Papers of Gustave Porges, Quartermaster, American Expeditionary Force, and his immediate...

The most significant part of the Collection is the material relating to Gustave Porges and the First World War. These papers are mainly concerned with his official duties as Quartermaster, 1917-1921, and include a small quantity of war memorabilia, 1913-1919. Many of the documents deal directly with issues of stores and subsistence markets, but some more general correspondence about current conditions and the war is also present. Post-war material is in the form of memorabilia, for example recording exceptional public service in New York.

William Waldo Porges' papers, 1929-1932, consist solely of routine administrative papers relating to his position as a solicitor in London.

The papers of Alice Porges of New York include a letter of condolence from John Pershing on the death of her husband Gustave. The remainder comprises invitations to charity events, and acknowledgements for her gifts and donations made during the Second World War. There are also a number of newspaper cuttings, 1914-19 and 1925-38, relating to events with which Gustave Porges was associated. Photographs of Porges and other officers, 1917-1934 are present. Finally, there is a section of miscellaneous material relating to British records and ephemera of the Second World War. This includes petrol ration forms, information sheets, and the music and lyrics to '(We're Gonna Hang Out) The Washing on the Siegfried Line'.

Correspondence, newspaper cuttings, photographs

The material has been listed chronologically within series divided according to form (correspondence, newspaper cuttings).

Photocopies and photographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only depending on the condition of the documents.

Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.

Accessible to all registered readers.

The papers came to the University library from a family member in 1984.

The papers in the collection relate to three members of the Porges family. Gustave Porges was an American. The entry of the United States into the First World War saw Porges temporarily abandon his commercial interests with the firm Strohmeyer, Arpe and Company, New York, and join the Quartermaster Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces commanded by General J.J. Pershing. Responsible for supplies to the Army in France, Porges had been promoted to the rank of Major by 1917. Following the cessation of hostilities he was sent to Spain to report upon subsistence matters there, and achieved the rank of Colonel early in 1919. He received 12 medals from foreign countries for his services during the War, including the French Legion of Honour. Colonel Porges died in May 1940.

Other papers relate to Porges' wife, Alice Emma Porges, and son William Waldo Porges, a lawyer.