Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: World War II, Art Treasures

Contents 1 The Monuments Men 1.1 Creation of Unit 1.2 Present on Wikitree (so far) 1.3 Sources 1.4 Acknowledgements

The Monuments Men

"The “Monuments Men and Women," were a group of approximately 345 men and women from 14 nations, most of whom volunteered for service in the newly created Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section during World War II. Many had expertise as museum directors, curators, art historians, artists, architects, librarians and educators. Only their job description was simple: to protect cultural treasures so far as war allowed."^[1]

Creation of Unit

On June 23, 1943, President Roosevelt approved the formation of the "American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas" widely known as the "Roberts Commission," after its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts. The work of the "Harvard Group" and the "American Council of Learned Societies" contributed to its establishment.

Thus was born the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (“MFAA") section under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies. Together the Monuments Men worked to protect monuments and other cultural treasures from the destruction of World War II. About two dozen Monuments Men braved the front lines to track, locate, and recover looted objects. Their work was dangerous: two Monuments Men were killed in combat while protecting works of art. In the last year of the war, they tracked, located, and in the years that followed, returned more than five million artistic and cultural items to the countries from which they had been taken. Their role in preserving cultural treasures was without precedent.^[1]

Present on Wikitree (so far)

Last Name	First/Middle Names	Conflict	Country	Other Information
Waugh	Sidney Biehler	WWII		17 Jan 1904 - 30 Jun 1963, U.S.A.
Murray	Edward Frederick Croft	WWII		Major Teddy Croft-Murray, 1 Sep 1907 - 18 Sep 1980, England
Rae	Edwin Carter	WWII		31 Aug 1911 - 2 Apr 2002, U.S.A.
Harris	Clyde Kenneth	WWII		Captain, 18 Apr 1918 - 2 Mar 1958, U.S.A
Valland	Rose Antonia Maria Valland	WWII		France
		WWII

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Monuments Men Foundation (online database, 2020)

• Morrison, Jim. The True Story of the Monuments Men. Smithsonian Magazine. (online database: smithsonianmag.com, 7 February 2014)
• Edith A. Standen, Captain Edith A. Monuments Men and Women note: roster of personnel

Acknowledgements

• Killed in Action Wikitree space exampl for coding tables.