Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-05-31
FRANCE MOURNS AT
GRAVES OF 10000
AMERICAN HEROES
Tri-Color and Stars and Stripes at
Half Mast as Nation Honors
Dead Soldiers.
ME MORTAL DAY TRIBUTE
ALSO PAID BY BRITISH

Paris. May 31.-The Stars and Stripes
and the Tricolor of France flew side by
side Yesterday over every American grave
in France. while doughboys and polus
performed the military honors in great
Memorial Day observance by the French
nation
There were detachments from the
Army of Occupation at most of the ceme-
tcrcs. but there were a few remote burial
grounds which thclAmerican troops could
not reach. and over these graves detach-
ments of poilus fired voIleys for their
comrades IN arms.
From every corner of France came re-
ports last night OF great national trlpute
tn the Americans, which made II seem
almost rs though France had overcome
for the moment the pangs OF losing nearly
1000. 900 of her own sons 10 devote her
whole heart to the 10000 crusaders from
overseas.
General Allen commanding the Amer
leans on the Rhine. sent every available
soldier back into France in dctachmentS
to visit the various scattered cemeteries.
MARSHAL PkTAIN THE ORATOR.
The principal ceremonies were, at
Sllrcsnes where Ambassador aiiacc
and Marshal Petain, commander-in-chief
III The French armies, delivered addresses
N memory Of the dead, followed by
volcv from platoon down froh the
Rhine. General Allen spoke amid tho beau
tfullv kept grass nj Romagnc and the
recimcntal band Of the Fifteenth Intan-
cen Frank Parker was the speaker
At PloiSv, Gen John Organ at Bony.
COL. Cabot Ward st Beaumont, Admiral
Ilns at Rclleau Wood and Colonel Bladen
and Major Fochct at Chateau fhicrry
Other ceremonies went on At Ioul,
Th,aicourt. Fcre-on-Tardcnois Fismes.
\cufchatcau. Contrcxcvllc, Nittcl Lc Man
Mans. It. Nazare Dion ls-sur- lille,
Lancrcs. Rouen. ChalonS-sur-Mar our
\cverS Nlcsve.. st MaiXcnt. Juvigny,
Bordeaux Marscilles, lie iavrc, La
Rochelle, Nantes and Lyon.
Al every ceremony the French people
turned out in thousands, trudglng along
dusty roads To bare their heads and
cr, over the graves If their american
friends Ii was noteworthy that chll-
,Iren were 81 numerous. almost every
chld carving 4 wreath, furnished IN ihc
Red Cross or 4 simple bouquet q wild
flowers pluckd III the woods and teids
over which the Americans tollcd and
fought
Tho Red Cross in Paris Modified
motor convoy 10 the nearby cemeteries
Il Rrest besides decorating the graves.
the French erected huge memorial
ccntopath to the American sailors buried
there At NarSeilles the merchant sailors
IN part Joined the American colony IN the
ceremonies at the request Of the e. 4. r.
md Cleveland Coke placed wreath On
the Lafayette Memorial.
10000 wREATHs PLACED.
More than 100000 francs was raised
bv the Paris-American colony which
was spent for more than 10000 wreaths,
or one 10 a grave The wreaths were
distributed in time for today's services.
Nor were the graves in Belgium. Lax
cmburg and along the Rhine neglected,
Tor the American committees had lore
thought Of them
Throughout France the ceremonies
were official, the government having or
daned national observance 70 recon-
>ecrate the friendship Of the two coun-
tines. Cardinal Lucon, Of Rheims. request
cd his people to offer their prayers for the
Americans.
London. MAY 31.-Great Britain yes
tcrdav bowed in spirit Of reverence for
The , 600 American dead soldiers, sailor and
marines and the 50 LusitanIa victims who
lie buried in various parts Of the islands.
1t was an Anglo-American Memorial
Dav service which IL London hlled -
Margaret Westminster with British
and Americans Of oil ranks Of society under
the auspices of the American societies
Ii Is fitting that the people OF this
country should not forget -Amenca 5
brave sons who came 10 Europe to de-
tend civilization and who died and ile (
buried in our soil SAID Canon Tar T
negic at st Margaret :.
The services opened with the Battle /
HYMN Of the Republic, sung by the /
mossed voices OF the largest American +
gathering since the war
The services il the little hilltop GENE /
tery beyond Queenstown, where the /
Lusitauia victims rest IN square plot, /
were attended by officers Of the British I
army and navy Admiral Reginald G. ]
{. Topper delivered the memorial adj /
dress. standing before tho flower-decked I
graves and beneath the folds Of the stars +
and Stripes which tapped gently at half /
mast
As the services closed British army
buClers sounded the last post the equiv /
alent of taps, while the assembly stood