The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-10-05
CLEARING CAMP
FOR U. S. AIRMEN
Stars and Stripes Float Over
Largest Aviation Grounds
in England.
FINISHING TOUCHES There
Every Member of American Flying
Service Must Pass Through This
Camp En- Route From
America to France.

Somewhere in England.-From the
tip-top peak Of the highest hill on
the highest ground for miles around
this historic village fiutters the Stars
! and Stripes over the largest American
aviation camp in England.
Stretched over an area of about a
mile and a half square, the camp ac-
commodities about 5000 Yank airmen,
mechanics and privates in the avia-
ton service. Far, far below in the
valley lies the village, with its quaint
old English matched rooted houses
stretched out like toyland.
Every member of the American avi-
alton service passes through this
| camp en- route from America to
France, via England. They come here
Immediately from the American trans
| ports, and remain a week or two, when
| they are dispatched to the various
American and British aviation train
| ing camps. They remain in these
camps three or four months, perhaps
more, putting the finishing touches to
their training. Then they are brought
| back to this camp, completely
equipped, and dispatched to France
| for sky battles with the Huns over
| No Mans Land.
Thousands Have Passed.
The camp has just been officially
opened. Thousands already have
passed through it and preparations
are being made to handle tens of
thousands, camp officer said. Major
Page, son of Ambassador Page, is the
camp commandant.
At the dedication of the post re-
Gently, General Biddle, head of the
! American forces in England; Ambas-
sador Page and General Livingston,
chief of the British air service, pre-
sided. Many members of the Ameri-
can and British diplomatic and mill
! tary service, government officials,
lords and ladies from all over Great
Britain, attended the official opening.
Following the American flag raising
/ there was a review of American troops
from all surrounding camps and ath-
letic sports on the college green. At
night hundreds attended a big, infOr-
NAL dinner given by the mayor in the
town hall in honor of the American
| aviation opening in England. Dane
ing followed.
With Lieut.. T. T. Toole, camp mess
officer, former second baSeman of the
/ Columbus CO., American Association
team, the correspondent visited the
camp.
With it's row after row of tents, the
| camp was a yeritable tented city. In
big, galvanized iron structure at
| one end Yankee cooks were busy pre-
pairing a soup and roast beef dinner
for these hundreds of hungry Yank
warriors.
Bread Mountain.
Hundreds of white lOaves of bread
were piled on huge trays in the
kitchen. 1t was a miniature bread
mountain. They'll get away with that
in one meal, a Yankee baker laughed.
In another galvanized iron structure
was a large Red Cross shower bath
house filled at the time with nude
Yankees enjoying and Shivering
through a cold plunge. At each show
er they were lined up three deep, and
as one would fall away chattering
from the cold water another would
plunge in. The Yankees go about two
weeks without a bath en- route from
America to England and they're eager
to get to the showers here.
Perhaps the prettiest and most
elaborately furnished structure in the
camp is the officers clubrOoms fur
nished by the Red Cross and Y. NJ.
c. A. American flags, pennants and
pictures adOrn the walls, and there's
much-overwOrked piano that groanS
under too much American ragtime.
Here the young officers sing, dance
and bunny-hug with each other while
one of their number bangs the piano.
There's a plentiful supply of Ameri-
can newspapers and magazines there
also.