Elena Branca of the Italian Red Cross has very kindly sent
me a copy of her book about Italian women doctors who served in the Italian
Army in the First World War:
“Dottoresse al Fronte? La C.R.I e le donne medico nella
Grande Guerra: Anna Dado Saffiotti et le
altri” (Doctors at the Front? The
Italian Red Cross and women doctors of the Great War: Anna Dado Saffiotti and the others) published
in 2015 by the Associazione Nazionale della Sanita Militare Italiana Sezione di
Torino ISBN 978-88-940159-2-8
C.R.I. = Croce Rossa Italiana
My Italian is rather shaky but the book is beautifully
illustrated with photographs and copies of correspondence, diplomas, record
cards, certificates, etc. On page 48 is
a reprint of a section of an article that was published in The New England
Journal of Medicine, Volume 176 which states:
“…it is announced that, owing to the shortage of male
physicians in Italy, the Italian minister of war has recently called upon
Italian women physicians to volunteer for military service. Graduates of over five years’ standing will
receive the rank of sub-lieutenant, those of between five and fifteen years
will receive the rank of lieutenant and those of over fifteen years that of
captain.”
As far as I am aware, the recognition of the same ranks for
women and men took a lot longer in the British Army’s Royal Army Medical Corps.
The list of women in the book begins with
Anna Dado Saffiotti (1890 – 1982) and then there are
Chemist Maria Clotilde Bianchi from Turin
Dr. Matilde Bonnet
Clelia Lollini
Eloisa Gardella
Maria Predari
Mary Messere
Elena Fambri
Filomena Coruini – appointed to the 9th Army
Corps for service at the front
Maria Montessori
Luisa Ancona
Nella Pecchioli
Amalia Della Rouere-Moretti
Teresita Sandeski Scelba
Emilia Palmeggiani
Limba Neumark
Livia Lollini
Laura Negri Luzzani
Nella Centanni Bernabe
Natalia Tancredi Popa
Marcellina Corio
Augusta Delu
Ida Grazia Norzi
Amalia Lusso
Paola Zappa
Elda Zulian
Maria Massardo
Laura Mazzone
Matilde Colombo
Dina Evarista Clerico
Etel Cogan in Milani
Lina Narizzano
Clotilda Maria Bianchi
Bice Finzi
Valeria Goio
Amalia Canaveri
Gemma Narizzano
Elisa Dotta
Gugliemina Forza
Vera Malani
Amalia Lenti
Clelia Marongin
Carmelita Rossi Casagrandi
Luisa Levi
According to one of the reference books referred to by
Elena - “Sorrelle in grigio verde” (sisters in grey-green) by Roberto Manno –
the Italian Red Cross officially adopted the grey-green uniform for personnel
in the war zones in 1917.
