Great War Nurse

[Guest belgiumpoppies]

One of my characters in my book is a Great War VAD nurse, living in the London area. I have some information (mostly general) about VADs, such as Vera Brittain, and a guide reprinted at the Imperial War Museum, some mentions in books, but not much else. Does anyone have any more information on their recruitment, rules, where based (ie Etaples) etc? Thank you for your help

[MIDMED]

One of my characters in my book  is a Great War VAD nurse, living in the London area. I have some information (mostly general) about VADs, such as Vera Brittain, and a guide reprinted at the Imperial War Museum,  some mentions in books, but not much else. Does anyone have any more information on their recruitment, rules, where based (ie Etaples) etc? Thank you for your help

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Im no expert on the VAD but some bits from info i collated sometime ago

The Volunteer Aid Detachments (V.A.D) were formed in 1909 , it was intended these detachments would reinforce medical elements of the Territorial Force in times of national emergency, controlled by the county Territorial Force associations they were in affect reserve Territorials eventhough they were part of and wore the red cross. During the Great War thousands of detachments were raised. it is worthy of note, even numbered units were formed by women, odd numbered detachments by men.

The VAD's were part of the Red Cross and as such wore the red cross as part of their uniforms as opposed to the regular, territorial and reservist armed forces nurses who did not. During the great war the Red Cross assisted by the St Johns raised V.A.D's whose compliment were partly trained and available to replace R.A.M.C male medical orderlies serving within military hospitals at home and overseas.

The V.A.D came under the control and command of the Q.A.I.M.N.S and served alongside the army nurses all over the place, I know little of the various VAD's service records but believe approx 9000 V.A.D volunteers served at home and worldwide during the war. F&F, India, Africa, in the Med and Mesopotamia.

There were at least a dozen stationary and large British military general hospitals connected by rail lying on the Par de Calais coast between the massive training grounds and camps around Etaples and Boulogne, there may have been elements at all.

Tom

[Terry_Reeves]

VAD's were part of the Red Cross and the Order of St John, although pre-war County Territorial Force Associations also raised VAD units. During WW1 the Joint War Committee of the Red Cross and Order of St John administered their activities.

Many were employed as domestic workers, such as cooks and cleaners and were not trained nurses. Those involved in nursing were rather more nursing auxilieries. The BRCS and Order of St John published a post war report on all their activities, a copy of which is held at the National Archive. The various county organisations also published reports, which detailed the organisation at that level, along with staff lists and sometimes photographs of VAD hospitals ect.

Terry Reeves

[tonycad]

A point has always bothered me is: were VAD's paid, and if so how did the pay compare with that of the Red Cross and QAIMNS.

From my little reading on the subject, I gained the impression that VAD's were for the most part middle class, well-off ladies, and were truly unpaid volunteers, or paid subsistence only.

Looking for enlightenment.

Tony

[Guest belgiumpoppies]

A point has always bothered me is:  were VAD's paid, and if so how did the pay compare with that of the Red Cross and QAIMNS.

From my little reading on the subject, I gained the impression that VAD's were for the most part middle class, well-off ladies, and were truly unpaid volunteers, or paid subsistence only.

Looking for enlightenment.

Tony

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I've read that they were unpaid middle/upper class women too

[Desmond7]

Have some info .. will be back. In meantime, broadly concur.

[Sue Light]

VADs did get paid if they worked in military hospitals at home or abroad i.e. hospitals run under the authority of the War Office. They were employed with six month contracts, and received £20 for each six month period, together with allowances for lodging, uniform, transport etc. where appropriate. Considering that the starting pay for a trained staff nurse was £40 a year, they were getting a fairly generous rate.

It was the VADs employed by the BRCS and St. John in the UK that received allowances, but no actual pay - these were, numerically, the majority.

Sue

[welshdoc]

VADs did get paid if they worked in military hospitals at home or abroad i.e. hospitals run under the authority of the War Office.  They were employed with six month contracts, and received £20 for each six month period, together with allowances for lodging, uniform, transport etc. where appropriate.  Considering that the starting pay for a trained staff nurse was £40 a year, they were getting a fairly generous rate. 

It was the VADs employed by the BRCS and St. John in the UK that received allowances, but no actual pay - these were, numerically, the majority.

Sue

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Sue, I was wondering if VADs were awarded the War and Victory medals if they served at home only, or did they just receive the red cross medal? GAreht

[Sue Light]

was wondering if VADs were awarded the War and Victory medals if they served at home only, or did they just receive the red cross medal?

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Gareth

The criteria were the same for VADs as all others - no service medals unless they went overseas. I think about 9,000 VADs had overseas service, with another 75,000 or so with home service only [figure plucked from air ]. And I'm completely clueless about Red Cross medals!

Sue

[welshdoc]

Gareth

The criteria were the same for VADs as all others - no service medals unless they went overseas.  I think about 9,000 VADs had overseas service, with another 75,000 or so with home service only [figure plucked from air  ].  And I'm completely clueless about Red Cross medals!

Sue

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sue, the main Red Cross medal awarded in WW1 (not official) was the

British Red Cross War Medal

Instituted: 1920

The Medal was awarded to Members of the Society or its Voluntary Aid Detachments who served in the UK during the period 4 August 1914 to 31 December 1919 and were therefore not eligible for British military medals. Those who were eligible must have undertaken not less than 1000 hours of unpaid service, or been ambulance drivers and bearers who gave 500 hours unpaid service.

No diploma was issued with the medal and it was not an official decoration.

Between 41 000 and 42 000 were awarded.

(copied from the Red cross museum site).

It was just that I was unsure of the criteria for the War and Victory medals. Which youve now answered for me. Thanks

[Sue Light]

Thanks Gareth – the figures are very interesting, and presumably, as they refer to the number of awards made, are probably quite accurate. Figures quoted for women who served in the Great War are always wildly conflicting, so I’ve just had a rumfle through every source I could find to see why I had a much larger figure for VADs in my head. I really wonder where all the various facts and figures come from – at some point many years ago I reckon someone made a few up at random, and they stuck! I quite quickly discovered that 38,000, 47,000, 75,000, 82,000, and 84,000 women served as VADs during the period of the war up to 31/12/19. In addition:

Ian Hay [sir John Hay Beith] gives a figure of 8495 who served abroad in military hospitals during the war.

Arthur Marwick states:

‘By 1916 there were 8,000 VADs serving in military hospitals’ but doesn’t say whether these were at home or abroad or both.

Diana Condell and Jean Liddiard seem to take the Marwick figure and make it even more foggy by saying:

‘By 1916 some 8,000 VADs were employed in various tasks…’

– which is both incomplete and very inaccurate.

Brian Abel-Smith, in ‘The History of the Nursing Profession’ really goes for it when he says:

‘At the outbreak of war there were about 80,000 members, and at the end of the war there were 120,000 members. Of this last total, there were 12,000 Voluntary Aid Detachment nursing members working in military hospitals and 60,000 members working in auxiliary hospitals. The latter were unpaid.’

And Elizabeth Haldane [sister of R.B.] informs us that:

‘When war was declared in 1914 there were 57,000 of these members of Voluntary Aid Detachments (40,000 of whom were women) and by the Armistice they had increased to 90,000 (66,000 women)… ‘

Presumably not all working at the same time...

So if there’s anyone out there who’s counted, and can produce a definitive number, I’d be very grateful indeed. And to anyone who dropped off to sleep while reading the above:

YOU CAN WAKE UP NOW - IT'S OVER!

Sue

[Duncan]

VADs were paid from 1916 onward - to encourage recruitment - though this conflicted with the neutral status of the Red Cross whose organisation they came under.

They could get any of the usual WW1 service medals, or the Red Cross War Service Medal if home service for one year of 1,000+ hours. Aparently, they were not entitled to the Memorial Plaque!

Duncan