The Victoria Branch
On 2 March 1900, three and a half years after the launch of the Canadian Red Cross Society, a meeting was held in Victoria to organize a new branch in the city. The meeting was attended by many prominent members of Victorian society including Mayor Charles Hayward, members of the Legislature, military officers, and members of some of the esteemed families in the city. What is most notable about this gathering, however, is the fact so many women were involved, of the nineteen people appointed to the executive of the new branch, ten of them were women. At this time, women were expected to be homemakers and mothers and were still unable to vote yet they were taking an active role in service organizations such as the Red Cross in order to contribute to their community. The newly formed organization wasted no time in launching fundraising activities such as concerts in the Victoria area.
The branch received their charter from the Canadian Red Cross Society on 5 May, 1915, nine months after the outbreak of the war. This meant that the branch was officially recognized by and met the standards of the Canadian Red Cross Society. Until that time the Victoria Branch operated under the British Red Cross Society.
At the outbreak of World War I, the branch swung into action. Twelve smaller, community units formed throughout the city of Victoria and area; each had its own events and projects that contributed to the larger effort of providing support for the war effort. A more thorough look at the types of fundraisers that were held by the Branch and units can be found in Community Events. The monies raised from these events were used for a variety of purposes including: equipping hospitals, purchasing ambulances, and supplying comfort bags for injured soldiers.
Images of the meeting minutes courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives
The Red Cross Ladies
Much of the work in the Victoria Branch and its community units was done by the women of the city. Women were unable to serve on the front-lines, so they put their focus on contributing to the war effort by filling the supporting roles with energy and enthusiasm. Many of the leadership positions in the Branch were filled by women. There was fundraising and knitting to be done here in Victoria while other ladies went over to serve as nurses or volunteers in Europe. Socks were always needed by the men in the trenches and were gratefully received; one lady, Mrs. E. Andrews, knit over 400 pairs of socks for the troops overseas. Mr. W. Johnson, a Victoria resident serving as a stretcher-bearer, wrote a letter back to the Red Cross Victoria Branch to thank them for the socks he was given, the letter was published in the Daily Colonist. Women would also serve as Red Cross nurses, usually as part of the Red Cross, Order of St. John of Jerusalem Joint War Committee.
Mrs. Mary Fleming was one of the long-serving members of the Victoria Branch. She served as part of the executive for many years and was active in many of the Red Cross projects in the city. In April of 1920, she was honoured for her work with the Red Cross with the opening of the Fleming Memorial Ward at the Jubilee Hospital, in memory of her son, Charles, who was killed in action in France in 1916. A plaque was installed on the east end of the ward which read:
The Fleming Memorial Ward furnished by the citizens of Victoria and Vancouver Island in memory of Private Charles H. Fleming, 29th Battalion, C. E. F., who fell in action at Courcelette, September 26, 1916, and in recognition of the faithful services of his mother to the Canadian Red Cross, 1914 -1919.
Although they could not serve in the trenches, the women of the Victoria Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society were active participants in the war effort and their work was noted and appreciated by the community.
References
“A Charming Musical Event: Red Cross Society’s Last Evening A Conspicuous Event.” Victoria Daily Times, 19 July 1900.
“Citizens’ Tribute to Loyal War-Worker: Memorial Ward at Jubilee Hospital, Formally Opened Yesterday, Commemorates the Service of Mrs. H. Fleming.” Daily Colonist. 13 April 1920. http://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist62y102uvic#page/n14/mode/1up
“Concert: In Aid of the Red Cross Society.” Victoria Daily Times. 15 July 1900.
“For Red Cross Work.” Victoria Daily Times, 15 July 1900.
Johnson, W. “Received Socks: Member of 88th Battalion Writes From ‘ Somewhere in France’ to Red Cross.” Victoria Daily Times, 5 May 1917.
“Local Men Lost on Somme Front: Cpl. C. H. Little Dies of Wounds – Pte. C. H. Fleming Is Reported Missing – Four Are Wounded.” Daily Colonist. 26 October, 1916. http://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist58y274uvic#page/n4/mode/1up/search/mr+mrs+fleming
Porter, McKenzie. To All Men: the Story of the Canadian Red Cross. McClelland and Steward, 1960
“Public Meeting.” Victoria Daily Times, 2 March 1900.
“Victoria Joins the Long Roll: Branch of the Red Cross Society Organized Here Last Evening.” Victoria Daily Times, 3 March 1900.