Conditions Governing Use

The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation: [Identification of item], G. G. Raymond Womeldorf Papers, WLU Coll. 0530, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections' staff to verify the appropriate format.

Scope and Contents

George (G.) Raymond Womeldorf was born in Lexington, Virginia in 1893 and raised on the family farm near east Lexington (Va.). He attended Washington and Lee University, graduating in 1917. During that year Womeldorf volunteered to join Washington and Lee University's ambulance unit, which would become U.S. Army Ambulance Service Section 534 and serve with distinction in France. During his deployment, Womeldorf was wounded in the right leg and gassed. He subsequently lost the leg just above the knee and would suffer from lung damage for the rest of his life. Both Womeldorf and his unit received the French Croix de Guerre medals in honor of their service in France. This collection contains a letter from Isabel D. Hunter, a Red Cross Aide, to Raymond G. Womeldorf dated Nov. 30, 1919. Hunter writes Womeldorf during his stateside convalescence. The collection also includes a postcard album compiled by Womeldorf's sisters in Lexington, Virginia. Many of the postcards are written by Womeldorf from France during his deployment and include diary-like entries. Lastly, more than fifty photographs, including multiple images of G. Raymond Womeldorf, are included documenting members of his unit and his experiences in France. Womeldorf went on to become a Presbyterian missionary to China upon returning to the U.S. was a career Presbyterian minister. He died in 1983.

Related Material

Washington and Lee University Ambulance Unit Papers, WLU Coll. 0278 G. Raymond Womeldorf's prosthetic leg is held by Washington and Lee Special Collections. His French Croix de Guerre Medal, U.S. Service Medal, and leather medical bag are held by WLU University Collections of Art and History (UCAH).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Colonia Hospital (Colonia, N.J.)
• Correspondence
• Fox Hills Hospital (Staten Island, N.Y.)
• Postcards
• Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Washington, D.C.)
• Washington and Lee University. Ambulance Unit
• World War (1914-1918)