The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-03-26
MISS PEARL GARY
WELCOMED HOME
Several HUNDRED People Gather at the
Station Friday Noon and Welcome
Home Denison Girl
ACTIVE SERVICE in FRANCE
Only Crawford County Girl Who Saw
Active Service A. Nurse in
France During the War

Active Service AZ Nurse In
France During the War
Several hundred people cOngregated
at the Northwestern passenger sta
ton Friday noon to welcome home
Miss Pearl Gary, the only Crawford
county girl who saw active service as
nurse in France. And what a well
come homecoming 1t was. AS the
train pulled in at the station and the
crowd caught glimpse of her stand
ing in the yestibule of a Pullman
dressed in the trim costume of Red
Cross nurse a great cheer went up
that lasted for several minutes. The
father, brothers and sisters of Miss
Gary were there and claimed her at
tention first, after which the old
friends and neighbors pushed through
the crowd to grasp her hand and well
come her back Then, too, there were
Z the boys who have lately returned
from overseas service who were glad
to shake her hand.
Miss Gary has changed but little
since she left Denison on Christmas
eve of 1917. The outdoor life and
strenuous work Of a nurse at the
front has given her healthy and
rugged appearance. She is glad IN
deed to be home and with her friends
but says she would not have missed
the experience she has gone through
for anything.
A Review reporter called at her
home and secured an interesting &C
count Of her work which will be OF In
terest to readers Of this paper. Miss
Gary enlisted in May, 1917, with Hos
pftal Unit X, which was organized at
Council Bluffs by DR.. Donald Mac
rae, prominent physician and sur
geon of that place. 1t was not until
Christmas eve of that year that the
nurses Of that unit left in private
car for Ellis Island, N. Y, to be in
readiness for duty overseas. The unit
sailed from there Jan. is, 1918, on
the steamship Carpathia which, on a
return trip to this county a few
months later was sunk by German
submarine. The boat was one of a
convoy of nine steamers and the trip
across required fifteen days. The voy
age was uneventful. not a single sub
marine being encountered. Every
precaution was taken, however, and
no lights were permitted on the boat
after dark. Every passenger was is
sued a life preseryer, which had to be
kept in readiness at all times. The
convoy was met when it neared the
British Isles by destroyers which con-
Quoted it to Glasgow; and the "a nurses
disembarked there on January 3Oth.
The unit then went to London where
it remained for three days. Miss Gary
stated that London failed to snt1press:
the members of the unit for II was
cold and foggy and they found great;
difficulty in securing enough to eat.
The people there we're very pes ntS;
tic. Miss Gary says they felt the war
was lost. The unit was then ordered
to Folkstone where it embarked for
Bolougne, France, arriving there on
February 18th after only "a few hours
on the water. Here they received ia
great ovation from the French people
and secured the first hearty meal
since leaving America. They found
the French people more -foptimistic'
than were the English and there
seemed to be feeling that the Unit
ed States would turn defeat into vic.
tory for the allied cause. The next
day they. went to Paris where they
remained for two days awaiting or
ders. Paris is France in the opinion
OF Miss Gary, who says that the cities
and towns of France do not even COM
pare with the capital city. Paris was
dark at night, all lights being extin-
guished SO it would not become an
easy target for the German airmen
who seemed to enjoy using the city as
q. target for their death dealing aerial
bombs. But few buildings in the city
were wrecked by these bombs and the
city seemed normal in every respect
The nurses pf the unit stayed at the
Y !, NV. 70. "a ]. hostess house in Paris,
where everything possible was done
for their comfort and entertainment.
FROM Raris the unit Twas sent to An
gery a town located southwest OF Paris
where base hospital No. ~ was sit
uated Six of the nurses were sent
from here to Tours toopen UP camp
hospital No. ~ where they remained
month before being Joined by the
rest of the unit. The unit remained