American Ambulance in Russia Group

[Dave]

Allright, first let me say that this stuff isn't mine. It was in an auction that closed last November.

 

I'm posting the pictures up here as no one I've talked to even know that the American Ambulance Service in Russia even existed. We know about France, etc., but Russia?

 

These guys operated with the Russian against the Germans, and then ended up in the Ural mountains, helping the Whites against the Reds before they were evacuated.

 

This grouping belonged to the Officer in Charge of the Service, who was a Major in the US Army Medical Corps as well. It was all located at an estate sale in the suitcase, but other than the group sold with the suitcase, it was split into about a dozen lots.

 

Unfortunately, each of these photos were from a separate lot, so the group has now gone to the ten winds. The closing prices on these lots were astronomical. I was playing with values in the four-digits and I wasn't even in the running, let's just put it that way!

 

So for all of us not lucky enough to own a group like this, enjoy the photos!

 

Dave

[Dave]

Some of his insignia and a silver American Ambulance in Russia medal...

[Dave]

One of two gold American Ambulance in Russia medals. I don't know why they had them in silver and in gold. Perhaps officer and enlisted?

[Dave]

And a zoomed out photo with the Russian ribbon it was on...

[Dave]

Two American Red Cross armbands with the group...

[Dave]

Finally, a group of photos of his service in Russia...The top right photo is a photo of the original owner in a Russian uniform, that of a medical corps Major in the Imperial Army. The sword he was holding, as well as his Russian order that he's wearing were also with the auction but I stupidly didn't save photos of those...

[Croix de Guerre]

Talk about esoteric stuff! Here is a link I found. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...FB467838C609EDE

[BEAST]

Very interesting group! As the article in the link that Tom posted shows, The American Ambulance in Russia had many difficulties. The recruiting posters used for the American Ambulance in Russia are dramtic pieces of art. I have one in my collection that I will try to photograph tonight.

 

Here is a little bit more info on the service they performed:

 

"The American Ambulance in Russia, of which Miss Elsa Maxwell, assistant secretary and Miss Ethel D. Hamilton, assistant treasurer, had collected up to July, 1917, approximately $130,000 and had 50 American ambulances in Russia doing active service directly behind the lines in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. In the fall of 1917 the committee undertook to raise sufficient funds to install a complete American Ambulance Hospital in Russia at a cost of $200,000, which sum was required to establish the hospital and to maintain it for one year. The committee has sent forward large quantities of gauze, bandages, chloroform and other hospital supplies in addition to the ambulances, and Dr. Philip Newton was sent by the committee to Russia as Chief Surgeon of the ambulance units operating there. The ambulances have been endeavoring to care for the wounded of an entire army corps of 55,000 men, and in his 1917 report Dr. Newton stated that every time there was a big battle the unit was overwhelmed and the wounded that could not be carried in the ambulances had to be transported in carts and hay wagons. During one battle the American ambulances in Russia carried over 2,200 wounded soldiers within a period of six days. The American ambulance in Russia is the only American organization working with the Russian Army."

[Dave]

Guys, thanks for the responses. I would have loved to have owned the group having several other Americans-in-Russia items (leftover from my former Russian Civil War collection) but the prices were downright nuts when they closed. I did think the group looked amazing though, and talk about one of those random things that really no one ever knows about or has even heard of.

 

Now, we know "the rest of the story"... :thumbsup:

 

Dave

[Croix de Guerre]

When I first started to get interested in the American Field Service I ran across posters like Eric mentioned I wondered if the two organizations were the same. I found that they were not and information on the American Ambulance in Russia is scant to say the least. They illustrate one of several volunteer ambulance units that were formed by private organizations during WWI and loosely governed or sponsored by the Red Cross. Very obscure and interesting stuff; but about as easy and affordable to collect as battleships. :thumbsup:

[Bugme]

Very interesting thread! I was not aware before this of an AFS type of Ambulance group in Russia.

[Dave]

Very obscure and interesting stuff; but about as easy and affordable to collect as battleships. :thumbsup:

 

I've got a couple of 'em in my backyard, actually... (I do have the WISCONSIN a couple miles away though, but it's not mine...)

 

These units may be more obscure than a previous obscure collection interest of mine, the Czech Legion. Who knew about 40,000 random Czechs who made their way via train across Siberia in order to escape from the Reds...

 

Part of the reason I enjoy the WW1 time period (1914 to about 1925). If you're looking for rare (from any country) it's out there. If you want obscure, it's there too. Or, if you feel like "common" stuff, you could go broke (I have) buying really nice pieces (and have a lot of them to boot!)

 

Dave

[Allan H.]

I've got a couple of 'em in my backyard, actually... (I do have the WISCONSIN a couple miles away though, but it's not mine...)

 

Dave

 

Dave,

As a US taxpayer, I think you can legally say that you own a SMALL part of it! :thumbsup:

Allan

[KurtA]

I've never seen that medal before. Really nice! It appears it may be actual gold?

Kurt

[BEAST]

Here is the poster that I mentioned earlier. Sorry about the quality of the photos, but it is a fairly large size poster and really needs to framed to be seen properly.

 

If I recall the translation, it is advertising a subscription to a magazine or book that explains about the first year of the war ( "Our Resurrection Day"). Dave, it has been a long time since my days hanging out near Dzerzhinsky's Square, so feel free to fill in the details fo the translation if you like.

 

 

[BEAST]

The graphic detail is very striking, very dramatic. Like so many good propaganda posters, it draws upon their history.

 

[Dave]

Here is the poster that I mentioned earlier. Sorry about the quality of the photos, but it is a fairly large size poster and really needs to framed to be seen properly.

 

If I recall the translation, it is advertising a subscription to a magazine or book that explains about the first year of the war ( "Our Resurrection Day"). Dave, it has been a long time since my days hanging out near Dzerzhinsky's Square, so feel free to fill in the details fo the translation if you like.

 

That's a super looking poster!

 

My Russian is a bit rusty too (last left there in '96) but I'm reading that this is a poster selling subscriptions for an news journal/magazine (5 rubles a year, 3 rubles a half year...etc.)

 

Might need a better translation of the poster to really "get it", but it looks like someone brought this poster back from Russia, posted it up somewhere in a public place to raise funds for the American Ambulance Service, assuming that no one would actually READ what was on the poster!

 

If you ever don't feel like framing it up, I have a perfect spot on the wall in my office for it........

 

Dave

[Dave]

I've never seen that medal before. Really nice! It appears it may be actual gold?

Kurt

 

Kurt-

 

I believe that was in the auction description. I forget the actual description, but I vaguely remember that statement being in there.

 

With how the Russians normally made medals (as these were manufactured there) I would assume that it's solid gold of some sort...

 

Dave

[Croix de Guerre]

That is an amazing poster. Great graphics! I wish the AFS had put out posters like that one. That poster has got to be extremly rare. Does any one know how many volunteers they had?

[BEAST]

That is an amazing poster. Great graphics! I wish the AFS had put out posters like that one. That poster has got to be extremly rare. Does any one know how many volunteers they had?

 

 

Tom,

 

I started looking more in to this unit (some interesting politics, accusations of fraud, etc) and found this blurb. AL though it doesn't give you a total number of volunteers, it does give you an idea of it size through the number of ambulances.

 

"The American Ambulance in Russia, of which Miss Elsa Maxwell, assistant secretary and Miss Ethel D. Hamilton, assistant treasurer, had collected up to July, 1917, approximately $130,000 and had 50 American ambulances in Russia doing active service directly behind the lines in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. In the fall of 1917 the committee undertook to raise sufficient funds to install a complete American Ambulance Hospital in Russia at a cost of $200,000, which sum was required to establish the hospital and to maintain it for one year. The committee has sent forward large quantities of gauze, bandages, chloroform and other hospital supplies in addition to the ambulances, and Dr. Philip Newton was sent by the committee to Russia as Chief Surgeon of the ambulance units operating there. The ambulances have been endeavoring to care for the wounded of an entire army corps of 55,000 men, and in his 1917 report Dr. Newton stated that every time there was a big battle the unit was overwhelmed and the wounded that could not be carried in the ambulances had to be transported in carts and hay wagons. During one battle the American ambulances in Russia carried over 2,200 wounded soldiers within a period of six days. The American ambulance in Russia is the only American organization working with the Russian Army."

 

 

Here's an article from the New York Times, you will recognize some prominent people involved with the American Ambulance in Russia.

 

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...4DA415B878DF1D3

[Andrei]

That's a super looking poster!

 

My Russian is a bit rusty too (last left there in '96) but I'm reading that this is a poster selling subscriptions for an news journal/magazine (5 rubles a year, 3 rubles a half year...etc.)

 

Might need a better translation of the poster to really "get it", but it looks like someone brought this poster back from Russia, posted it up somewhere in a public place to raise funds for the American Ambulance Service, assuming that no one would actually READ what was on the poster!

 

If you ever don't feel like framing it up, I have a perfect spot on the wall in my office for it........

 

Dave

The russian poster has nothing to do with the ARC.

This is a commercial poster for a political-economic newspaper named 1914 published in Peterburg. And for the return of Russia and the struggle against the German invaders.

[BEAST]

There are a few posters from thsi gorup. As Andrei points out, they don't always have anything to do with the American Ambulance in Russia, except for the banners. Here are a couple of others that i have seen on the web.

 

 

 

Similar in style, but does identify it as American Ambulance in Russia on the sheet as opposed to being add on banners.

[BEAST]

 

[BEAST]

Here are a few more images of their ambulances

 

[Dave]

I'm guessing they used the misc. Russian posters for donation drives here in the US. Most people can't read Russian and so they figured they were safe as far as using random, eye-catching posters.

 

Either way, they're really cool looking!

 

Dave