Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-29
Battery D Will Come to {
Wildwood Easter Monday
The Military Company Organized in Wildwood One
Year Ago Will Come Home by Special Train
to Spend a Day


Arrangements have been perfected to bring Battery D,
Trench Mortar Battalion, formerly the Coast Artillery, to
atives and friends. The company is now stationed at Fort
Dupont, Delaware, from which point they will come across
the river by boat early Monday morning to Salem, where
they will board a special train about 8 a. m. for Wildwood,
arriving at this resort shortly before noon. The officers of
the Wildwood War Savings Society, headed by its ener-
geic president, Robert G. Pierpont has been working for a
week to make it possible to bring the company of soldier
boys home before receiving sailing orders for France, which
are expected any day. The company is in command of
Captain Leslie S. Caldwell and First Lieutenant LLOYD
Harris, both Wildwood men. George w. Banks, who has
a son in the company, first preached the subject of getting
the boys here and he procured an order from the war de-
|partment permitting the company to come to Wildwood.
Postmaster George N. Smith made two trips to Fort Dupont
the past week planning for the trip, and at the same time a
lot of Wildwood citizens got busy and the thing was accom-
plished in a fifty. In order to clinch the matter a lot of
money had to be raised in a hurry to charter the special
train. The City Commissioners were appealed to. They
said they had no funds, but they admitted that some money
had recently been turned over to the board of trade which
might be utilized, and which was at the disposal of the
entertainment committee. To make a long story short $500
was obtained from this source, and it is said that the North
Wildwood City Council and the Crest Borough Council will
each contribute $50. This left nearly 5000 to be raised in
order to pull off the trip for the boys. The municipalities
of the island having been MIXED dry, the only way left to
raise the balance was to do it by private subscription
most distasteful method, as those who have had experience
well know. Two men were drafted to undertake it and
they started out yesterday afternoon at 100 o'clock and in
less than three hours they dumped exactly $431. so in
Station Agent Richman's till and promised to raise the
balance of one or two hundred dollars by Saturday. The
Pennsylvania railroad officials then ordered the Special
made ready.
Our Boys will be welcomed to Wildwood by Oscar
Huebners Wildwood Band and the Wissahickon Barracks
Band, the latter to be accompanied by a police squad of
90 men from Cape May.
The headquarters of the company at Wildwood will be
at the Hotel Seacrest, but the boys who have not homes
here to go to will be housed and fed by the people who
volunteered to do SO Tuesday evening at the Odd Fellows
war savings meeting when announcement was made from
the platform to that effect. These people will be prepared
to furnish dinner and supper, Monday nights lodging, and
breakfast and dinner on Tuesday. The special train is
expected to leave Wildwood at two o'clock Tuesday after
noon for the return trip to Salem.
The plan is to make Easter Monday a gala day for the
island. Storekeepers are asked TO close for the afternoon
SO that all the populace may witness the drilling of the COM
pany which is to take place on the plot opposite the Penn
sylvania railroad station at Wildwood. The people should
decorate their homes in honor of the event, and it is whis-
pered that there will be a parade on the best decorated
street. Somebody has said that there is a surprise in store
for those who will witness the maneuverinS of this company
on Easter Monday afternoon that will be quite a contrast to
the movement of the green troops that left Wildwood last
July for Sea Grit Owners of automobiles are asked to
meet the special train Monday morning to convey the boys
to their stopping places, lists of which will be furnished at
the Hotel Seacrest. Owners of machines will report at this
hotel and any information can be gotten there.