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What do we see when we look closely?
Examine this image of a Red Cross nurse on horseback. Horses were used for speed and efficiency, enabling nurses to reach injured soldiers on the frontline of the battlefield.
Roll over different areas of the postcard to discover answers to the questions below.
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- Q1Can you see how the nurse is riding the horse?
- A1Until the early 20th century, most western women rode sidesaddle although Catherine the Great of Russia (1729–1796) insisted on riding astride and demanded that women in her court followed suit.
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- Q2Can you identify what nationality this nurse is?
- A2The nurse depicted may be Russian although nurses of different nationalities, including British and American, served with the Russian Red Cross in World War I.
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- Q3Can you spot the bag carrying first aid supplies?
- A3As well as vital medical supplies and first aid equipment such as tourniquets, bandages and antiseptic treatments, nurses carried messages between field hospitals and the battlefront.
An Illustration of a British nurse on horseback, riding to give aid to the wounded, Russian Red Cross ca. 1916
-
- Q1Can you see how the nurse is riding the horse?
- A1Until the early 20th century, most western women rode sidesaddle although Catherine the Great of Russia (1729–1796) insisted on riding astride and demanded that women in her court followed suit.
-
- Q2Can you identify what nationality this nurse is?
- A2The nurse depicted may be Russian although nurses of different nationalities, including British and American, served with the Russian Red Cross in World War I.
-
- Q3Can you spot the bag carrying first aid supplies?
- A3As well as vital medical supplies and first aid equipment such as tourniquets, bandages and antiseptic treatments, nurses carried messages between field hospitals and the battlefront.
- 1Can you see how the nurse is riding the horse?
- 2Can you identify what nationality this nurse is?
- 3Can you spot the bag carrying first aid supplies?
