WWI Ambulance Education Outreach

WWI ambulance and the history of the American Field Service

World War One History and the Ambulance:

World War I began in 1914 - when Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, setting off a series of territorial conflicts. This terrible war lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). WWI was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated 9 million combat deaths, and 13 million civilian deaths. World War I was a significant turning point in the political, cultural, economic, and social climate of the world. But the conflict involving 32 countries quickly faded into memory as WWII began just 21 years after.

The American Heritage Museum’s WWI Ambulance is an excellent artifact to engage people in the history of WWI. Using this rare vehicle we bring to life stories of our veterans and volunteers who served.

The American Field Service (AFS):

Before the U.S. entered the War in April 1917, many young Americans volunteered to fight with the Allies. 2,500 of them were driving Ford Model T ambulances with the French and American Field Service, carrying supplies and more than 500,000 casualties. 77% of the

volunteers were college students or college educated. Prompted by sense of duty, a search for adventure, or hope for the redemption of a devastated Europe, these volunteers engaged before the United States entered the conflict. They paid the cost for their uniforms and passage to France. The choice that tens of thousands of young men and women made transformed the meaning of volunteerism in the world. Between 1914 and 1917, AFS volunteers evacuated 500,000 casualties near the front lines in France, Belgium, and the Balkans, and drove trucks to the front with needed supplies. After entering the war, the United States military absorbed the AFS ambulance and its auxiliary units into their ranks by the end of 1917.

WWI Ambulance:

One of the most numerous and famous cars in world history is the Model T, produced by the Ford Motor Company. When the United States entered World War I, Ford Motor Company personnel collaborated with the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, as well as drivers who had served on the front lines in France, to design a Model T-based ambulance suited for battlefield conditions. Ford built 5,745 ambulances for the Allied armies during the war, and another 107 for the Red Cross. Its light weight made it well-suited for use on muddy and shell-torn roads in forward combat areas. By November 1918, 4362 Model T ambulances had been shipped overseas.

WWI Ambulance Driver Ted Littlefield:

The grandfather of Jacques Littlefield, whose family and foundation selected the Collings Foundation, Inc. to receive his amazing collection of tanks and armored vehicles, served as an American Field Service ambulance driver during WWI. Like many college educated volunteers of the time, he kept a detailed journal and took many pictures of his experiences during this time. Learning about his personal journey through the war brings us closer to understanding the great dangers he and other ambulance drivers faced as they moved the wounded from the battlefield. Traveling from his home to New York City, Ted Littlefield left his three year old son and wife and boarded a British ocean liner, Andania for England. Ted’s Atlantic crossing was a dangerous journey. Packs of German submarines (U-boats) roamed the seas around the British Isles, the North Sea and the coast of France. While ocean liners like the Andania were faster than German submarines, the threat of a sudden torpedo attack kept Ted and his fellow passengers awake and alert throughout the voyage to Liverpool. Ted arrived safely, October 11th, 1917. The Andania was sunk by a torpedo just 3 months later, in 1918.

Ted served in four of the largest battles of the war, including the second battle of the Somme, which was fought between March and September 1918. Ted was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal and four service bars during WWI for his bravery in France.

Photo above: Ted Littlefield in his WWI AFS uniform.