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Volunteer French Ambulance Corps and American Ambulance Field Service


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My Grandfather in 1915 landed in Le Havre. And volunteered in the French Ambulance Corps. He stayed until the Americans entered the War. And took his skills over there. Now the question is. Is there a place I can go to get additional information. And did volunteers recieve any medals from France. I never knew my grandfather. He not only fought in WW1. But drove from Tunisia to Southern Germany in WW2.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello,

Are you/was your grandfather American? There is quite a lot of information online about the American Ambulance Field Service

https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/volunteer_ambulance_services_usa

http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/ambulanceservice.htm

https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/181/2/100/4159808

I can across them when researching my great uncle who served in the Quaker Friends’ Ambulance Unit as they were working with the Americans around Compiegne in late 1916/Early 1917.

Im not aware of a unit called the French Ambulance Corps but both the AAFS and the FAU were attached to and directed by the French Army until the Americans entered the war and the AAFS moved there. 

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What was your grandfather's name - if he was an AFS (American Field Service) or Norton Harljes volunteer I may have a roster. I did a lot of research on the AFS for a book several years ago so I have rosters and unit histories etc.

 

and yes - AFS volunteers did get medals from the French sometimes individually and sometimes via a unit citation. The subject of my book was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his efforts bringing wounded from the front line under fire.

Chris

Edited by 4thGordons
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American Field service previously had a website which had a lot of information about volunteers in WW1, including transcribed book accounts. I can now only find it as an archived website, but a number of the internal links still seem to work.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20101126142340fw_/http://ourstory.info/2/b/2b1index.html

"Most drivers were "college men" ---recruited through prestigious American universities and colleges". 

 

The Library link is https://web.archive.org/web/20200122162718/http://www.ourstory.info/library/catalog.html

There are book titles mentioned for a number of other units  The American Ambulance of Paris, which I think a Hospital, rather than an actual ambulance service (but I could be wrong) and under "Other Ambulance services"
        Harjes Formation
        Norton-Harjes
        Hector-Monro 
        AEF Medical service
        French Units

 

There is a current website, The AFS Virtual Museum which contains some online books   http://www.the-afs-archive.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=33&Itemid=231  

However the information which was on the earlier website doesn't appear to have been carried over.

 

Cheers

Maureen

 

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10 hours ago, 4thGordons said:

What was your grandfather's name - if he was an AFS (American Field Service) or Norton Harljes volunteer I may have a roster. I did a lot of research on the AFS for a book several years ago so I have rosters and unit histories etc.

 

and yes - AFS volunteers did get medals from the French sometimes individually and sometimes via a unit citation. The subject of my book was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his efforts bringing wounded from the front line under fire.

Chris

 

Chris I read you post with interest ..... and perhaps a little bit of hope ...... did you have to be American to serve in the AFS as a volunteer?  This is perhaps my last shot at tracking this fellow.  I've pretty much exhausted Red Cross and UK Volunteer organisations with help from GWF chums at: 

I'm reasonably sure the attached newspaper references to "Sergeant Major", "RAMC" and "ASC" are speculation as nothing British seems to fit or exist ....... and reading between the lines we have a definite French feel ......is he on any of your US rosters?

 

Regards 

Ian

Edited by TullochArd
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Hello Ian,

Unfortunately I don't see an obvious candidate. Here is the page with most of the "Pa" surnames from the History of the American Field Service in France (Vol III)DSC_0016.JPG.d8dd86e07159981203ba824c323190f3.JPG

 

You asked an interesting question about the nationality and I will admit I do not, definitively know the answer - however on this page I notice that Robert Campbell Paradise (who was awarded the Croix de Guerre -which it the significance of the small cross next to his name, two crosses indicate the Medaille Militaire - see William Pearl who was awarded both) is listed as having his home address as Bucks Eng.   Which I can only assume means Buckinghamshire England. I was spurred to scan the list for other non US addresses and found Canadian, French and other British ones (Oxford) in the first few pages - it is not however clear to me if these were US nationals living abroad or non nationals.

 

Chris

 

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Hi Chris - that's really useful ..... and very interesting.  It looks like Parkinson GdG and Medaille Militaire will remain a mystery.  Many thanks for your time and interest. Regards.  Ian

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1 hour ago, TullochArd said:

Hi Chris - that's really useful ..... and very interesting.  It looks like Parkinson GdG and Medaille Militaire will remain a mystery.  Many thanks for your time and interest. Regards.  Ian

Hi Ian

The only J Parkinson I have is 680426 Sjt (A/BSM) James Parkinson “A” Bty, 276th Bde, RFA (Preston) awarded a Medaille Militaire

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31454/supplement/8959

But he also was awarded a DCM

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30932/supplement/11678

Good luck with your search and could you let me know if you verify his awards so I can add them to my database please.

 

Peter

 

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17 hours ago, 4thGordons said:

 

You asked an interesting question about the nationality and I will admit I do not, definitively know the answer - however on this page I notice that Robert Campbell Paradise (who was awarded the Croix de Guerre -which it the significance of the small cross next to his name, two crosses indicate the Medaille Militaire - see William Pearl who was awarded both) is listed as having his home address as Bucks Eng.   Which I can only assume means Buckinghamshire England. I was spurred to scan the list for other non US addresses and found Canadian, French and other British ones (Oxford) in the first few pages - it is not however clear to me if these were US nationals living abroad or non nationals.

 

 

I also noticed the presence of some British ‘home’ addresses for AFS personnel. In every instance that I checked the individuals were Americans living and/or working abroad (including RC Paradise, as per your post above, whose ‘home’ address was in Gerard’s Cross). That doesn’t answer the question as to whether service in the AFS was restricted to US citizens of course.

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8 hours ago, ForeignGong said:

Hi Ian

The only J Parkinson I have is 680426 Sjt (A/BSM) James Parkinson “A” Bty, 276th Bde, RFA (Preston) awarded a Medaille Militaire

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31454/supplement/8959

But he also was awarded a DCM

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30932/supplement/11678

Good luck with your search and could you let me know if you verify his awards so I can add them to my database please.

 

Peter

 

 

Thanks Peter - will certainly do that.  Regards.  Ian

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  • spof changed the title to Volunteer French Ambulance Corps and American Ambulance Field Service

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