The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-12
Work of the American Red
Cross In Great Britain

drivers will be picked out in the pro-
sale but efficient routine of the draft
cantonments, and the special service
unique in romance and effectiveness
will eventually vanish.
The service came into being be-
cause of the necessity for lending
immediate aid in some auxiliary fash
ion to the fighting Allies, and be-
cause there were already at work
privately raised and financed auto
mobile ambulance units with Amer
lean personal, which it could absorb
and enlarge. Likewise there was a
rush of volunteering, and an equal
rush of equipment offers, from
schools and colleges and places all
over the United States. So the Sec
lions, each one consisting of As en-
listed men, IL automobile ambu-
lances, and a lieutenant or captain
commanding, were rapidly built UP.
Today there are between 5000 and
10000 men serving in that capacity
While the idea did not exactly suit
previous army plans, which call for
combining ambulances with hospi-
tails, in unified service, it met 9mer-
gency needs, and was adopted be-
cause it was already in operation,
and working we'll
Early in the history of the war
Camp Crane at Allentown achieved
national reputation through its per-
sonal which was made up OF groups
recruited under the auspices of al
most forty leading universities and
colleges OF the country. There Were
sections from the University of
Washington, University OF California
and Leland Stanford, on the west;
University of Maine and Harvard on
the east; University of Chicago and
Hamline on the north and the Uni
yersity of Texas in the south. There
were college boys of all classes and
descriptions; the leading athletes in
their institutions side by side with
the scholars.
Camp Crane, named afted one of
the former surgeon generals of the
United States Army, was established
at Allentown, in May 1917, by Col
onel Ebert e. Persons to meet the
urgent needs of the French, then
hard prpessed at Verdun. 1t was an
entirely new service for the United
States army. There were no forms
or precedcnts, simply the general
outline of the French service, as de-
scribed by Marshal Joffre.
One hundred sections were to be
trained in the driving of ambulances
carrying of filters and first aid to the
wounded.
Two score colleges were combed
for the pick of men and more than
$500 were soon on. hand.
Units of bacteriolgists were re
cruited from the chemists in camp
F! Hospital units Of various kinds came
here for training or prior to depar
ture abroad.
Today the camp is strictly medical
and men are in training for al
branches in this service. There are
laboratory units, whose work will BIZ
designed to prevent disease or com
bat it should new problems arise;
field hospital units; evacuation hos
pital units and organizations to con
duct base hospitals far behind the
lines. The men now are being Sc
cured principally from the medica
camps at Fort Oglethorpe, Ca, ant
Fort Riley, Kansas, Most Of then
are draft troops although consider
able numbers are still enlisting fol-
this work, including former hospita
internes, college mon who have spe
cialized in chemistry, and medica
students from the universities.
An Italian contingent went to Eu
rope under the command of Colone
Persons, founder of the camp, WHIT
recently was the guest of King Victor
Emanuel on the fighting front. Sine,
then Camp Crane has been com
manded by Lieutenant Richar Slice
who during the Spanish American
War had made serum for use in tht
United States. army and who wa.
widely recognized as an expert il
sanitation.