The Women's Emergency Corps was a
service organisation
A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...
founded in 1914 by
Evelina Haverfield
Evelina Haverfield ( Scarlett; 9 August 1867 – 21 March 1920) was a British suffragette and aid worker.
In the early 20th century, she was involved in Emmeline Pankhurst's militant women's suffrage organisation the Women's Social and Pol ...
,
Decima Moore
Lilian Decima, Lady Moore-Guggisberg, CBE (11 December 1871 – 18 February 1964), better known by her stage name Decima Moore, was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Compa ...
, and the
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...
to contribute to the
war effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The corps was intended to train woman doctors, nurses and motorcycle messengers.
Mona Chalmers Watson
Alexandra Mary Chalmers Watson CBE, (née Geddes; 31 May 1872 – 7 August 1936), known as Mona Chalmers Watson, was a British physician and head of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. The first woman to receive an MD from the University of Edin ...
became its honorary secretary.
The Corps later evolved into the Women's Volunteer Reserve.
See also
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Women's Reserve Ambulance Corps
The Women's Reserve Ambulance Corps (also known as the Green Cross Corps) was a volunteer aid organisation set up in the United Kingdom in 1915 during the First World War. Its members worked to direct people at stations, transport hospital pati ...
*
Canary girls
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Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...
*
Women's Land Army (World War I)
The Women's Land Army (WLA) was a British civilian organisation created in 1917 by the Board of Agriculture during the First World War to bring women into work in agriculture, replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the W ...
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Women's Royal Air Force (World War I)
The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force, existing from 1 April 1918 until 1 April 1920, when it was disbanded. Its original intent was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men for front line servi ...
References
Further reading
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Organizations established in 1914
Social history of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom in World War I
Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom
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