By Cherie Acierno
Title: Laurence V. Benet Collection, 1914-1934
ID: RG1/005
Creator: Benet, Laurence V. (Laurence Vincent) (1863-1948)
Extent: 0.1 Cubic Feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The papers are arranged by material type, and the memorabilia is housed in one small box.
Date Acquired: 00/00/1989
Engineer and inventor Laurence V. Benet served on the Board of Governors of the American Ambulance Hospital, predecessor and first headquarters of the American Field Service, during the First World War. The Laurence V. Benet Collection contains memorabilia, photographs, clippings, photocopied correspondence, and other documents related to his service with the American Ambulance Hospital in Neuilly, France, during the war.
The Laurence V. Benet Collection contains newspaper clippings about the ambulance service (dated 1915, 1931, and 1934), a French document attesting to his service (1927), four photographic prints (depicting Benet, his wife, and ambulances), and photocopied correspondence from 1914-1919, which was written in French and English and included commendations of his service with the American Ambulance Hospital (including letters of appreciation from General Pershing and American President Woodrow Wilson.) This collection does not contain administrative correspondence reflecting Benet’s work at the American Ambulance Hospital.
The collection also contains memorabilia, including his American Ambulance cap badge, and a commemorative medal inscribed with his name, affirming his service as an American volunteer with the French Army from 1914 to 1917.
Alternate Extent Statement: 1 folder, 1 box
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Cotton gloves are required for the handling of all photographic material.
Use Restrictions: Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection outside the guidelines of United States Fair use (17 U.S.C., Section 107) must be submitted in writing to the AFS Archives. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Acquisition Method: The collection was donated to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs by Thomas Benet in January and April 1989.
Appraisal Information: No items were deaccessioned, separated, or removed from the collection.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], [Date]; Laurence V. Benet Collection; Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs, New York, NY.
Processing Information: This collection was partially processed by AFS Archives staff at an unknown date and again by Cherie Acierno in 2011 and Nicole Milano in 2017. The biographical note and use statement were updated by Nicole Milano in 2013. Preliminary finding aid written by Cherie Acierno in March 2011 and encoded in EAD in April 2011. This finding aid was created under the scope of the 2010-2011 Basic Processing grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
