The sun., 1919-01-31
20 BRITISH BRIDES
OF SOLDIERS ARRIVE
Land Here From Auxiliary
Cruiser Plattsburg in Red
Cross Care.
FIRST WAR BABY COMES
Warrior Father Sees Him for
First Time at the
Pier.

The first bevy Of brides, all Of English
birth. that has reached the native land OF
their husbands since the ending OF hos
tilities arrived last night by tho auxil-
larry cruiser Plattsburg. formerly the
American liner Philadelphia. which
locked at her old berth at the foot or
West Twenty second street without even
an army band to strike UP the familiar
march from "Lohengrin" or something
less yeutonio-
+ There were twenty Of them. which Is
a mighty small contingent. according TO
a Red Cross man who also was a pas
senger, OF the Americanized conjugal
multitude in England. France (where
IN early report said there were at least
| 10000, Belgium. Italy and smaller
| States. The Plattsburg also brought the
| first British born war baby fathered BY
an American soldier. Private William
Lewis, formerly of Company c. 165th In
fantry. the old Sixty-ninth. who lives In
| 607 Second avenue.
Fought with Australians.
Sergeant Lewis, although a native
New Yorker. did not so away with the
Slxty-ninth. He was in Australia when
| the war came and enlisted in an Austria
Ian regiment seeing service at the Oar
danelles and receiving many wounds,
| including two bayonet thrusts. He had
| been three and half years fighting
| and recovering from wounds when he
landed In Paris and decided TO become
repatriated by Joining the lS5th.
He fought joyously with this COM
! mand. being Of Irish parentage. until he
| was disabled by wounds and sent to
| hospital near London. After recuperat-
| ing he met his wife In London and they
were married there on July -, 1917.
| After a brief honeymoon the Sergeant
| went back to the front. accumulated
more wounds and glory and was sent
| back to this port by the transport Will
helmina without getting a chance TO see
his wife or his baby, arriving here sew
eral weeks ago.
The sergeant recently was discharged
from New Jersey hospital. and wearing
few of his medals. was at the pier last
night 10 greet his bride and his baby.
When he learned that the baby was
boy and that his name was OF the double
barrelled Britannia variety, the Same be-
ing William Robert John Herbert Lewis,
he said with some trace OF scornfulness,
Say. cut out some OF that before you
put II IN the paper. Will you!
Al this moment the mother and the
baby. all robed In white. came Off the
ship and down the pier. and the sergeant
forgot everything else in the world and
ran toward his family. He took the
baby from the mother az carefully as hs
might n loaded shell and kissed him for
the first time. regarding him with some
degree OF emba rrassment.
Then he kissed his wife, showing that
his parental feeling was of n suD"~'or
sort Naturally, he had seen the mother
many times before, and she looked upon
the proceeding Of giving "the kid" as
the father called him. the preference as
quite proper. Later they will discuss
that imported British name which may
be reduced eventually on Second avenue
TO mere Bill.
One IL Bride of Captain.
Among the other brides was Mrs FL
wood GroesbeCk, wife OF Capt. GroesbeclI
~ the 106th Infantry. Twenty seventh
Division. who arrived at Newport News
on Wednesday aboard the transport
Martha Washington. The Captain was
IN the Lancaster Gate Hospital IN Lon
don with shrapnol wounds in the side and
a machine gun bu''et wound ~ p-a 0-tn
when he heard his bride. then Miss Hon
neur. a singer. delighting the patients.
They were married in November.
Lieut.. w T. DE Rade. l0Sth Infantry
7'wenty-seyenth Division, brought his
English bride with him and will take
her 70 his home in Buffalo. He was sent
To ne Third General London Hospital
for treatment FOR machine gun bullet
wounds In the leg and when he was we'll
enough 70 go about he met Miss Flor
ence Zacklin Of Leeds. They were mar
ried early this month.
Lieut.. Henry Oswald Wyatt o, the
aviation service brought the youngest
bride OF the score. formerly a Scotch
iassse OF CarluAe. twenty miles from
Glasgow. She wore white tam. The
Lieutenant was introduced to her by a
Scotch officer, He became chummy with
her In an aviation training camp In Eng
land. They are bound for Richmond,
Va
Mrs G. d. Johnson was a clerks in the
British Air Service when sire met Prt-
waite Johnson, 177th Aero Squadron, OF
Brooking. s. n, and official relations
developed into moro personal kind.
They we're married in Dorsetshi-e.
Mrs. John Platter Steele. recently Miss
Pearl Ramus Of London. Is the wife
OF sergeant OF marines and has been
long time in the service. lie was at
the pier TO meet her. having been sent
home In another ship, and the first cues
ton she asked vas, where is your
home. john" JOIN looked a tr!nc en-
harrassed. but swiftly recovered. being
marine. and answered, i've been in
the marines so long haven't any home
but we'll soon fnd one" Mre. John
laughed and they went away together,
arm in arm.
wife of Radio Electrician.
Mrs. Paul David Clough is the wife
of n radio electrician of the hattlesh,n
Florida, now. at the New York NAVY
Yard. He met her at the pier. They
met in London and were married there