American Women's War Relief Fund

Many famous and well-connected women were involved, including Lou Hoover, Consuelo Vanderbilt and Lady Randolph Churchill.

[1] Members of the organization were women from the United States who were married to Englishmen and who wanted to help in the effort to support soldiers fighting in World War I.

[4] Paget told journalist Hayden Church that she had thought up the idea for the Relief Fund merely three days after the start of the war.

[5] In 1917, there was an official request to have all American-led efforts to support the war in Europe be turned over to the American Red Cross for coordination purposes.

[8] In August 1914, the American Women's War Relief Fund received the donation from Paris Eugene Singer of his Oldway House in Paignton to be used as a military hospital.

[10] The building, known as the American Women's War Hospital, was initially equipped with 200 beds, an operating theatre, radiographic studio, pathology lab and also with anesthetizing and sterilization rooms.

[14] On November of that year, Queen Mary brought three hundred articles of clothes for the hospital and visited the wards.

[23] This committee provided funds to pay the women's wages and articles of clothing, such as socks, were sent to the hospital or "given to soldiers and sailors in special need.