The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-09

Laura Doloff; east section, Mrs.
George McLear.
Following formal organization the
War Mothers held regular meetings,
assisted families of service men, and
worked with the county council of de-
Tense and the home service depart
ment of the Red Cross. One of the
first duties of the chapter was to I'M
furl the giant municipal service flag
in Richmond, January, 1918
Help in Fund Drives
In November 1917 the unorganized
chapter had assisted with the Y. M.
c. A. war funds drive, obtaining 1886
in one days intensive drive with cash
registers placed along the streets in
Richmond. This days work marked
the first appearance of the official
emblem, blue star printed on
white arm badge. Early in 1918 the
War Mothers officially assisted in
winding up Red Cross campaign,
netting over $1,000 for the national
fund.
A white elephant" sale of articles
which had no further value to their
owners was held in the Mcclure build
ing in the spring of 1918 bringing 1898
! into the War Mothers treasury. A
greater part of this fund went for the
purchase of yarn. Finding it impossi-
BILE to send knitted garments overseas
directly to Wayne county boys, the
/ War Mothers turned over their entire
output Of 1900 pairs of socks to the
Red Cross chapter.
However, so pairs of socks were
knitted and sent directly to the battle
ship Indiana" large number of
pairs of socks and wristlets were fur
oh Cd t,-9 I1.iSr Jxrh n
through Richmond continually during
the war on their way to and from east
ern and western supply headquarters.
Assist with Dances
| . In honor of these truck drivers the
War Mothers sponsorer and assisted
| the Commercial club in giving eleven
| informal dances in the Commercial
! club rooms. These dances were
| largely attended by men who were
passing through the city with truck
| trains. War Mothers chaperoned the
| affairs, and invited young women of
! the city to assist in entertaining the
/ visitors.
Although it had been planned to
send every man in foreign service a
| box of food and knickknacks, it was
found impossible to ship packages to
men in the A. E. f. in Europe on &C
count of the postal regulations. New
ertheless the six Richmond men who
served with the American forces in
Russia were sent boxes containing
jam, fruit cake, chocolates, nuts, writ
ing paper, envelopes, pencils, knitted
! helmets two pairs of socks wriStlets,
-. and chewing gum. These boxes were
! received as the men were coming back
from the front.
In the summer of 1918 the War
| Mothers gave a card party on the spa
cious lawns at the Eastern Indiana
Insane Hospital. One hundred and
forty-two dollars was obtained.
Send Fruit to Wounded.
; Baskets of fruit were sent to every
wounded or gassed man upon his ar
rival back in Wayne county. Letters
J of sympathy went out to every be-
reaved family, even to the Italian
mother whose son, Tony Frascrone,
was the first local boy to fall in action.
| Mrs. Frascrone resided in Italy.
Barrels of fruit and jelly were sent
| by the War Mothers to West Baden,
where a government recuperation hos
| pital was set up to care for wounded
| men brought back from foreign serv.
ice Centerville's unit sent money
| directly and the other units of the
county joined in paying for potted
plants which were sent to the boys at
FIT Benjamin Harrison.
The principal aftermath of the War
Mothers war service was organizing
and serving a huge banquet to the
service men of the county. Over a
thousand men attended the banquet,
which was served in the Coliseum
The mothers solicited and gathered
the food and money donated to buy
food; decorated the banquet hall and
attended to all details of caring for
such an aggregation of men and wo-
men, for all the nurses of the county
| who served in the war were also in
vited.
! Not one of the $50 members of the
War Mothers county chapter was
| without other affiliations through
which she did additional work for the
! soldiers. sailors and marines The
women of churches, clubs, lodges,
! school and business organiza tons
| worked constantly to insure greater
safety, comfort and happiness for the
| service men. Mothers were closely
backed by sisters, wives, daughters,
and friends, all intensely interested in
the backbone" prosecution of the
war. The War Mothers worked in a
body at the Red Cross rooms at times,
ard were represented in the Red
Cross, Liberty Loan Init ed Uar-R a.