Newark post., 1919-07-23
bridal DEPARTMENT"
NOW in Y. w. c. A.
Avalanche of Soldiers Wives
Ask Free Passage 10
America


the boulevard, the Y. w. c. A.
added bridal department" to its
headquarters this month.
Brides began appearing from all
corners of France, from all ends
of the British Isles, even from
Luxembourg and Italy. They came
to Paris and the ports, twenty-five
to fifty day, asking for passage
to America, the country they had
sworn new citizenship simultane-
ously with their marriage vows.
They We're the brides of Amer
ican soldiers. People had been
talking about the A. E. F. we'd
dings. But no one had given them
much thought - aside from the
brides and bridegrooms.
Suddenly this avalanche Of
brides descended in the late
spring, asking free passage to
their new home, right of all
American soldiers wives.
Investigation showed that up
ward of 10000 soldiers had select
ed for themselves life long SOU
venirs of the Great War in the
shape Of wives.
Military officials knew a great
deal about moving troops, but
nothing about transporting brides.
At every port the brides began to
congregate. Lines of them sat in
the official offices in Paris waiting
papers. Many Of them were very
young. They never had been away
from their province homes before.
They were frightened, homesick,
lost. Some were i'll. Others utter
ly helpless in the mystery of new
experiences.
They were tucked away in odd
corners and moved from place to
place, during the long delay be-
fore they could sail. In Bordeaux,
for example, they were housed on
the fifth floor of the Red Cross
building through the hospitality of
the Red Cross officials. 1t was the
only available spot in that crowd
ed port city. But there was no
water connection up there and the
women had to go to the Office of
the building for every bit of water
they used. Thus clerks and officials
were kept from work by the line OF
bridal water carriers.
In Brest they came to the Y. W
C. A. Hostess House. They were
brought by their husbands, wht
had had long practice with th'
Hostess House institution. The!
were brought by M.P.'s (militar,
policemen), by army officials, b,
Red Cross workers.
"There is no place in town fo
these women. Won't you pleas
take them in?" The Y. w. c. A
did. 1t took them in in the middl
of the night, when they were sic
and lonely and without money
And pretty soon it discovere
there was no room in the Hostes
House for the American wome
for whom it had been maintaine
the brides were taking up all tn
space.
At st. Nazaire, the same thin
happened.
Something had to be done. Th
Y. w. C. A. had gone to France
be of service to American wome
in war work. The brides wer
American women. Their either
ship was a direct result of the wa
emergency. So the Y. W. c. A
added, forthwith, it's new depart
ment, it's bridal department"
Mrs. S. C. Seymour of New Yor
was put in charge.
The army turned over barrack
of 1000 capacity to the Y. W. c. A
at Brest as a bridal camp" Mis-
Edith Aykroyd of 329 Brocker
ridge Street, Buffalo, N. Y, wa
made camp commander. AIT s.
Nazaire and at Bordeau barrack
that had been soldiers headqual
teres were transformed into W.
mems camp. The army and tn
Red Cross furnished some of tn
equipment. The Y. w. c. A. rusl
ed to the ports some Of its most e,
perienced and mature workers.
All the camps are run on mil
tary rules, with reveille and tap
army schedules for meals and a
the rest. There are Setting uI
exercises, lessons in America
geography, customs, cookln
dress, laws. There are classes
English for those who do not spef
the language-for many coupl
cannot converse in any articula