Interview of Katherine Wilson on her service in the American Red Cross in Europe during WWII

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Description:

Katherine Wilson talks about her service in the American Red Cross in Europe during World War Two. Wilson says she joined the Red Cross right after Pearl Harbor, was sent to England in early 1943 aboard the Queen Elizabeth, helped to set up a hospital in a cow pasture and treated casualties coming from the North African campaign. She says that her Red Cross unit was later sent to Omaha Beach, thirteen days after D-Day, to set up another hospital about eight miles from the front. She talks about treating burned tank crewman, dispensing cigarettes, helping patients to write letters home, and coordinating social activities for the troops. She says that her hospital unit was next moved to Belgium where it received a deluge of casualties from the Battle of the Bulge and was forced to pull out in the face of German advances. She talks about celebrating V-E Day on a speeding troop train through Belgium and that she had a chance to site see in Germany before finally being sent back to the States. Wilson is interviewed by Dorothy Harrison.

Date Issued:

1985-12-08T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Michigan State University. Libraries

Collection:

Women's Overseas Service League Oral History Project

Place:

Europe and Europe

Subject Topic:

World War, 1939-1945, World War, 1939-1945, Participation, Female, World War, 1939-1945, Hospitals, World War, 1939-1945, Medical care, Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945, and V-E Day, 1945

Subject Name:

Wilson, Katherine, 1908-2012, and American National Red Cross

Subject Genre:

Interviews, Interviews, and Personal narratives, American

Language:

English

Rights:

In Copyright

URL:

https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m52979