The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1944-07-06
Durant Boy Member Of Hospital Train
That Cares For Wounded Soldiers
Copt. John B. Wilkes
Transfers Wounded
From Bottle Action

" S0sstS NSS"
Headquarters European Theater of
Operations United States Army Especially
A U. s. General Hospital, England-Far
down the sunlit tracks beyond the small
English railroad station, two columns Of
smoke appeared. In the fleet of a United
States Army ambulances waiting on the
road parallel to a rail siding, the driv-
ecs started their engines.
"This will be it," said Major julius c.
Bryan, receiving officer. 1.-TWO locomo-
%tives."
The smoke pulsed regularly in the
evening sky. Two long locomotives came
along the track, smoothly pulling .
heavy line of cars marked with the Red
Cross of a hospital train.
A group of soldiers who had been
leaning against a huge brown mound Of
blanketed litters formed along the rail
siding before any command had been
| given. Sergeants went among with last
minute instructions.
The tall black locomotives halted
slowly on the track in the main yard,
coming carefully to a stop like we'll
! guided elephants. The heads of soldiers
| showed briefly in the windows of the
rear cars.
An officer with a majors oak leaves
on his shoulders and signs Of exhaus-
ton in his face jumped quickly from
the train. He shook hands with Major
Bryan.
"I'm Major Paul Schultze, the train
commander" he said. Were ready to
bring them in"
"We are all ready for you," Major
Bryan said. The two officers moved to-
gether toward the train.
In a few minutes the silent procession
of cars had slipped into the siding. The
soldiers on the road climbed aboard and
began to lift the wounded on stretchers
into the row of ambulances. Some of the
wounded had their possessions piled on
the litters-battered helmets. a lew
cartridge belts, odds and ends carried
for some reason from the battle field.
As each ambulance was filled, the
driver shifted expertly from the line
| and drove into 2 narrow English street.
Military policemen stood at the corn
ers to give the ambulances a clear road.
English people clustered on the edge Of
the street, the men with their hats off,
the m watching in silence. The am
balances rolled out with red lights
flashing.
rv.lEaI dnuyp fka 1annfh of tho twain
There was a glistening kitchen with the
finest equipment for cooking light meals
for the injured men. The kitchen was
stocked with cocoa, coffee, tea-almost
any type of hot drink a man might want.
Rations of good-sized sandwiches, were
stacked in large quantities on the shelv-
es.
A compact operating room with a
movable table and the latest surgical
equipment, to meet any emergency that
might arise, was available. Quarters
were provided for the medical officers,
the nurses and the enlisted men who
stated the train. There were cars built
to carry a big number of litter cases
without crowding, and other cars for
the men who could sit up. There was a
storeroom with plenty of bandages,
fresh dressings, drugs to relieve pain.
l met Major Schultze coming along
the train. He was watching every move
ment in the transfer of the wounded to
the ambulances. A physician from AL
bany. New York, where's his wife lives
at 339 State Street, he has been in the
Army two years and has been
der Of a hospital train for one year of
that time.
he said. THAT is the most important
thing. They are a grand bunch Of men.
They have no complaints. Americans
should be proud of their soldiers"
How wa the trip from the post
area?" | asked him.
1T was all right. We didn't have any
trouble. No emergencies. These boys are
going to be all right"
He admitted that he had been awake
and working for many hours. but he
shrugges at the idea that his tiredness
was of any Importance. On the journey
from the port where the wounded had
arrived from France, he had gone
through the train time after time, Civ
ing medicine to the men who needed ii,
adjusting bandages, talking to the men,
just going around and making certain
hat any man who needed something |
could get it as rapidly as possible.
Captain Wilkes and Captain Chester
been doing the same thing" he
said. He introduced the other two medi
cal officers. u
Capt. John B. Wilkes, son of Mrs.
Wilkes, of Durant, was born
aad reared in Durant, Miss. He has
been assigned to a hospital train carry
wounded soldiers from the battle
ronts to England for some time.
Capt. Wilkes wife and son lives
AZ 1923 Johnson Street, Grand Rapids,
Michigan. He has been in the Army al
aast two years.
With the nurses and a group of en-
isted teehnieians, the officers had been
raining for months IN handle uroentI