Title: Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. Collection, circa 1938-2008
Predominant Dates:1942-1945
ID: RG2/085
Creator: Chamberlin, Ward B., Jr. (Ward Bryan) (1921-2017)
Extent: 2.06 Cubic Feet. More info below.
Arrangement:
This collection is organized topically into the following three series: Series 1, World War II, 1942-2008 (bulk 1942-1945); Series 2, AFS Student Exchange Programs, circa 1949-2009; and Series 3, Personal Papers, circa 1938-2008.
Please see the individual series descriptions for more information.
Date Acquired: 01/01/2009
Languages: English
Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. was an ambulance driver with the American Field Service during World War II and later a board member and life trustee of the AFS secondary school exchange programs. The bulk of the Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, documents, booklets, maps, and memorabilia primarily pertaining to his experience with the American Field Service during World War II. The collection also includes select personal papers from before and after the war, as well as select files and photographs pertaining to his involvement with the AFS student exchange programs established after World War II.
The bulk of the Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, documents, booklets, maps, and memorabilia primarily pertaining to his experience with the American Field Service during World War II. The collection also includes select personal papers from before and after the war, as well as select files and photographs pertaining to his involvement with the AFS student exchange programs established after World War II.
See the individual series descriptions for more information.
Alternate Extent Statement: 4 boxes
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Permission to access restricted folders (indicated in the folder list) is required in advance.
Use Restrictions: Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the AFS Archives. In the event that this research becomes a source for publication, a credit line indicating the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs is required. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Acquisition Method: This collection was donated to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs in 2009 by Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr.
Appraisal Information: AFS publications containing no specific annotations by or reference to Ward B. Chamberlin that exist elsewhere in the AFS Archives were removed from the collection. Additionally, books or VHS copies of documentaries that contain no specific reference to Ward B. Chamberlin were removed from the collection to the AFS Memorial Library. Contact the AFS Archives for more information.
Related Materials: For more information on the American Field Service activities during World War II, view RG2/001, the American Field Service World War II Records. Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. is also mentioned in the correspondence files of George R. Collins, a fellow ambulance driver in Series 1 of RG2/010, George R. Collins Collection. For records outside the AFS Archives, information about Ward B. Chamberlin can be found in the Princeton University Class Records in the Princeton University Archives.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], [Date]; Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. Collection; Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs, New York, NY.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Nicole Milano, Katie Sorresso, Aaron Sorscher, and Harriet Williams, between 2017- 2018. Finding aid written by Nicole Milano, Katie Sorresso, Aaron Sorscher, and Harriet Williams in 2018.
The World War II series consists of booklets, photographs, correspondence, maps, clippings, and memorabilia related to Chamberlin’s experience as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service during World War II. The bulk of the series consists of the letters that Chamberlin wrote and sent home during his service. The letters offer unique insight and a rich picture into the daily life of an AFS ambulance driver and leader of an AFS ambulance car company at the front. In addition to describing general activities of their service, the letters also give an intimate picture of his sorrow at the death of close friend, Robert Bryan, his reaction during the battle of Monte Cassino, his opinions on global politics surrounding the war, and his numbness at the announcement of the end of the war. Other wartime documents include a partially filled-out field notebook and application to the U.S. Army, correspondence to Chamberlin from AFS (including by AFS Director General Stephen Galatti), a booklet written by Chamberlin about an ambulance named in honor of a family friend, Alexander Stobo, clippings about his wartime activities, maps of the Italian theater, and personnel files (including his Geneva Card, letters recommending Chamberlin to AFS service, medical files, and documents from the U.S. draft board.)
The series also includes documents related to World War II but created after the war, including material related to driver reunions, and letters and materials that highlight the drivers’ memories and thoughts of their experiences during the war.
In addition to the documents, the series also includes several wartime photographs. Two original photographs show Ward in his AFS uniform and standing next to an ambulance, while two others show him standing next to an ambulance and with a group of presumed AFS volunteers. There is also an original photograph showing an image from the AFS exhibition about Princetonians who served in the American Field Service at Princeton University in 1995. In addition to the original images, there are two reproduced photographs of AFS Director General Stephen Galatti during the war (one of which includes Chamberlin).
Finally, the series includes several artifacts, including the cap from his uniform (although the AFS pin was removed at some point in the past and is no longer with the cap), an armband containing a red cross and stamp noting “Army Medical Service,” and a box in which his mother appears to have kept his letters during the war.
The folders are arranged alphabetically by title. The documents within the folders are arranged chronologically. The artifacts are all in an oversize box.
