In this talk, Dr Rosemary Wall, Medical Historian will consider the role of the Red Cross in treating injured soldiers from the Battle of the Somme.  One of the casualties from the Somme was the now famous author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien, who suffered from trench fever from autumn 1916 which led to him being admitted to the Red Cross’ Brooklands Officers Hospital in 1917. This building is now known as the Dennison Centre at the University of Hull.  In 1916, the British Red Cross (BRC) faced several crises. A third of Voluntary Aid Detachment members were male and the Military Service Acts meant that many of these men were conscripted, leading to a recruitment drive for more female members. Yet other organisations were also competing for female volunteers. Within months of these Acts, the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 led to nearly 20,000 deaths amongst British soldiers, and a further 40,000 wounded. The offensive continued until November, resulting in 420,000 Commonwealth casualties. In addition to transporting and caring for those who survived the battle, BRC members had the responsibility of searching for the many missing and wounded in hospitals at home and abroad. This talk examines how the BRC coped with the events of 1916.