The 102nd Ambulance Company in World War I

During the carnage of World War I, ambulance companies were essential, carrying casualties off the battlefield on litters, dressing wounds, and rushing the wounded to the rear, often amid intense fire and poison gas. As part of the 26th Yankee Division--the first full American division to arrive in France in 1917--the 102nd Ambulance Company spent 193 days at the front and carried more than 20,000 men in its ambulances. Based on the company diary of Sergeant Leslie R. Barlow and letters by other company members, this narrative follows the unit through its inception in Bridgeport, Connecticut, its National Guard training, passage overseas, and winter of adjustment in France; describes its contribution to British trench fever experiments and role in disinfesting the division of cooties; and offers vivid descriptions of its combat experiences in five sectors between February and November 1918. The work is heavily illustrated with photographs of the company and includes a detailed roster.