The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-06
BrattlebOrO Mans Journey
of $4,000 Miles in
Y. M. C. A. Work
VISITED PLACES OF
GREAT ANTIQUITY
Harry Gray Was Business Manager
with Rank of Captain-Leaves for
New York for Further "Y'' Service
in Transportation Work.

IN transportation Work.
Harry Gray, who recently returned toI
his home in Brattleboro from trip toI
Mesopotamia as an enlisted man i'll the
Y. NJ. c. A. service, Left yesterday for
New York, having been assigned to duty
in the department Of transportation asI
it affects soldiers on transports arriving
from overseas at the Hoboken side OF
New York harbor. He is well equipped
for this work, as he was the business
manager of. the party Of nearly 800 ~
men who went overseas in 1918 for war
service abroad, to which position he was
assigned by reason of his experience III
railroad work before he entered the ser
vice.
Mr. Gray travelled about 1900 miles
on his Mesopotamian trip Following the
inclinations he received in his boyhood
from his father, Mr.. Gray was employed
in the Boston 4 Maine railroad office in
Greenfield Mass, in June 1918, when he
enlisted in y NJ. G. A. service lie was
the first to enlist from Greenfield IN that
service and he was called to the Boston
headquarters for eXapination with view
to taking charge of the transportation OF
'Y'' supplies to Paris. Thence he was or
dered to report in New York June to
take a course in Columbia university.
After that he was engaged III trans
portation work in New York. While
waiting for sailing orders he made varl-
Gus trips ON special trains to boats, max
ing two trips to Montreal On Sept. ~
the order came to embark with 2S9 men
from Montreal for London, Mr.. Gray be-
ing the business manager of the party,
with the rank of captain.
They left on the Corsican, which took
the first Pershing troops overseas. She
was an Allan line steamer and sank a
submarine on the voyage. The report
reached London that a submarine had
sunk the Corsican, and there was much
Joy when it was learned that it was a
German craft that went to the bottom.
The Corsican reached London Sept. %.
A eatlet called The Kit Bag was pub
lished occasionally on the way to Eng
land, and in one of the issues appeared
this paragraph:
How'll we manage this? Ask Gray!
Aud the only thing that stumped him was
getting polar bear off that iceberg to
use in CromwelIs show Harry Gray is
an pert On transportation, ana Is going
to India (wish he'd stay with us in
Franco to help unite transit knots aIiC
get stuff up to the boys in real yg-tme.
Mr. Gray and six of the party lett Lon
don Nov. 10, crossing the English Chan
mel to Havre, France, on their way K
Mesopotamia, the other members golul
to other fields This was the day befor,
the amistiee was signed When the!
went ashore the next day to entrain 10
Paris the news Of the signing of the ar
inistice was given them, which was to e
into effect that day at IL o'clock, ant
when they reached Paris they found them
selves in the midst of people gone mad
1t was a wonderful experience, and al
official account Of the trip says that eth
boys kissed their way among the throngs
paying toll at every step to fair enchan
tresses who stood at the receipt of Gus
tom with urturned faces and poutin
lips For three days and nights tn
orgy Of JOY continued.
Then the train left for Modane. pass
ing through the french Alps while in tn
distance could be seen the peaks of tn
q Matterhorn and Mont Blanc Then tn
I frontier was crossed into Italy and afte
dinner at Turin the party entrained fo
Rome, where a variety of historic place
were visited, including the Colosseum
the Forum, and the chambers and coi
tiers of the catacombs of St. Callistus
The next stop of consequence was
Toranto, one of the Oldest Greek colonit
in the world and three days later POI
Said was reached. While awaiting order
there Cairo was visited and excursion