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This first aid case was made for use by the German Army during the First World War. The case is wrapped in a leather covering and inside are a series of compartments for bandages, plasters, cotton wool and other first aid equipment, all labelled in German. The case is marked with a red cross, an internationally recognised symbol for emergency medical care.

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: Germany

First aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

Burroughs, Wellcome & Co made first aid kits for influential people and expeditions in a shrewd attempt to advertise the product. Filled with bandages, plasters and aromatic ammonia (inhaled when someone was at risk of fainting), this kit was carried by one of the teams on the Pan American Goodwill Flight 1926-27. Autographed by the eight successful airmen, the kit was donated back to the makers on their return.

The flight was arranged by the United States Air Force to promote goodwill in Central and South America and to map potential airline routes. Taking off from San Antonio, Texas, on 21 December 1926, five planes named after American cities undertook a trip of 22,000 miles. The flight passed over Mexico and Central America and down the west coast of South America. It crossed over the Andes and back to the USA before travelling on up the east coast on 2 May 1927, making several stops in each country. Two of the men died on the trip and only two planes made it back intact.

maker: Burroughs Wellcome and Company

Place made: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

First aid kit used on the Pan American Goodwill Flight in 19

This leather first aid kit would have been attached to a belt and carried around the waist. It contains tablets and a bandage from a range of German military medical stores and would have been carried by a medic during the First World War. It is believed that the medical pack was captured from a German battleship by British forces.

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: Germany

Leather medical pack, Germany, 1915-1918

‘Tabloid’ was a brand patented by Henry Wellcome in 1884 and was used for a wide range of Burroughs, Wellcome & Co products, such as this first aid kit. It was later extended to other products such as first aid kits. The word ‘tabloid’ referred to the compressed nature of the drugs. This medical meaning may be lost to time, but the word remains in common usage in the newspaper trade.

This kit was designed for public service vehicles such as buses, trams and trains. The kit contains equipment to treat minor injuries: bandages, a tourniquet to stem heavy bleeding, burn dressings, a splint to stabilise bone fractures, a pair of artery forceps and smelling salts used to bring around someone who has fainted.

maker: Burroughs Wellcome and Company

Place made: England, United Kingdom

First aid kit in japanned metal case, England, 1931-1932

This first aid kit was used on the first non-stop transatlantic flight on 14-15 June 1919 by Sir Arthur Whitten Brown (1886-1948) and Sir John William Alcock (1892-1919). Alcock and Brown completed the treacherous crossing in 16 hours 27 minutes. The flight was a matter of national prestige. The men shared the £10,000 prize from the Daily Mail, which had been set up to encourage British aviation. 

The kit contained bandages, dressings, cotton wool, court plaster, and drugs for pain relief, upset stomachs and nausea, and antiseptics. It also contained carron oil made from linseed oil and lime water for burns and scalds, which were among the most likely injuries on an aircraft full of hot metal; in fact the tube is half empty.

maker: Burroughs Wellcome and Company

Place made: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on Alcock and Brown's first tra

This first aid kit contains a number of ampoules filled with liquid. Each coloured glass corresponds to a different liquid so they were easy to identify in an emergency. The blue glass contains caffeine, which was believed to relieve pain. The white glass contains ether, a popular anaesthetic. ‘Ergotine’ in the yellow ampoule was used to control heavy bleeding. The camphorated oil was used to help soothe bruises, aches and pains. All the liquids were to be given by injection.

Unfortunately the syringe is missing, along with the purple ampoule of cocaine used as a local anaesthetic.

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: Paris, Ville de Paris, Île-de-France, France

First aid kit, Paris, France, 1901-1910

‘Tabloid’ brand first aid kits made by Burroughs, Wellcome & Co were given to explorers and influential people packed with the company’s products of the day in a shrewd attempt to promote the product.

The first aid kit was used on the first transatlantic flight by airship, in July 1919. The British team flew to New York from England and returned within 183 hours. The kit also contains a booklet on first aid, although the second half of the book advertises other Tabloid chests.

maker: Burroughs Wellcome and Company

Place made: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on the first direct transatlant

This first aid kit was used by Rear-Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957) on his expedition to Antarctica in 1928-1930. Some of the bandages and equipment are labelled with the words “From Little America Antarctica Byrd Antarctica Expedition II Medical Officer”. (Little America was the base camp used for his expeditions.) The kit has been hardly used.

‘Tabloid’ brand first aid kits made by Burroughs Wellcome & Co were given to explorers and influential people packed with the company’s products in a shrewd attempt to promote the product.

maker: Burroughs Wellcome and Company

Place made: United States

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on an Antarctic expedition of 1

Filled with bandages and wooden splints, this canvas and leather first aid case was used by the German Army during the First World War. Splints were mainly used to stabilise broken bones in the arms and legs, keeping them rigid until further medical treatment was available. 

Written in German, the label on the inside details the contents of the case.

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: Germany

Canvas and leather first aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

The motor car was a relatively new form of transport in England during the 1890s and was only available to the small minority who could afford one. Kept in a motor car in case of emergencies or accidents, this black metal case contains carron oil for burns, a court plaster, bandages, arnica for bruises and smelling salts to bring around someone who has fainted.

The first person killed in a car accident in Britain is believed to be Bridget Driscoll – struck down by a car giving demonstration rides in the grounds of the Crystal Palace in south London. Her death was subject to an inquest, during which the coroner stated that he “hoped such a thing would never happen again”.

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: England, United Kingdom

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First aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

First aid kit used on the Pan American Goodwill Flight in 19

Leather medical pack, Germany, 1915-1918

First aid kit in japanned metal case, England, 1931-1932

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on Alcock and Brown's first tra

First aid kit, Paris, France, 1901-1910

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on the first direct transatlant

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on an Antarctic expedition of 1

Canvas and leather first aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

Motor car accident emergency case, England, 1891-1920

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Active filters:

First aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

First aid kit used on the Pan American Goodwill Flight in 19

Leather medical pack, Germany, 1915-1918

First aid kit in japanned metal case, England, 1931-1932

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on Alcock and Brown's first tra

First aid kit, Paris, France, 1901-1910

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on the first direct transatlant

'Tabloid' first aid kit used on an Antarctic expedition of 1

Canvas and leather first aid case, Germany, 1914-1918

Motor car accident emergency case, England, 1891-1920

Stay in the know

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Wellcome collection