The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-09-11
"Y" Men Race For Front
With The Soldiers

Paris. August %, tBy Mann -
When Franco-American forces gave
the Boche that memorable licking on
the Chateau Thierry front, the \. NJ.
c. A. canteen department was put TO
a test few organizations OF similar
character ever faced. The battle
moved swiftly. The Red Triangle
had to move with equal celebrity or
get left Getting left is one thing
that the ''Y'' objects to. 1t never
has happened since the overseas work
began.
So swiftly did the scene of action
shift during the progress of the fight
that the armies ration carts couldn't
. always keep up. Conditions were
such that it was not humanity posi-
BILE to give the men the food that nor
mally is issued to them. In some
cases, it was impossible to give them
any. The Y. NJ. c. A, supplies, ordi-
narily classed as something to sup
plement the ratlonS, became the
means actually of sustaining some
of the fighters.
The story OF how the Red Trian-
gle kept up with the army in this
these exciting days is one of hard
work, valor and efficiency unsurpass-
ed Toiling sometimes as much as
Sc hours at a stretch, almmost con-
stantly under fire, dozens of the Y.
NJ. c. A. workers stuck to the jobs
and were rewarded by being able to
supply the men in olive drab with
biscuits, chocolate, cigarettes ana
hot drinks and gave them stamina to
go on with the work of beating the
boche.
The number of ton miles gotten
out of motor trucks in these days of
constant fighting was prodigious, the
number of hours of labor that the
men were able to put in was almost
inconceivable. The dangers incident
to the service make the small size
of the Red Triangle casualty list
seem miraculous.
Just as soon as the news came
that big push was on, the canteen
department temporarily suspended
all other activities and devoted its
attention to rushing supplies to the
front Biscuits, chocolates and Gig
arettes, destined for points in the
reserve areas were requisitioned and
loaded on trucks bound for the scene
of the hottest fighting. Even the
warehouse filled with supplies to be
used against the possibility of an
evacuation of Paris was emptied in
order that the Army might be fed.
No matter how fast or how far the
fighting units went, a Y NJ. C. A.
man was right on the heels of the
soldiers. The trucks were taken as
WoHIu nave been SUICIDAL Tor wheel
ed traffic to venture closer to the
lines, the workers packed food and
smokes on their backs.
There were so many instances of
heroic conduct under fire that before
the matter was a day old, the Army
had ceased to remark on the courage
of a Y NJ c.. 4. secretary in remain
ing at his post when men were being
killed all around him.
One wearer OF the Red Triangle,
Rev. Walter Rue Murray, of East Or
ange, N. j., was killed by shell con-
cussion while actually distributing
food to the men in his canteen. Sew
eral cases of shell shock and gassing
were reported, but in most cases the
victims insisted on sticking" until
it was all over.
1t is estimated that an average of
200 tons of supplies day were han
died by the canteen department in
the week when the struggle was
fiercest. A large proportion of this
was distributed gratis, as the field
workers were instructed to see that
no soldier wanted for anything that
could be supplied him, whether he
had money to pay for it or not The
idea was to serve and let the ex-
chequer take care of itself.