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GREENWICH, Conn. Visitors to the Greenwich Historical Society's new exhibit, Everyday Heroes, can check out a restored 1917 ambulance driven by young American volunteers on the battlefields of WWI France. The exhibit opens Sunday.
Called the Ambulance 255 Project, the vehicle consists of an original Model T Ford chassis with an ambulance body built in Paris.
It is available to volunteer organizations to support recruiting and public relations efforts. "Our goal is to encourage young people today to volunteer in service to their community," says George King III of Franklin, Conn., director of the project.
The Historical Societys display, subtitled Greenwich First Responders, includes a vintage police car, a 1957 DeSoto ambulance and a newly restored 1930s fire truck from the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department. The retro rescue vehicles will be on display Sunday, Oct. 9, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Historical Society's Bush-Holley Historic Site, 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob.
Some 1,200 WWI ambulances were donated by American schools, businesses, civic organizations and individuals for service in France. Six were the gift of Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, a Greenwich philanthropist and public health advocate who died in 1921.
The appearance of Ambulance 255 is made possible by Greenwichs Emergency Medical Services. For more information about the Ambulance 255 Project, call George King at (860) 642-7103. Admission to Sundays event is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
The exhibition will be open through July 2012. For hours and further details on exhibition-related programs, visit the Greenwich Historical Society Website.
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