The Child Quilters of World War I: Bringing Hope and Comfort to Casualties and Survivors of War

Abstract

During World War I, more than 11,000,000 children, or over half of all schoolchildren in America, joined their local Junior Red Cross and engaged in volunteer war work. What these children learned in school from their work with the Junior Red Cross, as well as those who did the same work outside of the organization, was an important part of the war work underway in the nation. While they may not have been working for wages, they were still an essential part of the war work economy. Across the nation, they made thousands of quilts, not just for the soldiers in the hospitals but also for the orphans of France, Belgium, and Armenia. Their colorful and warm quilts are the perfect example of youthful resistance against the pallid and cold realities of war. By focusing more on the journalism of the day, rather than the secondary sources related to the economics of the war, this chapter strives to tell their stories and return to the children the praise and admiration they got during the war for their dedication to their country that was, unfortunately, forgotten over time. By making these quilts, the children not only showed great patriotism and interest in the war, for they were responsible for providing comfort to the casualties of war and hope for the survivors of genocide, but they also served as valuable economic sources in the war economy. And as we all know, a good citizen contributes to the economy, and good citizens deserve recognition.

Citation

Manus, A. (2024), "The Child Quilters of World War I: Bringing Hope and Comfort to Casualties and Survivors of War", Shah, T.M. (Ed.) Children and Youth as ‘Sites of Resistance’ in Armed Conflict (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 34), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 91-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-466120240000034006