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The St John Archive preserves material (paper-based and digital records, and film and photographic material) dating from the 1830s onwards, which provides invaluable information on the structure, personnel and activities of the modern Order of St John and St John Ambulance. The Archive has been formed from a variety of different sources and coverage is therefore representative rather than comprehensive. Nevertheless, the holdings contain records relating to the development and dissemination of first aid practices; the growth of the ambulance movement and the hugely important work performed by the organisation during the Boer War, and the First and Second World Wars.

The Museum of the Order of St John has a wide range of items in its collections which date from 2000 BC to the present day, and we aim to describe these items in an accurate, inclusive, and respectful manner to preserve their integrity. Some items reflect the language and values of their period, and may contain offensive or discriminatory language, terminology, and images or illustrations that may be upsetting for other reasons. Where possible, we will indicate the existence of this material so that our users are informed. 

Summary of Holdings

Currently, only limited parts of the St John Archive are catalogued including holdings relating to the First World War, Richard Temple, Winston Churchill, and Dr. Colin Dawson.

Our First World War holdings consist mainly of records relating to the St John Ambulance Brigade Hospital in Étaples; the work of the Joint War Committee; Voluntary Aid Detachments and Auxiliary Hospitals in England, Wales and Ireland. Please note that we do not hold any personnel records for First World War Voluntary Aid Detachment members, these are held in the archives of the British Red Cross Society and are searchable on the British Red Cross website.

The Richard Temple papers predominantly contains correspondence, minutes and reports in relation to his work with the Joint War Committee and the Indian Soldiers’ Fund during the First World War.

The Winston Churchill papers consist largely of correspondence and maps regarding the role of St John Ambulance Brigade at his funeral.

The Dr. Colin Dawson papers include documentation and correspondence relating to his roles with St John Ambulance in London and the South East (1960s-1990s), papers relating to the St John Historical Society (1980s-2010s), and local and regional newsletters (1970s to 1990s).

Archives Revealed

In 2023, the Archive was awarded a significant cataloguing grant from Archives Revealed,  a funding partnership between The National Archives, Pilgrim Trust, and The Wolfson Foundation, which supports the cataloguing of significant collections representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK and making them publicly accessible for research and enjoyment.

The grant primarily funds a Project Cataloguer to join the Archive for 14 months from October 2023 to catalogue the early records of St John Ambulance from c.1870-1939. This project will transform public access to the early records of the international first aid charity, St John Ambulance which was founded in the 19th century as a response to healthcare challenges faced by communities in industrial Britain. Volunteers learnt first aid skills that they could apply at home, in the workplace, and in public spaces, decades before the founding of the National Health Service and the welfare state. The collection is relevant to communities across England, particularly in the heartlands of Victorian Britain where industries such as mining and manufacturing flourished and injuries at work were all too common.

The project will produce the first comprehensive catalogue of these records, which offer huge untapped research potential across the humanities and social sciences, linking to medical history, voluntarism, emergency and disaster planning, gender studies and global and colonial history. Keep an eye on the Museum’s blog, and across our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter platforms where we will share progress updates, behind the scenes content, and stories that come from this collection as the project unfolds.

The Museum will be running an inclusive and accessible programme of events throughout the duration of the project to share new discoveries and invite new perspectives – check out our What’s on page to see the upcoming events.

Enquiries about access

The Archive welcomes visitors for research appointments. Please be aware that due limited resources and space restrictions, we can only accommodate a small number of researchers at any one time. Additionally, as a result of confidentiality restrictions, we are unable to allow researchers to access personnel records or Order citations. although, we are happy to search these for you – please see our enquiries page for further details.

Research visits must be arranged in advance, with at least two weeks’ notice. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. To request an appointment please contact the Museum by emailing museum@sja.org.uk.

Online Resources

First Aid to the Injured

When the St John Ambulance Association was founded in 1877 to provide practical first aid training, its lectures on ‘First Aid to the Injured’ were developed into its first aid manuals. They were first published in 1878 under the title ‘Handbook Describing Aids for Cases of Injury or Sudden Illness’, but after a few years, they were renamed to ‘First Aid to the Injured’. The manuals were one of the first pocket-sized practical guides for dealing with first aid scenarios and life-threatening injuries, designed for quick and easy access, and including detailed accompanying illustrations.

The digitisation of these manuals was funded by the St John Historical Society in 2024.

1878 Handbook Describing Aids for Cases of Injuries or Sudden Illness
1882 Handbook Describing Aids for Cases of Injuries or Sudden Illness
1884 Handbook Describing Aids for Cases of Injuries or Sudden Illness
1885 Handbook Describing Aids for Cases of Injuries or Sudden Illness
1890 First Aid to the Injured
1894 First Aid to the Injured
First Aid to the Injured 2nd edition c. 1901
First Aid to the Injured 3rd edition c. 1901
First Aid to the Injured 4th edition c. 1901
First Aid to the Injured 5th edition c.1901
First Aid to the Injured 6th edition 1904
First Aid to the Injured 8th edition 1905
First Aid to the Injured 7th edition 1905
First Aid to the Injured 9th edition 1906
First Aid to the Injured 10th edition 1907
First Aid to the Injured 11th edition 1908
First Aid to the Injured 12th edition 1909
First Aid to the Injured 13th edition 1909
First Aid to the Injured 14th edition 1910
First Aid to the Injured 15th edition 1910
First Aid to the Injured 16th edition 1910
First Aid to the Injured 17th edition 1911
First Aid to the Injured 18th edition 1911
First Aid to the Injured 19th edition 1912
First Aid to the Injured 20th edition 1912
First Aid to the Injured 21st edition 1913
First Aid to the Injured 22nd edition 1913
First Aid to the Injured 23rd edition 1914
First Aid to the Injured 24th edition 1914
First Aid to the Injured 29th edition 1915
First Aid to the Injured 25th edition 1914
First Aid to the Injured 26th edition 1915
First Aid to the Injured 27th edition 1915
First Aid to the Injured 28th edition 1915
First Aid to the Injured 30th edition 1916
First Aid to the Injured 31st edition 1916
First Aid to the Injured 32nd edition 1917
First Aid to the Injured 33rd edition 1918
First Aid to the Injured 34th edition 1918
First Aid to the Injured 36th edition 1920
First Aid to the Injured 35th edition 1920
First Aid to the Injured 37th edition 1922
First Aid to the Injured 38th edition 1937
First Aid to the Injured 39th edition 1949
First Aid to the Injured 40th edition 1957

The St. John Camp Cadet

The St. John Camp Cadet was a special version of The St. John Cadet (the magazine created specifically for St John youth). This special newsletter was created for the Cadet Coronation Camp, taking place at Stubbers in North Ockendon in Essex, for seven days from Saturday 1st – Friday 7th August 1953. The Camp attended by 2,000 Cadets from the UK and abroad. HRH Princess Margaret was due to attend and inspect the Cadets, but prevented from attending due to a case of meningitis. An issue of the St. John Camp Cadet was produced for each day of camp to share news, reviews, activities, programmes for the day, competition information, and insights into camp life.

The St, John Camp Cadet No. 1 (Saturday 1st August 1953

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 2 (Sunday 2nd August 1953)

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 3 (Monday 3rd August 1953)

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 4 (Tuesday 4th August 1953)

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 5 (Wednesday 5th August 1953)

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 6 (Thursday 6th August 1953)

The St. John Camp Cadet No. 7 (Friday 7th August 1953)

The St. John Cadet

The St. John Cadet was the first organisational magazine created specifically for the St John Ambulance Nursing and Ambulance Cadets. It ran from 1946-1955, and features accounts of events and activities, news, reports on competitions and camp, stories, and photographs. It is a fantastic resource of information about the early years of the St John Cadets. This collection was digitised with match-funding in partnership with TownsWeb Archiving.

Please note that the Museum does not hold a complete run of these magazines.

The St John Cadet Vol. 1 No. 1 (May 1946)
The St John Cadet Vol. 2 No. 4 (February 1948)
The St John Cadet Vol. 3 No. 2 (August 1948)
The St. John Cadet, Vol. 3 No. 3 (May 1948)
The St John Cadet Vol. 4 No. 1 (April 1949)
The St John Cadet Vol. 4 No. 4 (January 1950)
The St John Cadet Vol. 5 No. 1 (April 1950)
The St John Cadet Vol. 5 No. 2 (July 1950)
The St John Cadet Vol. 5 No. 3 (October 1950)
The St John Cadet Vol. 5 No. 4 (January 1951)
The St John Cadet Vol. 6 No. 1 (April 1951)
The St John Cadet Vol. 6 No. 2 (July 1951)
The St John Cadet Vol. 6 No. 3 (October 1951)
The St John Cadet Vol. 6 No. 4 (January 1952)
The St John Cadet Vol. 7 No. 2 (July 1952)
The St John Cadet Vol. 7 No. 3 (October 1952)
The St John Cadet Vol. 7 No. 4 (January 1953)
The St John Cadet Vol. 8 No. 1 (April 1953)
The St John Cadet Vol. 8 No. 2 (July 1953)
The St John Cadet Vol. 8 No. 3 (October-December 1953)
The St John Cadet Vol. 8 No. 4 (January-March 1954)
The St John Cadet Vol. 9 No. 3 (October 1954)
The St John Cadet Vol. 9 No. 4 (January 1955)
SEE MORE ONLINE RESOURCES

Sponsors

The Museum of the Order of St John would like to thank all those who have supported and continue to support its work. In particular, the Museum would like to thank the following for their generosity: