I often check eBay listings for groups of assorted black and white photos in the hopes of discovering some exciting WWI material hidden in the mix.  In this case, I was lucky enough to recognize the uniforms and insignia of the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps amidst the piles of junk photos.  An astoundingly cheap $20.00 Buy-it-Now option was on the photos, so I purchased them without haste.  What a rare treat! Scroll down for cropped versions of the photo.

US Ambulance Drivers in France

This is possibly one of the clearest shots of Richard Norton I’ve seen in a digital form on the internet.  Norton was the son of an influential Harvard archaeologist named Charles Norton who bankrolled a group of well-to-do American men to travel to France to assist in the movement of wounded soldiers from the battlefields.  In this photo we see Norton posed with his fur overcoat, swagger stick and uniform.  I’m guessing this photo was taken to depict a certain group of men overseas at the time.  My best educated guess is that it was a photo taken of all the Harvard men in the Ambulance Corps at the time.  Who knows?

Richard Norton

E.E. Cummings?

Edward Estlin Cummings
1917 Passport Application for travel to join the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps