David H. Annan Collection, circa 1917-1945 | Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs

David Hugh Annan was born in 1897 to Scottish immigrants living in the United States.

Annan left his studies at the University of Chicago to volunteers as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service in 1917. On May 19, 1917, he sailed to France, arriving in Bordeaux on May 30. After a few days in Paris, Annan spent time at the AFS training camp at May-en-Multien, where he learned how to handle and maneuver the Ford Model T ambulances, and about the structure of the French Army.

On July 4, Annan traveled with his newly-formed unit, Section Sanitaire [États-] Unis (SSU 65), to Courcelles, France where they were attached to the 68^th French Division of the Tenth Army with a poste de secours (dressing station) at Vendresse, only 1,200 meters from the German front lines. When his service with AFS ended in September, Annan returned to the United States and joined the United States Naval Training School for the duration of the war.

Annan returned to his studies at the University of Chicago and graduated in June 1919. After graduation he hitchhiked across the U.S. and boarded a freighter bound for Japan. After getting a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and learning Japanese, he quickly received a job at the U.S. consulate. In 1921 Annan returned to the U.S. and began working at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Annan was brought into the U.S. Navy as a commander in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he became a full captain, working in the Naval Reserve in the Great Lakes region and in Key West, Florida. He was also part owner of a travel company, which allowed him to continue his travels around the world.

David Hugh Annan passed away in 1982 at age 85.