Production Corps Uniform Circa 1925-1941

As one of the most popular volunteer units in Red Cross history, the Production Corps had an astonishing record of achievement. During its years of operation, the Corps was able to manufacture and provide millions of surgical dressings and articles of clothing for soldiers, veterans, and refugees.

The Production Corps traces its origins back to 1916, when the Women's Bureau of the Red Cross recruited women across the nation to make surgical dressings, hospital garments, and refugee clothing for sister Red Cross societies and military hospitals in war-torn Europe. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the program was successfully expanded to meet the needs of our own military. The Army and Navy regularly requested thousands of surgical dressings and what were referred to as "comfort" items for their men. Comfort items included hand-knitted socks, sweaters, soap, and razors. Between 1917 and 1919, over 8 million chapter women along with many Junior Red Cross members produced over 370 million relief articles for the allied armed forces and civilians in Europe.

From 1919 to 1939, the Production Corps continued its work as a peacetime operation. The volunteers of the corps made thousands of comfort items and surgical dressings for hospitalized service men and veterans, as well as for soldiers at remote military outposts or Navy stations. In addition, these volunteers provided the same items for civilian hospitals and for disaster relief work. Mabel T. Boardman, secretary for the Central Committee of the Red Cross, formalized the role of the Production Corps in the 1920s by making it one of the nine units in which volunteers could serve. Other popular units included the Motor Corps, Canteen Service, Health Aids Corps, and Hospital and Recreation Service (Gray Ladies).

During World War II, the Production Corps was by far the most popular unit with over 3.5 million members, spread throughout 3,304 chapters. Unlike other volunteer jobs, there was no prerequisite training, and recruitment and task assignments were accomplished quickly. The women, and in some cases the men, that volunteered enjoyed the camaraderie and the fact that workrooms were set up not only at chapter buildings, but also at schools, churches, and other public or private facilities for their convenience. From 1939 to 1946 the volunteers of the Production Corps made:

63,552,649 garments for civilians and the military 1,403,158 infant garments 31,237,900 kit bags containing cigarettes, playing cards, soap etc. 2,481,951,637 surgical dressings Production Corps volunteers were broken down into committees organized by task. They included surgical dressings, sewing, and knitting. Detailed instructions, patterns and supplies were issued by the National Headquarters to chapters and each was assigned a quota to fill. Chapters had volunteers in charge of inspection, planning and supplies, workrooms and equipment, instruction, and packing and shipping.

In 1950, the American Red Cross combined the Production Corps with the Community Service to Camps and Hospitals, which supplied recreation equipment to the armed forces. The result was the creation of the Production and Supply Service. By the 1960s, recruitment of volunteers for specific services had become difficult. In 1964 a new policy of "One Red Cross" was put in place, where there would be less emphasis on rigid and distinct volunteer categories like Production. A decline from war-time demands, the advent of synthetic textiles, and technological advances in manufacturing of sterile medical supplies inexpensively meant that the need for hand-made versions of these items declined rapidly. Production was finally phased out by the late 1960s.

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