U.S. Army Ambulance Service records

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Background note

Scope and Contents note

Administrative Information

Controlled Access Headings

Collection Inventory

Summary Information

Repository

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Title

U.S. Army Ambulance Service records

ID

3976

Date [inclusive]

1918-1919

Extent

0.7 Linear feet ; 1 box

Author

Finding aid prepared by Annie Halliday.

Sponsor

Processing made possible by a generous donation from Howard and Maxine Lewis.

Language

English

Abstract

The U.S. Army Ambulance Service (USAAS) was a branch of the U.S. Army during World War I (1914-1918). The War Department established this unit in June 1917 as an attempt to provide aid evacuation of the wounded and medical services to the British, French, and Italian armies during the war. The establishment of the USAAS ensured continuous operation of the medical and ambulance services. Those enlisted in the U.S. Army Ambulance Service were trained at Camp Crane, located in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Army Ambulance Service records includes approximately 803 index cards with information on enlisted men in the U.S. Army Ambulance Service. These cards include the recruitments name, home address, emergency contact information, birth date, occupation, date of enlistment, military rank and section, places and dates of deployment, and other information. The cards are from an alphabetical file and span the initial letters "A" to "G." Many of the personnel represented are from Pennsylvania, but there are cards from men who enlisted nationwide.

Return to Table of Contents »

Background note

The U.S. Army Ambulance Service (USAAS) was a branch of the U.S. Army during World War I (1914-1918). The War Department established this unit in June 1917 as an attempt to provide aid of the evacuation of the wounded and medical services to the British, French, and Italian armies during the war. The USAAS also provided an opportunity for the Medical Department to commission those with specialties that were in high demand. Originally the USAAS was authorized to have 203 officers and was organized into 160 sections known as sanitary squad units (SSU). This soon increased to 214 army officers and 169 SSU sections. USAAS officers were initially active duty Medical Corps physicians, these physicians were replaced by non-physician USAAS commissioned officers. As of June 30, 1918, there was an additional increase to the number of officers, and a total of 11,750 personnel served in the USAAS during WWI. 182 enlisted soldiers were killed in action or died of wounds sustained in battle. Another 320 were wounded or gassed. No USAAS officers were killed during their time in the war.

Those enlisted in the U.S. Army Ambulance Service were trained at Camp Crane, located in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The U.S. government signed a $37,000 a year lease to use the Allentown fair ground as a training facility, on May 24, 1917. Camp Crane provided recruits a chance to run evacuation drills, marching exercises, learn first aid, and learn ambulance repair and maintenance. Many recruits also learned how to drive while at Camp Crane since that was a relatively new skill. Camp Crane was in operation for two years and more than 20,000 men were trained there. The camp was dismantled by the Army and returned to its original purpose on April 10, 1919.

Two different contingents were sent over to Europe; the first to France on August 21, 1917; the second to Italy on June 27, 1918. Colonel Persons took 30 units, 76 officers and 1,641 enlisted men to Genoa, Italy. Once the USAAS arrived in Italy the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) reassigned fifteen sections of the USAAS to American units in France. The recruits, and the training received from the USAAS, were proven exceptional in France and Italy. Many SSU members were decorated with medals of honor; the Distinguished Service Cross, and the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star for Bravery. In Italy, SSU 526 evacuated 29,852 patients during the Piave advance in June 1918, and their commander USAAS Captain William A. Lackey was awarded the Italian Cross. Due to the creation of the U.S. Army Ambulance Service, soldiers in WWI had a greater chance of surviving then in previous wars. It greatly aided the Medical Department’s ability to evacuate wounded soldiers to the United States

Return to Table of Contents »

Scope and Contents note

The U.S. Army Ambulance Service records includes approximately 803 index cards with information on enlisted men in the U.S. Army Ambulance Service. These cards include the recruitments name, home address, emergency contact information, birth date, occupation, date of enlistment, military rank and section, places and dates of deployment, and other information. If the recruit provided emergency contact information, they would list the person’s name, relation, and address. The cards sometimes provide details if the man listed on the card died, was reassigned, or discharged. The cards are from an alphabetical file and span the initial letters "A" to "G." Many of the personnel represented are from Pennsylvania, but there are cards from men who enlisted nationwide. Most or all of them were deployed on June 27, 1918, and stationed in Genoa, Italy, with the USAAS.

Return to Table of Contents »

Administrative Information

Publication Information

 Historical Society of Pennsylvania ; 2018.

Access restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Return to Table of Contents »

Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• Colly's Collectibles.
• United States. Army. Ambulance Service.
• United States. Army. Medical Service Corps..

Geographic Name(s)

• Allentown (Pa.)
• Genoa (Italy)
• Lehigh County (Pa.)

Subject(s)

• United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.
• United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces, 1917-1919.
• World War I.

Return to Table of Contents »

Collection Inventory