The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-11
GREATEST CARE IS TAKEN OF GRAVES
 OF MEN IN FRANCE

young woman who is engaged in war work in Tours, and with whom num-
 Der of Alabama men became acquainted l while there. has written to one of them, now at home, about the care of the graves registration service. She writes:
 Tours, France. April ', 1919.
 Dear Your letter of March IA deceived just now and I am answering
 it at once, as I know that you will want
 to hear anything I may be able to say about the situation over here in regard to the graves of your friends.
 First of all, the letter to MT. Strass- burger was written by me. Major D.
 told me the facts, and I wrote the letter,
 which was written with the knowledge of l who Captain Strassburger was. It might | be of some comfort to his father to know that was at the back of the letter, try ! ing to give him all the information I could.
 T also wrote about Lieutenant Spratt to the Hon. William B. Oliver. in reply to his inquiry, but, of course, that kind of letter does not need to be so personal. saw the letter from Lieutenant Spratt's father, and remembered the facts con- nected herewith also wrote in reply to that letter. You will see my initials
 on the letters, and I will make the peo-
 pie feel that really they have some one
 personally here. . even humble individual like me But Major D. and Colonel P, the heads, could not do more than they do.
 Now, l want to- explain the condition Of things in France. The graves regis tration service is directed by men who are doing, everything humanly possible to serve fhe interests of the people at home and to safeguard the bodies of the dead. Of that the people at home may be quite certain, and every inquiry is dealt with most sympatheticaly, whether 1t comes from the poorest woman in America or from one of the richest The graves were often hastily made during the fighting, and the work of the field forces of the graves registration service has been to locate the scattered graves identity them, and then remove the bodies for better burial to American bat tie area cemeteries. At the present time this work of concentration is going on ana once the cemeteries are well laid out I think perhaps the people in America will realize that the graves of the dead should be left undisturbed. The dead lie sleeping in their thousands in France four and a half millions-and they lie in goodly company To me it seems that | where the boys fought and died is sacred i to their memory, and that these fields of l honor in France are the most appropriate | resting places for the boys who have | gone west together
 "Once the graves are located and re- 1 corded there is no possibility of a loss | of Identification. Caretakers are to be in charge of all cemeteries, and they vii | be kept as the national cemeteries in the United States I think in the days to come they will be the shrines to which | all the peoples of the world will come in homage.
 T left off this letter to look drought photographs that have just come in of the, various cemeteries l think, look ing at them, the rows and rows of white crosses, in the centre the flag of honor. that American dead could have no bet ter resting place. Day by day these cem- eteries are being improved isolated | bodies discovered and brought to lie | along side those of the nations dead, the tali white crosses erected, and the hor- TOTS or war lessened for those at home +
 Now, l have something to tell you that perhaps may be disappointment H lhe french government is bringing in a - PAciiipieiiS luc itHlONdl or the DOQleS rom France for three years from Jan uary l. 1919. The reason for this is that tnere are so many thousands of bodies m France. Can you realize what this immense exhumation of bodies and their transportation would mean? Reading the letters of the fathers and mothers at nome, and their longing to get back the bodies of their dead, l understand how they feeF and how hard it all must seem 10 them, but if they could only begin 10 realize that as the boys fought to- sether, died together, and were buried -ogether, they themselves would prob Lbiy wish to lie in the ground they ought to win
 most certainly will write to the athers Of your friends. as, feeling as 10 about all this sorrow and loss | want Q do my little bit in helping some of ne Iatners and mothers over there. 'sked Major D. if in some way | could 'et permission to go up to your friends grave, and he says it may be possible that country up there is a will lerness. l don't mind about that in the east. and if in some way I can go VIII. and l will put flowers on the grave rom his father and mother. as well as rom myself. If I can go I will get the l lowers and put them in the form of a ross on the grave, and I know that bis