Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-02-26
Wounded Yanks in British Hos
pital Have to Be
Amused.
ARE LIKE; LITTLE CHILDREN
Now Their Job Is Done They VIII
Fight to a Finish With Best
Friends Over Question of
Who Won War.

LOnuOn.-Inree wounded boys WnC
are left behind in the hospital, the
ones whose names were crossed from
the lists of those who sailed away in
Vine to reach home for Christmas, are
the especial charge Of the women who
volunteered to work on the care com
mittee of the Red Cross way back
yonder last summer. when there was
war on,
We thought that with the signing Of
the arInistice our work soon would be
over and the Christmas plans we al
ready had begun to make were aban'
doned under the impression that there
wouldn't be any wounded to entertain
In England. But that was all a mis-
take; 1t seems as II our work might go
on for quite bit yet. Anyhow, our
hospital at Tottenham is one of those
which Is still full. Every afternoon
trains Of ambulances pour out their
burdens In our receiving wards just
as in war times, and boys who have
been for months In French or British
hospitals are for the first time among
their own home folks.
Wounded captives Received.
Then there are our wounded prison
ers-now beginning to dribble back
from Germany-to be looked after and
made much of. To listen to their
stories alone takes one persons entire
time.
There was no bother about Christ
mas dinner at Tottenham. Uncle
Sam saw to that ages ago. Every boy
in the Hospital here had such a
Christmas dinner as he will remem-
Der for years. Sir Thomas Upton
gave q party, one Of his many, and it
had special Christmas frills. The boys
who could be moved assert they had
4 bully time at Sir Thomas house.
He understands American boys, and
more, he gets people to help entertain
who understand them, too, like them
and don't contradict them when they
declare that they won the war. It's
all matter of that little phrase with
them. These children of a larger
growth who have been masquerading
in khaki these last few months have
become children again; now their job
is done and they will fight to the fin
lsh with their best friends over the
question of who won the war. They
just naturally can't keep off it. And
some Of the ones who arrived too late
to fight at all declare that it's not
won yet, and that wars and wars and
wars are going to follow.
BY night time they are all worn out
with fighting 1t all over again and they
sink back In their narrow little gray
cots and the indulgent nurses-girls of
our Denver unit in their quiet gray
cotton dresses and their snowy caps
pass down the long wards tucking in
this quivering battler, smoothing the
forehead of that boy of nineteen who
has lost all his faith in any govern
ment whatsoever because he lost his
hospital allowance to guy from Gin
cinnati before he had had time to even
pack 1t in the cherished money belt
the Red Cross gave him.
But most Of the boys who are being
left over here are seriously wounded
and It Is thought best for them not to
take a sea voyage for a while longer !;
so we try to plan little surprises for
them week by week to pass the time
until their Joyful summons comes.
1t isn't so easy, either, to think OF
something that will amuse lad who
must always lie on his chest to keep a
piece of shrapnel lodged somewhere in
his interior from floating into local
ity where it may cause a great deal
of damage.
Bracelets Are Praised.
Little silver bracelets with tags
bearing the boys full name and his
military number are perhaps the most
coveted trinkets, but as these cost
S1.5O apiece, they cannot be got by
the dozen by single person. And
then by the time they were all en-
grayed and the numbers verified In
all probability the boys would be
transferred and far away. l asked
one boy how it was that Yanks were
crazy to wear bracelets, and he sale
IT was little queer how the idea hae
| taken, and then he added:
"What can you expect? We took tt
wrist watches because they told u
fighting men wore them; we fount
they wouldn't go, but we got the hab
it of having something on our arms
and it all came down to this: If you'v
got your stuff chained to you 1t
yours; Just once pry it off and yo'
pass on and leave 1t, just like we hav
left so many things we thought sur
we couldn't get along without"