
A Red Cross clubmobile lands in Normandy, July 1944
My first impression of the beach is that there were very few people there.
Then, on landing, I could see hundreds of soldiers scattered out and lying flat.
Every now and then a few would get up, run forward and fall flat again. My first shell came whistling in and I hit the sand too…
– Field director, American Red Cross
D-Day. Even 75 years later, it brings up strong feelings and, for some, strong memories.
D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history. On 6 June 1944, over 150,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France.
Combined with major Soviet military action on the eastern front, it helped end the war in Europe.
The Red Cross was there, too, and we were involved at every stage, from planning supply chains to caring for wounded soldiers.
Blood, first aid and chocolate: Red Cross organisations join forces

Red Cross ambulance platoon in Normandy
Stories of the Red Cross staff and volunteers’ preparations and experiences show how the British, American and Canadian Red Crosses worked together closely for a quick response to D-Day.
In the British Red Cross Hampshire branch, for instance, a hand-written D-Day diary explains how tonnes of supplies were brought towards southern ports following the invasion. Some were held there, ready to support the sick and wounded evacuated back to southern England.
The American Red Cross sent 50 field directors during the first month after the invasion. Some came with the first wave of assault troops, helping with the wounded and transporting supplies.
One field director wrote about how he made it to the beach aid station and helped with the wounded, providing first aid and blood plasma.
Others distributed comfort items to men who lost their personal possessions in the landing operations.
By four days after D-Day, American nurses and Red Cross hospital workers arrived to staff the evacuation hospitals.
They were soon busy visiting the wards serving coffee and chocolate to the wounded. Recreation tents provided the men with a place to write letters, play cards or talk.
Good spirits despite the hardships

A field hospital in Normandy
The first British advance party, which included teams from American and Canadian Red Cross, got to Normandy on 7 July. At that point, soldiers had not yet moved inland from the beachheads.
Conditions were difficult, with the first teams getting to Normandy in the middle of a 36-hour rainstorm. They slept in cots below ground level to avoid shell bursts.
Quickly joining field hospitals, they offered not just medical supplies and support for the wounded, but also morale-boosting comforts, including jam, books and even chess sets.
Both the British Red and American Red Cross helped convoys of wounded arriving day and night. Staff were often woken up at 2:00 am to serve refreshments.
But all sources from the time agree about their cheerfulness and dedication, and the important role they played in supporting the sick and wounded.
Clubmobiles: a unique Red Cross invention during WWII

Clubmobiles cross the channel from England to France
The American Red Cross was serving US troops stationed in the UK well before D-Day. In cities and towns near military bases, Red Cross clubs served doughnuts and coffee, and had areas with music, books and benches for relaxation.
To reach people stationed at military camps and airfields, the Red Cross came up with the clubmobile. Originally based in remodelled London buses, clubmobiles drove essentials to other areas – doughnuts and coffee, of course – and also gum and cigarettes.
Each was staffed by a British driver and three American women Red Cross workers, and could serve the military men at their work. At each stop, they turned up the music on loudspeakers and all refreshments were free.
After D-Day, American Red Cross clubmobiles came to France shortly behind the field directors and hospital workers, rolling onto the beach by mid-July. The first to arrive was named Daniel Boone.
At that point using military trucks instead of buses, they set up their doughnut-making operation and soon became part of the Normandy invasion scene.
The war in Europe lasted another 11 months. Throughout that time, the American and British Red Cross advanced with the troops, providing invaluable first aid and boosting the morale of the Allied forces.
- Find out more about the British Red Cross and American Red Cross during WWII
- The GI bride who was swept away
- Doris Zinkeisen: frontline artist who painted the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Thank you very much to Alasdair Brooks, former heritage manager at the British Red Cross, who provided the research and inspiration for this blog.
Jun 06, 2019 @ 16:11:31
An amazing fact, that goes back over 75 years.
Jun 06, 2019 @ 18:11:46
VaccInate your kids!!!!
We are all terminal. News flash-we aren’t getting out of this life alive! I have dear friends who have lost their hearing because of this disease. I love my sign language skills but Please vaccinate your kids.
Jun 10, 2019 @ 00:37:50
my father served in WW II, he was in the first wave off the beaches at Normandy.
it was a miracle he survived. he would never let us help fill the red cross boxes for school, he just angrily said NO! I finally asked him why one day & he said the red cross was far behind the lines SELLING coffee & doughnuts to the men who could not afford anything for themselves. he was very angry about this. I told my husband about it who had donated blood to the red cross by the gallon & when he stopped they begged him to come back as he had the best blood type they wanted. he said, talk to my wife. dcw
Jun 12, 2019 @ 14:02:01
Hi Diane, I’m sorry to hear about this. Our records say that the coffee and doughnuts were free, but maybe there were exceptions and I’m sad to hear that where your father served was one. Thank you for taking the time to comment anyway, as having the views of all our readers is very helpful. Thanks, Diana
Jul 22, 2019 @ 20:37:33
I am trying to trace records of Sir John Kennedy. I am editing my father’s correspondence in WW2, when he was working for the Friends Ambulance Unit in the Middle East.. He refers to meeting ‘Sir John Kennedy of the Red Cross, who though it an admirable idea that he should go and that he would facilitate his journey.’
I would be very interested to learn more about this person, and even more interested to procure a photograph of him.
Jul 24, 2019 @ 16:57:24
Thank you for contacting us, Antony. Please email the British Red Cross heritage team at enquiry@redcross.org.uk and they may be able to help you find some information about Sir John Kennedy.
Mar 06, 2020 @ 11:42:59
I am compiling a record of all Jewish Red Cross WOMEN for our Jewish Military Museum and currently researching at HQ in Moorgate. If any of you have knowledge of Jewish personnel who served in WW2, do contact me on my e mail below
Martin Sugarman (AJEX Archivist and Author)
Jun 26, 2020 @ 17:23:37
I am researching my father’s time as. a POW in Poland. I know he was in Stalag XX1D at Poznan and also Stalag V111B at Teschen. I’m interested to know when he was moved from one Stalag to the other.
Can you help with this if I give my father’s details?
Jun 29, 2020 @ 12:41:20
Hi Evelyn, To find out if the British Red Cross can help with your research, please email our heritage team on enquiry@redcross.org.uk. Very good luck, Diana
Feb 07, 2021 @ 11:51:39
An interesting article, usually when we think and speak about D-Day, we usually go to the Army, Navy, or Aviation, and rarely to the logistical or medical personnel who also had a vital role in this major operation.