WW1 French Croix de Guerre to U.S. 544th Section, Army Ambulance Service

[dpast32]

Hello Gents, And yet, I'm at it again. I've got my collection coming out of my ears, so to speak, & I really have to start to organize some stuff, as I'm not getting any younger. One item I'd like to know a little more about is an WW1 era, U.S. Army Ambulance Service G.I. who served throughout the War with the 544th Section in France. I'm fairly certain that 'my guy' was 1 of the 30 members of that unit who received the CdG, & would just love to have that fact verified. The 544th as a whole was twice decorated by the French with the CdG, although only 1 such award was approved by the U.S. Govt. ( For some reason ? ) The confirmation I'm relying on is an WW1 era photograph of the guy wearing his CdG on his uniform tunic's left breast. I know that over the years there's been a few assorted lists compiled of U.S. WW1 CdG recipients, though no comprehensive list is though to exist. Soooo, if anyone happens to have any relevant data pertaining to my recipient, I would be deeply appreciate in hearing from them. HE WAS; SFC ( Sgt. 1st Class ) ROBIE E. NICHOLS, ( Nichols = Surname ) of Allerton, Massachusetts. It appears as if he departed the U.S. for France on 09 January, & arriving at Brest on 23 January 1918. The 544th saw a great deal of action while overseas, & even performed a few months of occupation duty prior to arriving back in CONUS during the beginning of June 1919. As always, I will be most thankful for any & all replies. THANK YOU

 

 

Best, dpast32

[mars&thunder]

Have you contacted the Massachusetts archives to get a copy of his service record card? Those usually list foreign decorations.

[dpast32]

No, I actually haven't, at least not yet. Just for the record, does Mass require written requests, or is it available via E-Mail ? You know that all these years, I never really considered checking with them, ever since tying to get some information many years ago. ( I never received a reply ? ) I must have at least 30 or 40 Mass related groups hanging around here, & if I could actually obtain their Cards, ohh boy, I could keep them busy for quite a while ! Do you happen to have their address handy ? It's times like these that make me miss Al G. all the more !! THANKS again,

 

Best, Dom P. / [email protected]

[Foxfall]

His Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star was announced in War Department General Orders No. 68 (1919)

[dpast32]

THANK YOU SOOOO VERY MUCH !!! I was hoping that someone out there might have at least a partial list of U.S WW1 era CdG's. I owe you one Foxfall, I really appreciate your kind assistance. Just for the record, my sources state that 30 of the 544th's men received CdG's during the War. They also were decorated with 2 'Unit CdG's' by the French Government, but was only allowed 1 award, due to the U.S. Congress not ratifying it. I can't recall off the top what the relevant award details were, such as, who warranted a Bronze, Silver, or Gilt ribbon device, although I do know that obviously Bronze was the lesser of the 3. THANKS AGAIN !!

 

Best, dpast32 / [email protected]