The Continental Hotel, Jersey: Making Medical Supplies for the Front

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The Continental Hotel on St Saviours Road was the headquarters of Jersey's Red Cross during World War One. Volunteers there, mainly women, produced thousands of wartime essentials to help wounded men, or those who had been taken prisoner. They made bandages, sewed bedclothes and dressings, and packed food parcels. Men were able to help too; they were based at Wellington Hall nearby. They had a workshop making crutches and splints, and other essential items which were sent to the field hospitals behind the front. To raise money for it all they held all sorts of events: from dances to garden visits and flag days. Jersey historian, Ian Ronayne, says the work served two purposes. Not only did it help supply important medical care to injured men, but it also helped to unite the people of Jersey. Women in particular, he says, were proud to feel they were 'doing their bit' for the war and their men who were away fighting. Location: The Continental Hotel, St Saviours Road, Jersey JE24LA Image: Red Cross Report