Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-22
BRITISH ACCORD THE FRENCH
JOYOUS WELCOME AT FRONT
Men Mingle Like Veteran Comrades, Show
ing Mutual Admiration-Heroic Work
of Medical Corps Described.

| pulled back, and not only that, but
| the Medical Corps. so to speak, 1ought
| rear guard action by establishing
| emergency stations as they retired and
taking care of newly wounded. who
| were continually streaming back from
the neighboring battle lines.
| 1t was only about ten days ago that
| the correspondent was talking with a
| medical officer In casualty clearing
| station in the back area, where only a
| few wounded had yet arrived. The cor
| respondent was curious as to the lack
of patients. in view Of the great num-
Der or men necessarily wounded, and
| made inquiries.
| I'VE have a very few cases from the
front as yet, because the advanced sta
! lions have been taking care Of Them"
| replied the doctor, simply.
| 1t seems lnconceivable that this could
be accomplished, looking at the great
| German advance. In ordinary circum-
stances 1t requires a hundred motor
lorrleS to move hospital which ac-
commodities a thousand patients, and
few of the main clearing stations han
die a less number of patients than
| this. The Medical Corps. however,
| have scheme whereby nine lorries
can carry back sufficient equipment
| for a station with two hundred beds
This material is rushed off to form ,he
nucleus of new quarters farther back,
to which the remaining equipment is
brought if possible.
When the offensive opened the Brit
ish had big advance stations at such
places as Noyon, Cugny. Ham, Grevil-
lers and Achiet lie Grand All these al
most Immediately came under pressure
as the Germans SWarmed swiftly for
ward. Virtually the same scenes We're
enacted at all these places rs their
eVacuat ton was carried out during the
first and second days.
Doctors and Nurses Fall.
With the beginning of the drive
shells and bombs began to rain about
the stations with their crowded
wards. but doctors and nurses stuck to
the last possible moment although
numbers of them were killed or wound
ed. At one place several orderlies
We're killed and the lighting system Of
the operating room wrecked on the
first day.
In almost every case the Germans
were pressing close to the vicinity
when the station finally was abandon
ed. At Grevillers, for instance, where
| the medical corps hung on until the
second day. the enemy was so close
that as the patients and equipment
were moved out their batteries rushed
up and began firing at the advancing
enemy.
When it was no longer possible to
remain IN advanced stations every
available lorry and ambulance-and
they were all too few-was called
into use. The severely wounded were
carried back in ambulances. but every
man able to walk was forced to tramp
back to the new station. The nurses
among the first to go. went in am
munition lorries and any sort of con-
Veyance able to give them a lift. All
the tents and light equipment as far
as possible were carried back Such
light articles as could not be taken in
the lorries were thrown helter-skelter
on trains moving westward and left
to their fate. These things are begin
ming to turn up in all sorts of places
Paris having collected a large number
of bundles which came from many
points along the line
Iron beds and other heavy things had
to be abandoned and in some instances
considerable stores of medicines, but
most of these were destroyed and a
torch was applied to the huts. The
precious surgical instruments were
taken in charge by the surgeons them
selves. who in many cases piled them
on wheeled stretchers and started
back along the congested highways.
One doctor pushed his little vehicle
forty miles and others covered dis
tances up to twenty-eight miles. Re
ports show the amazing fact that every
one of the thousands of patients in
these many stations was safely taken
out and that none suffered from the
postponed often. but here again fortune
was with the British and no Ill effects
have yet been seen from these delays.
None the Worse for Trip.
Crippled soldiers who had to hobble
afoot are none the worse for their trip
and, in fact. doctors who examined
them after the tramp pronounced them
a particularly good lot of patients.
Seventy badly wounded men had a
narrow escape at Roye on the 26th.
The station here was one Of the second
line of hospitals. AS the Germans
swept UP all the patients. with the
there were no vehicles available to
| move the last twenty. Medical officers
and orderlies remained behind to look
after them. On the road leading back
from Roye several motor ambulances
came up and doctors begged these to
go and bring out the wounded men
still in the town. The ambulance men
agreed, and the last one to get away
with it's load of wounded came under
the rife fire Of the German infantry.
The difficulties in moving the sta
lions back increased the hardships of
the wounded who had to walk. While
! surgical instruments and the essential
medical stores were taken away, most
of the doctors and nurses lost their
personal belongings. which had to be
abandoned.
Notwithstanding all this confusion.
the Medical Corps continued to set up
its new stations as 1t fell back. No in
stances have been reported where any
man had to go without treatment
! through lack of facilities or of doctors.
During the first day most of the
wounds were caused by shellfire, but
afterward they were due mainly to
machine gun bullets.