Only after the fourth request to the International Red Cross was the Polish Red Cross Society recognized on the international stage.
To try four times is an art
Did you know that it was only after the fourth request sent to the International Red Cross Committee that the Polish Red Cross organization was recognized internationally? The first proposal was made on August 5, 1915, by the Polish Sanitary Relief Committee, which wanted to be recognized by the International Red Cross Committee as a national association in the re-emerging Poland, presenting its activities in a detailed memorial. This letter went unanswered due to the lack of an independent Polish state.
The next attempt was made in 1917 in the United States, in agreement with her husband Ignacy Paderewski, by Helena Paderewska, trying to transform and recognize the organization she founded and led in the States, called the Committee for the Care of Polish Soldiers, as the Polish national association of the Red Cross. In her memoirs, she writes: “I submitted a request to the international organization for permission to establish the Polish Red Cross, but it was refused due to the fact that Poland, not being a sovereign state, according to the principles of the association, could not have a separate Red Cross organization.” (Helena Paderewska, Memoirs 1910-1920). Due to the lack of acceptance for the establishment of the Red Cross, Paderewska founded the Polish White Cross in the United States, of which she was the president.
The third request was directed to the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva on December 15, 1918, by Prince Paweł Sapieha on behalf of the Red Cross Association in Galicia. Although Poland had been an independent state since November 11, 1918, on December 24, a refusal letter came from Geneva. The letter states, “We are ready to regulate our relations with your state without the mediation of any government, but it is necessary that the state in which your National Red Cross Association will operate is allowed to sign the Geneva Convention, the basis for the operation of the Red Cross.” The International Red Cross Committee attached a brochure about national Red Cross associations to the correspondence.
Only the fourth request, directed by the united Polish Red Cross Society founded on January 18, 1919, after the Polish Government signed the Geneva Conventions, was positively considered, and on July 14, 1919, the Polish Red Cross Society was accepted as a member of the International Red Cross Movement.
Facts about the Polish Red Cross
Only after the fourth request to the International Red Cross was the Polish Red Cross recognized on the international stage.
The beginnings of blood donation in the Red Cross date back to 1935, which took place 83 years ago.
If the borders of Poland had not been changed after World War II, the 100th anniversary of the Polish Red Cross (PCK) would have been celebrated with the Lviv, Volhynian, and Wilno branches, which are still active today but under the structures of different state associations.
The employees of the Polish Red Cross carried out the exhumation of Polish officers murdered in the Katyn Forest while also being responsible for creating the official Katyn Lists
The Red Cross movement and its foundations were the source for the establishment of sanitary services for wounded soldiers under the names Polish White Cross and Polish Green Cross.
Over the years, the rules for statutory financing of the PCK's activities have changed, as has our role and position within the state.
The PCK enjoyed immense public trust during the Second Polish Republic, and the most important figures in the state always spoke about our organization with the utmost respect.
To this day, in Tarnów, Małopolska, there is a nearly 100-year tradition of parades through the city organized on the occasion of the Polish Red Cross Week.
On February 8, 2018, it was 50 years since the establishment of the badge of the Honorable Blood Donor
On February 8, 2018, it marked 50 years since the establishment of the badge of the Meritorious Honorary Blood Donor
PCK never accepted any gratifications and did not support the Nazi authorities, thereby exposing itself to severe consequences.
The Polish Red Cross was the initiator of healthcare in rural areas during the interwar period and the establishment of the first village health centers.
PCK was involved in the construction of the Marshal Piłsudski Mound in Sowińca in Krakow in 1936
At the beginning of 1919, within the structures of the newly established Polish Red Cross Society, 3 District Branches of the PTCK were created: for Galicia, the Grand Duchy of Posen, and Silesia.
During its 100-year activity, the Polish Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross, honored 102 Polish nurses associated with our organization with the Florence Nightingale Medal.
The Polish Red Cross was the organizer of parachuting courses
Did two Polish doctors working at the Red Cross hospital during World War II save more lives than Oskar Schindler?
There existed simultaneously the Polish Red Cross and the Polish White Cross, whose president was Helena Paderewska.
There was a time in the history of PCK when, legally, two or even three Main Boards of PCK operated simultaneously.
Help us endlessly
Thanks to the kindness and support of our Donors, we can help children, seniors, support medical rescuers, promote the idea of blood donation, and implement many other projects that save lives in times of conflict or humanitarian crises. Every donation and every form of support is significant because the Polish Red Cross connects those in need with those who want to provide help. Let’s help together!
See also
There was a period in the history of the Polish Red Cross when, legally, two or even three Supreme Boards of the Polish Red Cross operated at the same time.
This situation took place during World War II. In connection with the tragic events of the war, the authorities of the International Committee of the Red Cross made an unprecedented decision: for the first time, they agreed to break the rules that unquestionably apply to national associations of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
At the same time, there existed the Polish Red Cross and the Polish White Cross, whose president was Helena Paderewska.
The organization of the Polish White Cross was established on February 2, 1918, in the United States during World War I. It was founded by Helena Paderewska, the wife of Ignacy Paderewski. The main goal was to provide assistance to the victims of the war.
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