World+Wars

=St John in the World Wars =

For a site dedicated to the experiences and activities of St John Ambulance during World War II, see here.

This is an overall picture of the work of St John Cadets and VAD personnel during WWII in particular.

Some notable examples are the experiences of Veronica Nisbet, Betty Popkiss, Anne Wisla and Ron Davis. Listen to Ron's experiences: media type="file" key="Ron Davis.mp3" width="240" height="20"



Some facts about World War II:

 * Young members of both organisations played their part in the war effort. Their first aid training and willingness to help others were more important than ever. Many volunteered for Civil Defence work and saw action in the midst of the worst bombing raids of the War. Betty Popkiss was only 17 when she received her George Medal.
 * Throughout the Blitz, ordinary people showed extraordinary bravery in horrendous conditions. Members of the Civil Defence services put their lives at risk night after night to rescue and help people caught up in the bombing. Members of St. John Ambulance and the Red Cross were no different, and by 1944 they had had 194 members decorated by the King.
 * The Joint War Organisation provided 249 ambulances, employing 360 drivers and carrying 681 531 patients over the course of the war. Their ambulances travelled nearly 6 million miles.
 * During the Blitz the people who lived in large towns and cities had to cover their doors and windows with special blackout material. This stopped any light getting through that might be a target for a German bomber. Anyone who didn’t do this could be fined. As well as this, car headlights were banned, which made driving ambulances difficult and dangerous, especially when the roads were covered in debris. Up to 600 people were killed every month as a result of the blackout, mostly through road accidents.
 * The British Red Cross and St John Ambulance trained their members and the public in first aid and home nursing, and other subjects like child care. Home nursing training was vital before the National Health Service started after the War. Treatment by trained doctors and nurses was very expensive and most people could not afford it.
 * St. John Cadet badge subjects grew during the Second World War. In 1938 Air Raid Precaution appeared on the list. For this subject, cadets studied an array of gases the enemy might use, phosgene and mustard gas for example and memorised the effects of each. Charts helped them to study. Other wartime badges included interpretership and aeroplane accident aid. For this last subject, cadets were tested on their ability to identify aircraft from the ground and practiced evacuating a crew trapped aboard a crashed plane.
 * Many men, women and children who fled invaded Europe for the United Kingdom joined the British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance. For children and youth relocated to a new country, membership in St. John cadets meant new friends and mentors. Like Anne Wisla, they often had to learn English first. Some new members put their mother tongues to use, helping with the cadets’ interpretership badge. Others offered translating services to help European soldiers hospitalised or imprisoned in Great Britain.
 * In 1942, St. John Ambulance decided to rename its girls’ and boys’ cadet divisions. While girl divisions adopted the title of ‘Nursing Cadets’, boy divisions became known as ‘Ambulance Cadets’. The uniforms followed the same colour scheme of black, grey and white. Nursing and ambulance cadets both wore the black Balmoral beret. Differences did distinguish the ambulance cadet uniform from that of nursing cadets. Ambulance cadets wore a V-neck vest, trousers and a tie. Nursing cadets wore knee-length dresses, starched ‘frillies’ and collars, and frequently a veil.
 * St. John Ambulance introduced the War service badge and set 300 hours War service per year as the minimum. War service deviated from standard cadet duties. To earn this badge, cadets volunteered for duties directly related to the war effort. Some cadets helped the Hospital Library Service keep its books in shape and on shelves. Other war service duties included serving soup at civil restaurants and even assisting in hospitals.