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The Prisoner of War First Aid Safety Kit
| Introduction | Description | Introduction:The nearly 1.4 million American and Allied Prisoners of War in Germany and elsewhere were probably the most grateful beneficiaries of Red Cross services during World War 2. Many of them were lucky to return home alive because of the more than 27 million parcels prepared and shipped by the American Red Cross (ARC) to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, for distribution in the PW camps. Some 13,500 volunteers assembled the various packages in special centres in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis. The first Prisoner of War packaging centre opened in Philadelphia in 1943.
Most of these goods were food packages of a uniform size (10” x 10” x 4 ½”) and weight (11 lb) that contained such non-perishable items as prunes – raisins – liver pate – coffee – corned beef – sugar – dried milk – oleomargarine – biscuits – orange concentrate – cheese – canned salmon or tuna fish – chocolate bars – cigarettes, and soap.
The “American Red Cross” provided, through the services of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), relief packages to help American PWs in enemy custody. These were sometimes equally distributed among other Allied prisoners, and in some cases helped ease the burden of civilian internees as well! Of course, it is known that in particular cases, more particularly toward the end of the war, these supplies were sometimes pilfered by the German guards or STALAG/OFLAG authorities and personnel. The present Article is meant to give a more detailed aspect of the Medical Relief Package distributed among U.S. Prisoners of War in enemy hands. | Top |
Description:
The official nomenclature of such kit was: Prisoner of War First Aid Safety Kit. Inside the cardboard box was a 12-page booklet, which was to remain with the kit. It held instructions for use of the enclosed medical products in five (5) different languages, i.e. ENGLISH * FRENCH * GERMAN * POLISH * YUGOSLAV. The Kit was supplied by the American National Red Cross, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., and its reference was ARC 320, Rev. April 1944. The Cardboard Box (10” x 10” x 5 ¼”) was marked (top or side) as follows: AMERICAN RED CROSS – (Red Cross symbol) PRISONER OF WAR MEDICAL KIT NO.4 FOR DISTRIBUTION THROUGH INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE (i.e. green block letters, except for the full Red Cross emblem).
The Medical Kit was designed to serve 100 men for a month or more. It contained practical, well-known remedies. Prisoners were invited to read the directions carefully and follow the instructions exactly. They were further instructed to avoid overdose, and secure the services of a physician whenever possible.
The official booklet, designated Prisoner of War First Aid Kit listed 14 medical items (without however specifying any numbers):
Remarks:
As indicated in our introduction, another type of Relief Package was the one designated AMERICAN RED CROSS (Red Cross symbol) PRISONER OF WAR FOOD PACKAGE NO. 10 FOR DISTRIBUTION THROUGH INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE.
Packing specifications requested that the individual package weigh not over 12 pounds, and that the shipping case not exceed 50 pounds, with good keeping quality under adverse storage conditions. Prisoners were invited to return a “Receipt for Prisoner of War Package NO. 10” to the American Red Cross (ref BR Form 1629, Rev. Oct. 1943). With help and support from the I.C.R.C., national Red Cross societies were able to arrange exchange of ill and severely-wounded prisoners, inspection of PW camps, and delivery of mail, food and medical packages. In addition to the above, special packages for invalids, Christmas packages, and printed bulletins (non-war events) were also sent to the prisoners. | Top |
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