World War One

World War One

World War One was a historically remarkable war. Around 8.9 million men were involved with this war, and stationed in Europe. From this war, 908,000 were killed and 2 million were wounded, creating a great demand for healthcare providers. In result, over 21,000 women worked as Army nurses in military hospitals in the United States and overseas.  In addition, there were almost 1,500 Navy Nurses stationed all over as well. Girls as young as sixteen years old were recruited as nurses. It was reported that more than 400 military nurses were killed in action. The biggest reason for the death of nurses was influenza.

Two major women's groups came about during WW1: the VAD (Voluntary Aid Attachment) and FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry). Both were in great demand for volunteers. The VAD provided services in laundry, cooking, and cleaning. VAD volunteers were not paid, solely because it was a volunteer service. FANY volunteers contributed their time by providing basis health care, including cleaning the rooms of wounded soldiers, driving ambulances and dealing with deceased bodies.

Another well known organization was the Red Cross. The Red Cross had many duties: to recruit male soldiers, knit socks, and of course, work in military hospitals. One thing to note was that these women were not professionals in the healthcare field, but because the demand for help was so high, they were allowed to join this organization with limited experience. The Red Cross is still a prevalent organization today.

Other popular employment opportunities for women during WW1 included: transportation of trams, buses, and trains, plane mechanics, shipyards workers, and ammunition factory workers. Working in ammunition factories were quite dangerous due to the chemicals that could potentially cause explosions. Women with exposed skin in these factories often found that their skin would turn a yellowish color due to a chemical called sulphur.

It was very common to see in the ads or newspapers help wanted for a variety of jobs. Many were actually looking for women employees only, something women had not yet experienced before. Women provided impressive skills during such a huge crisis. An article discussing women of this time period stated, "They are our private soldiers". Without women's involvement in this war, the outcome of the first World War could have been dramatically altered. 

References

Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. (Photographer). (1919). What can you do? join our red cross membership. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/00651753/

Women in world war one. (2002). Retrieved from    http://www.sachem.edu/schools/seneca/socialstudies/guttman/per5/roleofwomen/link1.htm

University of Washington. (2003). Seattle general strike project. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/strike/kim.shtml

Zazzle. (Photographer). (n.d.). Knit your bit: American red cross poster. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.zazzle.com/knit_your_bit_american_red_cross_poster-228856592922057805