Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-04-30
BELFAST
Belfast Boy Awarded Croix de

Belfast Boy Awarded Crolx oe
Guerre.
Private Frank L. whitney received on
Saturday the French Croix de Guerre
and the following citation for bravery
General Orders French ASuy
of the East No. 1857.
The Marshal of France, Commander
in Chief Of the French Army Of the East
cites in the order Of the army corps
Private Frank l. Whitney, Co. D. sth
Machine Gun Bn.. Oct. ;. 1915. who At
the Aedeah Farm, hravely advanced
against machine gun nest which did
not cease firing on the position occu-
pied. He courageously continued firing
ed.
Dec. Is. 1918.
The Marshal of France.
Commander-in-Chief of the French
Army of East.
3, (Signed) E. PETAIN.
Private Whitney returned home a few
weeks ago. and the cross has been fol-
, lowing him for several months over
France and finally across the ocean TO
Camp Devens. He had left there. dis
charged. and returned to his home in
Belfast before he was at last located
and the medal sent to him at his home
! il; Bay View street Saturday afternoon
For boy of a who could not pass the
examinations for the Navy in which he
had two brothers. and who was accept
eG only for the quarter-master's depart
! ment to return home after months OF
the most intense fighting and the win
ner OF the French decoration is IN
honor of which TO be proud but he 8
very modest about it, Belfast is proud
of him
Whitneys own story OF the event
which won him the cross was told 10 III.
Journal representative shortly after he
received il. He said: 1T was in the
Afeonne Forest where We saw some o.
| the worst fighting that volunteers were
! called for to 90 out after some German
t pills which were giving US some ,roa-
! be. These. you know are the metal
BOXES sometime called "Hindenbu-e
Pills in which the gunners can 81, and
! ne protected In the citation they are
ca leo machine gun nests. Nine of US
with 4 sergeant went after one and ".
! got IT. they tell me. with a number Of
, machine guns. They tell me also tina,
Inc sergeant. fine chap. was killed. I
was wounded and that put me out o.,
the running for the rest Of the war. 7
was struck in the abdomen with the
shEapnel ard crawled under a cedar
, tree rolling myself up in my blanket As
! cest l could. ] felt but little pain a. the
time. One OF the first aid men came 10
! me and told me l had better try and get
| back to the lines as it would be some
f, Tine before the s,retcher bearers would
! be able 20 get to me. remained under
: the tree until the tree was blown 10
and | thought l had better make a t-y
! 10 get back. l watched some tanks and
tried to follow them but found that they
were going in the wrong direction and
! realized that / was lost in the woods.
! The ArEonne Fores, is very hiily with
woodsy pa ces Oh, not dense and final-
~ found my way back must have
been several hours for l was under the
tree for four hours. l did not begin 20
! eel my wounds until I was on a truck
on my way 10 the hospital and then
every pebble We went over nearly killed
me. ] weighed about II. then. later less
than that but before l was ready 10
: leave the hospi,a! I weighed rs lbs.
. The Red Cross nurses were wonderful.
Just like mothers TO US and would take
their own money TO buy chocolate and
cigarettes for Is. II was the French
chocolate that fatted me up
Whitney went overseas with a cssua,
ou,d, OF about 1000 and was soon put
into the Il Division. On July 18th II
was sent into Chateau.Thierry. meeting
tie ret-eating French. 1t was Il days
in Cha,eau-Thierry. in the mos; active
service; and finally replaced by the as,h
! Div. st. Mihiel where it cut its way
through eight miles OF barbed wire en-
;anglements. under the creates, oarrase
in the entire war which lasted from
O'Clock to A. n. Private Whitney,
was with the division when it entered
Thiercourt where the retreating Huns
had left behind them finely equipped
dugouts and quantities Of dress helmets.
boots. shoes. clothing etc. as well As
! a great deal Of liquor. honey Jam.
bread and other edibIes. The village
vas destroyed and only a few peasants
left. most Of whom were old men and
women but these greeted the Americans
with JOY. Soon after entering the vii
. lage = detail Of some So men under an
officer went to look about and found
barracks camouhaGed BY trees. in
! which were the supplies. The Germans
lad evidently laid the trap for no soon.
er had the Americans entered than !,
was shelled. They rushed out and into
, a trench near by and this also was
: under immediate shell FIRE. OF the IS
! men in the trench only Is came out
alive and four of these were killed GET
! ting back to the lines. II vas in this
trench that Guy Pauershal!. another
Belfast boy, was wounded and a pie.e
OF the shell that hit him. struck on the
lin hat worn by Whitney passing
through it and just breaking the skin
On his head but not enough to be called
a wound Pattershail was badly
; wounded in both legs and the shoulder.
He has since returned home
From here the I'd went 10 Argonne
Forest. While on the st. Mih;ei sector
Whitney was Company runner. one Of
the dangerous positions Of the active
service. and one requiring q cool head
and a good deal Of endurance. for FIRE.
ouen,ly runner got lost and would te
for several days trying to locate his
company which very likely had moved