Richard Norton (1872-1918) was an archaeologist and amateur baroque-art scholar. The son of Charles Eliot Norton (Harvard art historian), he graduated from Harvard College in 1892. At the outbreak of WWI he organized the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps, known also as "Norton's Corps." It later merged with the H.H. Harjes ambulance unit of the French army, which, in turn, was absorbed by the U.S. Army in the fall of 1917. Norton died of meningitis in Paris in 1918.
Thursday, August 16, 1917:
Was awakened at 4:30 P.M. with the news that [Richard] Norton was in camp. The Chief asked me if I would take Mr. Norton, Mr. Langelier and himself up to [the aid station at] Carrière Sud. At 8:30 we started. It was too late for an easy run. The roads were jammed with artillery and ammunition trains.
About half way between Chambouillet and Carrière Sud we suddenly came on to one of our cars in the dark. It was backed in against the hill with the front end blocking traffic. A wagon driver was trying to pass, cursing like a good fellow. Just then a shell dropped near us and warned us that we were in a dangerous place. We thought at first something had happened to the boys on the stalled car, but they were nowhere in sight and their motor ran when I cranked it up to move it out of the way. We found a wide place in the road and drove both cars out of the danger of passing traffic. Then we dug for an abri [shelter]. On reaching an abri we found the other boys safe, but somewhat frightened. We there also 2 bad couchés which we couldn’t account for until a Frenchman came in with the news that one of our cars was stalled up the road about 100 yards coming with 5 couchés coming from Carrière Sud and that these were two which they had brought into our abri for safety. Chief and Matt walked up the road and soon came back with Wilson Clarke and Shorty Prior who had run their car into a shell hole in the middle of the road and brok
en the front X all to pieces. They had moved the car out of the way.
To go on in that shell fire was out of the question. To go back against that traffic was impossible so we prepared to stay until just before daybreak when traffic ceases until dark again. We had nothing to do but put boards across the 3 ft. space in the abri over the couchés and smoke and talk. Mr. Norton’s a brick. He told us many interesting things among which was the fact that the French attack was being held up a couple of days in order to coöperate with the English on their big offensive in Belgium, that this was to be the biggest attack ever launched in the history of the world and that he didn’t see how the war could possibly continue through the coming winter. Incidentally he said we oughtn’t to have Carrière Sud on our list at all because of the danger and delay--that our cars ought to be working instead of laying up for repair.
Well, we smoked up five or six packages of cigarettes until 3:30 finally came. Suddenly in walked Bart and Jake on their way to Carrière Sud. We got all five couchés out and started to load them in to Matt’s car to go back to Citerne. We were loading № 4 when a shell landed near us. When we turned around to load the 5th couché we found nothing but stretcher. Thinking that he had rolled into the ditch for safety we crawled on our hands and knees in mud four inches deep searching every shell hole all in vain. Jake and I ran up to the abri and asked them if they knew anything about him. They furnished us the interesting fact that last couchés had run into the abri about 5 min. before and said he was going over to La Source. Matt & Rap returned. Bart, Sparks, Chief and myself went on to Carrière Sud. We found the road pretty well chopped up but passable. We loaded up and returned by light of a beautiful sunrise, reaching Beaulieu about 6 A.M. very tired but happy that the night had passed with all of Section 61 present and accounted for. №1 was badly damaged but not irreparable. ‘Twas indeed a warm welcome for Mr. Norton.
About half way between Chambouillet and Carrière Sud we suddenly came on to one of our cars in the dark. It was backed in against the hill with the front end blocking traffic. A wagon driver was trying to pass, cursing like a good fellow. Just then a shell dropped near us and warned us that we were in a dangerous place. We thought at first something had happened to the boys on the stalled car, but they were nowhere in sight and their motor ran when I cranked it up to move it out of the way. We found a wide place in the road and drove both cars out of the danger of passing traffic. Then we dug for an abri [shelter]. On reaching an abri we found the other boys safe, but somewhat frightened. We there also 2 bad couchés which we couldn’t account for until a Frenchman came in with the news that one of our cars was stalled up the road about 100 yards coming with 5 couchés coming from Carrière Sud and that these were two which they had brought into our abri for safety. Chief and Matt walked up the road and soon came back with Wilson Clarke and Shorty Prior who had run their car into a shell hole in the middle of the road and brok
en the front X all to pieces. They had moved the car out of the way.To go on in that shell fire was out of the question. To go back against that traffic was impossible so we prepared to stay until just before daybreak when traffic ceases until dark again. We had nothing to do but put boards across the 3 ft. space in the abri over the couchés and smoke and talk. Mr. Norton’s a brick. He told us many interesting things among which was the fact that the French attack was being held up a couple of days in order to coöperate with the English on their big offensive in Belgium, that this was to be the biggest attack ever launched in the history of the world and that he didn’t see how the war could possibly continue through the coming winter. Incidentally he said we oughtn’t to have Carrière Sud on our list at all because of the danger and delay--that our cars ought to be working instead of laying up for repair.
Well, we smoked up five or six packages of cigarettes until 3:30 finally came. Suddenly in walked Bart and Jake on their way to Carrière Sud. We got all five couchés out and started to load them in to Matt’s car to go back to Citerne. We were loading № 4 when a shell landed near us. When we turned around to load the 5th couché we found nothing but stretcher. Thinking that he had rolled into the ditch for safety we crawled on our hands and knees in mud four inches deep searching every shell hole all in vain. Jake and I ran up to the abri and asked them if they knew anything about him. They furnished us the interesting fact that last couchés had run into the abri about 5 min. before and said he was going over to La Source. Matt & Rap returned. Bart, Sparks, Chief and myself went on to Carrière Sud. We found the road pretty well chopped up but passable. We loaded up and returned by light of a beautiful sunrise, reaching Beaulieu about 6 A.M. very tired but happy that the night had passed with all of Section 61 present and accounted for. №1 was badly damaged but not irreparable. ‘Twas indeed a warm welcome for Mr. Norton.
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