This photograph shows AFS volunteer William Boardman Kinter waiting on the Kalaw Staircase for casualties in Burma in 1945. Kinter and his AFS friends referred to themselves as “Marsh’s Marauders,” which they painted in bright yellow on signs placed on the front stretcher rack of their jeep ambulances. William departed New York as an AFS volunteer when he was only 18 years old in November 1944, and served in Burma until his repatriation in mid-October 1945. During the course of his AFS service he carefully photographed his experience in Burma, capturing daily life for the AFS volunteers and local communities in a world at war, including a series of rare color slides.
The Spring 2016 issue of the AFS Janus magazine features the story of William Boardman Kinter, written by his daughter, Marion. Through the incredible work of Marion, who painstakingly scanned and cataloged her father’s photographs, the entire collection of William’s black and white photographs and color slides is now available online here! You can also read more about William’s life and collection through the archival finding aid here.
