Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-28
NAVAL OFFICER HOME
FROM BATTLE FRONTS
Assistant Paymaster Eubank Re-
turns After Thirteen Months
Absence In France
TELLS OF BIG GUNS WORK

How naval gunners took advantage
of the opportunity to throw death and
destruction in the German ranks un-
Ill the very last moment allowed by
the terms of the armistice is told most
interestingly by Assistant Paymaster
Gerald A. Eubank, U. S. ~, who re-
turned To- his home in Annapolis last
night after an absence of thirteen
months spent mostly upon the west
ern front and in action in France.
There is JOY in the little home at 80
Dean street where a wife. and boy of
three, and wee babe of eighteen
months have patiently waited for the
return of the husband and father.
'Tll not let him go to France any
more" declares the boy, "and IL he
does I'll go over too, in an airship."
Mr.. Eubank gives a graphic descrip-
ton of the fighting on the western
front, the part the navy men had In 1t.
and particularly interesting is his ac-
count of the closing days of the great
war when the Huns had begun to rea-
lize their hopes of world conquest
were doomed to failure.
The assistant paymaster, who re-
turned as a passenger on the Wyo-
ming with the fleet to New York We'd
nesday, went to France more than a
year ago as assistant supply officer for
battery. When Pershings great need
of men and guns had to be supplied.
the navy loaned the army not their
big navy guns only but their crack
gunners and officers also OF 500 navy
men so used there were but six cas-
ualties.
"We sent our visiting cards TO the
Germans up till the svery last mo-
kment," the returned officer stated to-
day. by the terms of the armistice
eleven O'Clock was the hour set as the
limit We were stationed forty-three
miles distant from the German lines
and 1t took one of our big LAO pound
shells one and one-half minutes to
make the trip and get comfortably set
tied among the Germans. or course
great care had to be taken to prevent
the possibility of shells exploding
within the enemy lines even a fraction
of minute after the hour set for a
cessation of hostilities. So we worked
our guns right up to within three min
utes of the hour named, and at 10:67
we sent our last shell over, thus TAX
ing only about a minute to spare in
order not TO violate the terms of the
armistice"
Assistant Paymaster Eubank states
that the Germans had wholesome re-
spect for the big naval shells. After
hostilities had ceased some Of the Ger
mans told him of the great destruction
many of the shells had wrought. One
FELL he said the Germans told him, in
ten acre turnip field and the explos-
i've force was so great that every tur-
nip in the field was uprooted. Another
had struck moving pic ,ure theatre at
Laon, had killed forty-one Germans
and wounded sixty-three others.
The naval guns were the largest on
the west front and were under the
command OF Rear-Admiral Charles t.
Plunkett, U. S. ~ The guns we're a
part of the equipment which Gen.
Mangin, commanding the Tenth
French Army Corps, used when he in
augurated his big offensive last July
under direction OF Marshal Foch, and
which proved to be the beginning OF
the German retreat which never ended.
Mr.. Eubank will remain at his home
here indefinitely. awaiting orders.
Mrs. Eubank was, before her marriage.
Miss Hattie Purvis, sister of Dr. Pur-
Wis, of Annapolis