Our Ambulances on the Marchese’s Terrace | Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs

Exhausted and somewhat bomb happy, C. Platoon of 567 Coy. pulled back a few miles from the battle of the Sangro for much-needed rest and rehabilitation. We were billeted in a large cold residence in this anciently fortified town on the top of a steep crag. The German army had conscripted the young men for labor and left the town intact.

I happened to park my ambulance (shown in this photo on the right) on the brick terrace of the Marchese’s residence. He liked to play chess and used to join me in the back of my ambulance for a game or two.

Here I also slept on a stretcher and, using my ambulance’s dome light, was able to read at night, or develop my films and make enlargements of my 35mm negatives. My small Kodak Portable Enlarger worked on the 12-volt battery. The ambulance, with blankets over the windows, was my darkroom. A stretcher served as my laboratory bench. With the engine idling, I used the heater for warmth. I preferred this to the cold, spacious sleeping quarters nearby, where we had our mess.

Location: Our R & R [Rest and Relaxation] billets in Pollutri.