The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1919-02-27

This said organization is called The
Central Records Office. ! don't
know just exactly how to 90 about
explaining what this Central Records
Office is a part of, originally it was a
part Of General Headquarters. but !
am inclined to think that it is a kind
Of Orphan Organization at present,
nobody wants to claim It. as it is d.
rectly responsible for the casualty
lists that have from time to time been
published in the States and practical
~ all information concerning the
whereabouts and welfare Of each SOL
der IN the AEF II is also to blame
for John Smith not getting his mail,
although we have looked through the
five thousand Johns that we have in
the Smith file for this particular ones
locator card on several occasions and
found that they all spell their name
exactly the same. Can you wonder
at anyone not wanting to claim such
jcy-kilhng outfit as this one is? At
any rate CHIC gives it credit by be-
ing a part Of theStatistical Section of
the Adjutant Generals Department
and a pretty good source of informa-
ton. The personnel Of the Office
consists Of about three thousand en-
listed men, thirty or forty officers
and some two hundred or so British
girls. The Office is divided up into
different sections, each section keep
ing a record of each man in this lit
tie Army. When a man lands in
France is when he becomes kind of
nuisance to the Central Records Of
fee. All the information concerning
this particular man is at once sent
here and his Personnel, Master, Loca-
tor and various other species of cards
are placed in the files and he becomes
member Of the Boys. | don't
know any too much about the dope
that's on these cards other than the
Locator as that is the only one that |
have had any experience in handling.
However, know that on this Per-
sonnet card is list of all of the var
ious trades and professions and he is
classified here as to what he is capable
Of doing best. To this file is where
they go when any number of exper-
fenced men in any line are wanted.
In other words, this departments idea
is to put the round pegs in the round
holes and not in thesquare ones. The
Master Cards are very much like the
Locator, which ! will tell you about
later, only they have little more in
formation on them and are filed as to
Company, Regiment and Division.
The Locator Card is the one that tells
you where, what and why that man is.
II is a card 3x5 inches in size with the
mans name, number, rank and organ
ization with which he arrived in
France written on it. Every time
that this mans status changes it is
recorded on this card. When a cas-
ual comes over Ia casual is a man
who did not come over with an or
ganization) here is about what hap
pens to him. First he is sent to the
| Camp at the port of debarkation, left
| there about one week, then sent to
the Classification Camp, classified and
sent to the Training camp, spends
about another week in the process of
getting to the Training Camp and
some three weeks to month and
more in training, then if hard luck
don't wish him into the SOS he is
sent to some line company to be as
signed. From the time he lands un.
I'll he gets assigned is something like
six weeks and his address has changed
about four times in the meantime.
Each time that he moves a report is
made out by that organization to
| which he is transferred and this
change of status is noted on his Lo-
Gator Card. While he is making this
round, his first mail from home arriv-
es at the Central Post Office address,
ed to the address given at the Camp
before he left the States. the Post
Office never heard of this outfit so
they come TO the Locator Card for
this man and find that the last change
shows the man at some Classification
Camp, the mail is readdressed to that
Camp but when it gets there the man
has left for the Training Camp, so
the mail is sent back to the Post Of
flee and readdressed again. Some
time this Old mail will follow him up
like that for months, sometime he
will connect with it in six weeks or
such a matter il all depends on his
luck and whether it's the light or the
dark of the moon. The above will
give you vivid idea of why we didn't
get our mail the day We landed and
will also tend to show how the thing
is lone. Every time man is wound
ed and sent to the hospital change
is made in his address the same as
above. To give you an idea of about