The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-16
Red Cross Nurse Who Served In the
American Base Hospital In France
Spoke Before keokuk
Chapter.
TOMMY MAKES A FLAG
British Soldiers Use Red and White
Handkerchief and Blue Paper
From Cotton for Banner
For Hospital.

The Keokuk chapter p. A. r. was
entertained on Saturday at the nome
Of Mrs. Martha Hamill Horne, at
meeting which will long be re-
membered as an event in the
chapters history. The program lor
study during the year has been
on various phases of the Europ'
can war, and Mrs. g. r.. AImen-
trout was assigned The Red cross
Work as her contribution to the pro
gram. She knew of these nurses III
Chicago, who had been in charge OF
field hospital in France, and she AMI
Dr. Armentrout went to Chicago TO
see if one of the nurses could be
result, Miss l.. NJ. Johnson came TO
Keokuk on Saturday. Through the
generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Armen-
trout, not only the d. A. r. but two
other audiences had the beneflt OF
her address. Miss Johnson is super
intendent of the West Suburban hos
pital at Oak Park, Chicago. She ana
the force of doctors and nurses VINO
went from America were, while III
France, in the British Red Cross
service. Miss Johnson is little
woman and much of what she has en-
dured and experienced is written IN
her face. She told a very direct
| story with no embellishments Oh
speech, and this simplicity made 1t
the more dramatic
The wounded soldiers are sent to
the hospital in conveys Of some times
as many as 600, in one train. Ell
route from the trenches every man
is ticketed with a statement or the
nature of the wound. This Is briefly
stated by the initial letters as &c. w.
| H." means gun wound in heaG'
Through familiarity the nurses recog-
nize at glance the needs OF the
case. One man came ticketed ''G. o..
K" That was new combination and
no one in the ward was able to read
the cipher but the man was treated
for his thirty wounds When the
next convoy arrived, an orderly went
to the train to ask what &c. O. X
meant, and the surgeon said, "Oh,
that fellow, he had so many wounds,
God only knew what was the matter. .
In the group which went from
America. Of which Miss Johnson was
a part, We're seventy five nurses and
! thirty-two doctors. Crossing the
channel from England to France,
there were 1000 soldiers in the SAINT
transport. They stood on deck with
| life preservers on, with the life boats
in position to- be lowered, with mine
net before the ship and mine destroy
ers on both sides. Landing, they
crossed the patriotic fields Of France.
white with the wheat, red with
poppies and blue with the corn
| flowers.
A Strange Flag.
The hospital camp was near the
village Etaple, and was then and Is
STILL the largest field hospital in
| France The soldiers felt that they
must float an American flag to greet
| the American nurses and they made
one of the red handkerchiefs and
white handkerchiefs Of the soldiers
and for the field of blue they used
the blue paper wrapped about the
cotton This symbolized the respect
and the love which the French and
English always displayed for Amer
leans and for their country.
She told just how a wounded man
is treated from the time he was put
into the hospital bed until he is well
enough to be sent "Ome to Blighty,
which is the way they express home