James W. Craig Collection, 1902-1919 | Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs

The James W. Craig Collection consists of six detailed notebooks from the French Army Officers’ Training School at Meaux and his United States Motor Transport Corps (U.S.M.T.C.) service, a bound reissued report (with related maps) from General John, and French and German city maps, all related to his service with the American Field Service (AFS) and U.S.M.T.C. during World War I.

The six notebooks are all bound; two date from his time at the French Army Officers’ Training School at Meaux, August 29, 1917 – September 1, 1917, and four from his service in the U.S.M.T.C., May 15, 1918 – August 12, 1918. The first notebook from Meaux (entitled “Topography: Service des Places” on one side and “Service Intérieur: Organisation du Service automobile aux Armées” on the reverse) includes drawings of French road signs, topographical symbols, and an organizational diagram outlining the structure of the French General Headquarters (Grand Quartier Général.) This notebook also provides detailed information about the French military and the branches with which AFS was involved.  The second notebook from Meaux (entitled “Technique”) includes diagrams and drawings of camion mechanical components, including the Pierce-Arrow, Packard, and Ford carburetors, electrical pattern diagrams, water cooling systems, lubricating systems, pressure systems, and other camion parts. Additionally, the notebook contains written exercises from lectures.

The four notebooks dating from Craig’s service in the U.S.M.T.C. detail daily camion routes and itineraries. The largest notebook (entitled “Commission Regulatrice Automobile”) was created around May 1918, and includes detailed information about the organizational structure of the Regulatory Automobile Commission and the various units (referred to as “cantons”) that comprised it, as well as information regarding the loading and supply procedures for munitions. The three smaller notebooks date between May 27, 1918 – August 12, 1918, and contain military reports as sent by Craig to other military personnel.  These reports included daily travel itineraries and route information for both loaded and empty camions, as well as war-related memoranda. The smaller notebooks are comprised of numbered sheets of paper with two pages sharing the same number; one lined page and one unlined copy page. Many of the copy pages have been removed from the notebook and where both numbered pages remain, those that are unlined have a perforation on the left side of the page. The notebooks were presumably used by Craig to create duplicate reports, maintaining the originals in the bound notebook and sending out the unlined copy pages to sergeants and other military personnel.

In addition to the notebooks, the collection also contains a report originally written by General John J. Pershing after the Armistice was signed on November 20, 1918, which was corrected for reissuance and printed in a bound copy on January 16, 1919. The bound report is accompanied by two related maps illustrating the offensives at Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.

The collection also contains other maps of French and German cities, some of which are signed by Craig and annotated with what were presumably camion routes.  While the bulk of the collection dates from 1917-1918, several of these maps were revised and printed at a much earlier date 1902, though Craig used them while serving with AFS and the U.S.M.T.C.