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Old 30-03-05, 20:06
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David_Hayward (RIP) David_Hayward (RIP) is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The New Forest, England
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Default POLSKI CZERWONY KRZYZ/Polish Red Cross

Hello my friend! Thank you for your advice. Since I posted the last note, 'Ostrycharz' [robert@ostrycharz.free-online.co.uk] advised:

Quote:
The photo I think is of a military unit rather than the Red Cross, Polish or otherwise. The picture becomes pixellated when I tried to enlarge it - I was trying to identify Polish officer and indeed uniform of the women. Do you have a high res image?

The ambulances have the I Polish Corps sign (winged wheel) and bear the vehicle serial number "175". Unfortunately, I have only a few of these serials and I am unable to relate to the brigade unit (or Corps unit), but it may be given other numbering that this refers to a brigade unit.

If this is so they may belong to the Field Ambulance of a brigade or Mobile Ambulance Column.

The drivers may be the "free - F.A.N.Y. (First Aid Yeomanry)".
These women volunteers were much respected by the Poles in Scotland for their work including driving men to hospital. (This freed men to train on military vehicles)

Try to get hold of a book called F.A.N.Y. Invicta by Irene Ward
published Hutchison (London) 1955 chapter 4 - has a brief account of the Poles appreciation of these drivers.

Yes, their was Polish Red Cross Nurses in Scotland (and a Polish
Military Auxiliary Nursing Corps) but I don't think that the women in the picture were Red Cross.
then

Quote:
As to the driver the women volunteers as they were serving with the Polish Forces may have been entitled to the POLAND flash (they certainly would heve been proud of that.) I still think that the photo is early on in the war - say 1941 early 1942 before the time the women of the Polish ATS were here and who would amongst other duties have acted as drivers. There are good examples of this in 2 Polish Corps in Italy.

The officer was not recognised - but he appears to be wearing Virtuti Militari.

I just wish I could be more certain about the photo so near and yet so
far.

I recall certainly seeing one example of an ambulance marked with Polish Red Cross but definitely being part of the Polish Army -10th Field Ambulance.
We know that Red Cross drivers were used to drive ambulances with military census numbers, having been provided by e.g. Canadian donations. On the other hand very similar vehicles, 1941 Models, were used by the British-American Ambulance Society with Red Cross, FANY or ATS drivers, and carried civilian registrations.

I suspect that this photograph dates to sometime in 1941 and once again thank you for your advice.
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