The historian activist and the Gift to the Nation project: preserving the records of the Australian Red Cross

ABSTRACT

In 2014, as part of their centenary celebrations, the Australian Red Cross initiated a project in which it transferred archives to various national, state and territory institutions across Australia including the University of Melbourne Archives and the State Library of New South Wales. The transfer of this voluminous (but not complete) collection built on earlier transfers of archives to the State Library of South Australia and the Australian War Memorial. This paper charts the origins of the plan to donate the records to public repositories. It interrogates the societal provenance of those collections, recognising that the pluralising of records is an historical process, in which the agency of archivists, historians and administrators must be understood. An investigation of Red Cross records in Australia exposes that process in its contingency, inertia and, ultimately, enthusiasm. The paper also reveals the challenges faced by voluntary organisations in preserving their records, and how historians and archivists both can benefit from assisting such organisations. Finally, this paper argues that the ‘Gift to the Nation’ project, with its national and international significance, reflects a shift in our understanding of the First World War to a transnational paradigm that recognises the important role of voluntary organisations.

KEYWORDS:

• Australian Red Cross
• archives
• First World War
• social history
• humanitarianism
• voluntary organisations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This paper was originally presented at the ‘Recording, Narrating and Archiving the First World War’ conference, 9–11 July 2018, Deakin University, Melbourne. I would like to thank the two anonymous referees for their valuable comments and especially Dr Bart Ziino, one of the editors of this special issue, for his encouragement and professionalism.

2. For a perspective from the State Library of NSW, see Alison Wishart and Michael Carney, ‘An archive of humanity: the NSW Division of the Australian Red Cross, 1914–2014ʹ, Archives and Manuscripts, vol. 47, no. 2, 2019, pp. 260–9.

3. Tom Nesmith, ‘Seeing archives: postmodernism and the changing intellectual place of archives’, The American Archivist, vol. 65 no. 1, 2002, pp. 24–41.

4. Michael Piggott, ‘Human behaviour and the making of records and archives’, Archives & Social Studies: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, vol. 1, 2007, pp. 237–58.

5. The historiography of the ICRC is extensive. Perhaps the best introduction is Caroline Moorehead, Dunant’s Dream: War. Switzerland and the History of the Red Cross, Harper Collins London, 1998; JF Hutchinson, Champions of Charity: War and the Rise of the Red Cross, Westview, Boulder, 1996; David Forsythe, The Humanitarians: The International Committee of the Red Cross, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005.

6. For an overview of the role of Lady Helen, see Melanie Oppenheimer ‘“The Best PM for the Empire in War”? Lady Helen Munro Ferguson and the Australian Red Cross Society, 1914–1920ʹ, Australian Historical Studies, vol. 33, no. 119, 2002, pp. 108–34.

7. It was not until 2010 that full control was passed from state divisions to a national board. Re lack of women leaders, see Cédric Cotter, ‘Red Cross’, International Encyclopedia of the First World War, Online 1914–1918; available at < https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/red_cross >, accessed 17 August 2019.

8. Melanie Oppenheimer, Red Cross VAs. A History of the VAD Movement in NSW, Ohio Productions, Walcha, 1999. See also Melanie Oppenheimer, ‘VA’s: Australian Voluntary Aids during the Second World War’, Journal of the Australian War Memorial, vol. 18, April 1991, pp. 28–34.

9. Melanie Oppenheimer, The Power of Humanity. 100 Years of Australian Red Cross, 1914–2014, HarperCollins, Sydney, 2014.

10. Joan M. Schwartz and Terry Cook, ‘Archives, Records and Power: the Making of Modern Memory’, Archival Science, vol. 2, 2002, pp. 1, 13.

11. Andrew Flinn, ‘The impact of independent and community archives on professional archival thinking and practice’, in Jennie Hill (ed.), The Future of Archives and Recordkeeping. A Reader, Facet Publishing, Cambridge, 2002, p. 166.

12. ibid., pp. 145–69.

13. Sue McKemmish, Franklyn Herbert Upward and Barbara Reed, ‘Records Continuum Model’, in Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, third edition, 2010, p. 4452.

14. Robert McIntosh, ‘The Great War, Archives and Modern Memory’, Archivaria, vol. 46, 1998, p, 1.

15. John Ridener, From Polders to postmodernism: a concise history of archival theory, Litwin Books, Duluth, Minn, 2009, p. 155; available at <http://ebookscentral.proquest.com>, accessed 14 November 2019.

16. See, for example, Schwartz and Cook; Eric Ketelaar, ‘Archivistics: science or art?’, in Jennie Hill (ed.), The Future of Archives and Recordkeeping. A Reader, Cambridge, Facet Publishing, 2002, pp. 89–100.

17. Flinn, p. 149.

18. ‘Save the Archives’; available at < http://www.vahs.org.uk/archives/ >, accessed 19 August 2019.

19. R Hunjan, Trust and Foundation Archives for knowledge and practice sharing, review commissioned by The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, 2011, p. 1; available at < http://www.vahs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/report.pdf >, accessed 20 August 2017. See < http://www.vahs.org.uk/2013/04/the-campaign-goes-on/ >, accessed 19 August 2019.

20. Georgina Brewis, ‘Wanted: Champions to safeguard the archives of our charities’, available at < https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/feb/02/champions-safeguard-archives-charities >, accessed 14 November 2019.

21. < https://blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2014/08/20/eight-reasons-charities-should-be-interested-in-their-archives/ >, accessed 19 August 2019.

22. The first iteration of this project involved the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). The ongoing project is now called ‘Archiving the Mixed Economy of Welfare’, available at < https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/projects/academy-research-projects-digitising-mixed-economy-welfare-britain >, accessed 22 February 2020.

23. Linda North, ‘Beyond the deed of gift. A case study of the process and outcomes of the donation of 100 years of Australian Red Cross heritage collections to the University of Melbourne’, University of Melbourne, 2017, p. 14.

24. Melanie Oppenheimer, ‘Gifts for France: Australian Red Cross Nurses in France, 1916–1919ʹ, Journal of Australian Studies, vol. 17, no. 39, 1992, pp. 65–78.

25. The other philanthropic organisations were the Salvation Army, the Australian Comforts Fund, the YMCA and YWCA. See ‘Volunteers in Action: Aspects of Voluntary Work in Australia, 1939–45ʹ unpublished PhD thesis, Macquarie University, 1997, later published as All Work No Pay. Australian Volunteers in War, Walcha, NSW, Ohio Productions, 2002.

26. All correspondence held by the author.

27. See A2421/T1 G1272, parts 1–7, 1917–1953, National Archives of Australia, Canberra. For a detailed discussion, see Melanie Oppenheimer, ‘Control of Wartime Patriotic Funds in Australia: The National Security (Patriotic Funds) Regulations, 1940–1953ʹ, War & Society, vol. 18, no. 1, May 2000, pp. 71–90.

28. Most are unpublished. See, for example, Peter Stanley, ‘“Don’t let Whyalla Down”: The Voluntary War Effort in Whyalla, 1939–1945ʹ, LittB thesis, ANU, 1984; Dawn Peel, ‘Voluntary War Effort: Colac during the second world war’, MA thesis, Deakin University, 1992; Ian Willis, ‘War and Community: The Red Cross in Camden, 1939–1945ʹ, MA (Hons) thesis, University of Wollongong, 1996.

29. ‘National Strategy for Preserving the Records and Archives of the Australian Red Cross’, 19 March 1995, author’s personal collection.

30. See Annie Campbell, ‘“I Serve”: The Junior Red Cross in New South Wales, 1914–1924ʹ, UWS, 2000, unpublished BA Honours thesis; Annie Campbell, ‘“ … thousands of tiny fingers moving”. The beginning of the Junior Red Cross movement in New South Wales, 1914–1925ʹ, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, vol. 90, part 2, 1994, pp. 184–200.

31. Wishart and Carney, p. 261.

32. Other members included Margaret Le May (WA representative); Helen van Zanten (NSW representative); Tom McCullough (Vic representative); Dr Cecily Close (Consulting Archivist); and Sharon Pimm (Executive Officer/National Office representative). Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection Policy and Procedures Manual [Draft], ARC Archives, 2006. I would like to thank Moira Drew, Archivist, ARC, for her invaluable assistance.

33. National Executive Meeting of the Australian Red Cross, 25 November 2000, Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection Policy and Procedures Manual [Draft], ARC Archives, 2006, p. 3.

34. The manual was revised in 2006 and completed by full-time National Archivist, Peter Marinic, and Moira Drew, at that point working part-time as an Archives Supervisor for Australian Red Cross Victoria. Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection Policy and Procedures Manual [Draft], ARC Archives, 2006.

35. The Manual was updated by International Conservation Services Pty Ltd in 2009. See Australian Red Cross, Collection Management Policy for the Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection, June 2009.

36. ARC Heritage Collection, Report outlining findings from site visits and recommendations for the management of the Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection, report prepared by International Conservation Services, April 2009, Draft, p. 2.

37. Amanda Crawley and Kerry Gartland, ‘Review of Historical Records, Australian Red Cross, Melbourne, August 2008; ARC Heritage Collection, Report outlining findings from site visits and recommendations for the management of the Australian Red Cross Heritage Collection, report prepared by International Conservation Services, April 2009, Draft, p. 1.

38. I was involved in this process and have draft copies of letters on Australian Red Cross letterhead in my personal collection. They were to be signed by Michael Raper, who had joined Australian Red Cross in 2008 as Director of Services and International Operations. I am unsure if these were the final letters that were sent.

39. Because there were plans in the late 1990s and early 2000s to establish a Red Cross museum (there are a number overseas including in Geneva, Switzerland and Germany), the Victorian Division had been collecting objects and memorabilia for some years.

40. ‘Australian Red Cross donates 100 years of memories to University of Melbourne archives’, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 November 2014; available at < https://www.smh.com.au/education/australian-red-cross-donates-100-years-of-memories-to-university-of-melbourne-archives-20141105-3jmqb.html >, accessed 19 August 2019. The Transfer #3 to the University of Melbourne is currently being prepared by Archives staff in Melbourne as per the 2014 agreement.

41. State Library of NSW, Media Release, ‘100 years of Red Cross donated to NSW State Library’, 12 August 2016.

42. The longstanding Archivist based in Melbourne, Moira Drew’s coordination role with state archives ceased shortly after the centenary year and she only has occasional contact with those involved in the archives. Email from Moira Drew, Archivist, Australian Red Cross, to MO, 20 August 2019.

43. For the IFRC, see < https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/who-we-are/archives/ > and the ICRC, < https://www.icrc.org/en/archives >, accessed 19 August 2019.

44. Report of the 31st International Red Cross Red Crescent, ICRC & IFRC, Geneva, 28 November – 1 December 2011, pp. 16–7; available at < https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-1129.pdf >, accessed 22 February 2020.

45. < https://vad.redcross.org.uk/ >, accessed 19 August 2019.

46. See, for example, the global humanitarianism research academy (ghra), established by Fabian Klose (University of Cologne), Johannes Paulmann (Leibniz Institute of European History) and Andrew Thompson (Oxford University/University of Essex) in cooperation with the ICRC; available at < http://ghra.ieg-mainz.de > and the Online Atlas on the History of Humanitarianism and Human Rights. Accessed 20 August 2019.

47. Peter Grant, Philanthropy and Voluntary Action in the First World War: Mobilizing Charity, Routledge, London, 2014.

48. Oppenheimer, The Power of Humanity, p. 295.

49. See Eric F. Schneider, ‘The British Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau: A Case of Truth-telling in the Great War’, War in History, vol. 4, no. 3, 1997, pp. 296–315.

50. For a detailed analysis of this archive and the stories contained therein for the Gallipoli period, see Melanie Oppenheimer and Margrette Kleinig, ‘“There is no trace of him”: the Australian Red Cross, its Wounded and Missing Bureaux and the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign’, First World War Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, 2015, pp. 277–92. I worked with Andrew Piper who oversaw the project and contributed an essay on its history. See < https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/short-history-south-australian-red-cross-information-bureau#https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/images/page/Verco%20Building-war%20memorial.jpg >, accessed 17 August 2019.

51. Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files, 1914–1918 War, 1DRL/0428, Australian War Memorial, Canberra. Importantly, the South Australian records complement, but do not duplicate, those held in the Australian War Memorial.

52. Oppenheimer and Kleinig, pp. 277–92.

53. Jay Winter, Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.

54. Email communication, Andrew Piper to author, 18 May 2018.

55. Email communication, Andrew Piper to author, 20 August 2019.

56. Flinn, p. 163.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie Oppenheimer

Melanie Oppenheimer is Professor and Chair of History at Flinders University. She researches in the areas of women, war and volunteering. She is currently working on a history of the League of Red Cross Societies.