Bust of Colonel Abraham Piatt Andrew, 1938
Walter Hancock (1901-1998)
Tennessee marble
Colonel Abraham Piatt Andrew was one of the first Americans to play an active role in the First World War.
He decided to go to France in December 1914 and obtained the right from the French authorities for an ambulance corps, with volunteer drivers, to be attached to the French divisions on the front. In 1915 he created the American Field Service (AFS) and bought motorised ambulances thanks to American donations.
His divisions of more than 2,400 young Americans, recruited from large universities, formed the largest American organisation before the US army entered the war.
Across from a line of poplars, whose rustling in the wind echoes with a true presence, this bronze bust was created in 1938 by the American sculptor Walker Hancock (1901-1998) in the United States. The base of the monument is made of Tennessee marble and made the trip to France aboard The Normandie, as for the bust, it came aboard The Champlain one week later to be assembled at Blérancourt.
This place is a visual and auditory homage to all the young heroes from across the Atlantic.