Original Items: One One Grouping Available. The American Red Cross involvement in World War II preceded the entrance of the United States into the conflict. When hostilities began in Europe in 1939, the Red Cross became the chief provider of relief supplies for the civilian victims of conflict distributed by the Geneva-based International Red Cross Committee. In February 1941, the Red Cross responded to a request by the U.S. government to begin a Blood Donor Service to produce lifesaving plasma for the armed forces in anticipation of America’s entry into the war. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Red Cross quickly mobilized a volunteer and staff force to fulfill the mandates of its 1905 congressional charter requiring that the organization “furnish volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of armies in time of war” and to “act in matters of voluntary relief and in accord with the military and naval authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States of America and their Army and Navy.”

This Grouping Consists Of The Following:
-Class A Uniform Jacket: The jacket is the same issue as U.S. Army officers during WWII. It features the round “American Red Cross Military Welfare Service” patch on the left shoulder. The collar devices on the left and right are the same: A.R.C. on the left and right upper collar, on the lower collar lapels are the “DUI” pins for the ARC. They are the 3 pointed shield with the eagle on top, red cross in the center with “Military Welfare” on the bottom. The buttons on the jacket aren’t the normal buttons you would see on a Class A Uniform. Instead of the gold general service eagle buttons, they are all brown red cross buttons. The uniform top is in great condition.
-Uniform Trousers: The trousers are the same as officer’s Class A trousers. They appear without damage.
-Button Photo ID: Clipped to the front right pocket of the jacket is a leather fob with buttons on both sides. The front button is a photo of Raymond Kendall with the words Camp Myles Standish in a half circle about the photo. The reverse side of the fob is a red button that has the initials C.M.S. at the top for Camp Myles Standish and at the bottom has the number 1003.
-Dog Tags and ID Tag: Also included are his set of dog tags and American Red Cross ID tag and key. The dog tags read as followed:

RAYMOND KENDALL
32144232
MR W KENDALL
105 EAST AVE
BATAVIA NY P

The Camp ID tag reads as follows:

RAYMOND KENDALL AFD
AMERICAN RED CROSS
CAMP MYLES STANDISH
MASSACHUSETTS

The key we believe is for either a locker or cabinet he had at the camp.

Another item included with this grouping is a small blue oval patch with an embroidered white border and the name “Ray” in cursive embroidered in white.

All items are in fantastic condition and come ready to display in your WWII American Red Cross collections!

Camp Myles Standish
Camp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts during World War II. It was the main staging area for the Boston Port of Embarkation, with about a million U.S. and Allied soldiers passing through the camp on their way overseas or returning for demobilization after the war. It was also a prisoner-of-war camp. Immediately after the war, it was considered as a candidate site for the United Nations Headquarters.

The city of Taunton was notified in June 1942 by the War Department that 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) would be taken for use as a military staging area. The design of the layout for the camp was made by the J.F. Worcester Company. The Matthew Cummings Company of Boston received the contract to construct the buildings. The camp opened on October 8, 1942 and was named in honor of Myles Standish who was the first military commander of the Plymouth Colony region. Camp Myles Standish was the main staging area for the Boston Port of Embarkation where American soldiers as well as soldiers from Canada, Great Britain and Australia processed before moving to the European Theater of World War II, or after returning to the US for demobilization. The camp covered 1,485 acres (601 ha) and could accommodate 1,298 officers and 23,100 enlisted personnel.

As such, a quartermaster was set up so an entire division could be prepared for deployment within a day. Often, divisions would go to Africa or Iceland. This made train traffic understandably chaotic, with trains regularly coming into town from Providence, Rhode Island, Springfield, Massachusetts and Boston. The yard itself, run by the New Haven Railroad, contained about ten miles of track.

German soldiers who were captured during the war were detained at this camp. Also, Italian soldiers were detained there as well although they were considered 'co-belligerents' because Italy had surrendered by the time the Italian soldiers arrived at Camp Myles Standish.

The camp closed in January 1946 following World War II. The site of Camp Myles Standish was briefly considered as a possible site for the United Nations.

Approximate Measurements:
Jacket                
Bust: 16”
Waist: 17”
Bottom Hem: 19”
Shoulder: 17”
Sleeve Length: 25”
Front Length: 31”
Back Length: 31”
Trousers
Waist: 31”
Rise: 12”
Inseam Length: 30”
Length: 43”