The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-06-05
(Wm. d. Hines.)

Washington, June o.-The story OF
the part America and Americans
played in aiding the British and
French during the early spring often
sive OF the Germans on the Somme
can never adequately told The whole
picture is too big to paint on one
canvas. 1t is only by describing the |
work of individuals and particular
groups of workers that some idea of
the American effort and its effective
ness in this historic battle can be
brought home to the people back
homeland then only in a small way.
While it is perhaps only very
small incident in the history of that
great affair, the story of how small
band of American Red Cross work.
ers carried on at one Of the evacu
alton hospitals back of the British
front should make Americans proud.
When all but few of the hospital
staff had left with the two hundred
or more patients and the Germans
were advancing only few miles
away, four American army surgeons,
assigned to the American Red Cross
for work at this particular hospital,
declared their intentions of Sticking
till hell froze over" And six Red
Cross ambulance and truck drivers,
as we'll as several American Red
Cross nurses and aides stuck" with
them.
The Americans made their decision
not because of sheer bravado, but be-
cause the hospital had the oprortun-
ity of serving few wounded soldiers
from day to day--and could save their
lives. And at this writing these
Americans are still there, giving
nuch-needed medical attention to the
French and British soldiers who are
brought back to this hospital because
it is the nearest one back Of that
point of the line.
The big guns of the British and
French have been planted in the rear
of it-and then moved further back
The Boche airmen come over at
night. The little group of Americans
have seen the troops, guns and trans
ports go by in streams to points in
the rear, but as long as the wounded
are brought there, these Americans
will stay.
A few hours after American Red
Cross headquarters in Paris learned
of the big German offensive, it dis
patched eight trucks and motor cars
to this hospital to aid in the evacua-
ton of the patients. Night and day
the Red Cross drivers worked bring
ing the wounded from the hospital to
Paris, drive of from six to eight
hours, depending upon the congested
condition Of the roads
When this had been ACCOMPLISHED
the Red Cross cars went out into the
surrounding country to pick up the
wounded, who were attempting to
walk to hospital, and to aid the ref
ugees struggling along the road. Be-
sides transporting these two hundred
or more wounded men to places of
safety the Red Cross cars aided 1870
refugees to the railroads in three
days
But their work had only begun
Despite the evacuation of the hospital
and the consequent order for more OF
the staff to accompany the patients to
points of safety, the wounded kept
coming in. Ninety per cent of them
were serious cases. Practically all
demanded immediate operations. Not
simple operations, but major ones,
where steady nerve, delicate touch
and sure hand were necessary to give
the wounded the best chance fer life.
Night and day the American sur
geons worked. There were a few
nurses to assist, but all were tired
completely tagged, mentally and ply
sically. Every one needed rest But
there were the mn coming in every
few hours, their bodies pitifully torn,
and suffering untold agonies. So no
one thought of stopping, and even
when one did get few hours off duty
there were the big guns only a few
hundred feet from the hospital. They
belched and roared all night.
slept at this hospital one night
or, that is, attempted to sleep With
several drivers selected a bed in one
oil the vacated wards. bed that had
just been emptied We collected few
blankets and tumbled in with all our
clothes on-taking off ones clothes
in the battle zone isn't being done
this year, you know" is the way one
driver expressed it. Every few min
utes the big guns would let go: the
windows of the hospital which, by the
way, is one of the most pictpresoue