New Britain herald., 1917-10-04
DESCRIBES RAID ON A HOSPITAL
Member of Harvard Unit Tells of
 Thrilling Experience in War

New York Oct. "A vivid descrip- tion of the recent air raid on the Red Cross hospitals in France is given in a letter from Kenneth Gaston, son of Louis Gaston of 143 Liberty street, who is member of the Harvard Medical Unit. The letter, dated Aug. 25, follows:
 Until the last two nights we have had airplane raids every night for week, varying in intensity, but all ex- citing. No doubt you read Of the burning and bombardment of a cer- tain hospital by an escadrille or ar planes. We'll, we. were right in the middle of that raid, on duty after long and trying day. ~. @ ,--a
 Tt was about 10 o'clock; very dark and very dusty. We crawled along, straining to see the road ahead: There were the usual rockets. and an -occa- sional flicker of shrapnel at a raider, but nothing out of the ordinary. Sud- denly, just as we got to big town, a raid broke loose.
 Those raids are so mysterious and uncertain. Of course. they are trying to hit important places, but when a plane is going sixty to seventy miles an hour in the dark, it can't be sure u more. First, we heard the motors roar; they were flying very low, and there is a beautiful smoothness to the exhaust of a. German motor that is unmistakable. Then came the bombs.
 At the first bomb hell broke loose around us. We were in the midst of French aerodromes and all their con- cealed anti-airr craft guns let go at
 
 grabbed our casques and kept on. There was no use going fast, for you may just as we'll fun into one and it is purely a matter of chance. They practically never hit a raider, even when they come very close to the ground. There is, really no defense against an air raid at night. The French pla.es can't go up, for they would hit leach #other. When searchlight strikes plane it shows up plainly, but the aviator dodges out of the light before guns can get him.
 When we got to the town, bombs were falling all around and the hos pital had already burst into flames. We soon passed out of the zone and went on to our hospitals. It was dawn when we passed through on our way back and the hospital was still burning. It was said that the aviators gunned the place after 1t was set on fire. aA
 "I have not the slightest doubt that the raiders thought they were de- stroying an aerodrome. Not that they have any computations about hos pitals, but they wouldn't waste the bombs. Several hospitals have been hit lately. It just shows the un- pleasant work an aviator must do. He has to take the chance of hitting what he can, and the Rcd Cross doesn't show up in the dark.
 1.-TWO nights later Gardner and I were together again on night duty. We had been working all day and half the night and were trying to sleep in the big tent. It is a poor place to sleep, what with blazing lights. the smell of surgical dressings. the muttering of the wounded, and the procession of wounded being car ried in and out. ...'
 Finally the supply of wounded stopped, the lights went out, and we began to doze. Then the raid came, the bombs coming straight across the field toward us. It is a most help less feeling waiting for the next one to land. We all lay still and said nothing
 Just at that time another load of wounded arrived. On went the lights, and they were brought in past the examining doctor, checked off, as- signed to tents, and carried out as if nothing was going on. The Boche was directly overhead. and so low that the roar of his engine drowned every sound. He could have ruined that tent if he wanted to. but our hospital is so big and conspicuous that there is no mistaking it and on he went.
 lover the village they dropped ten or twelve bombs. Then came a hurry call for the victims in the village. We were the first there. It was black as pitch, the streets were deserted, and the few old reservists we hailed were too terrified to be of any use. We kept on till we came to a particular black spot in the road and heard groaning Two teams of two horses each had been caught by the bomb"