In 1918, “Samarytanin Polski” and the National Red Cross Society were active in Kraków. In Warsaw, besides the Polish Sanitary Aid Committee, which had operated its own sanitary facilities since 1914, several different institutions with related tasks were working, namely: the Polish Society for Aid to War Victims, the Emergency Ambulance Service, the Central Committee for the Care of Soldiers, the Women’s League of the War Emergency Service, the Academic Committee for Aid to Student Soldiers, and many others. All these institutions, according to their strength and capabilities, established first-aid stations at the front and in the army’s rear, ran hospitals for the wounded, recruited, organized and rapidly trained volunteer medical personnel. However, this aid for the army and the civilian population affected by the war, provided by so many different institutions, lacked the cohesion, purposefulness and planning necessary in such circumstances. Thus, at a time when fighting was still taking place along Poland’s eastern borders, “Samarytanin Polski” issued the call to unite all Polish humanitarian organizations into one national Polish Red Cross. On 18 January 1919, it convened in Warsaw, under the honorary chairmanship of Helena Paderewska, a meeting of representatives of all the organizations mentioned above, in the presence of representatives of the Polish Government, the military and the municipal authorities of Warsaw. This historic congress took place in the halls of Warsaw City Hall. After a brief discussion, it was resolved to establish one nationwide Red Cross organization, the statutes were adopted and the Main Committee was elected. First of all, the Main Board began coordinating the work of all organizations operating at that time according to the principles: HUMANITARIANISM NEUTRALITY VOLUNTARINESS UNITY UNIVERSALITY. Although the Polish nation regained its independence and became a sovereign state in the autumn of 1918, the POLISH RED CROSS obtained full international rights only after being recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross on 14 July 1919. From that time dates a new period of its official activity and national representation within this great international family. The example of Poland showed that, in difficult times, Red Cross organizations form a kind of unbroken chain of mutual aid. This was the case during the last war, during the difficult post-war period of rebuilding life, in the memorable December of 1981, and it remains so to this day.
In 1994, 75 years will have passed since the establishment of the POLISH RED CROSS, which became a symbol of love and friendship.
Prepared by S. Leszczyński
(The Bolesławiec Branch of the POLISH RED CROSS kindly requests that a correction be published due to our oversight. Namely, the name of Ms. Hannylory IIczyny was omitted; she was awarded the Honorary Badge, 4th Class, of the Polish Red Cross on the occasion of the award ceremony held on 26 November 1993. We sincerely apologize.)