This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille. This collection contains material pertaining to both McConnell's service as well as the service of his fellow Lafayette Escadrille members, including Kiffin Rockwell, Victor Chapman, and Raoul Lufbery. The correspondence includes letters from McConnell to his family and friends, as well as condolence letters from McConnell's friends to his family after his death. The photographs include images of McConnell, his friends--both ambulance drivers and pilots, aircraft, his grave, his crypt in the Lafayette Memorial, and also his memorial in Carthage, North Carolina. The newspaper articles include ones written by McConnell about his war service.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
James Rogers McConnell (1887-1917) was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born in Chicago, McConnell attended two years of schooling at the University of Virginia before leaving the law school in 1910 to join his family in Carthage, North Carolina. There, he served as a land and industrial agent of the Seaboard Airline Railway and as secretary of the Carthage Board of Trade. After war broke out in Europe, McConnell arrived in France to enlist with the American Ambulance Corps. McConnell withdrew from the Ambulance Corps and entered the aviation training program, becoming one of the first members of the Lafayette Escadrille. McConnell first flight was on May 13, 1916, in which he flew a Nieuport biplane. McConnell was shot down and killed on March 19, 1917 above the Somme Battlefields. He was the author of the book Flying for France.
Provenance:
James M. Truitt, gift, 1963, NASM.XXXX.0232
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
In August 1914, Paul Ayres Rockwell (b.1889) and his brother, Kiffin Yates Rockwell, Americans of French extraction, volunteered to fight for France in the coming war (World War I). The photographs in this collection were (with very few exceptions) taken by Paul Rockwell from 1914 to 1918. Further information can be found in Paul Ayres Rockwell's book, American Fighters in the Foreign Legion 1914-1918 (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1930) [SIL Catalog No. D548.35 R6X NASM].
Biographical / Historical:
The Rockwells were assigned to Battalion C, 2nd Marching Regiment, of the Second Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. First stationed near Toulouse, France, on October 2, 1914, they arrived at Camp de Mailly, and soon saw action in trenches near Craonelle. Photos show the Americans both in the trenches and relaxing behind the lines. Paul Rockwell was wounded in Winter 1914-1915; after a long hospital stay he was invalided out of the Legion but "...remained in France to be near his brother, and engaged in French propaganda work." (Rockwell, p. 58). In April 1915, Kiffin Rockwell transferred to the First Foreign Regiment, joining the American Squad in Company 2, Battalion B. On September 2, 1915, he transferred to the French Aviation Service. On April 16, 1916 the Escadrille de Chasse Nieuport 124 (l'Escadrille Americaine), known as the "Lafayette Escadrille"; it was composed of American volunteer aviators under the command of French officers. The Escadrille's first victory was scored by Kiffin Rockwell on May 18, 1916. Photos from this period center around the activities of the Escadrille, predominantly depicting pilots and off-duty scenes, but including a number of aircraft photos. On September 23, 1916, Kiffin was shot down near Rodern, Alsace, and killed. Paul Rockwell continued to photograph the Escadrille through 1917; the few photos from (late) 1918 are of grave sites.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Paul Ayres Rockwell, unknown, unknown, XXXX-0609, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Search this
This collection contains three scrapbooks and four certificates relating to Edwin C. Parsons' aviation career.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains three scrapbooks and four certificates relating to Edwin C. Parsons' aviation career. The three scrapbooks include photos, news clippings, and mementos from Edwin C. Parsons' expatriate years, 1914-1924. Included in the albums are photos of Parsons' service in France with the Lafayette Escadrille and Les Cigognes squadron, his repatriation certificate, French military citations, and his memoir Fighting Men of the Sky, published in 40 installments weekly beginning 24 March 1918. Also included are news clippings of Parsons' exploits during his varied career.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged by type of material; the scrapbooks are in original order and the loose items are housed at the end of the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Rear Admiral Edwin C. Parsons (1892-1968) had a varied aviation career, serving in two World Wars. Parsons graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1910 and after attending the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to California where he learned to fly at Dominguez Field. Parsons was commissioned with the Mexican Aviation Corps in 1914 where he trained Pancho Villa's pilots. In 1915, he worked his way to Europe where he joined the Lafayette Escadrille, and was credited with eight kills, making him an ace. From 1920 until 1923, Parsons was a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He then went to Hollywood where he became a script writer and technical advisor, working on such films as Wings, Dawn Patrol, and The Great Adventure. In 1934 he joined the Naval Reserve where he advanced to the rank of Rear Admiral. During World War II Parsons served on an aircraft carrier and took part in amphibious landings in the South Pacific. He retired from the service in 1954.
Provenance:
Adm. Edwin C. Parsons, Gift, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0308
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
The story of the Lafayette Escadrille told by its commander, Captain Georges Thenault, translated by Walter Duranty, with an introduction by André Tardieu
Over the front : a complete record of the fighter aces and units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918 / Norman L.R. Franks & Frank W. Bailey
This collection consists of a manuscript, 'Letters Home From the Lafayette Flying Corps,' comprised of Alan's correspondence during the war, his brother Jack's journal, newspaper articles, and sympathy letters to Alan's parents from his friends after his death; two letters from Alan Nichols to W.H. Nichols, September 8 and November 21, 1917; and five photographs taken by Alan in France, circa 1917.
Biographical / Historical:
Alan H. Nichols (189 -1918) was a student volunteer for the Standford ambulance corps during World War I. Within six months Nichols switched over to the French aviation service, where he flew a SPAD for the Escadrille 85. He was cited twice and was awarded the Medaille Militarie posthumous. Nichols died of an abdomen wound he received during a patrol run between Compiegne and Soissons in 1918.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Alan and Nancy Nichols, unknown, 1992, 1992-0047, Donor
Restrictions:
Donor holds copyright on materials.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of 140-150 3.5 by 5 inch photographs of the Lafayette Escadrille during WWI. There are photographs of individual officers, groups of soldiers, planes, and funerals/ memorials for members of the regiment.
Biographical / Historical:
The Lafayette Escadrille was comprised of American volunteer pilots fighting in the French Air Force during World War I (WWI) while the United States was still neutral. Dr. Edmund L. Gros, medical director of the American Field Service (AFC), and Norman Prince, an American expatriate already flying for France, led the effort to persuade the French government to authorize a volunteer American air unit fighting for France. The successes of the Lafayette Escadrille brought fame, and an increasing number of American volunteers sought service with them. Ten months after the United States' formal entry into the war the Escadrille passed into American hands.
Provenance:
Unknown, Gift, Unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Search this
This photo collection is comprised of copyrighted photographs of the campaigns of the Foreign Legion and the Franco-American Squadron, known as the Lafayette Escadrille, during World War I. This collection also contains aerial views of Washington, DC, and photographs of 1920s aircraft. Besides photographs, the collection includes biographical material on Soubiran as well as newspaper articles, correspondence, life insurance policies, discharge papers, and obituary cards.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Soubiran was an American aviator during World War I. Soubiran was one of the first Americans to arrive in France in 1914, enlisting with the Foreign Legion, and one of the last to leave in 1919 after flying with the Lafayette Escadrille. He later attained the rank of Major in the U.S. Air Force.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
No donor information, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0230, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Robert Soubiran was a World War I pilot, a member of the Lafayette Escadrille, and a photographer. This accession contains biographical material on Soubiran and includes WW I photographs of aircraft flyers, soldiers, and war scenes. This accession also includes newspaper articles, correspondence, life insurance policies, discharge papers, and obituary cards.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Soubiran Family, Gift, 1989, 1989-0038, Unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
![View James Rogers McConnell Collection [Truitt] digital asset: Finding aid](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=120&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/findingaid.gif "Finding aid")
