New Britain herald., 1930-01-27
PLAN ID DECORATE
 GRAVES OF WOMEN
Overseas Workers Will Honor
 Those Killed iu France

San Francisco, Jan. - - The un- decorated graves of 377 American women who lost their lives in France during the World war arc to get their just tribute at last from the hands of the dead Womcns living ssters-in-arm
 Several thousand American Wom- en who served overseas in 1917 and 1928 are now planning a great pll- grimage to France in the spring.
 They will convene in Paris as the guests of the French government, parade to the tomb Of Frances un- known soldier. take part in reunion l publications, listen 10 speeches and so on, but chiefly they are going | back overseas to decorate the graves of their comrades who made the su- i l preme sacrifice.
 100 Girls Buried in France
 Mention Americas casualties ln i | the war and the average person at | once concludes that only doUghboys ! were involved.
 Yet nearly 400 O. the 900Oo |
 American girls who went over with |
 the army found their graves in !
 France.
 Some of them were army nurses, ,
 colorful in their rcd-lincd capcs | Others were Rcd Cross truck drlN-
 CTS, neat in military twecds; some
 wore the blue linen aprons and flow
 ing white hcad-dresses Of the
 "coffce-and' counters; some wore | nf A, cantccn workers.
 Many of them were under fire re- peatedly. A number were killed in
 air raids. Many died of disease
 contracted in their work. All of
 them saw the war at close range
 and served their country-wcll, only
 an eX-doughboy can tell you just
 how well these women served.
 So next spring they are going
 back Mrs. G. II. Taublcs of San Francisco, national president of the Women"s Overseas League, is now
 busy on plans. Posts in 52 cities
 are preparing to send delegations. Ceremonies for the graves arc in preparation.
 In the cemetery Of Surcsnes, where so many American soldiers are buried, are the graves of 35 , American women. Five moro arc , buried in Oise- -Aisne- -Seringes- ! Neslcs. Another 15 lie in the
 Somme cemetery, at Bony Aisnc.
 An equal number lie at St. Mhiel, , and there are six more in the Mouse { ArGonne
 I And many. many more lie in , single graves. scattered through f battlefelds and village cemeteries all over France.
 Tales of HcrOism These nurses and canteen workers and ambulance drivers and the rest , have their tales of heroism to tell
 although, to be sure, they don't talk Z much about them.
 , They will tell you, for instance, , that four of their number won the Distinguished Service Cross for
 bravery under fire, and 2 more got
 the Distinguished Service Medal. : More than a dozen Y. NJ. C. A. wom- = en hold the Croix de Gucrrc. as do c two Salvation Army women and 2S | army nurses
 , The American women demon strated their value overseas to $ doubting allies. who were amazed - to see so many women brought 't with an army.
 't There was the time. for instance Q that the British army medical corps s asked the Americans to loan them c d doctor a nurse and an ancsthe- '- tst for duty behind the lines. The S Americans sent the detail. The Il British was dismaycd to find that n the anesthetiSt was girl. 3 The girl went to work. however 1T and presently the British noticed
 that the wounded men who came tc
 her operating table did not cry out "a or struggle the way they did tho l. other tables They watched. Thi, l. girl Was soothing the injured men ,. gently telling each man: Now " honey, this isn't going to hurt 6 ., bit"
 So the British doctors. next day sent in an order for 500 British :, army nurses to be trained as anes ~ thetsts.
 Jane Jeffrey was an army nurse ~ on duty at an American hospital 8 = Jouy- Morin in July of 1918 'o The hospital was bombed by Ger 'o man planes. Miss Jeffrey. calml, 'o going through the tents to help tho 's' wounded men, stuck to her post 9f was seriously wounded by a boml 7r fragment-and won a D. s. C. ld Nurse Decorated by Sccy. Baker lc Beatrice Macdonald, anothe It. army nurse. was at an advanced Il British clearing station in the sum :. mer of 1917. She too, stuck to he
 job during a heavy air raid. X m last she, too, was wounded; of wound that cost her the sight Of on is eye and won her a D. s. C. iron q the hands of Secretary Of War New n- ton D. Baker himself. ". One Portland, Ore, society girl ,s- Mrs. Taublcs declines 10 give he of name-battlcd the objections 0 cs parents and finally ran away { id join the nurses corps. She was as on signed 10 a hospital near the iron he line.