AFS Ambulances in Convoy in the Blowing Sand | Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs

It was rough going. We ("Fox" Edwards and I) had a wounded German soldier on a stretcher in our ambulance. He was in great pain, so we had to go slowly. We fell behind our unit and found ourselves overtaken by the speeding, churning, and rumbling vehicles of the 10th Corps. All medical units were on the move, so there was no place to leave him. His condition looked pretty bad.

During a brief stop, I recognized our friends of a New Zealand hospital unit traveling on a track parallel to ours. I went over to get medical advice for our patient; but when I got back, the whole convoy had moved off, including "Fox" Edwards with our patient in the ambulance (and, of course, all of my kit). The Kiwi’s were friendly and helpful, as always. They took good care of me for a few days while all units were on the move.

Finally, the 12th Light Field Ambulance  (LFA), to which we were attached, stopped near El Hamma and set up its tents. Here, I found "Fox" Edwards. We were able to leave our German patient here. We all worked night and day bringing in and caring for many more seriously wounded and burned soldiers (mostly German) from the Battle of Mareth.

Location: Wilder’s Gap, Tunisia.