Two Brothers: Stories from the Front Lines of World War I

Historic New England will be coordinating a special event at the about the American Field Service during World War I on Saturday, April 13, at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  Archaeologist and curator Timothy Kendall shares the story of his grandfather Francis and great-uncle Edward, who both volunteered as ambulance drivers in the American Field Service during World War I. Serving in the Balkans and France, respectively, the Boston-born brothers documented their experiences in photographs and journals. 

The afternoon at the Cape Ann Museum concludes with a viewing of Our Friend France, the 1917 film produced by the Triangle Film Corporation for the American Field Service.  This film was then used by A. Piatt Andrew and Henry Sleeper, both former Gloucester residents, to recruit volunteers and raise funds during the war.  The film screens courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs. 

Two Brothers: Stories from the Front Lines of World War I
Saturday, April 13, 1:00-4:30 p.m.
Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, Mass.
Free to Historic New England and Cape Ann Museum members, $5 nonmembers
Registration is recommended. Please call 978-283-0800 for more information

Image caption: Edward D. Kendall (left) and Francis P. Kendall (right) in their identity card photographs, 1916-1917.  Item found in RG1/002, the AFS World War I Photographic Collection. These photographs cannot be reproduced without permission from the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs.

Posted March 8, 2013 by Nicole Milano