POW Red Cross Box

Box sent from the American Red Cross to Colonel James C. Hughes while he was a prisoner of war during World War II. Boxes like this one contained basic food items, medical, and personal items for POWs who otherwise had very few possessions. Items commonly included were cheese, canned meats, chocolate bars, Vitamin C tablets, toothbrushes, and razors. It was a very special day when Hughes received his first personal Red Cross box and news from home. He wrote on December 24, 1943: "Just think-a box-the first word in over two years-and it arrives the day before Christmas!!! It couldn’t possibly have selected a more appropriate date for itself…."

Hughes, a Kansan, is among a select number of soldiers who served in a major military expedition as well as two world wars. As a photographer took more than 600 images documenting his time at the Mexican border in 1916 and in Europe during 1919. As a Japanese prisoner of war in World War II, Hughes kept a daily diary and, upon liberation, brought home items from his imprisonment. He and his family donated most of these items to the Kansas Museum of History.

More information at: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-clark-hughes/19881