What was going on at St John 100 years ago? 

I imagine that the St John of 1924 was very different to the St John of 2024, but also probably quite similar: lots of training, practicing, and providing first aid, earning certificates, going out on duties, and spending time with other wonderful like-minded St John people. First Aid (the independent journal for the ambulance and nursing services) tells us a lot about the goings-on across St John Ambulance, such as promotions, first aid competitions, and Divisional news. It also tells us about new equipment and medication. Let’s take a look at the May 1924 issue…

We get the first glimpse of the St John Ambulance Casualty Hospital used by the Bristol Division of the Brigade – it’s a portable hospital! The image is a bit grainy, but clearly shows a large shed-like wooden structure raised up on wheels, with four curtained windows and a door on one side. It almost looks like a children’s playhouse. Inside, you can just about make out a bed and a chair, but the rest of the hospital’s contents are unknown.

This is a black and white image of a mobile hospital. It is a small wooden room with four walls and a roof, and it is set on four wheels so that it can be transported. A four-step wooden ladder leads up to the entrance, which is flanked by two curtained windows on either side. Two women in light dresses are sitting either side of the ladder, in front of the hospital.

The mobile St John Ambulance Casualty Hospital used by the Bristol Division of the St John Ambulance Brigade.

A short article tells us about Insulin (only introduced a year prior), and a demonstration of the product at The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, where Messrs Burroughs, Wellcome & Co., producers of a brand of insulin were showcasing the product. (Did anyone else know that insulin comes from an ox?)

This is a page containing a short article typed in black ink, titled ‘Insulin at Wembley’.

The short article about Insulin at Wembley.

We also see a new First Aid Cupboard in use by the J. S. Fry & Sons Ltd Division of the Brigade, made by a company with a wonderful name: perry & Fudge. The cupboard is made of steel and covered in white enamel, strengthened by asbestos, and is made to attach to a wall. Inside there are three glass shelves (for easy cleaning), on which your first aid equipment can be placed. Below the shelves, a space is made for the names of ambulance members who use the cupboard so that others in the cupboard’s locale can see who local first aiders are.

This is a black and white image of a small white cupboard with its front closed. On the font of the cupboard is the St John Ambulance logo – an eight-pointed white cross against a black circular background. The cupboard is attached to a wall and below it, four names are written in an illegible handwriting.

The new first aid cupboard (closed).

This is a black and white image of a small white cupboard with the front open. It is attached to a wall, and is opened by a front flap that folds down. Inside the cupboard are three glass shelves which contain bandages and medicine bottles. Below the bottom shelf, four names are written in an illegible handwriting.

The new first aid cupboard (closed).

If you’d like to find out more about the St John of days gone by, why not check out other issues of First Aid online here: https://issuu.com/museumoftheorderofstjohn/stacks/3d6fe46e10ce42f0925205e64fcbad26