By Johnamarie Macias and Nicole Milano
Title: Wilbur R. Bernardi Collection, 1941-1998
Predominant Dates:1943-1949
ID: RG2/018
Creator: Bernardi, Wilbur R. (Ralph) (1923-)
Extent: 1.1 Cubic Feet. More info below.
Arrangement: This collection is partially processed. The papers in Box 1 are alphabetically by folder title. The artifacts in Box 2 are arranged by size.
Date Acquired: 00/00/2006
Wilbur Ralph Bernardi (1923- ) was an American Field Service (AFS) ambulance driver from 1943 to 1945. The Wilbur R. Bernardi Collection contains photographs, memorabilia and documents related to his service as an ambulance driver during World War II, and post-war correspondence between Bernardi and fellow AFS ambulance drivers.
The Wilbur R. Bernardi Collection contains material documenting his time with the American Field Service (AFS),including Bernardi’s AFS identification card, Geneva card, Selective Service classification cards, and documents from his application process, as well as Italian tourist maps, magazine clippings, armed forces booklets published during World War II, and a collection of poems titled “Onward Christian Soldiers!” The collection also includes a detailed wartime photograph and negative collection (with handwritten captions and labels on thin sheets of paper, which were originally placed over the photographs), and post-war correspondence wherein Bernardi enlisted the aid of his fellow drivers to identify the individuals and locations depicted in his wartime photographs and negatives.
The collection also contains artifacts that Bernardi collected during his service as an ambulance driver, including his sterling silver AFS identification bracelet, a 4 x 7 wooden sign painted by a British soldier when Bernardi was assigned to the 8th Indian Division (which he affixed to the front of his ambulance), shoulder patches of the 8th Indian and 78th Divisions, a Red Cross flag and “Sons in Service” flag of unknown origin, a black officer’s map case that belonged to a German medical officer (formerly contained two maps), a teak wood carved letter opener that he picked up as a souvenir from the port at Madagascar on his way to Egypt in 1943, a marker flag for German land mines, and a piece of shrapnel that tore through his bedroll after he had crossed the Rapido River during the Battle of Monte Cassino. A cassette tape detailing the artifacts was also included, which was created by Bernardi at the time he donated the collection to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs.
Alternate Extent Statement: 2 boxes
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Cotton gloves are required for the handling of all photographic material. Fragile material should be handled with care.
Use Restrictions: Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the 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: The Wilbur R. Bernardi Collection was donated to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs in three accessions by Wilbur R. Bernardi: the first in 1989, the second in 1992, and the third in February 2006. The separate accessions are noted on each folder in the collection.
Appraisal Information: Three books related to World War II and military history were removed from this collection and added to the AFS Library. For a list of the books or questions about accessing them, please contact the AFS Archives.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], [Date]; Wilbur R. Bernardi 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 Johnamarie Macias in April 2011. Preliminary finding aid written by Johnamarie Macias and Nicole Milano in 2011 and encoded in EAD by Nicole Milano in April 2011 under the scope of the 2010-2011 Basic Processing grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
