Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-22
RED C]RO)S'SA ABLE !
MEET CRISIS
IN GREAT DRIVE
Relief Army Compelled to
Fall Back and Work
Every Minute.

cross Relief organization In France
tmet the crisis thrust upon it by the
recent great German offensive, when
its lines were / driven back together
with those Of the French and British
armies. is M OF the inspiring stories
of that greatest Of worlds battles.
Caught suddenly on the edge Of the
vast conflict and in/danger of being
overwhelmed by the great number Of
refugees and wounded soldiers fleeing
before the German onrush, the Red
Cross relief army, too. was compelled
its organization and preserving Its
supplies, had to give every possible
aid to the refugees and soldiers.
A narrative of how this was
achieved and how the new Red Cross
lines in the rear were organized ever
while the relief work vas in progress
has been received from Paris at the
Red Cross headquarters here.
Worked Every Minute.
"As soon as the drive started"
reads the story. major Perkins. head
OF the American Red Cross. called
some aides together and made his
was to assure the safety of all the
workers in the field and that Incl
dentally has been assured. But 1t
was not just a question Of rushing
back t safety. No such simple
ignominious plan occupied for an in
slant the thoughts Of any relief work.
81. They were to retire in good or
der and work every second for the
refugees and the soldiers. Other
were to be rushed forward from
Paris. ~
"Just as the German drive tested
the resources of the allies. so, inr
directly. it tested every relief organ
ization. It was necessary to connect
the relief work under q field general,
to keep the transportation lines be-
Red Cross in the field connected, to
work on q big plan so that the work
instead Of decreasing could grow.
IF you will take a map showing
the present territory affected by the
great battleYyou can follow the plan
Of withdrawal which Major Perkins
and his staff worked out. The Red
Cross workers who were nearest the
battle when it broke were those IN
east of Ham. From Ham. Croix-
Molignaux, Nesle and Grecourt, where
there were construction warehouses
and stats and medical relief workers.
including a small hospital for babies.
they drew back on Roye. And on
Sunday an organized Red Cross line
was formed which stretched from
Amiens to Montdidier. LassiGny, Noy-
n and scissors.
Tho next withdrawal was to the
present line where a perfected chain
of stations to help refugees has been
developed. From Beauvais on the
west it passes through Clermont,
Compiegne and scissors.
"CompleEne is where field head
quarters have been established, AS
the most advanced Red Cross work.
ers withdrew from their posts. rein
f~orcenlents were sent from the rear.
When the first accommodating party
arrived there, they found that there
was work to do helping the refugees
with whom h roads were crowded.
Sack they dashedSto Paris to give h
word And back again to Compiegne
with orders and supplies. But the
refugees were no longer alone in h
roads. There were soldiers also.
Though the first plan had been to
help the refugees at this point. the
soldiers.
The Red Cross men arrived for
their second visit to Compiegne on a
moonlight night. Uncouth German
aviators we're flying low and their
machine guns were beating a tattoo
VII 1l0 W. willie 1AAAAS ~ AAAA ~
bomb dropped. AS n man said
while his car sped through the moon
light, '"There was just q piece Of
canvas between men and hell
Bomb Dropped on Truck.
"a bomb had dropped on three
army trucks standing close together.
Their gasoline tanks exploded and a
flame shot up through the clear night
light. Compiesne was not q pleasant
place that night. But therrelief work
ers were stuck there in spite Of ma
chine guns and bombs. Finally they
found the hotel which had been
abandoned and taken over as emer-
gency Red Cross headquarters.
IA Red Cross hospital at Annel
fifteen miles north of Compiegne had
been evacuated, but the American
doctors stuck to their posts which was
most fortunate for there the Red
Cross had a line supply of material
which was transported back to Com
ing through but also for the emer-
gency canteen at the station which
the Daily unit, a unit OF hospital aides
affiliated with the Red Cross. had es-
tablished at that point.
$50 the line drew back from Beau
walls to scissors and with the field or
g%anization establishing itself solidly
and calmly. Fine work is being done
at Beauvais and the movement OF
supplies is now fully organized The
refugees problem has only begun for
the Red Cross, because that organi-
cation has the intention of following
the great body Of the refugees to
their fnal destinations further south
and continuing to help them.
Red Cross kept its field or
Ganizatfon intact but some warehouses
n ~ n M ~ ok;anE -pA01r -0a Aao<raSvod