Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-03
GAS AND FLAME
UNIT PRAISED
Philadelphia Officer Says
Regiment Did Most
Effective Work
OTHERS OF CITY BACK
Veterans From Here Among
Those Brought by Transport
to New York
OTHERS OF CITY BACK

Gripping stories of thrilling achieve
ments under the fire of German guns
are told by Philadelphians returned from
the battlchclds OF Europe.
Tho first returning philadelphia SOL
dier in the only American gas and name
regiment to see service in France has
arrived In New York and pays glowing
tribute TO the men In that organization
He is Lieutenant Edwin Smiley, 52O3
Haverford avenue. of tho First Gas
Regiment
Lieutenant Colonel william Taylor.
medical detachment, has also arrived.
The gas and flame throwers achieved
wonderful results in France and would
have worked even greater havoc after
getting into German territory where the
fear Of killing civilians would not have
been so great, according TO Lieutenant
| Smiley.
when the infantrymen advanced our
men protected them under the cnveiop'
| Ing clouds of smoke projected by the
smoke shells and cleared the way OF
much of the opposing units by the lib
eral use of gas and flames" the officer
said.
| Scattered ThrouEhout France
! "Then men Of the gas unit saw ac-
tion every time the men Of the Ameri.
can army got into the lighting" thu
lieutenant continued. land that meant
that details from our organization were
scattered throughout France.
"'rhe gas and flame men had 10 go In
advance of the first line trenches out
into the machne-gun swept No Mans
Land 10 lay the pipes and prepare their
offensc. designed to shield the doughboys
in their attacks, and when I tell you
that so per cent OF our regiment OF 1900
men arc casuals. yod will appreciate
the caliber of work done by them" the
lieutenant concluded.
Lieutenant Colonel Taylor Is a veteran
Of Base Hospital No. 10. the Pennsyl-
vania Hospital unit sent from Phila-
delphia in May. 1917. and tells some
stirring tales of the nerve of soldiers
under the knife and the accomplishments
Of the Philadelphia surgeons attached tc
the unit. He was promoted TO the ranl
of lieutenant colonel from that OF major
a few days before the armistice wa,
signed. His wife and daughter, Mis-.
Marian Taylor, 1898 Pine street. met tn,
transport Susquehanna when 1t arrived
at Newport News.
On the same vessel were many othe
Fhiladelphians. Many were drafte'
men from Camp 'Meado and had beer
sent TO the casual hospital at St Agnan
France. before being certified for pas
sage to the United States. Almost with
out exception they had nothing but re
sentiment to express for the accommo
dations at that point.
Private Joseph Kerr Mckay. son o
the REV. J. 3. Mckay. 2125 East CheltcI
avenue. Germantown. pastor OF the Sum
erville Methodist Episcopal Church. wa
gassed while fighting at Montfaucon. II
spent seven weeks at st. Agnan.
He reports conditions there almos
unbesrable. The men. many of whom
we're recently discharged from hospitals
we're forced to stand in line for hour
for their chow, he said. and the weathe
! was such that In most cases the line
} were formed in rain. Housing coudi
tions, he said. were poor and the foo,
bad. Conditions were worse than thos
! Of the trenches, he says. He was for
merly a teacher at the Mount viey
/. School.
Voyage Uneventfut
The Susquehanna left St. Nazaire Jan
! uary H. and the voyage was uneventful
, with the exception of some exceedingl,
rough weather.
Men from Philadelphia who arrived
on the vessel include:
/ James f. Keefe, 1921 westmorelan,
. street; Corporal John II. Whiting, 614
Nassau road; William p. knight. 365
Frankford avenue; Edgar o. Oeters
1888 South Millicl street: Sergcan
Charles Il. Helm. 1898 North Twenty