Frank G. Fiedler Collection, ca. 1917-1918
| Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs
Title: Frank G. Fiedler Collection, ca. 1917-1918
ID: RG1/014
Extent: 0.18 Cubic Feet
More Extent Information
1 box
Arrangement
The album appears to be arranged chronologically. The loose material has been removed and placed in folders in the box with the album.
Abstract
Frank G. Fiedler served as a camion driver in France with the American Field Service and with the U.S. Field Artillery during World War I. The Frank G. Fiedler Collection consists of one album of photographic prints, postcards, and newsprint images, which was assembled by Fiedler and documents his service in the American Field Service and possibly the U.S. Field Artillery.
Administrative/Biographical History
Frank Graves Fiedler (b. ca. 1898) of Ottumwa, Iowa, attended Dartmouth University (Class of 1918.) At age 19, he took a leave from his studies to enter the American Field Service (AFS), a volunteer ambulance corps serving with the French Army in the Great War. Fiedler served as a camion driver with Transport Materiél [Etats-] Unis (TMU) 184 (also known as the Réserve Mallet), a unit engaged in the transportation of munitions and supplies, from June to November 1917. AFS ceased to exist as an independent organization and was absorbed by the United States (U.S.) Army after the U.S. entered the war in 1917, at which point Fiedler enlisted in the U.S. Field Artillery.
Subjects (links to similar collections) Administrative InformationAcquired:
1991.
Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Cotton gloves are required for the handling of all photographic material.
Rights: Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the AFS Archives. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Acquisition Note:
The collection was donated to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs by Kenneth D. Smith in 1991.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], [Date]; Frank G. Fiedler Collection; Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs, New York, NY.
Scope and Contents: The Frank G. Fiedler Collection consists of one album of photographic prints, along with some postcards and newsprint images. The album was assembled by Frank Fiedler and documents his 1917 service with Transport Materiél [Etats-] Unis (TMU) 184 (also known as the Réserve Mallet) of the American Field Service in France and may also include some prints documenting his 1917-1918 service with the United States Field Artillery. One quarter of the prints in the album are captioned. The images are of good quality and include landscapes, group shots and portraits of men in Fiedler’s unit, and candid images of their daily activities, including transporting supplies, working on trucks, erecting barracks, shaving, eating, and playing instruments. The collection also contains loose material, including a photographic print of the Dartmouth Unit of the American Field Service, (TMU 184) and a newsprint reproduction of the same group portrait, both of which had been tucked inside the front cover of the album, as well as two reproductions of a professional photographic print of soldiers waving goodbye from a train on a platform, both of which had been tucked into the back page of the album.