Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-04-23
RETURNED SOLDIERS
tell Of EXPERIENCES
LINCOLN BENSLEY, OF RAINBOW
DIVISION TELLS OF TER
RIBLE CONFLICT,
FOUGHT IN MANY BATTLES
Harold Hoyt of Des MOines, and Frank
Sedgwick Tell Of Their Part in
World War.

Lincoln Bensley Of Delhi, mem
ber of the Rainbow Division, who has
just returned from France after more
than eighteen months of service, gave
one of the most interesting talks on
the world war that the members of
the Comercial club have heard in many
a day. Mr.. Bensley is a very modest
and retiring young fellow and for a
time it was difficult for him to talk
to the men. He has not fully recovered
from an attack of gas which he re-
ceived while in the fierce fighting in
the Argonne forest, and at times finds
it difficult to carry on a conversation.
His story of the battle OF the Argonne
was told in such a forcefu1 manner
that he had no difficulty in holding
the closest attention of the men. The
young soldier told the members of
the Commercial Club how the Ameri-
cans moved forward in the face of
machine gun and artillery fire from the
enemy. Not only had the Americans
to face the fire of the enemy, but in
taking their positions in the Argonne
forest they had to work their way
through heavy underbrush and timber
never knowing just where they would
run onto machine gun nest. Dur
ing these drives the American army
suffered heavy casualties. 1t was
while having to withdraw from one
of the front lines that Mr.. Bensley
saw one of the Manchester boys. Ser
geant Guy Harrington, who was in the
same unit, killed by high explosive
she'll Mr.. Bensley said that the enemy
made little use of their infantry in
the Argonne, but resorted to the use
of the machine gun units. The Rain
bow division distinguished itself as a
fighting unit, taking more prisoners
of war than any one division Of Ameri-
cans.
The people Of Delaware County have
watched with interest the part that
our. boys had in the great struggle in
the Argonne, and to be able to listen
to one of the boys who had such an
important part in the great battle,
proved rare treat to the men of
the Commercial club.
Frank Sedgwick. another Manchester
boy, who was with the Rainbow Div
ision, and who saw enough service
overseas to last him the rest of his
natural life, gave a mighty interesting
account of the engagements in which
he participated. He, too, like Mr..
Bensley, came in contact with a gas
attack, and before the Rainbow Div
ision, Tor rather what remained of 1t
after the terrible battles at Chateau
Thierry and other sectors) entered the
Argonne Forest, he landed in a hos
pital and for that reason was not per-
mitted to participate in the last big
battles. Mr. Sedgwick told the men
at the dinner of their trip across the
ocean and their encounter with sub
marines off the coast of Ireland, and
then of the trip across England, then
into France. Finally after some pre-
liminary training there the boys took
their places in the line and from that
time on things did not go very we'll
for Fritz.
Harold Hoyt, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
w. d. Hoyt, formerly of this city, but
now living in Des Moines, told many
interesting facts concerning the work
of the unit with which he was con-
nected. Mr.. Hoyt was with unit OF
electrical engineers. and one Of the
many duties of the engineers was to
keep telephone and telegraph lines be-
tween the front line trenches and the
division headquarters intact. No SOON
er would the engineers get line OF
communication established when some
high explosive shell would burst and
tear up several rods of telephone or
telegraph wires, and then the engine