Smithsonian in Wartime

Even before the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, the conflict in Europe was front and center in the minds of many Americans who wanted to do their part. The employees of the Smithsonian were no exception. Through their own Red Cross auxiliary, applying their expertise to the war effort, and making changes in their private lives, Smithsonian employees took action to make a difference in the war effort.

The Red Cross Auxiliary

In early June 1917, with Europe already devastated by three years of fighting, the employees of the Smithsonian organized a Red Cross auxiliary to aid the war effort in Europe.¹ The auxiliary’s first meeting, held on June 4, enrolled 109 members. They supported the Red Cross’s work by collecting ten cents a week from the men of the auxiliary and creating material to be donated to the Washington DC Chapter of the Red Cross.² Their first large project was to raise $1000 dollars to purchase an ambulance for the front.³ Enthusiasm for this project was felt across the Smithsonian as over half of the funds were raised in the first week of the campaign.⁴ By the end of August, just three months after the auxiliary was founded and five weeks after their fundraising campaign began, the Red Cross auxiliary voted to turn over $1,006 dollars to the American Red Cross for an ambulance. The additional six dollars above the initial amount were allocated for a plaque reading “Presented by the Employees of the Smithsonian Institution.”⁵ The American Red Cross sent the ambulance to the front in Russia and was able to equip it with all the necessary supplies and spare parts to provide for its upkeep – a necessary addition in wartime conditions.

Fundraising wasn’t the only contribution the Red Cross auxiliary made to the War effort. From its first days, members made up material to be sent to soldiers⁶ and organized lectures to educate about the war in Europe.⁷ By November, the Red Cross auxiliary was looking for more knitters and sewers to join its ranks as “there is a need for every kind of knitted good.”⁸ Auxiliary Chairman Helen Munroe, the head of the Publications Room in her daily work at the Smithsonian, coordinated the efforts of the Red Cross auxiliary: recruiting new members in the employee newsletter, distributing materials, and collecting finished mittens, scarves, sweaters and over 1,600 sewn items.⁹ She worked with Mrs. B. C. Shuman, the treasurer of the auxiliary and a secretary in the Natural History Building,¹⁰ to keep the auxiliary running and coordinate the auxiliary’s efforts in addition to their full time work as Smithsonian employees.

The Red Cross auxiliary’s efforts continued after the war ended. In 1919, the auxiliary still had over 120 members¹¹ and was continuing to send badly needed knitted articles to women and children abroad. In July the Red Cross auxiliary donated fifty dollars towards a bed sponsored by the Washington, DC Chapter at the American Memorial Hospital in Reims, France.¹²

Helping Naval Intelligence

US Food Administration Pledges

Conclusion

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FOOTNOTES