These photos were ones that Howard M. Fish took during his trip to France, 1969

File — Box: 1, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Photograph number 1: "Our cantonment at Armentieres-near Oulchy-le-Chateau. This is where we took over our Fiat ambulances from the French Drivers. It is still called Monlin Noel on the mailbox. Now it's somebody's delightful and most charming county home. Pretty nice, eh! Remember our 4th of July party there?"
Photograph number 2: "A Little closer view of Monlin Noel. The photogenic gal is my 2nd Daughter-in-law (not preference-chronologically). Observe the gorgeous lawn and the tall La Jolla-type roses. Some different than in 1917."
Photograph number 3: "Glennes-Our first cantonment with in gunshot range. This was a real heavy traffic corner those days. The car is our rented M-B 280's, same series as my own two."
Photograph number 4: "Another view of Boulic Glennes, which was so bustling in our day. There was a traffic gendarme on this crossing, too."
Photograph number 5: "Beaurieux-our first relay poste in gun range. Aside from the patching up and the cleanliness of the courtyard and the sidewalk and street, this is exactly as in 1917. It just needs a board on the gatepost with a red X and G.B.D."
Photograph number 6: "Atop the east end of the Chemin'des-Dames ridge just above Craonne and Craonelle and Beaurieux down there in the lush valley. In '17 this was still wasteland. Now it's a veritable produce display, except for some copses and caves where it is hard to go on account of still-unexploded hardware. I am on the front Boche line. The French mutinied at this spot."
Photograph number 7: "Soissons-Villa Albert, no less. A shining attractive, well-landscaped and re-lawned medical clinic. It looks about five years old. Incredible it should look so good. The broken-glass-topped stone wall is gone. The cook buildings are gone. All is now sterile and tranquil. I'm craning for a better look from the car."
Photograph number 8: "The 'Hostellerie' de Fire-en-Tardenois. One of those recently hotelized old manors, chateaux and castles of which 67 in France cater to the 'Carriage trade' that travel the byways. Good quarters, gourmet food, fascinating ambiance. This one was central to Soissons, Consiegne, Nagon, Peirrefonds, Reims, Chateau Thierry, just where I wanted to prowl. Meet my second eldest and his wife"
Photograph number 9: " Berneail-sur-Aisme. You surely recognize Mrs. Maguiness' Lodgings for Young Men. Not a whit changed since 1918. I could still see tail marks at the foot of the stone wall where we used to convalesce in the thin winter sun from a night of pinard boredom. All the road signs are new."
Photograph number 10: "Berneail again. No plaque states this was our bureau or that Bob Nourse slept here (I think), where we slept next door on the left is now a neat coiffeur and salon des dmaes, heckava lot cleaner than in our day."
Photograph number 11: "Right! Pierrefonds, in all it's everlasting glory. To me it has always need a Maxfield Parrish original. To my son, he exclaimed on first sight, 'Disneyland!'"
Photograph number 12: "The decaying mannequin, supported by an original, honest-to-goodness, real, actual ambulance, is me. I really don't look or feel all that bad. Something about the flash picture that 'done me in'. This is in the A. F. S. Memorial on ax Blerancourt, between Nagon and Berneail. Even the tires are original. I almost stole the sparkplugs from memory."
Photograph number 13: '"Belfort, Alsace. Shot from balcony of our room in a modern hotel. The Lion de Belfort is carved on the side of the eminence upper left, for those of you who may have seen it before. It's there, you just can't see it in the picture."

Dates

1969

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.