One of my favourite films is the 1994 version of Balzac’s story Le Colonel Chabert. It begins with a haunting scene: we see a Napoleonic battlefield, after the battle. It is cold and misty and in all directions lie the bodies of the dead and wounded, while in the background we hear the eerie music from Beethoven’s Ghost Trio. Scavengers wander among the bodies, seeking anything valuable that can be stripped from them, whether dead or still barely alive, and the naked bodies are gathered up for careless burial in a mass grave.

Such a scene could have been set in any war over the centuries of human history.

In June 1859, at Solferino in Italy, another such scene ensued. The forces of the French Emperor, Napoleon III, met those of the Austrian Emperor, Franz Josef, resulting in casualties approaching 40 000. Many of the wounded were shot or bayoneted after the battle. A witness to the battle was a Swiss businessman, Jean Henri Dunant, who was horrified by the terrible suffering he saw. He organised local civilians to help the wounded. He also organised the purchase of supplies and shelter for the wounded and negotiated the release of doctors who were held prisoner. Help was given to the wounded of both sides and the helpers adopted a slogan of “All men are brothers”.

When Dunant returned to Geneva, he wrote and published a book about Solferino, in which he set out his ideas for a non-partisan organisation to give care to the wounded. He sent the book to many political leaders and also travelled widely in Europe promoting his ideas.

In 1863 a committee was set up in Geneva to further these ideas. This was the beginning of what eventually became the International Committee of the Red Cross. The same year, the Swiss Parliament organised a meeting attended by representatives of a number of states which resulted in the first Geneva Convention “for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field”. This bound the signatories to respect and protect hospitals and their staff, to allow treatment of wounded from both sides and to recognise the Red Cross symbol as an identifier of hospitals and personnel covered by the convention. Further Geneva Conventions were eventually to follow, extending protection to prisoners of war and civilian populations.

The Red Cross was adopted as a symbol in honour of Switzerland. The Swiss flag bears a white cross on a red ground, so the colours were reversed for the humanitarian organisation.

Dunant’s energetic humanitarian activities led him to neglect his business and he suffered a humiliating bankruptcy. He also fell out with some of his associates. For many years he was a poverty-stricken semi-outcast, but eventually he became a recipient of the first ever Nobel Peace Prize. Having been a Christian for much of his life, he died in 1910, having finally rejected religion. His birthday, 8 May, is celebrated every year as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

In June this year, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino, volunteers and staff from the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from 186 countries came together in Solferino to remember the past, but also to look to the future. Young volunteers were given training so that they could go back and train comrades in their home countries. A torchlight procession followed in the footsteps of volunteers who carried the wounded from the battlefield of Solferino to the nearby town of Castiglione delle Stiviere. Finally, following the example of Jean Henri Dunant, hundreds of youth volunteers travelled from Solferino to Geneva to present a declaration addressing solutions to today’s humanitarian challenges to international leaders.

I know that many Humanists often feel helpless in the face of the huge problems that face us. We are only individuals, and what can a mere individual do? Dunant’s example should give us courage and hope. He may not have been able to stop wars, but at least he was able to set in motion a great movement that did much for the victims of wars. From a tiny seed, a great tree can grow.

Diana Brown