disaster victims at home and abroad, the Red Cross made hospital dressings for the local hospitals and produced special garments to promote human dignity for the elderly and infirm. A sickroom equipment lending program was available which included the lending of wheelchairs, walkers, canes and commodes. This program was taken over by the Victorian Order of Nurses when the Moose Jaw Red Cross office closed in 1991. Other services that were sponsored and supported by the Red Cross were first-aid, water safety, baby-sitting courses and a bicycle safety program. These programs were taken over by other groups.
Local aid was administered after the plane crash over northeast Moose Jaw in 1954, the floods of 1948, 1955 and 1974, and the 1980 Gulf Oil refinery fire.
The office of the Moose Jaw Red Cross closed in 1991. The local coordinator, Janice Lorge then conducted the business of the Red Cross out of her home as a volunteer until 1992.
Many of the programs and services of the Red Cross continue to operate
Custodial history
Scope and content
This fonds consists of minutes of meetings, correspondence, reports of services and activities, membership and volunteer services as well as scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and photographs of the business, activities and history of the International, Canadian, and local Red Cross. The minutes are complete from the inaugural meeting held in 1914 to the final meeting in 1991 when the Moose Jaw office closed.
Notes area
Physical condition
The scrapbooks are acidic and brittle. Two of the scrapbooks have magnetic pages which are very acidic. There is water damage to the minute book 1914-1937.
Immediate source of acquisition
Accession number 1.85 was donated to the archives by the Moose Jaw Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society, presented by Patricia Kern in 1985.
Accession number 69.BA donated to the archives by the Moose Jaw Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society, presented by Rea MacDiarmid and Mary A. Ritchie in 1991.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
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Finding aids
Finding aids and file list available.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
10 photographs from accession 1.85 were catalogued and transferred to the Archives photograph collection prior to the fonds description being completed. The catalogue numbers issued to the photographs are 85-1 to 85-10, inclusive.
Detour: the story of Oflag Ivc and Fifty years in the Canadian Red Cross have been transferred to the archival books collection.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Conservation
This fonds was re boxed and foldered in 2004.
Location note
Boxes V-69 - V-72, H-51 - H-55