Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-06-03
FAMILY IS REUNITED
c.. III. INGRAHAM, Y. M. C. A.
HUT SECRETARY HOME
FROM FRANCE

u. n. 1HSTdudHl, WHO lOT year udS
GIBlsIo9S lnH " o N x Sc p9AL9s
in France, returned to Wausau last
Wednesday, accompanied by his wife,
who met him in New York, when the
secretary landed. The family is once
again reunited, Lieut.. Harold G. In
graham, son of Mr.. and Mrs. In
graham, having returned to the city
just prior to the arrival of his father
whom he had no idea was on is way
back to the states.
Located at Epinol, Camp La Verge,
France, Mr. Ingraham declares that
each evening when the camp was quiet
guns could be plainly heard roar
ing at the front lines, which were
about twenty miles distant. During
the day." he tells, many aerOplanes
scared over the camp but they did
not dare fly low. The towns and
camps through that vicinity were well
protected by anti-aircraft guns. Some
times the plane looked like a speck in
the sky, and the easiest way to locate
it in the heavens was by watching the
white puffs from the aircraft bullets
as they bursted in mid-air. These
guns were continually aiming at the
planes and, though they didn't hit at
every shot, they kept the fiier where
he could do no damage.
500 Prisoners
"At our camp there was 500 Ger
man prisoners all of whom were work.
ing in a large machine shop where
auto repairing was done. The shop
was divided by an aisle you might
hnx F,lyI1 on nnn
side and Germans ON the other. Every
| few days long train of trucks which
| had been repaired would move to-
| wards the front to work once again"
Before the armistice, Mr.. Ingraham
| declares, the German f1iers made every
attempt at night to lofate Camp Vierg-
es, but with all lights extinguished
| that was never accomplished. 1t be-
| came a delight among Americans to
| joke about their futile search for the
| camp. On one occasion a bomb
| dropped directly through the roof of
| the shop referred to above, but
| through some miracle did not explode.
| At the hut in which Mr.. Ingraham
was stationed there was a large en-
| tertainment room and canteen. In
| it chocolate, cookies, jams and other
/ things to eat were served. The camp
| also boosted of a large theater, con-
| Quoted by tie Y. M. G.. A., which was
one of the finest in any French camp.
| During his service at this place with
| the first air motor mechanic regiment,
Mr.. Ingraham had the opportunity to
visit Paris several times, Remiremont,
the division headquarters, and Nancy.
/ 10 of nj no CT OF al
| which four days after he had left, was
| bombed. Near Nance, he tells, one Y.
| secretary, standing in his room moved
| just few feet, just after which the top
| of a shell came through the roof dir
| ectly above the spot on which he had
been standing, went through the floor
| and two feet into the ground. o.
Hackett, well known in Wausau, who
moved to Stevens Point some six
years ago, visited Mr.. Ingraham's hut
on one occasion. He was directing
| the goth Engineers band.
At Niemes
On April Mr.. Ingraham's unit
was broken up and he went to south
| ern France. At this time he spent a
| brief vacation at Niemes. Here" he
says, "are some wonderful remains of
the old Roman civilization. There are
several cOllesiums, two of them be-
ing more perfectly preserved than the
one at Rome. The one at Niemes can
accommodate $4,000 people and has been
used constantly up to the war. The
| American soldiers have played ball in
| it and last Christmas a hugs fir tree
was set in the center and lighted cleo
| trically. The French people came from
miles to witness the celebration" The
eanteen service, Mr.. Ingraham says,
was taken over by the government on
April 1st at the request of the Y. M. C.
A. Il have heard many doughboys re-
mark since that they were sorry, for
when they bad to go to the commits
sary to purchase the tings they used to
be able to get at any Y canteen, they
did not get the service they did in the
association buildings" Contrary to the
prevailing belief, there are many Am
| erican soldiers and Y. NJ c. A. sec
retaries going to France now. The
new enlisted army is being shipped
over.