November 11, 2018 is the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I. To mark this day, we bring you the story of one fearless woman and her ambulance. Maud Fitch, a cowgirl from the desert between Nevada and Utah, wanted to join up when America entered WWI. Unable to enlist as a soldier (she was a woman, after all!) she purchased an ambulance and shipped it at her own expense to France, where she reassembled it and drove it through the heart of the war zone. Cars had only recently been invented, but Maud Fitch drove and maintained the truck by herself, delivering the wounded to hospitals. For her courage and gallantry during one harrowing event, she was awarded the French Cross.

Guest Valerie Jacobson is Project Manager for the Utah Centennial World War I Commission. She earned her BA/BS in History/Geography from Weber State University and her MA in History from Utah State University. Her lesson plan on “World War I: Utahns at the Front” featuring Maud Fitch’s story is available from the Department of Heritage and Arts, and more lesson plans for teaching WWI can be found at the National History Day website.

Here you can join in the national fundraiser to build a WWI memorial in D.C.

Music featured in this episode provided by The Antique Phonograph Collection, Ars Sonor, and Parvus Decree.

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