Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-03-14
HOW THE GERMANS
KILLED MRS. FORD
Bomb Destroys House of Wom-
an Who Wrote, "Keep the
Home Fires Burning"

London. March 12-The death of Mrs.
Lena Gullbert Ford, the American woman
who wrote Keep the Home Fires Burn
Ing" one OF the most popular marching
songs Of the British army. and her Grip.
pied son. Walter, was n pathetic incident
Of the German air raid on London. They
died under the wreckage Of their home.
An English maid, Annie Coxall. by a re.
markable display Of courage. saved the
life Of Mrs. Fords mother. Mrs. Brown.
eighty-six years Of age. though the latter
was quite seriously injured and the King
and Queen sought her out at the scene Of
the explosion Saturday and expressed
their warm admiration for her heroic
behavior"
Mrs. Ford and her son were in bed at
! the time of the raid in adjoining rooms on
the second floor of four-story house.
bomb appears to have hit the roof
close to the partition wall dividing the
Ford house from the adjoining building.
1t shattered the roof and upper floors,
which gradually collapsed. The heavy
| beams and brick wall fell through the
| building enveloping the \chambers occupied
| by Mrs. Ford and her son. They were
thus imprisoned.
The maid. amid the sound Of
| splintering timbers, ran up the narrow
basement stairs. her first thought be-
| ing for the safety of the aged Mrs.
! Brown, to whom she was deeply at
tached. She found the old lady half
out Of bed. and dragged her through
the collapsing walls down the stone
stairs and into the basement bedroom.
| 1t was evident that the whole weight
of the walls and upper floor would
1 soon crash into the cellar, and the
l n rr,tth nj, ~s,tk la-HA 80
her charge and laid her on the floor
close to the wall pulling the narrow
cot bed over her as a protection and
placing upon this two heavy oak doors
In a slanting position. to defect the
falling debris.
Failing to reach the upper part Of
the house again in answer to the cries
Of Mrs. Ford and her son, she had bare
ly time to crawl under the bed beside
Mrs. Brown, when the final collapse
came. The little iron bed and the oak
doors served their purpose. The aged
woman and the maid were almost suf-
located. but two hours later they were
rescued by constables and members
Of the Red Cross.
Mrs. Brown suffered severely from
shock: Annie Coxall was uninjured. She
tried to re-enter the ruins in a frantic eff
fort to nnd the FordS out was nnalIy per-
suaded to leave the scene and 60 to a little
fiat few blocks away. which she had
rented In preparation for her marriage
March Is to British soldier.
Annie Coxall does not think she has
done anything heroic. She bewails her
inability to rescue Mrs. Ford and her son
and regrets the loss of her entire trous-
seau, which she had been preparing for
nearly year.
Mrs. Ford and her son had lived In Eng
land for more than 20 years. The words
Of many of the most successful English
popular songs in recent years are from hel
pen. Shortly before her death she wrot'
what she called an Anglo-American SOM
. I'VE Are Coming, Mother England
which has been adapted to the tune o
Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. the Boys AT
Marching" and the SON with hne voice
{ sang this to his mothers accompaniment
Just before they retired on the night o
the raid.
During the past three years Mrs. Fort
had taken a large part in several wal
, charities. Her home was the scene o.
weekly teas, receptions. and musicales fo'
I wounded soldiers aand officers.
The son was engaged to be married.