Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-12
RETURN Of THE DEAD
FROM FOREIGN LANDS
1t is a Tremendous Task ana is
Handicapped by Numer-
Gus Difficulties.
Bv J. w. Rixey Smith.

rb, wb;to cr,ss,,s under which the
/, i loft rs dead in lands beyond
IN. s,o arc rot so many as they We're
a fou months ago. More than 5000 OF
,bsm have disappeared from the gentle
sIopcs Of Britain. Frcnce and the RhIre,
=. IN. bodies over which those crosses
stood hay, been taken up, caskcted and
ronyoved home across the Atlantic 10
America. American soldier dead from III
Erglish. two Scotch. 2S French and ~
German cemeteries, to the exact nurnDrr
of S.347. have been returned to tins
country.
I}y the express wish OF the next oi
LIN in all eases. 10000 bodies are to he
brought back to their native soil and
1000 arc to rest forever within the
bonrds of \. f. f. country. Counting
Tho bodies row en- route on the sea, the
progran for the return of the 50.o0O may
bc said 10 h,, onc-fifth accomplished.
I, has AT least assumed proportlors
whore ono is able to say with some dc
gree Of authority Just how we'll the GOV
or, mort is performing this dehcatc task
how rcarlv rcrf ct the work OF ldeHtiilca-
tinn hv tn, Graves Registration Service Is
holdirg ,p. with what amount OF good
taste. rtficic~cy and sentiment arrange-
me : for tho reception and re-lntcrmehi
rf bodies in this country are made ara
carried through ard wlthal what mani er
Of welcome these last members ct the a.
T.. I. 10 come home are gcttlr from M :
folks. fric"ds and public
II i difficult to find fault with the
wav IN, government and It's b'Hoo agents
encaged in the work are functlourg
There has been little If any criticism OF
thoir m thods. either in eNhumlng the
bodies. preparing them for shipment.
convovirg them. receiving them at ito
bokcn. forwarding them 10 the deslred
designation or ra-burylng them ne
corrcsunrd dent of the Stamford and Rut-
land 'ErCland) \sws. after the trst held
orrrations OF the Graves Registration Ser
vice in the south of England, described the
process of disintermcI.t ana gave his I'M
pressiors as follows:
The work was carried out IN most
reycrent manner by a special party OF
American men. under tho direction Of
the United States military authorities,
who were represented by officers.
THAT portion Of Gods Acre where
intermentS took place during 1919 was
screened off from the public view, and the
public were not admitted TO the cemetery
while the operations were IN progress.
Each coffin was raised from rs resting
place bv means of ropes. Then the iid
was taken off. and the body, after being
diSlnfected was carefully wrapped IN
khaki sheet and Fitted into zinc and
conner lined smell. 4 disk bearing the
name of the departed soldier was pinned
10 The sheet and the whole was draped
with white material 4 domed metal lid
wa. then placed on the she'll and hermeti-
callv sealed down
Each shell was afterwards inclosed
4 beautifully polished walnut coffin.
which WAS placed in a stout wooden pack
ing case ready for trans-shIpment
"A large motor lorrv stood on the
drive close at hand. and into this each
case was lifted and the vehicle then left
direct for southampton, from which
port the coffins are being shipped On
arrival the collins will be ready for I'M
mediate reburlal
THIS correspondent is not alone in
hi favorable impression OF the way
IN which the work on the other side Is
done Numerous reports from repre-
sentativeS OF the American Red Gross.
The American Legion. the War Depart
ment and many private individuals fully
bear out this testimony.
There are manv too. TO bear witness
u the fitting and orderly manner in
dead have been cared for while await
ing ships in ports on the other side,
whether Southampton. Liverpool, Ant
werp. BreSt. ST Nazaire or any other.
! have personally talked with men who
convoved shipments OF the dead across
the ocean on board the Princess Ma
toika and the United States transport
Sherman who assured me that the most
scrlpulouS care was taken in the hand
ling o. the boxes; that they were never
left without the proper guard and that
there was a certain feeling OF pride and
affection among the living aboard ship,
both crew and passengers. toward those
mute wooden symbols OF sacrifice that
prevented ANYTHING like unseemlng levIty
or Indifference
One sergeant told me OF an incident
where one everfiug in mid-Ocean a group
had gathered singing, and between songs
one man began to tell a Joke Immediate
". ne said. several IN the crowd proposed
that they adjourn ito the other end OF
the ship where there are no boxes
Finally the A. L. +. dead come to
Hnbokcn. that gateway TO America and
home through which the multitude Of their
livir & comrades preceded them And how
socver much We might wish II otherwise,
and as strange as II may seem, II Is when
the bodies touch their native sol that
such difficulties and deficiencies have
been encountered in their return com
mcncr.
For instance. ore will hear it said,
and It has been noised abroad both in
and out Of print that d comparatively
small percentage Of the S,347 bodies
brought back have been met at Hoboken
bv any relative; that bodies have in
many cases laid at Hoboken for one,
two and three weeks while the War
Department bent every effort To get IN
touch with the next Of kin: that a large
proportion Of the bodies have by special
request Of relatives been consigned to
the National Cemetery at arlington,
Virginia. and taken there and buried, in
most cases, without the attendance Of
friends or relatives, that throughout
the country where re-Interments have
taken place, the ceremonies a. whole
have been marked by the indifference
and callousness of the general public;
that on the whole the welcome home of
the A +. f. dead has not been worthy Of
their fine sacrifice.
As congratulations, all these things
are ] believe, true, with many notable
exceptions.
Probably not more than three or four
hundred Of the bodies 50 far brought
back have been met at Hoboken by those
who asked their return, and yet one
father came from Alaska TO take charge
of and bury the BODY of his son In the