THE JANUS
Judging by the comments of the participants, our recent 10 Days in England tour was indeed a success, for which all credit is due to the expertise of Director of AFS Travel Dan Hastings and to tour guide Karin McCarthy, and Bill Donnelly and Karen Hapgood in the U.K. Here are a few excerpts from written comments received: The highlight of my few doys with the AFS Ve~
Tour was its intense awakening of memories (people, experience, issues, places) that have much influenced my life. There was a strong impact both intellectually and emotionally, and alot of fun. As is so often true in even the most exotic travels, it was our companions, guides and chance encounters that were critical to this positive reaction.
Particularlypoigrumt were the numerous instances in both the U.K. and in Egypt during my previous week at the El AJamein Commemorative erercise, when &h Anny Veterans sought me out to express thanks for the help of some nameleSs AFS Driver. With highly emotional graphic descriptions they recalled their injuries and agony, and often spoke of some small act of kindness by the Driver. "PO never forget what he did for me, or time and again. Arthur Howe
Our own group was the greatest joy of the trip, especially the four cronies, Weaver, Squire, Rodgers, and Contrall. Barely remembered faces and events came to life with every word with anybody. And John Day's 50 year mem0rabilia, which he copied for me, gave me a record I did not know existed. Highligh~: Coventry and the Blackpool commemoration stand out for both were dedicated to reconciliation. The sight of Rommel's son, oberburgermeisterof Stuttgart which is where I ended up the war, Rommel's son and Montgomery's son making wann speeches to each other-perlu:rpsthat moment was the highlight Dennis A. Weaver The dedication of the American Field Service Memorial Plaque at St George's Oum:h at Enham-AJamein, Hampshire, was most affecting. This churr:h,a memorial to eighteen men from the viUagelost in the historical tide-tuming battle at El AJamein, has been "adopted" by all uni~ who took part. Seven of our group had participated directly: others were engaged elsewhere or later comers. I shot a picture of the plaque with Tun Angell, the British REME soldier who served with us so long and has remembered us so weU;he stood me a pint of bitter afterwards and we drank to old friends and old times. In a plot outside the church set aside for the purpose, Squire, Weaver, and Rodgers dedicated a memorial cross to fallen comrade Alexander RmuJall, Jr. There were two occasions at Blackpool, the
Eighth Anny reunion and ceremony at night, and the memorial service at the Cenotaph the next doy. The Alamein Reunion program listed all of the uni~ in the order of battle, mentioned supporting services, and added "Due credit is also given to the American Field Service Ambulance Corps of Volunteers, 'they were always there when we needed them most'. or Bill Cantrall
Certainly one of the primary obseTVationshas to be how well the group coalesced as a result of the caniful planning and the loose but thoughtful guidance of ow leaden. Almost immediately it was easy to be part of a friendly circle that joined spontaneously in the well-planned prrr gram. We all have reason to be especially grateful to our principal host and hostess in England, who so obviously care about AFS and its educational program. There were, of course, splendid events which all of us enjoyed, but whot meant most to me were the visits to SL George's Owpel and the Imperial War Museum -and its El AJarnein exhibit - that had particular pertinence to the 50th anniversary of El Alamein. It was there that I could pay my respects to all those who did not survive a battle that surely was one of the turning points of World War II. Frederick L Roth. Jr. ]he ten days in England were great Acromodations and food were good and the activities werejust about right as to interest and frequency allowing enough free time. ]he contIlct with AFS students and families was very good. It sort of ties the past into the present Bill Donnelly and Karin McCarthy both did outstanding wolk organizing and directing the whole show. To me the highlight would be the actuIll meetincs at BlackpooL
Everyone connected with "Ten Days in England" did an acellent job, but I thought the two gals (Karin McCarthy and Eleanora Golobic) were ouslanding. The whole trip was well thought out and I think all that were connected with it deseTVemany, many THANKS. Outside of the above, the other highlight was the visit to Enham-AJamein, Hampshire. I never knew before this trip, that eighteen men from the village lost their lives at El Alamein. William G. Sheannan We found the tour to be very well thought out and enjoyed the easy, enjoyable mix of Drivers and their wives. AFS Travel did a greatjob of providing comfortable accomodations and flights at the most affordable rates.
Thought Bill Donnelly did a super PR stint, mostly on his own time! Art Howe gave a great speech re: ]he role of the AFS in today's world. Highlight (in order of impression) A 8th Anny Veterans Reunion at Blackpool (Really Moving) B. Reception at RAMC on Monday evening. (retl1lyFirst Class) C AFS Plaque memorial service at SL Georges 0urpeL D. ]he two theater parties in London &: Stratford. E. ]he Last Drop Vl1lage,enjoyed meeting the AFS families at dinner. And speaking of "the last drop" we really enjoyed the Pints of Bitters! Merry Ouistmas and OJeersfrom Arthur &: Barbara Whitehouse Arrangements were absoluJely super-especially impressive was the Pembroke in Blackpool, a pleasant surprise (most comfortable room on the trip, through the loke country, however brief. The whole trip was surprisingly hassle-free, well planned and a whole lot of fun. Karin was great I trust she's busy studying ItlllianI Highlights of the trip: hard to say, there was so much. Most meaningful for me was the visit to the church at Enham-AJamein, especially the luncheon after the brief service.
]he best part of the English trip was seeing old friends (eg. Manning and Walt Brethauer) and making new ones-and this was true for N"u:ky too (my wife). We were delighted throughout with the accomodations and meals and transportation. ]he highlights were: 1) meeting many wonderful people associated with AFS; 2) listening to VISCOuntMontgomery and Manfred Rommel talk of their friendship (can't war become obsolete?); 3) fulfilling a 30 year dream of seeing Coventry Cilthedral; 4) sharing with my son Dacre some of his Dad's experience as an ambulance driver.
My own participation unfortunately was limited to a "flying trip" over on a Tuesday and back on a Friday---primarily for the purpose of par~icipating in our presentation of a memorial plaque to the Standing Coinmittee of the St. George's Chapel in Enham-Alamein, Hampshire. The following is an excerpt from The New Crusader, newsletter of the Eighth Army Veterans Association, No.3, July 1978:
"Thirty-five years ago Great Britain and her allies were jubilant; just a few months previously the. tide had turned in the Desert, the Battle of Alamein had been won and even the most despondent, war-weary serviceman or civilian realised we were on the road back. Waterloo, Trafalgar, the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Britain are hailed as battles which saved our country. Alamein was not only just as great a victory but it marked the change from defence to attack and was the forerunner of the victories which resulted in the saving of the whole free world. When consideration was given to commemorating the sacrifice, fortitude and courage of those ~sponsible for this great victory, Enham, a village which had been purchased as part of an estate to form a rehabilitation centre for casualties of the 1914-18 war, was suggested. The village is part of a voluntary organisation devoted to the training, employment, housing and care of disabled people and-during the 1939-45 war the emphasis was again on the rehabilitation of casualties. A vast sum of money had been raised in Egypt at the end of hostilities and this was donated to Enham Village Centre as a token of gratitude for those who fought and won at EI Alamein. This donation enabled the Centre to build a large hostel and housing estate for disable people and Alamein was added to the name of the village, hence Enham-Alamein. When the Cairo Club was closed the Centre also received many souvenirs which include
the gates of the Royal Navy, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Air Force. These can be seen in use in the village today; also, the original Alamein Station bell is housed in the Village Museum. As to the memorial itself, what better than a church, available to everyone to remember past friends and make sure that, in our lifetime, their memory is recorded for posterity. Therefore, it was decided to convert the village chapel into a church. It is dedicated, appropriately enough, to St. George and it lies within the Winchester Diocese. It is very small but nevertheless it has in recent years become a place of pilgrimage for "Desert Rats". from far and wide, including many from overseas. The Alamein Chapel within the Church, incorporates three stained glass windows, one dedicated to the Western Desert Air Force, another _to the Mediterranean Fleet (1942), with the Eighth Army window in the centre. The altar frontal is of sand-coloured materials with the Eighth Army shield embroidered on the front; the backcloth is of the same colour and design as the ribbon of the Africa Star. In the Church are two more windows, one is the badge of the Warwickshire RegilDent presented by the Field Marshal's brother, Lieut-Colonel Brian Montgomery. The other is the badge of the Oxford Desert Forces Club. These will shortly be joined by another window donated by the 'Rats of Tobruk' Association. There have been other interesting presentations to decorate the Chapel, including two antique silver plaques presented by Italian veterans on the visit last October and all items of furniture were donated. All the furniture l.f3s made in the village cabinet wprkshop, the brass plates engraved in the engineering shop and the Book of Thanksgiving bound in the ~ook-binding section. All the wrought-iron lamp fittings and flower stands were lDade by the Rector. There could not have been a more suitable candidate as Rector of Enham-Alamein than the Reverend Leslie S. Pettifer. He was with the Royal Corps of Signals from 1938 to 1965 - not as a padre - and it was only when he
retired that he entered the Church. He served through-out the Desert campaigns and was Troop Serjeant of the 10th Hussars Royal Signals Troop. He also served with the 1st Armoured Division Signals Regiment. Wounded at Alamein and at EI Hamma ('Monty's' left-hook behind the Mareth Line) he went on into Italy, the whole time with the 2nd Armoured Brigade. When he retired he was Major Technical Officer Telecommunications). Cash donations are always required to support the work of the Village Centre of Enham - Alamein on behalf of the physically handicapped people and it is a very worthwhile project to benefit from old comrades' social events and collections. Eighth Army veterans en route to their holidays in the South should pay a visit to St. George's - The Alamein Church. It lies on the A343 road between Andover and Newbury, about 3 miles north of Andover. "Desert Rats" and all veterans are always welcome to see this so very practical Alamein Memorial. Deep in the heart of the Hampshire countryside, not far from Andover, is the tiny village of Enham-Alamein, and there will be found the national memorial to those who turned the tide at that famous battle of World War II. Though fairly well-known to exServicemen living in the south of the country, it is evident that Desert veterans living in the north of England, for the most part, have only vaguely heard about it and few have ever actually visited it."
Incidental "dividends", however, were attendance at Miss Saigon in the Royal Drury Lane Theatre, a tour of Windsor Castle (the part which was subsequently badly damaged by fire), and a reception at the U.S. Embassy under the joint aegis of the Embassy and AFS UK My brief exposure to the touring group, however, gave me an opportunity to observe their obvious enthusiastic enjoyment, not only of the events scheduled for them but of the chance to renew old friendships and associations.
So successful was this venture indeed that we are encouraged to try again in 1993, this time A Return to Italy. To sound out your interest, we enclose a questionnaire; we hope many of you will take a few minutes to answer it. May I also urge any of you who live near New York or may be visiting in or near the city to come in to see us at your Archives/Museum here at AFS Headquarters. We have what we think is an interesting if modest collection and dis-
A welcome to the group from The Honorable John Major, Prime Minister of England is found on Photo Enclosure page 1. Selected photographs from the trip follow Prime Minister Major's letter: St. George's Chapel, Manning Field unveiling the AFS plaque, the plaque itself, AFS exhibit at the Imperial War Museum and ceremonies in Blackpool. For the EI Alamein exhibit, AFS Archives loaned the Imperial War Museum John Nettleton's (ME 1) cap with AFS badge, and Eugene R. Hammond's (ME 16, CM 92) webbed belt with badges of 8th Army Units. The museum also displayed an exhibition on the Belsen Camp, which had a special meaning to visiting drivers considering that AFS volunteers of "c" and "D" Plat. 567 Coy serving with the British Liberation Army helped liberate the camp in April-May 1945. Earlier the Archives has donated a set of 42 WWII photographs dealing with Belsen to the Imperial War Museum.
Below is the list of AFS Volunteer Drivers whose mail has been returned for lack of good address, etc. If you know the whereabouts of any of these drivers, please let us know. World War I Daniel B. Hunt SSU 27 Francis P. Kendall SSU 10-2 Paul S. Miner SSU 66 World War II Robert J. Allen CM 88 William G. Congdon ME 20, CM 90 Warren J. Grinde ME 19 Larkin Hundley ME 4, FFC Perrin H. Long, Jr. CM 105, IB 59-T James W. Michaels IB 1 George F. Smith ME 32
Below are the names of drivers notice of whose death has reached us, some only recently. World War I Howard B. Allen TMU 526 Julian Y. Burton SSU 70 Loris V. Cady SSU 14 Thomas G. Cassady SSU 13 Kenneth Casson TMU 184 Robert D. Clark TMU 133 William D. Crane SSU 4 William S. Fowler SSU 640 Frederick Frick SSU 70 Benjamin G. Griggs SSU 64 William S. Holt SSU 1
J. Dana Hutchinson SSU 30 Henry J. Lewis SSU 16 Rev. Joseph Cony MacDonald SSU 16 Lawrence S. Morris SSU 4 Edward M. Ross SSU 66 John D. Sauters, Jr. TM World War II William James Atkins ME 8 & 16, CM 88, IB 60-T Fredric Bohning CM 53 Samuel D. Bush, III CM 92, IB 60-T Robert Ferguson IB 9 James Gerhardt ME 32, FFC, FR 8 Shelton MacLeod ME 32, CM 97 F. Graham Matheson CM 94, IB 59-T Rev. Pitt S. Willand ME 32, CM 86 Mortimer D. Wright ME 4, CM 56 Brinton Coxe Young ME 39, FR 4
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The U.S. Congress recessed in October without having brought the House bill to extend Veterans' Benefits to all AFS drivers to the floor of the House. As you remember, the bill was sponsored by Reps. Tanner, Lowey, and Studds. It reads: 102d Congress 2d Session
To provide that certain service in the American Field Service ambulance corps shall be considered active duty for the purposes of all laws adminstered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
~T-h-e-J-an-u-s-------------;;;7;-----------""'VUo~lr.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. TANNER (for himself, Mrs. LoWEY of New York, and Mr. STUDDS)introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To provide that certain service in the American Field Service ambulance corps shall be considered active duty for the purposes of all laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 2 the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION. 1. AMERICAN FIELD SERVICE. 4 Section 401 of Public Law 95-202 (38 U.S.C.106 5 note) is amended---6 (1) in subsection (b), by striking "subsection 7 (a)" each place it appears and inserting "subsections 8 (a) and (d)";
1 (2) in subsection (c), by striking "subsection 2 (a)" and inserting "subsections (a) and (d)"; and 3 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub4 section: 5 "(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
"'tVI"'II1N\T.o~.11
6 service rendered before August 15, 1945, by any person 7 who was part of the enlisted wartime personnel of the 8 American Field Service ambulance corps and who reported 9 for duty overseas during World War II, shall be considered 10 active duty for the purposes of all laws administered by 11 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.". o Responding to our request a total of 123 drivers from 30 states wrote to 125 U.S. Representatives representing ~ Congressional Districts urging support of the bill. We are led to believe that the House Bill will be reintroduced in the new Congress and a companion bill will be introduced in the U.S. Senate. We will keep you informed of any further information we receive from Cliff Bissler (IB 31) or Tom Hale (CM 47, CM 97), who are keeping on top of developments concerning further activity.
Three AFS drivers from the northwest region, John R. Kociencki (CM 92, IB 59-T), Norman C. Kunkel (IB 5, CM 92-T), and John Hodel (ME 4, FFC, CM 53, FR 3-T), and their wives attended the AFS Northwest Regional Conference Volunteer Training & Awards Banquet held on October 17-18, in Beaverton, Oregon. AFS Archives exhibited publications, posters, artwork, photographs and presented a slide show on AFS History.
The link between the drivers and the student programs is best exemplified in the words of John Hodel, "I strongly suspect that the student exchange program may turn out to be the greater legacy of the American Field Service."
Dir. AFS Archives & Museum William Orrick Archivist Eleanora Golobic Archives Assistant Donna Thompson
The Janus AFS Archives & Museum 313 East 43rd Street New York, NY 10017 USA
~6CtJNTI:E~i>~j@
AFS··········· .. ...• MAILINGi.IST· CHANGES.)·
Since our last Janus we have recorded several address changes to our AFS Volunteer Drivers World War IT mailing list. Please see enclosed AFS Volunteer Drivers World War IT Address Changes and make a note in your roster. All the best, Bill Orrick Director AFS Archives/Museum
Photo Enclosure pg. 1
10 DOWNING STREET Lm-mON SWL\. lAA
We in Britain are most grateful for the contribution which the American Field Service made, on an entirely voluntary basis, in many theatres of war through both World Wars. The devotion to duty and gallantry of those members of the American Field Service who served in support of British Forces in World War Two in such varied parts of the world as North West Europe, the Middle East, Mrica, Italy, India and Burma was greatly appreciated by all those who came into contact with them. Many British and Allied Serviceme~ owe their lives to the AFS's ambulance crews, both in the Western Desert and elsewhere. I also applaud your organisation's humairitarian work which has benefited so many young people
in the
post-War ye~,
and-which serves as a
splendid example to us all. I hope that the success of the AFS Trust will long continue. I send my best wishes to ~ those who served in the American Field Service during World War Two, and in particular to those who have made the journey to Britain for this reunion with their Eighth Army colleagues, on the 50th anniversary of the Battle ofEI Alamein.
Photo Enclosure pg. 2
L. to R Ebbe SkovdLll (AFS Sr. Vice President), Karen Hapgood (National Chairperson AFS UK), William Cantrall, William Orrick and Manning Field at the entrance to St. George's Chapel, Enham-Alamein, 29 October 1992
AFS Memorial Plague unveiled at Enham-Alamein 29 October 1992 Unveiling of AFS Memorial Plaque at St. George's Chapel; William Orrick looks as Manning Field unveils the plaque
Photo Enclosure pg. 3
Ann Ford speaking to Frank Lichtensteiger in front of the Imperial War Museum (London), 27 October 1992
AFS exhibit at the Imperial War Museum (London), 27 October 1992
L. to R Unidentified British Veterans, Barbara Whitehouse (dark glasses), John Smith, Walter Brethauer, William Cantral~ Fred Rath, Arthur Howe and Dennis Weaver before the Sunday Eighth Anny Veteran~ Parade, Blackpool, 1November 1992
Eighth Anny Veteran ~ Association Reunion Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of EI Alamein, Blackpool, 31 October 1992
TO: AFS World War II Volunteer Drivers RE: Prospective Trip to Italy 1)
Name_" Address,_" AFS Driver Unit
_ _ _
3)
If you are interested, list the places you would like to revisit in descending order of importance to you"
5)
Time of visit Season Month Year
_ _ _
AFS Volunteer Drivers World War I and World War II Mailing List Address Changes Roger W. Bardwell
Enos W. Curtin
Clifford J Bissler
William C. Clifford Neil H. Petree
P. H. Culley George F. Spaulding
James A. Doughty
Harry William Fiedler, Jr. John Jay Angevin
Joseph Fromm Raymond J. Atherley, Jr.
Francis D. Frost, III Richard Babcock
Edward A. Hay
David D. Heath, M.D.
John R. Patrick
Rev. August L. Hemenway
Paul Cochran Rodgers, Jr.
Edmund Kelley Bill Schorger
James Tyson lee William S. Townsend, II
Cameron Macleod Peter B. Warren
Rufus Mathewson Alan Graham Willoughby N
Duncan lee McCollester Harcourt Wood
Dr. Peter Van C. Moore
Duncan B. Murphy, Jr.