The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1919-05-22
FORTY THREE men, TEN
WOMEN, DIE IN ''W
SERVICE OVERSEAS
Sacrifice Proportionately one-Q Quarter
as Great a. That Of Army
sixty.Three Decorated.

angie INTO the camps anu trenches
abroad at a cost Of fifty-three lives, q
sacrifice proportionately one-quarter
as great as that of the American
army, according to statement issued |
today by the National War Work
Council OF the Y. NJ. C. A. OF these |
fatalities thirty-five were due to dis
ease. and the remainder to shell-fire,
bombs, gas-fever. drowning and
wounds. Ten of these were women, |
one Of whom was killed by shell fire
and the other in a German air raid.
There were also fifty-five non-fatal
casualties. These were due princi-
rally to machine gun fire, gas, shell
fire, and motor transport accidents.
Numerous cases Of slight wounds and
gsssings which were attended at dress
Ing stations. but were not reported to
headquarters. are not included.
These casualties occurred in force
which at no time exceeded 5000 work
crs, of whom 1t is reck0ned that more
than one-half were never sent to the
front, being employed in the hundreds
|
training areas and the "leave areas"
Sixty-three "" workers were deco
rated, while in all more than 152 re-
ceived official recognition or distin-
| guished service. Thirteen of these
were decorated with the Croix de
Guerre, while forty-eight received
other decorations OF these three re-
ceived the Distinguished Service Cross,
three the Order of st. Stanislaus; five
the Italian Cavaliere del Corona !;
thirty-eight the Italian War Cross, and
one the French decoration Of the
Corps dArmee. Seven were cited for
the Croix de Guerre, and seven for
other decorations, six commended for
meritOriOus conduct, and twenty-nine
received honorable mention In dis
patches Several units were cited In
their entirety, those serving with the
Third division being cited twice. More
than score more reported decorations
have not yet been confirmed.
Not one of these men under thirty
was at for military duty. hut the cita'
tions show that they carried on with
the same courage and spirit that iden
titled Americans throughout the war
These records show that they went
over the top with the assaultinl
waves, that they exposed themselves
under machine gun and shell fire t.
minister to the wounded, that they
worked indefatigably as stretche'
bearers, and that they drove ambu
lances into the midst Of battle to res
cue the wounded.
Others were sacrificed in the les
heroic but no less necessary work be
hind the lines. Among these stand
out Miss WinOna Martin of Rockvill,
Center, L. l., 7. NJ. C. A. secretary
who was the first American wOmal
killed in the war. She was killed b.
bomb during a German mir raid
H ard her death made a deep impression
on American minds.
Miss Martin had been in Paris onl
n month. but had already done Walt
able work in stimulating an interes
among the soldiers In the Y. NJ. G.
l. in Paris.
. Miss Marion G.. Crandell of AL,
: media, Cal. killed by shell fire nea
], Chalons March 26. 1918, was anothe
IS CT the women sacrificed in helping tn
D. soldiers.
e officials were quick to see and al
: preciate meritOrfOEs work, on the pa
c. of the secretaries and prompt to recO
g nize 1t officially. Major General Die
It man of the Third division gave Il pa
!e ticularly strong citation of the uni
% attached to that division. consisting
e. thirty-four men and six women.
$. A later co,nmendation Of the san
units was ordered by Major Gener
- HcwSe.
Major General Henry T. Allen Of Il
Ninetieth division in letter to Il
Divisional Y. NJ. C. A. secretary SAT-
1.-TWO secretaries, F. A. Dawes and
Is F. Ford, actually went over the t
ID with the assaulting battalions and G.
ried on their work in the midst
"a the severest losses"
OF The Y. NJ. C. A. honor roll Of tho
ed who gave up their lives while hel
az ing the soldiers win the war, and
m those who distinguished themselves
'r- this work. contains the names Of t
er following men from. the SOuthe
M Military department: DR.. John
On Clifford, Tucson, AriZ.. awarded Crt
de Guerre; Thomas Neil Jeffers,
~ Eden, Tex. awarded Italian Cr,
ne dc Guerre; William Alsa Miller, A.
I'm tin, Tex. awarded Italian CrOlx
e. Cnerre
al