Description:Miss A L Green County Director, accompanied Viscountess Falmouth, who is pictured presenting the Coleman Cup for the best men’s first aid and nursing detachment, to Mr A Lander, Captain of the Staffs. 5 (Stafford) team, at the annual general meeting of the county branch of the Red Cross Society. Watching the ceremony are team members, left to right: C Yates, L Stokes, G Owen, G Harrison, and J Hodgkinson, together with Dr A Gilchrist and Dr C Trimble.
Red Cross representatives from all parts of the county attended the annual general meeting of the Staffordshire Branch of the British Red Cross Society on Saturday 17 May 1952 at the Oddfellows Hall in Stafford. The meeting was addressed by Viscountess Falmouth, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Society. She congratulated the branch on the variety of work done. Also Miss Evelyn Barks, International Relations Relief Advisor to the Society, said that it was the work done locally and nationally, which made the British Red Cross Society so important internationally.
There was a plea that “the knitting needles of the women of Staffordshire would get moving again”, made by the President, Mrs Hugo Meynell, who said that comforts for the British troops were still badly needed because our men were still fighting in Korea and Malaya, they were being taken prisoner and wounded and needed the things which the Red Cross could provide, as much in 1952 as in 1942.
During the meeting Miss Green (County Director) introduced Brigadier T C Cotton, who had been appointed Assistant County Director. Mr C B Armatage, County Treasurer said in his report, that costs of administration were slightly down but the cost of food continued to rise in the previous year. The balance sheet showed a total of £1,720, in cash in hand. Donations in the year amounted to £1,281, with £204 received from a county appeal and £180 received from a garden fete.
Viscountess Falmouth made the annual presentation of trophies as follows: The Coleman Cup for the best men’s first aid and nursing detachment was won again by the Staffs. 5 (Stafford) team. The Harrison Cup for women was won by Staffs. 76 (Walsall). The Hancox Cup for girl cadets by Unit 3642 (Wolverhampton). Unit 3264 (Smethwick) received the Rabjohn Shield for boy cadets. The Williamson Cup was received by the Leek Women’s Detachment for winning a “Twenty Questions” competition in First-Aid and Nursing, open to all detachments in the north of the county. A silver trophy, presented by Col. Hugo Meynell for the winner in the county whist drive finals, was won by Mrs Tomkinson, of Newchurch, Burton-on-Trent.
This photograph was published in the Staffordshire Newsletter on Saturday 24 May 1952. Reproduced by kind permission of the Staffordshire Newsletter who retain copyright.