Ohio

The main picture is the Ohio Merci Boxcar in 1997.

A small collection of Ohio's gifts are housed in the State Historical Museum in Columbus. Printer Friendly version of the above location information. Whatever Happened to the Ohio boxcar? The photos below were added July 31, 2010. Photos by Earl Bennett. All of the items below were photographed at their permanent 'home' in a storage facility belonging to the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. They are not on public display, but in 2009 were graciously shown to me by one of the curators.

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On March 2, 2011, we received the following letter:

Hi, I am half French (mother) and half Scots (father). My grandfather and great-grandfather both were generals in the French army during WW1 (my grandfather died from mustard gas poisoning). Four of my seven siblings are French nationals; the rest are British, including me. Why make it easy, huh? Anyway, my (French) sister, Annick, lives in Rambouillet, a bustling little township that lies about 30 miles west of Paris, where I too resided for 3 years in the early 60s. She recently sent me the attached cutting from her local newspaper that relates the visit of a French neighbor couple, Mr. & Mrs. Charlres Henri de Noirmont, to the home of Professor and Mrs Merrick of Cicinnati, OH.

I am attaching a translation. BTW, my wife (Swiss) and I (British) emigrated from Geneva, Switzerland, to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1998. Needless to say, we love it here, or we would not have made the move.

Sincerely, Yann Saunders.

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Here is the translation of the article below.

French railway wagon at Camp Perry, Ohio.

The coat of arms of Rambouillet featured on the “Gratitude Train”

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On a trip to the States, last summer, as a guest of Prof. and Mrs. Merrick of Ohio, Rambouilletresident Charles-Henri de Noirmont, former army comptroller, made an interesting discoverypertaining to the memory of the war.

He said: When I visited Camp Perry, I found under a small hangar a French Railways wagon,like those in use during the period between the two wars. The Americans have named thewagon “Forty-Eight”, in reference to the inscription, in French, over the door: “Men – 40,Horses lengthwise – 8”.

Every combatant in the two wars who rode in these wagons is familiar with that inscription.There is s a tricolored banner [red., white and blue] across the side of the wagon with theinscription, “Gratitude Train”. On both sides are mounted the coats of arms of a number ofFrench provinces and towns, including those of Rambouillet.The thanks expressed by the FrenchCharles-Henri de Noirmont stressed that “This wagon is part of a group of 48 of them, each onebound for one of the 48 United States; they were filled up with gifts from the French people tothank the Americans for their help during WW2. This is the one that was donated to the State ofOhio; it contained gifts presented by the townspeople of Rambouillet.”

A former soldier himself, he added that the train was transported overseas aboard the vessel “Magellan” and reached New York in 1949, carrying a huge banner that read: “Thank youAmerica!”

He added also that the wagon had been well restored at Camp Perry and is now protected fromthe weather under a hangar that is open to the public, through an association grouping many(American) reserve officers and men.

This particular wagon bears the coat of arms of Rambouillet; it is a fine symbol of FrancoAmerican comradeship. In Rambouillet, the “American Monument”, in the shape of an eagle, isa reminder that 9 soldiers from across the ocean came to this region of ours and gave their lifeto liberate us, just as brave French people died too, for American independence, in times longago. B.B.”

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Photo captions:

[1st caption, Col. 3)]: Charles-Henri de Noirmont displays the coat of arms of Rambouillet thatdecorates the wagon on the “Gratitude Train”.

[Upper caption, Cols. 4-5] Mrs Anne-Claude de Noirmont and Prof. Merrick stand before thewagon from the “Gratitude Train”. The coat of arms of Rambouillet is located on the other side.

[Lower caption, Cols. 4-5] The locomotive that hauled the French wagons

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[Inset]

The Society of the Cincinnati

The Society of the Cincinnati was founded in 1783 by Pres. Washington to preserve thefellowship forged on the battlefields between American and French officers [of theRevolutionary War]. Rambouillet resident, Charles-Henri de Noirmont is a member of theSociety and it was in this capacity that he was invited to the USA and that he was able to visitCamp Perry, in Ohio. Gérard Larcher [President of the French Senate] is an honorary memberof The Society of the Cincinnati, as is also French President Nicolas Sarkozy

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