In commemoration of the work performed by its ambulance units during the Franco-Prussian War, the Netherlands Red Cross issued a memorial poster. It portrayed a nurse hovering above the battlefield, expelling the demon of war. This representation was noteworthy for two reasons: first, because there were at that time scarcely any nurses serving in war, and second, because the preventive capacity of humanitarian aid with regard to armed conflict was frequently questioned. It was precisely on this ground, however, that Henry Dunant would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, albeit jointly with the pacifist Frédéric Passy. Both of these issues were exemplified in the ambulance service directed by Meredith van de Velde, with Suffridus Hermanides serving as the attending surgeon. Van de Velde left no doubt that, in general, there was no place for women in war, not even in the provision of medical assistance. Hermanides, for his part, would, as a result of his wartime experiences, evolve from a humanitarian into a pacifist.