Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-09-12
home COMMUNICATION
SERVICE IMPORTANT
Red Cross Organization In
England Tends to Also
lutte Reliability,

w AACSO |
lutte Reliability.
London (by maiU--The HON con-
muliication service" branch Of the
American Red eros work, which has
already become we'll known IN the |
United States, now has it's own de-
partment at h American Red Cross
headquarters in London. occupying an
entire floor at 40 Grosvenor Gardens, |
unde Capt. Herbert Peterborough. He
commands n large staff OF workers ana
"searclers.' who are stationed at vari-
Gus points throughout Great Britain.
where they are i'll constant touch with
camps and hospitals, where American
soldiers ere to be found.
Relatives ut home of American SOL
diers in Europe desire information of
MANY kinds about the men. The aim OF
the Red Cross home communication
service is to see that all these inquiries
arc promptly and adequately answered.
This work has many phases. but the
most important is thai which deals
With Inquiries about mon who have
been wounded or taken sick. The Red
Cross aims to keep i'll constant touch
with every American hospital case and
to sec that the fullest reports Oh each
case go onward promptly to the anxi-
GUS relatives in America. The soldic.
III lOSEittt Is lOIiCWeu care1uIiN
throughout his stay there and through
out his convalescancc and everything
possible Is con TO see thai he is kept
in touch with home.
Emphasis is placed particularly or
II point-that infnrrraticn ga'Nn"nd
by the home communication service
shah be absolutely correct ana .....f.
and shall be transmitted With the
greatest possible promptitude. 1t mus.
be borne in mind. OF course. tha. all
lines of communication between Eu-
rope and America arc at present over
burdenel. and military use Of those
lines OF communication must moi be
interfered with: but, aside from this
consideration. Tic homo communication
work OF the Red Cross takes preced-
eacc over everything else and no un-
necessary delays are permitted.
The Work of Tie Home Con.nullica-
ton Service in England is just start
ing. but air ,ady nearly .po reports
weekly are being made to Washington,
and. through Washington. TO the farai-
lies in America OF men in England. in
all the camps the soldiers are informed
that this free Home Communication
service is available. They are old
where they can find the specia! repre-
sentative charged with the work in
their district. and are encouraged to
make the fullest use Of his services.
In the hospitals, the representatives OF
the department are daily in touch with
every American patient sicl: or wound
ed, and frequent reports on his progress
are made TO headquarters.
Had Wide Business Experience.
Captain Peterborough came to the
Red Cross from q great business house
i in New York, where lie was u recog-
nized expert on filing systems and
business methods. For the statistical
branch OF his London office he hss
! developed q con. prehcnsive system III
, indeSing and compiling, which will en-
able instant reference to the hospital
history of any one of thousands OF
American soldiers. The system will be
expanded indefinitely as need arises.
and inquiries from relatives on official
departments regarding soldiers in this
country can often be answered from
these records within Il few minutes of
receipt. IL necessary this first report
can be supplemented by the depart
naent's "searchers' II if possible by'
an interview with the man himself.
Thc work in the hospitals in Great
Britain is complicated by the fact that
a large proportion of the American hos
pital cases must necessarily go to Brit
fish hospitals. scattered. all over the
British Isles. For instance, American
troops are taken i'll in transit OF at
points where they are brigaded in small
D00lCS WlIfl BTlt!St! troops, Is Ill Ilc
case Of the numerous aviation units.
These men are taken to the nearest
availab BILE military hospital. whether it
is British or American. But even ii
they are in a British hospital, Captain
Edenbo. ough's representative is al
hand, ard follows their case just as
carefully and comprel,ensively as II
they were in a purely American insti-
tuition.
On a recent dag. for example. the
Red Cross records showed that there
were about 1000 American soldiers IN
hospitals in Great Britain, Il large mum
Der OF whom wee in British HOSPITALS
In each Of these cases the Home Com
munication service department has q
complete record with a description OF
the patients illness or wounds. and
the address OF his nearest relative In
the States.
A French hospital.