The St John Archive preserves material dating from the 1870s onwards, which provides invaluable information on the structure, personnel and activities of the 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.
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. Richard Temple’s archive 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 materials associated with Winston Churchill consist largely of correspondence and maps regarding the role of the St John Ambulance Brigade at his funeral. Dr Dawson’s archive contains papers and correspondence relating to his roles with St John Ambulance in London and the South East from the 1960s to 1990s, papers relating to the St John Historical Society from the 1980s to 2010s, and local and regional newsletters from the 1970s to 1990s.
Enquiries about access
The archive of the Order of St John welcomes visitors for research appointments however, 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, for a small donation, 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.
