The Washington herald., 1917-08-12
Americans Carry Wounded
Through Rain of Shrapnel
Heroic Red Cross Ambulance Drivers Win
Croix De Guerre for Unparalleled
Bravery Under Fire

AS the Purssian shells were still
falling the commandant of the post
ordered the Ambulances to proceed
one at time to the field station
mere hole in the ground. to which
the wounded were brought from the.
first line trenches. None of the other
cars was to leave until the first one
would have had sufficient time to have
arrived at the field station.
To Taylor fell the lot of taking
out the first machine. He left Verdun
and proceeded along the way to Bras.
In the darkness he lost his way and
passed through two feet of snow and
ashes directly over what had been
the town of Bras with never an
obstacle to stop him.
Out of the whole village there was
not a stone left standing that could
offer sufficient obstruction to block
his automobile. Once outside the de-
stroyed village Taylor managed to find
the road and continued without acci-
dent to the sap. There the command
ant officer asked him IL he coundn't
telephone the other drivers, to hurry
| along in order to make as many trips
as possible while the darkness lasted.
Taylor jumped down from his ma
chine and followed the officer into the
sap. Not two minutes afterwards a
shrapnel burst dozen feet away and
cut a hole through the side and roof
Of the ambulance. fortunately without
| inturing any one. While Taylor was
telephonfng the wounded were being
lifted into his machine. He came
back just in time to lend hand with
the last stretcher for his car.
1t was a young lad of % whose foot
had been torn of by a piece OF shell.
The trench doctor had done his best
to bind up the stump of. the leg but
the wounded man was still bleeding
| profusely. AS Taylor helped lift the
| stretcher into the machine the blood
spurted from the hastily bandaged
wound and covered his clothes.
Although he was suffering terrible
tortures from the pain, the French
man, through clenched teeth. begged
the ambulance mans pardon for spat-
| tering his clothes with blood.
The machine started on its trip back
a., The driver felt his way along cautious
| ly. Suddenly a star shell Lit up the
| sky above him and a German battery
Immediately opened fire. By the glare
OF the shell Taylor saw another ambu-
lance moving along the road toward
him and recognized his comrade,
Briggs. Behind Briggs French mule
ambulance was swaying along.
The German shells started to drop
uncomfortably close. Taylor put on
speed and was within twenty feet of the
French ambulance when a shell ex-
ploded directly over it.
Driver. mules and ambulance disap-
peared in gaping hole in the ground.
The American narrowly escaped run
ming into the yawning chasm that
suddenly opened in front of him.
He did not lose any time trying
to look for the unfortunate driver
A human arm that had fallen across
the hood of his car told him all he
needed to know. AS he drove on Tay-
lor passed the others of his section
who had set out to bring in the
wounded despite the risks they ran
and the order against more than one
ambulance on the road at a time.
Upon his arrival at Verdun the
other machines Immediately set out.
That night within ten hours OF dark
ness the section took out 17S badly
wounded men and undoubtedly saved
the lives of fifty per cent Of that
number Of men, for only the badly
wounded are the first to be sent from
the advanced dressing posts.
With the advent of February the
weather grew warmer and it appear
ed as If spring were at hand. In
stead OF using the dangerous road the
ambulances were then driven from the
rear along the protecting banks of
canal, part of which was held by
the French and part of which still
remained in possession of the Ger
mans.
The enemy soon discovered the route
the ambulances were taking and, espe-
cially as the sunken road was also
frequently used by the French for
relieving the first line trenches. kept
it under continual shell fire. Despite
that, the American boys drove their
machines, never more than one at
time, however, along the canal road
and took out the wounded from an
other advanced dressing post which
was a canal boat protected by thick
roof OF sand bags.