THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF WW1 

AMBULANCE SERVICES AND STRETCHER BEARERS

 The letters home from Lance Corporal Harry Chapin, RAMC. Harry Chapin was an American, serving in the RAMC as an orderly and stretcher bearer. In his previous life, apart from being a devoted husband and father, he was promising playwright. He was killed in 1915 at the Battle of Loos, attempting to rescue a wounded man under fire. His letters to his family were published iin 1916, and they are republished here as a memorial to a brave and sensitive man who died before his time, yet another victim of the senseless conflict of WW1.

"Ambulancing at the French Front" by Edward Coyle. An account of an American volunteer's service with the American Red Cross in the French Ambulance Service from January 1917 on the French Front. Coyle was present at the siege of Verdun and describes his experiences in vivid detail. He not only describes his Red Cross work, but also describes his experiences in trench warfare, with chapters on snipers, camouflage, hand grenades and observation balloons.


British Ambulances: Photographs and plans of British WW1 horsedrawn, motor and trailer ambulances. These were kindly made available by Michael Homer of Hampshire, UK from material collected for his forthcoming book "The British Army Ambulance".

Friends of France: A book on the experiences of American ambulance drivers serving with the French Army from 1915 onwards. The book is in the form of a number of articles, written by different authors who served as ambulance drivers. Section V, referring to the work done in Lorraine, has an introduction by Theodore Roosevel


Return to Medical Index Page