Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-20
OFFICER PRAISES
STATE SOLDIERS
Private Tomlin Sends Let
ter From Rainbow Divi.
sion Commander
REFERS TO VICTORIES
In Champagne, on Ourcq and
and in Lorraine Men Won
Glory

Pennsylvania men-many of then
Philadelphians-have done much to wir
the letter or commenda tion which the
commander of the Forty-second Grain
bow Division has addressed to the of.
hcers and men of the division. A co;,
OF this letter, which reviews the divis.
ions work since it landed in France. has
been sent to Philadelphia by Private
Richard t. Tomln. of the 185th Ambu-
lance Company. The copy came with a
letter to Prvae Tomlin's brother. ]. l..
Tomlin, 6Sll Lincoln drive, German
town.
private TOmlin Is a former Central
High School boy. and he has received
several citations from the French Gov
eminent. He enlisted April 4. 1917, in
the First New Jersey Ambulance Com.
pHnr. and went across with the Rainbow
Division.
The Commentator
The letter Of commendation in part
follows:
Your first elements entered the
trenches in Lorraine on February 81
You served on that front for | 70 days
You were the first American division to
hold divisional sector, and when you
continuously as a division in the trenches
for longer time than any other Ameri-
can division Although you entered the
sector without experience in actual war
fare, you so conducted yourselves as to
win the respect and affection of the
French veterans with whom you fought
Under gas and bombardment, in raids.
in patrols, in the heat of hand-to-hand
combat and in long, dull hours Aof trench
routine SO trying TO a soldiers spirit YOU
bore yourselves in n manner worthy OF
the traditions of our country.
Crushed German Assault
You were withdrawn from Lorraine
and moved Immediately to the Cham
payne front. where during the critica |
days from July IA to July IS YOU had
the honor of being the only American
division to fight in General Gouraud' s
army. which so gloriously obeyed his
order. We will stand or die. and by it's
iron defense crushed the German assault
and made possible the offensive of July
ls to the west of Rheims
From Champagne you were called to
take part In exploiting the success north
OF the Marne Fresh from the battle
front before Cha'one, you were thrown
against the picked troops OF Germany.
For eight consecutive. days you alta ed
skillfully prepared positions You cap
tured great stores of arms and muni-
tions. You forced the crossing of the
Ourcu. You took Hill 212. Sergy. Meurcy
Ferme and Seringes by assault You
drove the enemy. including an Imperial
Guard division, before you for depth Of
hfteen kilometers. When your infantry
was relieved it was in full pursuit of the
retreating Germans, and your artillery
n nd
other American division in the advance
to the Nese.
Three IIonOrs Given
For your services in Lorraine your
division was formally commended in
general orders by the French army corps
under which you SER ed For your serv-
ices in Champagne your assembled of
fcers received the personal thanks and
of General Gouraud him
self For your services on the Ourcu
your division was officially complimented
In letter from the commanding gen
eral First Army Corps. of July %,
1918"
Accompanying the copy Of the COM
mendation is a letter in which Private
Tomlin describes "the most terrible bar
rage of shrapel and gas of the war
lasting four days and four nights"
at was almost unendurable." he says
and then more than ever did the fell
.ows realize there was n good and
gracious God watching over us. It was
terrible on our ears and nerves. Time
after time l drove my ambulance over
the shell-torn roads. and all the time
Immersed in that deadly gas with the
peppering our cars. Once a
shell broke between me and pal who
was driving his car only twenty feet
ahead. He was killed and my car was
rdded, but ] came through safely"