Jump to content

Organizational Colors - ANC (WWII)


memphis_belle
 Share

Recommended Posts

memphis_belle

Hi,

 

I'm looking for information and pictures showing the Organizational Colors of the Army Nurse Corps in WWII. What I have in mind is a flag that would be presented, for example during parades, with the National Color. I've found the following information:

 

Maroon and white were established for all branches of the Medical Department by the uniform specifications dated October 1916.

 

My guess would be a maroon flag with white fringe, an ANC caduceus embroided in the middle and 'Army Nurse Corps' written below, also in white.

 

I've only managed to find a Cadet Nurse Corps flag and this is how it looked like:

 

137.gif

 

I know that each hospital had its own guidon flag (maroon with white letters) but I'm thinking about more general flag designating the Army Nurse Corps as an organization.

 

What do you think?

 

A couple of pictures:

 

USMCWR:

fig1.jpg

 

WAVES:

navywaves3.jpg

 

 

WACs:

c959b8f44a63ef63cee1870d6cfbdbb5.jpg

 

 

Guidon of the 39th Field Hospital:

guidon_Image.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmm... an interesting question! My first thought is "Officially" they would have carried standard US Army Battalion colors that they were attached to, with the Medical Maroon, with the army eagle with the unit crest on its chest and the Unit designation below. The WAC unit flag shown is not IMO an "Official" USPQMD issue item.

 

This is part of a red artillery one of the design I am talking about.(I am trying to get one embroidered for the shop, please ignore the shop reference - I forgot that was there!) I will post a ww2 medical one later:

FLAGSCROLL.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

memphis_belle

Here are a few pics of some Medical guidons and Regimental colors and a "MED" one from an infantry unit.

 

Wow, the one in the middle looks interesting. What's written on the ribbon? Is it two-sided?

 

Thanks everyone for your input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for WWII vintage Nurse Corps flags I have found no vintage period photos of a Nurse Corps flag but I did find these images of WAC flags at the Army Women's Museum at Ft. Lee web site. I think these flags shown are the type you were referring to branch colors with the branch insignia.

 

Based on these WAC examples I would imagine that the Army Nurse Corps might have had a similar flag, Maroon & White branch color with the Nurse Corps Caduceus and N branch insignia. But, I don't know where and when such a flag would have been flown or carried.

 

Below is a link to the Army Women's Museum at Ft. Lee. Perhaps you can contact them and ask about the Nurse Corps flag.

 

 

http://www.awm.lee.army.mil/

post-2843-0-73273100-1472937513_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not sure there would have been a "Nurse Corps" flag to begin with.

 

Nurses would have been assigned to a medical unit or a facility (hospital). For parade purposes they would have marched as a member of that unit. I think what you might want to research would be the colors of a unit that your nurses to which your nurses would have been assigned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the book "Dressed for Duty" there is a picture of WWI nurses in a parade after the war. They are carrying some sort of flag but the picture is too small to tell what is on the flag. I wonder if there was a flag designed before WWII.

 

...Kat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
memphis_belle

I think that I've finally found an anwer to my question. I got in touch with the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum in San Antonio, Texas. I received a reply from their historian on the next day and this is what he said:

 

In the Army, flags are reserved for units or specific offices. The regulation governing flags and guidons is Army Regulation 840-10: https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/docs/AR840-10.pdf. Branches, like the Army Nurse Corps, Medical Corps, Medical Service Corps, Dental Corps, Army Medical Specialist Corps, and Veterinary Corps do not have their own flags. They have a plaque, with the insignia of branch over the branch colors, surrounded by the name of the branch. Examples are:
Army Nurse Corps: https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/any-advice-on-a-path-into-the-army-nursing-corps
Medical Corps: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Army_Medical_Corps_Branch_Plaque.gif
Cavalry (unofficial) and Armor: https://www.cavhooah.com/info/sections/branch-insignia/
Aviation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Aviation_Branch#/media/File:ArmyAVNBranchPlaque.svg

There are unofficial flags, but they would not have been in use during World War II and even today would not be carried in an official ceremony. They are more for esprit de corps.

 

 

So the answer is: there was no ANC flag :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Similarly, there were no USMCWR organizational colors, as they would have been part of another unit and those would be the colors they fell under. I am not aware, outside of basic training, of any solely female USMC units in the Corps' history. And in basic training, they would have only had their own guidons

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...