Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-01-08

infantry duty, SO Owen was honorahly
I DISCHARGED fran t,e' branch es thc
service. Being a soldier of fortune
+ Uolleran refused TO be dumped on
The army scrap heap" as he ex-
pressed it.
+ In spit # his physical handicap he
wormed his way into the British air
4 service, won pilots license, operat-
! ing a type of plane that did not re-
quire foot manipulation, became lieu
| tenant. captain and flight commander.
| Some climb for a fellow with wooden
feet. but not surprising if you knew
/ Holleran. He had all sorts of thrills
! and adventures. and then one day
| bpt / an getting ahead of my story.
/ Better let Capt. E. G. Lowry tell
| it as he told it to me on rainy
night while l was with the British
army. He was attached to the Amer
lean embassy in London before enter
ing the United States army. 1t was
while at the London embassy that he
first had the case of Owen Cobb Hol-
leran called to his attention. Captain
| Lowry's home also is in Atlanta.
Stranger Than Fiction.
There Is material for book in
Holleran's experience" said Captain
Lowry. Stranger than fiction in
spots. His papers came to me at the
embassy and he has kept up a corre-
spondence. There is a lot in the
chap. He is as clever and brave as they
make them. Re was employed as
clerk in the Office of the Southern
Bell Telephone company in Atlanta.
Like many Other young Americans he
wanted TO see the great war 1t got
into his blood long before our coun-
try was involved. In 1915 he started
ont from Atlanta with friend named
Gray. They had just 500 between
them for the big adventure. They
went to New York and tried TO enlist
in The British army, but the consul
said he couldn't enroll Americans.
Prom crossing policeman they
learned thst a cattle beat was to sail
next day. They decided to work their
passage. They applied ard got the
job. Reaching London. they were ae-
cepted at q recruiting station in Scot
land Yard. The recruiting sergeant
wanted TO know what branch of the
service they preferred. Horeran re-
piled: No choice. Just as soon serve
in one branch as the other. My only
request is that you send Us to warm
climate. / came from the south and
I like it hot
You can get 1t hot enough at any
part of the 'front.' replied the ser
geant. 7 see your point. lad. and
well see what can be done. With
name like yours l think an Irish cut.
At is the place for you Holleran was
assigned 10 the Dublin Fusileers. His
friend Gray went to the same regi-
ment, In few months Holleran's
regiment was sent to Gailipon. He
served through that campaign and saw
hard fighting. The regiment went
with other British units to Egypt to
be reftted after the Gallipoi scrap.
Feet Badly Frozen.
Next Holleran went with the Dub
lin Fusiieers into Serbia with the first
allied expedition. In the mountains
many of the soldiers suffered from
frozen feet and hands. Holleran's
feet were badly frozen, and he told
me with grin that he couldn't help
seeing the funny side of it after hav-
ing asked to be sent to a hot place.
Fate began to extend helping
hand to Holleran away out there. At
tached to the British field hospital in
Serbia were two American surgeons,
one from Georgia and the other from
South Carolina. Learning that Hol-
leran hailed from Atlanta, they took
special interest in him. They did
everything possible to save his feet,
but, later, to avoid more serious COM
plications and possibly death, they
amputated part of each foot.
"Holleran returned to England,
blighty. He was at Cliveden hos
pital, maintained by Mrs. Astor. He
was fitted out with artificial feet
there When it came time to think
about sending Holleran back to the
states the case was referred to me.
But Owen Cobb Holleran did not in
tend to go home. He said anybody
who thought his fighting days were
over just because he had game feet
had another guess.
''He said he had read about a new
type of airplane while at the hos
pital. 1t was operated entirely by
hand levers, which fact gave him an
| inspiration He said he had given
the matter much thought on his cot
and while summing himself in a wheel
chair. He had finally resolved to be-
come an aviator and he felt confident
he could make good.
1 "The next thing heard about Hol-
leran he was a full-iedged flyer in
the British air force. He made good
from the start. One day very large
and official-looking envelope came tt
me. 1t contained the honorable dis
charge of Owen Cobb Holleran from