New-York tribune., 1918-12-11
First of 'O'Ryan's Rough
necks' Brought Back
From t h c Front
Wounded Happy to
See New York Again
Get Royal Greeting at
Dock as They Leave To
Be Mustered from Army

Back in the days when the 9th EN-
pirel Division-~New York's own-was
at spsrtanburg and it seemed that the
ready, anxious, finely trained soldiers
would never get across in timo to play
part, they longed for just one hour
on the battlefront. Weeks and months
psssed, and there they were, praying
for the luck that seemed to be against
them.
Two hundred OF these same boys
came back to New York yesterday, arm
less. legless or otherwise manned, the
same boys who wcpt because they
thought they'd never get chance.
They formed part of the soldier pas
senger list of the British transport
Empress OF Britain, which brought
seventy-six officers and 1889 men into
the city yesterday, the first Of string
Of soldicr-laden vessels due in port
within the next dozen hours or more.
Except for one untoward incident,
which happily was without casualties,
unalloyed joy. This was when ferry
boat laden with 1900 troops tipped as
she left her slip and nearly capsizcd,
throwing terror into the hearts of the
thousands who watched and waved
Proud of Nickname
Men who make a practice of holding
men who are back home wounded "tin
soldiers Now the bravcst, most dar-
ing fighters in the Allied ranks call
ihem "ORyan's Roughnecks," not in
the vulgar sense, but in the veteran
words Of such hard-bitt men as
those from the Dominion and the Com
monwealth, who fought side by side
with them at Mont KENNEL and St.
Quentin.
Maybe some Of the "tin-soldier" or
iginators were down at the pier yes
terday afternoon. Especially would
they have felt badly if they had seen
Corporal William Mitchell, a New York
boy, Allen Valentine, of Rochester.
and Harry Hughes of Brooklyn, for
each had lost an eye, yet they were
smiling and happy. And all of them
were "tin-soldiers," now members Of
"O'Ryans Roughnecks."
There was not one man of the
27th Division aboard tie ship that mad
not taken part in or had seen the oper-
ations of the division before Cambria
and was not able to tell Of the hard
ships it was called on to endure. From
July until late October, when the bat
te-scarred remnant of the Empire
Division was ordered to rest billets,
the full fury of German attacks was
directed at these men from New York
Many Tales of Heroism
1t was this New York division which
cooperated with the French and British
armies in driving the Germans back
mile after mile and had them still re-
treating when the armistice was signed
Ihe slope Of Mont KENNEL will always
oe a monument to the 106th Infantry,
which gave its best.
Like all heroes, the 9th wounded
VINO returned on the British transport
sealed their lips when it came to tell
ing OF their own exploits. However,
from others aboard it was learned that
corporal A. r. Ropp, Of 537 Franklin
avenue, The Bronx, who was with the
~'th Engineers, lost his left leg in
me lighting around lie Catin. 1t was
On October II, while he and other
Engineers were constructing a bridge.
ne German artillery got the range, a
ng she'll exploded and took off his leg.
Nopp slid down a hill. fell into a
s'ream and was dragged ashore by his
'nends just as he was drowning.
Private Bernard Owens, Company II,
,Votn Infantry, of 881 Pacific Street,
brooklyn, was attempting to clean out
Tefinan machine gun nest when he
ell. lie was Iimping about the deck
rom the effects Of operations to his
VS. where machine gun bullets had
ii""aed Private Julian Gerst, Company
~, ~, luoth Infantry, of 1857 Faile Street,
ne Bronx, was shot through both legs
2u'lhg d fierce engagement at Mont
"emmcl September =.
Has Seven Wounds
r. FrNatc Dominick Vallair. Company
y p'th io'th Infantry, part Of the old 7th
,Mov,glment, whose home is 247 West
,o,st Street, lost his right hand Pri-
1SSe S1e William D. Stevens, Company K,
'o 'o'm infantry, of Palisades, N. j., had
en pieces of shrapnel in his right
lpss and amputation was necessary.
StN3te Louis Sweitzen, II West 1Olst
ersieet had both hands injured by ma
ll"'ne I'm. gun bullets. John Brady, whose
"tner rs chief engineer at the Green
bu bS.u hospital. in Brooklyn. and whose
,S. IV'ne Is 239 Withers Street, was shot
dough the thigh and right leg at st.
quentin. Private Elmer Murray was
Continued on page nine