Our history

Princess Diana holds flowers and smiles at a group of adults and disabled children at a British Red Cross camp.

From beans on toast to landmines, memories of Princess Diana and the Red Cross

We look back at the life of a dedicated humanitarian

content type Story estimated reading time 4 minutes
Presentation of Colours, by Mary, Princess Royal, Conway Square Newtownards 1952

Our Stories — Our Times: Public Duties

Discover the history of Red Cross volunteers in Northern Ireland, from post-war aid to refugee support, and community services during times of conflict.

content type Article estimated reading time 6 minutes
British Red Cross volunteers during WWI

Potato peelers, sock knitters and moss collectors

Meet the amazing volunteers who kept the Red Cross going during the First World War.

content type Story estimated reading time 5 minutes
Photograph of a gold coin depicting British Red Cross nurse Edith Cavell.

Remembering Edith Cavell: a brave British Red Cross nurse

We remember brave nurse Edith Cavell who was killed in 1915. Her crime? Moving Allied forces to safety.

content type Story estimated reading time 5 minutes
Portrait of Vera Brittain

Testament of Youth: a volunteer’s WWI memoir of a lost generation

Poet and pacifist Vera Brittain was a Red Cross nurse during the First World War. Here, we share her most famous work ‘A Testament of Youth’.

content type Article estimated reading time 5 minutes
A group of British Red Cross volunteers smile for the camera.

The beginnings of the British Red Cross

Our museum and archives curator explains how it all began

content type Article estimated reading time 3 minutes
A photograph of Dr John Alcindor.

The famous Black doctor of Paddington

A doctor who overcame prejudice to help others during the First World War finally won recognition a hundred years later.

content type Article estimated reading time 3 minutes
Head and shoulders photograph of First World War nurse, Peggy Arnold, in her uniform.

The heroic women of WW1: a nurse's diary

Peggy Arnold was a WW1 nurse serving on the frontline. Here we celebrate her bravery, and the bravery of volunteers like her.

content type Article estimated reading time 4 minutes
British Red Cross emblem on the outside wall at the refugee centre.

“The Red Cross emblem remains as relevant today as ever in saving lives”

Head of international law Michael Meyer on the significance of our emblem and motto

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
A black and white photograph of Alexis Casadagli taken by the British Red Cross in 1943

The man who took on the Nazis with a needle

Prisoner of war, top-secret spy and subversive stitcher – Cas certainly lived a full life. His daughter had no idea, until she found a mysterious box in the attic.

content type Story estimated reading time 0 minutes
Red Cross marchers at Bloody Sunday funerals

Our Stories — Our Times: The Troubles

The Red Cross in Northern Ireland maintained a key, neutral and independent role throughout the conflict in Ulster.

content type Article estimated reading time 5 minutes
A photograph of Red Cross volunteers carrying out measles immunisations in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), 1968

The history of vaccines

Our museum and archives coordinator on our long history supporting vaccinations

content type Article estimated reading time 4 minutes