Chapter De pestambulances van het Rode Kruis

Overview & Synopsis

In the summer of 1914, the Netherlands Red Cross sent four ‘Plague Ambulances’ to the Dutch East Indies to help combat a plague epidemic that had been raging there since 1911. Twelve older, experienced nurses were recruited to staff the mission; they signed on for at least one year and received a good salary. Later that year, two Fiat ambulances followed, specially designed for use in the fight against the plague. Through their dedication and direct contact with the local population, the nurses managed to gain the people’s trust, and sick individuals began to come to the ambulances of their own accord. The nurses had especially good contacts with the children. One nurse, however, died of the plague. The impact of both the nurses’ efforts and the ambulances was mainly small-scale, personal, and symbolic. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that these twelve nurses dared to embark on such an adventure during the turbulent early period of World War I.