HISTORY 0/7 
 
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 Published by 
 
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 Copyright, 1930, by The International Committee of Young 
 Men's Christian Associations. 
 
 JUL 13 1920 
 
 ©CLA570668 
 

 
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RE6I0N-0F-LE-MANS 
 
 A Map of the 
 
 American Embarkation 
 
 Center 
 
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SUMMARY OF SERVICE 
 
 YM.CA. 
 
 V 
 
 IN THE 
 
 EMBARKATION CENTER 
 
 From DECEMBER 1918 
 to JULY 1919 
 
 Compiled and Edited by Regional Staff at Le Mans 
 
 Under Direction of 
 
 Helen Sinclair Editor-in-Chief 
 
 V. O. Winkenwieder.. Managing Editor 
 
 Hallie Jameson ..Associate Editor 
 
 James E. Tracy... Associate Editor 
 
 Blanche C. Grant Photographer 
 
 M. E. Nellums _..... Statisticia 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 Credit is accorded to the U. S. A. Signal Corps for much of the 
 photography appearing in this history. 
 
 Acknowledgment is also made to the Stars and Strvpes for the use of 
 cuts of divisional insignia. 
 
 Certain valuable statistical information is submitted through the 
 courtesy of A. E. C. General Headquarters. 
 
 N. B.: In submitting lists of personnel in connection with each 
 unit of the region, excepting those serving particular divisions, it was 
 found to be impracticable, because of the constant changes taking 
 place, to make up any one list to cover the whole period, hence those 
 appearing herein should be understood to be the personnel serving as 
 of June, 1919. 
 

 
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History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 LE MANS— A MILITARY CENTER 
 
 E MANS has been a military center from medieval times 
 and was the training center for soldiers of three nations 
 daring the recent war. French artillery was trained in 
 tlie region, and after the beginning of the World War, 
 Belgian troops were brought here for re-organization 
 
 and training. When America entered the war it was onh^ natural that 
 
 her troops should train in this historic spot. 
 
 After many troops had passed through Ee Mans it became the 
 training area for the Eighty-third Division in command of Major- 
 General Glenn. After the signing of the armistice, G. H. Q., A. E. F., 
 searched for a center where, during the process of demobilization, the 
 American Army could be sent to complete final arrangements for sail- 
 ing for America. From a geographical standpoint no more central place 
 could be found, because Le Mans is almost equally distant from the 
 embarkation points, Bordeaux, Brest, St. Nazaire and Le Havre, with 
 direct railway communication to each. Therefore, it was chosen as 
 the center for embarkation troops. 
 
 Up until this time the Le Mans area was a part of the S. O. S., but 
 on December 15, 1918, it was taken from that branch and made a 
 separate unit known as the American Embarkation Center, or the A. 
 E. C. The region consisted of the following camps and areas: Le Mans 
 Depot Division (Classification Camp, Spur Camp, Camp Etat, Over- 
 haul Park, Salvage Camp, Parigne-L'Evegne, and several other units 
 in and about the city.) Forwarding Camp, Belgian Camp, and these 
 areas: Ecomnioy, La Suze, Alencon, Sable, Conlie, Ballon, Montfort, 
 La Ferte-Bernard, Mayenne, Laval. Chateau-Gontier and Rennes. All 
 except the last three are Divisional areas. 
 
 In making Le Mans the Embarkation Center for the movement of 
 troops on the part of the army, brought a corresponding change in 
 the Y. M. C. A. organization, and the Le Mans region was estab- 
 lished, which from the baby region grew to be the largest in the 
 whole A. E. F. 
 
In the Le Mans Area -^ 
 
 AVELFARE WORK IN A. E. C. 
 By Brig. Gen. George S. Simonds, U. S. Armij Commander 
 
 HE AMERICAN Embarkation Center was established 
 in Le Mans (Sarthe), on December 15, 1919, to provide 
 a concentration point at which a maximmn of 200,000 
 transient troops per month could be received, cared for, 
 prepared in detail to meet embarkation requirements 
 and dispatched to various ports. 
 
 In July, 1918, the Second Depot Division formed from the Eighty- 
 third Division was established in Le Mans and began to function as a 
 replacement depot about August 1. It continued as such until after 
 the armistice. With the beginning of the movement of troops home- 
 ward, they commenced to arrive in the Le Mans areas preparatory to 
 embarkation. The flow thus started in the opposite direction. Instead 
 of preparation for service at the front it became a center of prepara- 
 tion of the troops for return to the United States and to their normal 
 pursuits. To meet the new problems the American Embarkation Center 
 was organized as above stated. 
 
 To care for the large number of troops to be sent through, eight 
 divisional billeting areas were organized. These, with the Forwarding 
 Camp, Belgian Camp, Classification Camp and ^ number of smaller 
 camps provided for a maximum capacity of about 325,000 men. 
 
 By June 30, 1919, a total of about 625,000 ofticers and enlisted men 
 passed through the center for embarkation to the United States. To 
 administer such an establishment it was necessary to provide a head- 
 quarters and staff of considerable magnitude. This was done with a 
 general staff in control, organized along the lines of the general staff 
 at general headquarters. In addition to the usual military problems of 
 providing food, clothing and shelter, and administration in general, 
 the special problems were presented of reequipping and reclothing 
 the men coming from the front; of delousing and cleaning them up; 
 of cleaning up the records of organizations, which in the exigencies of 
 the service were necessarily in arrears, and of the thousands of indi- 
 vidual casuals who, through separation from their organizations, re- 
 quired special measures taken with regard to their records; and the 
 great problem of providing for the physical and moral welfare of 
 these great numbers who no longer had the incentive of training for 
 the great struggle of the ages, but were, nevertheless, confronted with 
 the no less important question of preparation for return to their normal 
 pursuits, which had been so abnormally disturbed, and to which dis- 
 turbance the nation had so nobly responded. 
 
6 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 All of these problems were worked out through the ways and means 
 provided by the military organization which was charged with their 
 solution. And it is only the latter one, i. e., the provision for the 
 welfare of the returning troops that will be touched upon here. This is 
 worthy of special mention in this summary, for the reason that in 
 the solution of this problem the aid was invoked of all the civilian 
 societies operating in the A. E. C. The Y. M. C. A., the American 
 Red Cross, the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board and 
 tlie American Library Association were all represented. In accordance 
 with the general policy announced from General Headquarters, the 
 activities of all these societies were placed vmder the control of the 
 first section of the General Staff, G-1, and a sub-section with staff 
 officers in control was charged with direct supervision of the work. 
 The chief of the sub-section was held directly responsible for the co- 
 ordination of the various welfare activities ; that proper military con- 
 trol was exercized ; that the civilian heads were given proper support ; 
 and that proper results were obtained. 
 
 Without exception every societjr res^ponded whole-heartedly to the 
 plan provided. Each and every one fell into the general scheme, they 
 met with a high degree of efficiency every demand made upon them, 
 and they cooperated in a fine spirit with the military authorities and 
 with each other. 
 
 The magnitude of this work has far exceeded anything that was 
 at first contemplated and the results speak for themselves. This feature 
 of the work of the A. E. C. is worthy of special mention, for it differs 
 somewhat from the general military problem and it has furnished 
 here a striking example of what can be accomplished through the 
 non-military agencies where they are brought under one control, where 
 their efforts are coordinated, and where they cooperate as they have 
 done so cordially and so effectively here. 
 
 The writer desires to make of record the high appreciation the 
 military authorities of these headquarters have of the aid which the 
 members of these civilian societies have rendered to the army in this 
 center, from the ver}^ beginning of its existence. It has been a fine 
 exemplification of the spirit of working for the great results which 
 has animated the A. E. F. throughout its magnificent undertaking and 
 accomplishment in the Great War. And particular appreciation is 
 due the women of these societies, who have toiled so earnestly and 
 efficiently in this work, and in fulfilling so faithfully the high tradi- 
 tions of American womanhood have kept ever before us the ideals 
 for which we fought. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 7 
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 By O. L. Ferris, Regional Director 
 HE PROBLEM of organization for the eifective car- 
 rying on of the "Y" program in the American Embarka- 
 tion Center was unusually difficult, due to the very rapid 
 changes in the military plans and the consequent speedy 
 movement of the troops in and out of the area. Combat 
 Divisions arri'ved with little previous advice and took their departure 
 on short notice, often contrary to pre-arranged plans. Divisions came 
 into the area and remained for a period of four months, while others 
 spent less than a week here. Aside from the regular combat Divisions 
 the problem of handling the large numbers of casuals and S. O. S. 
 troops was stupendous, from a welfare standpoint particularly, inas- 
 much as the latter classes were not accompanied by a static welfare 
 personnel as were the regular organized Divisions. 
 
 C A glance at the map of the region reveals the all-comprehensive 
 nature of the "Y" service here. The maximum service seems to have 
 been reached in the months of ]March and April, at which time there 
 were over 300 "Y" stations throughout the area, and in addition thereto 
 there were operating at that time 15 rolling canteens, which made 
 over r)00.000 services to troops not reached by the regular stationary 
 units. 
 
 C The statistical summary for the seven months which mark the 
 operation of the American Embarkation Center reveals a rapid growth 
 of the organization, and the figures therein combined show in a telling 
 way the tremendous quantity of material brought to play in the "Y" 
 activities. These can be classed primarily into four great groups: 
 Entertainment, Athletic, Religious and Educational, each serving in 
 its peculiar way, but each one correlated with all the others. 
 
 C The statistics herein shown only begin to tell the story of the wide 
 extent and volume of the activities that fell under these departmental 
 heads. The canteen service was considered purely an Army bervice, 
 though conducted by the "Y," up to the first of April, when it was 
 turned back to the Army. Its stupendousness can best be understood 
 by the tabulation of figures which show the large volume of merchan- 
 dise that was handled. 
 
 C At no time prior to June in the history of thii region was there an 
 adequate supply of men and women secretaries to serve the troops, and 
 the figures of personnel serving fell far short of telling the story. 
 
8 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 The untiring efforts and sacrificial spirit of the men and the women 
 secretaries are known only to those who were . intimately associated 
 with them, and the human interest stories and commendatory letters are 
 multitudinous. Those quoted herein are not to be considered of a per- 
 sonal nature, but rather as illustrating only tliese intimate phases of 
 the Y. M. C. A.'s contact with the A. E. F. 
 
 d. The ability of the "Y" secretary to associate with him the soldier 
 detail made it possible to handle the tremendous task. It would have 
 been quite impossible without this assistance on the part of the Army, 
 its officers and men. The quality of service has been well understood 
 by those who observed the places of trust in which these details were 
 placed and by those who observed the character of these men, many 
 of whom were decorated for bravery on the field of battle. Faithful 
 service to the "Y" was often rewarded by discharge from the Army 
 and advent into the "Y" as a regular secretary. 
 
 d. The uniform success of the women secretaries is one of the out- 
 standing lights of "Y" service. No task was found too small or too 
 large, too difficult, too arduous, nor too complicated for the woman 
 secretary to handle successfully. It would have been impossible to 
 put over the "Y" program as was done without the women secretaries. 
 Their success and the demand for their services are clearly demon- 
 strated by the figures which reveal the steady growth in numbers of 
 women secretaries in the region. 
 
 CL The problem of billeting in the outlying areas of the Le Mans 
 region constantly taxed the resourcefulness of the "Y," not only in tak- 
 ing care of its personnel comfortably, but in providing necessary space 
 for its activities. 
 
 ^ The entire lack of an3^thing but the ordinary small living room in 
 many of the French villages made it necessary to erect tents in scores 
 of places. The quaintness of many of these small rooms and halls 
 that were available and the way in which they were adapted as "Y" 
 huts, as well as the unusually attractive decorations and re-arrange- 
 ments that transformed them, is the best testimony of the resource- 
 fulness of the respective secretaries. The conversion of dreary French 
 cafes, of ancient stone barns, of ugly fish markets, and of gloomy 
 town halls into cheery "Y's" is a memory that will long live in the 
 minds of the secretaries and of the soldiers that were thrown together 
 in these stations. 
 
 C The Y. M. C. A. organization in the region falls into three periods; 
 the months of December and January under the regional directorship 
 of Mr. D. W. Weist, of Cleveland, Ohio, the months of February, 
 
In the Le ]\Ians Area 9 
 
 March, and April under the regional directorship of A. G. Bookwalter, 
 of Cincinatti, Ohio, and the months of May and June under the 
 regional directorship of Mr. O. L. Ferris, of Portland, Oregon. Dur- 
 iag each of these administrations there was the heartiest cooperation 
 and fellowship between the Association and the military authorities, 
 an^ there was the constant feeling on the part of the Association 
 that it existed as an integral part of the Army and that it was playing 
 an important part in the successful handling of the large numbers of 
 troops that were passing through the area. 
 
 C During these periods there was likewise the most helpful and 
 friendly cooperation between the Y. M. C. A. and the Knights of 
 Columbus, the American Red Cross, the Jewish Welfare Board, and 
 the American Librarj^ Association (Salvation Army was not repre- 
 sented in the region). Many undertakings were handled jointly by 
 these societies and at many points the same activities building housed 
 not only the "Y" workers, but those of one or more of the other socie- 
 ties. The "Y" not only provided its entertainment, cinema and inspira- 
 tional lectures, etc., for its own centers, but likewise supplied them to 
 each of the other welfare societies without qualification. The demand 
 on American women for social activities made it possible for the Asso- 
 ciation to have its women secretaries participate in dancing at various 
 huts of the other societies as well as those entirely under the supervi- 
 sion of the Association, and the petty jealousies that were reported 
 in other sections between these societies were entirely absent in this 
 region. 
 
 C[, The same friendliness of feeling that marked the Association's 
 contact with the Army and with the militarized Welfare Societies 
 likewise manifested itself in a marked degree in tlie Association's 
 contact with the allied peoples of the region. Man}' Franco-Ameri- 
 can occasions were participated in and jointly managed by the Asso- 
 ciation, and the constant consultation by the good French people of 
 Le Mans with the Association looking toward friendly feeling between 
 the Americans and the French, demonstrated the respect which the 
 French people hold for the Association. 
 
 d. In this region the "Y, " in addition to the large work for the mem- 
 bers of the A. E. F., conducted special work in the Foyers des Soldats 
 for the French soldiers stationed there. It also conducted with out- 
 standing success "Y" centers in the various Polish Camps for a long- 
 time found in the region, and supplied a secretary and equipment for 
 work among; the Chinese laborers attached to the French armv. 
 
10 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 d. In presenting this summary of service of the Association in this 
 region, it is my desire to acknowledge keen appreciation for the large 
 service in the perfection of the organization of the "Y" program by 
 the administration's of D. W. Weist and A. G. Bookwalter, and the 
 same keen appreciation for the cooperation and friendliness on the 
 part of the military commands of the A. E. C, those of General E. F. 
 Glenn, General Eli K. Cole. General George W. Read, and General 
 George S. Simonds. 
 
 d. It should be understood that the organization known as the Le 
 Mans Region Y. M. C. A., was intended to cover the entire bounds of 
 the area known as the American Embarkation Center, and that in addi- 
 tion thereto it constantly reached out to isolated and miscellaneous 
 units of militarv police, of engineers, and labor battalions located far 
 beyond the military bounds of the A. E. C. Approximately it served 
 a monthly average of 10,()0() troops in addition to those as sliown in the 
 mili'-ary strength of the American Embarkation Center. 
 
 REGIONAL STAFF 
 
 As of February 1, 1919 
 
 D. W. WEIST .....Regional Director 
 
 NELSON POE Assistant 
 
 O. L. P'ERRIS Associate Regional Director 
 
 MAUD McDowell KOYLE women's Bureau 
 
 A. J. MILES Business Department 
 
 B. A. PERKINS Educational Departnient 
 
 CHARLES F. RICH ..Cinema Department 
 
 MADISON COREY Entertainment Department 
 
 A. E. MARRIOTT Athletic Department 
 
 E. R. NORTH Religious Department 
 
 E. N. WATKINS... Transportation Department 
 
 H. B. MOOK Financial Department 
 
 R. H. SKINNER Hut Construction Department 
 
 BLANCHE C. GRA.:^T ..Hut Decoration Department 
 
 H. W. BOWMAN..... Hut Equipment Department 
 
 JOHN BASSETT.. ...Warehouse 
 
In the I.e Mans Area 
 
 11 
 
 REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS 
 1. Entrance Court. 2. Transportation Pool. 3. Direct to Headquarters, i. Director 
 at His Desk. 5. 71 Rue Clianzy Headquarters. 6. Business Office. 7. Women's Bureau 
 
12 History or-- the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 REGIONAL STAFF 
 
 As of April 1, 1919 
 
 A. G. BOOKWALTER __ Regional Director 
 
 NELSON POE - - issistant 
 
 O. L. FERRIS Regional Business Director 
 
 MAUD McDowell K0YLE.._ Women's Bureau 
 
 C. W. ASHCRAFT.-. - Personal Department 
 
 E. C. ALDER-- Educational Department 
 
 CHARLES F. RICH - Cintma Department 
 
 A. E. MARRIOTT - - ..Athletic Department 
 
 E. R. NORTH - - - Religious Department 
 
 R. H. SKINNER - Hid Construction Department 
 
 BLANCHE C. GRANT Hui Decoration Department 
 
 H. W. BOWMAN Hut Equipment Department 
 
 J. V. WILLIAMS--- Transportation Department 
 
 FRANK C. BURKHARDT Warehouse Department 
 
 ALFRED STOKES - - ..Recruiting Department 
 
 H. B. MOOK - ...Financial Department 
 
 JESSE DODD - - Postoffice Department 
 
 R. D. HALL - Activities Department 
 
 T. E. LUTES...: Rolling Canteen 
 
 REGIONAL STAFF 
 
 As of June 1, 1919 
 EXECUTIVE 
 
 O. L. FERRIS -- ..Regional Director 
 
 A. R. GRIZELLE Office Assistant 
 
 HARRIET GARDINER-.- Office Assistant 
 
 J. W. BAILEY Associate Director (Personnel) 
 
 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 
 
 A. E. JORDAN .....Business Director 
 
 LUCILE P. PIKE - .......Office Assistant 
 
In the Le Mans Area 13 
 
 WOMEN'S BUREAU 
 
 MRS. MAUD McDowell KOYLE Directress 
 
 LUCILLE COUCH Office Assistant 
 
 EDITH ROBERTS... Office Assistant 
 
 MILDRED F. ROGERS Office Assistant 
 
 AREA SUPERVISORS 
 
 Northeast Area 
 
 C. R. HENCH Ea-ecutioe 
 
 J. L. PUTNAM Business 
 
 Northwest Area 
 
 T. H. FRANCISCO ..Executive 
 
 W. C. MOORE - Business 
 
 Southeast Area 
 
 P. L. EVANS ...Executive 
 
 WM. SHEWRY Business 
 
 Southwest Area 
 
 H. M. BING ...Executive 
 
 W. W. RHOADES Business 
 
 Le Mans Depot 
 
 A. T. MORRILL Executive 
 
 C. B. SPEER... Business 
 
 Forwarding Camp 
 
 A. K. JENNINGS ...Executive 
 
 0. G. KELLOGG Business 
 
 Belgian Camp 
 
 E. M. WALRATH : ...Executive 
 
 R. W. SPARKS... Business 
 
 DEPARTMENTS 
 
 C. A. WILSON Army Details 
 
 A. E. MARRIOTT Athletic 
 
14 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Billeting, Baggage and Mail 
 
 C. W. GEORGE ..Billeting, Baggage and Mail 
 
 S. W. FRIES : Cineyna 
 
 L. H. WATERS — - - - Educational 
 
 MADISON COREY .Entertainment 
 
 H. B. MOOK - Financial 
 
 BLANCHE C. GRANT Hut Decoration 
 
 W. E. BALES - - ...Ice Cream Factory 
 
 W. H. COUSINS - -- - Personnel 
 
 W. H. WARREN.. Publicity 
 
 HELEN SINCLAIR _ Records 
 
 ARTHUR D. HILTON... ....Religious 
 
 T. E. LUTES Rolling Canteen 
 
 H. O. MADDOX Salvage (Supply) 
 
 C. C. GLEASON Mass Singing 
 
 J. V. W7ILLIAMS Transportation 
 
 E. W. JUDD Transportation Pool 
 
 F. C. AGNEW ...Warehouse 
 
 PERSONAL DISTRIBUTION 
 
 ]\Ien Women 
 
 Le Mans Regional Office i7 44 
 
 Le Mans Depot Division 38 110 
 
 Le Mans Transportation 19 
 
 Le Mans Warehouse 2 
 
 Special Lectures 10 
 
 Religious Department Speakers.. 28 
 
 Entertainers 22 74 
 
 Rolling Canteen 2 36 
 
 Belgian Camp 13 
 
 Forwarding Camp 14 
 
 Northeast Area 35 10 
 
 Northwest Area 19 13 
 
 Southwest Area 23 23 
 
 Southeast Area 33 19 
 
 Total 30,> 329 
 
 GRAND TOTAL 634 
 

16 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Detail of General Expense Le Mans Region 
 
 Dec. Jan. 
 
 Francs Francs 
 
 Canteen Account 8(>4(t 
 
 Huts and Tents 
 
 Outlay on Property used as Huts 1163 
 
 Hut Furniture and Equipment , , 4584.90 203.5,25 
 
 Local Expense of equippiuy and luaintaininju 
 
 Overseas Workers 1815.50 4125 
 
 Operation Motor Transport Service 2060 7258.14 
 
 Division Headcj[uarters Expense 3231.10 5207.27 
 
 Operating and Maintaining Huts 7288.36 2101.75 
 
 Entertainment , 5130.10 3705.20 
 
 Athletic and Physical Training, Local 271.65 678.15 
 
 Kducational Commissions 2050.35 197.65 
 
 Eeligious Work 47.20 63.25 
 
 Other Association Service 345 3487.73 
 
 Regional Hea<lquarters Expense 
 
 ^ficellaneous Expense 2474.71 
 
 *Totals 35464.16 32507.10 
 
 ^General ex[iense for June exceeded 500,000 francs. 
 
 Canteen Sales, December 1 to June 1 10,427,091.79 
 
 A. E. F. Remittances, Decend^er 1 to June 1 2,014,893.52 
 
 Free Distribution f Welfare), December 1 to June 1 1,173,618.19 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 December 1, 1918- May 31, 1919 
 
 Feb. March April May Ratio in Total 
 
 Francs Francs Francs Francs Percentage Francs 
 
 SIO 1];!72.07 3;5201.o7 60006.9o 12. f/f ll-H):!l.Ui 
 
 190 10622.4;^, 18+4.91 1.1 12657.34 
 
 10Sn.;T0 3249.7.3 927-1.-10 9321.00 2.3 240<SS.7:1 
 
 3;i2 1.7.1 2393. .So 3.50S.69 970.05 1.7 16814.49 
 
 7472.54 
 
 10719.58 
 
 10294. SS 
 
 ISIS. 70 
 
 S172.50 
 
 1509.55 
 
 1459.20 
 
 424.85 
 
 749 
 
 S(-:08.90 
 
 5(;(;;!i.95 
 
 15019.04 
 2561S.41 
 
 5(i35.84 
 11568.22 
 61601.51 
 12431.35 
 
 1603.90 
 SI 2.20 
 
 (i098.77 
 13424.04 
 13248.38 
 
 194703.36 
 
 10500.24 
 
 21571.24 
 
 7369.91 
 
 30275.12 
 
 S:!27S.45 
 
 10125.05 
 
 2797.40 
 
 4125.30 
 
 4387.01 
 
 22731.12 
 
 2837.-I0 
 
 247827.91 
 
 19300.90 
 38641.16 
 
 7249.05 
 
 38C14.32 
 
 129-136.15 
 
 26842.32 
 
 229S.15 
 12088.12 
 
 7991.44 
 14759.40 
 15329.47 
 
 382248.78 
 
 8.6 
 11. 
 
 3.9 
 
 9.4 
 30.4 
 
 5.3 
 
 1. 
 
 1.7 
 
 o .-> 
 5.2 
 4.2 
 
 100. 
 
 Beyiiiiiing June 1 all the Canteen Service was without charge. 
 
 X. B. — The above have been local expenditures of the Le Mans Ee^ 
 no account of the large expenditures of the Paris Headquarters 
 the region covering all items for personnel and material. 
 
 58233.22 
 
 105868.53 
 
 38988.05 
 
 91066.47 
 
 291323.91 
 
 51861.07 
 
 10406.65 
 
 17561.22 
 
 23058.95 
 
 50914.56 
 
 42498.86 
 
 949383.26 
 
 ion and take 
 on behalf of 
 
18 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 ^:>,- -\^ mW^ 
 
 .^":i- 
 
In the Le Mans Area 19 
 
 SECTION II 
 
 FORWARDING CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 A. K. JENNINGS Camp Secretary 
 
 O. G. KELLOGG Business Secretary 
 
 CHARLES O. PATE Activities Director 
 
 L. G. HAYES : Religious Secretary 
 
 THOMAS W. BAKER Financial Secretary 
 
 J. R. ANDERSON Athletic Society 
 
 HENRY T. BROWN - Athletic Secretary 
 
 F. G. BALMOND Musical Director 
 
 C. F. FRALEY. Athletic Secretary 
 
 L. S. GILHAM Athletic Secretary 
 
 HERBERT H. OREM Hut Secretary, Huts 3 and 4 
 
 DAFGIN SANDVED Secretary 
 
 R. H. D. WHITE Secretary 
 
 R. F. WROSELL ...Secretary 
 
 Women Canteen Workers 
 
 MAY PEABODY Directress 
 
 Marie Allen Helen Estee 
 
 Frances Blackney Helen S. Green 
 
 Lucile Butts Amy Greene 
 
 Constance Crawford Mrs. Kate Greenlaw 
 
 Caroline Emerson Mrs. Katherine Grinnell 
 
 Hazerl Ohmert Marian Scott 
 
 Elma C. Pratt Mrs. Emma Singleton 
 
 Jane Rowson Olive Wliiley 
 
 Marian Seely Elizabeth H. Wood 
 
20 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 FORWARDING CAMP 
 
 N EXACT quotation from the Junior Post Chaplain of 
 Forwarding Camp will explain wli}' the history of the 
 Y. M. C. A. activities in this camp can be written 
 only in parallel with that of the operations of 
 the Government. 
 
 "The Y. M. C. A. made every human effort to keep abreast of each 
 I'tridc made by the Government in the erection of this tremendous feat 
 of Armv operations — the Forwarding Camp. If one wonders why 
 tlierp seems a minimum of showing of Y. M. C. A. operations during 
 tlie months of October, November and December of 1918, that one 
 must remember that the Government was housing its thousands of men 
 on the rush to the front in their own pup tents. This was indicative 
 of one or both of two conditions ; supplies for permanent buildings 
 could ]iot be Ji-id; ov the Government did not yet realize that the For- 
 warding Camp 1 'ould be a permanent institution of tlie war, mucli 
 less thai it would eventually grow into the big-gest and busiest camp 
 in France. 
 
 "And one must remember also that those were days of doing, and 
 not of keeping records. Personnel was scarce, the needs were over- 
 whelming, and the Y. M. C. A. was given a Q. M. job without Q. M. 
 transportation. The services rendered by the Y. ]\I. C. A., the difficul- 
 ties surmounted, the ingenuity, determination, and untiring energy 
 displayed by tlie secretaries in their efforts to function to the needs of 
 thousands of troops that were constantly being rushed through the 
 P'orwarding Camp, is another one of the stories of the war that cannot 
 be written. Tremendous as were the operations of the Government at 
 the Forwarding Camp, the Y. M. C. A. kept abreast of them!" 
 
 Undoubtedly the work done by the Y. M. C. A. in its struggles to 
 keep alongside of the gigantic wheels of the Government's machinery 
 at the Forwarding Camp is best indexed by the time of erection and 
 the story of its five biggest huts, and its hangar. 
 
 Hut No. 1, "Hurrah Hut," was erected in early October, of 1918. 
 Its dimensions were 65x185 feet. From October to January, this hut 
 was the only place of congregation or recreation within the reach of 
 the thousands of men who went to make up the great machinery which 
 constituted the Forwarding Camp. It was the only refuge from the 
 rain and the sleet outside or the uncomfortable mud which was the 
 floor to their pup tents. Its few benches offered the only relief from 
 the eternal standing, and its stoves the only place for a bit of warmth. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 21 
 
 A dry canteen was in operation from the beginning, and the long 
 lines of men waiting for smokes were literally endless. Three times a 
 week there were movies and on the other nights there were soldier talent 
 shows inspired and directed by Y. M. C. A. secretaries. To accommo- 
 date the great crowds of men eager for some snatch of entertainment 
 before they should leave for their long stay in the trenches, the very 
 partitions had to be removed at times to acconnnodate the mass of 
 khaki-clad bodies that positively swayed with the movements among 
 them. All available seats were always filled hours before the start of 
 the performance, the men sitting patiently missing their suppers in 
 order to hold a seat for the performance. 
 
 As the other huts were gradually erected, this first one took on more 
 and more an air of individuality of its own as the headquarters hut of 
 the camp. But its hospitable doors were always open, to the very 
 end of the life of the A. E. F., to thousands of soldier boys, who seemed 
 to find this hut a favorite loitering place. And these same doors, humbly 
 swinging on their crude hinges, hastily constructed by strong, quick 
 hands of young Americans who knew or thought little of the fine arts 
 of old, deserve to be classed, when Time shall have given its correc- 
 tive perspective of the things worth while in this war, with the doors 
 of the proud old cathedral which has reared its majestic mass on the 
 heights of Le Mans for nearly seven hundred years. There were times 
 when the doors of Harrah Hut offered the only sanctuary to thousands 
 of crusaders who had crossed seas to a foreign land to fight in a cause 
 that was holy. 
 
 Hut No. 2 (7.'>xl5() feet) was built in January of 1919, when nearly 
 30,000 troops swarmed over the camp — mostly Ninety-first and Ninety- 
 second Divisions. The situation of this hut, across the camp from 
 Harrah Hut, made it particularly useful. 
 
 As the military authorities formed their plans of a permanent camp 
 to be used for the concentration and forwarding of troops to the 
 coast instead of to the front. General Logan came to a decision that in 
 the center of the camp there should be a big welfare area, containing 
 buildings of all the Welfare Associations. 
 
 "Georgia Flut," the Auditorium, and later a huge hangar, were the 
 Y. M. C. A. contribution to this block. 
 
 Georgia Hut (45x150 feet) with the usual wet and dry canteen, 
 library, stage, piano, "mother's corner," etc., functioned to an average 
 of 3000 men daily from January to July. 
 
 The Auditorium in the Welfare Area of Forwarding CamiJ had one 
 of the largest and best appointed stages in France. The seating 
 capacity of the house was 200u, and only a sardine could judge its 
 
History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 FORWARDING CAMP CENTERS 
 
 Chocolate and Doughnuts. 2. A Typical Canteen Line. 3. Hearthside Hut No. 1. 
 4. "Y" Swimming Pool. 5. Bulletin Boards. G. Officers' Club. 7. Hut 
 Interior Showing Stage. 8. New Mexico Hut Exterior 
 
In the Le Mans Area 23 
 
 standing capacity. During ^Nlarcli and April and May, matinees and 
 evening performances of vaudeville, soldier shows, movies, etc., were a 
 d lily occurrence. The size of the stage brought the best shows on the 
 A. E. F. circuit in France to Forwarding Camp, and a conservative 
 estimate of the number of men who witnessed performances in this 
 historic playhouse is something like 450,000 men. 
 
 In May the hangar (125x125 feet) was opened up for movies and 
 enlisted men's dances. The entertainment department of the Y. M. 
 C. A. and of the Army, working in close conjunction, booked from the 
 Y. M. C. A. circuit out of Le Mans 236 vaudevilles and 284 movies, 
 nine-tenths of which were shown in either the hangar or the Auditorium 
 of the Wielfare Center. 
 
 TWENTY-EIGHTH DIVISION 
 
 ARTHUR V. TURNEY.. Division Secretary 
 
 GEO. J. BARNES ...Business Secretary 
 
 GEO. N. HOPKINS __... Accountant 
 
 ARTHUR DEVERE HUBBARD Cashier 
 
 JOHN G. PERCY Entertainment Director 
 
 ARTHUR B. WHEATLEY Athletic Director 
 
 E. B. WOODS Educational Director 
 
 W. B. J. PRETTYMAN Secretary 
 
 NORMAN BROUGH... Secretary 
 
 J. C. MAGGARGLE... Secretary 
 
 HERSCHEL HORN.. _ Secretary 
 
 CHAS.W.CREW Secretary 
 
 JAMES A. LEE ; Secretary 
 
 C. C. HALDMAN Secretary 
 
 FRANK P. HAYS Secretary 
 
 FRED W. BEAI Secretary 
 
 CHAS. DARSIE. Secretary 
 
 JOHN W. CRENSHAW S,ecretary 
 
 WM. L. COURTRIGHT Secretary 
 
 A. S. GOODRICH Secretary 
 
 Women Canteen Workers 
 
 Harriet McKenzie Margaret Robinson 
 
 Katherine Parks Dorothy Berry 
 
 Gertrude Garden Janet Kunz 
 
 Pauline Brown Kitty Kunz 
 
 Mary Waddcn Katherine Beakes 
 
 Dora Lewis Mrs. Cora C. Kennedy 
 
24 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Hut No. 5 "Keystone Hut," was built by the volunteer service of the 
 Twenty-eighth Division — hence its name, from the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania. In the month of February it became known over the camp that 
 materials were on hand for the erection of a new hut. The place de- 
 cided upon was within the closely walled jurisdiction of a certain Army 
 tyrant, known as the delousing plant. Some indications of the interest 
 which the men took in the erection of the new hut on its unpopular 
 site may be gathered from the fact that so many men volunteered 
 their services that the hut was erected in the world record time of ITVi: 
 hours. Its dimensions are 15x150 feet. The Regional Decorator took 
 particular pains that its walls were attractive and its furniture and 
 decorations pleasing and inviting. 
 
 It was to the area of the delousing plant that the men must go first 
 on their return from the front, and they must remain there for a 
 period of from three to ten days — from which there was no outlet or 
 respite. Since Friend Cootie is no respector of persons, an officers' 
 reading room and club room adjoined the main assembly hall. Many 
 a soldier and officer gratefully expressed his appreciation for the big 
 Keystone Hut in such words as "It certainly is an oasis in this desert" 
 and "It surely has saved our lives." 
 
 Wet and dry canteens were in operation from the first, with two "Y" 
 girls and a "Y" man behind the counter. 
 
 Officers' Club — Close to Harrah Hut there is a very attractive offi- 
 cers' club and reading room which proved very popular. 
 
 Religious Work 
 
 FROM the very first establishment of Forwarding Camp, the De- 
 partment of Religious Work for the Y. M. C. A. has been one of 
 the camp's organized and recognized activities. Everything was done 
 to dedicate the huts and equipment of the "Y" service to a recognition 
 of practical religion. No suggestion of sectarian interest or differences 
 was tolerated, and at all times and to all services all men were equall}^ 
 welcome. The cordial recognition of this principle on the part of the 
 
In the Le Mans Area 2a 
 
 camp authorities put the work of the Y. M. C. A. on the broad plane 
 necessary for the accomplishment of its aims. 
 
 Among the outstanding features of the Y. M. C. A. religious service 
 was the following: 
 
 Music: Under gifted select leaders supplied with abundant 
 equipment of books and pianos the men were led in wholesome and 
 inspiring songs, humorous, patriotic and religious. 
 
 Regular Sunday and mid-week programs : On one night of 
 every week in each building religious meetings were announced and put 
 through, usually with a definite appeal for personal and moral devo- 
 tion. In addition to the secretaries of the respective huts, there were 
 from six to ten camp secretaries engaged in religious work all the time. 
 
 Sunday Schools at 9:30 a. m., after the American fashion, supple- 
 mented the morning and evening mee;:ings, and the Holy Communion 
 was administered in an entirely non-sectarian way once a month. 
 
 The Chaplains, both of the moving and permanent personnel, were 
 used continually, nearly half the meetings addressed being served by 
 them. At any time in any building the Catholic or Jewisli men or 
 ministers were cordiall}^ welcomed to conduct their separate offices of 
 worship and until each had been su2Jplied with a iniilding for their own 
 use the privilege was often used. 
 
 The Literature: It would be impossible accurately to estimate the 
 value and volume of the service to the men in magazines, song books, 
 brocures, books and parts, such as songs. Gospels, the most scientific 
 and attractive hygiene literature and the like. In addition to the con- 
 stant service of the various reading roo.ns incorporated in each build- 
 ing, twice or more each week supplies of reading matter of the most 
 select and rational type were distributed to the centers of the camp 
 organization ; and when enough matter could be obtained, outgoing 
 trains were furnished. 
 
 The attendance through the winter and spring taxed the capacity of 
 the buildings ; and even with the long evenings of the summer and tlie 
 lure of the outdoor sports the attendance was good. 
 
 Athletics 
 
 WITH the advent of March and good weather athletics opened up 
 at Forwarding Camp with a swing and zest commensurate 
 with the impatience of the men at their long confinement to inade- 
 quate quarters. Plans were laid and executed with the unbelievable 
 speed characteristic of Forwarding Camp. Baseball diamonds ap- 
 peared in every available spot and the number of games in one day in 
 the camp sometimes numbered 31. Every conceivable form of outdoor 
 game was instituted — basketVall, boxing in the huge arena where the 
 
26 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 bouts could be reviewed by 25,000 men, football, soccer, volley ball, 
 wrestling, tennis, track and in time the good old swimming hole, 
 for which the "Y" supplied swimming suits all day long. It is esti- 
 mated that the number of men participating in games at Forwarding 
 Camp in the months of May and June reached the half -million mark. 
 
 Banking System 
 
 ONE of the services for which the men of the A. E. F. en route 
 home were the most grateful to the Y. M. C. A. organization of 
 the Forwarding Camp was its assistance to them in getting checks, 
 postoffice orders, and other forms of redeemable notes cashed. The 
 matter of the medium of exchange is a difficult one to any traveler in a 
 foreign country; the A. E. F. did not always find the cashing of checks 
 and the sending of money home easy, even when their organization 
 was stationary. Hence, one may begin to appreciate what it meant to 
 soldiers traveling, unable to take steps on their own initiative, in a 
 country whose currency value fluctuated with the revolution of the 
 Peace Conference, to find the well-organized banking system, such as 
 instituted and maintained at the Forwarding Camp for the service of 
 the transient soldier. 
 
 Some of the cases which the Y. M. C. A. banking system met were: 
 Men in camp frequently could not get to town. The department often 
 transmitted telegrams from the camp for them through the French 
 postoffice, both in the matter of sending messages home and of writing 
 home for money. 
 
 Many small French towns use their own currency, which other towns 
 refuse to accept. Often the American soldier found himself obliged to 
 accept such currency, only to find when he began his journey to the 
 coast that his money was no good for town shopping, and was not 
 even acceptable to the Government sales commissary. The Forwarding 
 Camp "bank" redeemed such bills, sent them back to the banks of their 
 native area, and so rendered a valuable piece of service to the soldier. 
 
 When the camp was first built, the Y. M. C. A. was the only place 
 in camp where a P. O. money order could be cashed, and it was a long 
 time afterwards that the Le Mans postoffice arranged for cashing 
 orders at the camp, and even after the institution of the branch post- 
 office men wanting to cash a postoffice order were compelled to wait 
 their turn in the interminable soldier line. Soldiers sometimes stood in 
 line two hours and were then shut out by the closing of the clerk's 
 window before they reached their turn. The postoffice was open only 
 during short periods each day, whereas the "Y" bank was practically 
 always open. The policy of the Y. M. C. A. was not to cash money 
 
In the Le Mans Area - 27 
 
 orders that were more than 60 days old, but the department did the 
 holder of such a note the service of cashing the order at the postoffice 
 window. 
 
 Men often had drafts from American to French banks. The only 
 means they had of turning such drafts into money was through the 
 Y. M. C. A., for two reasons; men in camps like Forwarding had no 
 access to any bank, either French or American, unless they were 
 lucky enough to obtain a pass to some good-sized town in the region; 
 and when they were able to reach a French bank, frequently they 
 couldn't get ready money on their drafts, since French banks would 
 receive same only for collection. This is also true of American cashier's 
 checks. Thus, had it not been for the bank established by the Y. M. C 
 A. at the Forwarding Camp, the thousands of transient troops a day 
 would have had no way to receive French money for their orders and 
 checks. It is also customary for the French banks to make a collec- 
 tion charge upon such checks as they do cash. The "Y" bank paid the 
 soldiers the full amount of his check. 
 
 The big sums of money on hand enabled the department to be of 
 assistance often to the regiments in making out payrolls when change 
 could not be had from Le Mans. The same service was also rendered 
 to the Commissary. 
 
 Some statistics for the month of March, which was a usual month, 
 are interesting in that they show the amount of business actually 
 transacted by this "Y" bank. Two hundred thousand francs were 
 turned into the Y. INI. C. A. headquarters for the month, 658,000 of 
 wliich came from sales, and 63,000 checked in from incoming trains 
 and dry canteens. 
 
 A. E. F. remittances for March amounted to 182,000 francs. 
 
 Checks and postoffice orders amounted to 200,000 francs. 
 
 Incident to the office of this bank frequent calls were made for advice 
 upon legal and financial matters. 
 
 Emergency Work 
 
 NEXT in importance to maintaining and operating the five huts 
 and the hangar comes what may be headed "Emergency Work," 
 the two most important features of which were the "R. T. O." and the 
 "Forwarding Canteens." 
 
 The R. T. O.: At the railroad transportation office, through which 
 all incoming or outgoing troops must pass, is a wooden barracks of 
 100x25 feet. This was equipped with chocolate boilers, and all available 
 conveniences for record-speed sei*ving. Almost every day during the 
 life of the Forwarding Camp long lones of weary troops were able to 
 
FREE WET CANTEEN SERVICE OF FORWARDING CAMP 
 
 1. Service En Route. 2. "Allez Tout de Suite." 3. Entraining; Station. 4. A real Picnic. 
 
 .T. Frencli Kiddies After the Leavings, (i. Get 'em Coming and Going. 7. All 
 
 Set and Ready. S. Hot Cliocolate and Dnnglinuts 
 
In the Le Mans Area -9 
 
 leave their trains and get a cup of chocolate at the R. T. O. Very 
 often the number served reached ten thousand a day. The record time 
 for serving was under the supervision of Miss Helen Greene, a young 
 lady from the economics department of Texas State University, who 
 with her detail of 21 soldiers broke all records serving hot chocolate 
 to liOO soldiers in fifteen minutes. The officers remarked on the extra- 
 ordinary efficiency of the detail machinery; not a buddie ever seemed to 
 get in another's way. The commanding colonel (it was the Eighty-fifth 
 Division being served) remarked, "That is the finest piece of work I 
 have seen in France." All of the stuff served at the R. T. O. was at 
 the expense of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 The Forwarding Canteens 
 
 IXCE LE MANS area was the great concentration point 
 of all troops returning to the States through Brest, it was 
 to the Forwarding Camp that fell the greatest period of congestion 
 at the time that the leases of the French towns back in winter quarters 
 were expiring, and the delay in the signing of the armistice was hold- 
 ing troops who were already filling Brest to overflowing. This con- 
 gestion necessitated unloading hundreds of organizations and march- 
 ing tliem out to various towns in the Le Mans area pending further 
 international developments. The French laws specifying only certain 
 points of entraining and detraining made the hikes for the men much 
 harder and longer than would have been necessary for the same pur- 
 pose on our own territory. Hence the weary, dusty men marching 
 under full pack in the summer heat offered an opportunity for service 
 that the Y. ]\L C. A. was quick to seize upon. An outline of plans to 
 the proper authorities quickly brought the cooperation of the officers 
 in command of the routes and time of the marches ; and two or three 
 hours before a certain big "milk-shake barrage" saw a whirlwind 
 flying around of blue-aproned "Y" girls and khakied soldier-details, 
 the rattle of "beaucoup" G. I. cans, and the heaving of numerous heavy 
 boxes into Y. M. C. A. trucks. 
 
 For the plan conceived and executed to perfection past expectation 
 was no less than to meet the troops at some spot about half-way their 
 march, and as they filed by, to serve them with lemonade or milk-shake 
 and cakes in such a systematic way that their rank was not broken, and 
 very little, if any, time was lost. This meant a big preparation. To 
 serve a regiment, or about three thousand men, four girls, with a 
 detail of eight soldiers, and three or four Y. M. C. A. men left the 
 Forwarding Camp with two camionettes, and two heav^^ trucks loaded 
 with supplies. The question of water is always a big one in France. 
 Permission must be obtained for a place to get the water, and for a 
 
30 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 place to make the beverage and then for a place on the road to serve 
 it; for France is verily a land of "Permissionaires." Often the cans 
 of the finished product must be hauled for kilos, owing to these condi- 
 tions; but even then, the result is more successful than for the liquid 
 to be carried all the way from the kitchens of Forwarding Camp. Four 
 big vats of the cold drink (it was really iced) were set across the road 
 in such a manner that as the troops filed by four abreast (marching 
 formation) each man pauses long enough to get his mess cup or his 
 canteen filled: the formation was not broken. If the officers chose to 
 allow the men to loiter along to drink, they could easily do so with 
 little resulting disorder. The cakes were handed out a little further 
 along in the same orderly manner. It would be hard to describe the 
 gratitude of the hot, thirsty men. As one soldier expressed it, "To meet 
 four smiling, joking American girls standing in the middle of the 
 road of march ready to meet you more than half way with gallons and 
 gallons of ice-cold drink that they had made all for you, was one of 
 the few things that could make hikes in May and June easy." 
 
 A "barrage" for a regiment consists of about four hundred gallons 
 of lemonade or milk-shake, and three dozen crates of cakes. Often 
 from Forwarding Camp, as many as three such "barrages" have been 
 put over in one day, and not a day passed in May or June without at 
 least one "barrage." 
 
 The actual figures for "Welfare" — the "Y" term for stuff given 
 away — for emergency work at Forwarding, show a total of 12% tons 
 of sugar, 43,584 cans of milk, 5575 pounds of cocoa, 1158 cases of 
 cakes, with lemons, nutmeg, jam, etc., in proportion. 
 Personnel of Forwarding Camp 
 
 AS IS always true of the A. R. F. work of the Y. M. C. A. the 
 strength of Forwarding Camp is neither greater nor weaker than 
 the personnel of its immediate organization. Another maxim quite as 
 infallible is that the strength which any given Y. M. C. A. may attain 
 is no greater than the cooperation won by it from the Army Com- 
 manders of the Post. 
 
 The willingness, the self-sacrifice, the devotion of the "Y" girls at 
 the busy, overworked Forwarding Camp will be one of the outstanding 
 memories in the mind of the American doughboy, when time has given 
 him a perspective of the high-lights and the shadows of his crucial 
 exjDeriences in France. Programs pinned on the wall outlining the 
 day's work for each girl, gives some idea of the usual routine of a 
 "Y" girl; 9:00 to 12:00, 1:00 to 5:00, lemonade barrage for men 
 marching; 8:00 to 10:00, dancing. No mere man can ever realize just 
 what it means for woman's strength to hold up under such peculiar 
 
In the Le Mans Area 31 
 
 physical strains as some of the work in such a day's program entailed 
 and no woman who did not come over and undergo the same experiences 
 can ever realize just what it meant to smile right straight through every 
 minute of every hour of the day^ 30 days out of every month. It was 
 the splendid doughboy who realized the heroism of the Y. M. C. A. 
 girl more than anybody else ever has, and it is he who is most generous 
 in his praise of her devotion. And at no place in France has her work 
 been harder or more strenuous or less satisfying, because she could not 
 learn to know the men personally, (since troops were ever moving in 
 and out) than in the Le Mans area. It will take '.he doughboy at home 
 to tell the real story of the girls of the Forwarding Camp. 
 
 Soldier Detail 
 
 NO STORY of Y. M. C. A. activities in France could be justly 
 written Avithout a glowing tribute to the "soldier detail." Ever}^ 
 secretarj^, man or woman, feels that praise too high cannot be given to 
 the splendid fellows who, in the first place, were willing to be detailed 
 to "Y" service when they knew that the work was heavy and dirty, 
 that the hours were long and strenuous and the responsibility much 
 more than thej'' would have borne had they remained with their organi- 
 zations. They never complained at any duty nor any emergency; they 
 entered into the spirit of "helping the buddies out" for eats and smokes 
 and "dope to read" in a manner strongly indicative of the way this war 
 was won. Especially will every "Y" girl who came to France bear 
 in her heart forever a tender memory of thoughtfulness, willingness, 
 the surprising ingenuity, and the unfailing humor of her "soldier 
 detail." 
 
 At Forwarding Camp the soldier-detail numbered 185 men. At their 
 head and as right-hand man to the Business Secretary, was Sergeant 
 Earl Furstenberg of Wisconsin. He was sent to Forwarding in Decem- 
 ber, and spring found him with the key to every wire over the hum- 
 ming Y. M. C A. activities at his finger tips. As Forwarding Camp 
 grew and the Y. M. C. A. grew, "Fursty" grew a bit ahead always. He 
 has proven one of the busiest and perhaps the most valuable "secre- 
 taries" in France. Playing left-bower to the Business Secretary was 
 Sergeant Schutte, who handled the busy "bank" counter of the "Y." 
 
 Much of the credit for the success of entertainment in I'orward- 
 ing Camp belongs to Sergeant Frank Novak, for months the real 
 "Entertainment Officer" at Forwarding Camp. 
 
32 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 BELGIAN CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 E. M. WALRATH Camp Secretary 
 
 R. W. SPARKS Entertainment Secretary 
 
 F. F. BUTZ Financial Secretary 
 
 RALPH C. WATSON... Camp Hospital Secretary 
 
 ROLAND BATSON ...Athletic Director 
 
 ROSS J. NICHOLS Assistant Athletic Director 
 
 DAVID A. SLOAN Athletics 
 
 H. W. HYDE .....Athletics 
 
 R. H. LEACH.... Secretary 
 
 RAY WATERS... ......:...... S.ecretary 
 
 J. C. RUGG - Secretary 
 
 ALBERT J. CLARK Secretary 
 
 Women Canteen Workers 
 
 ^Nlr.s. Vida 'iidntx, Directress Miss Alice Logan 
 
 Miss Martha Allen Miss Sallie Massey 
 
 Miss Llelen Bradley Miss Alice Reeve 
 
 Miss Flora Creech Miss Helen Spear 
 
 Miss Audrey Gernon Miss Marjorie Tompkins 
 
 HE BELGIAN CAMP, or Camp d'Auvours, was taken 
 over from the Belgians for the specific purpose of hold- 
 ing as casuals and forwarding Army Candidate School 
 men to the front. CamjJ d'Auvours was the military 
 name under the French administration, the camp taking 
 the name Belgian during the recent war. As the loss of Second Lieu- 
 tenants in the trenches was always fearfully heavy, A. C. S. men 
 from all the schools in P'rance were concentrated at one Post — Belgian 
 Camp — to await assignments to the front. Usually their stay at this 
 camp was short enough, but the first of November of 1918 found some 
 5000 of them congested there — eager lads to whom the signing of the 
 Armistice came as a disappointment. The fear that they would never 
 receive their commissions, to which they already held certificates, grew 
 to a certainty after November 11, and Belgian Camp was not a happy 
 jjlace. 
 
 The first "Y" operations began five davs after the opening of the 
 camp by Americans. The first canteen was in the old Belgian welfare 
 house, and the Belgian theatre was bought outright by the "Y." All 
 entertainments were free, of course, until one night a "Y" tragedy 
 happened. The Army borrowed the theatre for a boxing bout to which 
 
In the Le Mans Area 33 
 
 soldiers were charged one franc admission. The Captain in charge for- 
 got to make the promised announcement that the bout was given by the 
 Army and not by the "Y." Indignation ran riot. The men ahnost tore 
 down the building. Belated explanations did not seem to help, and for 
 weeks the unhappiness at Belgian Camp was not at all mitigated by 
 the presence of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 The A. S. C. men were classed as men on special service by the 
 Army — which meant a delay of pay-checks and a miscarrying of mail. 
 The few letters that did filter through from the States, and most of the 
 newspapers, were filled with stories of the "flu" epidemic in America; 
 and where letters could not penetrate, fatal cablegrams often brought 
 news of the death of loved ones and comrades' loved ones at home. 
 
 Christmas Eve brought Mrs. Vida C. Sidney of New York and Miss 
 Esther Hatch of Philadelphia to Belgian Camp. The arrival of these 
 "Y" women was indeed a Christmas gift to the men. The few Christ- 
 mas tree trimmings in their suitcases were brought out and perhaps a 
 hundred men were induced to take some interest in the setting up and 
 decorating of a tree for the refugee children of the neighborhood. 
 Christmas packages were distributed by the "Y" to everj- soldier in 
 camp, even to those in the guardhouse, and before the holiday week 
 was over nearly every man had at some time examined the Christmas 
 tree and every trinket and tinsel which made it shine. 
 
 The old Belgian canteen in which the "Y" was situated was an 
 interior, low-ceiled room of a heavy, clumsy old stone building. On 
 its rough walls some artist or perhaps artists had sketched with skill- 
 ful hand, but crude materials, events of the war, drinking scenes, por- 
 trayal of patriotism of the Belgian homes, the shield of Albert and 
 Elizabeth, placards done with such inscriptions as: 
 
 OOST WEST 
 T' HU IS BEST 
 
 Always inadequate in size for the great numbers of men in camp, 
 the small room was ever filled to overflowing. The buddies used to wait 
 in lines extending out in the sleet and mud outside for their turn at 
 the chocolate counter. On dark, rainly nights this unque canteen, filled 
 with silent, moving bodies of men, the dim candles flickering on the 
 faces of the two "Y" women standing behind the chocolate urn and at 
 the other end on the faces of the soldier detail as they gave out the 
 smokes, formed a Rembrandt picture that is one of the anachronisms 
 of this war. 
 
 Gradually the two women and the faithfulness of the men secre- 
 taries were winning the confidence of the commissioned sergeants at 
 
34 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Belgian. Their baffling, abrupt way of flinging over the chocolate 
 spigot such remarks as "You know I told you about that letter last 
 month that my wife bad the "flu." Got another one today — She's 
 dead;" gradually changed to personal interviews where more of the 
 aching heart was revealed and more sympathy permitted. When three 
 soft-shelled abri tents were erected out in the open mud to help out 
 the Belgian canteen, it was the men who sought out lumber and laid a 
 snug if rough floor, w'ho made and painted tables and benches, and who 
 very determinedly took the paint brushes from the hands of the "Y" 
 girls and painted the billowing, wavering walls of the tent a glowing 
 brick and green. It was the men who voted upon and chose the color 
 of the bright curtains and lanap shades — and they tabooed yellow 
 because yellow was not becoming to Miss Hatch's complexion. 
 
 The old theatre of Belgian Camp should be ranked among the his- 
 toric playhouses of the American people. The huge old barn-like 
 structure has been packed hundreds of times with khaki-clad lads 
 who were of the very pulse of our nation's heart — whom we were 
 laying as Jacob of old, upon the altar of sacrifice. For a period of 
 nearly five months, the old theatre was the only place of amusement 
 for thousands of such men; indeed, it was the only place of recreation 
 and almost the only place of actual shelter possible for them to reach. 
 
 The stage was good, the scenery was of crude tints, painted upon 
 coarse tarpaulin, and the lights, poor as they were, were the treasures 
 of their surroundings. Down under the stage was a cellar which was 
 fitted into a costume factory. An interior decorator by profession was 
 the costume designer, and the soldiers themselves the seamstresses. 
 Their big, heavy fingers that could pull the trigger with such disastrous 
 disturbance to an Emperor's sleep were now arduously bent to the task 
 of sewing plaits in a dancing girl's frock or in whipping snowy lace 
 on a frothy petticoat. The actors wrote their own plays, of necessity, 
 and the performances were frequent and the audiences huge and en- 
 thusiastic. Often when one of the "Y" girls had been detained behind 
 the chocolate urn during the performance of a new "creation," the 
 whole show was given over for her benefit when she could come in, and 
 the men saw it all over — this time through her eyes. 
 
 Much distress was in Belgian Camp because there was not an Ameri- 
 can flag. The first one secured was draped about a shield and hung 
 over the center of the stage. Later there came a time when many, 
 many flags made the old barn-like theatre look like a difl^erent place; 
 and still later, when a new hangar with fine equipment and stage ap- 
 
In the Le Mans Area 35 
 
 pointments came to replace the old Belgian theatre for the big shows; 
 but to those who lived at this camp during the dreary Winter months, 
 the old playhouse will ever hold a tender place in memory's picture 
 gallery. 
 
 February brought the men pay-checks, and better news from the 
 States and, best of all, orders to go home; and Belgian Camp became 
 thenceforth a forwarding camp for small units of disintegrated divi- 
 sions on their way to the coast. Portions, usually the engineers, of the 
 27th, 30th, 35th, 80th, 85th and 91st Divisions passed through Belgian 
 Camp, besides the S. O. S. troops in June and July and those of the 
 Rifle Meets. 
 
 * -X- * * * 
 
 In bright contrast to the deadly, discouraging days when the lone 
 Belgian canteen and theatre were the only places iFor one spark of 
 cheer or reminder of home in all Belgian Camp, one might throw the 
 spotlight on the gay scenes at Belgian during the A. E. F. rifle contest 
 of May, or still better, on the Inter- Allied competitions of June. 
 
 Sunshine is always an ally in France; the cool shade of the green 
 young forest that is the natural setting of Camp d'Auvours gave the 
 place almost the air of a summer camp in the woods. Scattered at 
 various points of vantage over the now modernly equipped camp, were 
 three fine new huts, ranking in size, equipment, and attractiveness 
 among the very best in France. A well organized machinery of relig- 
 ious department, athletic department, sing-songs, banking, rolling 
 canteen, women's department, with local barracks for the "Y" girls 
 etc., brought the Y. M. C. A. up to standard which made satisfactorv 
 functioning to the needs of the officers and men at least a possibility. " 
 
 The regular-sized hangar built by the "Y" in the spring for athletic 
 contests had been doubled in size by the Army, and a stage 
 with excellent scenery and a lighting system of some 250 bulbs made 
 this playhouse the biggest and best equipped in France. Naturally it 
 brought the Belgian Camp the best show talent in the A E F " An 
 attractive officers' club, built in rustic style almost to the effect of a 
 hunting lodge, was the lure with which the "Y" attempted to hold the 
 hundreds of young officers held in France for the shoots, at the camp 
 during the evenings. Dances two or three evenings during each week 
 witfi the 'Y" girls of the camp and from various other points in the 
 Le Mans area as dancing partners, together with golf courses and 
 tennis courts built by the Army, the horseback riding, and the 
 shooting, converted Belgian Camp into a veritable leave area. A huge 
 
36 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 BELGIAN CAMP CENTERS 
 
 1. Canteen Indiana Hut. 2. Veranda Officers' Club. 3 and 4. Blue Ridge Hut, Interiors. 
 5. Old Belg:ian Hut. (!. Interior Officers' Club 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 .'37 
 
 tent was erected for the Inter- Allied enlisted aien, and especial at- 
 tempts were made to feature the native customs of the visitors, such as 
 serving hot tea in the afternoons to the Canadians, Australians, and 
 English, etc. Frequent dances were arranged for the enlisted men, with 
 the American soldiers as hosts and English and American girls as danc- 
 ing partners. 
 
 The Army recognized the fact that it was in the power of the Y. 
 M. C. A. to create much of the international feeling of goodwill be- 
 tween the men of many nations who had gathered at a precarious time 
 for a celebrated sport contest at an American camp on French soil. 
 Every Y. M. C. A. secretary at Belgian Camp and every girl in the 
 area caught the spirit of spreading the propaganda of goodwill, and 
 did his or her utmost to make a social success of this historic parting 
 sport-pageant of the A. E. F. 
 
 The huts erected in the spring at Belgian Camp were "Blue Ridge," 
 "Indiana," "Convalescent Hut and Tent," "Library Tent," "Class 
 Tent," "Officers' Club," "Welfare Hangar," "Theatre Hangar," and 
 "Athletic House," quite a showing indeed for our spotlight, but one's 
 appreciation instinctively turns back — back before even the time of 
 Camp d'Auvours, when this same spot saw the first experiments on 
 French soil of Wilbur Wright with his monoplane; back to the three 
 weary years of Belgian expatriation and heroic struggles ; back to the 
 drab, monotonous days when the impatient Yanks chafed at the re- 
 straint which held them like idle village dullards when their fiery 
 spirits were tugging at the leash ; and one instinctivel}^ throws the 
 searchlight back for one last lingering look at the old Belgian canteen 
 and theatre — historic relics on a historic spot. 
 
38 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 DEPOT DIVISION PERSONNEL 
 
 As OF June 1 
 
 A. T. MORRILL Area Supervisor 
 
 C. B. SPEER.. - Business Secretary 
 
 A. E. TAYLOR Financial Secretary 
 
 M. E. NELLUMS Accountant 
 
 H. W. GIBSON Activities Secretary 
 
 JAMES CLARK ....Athletic Secretary 
 
 J. C. BLACK 1.. Assistant Athletic Secretary 
 
 The ten units comprising the Depot Division are those which follow 
 here in order, all being situated in or close to the city of Le Mans. 
 
 C. B. FISH ....Classification Camp 
 
 P. H. LIKES..- - ...Camp Etat 
 
 O. J. HICKS -..- .-- -- Salvage Camp 
 
 HAROLD ROBERTS .- Pariqme UEveque 
 
 GEORGE W. FARR _-..____ Spur Camp 
 
 M. R. WILLIAMS Overhaul Park 
 
 MRS. G. M. WARDEN ...Yorh Harbor Hut 
 
 J. L. TAIT Central Hut 
 
 W. W. WEBER Kansas Hut 
 
 AGNES LATIMER BACON... Library 
 
In the Le Mans Area 39 
 
 CLASSIFICATION CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 CHARLES B. FISH Camp Secretary 
 
 CHARLES I. RAMSEY __ ..Religious Secretary 
 
 CHARLES A. CANT WELL Athletic Secretary 
 
 MRS. JOHN R. STERLING Hut Mother 
 
 MISS S. THEODORE CURTIS Canteen 
 
 MISS ETHEL RICE Canteen 
 
 OTABLE AMONG the several large Army camps in 
 the Le Mans area was the Classification Camp^ where as 
 many as 16,000 men were quartered at one time. The 
 camp occupied the Chanzy Barracks, which were erected 
 in 1879, and used by the French Government for train- 
 ing recruits. The Barracks derived the name from General Chanzy, a 
 French General of the Franco-Prussian war, who commanded the 
 Army of the Loire and defended Le Mans against the Prussians. 
 
 The camp is really a group of imposing stone buildings surrounded 
 by a high stone wall, entrance being gained to a large courtyard 
 through a wide double gateway which faces the terminus of Rue 
 Gambetta. The gateway is flanked by two sentry boxes built when the 
 Barracks were occupied by the French. The purpose to which the U. 
 S. Army put the camp was to re-outfit and re-classify replacements 
 arriving from the states. At a later period hospital evacuates and all 
 classes of casuals, from every area in France, came to the camp for 
 outfitting and classification. Y. M. C. A. activities in this camp began 
 about the middle of August, 1918, and during the first few months were 
 carried on in one of the older Army Barracks, the chief business being 
 in those days to exchange the good old American dollar and the English 
 jDOund and shilling into more convenient francs. 
 
 During November it rained continuously and mud was plentiful. 
 The number of men in camp so far exceeded the billeting capacity of 
 the Barracks that it became necessary for thousands of men to sleep 
 in pup tents which rested upon and on what later became known as the 
 best equipped athletic park in the entire area. To add to the com- 
 fort of the men the "Y" kept its door open day and night, affording 
 the boys who were on their way to the front the privilege of sleeping 
 under a roof. 
 
 Meantime it was decided to erect a regular "Y" hut, which was form- 
 ally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day. In an address on that occasion 
 by Colonel McAbee, then in command of the camp, he stated that dur- 
 ing the first fifteen days of November, 60,000 soldiers went through 
 
W History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 the mill of this camp. Possibly through no other center in this area 
 have representatives of so many diiferent outfits passed. The camp 
 became known as "The Mad House," by the boys and it was the 
 mission of the Y. M. C. A. to pierce the gloom that this conception of 
 life naturally caused the doughboy who spent several weeks and, in 
 some instances, several months within the walls of these somber stone 
 buildings. It became necessary very often for the men to eat their 
 mess in the rain while standing ankle deep in thick black mud. Many a 
 boy- — yes, a good many of them — were heard to say that had it not 
 been for the Y. M. C. A. at the Classification Camp they would 
 surely have gone mad. 
 
 Welfare Work 
 
 ESPECIAL attention was paid to Welfare service both night and 
 da}--. An illustration of the efficiency of this work and how it was 
 received by the men is found in the following: Ten thousand cones 
 of the most delicious ice cream cones ever made were distributed to 
 ten thousand doughboys during the S. O. S. athletic meet at the Classi- 
 fication Camp, May 3-4, by the "Y." Along with the cream was 
 handed out to each man a generous sandwich of ham, or egg, or cheese 
 filling, according to taste, a steaming-hot cup of the best American 
 coiFee and a newspaper fresh from the Paris press. The line in front 
 of the "Y" hut was formed fully an hour before the young women of 
 the canteen staff began to serve and for hours there were lines waiting 
 eagerly though patiently. The cream was brought from Paris in two 
 big convoy trucks, the drivers traveling all night, so that the material 
 might arrive in time. 
 
 Athletics 
 
 THE FACT that there was a large field in connection with the 
 camp buildings made it possible for the Y. M. C. A. to lay out 
 and equip at the suggestion of the Army, one of the finest athletic fields 
 in this section of France. The best engineers and athletic directors in 
 the "Y" organization were put to work and within an incredibly short 
 time cinder paths were laid out, a quarter-mile track built and grand- 
 stands with a capacity of many thousands erected. All this had to be 
 accomplished during a period of almost constant rain and when the 
 ground was thick with black oozy mud, ankle deep. 
 
 Y. M. C. A. Hut Mother 
 
 PROBABLY the first American woman in France who decided to 
 make Welfare Service in the Y. M. C. A. her work for the re- 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 41 
 
42 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 mainder of her life is Mrs. John R. Sterling of La Grange^ Ga., who 
 was mother to the boys who came to the Classification Camp. Mrs. 
 Sterling had a very attractive room in the big "Y" hut and as the men 
 flocked in she conversed with them about almost every subject under 
 the sun^ from farming to philosophy and from mechanics to political 
 economy. An endless stream of questions were asked her by soldier 
 boys representing every shade of opinion and belief in the world. 
 Conversation went on as the Mother sewed on chevrons, service stripes 
 and insignias, and mended rents and tears. 
 
 The big hut assembly hall was crowded with men all day long and 
 late into the evening. They sat. at long tables writing letters home and 
 around the tables in the big cool library where over one thousand books 
 and stacks of magazines were at hand. The men flocked in and called 
 for the physical director who had an unfailing supply of baseballs, 
 bats, and other athletic goods, to say nothing of the whole-hearted 
 understanding of the feelings of the men and a fine ability to help 
 them in an all around way and kept him busy. 
 
 "Gee, but this looks good to me," ejaculated a doughboy whose 
 skin matched the color of his uniform. "Don't know what the fellows 
 would do without the "Y" around here." "Say, Buck, where is Jimmy 
 this afternoon?" asks another man. "Jimmy .^ Oh he is probably hang- 
 ing around the 'Y' hut, if he isn't in the office jawing with Dad; you 
 may find him talking with the girl in the library, or maybe borrowing 
 a baseball from the athletic director. I don't know but he is having 
 'Mother' sew on a button." And, of course, that is what the 'Y' workers 
 were there for. 
 
 Here is an account of an actual occurrence: A red-faced doughboy 
 walked into Mother Sterling's room one day and cooly said: "Say, 
 Mother, I'd like for 3'-ou to lend me fifteen francs. When a fellow's 
 in the Army he's just obliged to gamble. I don't suppose you believe 
 that, but it is so any how. I haven't a cent — I've come to borrow some 
 to begin with." This is where the "Mother" failed him, and she told 
 him why she couldn't lend him money to gamble. 
 
 Life never became stale at the Classification Camp "Y" Hut. Comedy 
 also played its part dail}^, when a true sense of humor saved many a 
 situation that otherwise might have become embarrassing or perhaps 
 unhappy. Although the Y. M. C. A. put over a great big work with 
 this camp, which was appreciated not only by the soldier, but by the 
 Army. One evening by actual count — the doors were closed and 3567 
 men checked out of that big hut. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 43 
 
 CAMP ETAT PERSONNEL 
 
 P. H. LIKES Camp Secretary 
 
 C. W. McGREW Assistant Camp Secretary 
 
 W. LLOYD- Athletic Secretary 
 
 MISS ALICE COMSTOCK... C ant e.e7i 
 
 MISS ELEANOR MERRITT Canteen 
 
 AMP ETAT, three kilos from Le Mans^ was located 
 the yards of Le Mans Division of American railway- 
 men. The personnel of the camp comprised 1624 men 
 and 78 officers. The location of the Division, exactly be- 
 tween the Zone of Advance and the S. O. S., meant that 
 practically all the American troops sent to Le Mans for billeting for 
 short periods, preparatory to receiving final orders trans fering them 
 to the United States, were hauled by the cars of the Le Mans Divi- 
 sion. From August 1, 1918, to June 1, 1919, approximately 1,300,000 
 soldiers and 127,000 American cars were handled on this Division. 
 
 The men were called upon to work excessively long hours at times, 
 especially those engaged in train and engine service, and they were 
 also subjected to much inclement weather and many trying predica- 
 ments. Thus the Y. M. C. A. had a splendid opportunity to put over 
 some real practical service for the men and they measured up to it in 
 every way. 
 
 The first "Y" hut in this camp was opened shortly after the estab- 
 lislmient of the camp. At the time, there being only a limited number 
 of railroad men in the Camp an improvised barracks was considered 
 adequate for all needs. But as the camp grew, the demand for a larger 
 liut was keenly felt and a more elaborate structure was erected. This 
 new hut was built under the direction of Mr. Wright, an Indiana engi- 
 neer, with the assistance of camp carpenters, and it was formally dedi- 
 cated on November 30, 1918, with impressive ceremony. This hut 
 was named "Texas" in honor of Major Maxwell, Division Superin- 
 tendent of the Le Mans Division, Texas being his home state. 
 
 This hut was of the "A" type, the main part being 143 feet by 30 
 feet in dimensions, with a wing on the west side 40 by 30 feet. It 
 consisted of a large auditorium, stage, writing room, library, kitchen, 
 store room, and quarters for the Y. M. C. A. personnel. The hut 
 was lighted by electricity throughout and the kitchen was equipped 
 with a large range and all modern conveniences. The interior of the 
 hut was beautifully decorated in blue and gray, with attractive cre- 
 tonne curtains. The homelike atmosphere was very noticeable. 
 
44 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Especial mention should be made of the canteen service which was 
 classed with the best in the area. Entertainment in the way of moving 
 pictures, concerts and shows by varied and various talent was fur- 
 nished in abundance, also religious services by Chaplain Major twice 
 each Sunday. 
 
 That the men and officers alike were grateful to the Y. M. C. A. 
 for its efforts to help them as they labored to get our soldiers to the 
 front, and then to get them started on their journey back home, is indi- 
 cated by abstracts from a letter of commendation written by the Camp 
 Commander, Major Chester Maxwell, which reads as follows: 
 
 "On account of this being a railroad operating unit, Mr. Likes 
 has come in contact with soldiers from all over the A. E. F. Railroad 
 men as a rule are considered difficult to handle, but he has a personality 
 peculiarly adapted to dealing with this class of men, which might be 
 favorably compared to transient labor, and I do not hesitate to say 
 that he is the most popular Y. M. C. A. secretary in the Sixteenth 
 Grand Division of the Transportation Corps. We feel particularly for- 
 tunate in having a man of Mr. Likes' calibre in charge of our welfare 
 activities and our successful accomplishment in moving the large num- 
 ber of troops handled by this Division, is in no small way attributed to 
 the fact that our operating personnel is generously cared for in the 
 way of entertainment and recreation when not on duty." 
 
In the Le Mans Area 'iS 
 
 PARIGNE L'EVEQUE PERSONNEL 
 
 HAROLD ROBERTS Camp Secretary 
 
 MRS. KATHERINE GRINNELL .....Canteen 
 
 MISS HAZEL OHMERT Canteen 
 
 M. C. A. activities at Parigne L'Eveque must not pass 
 unnoticed in the summary of service in the A. E. C, 
 and in relating the survey of service at that point, it 
 is necessary to first mention that Parigne L'Eveque is 
 the only single town in the A. E. C. which was not 
 incorporated into some Division. Nor was this quaint town the scene 
 of many passing home-going Divisions. Its first occupancy by Amer- 
 ican troops was several days after the signing of the armistice, when 
 what was known as the Third Provisional Transport Regiment, com- 
 posed of 86th Division Blackhawk men, moved into the old Belgian 
 Training Camp, just outside Parigne L'Eveque. 
 
 The Y. M. C. A. at Le Mens was acquainted of the arrival of the 
 Americans at this point, and hurriedly assigned a secretary, with a 
 huge amount of canteen supplies to the camp. A group of soldiers 
 had already fitted out a hut and when the secretary arrived he found 
 staring him in the eyes from the sloping foundation of a "Hut" the 
 huge letters in white cobbles, Y. M. C. A. 
 
 It was not more than a month when the Blackhawks left the camp, 
 and Parigne L'Eveque became the Military Police Training School for 
 the A. E. C. With this more or less permanent personnel of camp men 
 Y. M. C. A. life took on the color of club life and in the direct words 
 of a soldier detailed to the Y. M. C. A. in the camp, "The boys all 
 mentioned the "Y" as their club. All functions of entertainment — 
 athletic, religious and actual directorship were operated by commit- 
 tees of soldiers with the "Y" secretary as their chairman. There were 
 regular scheduled programs weekly, including shows, movies, a re- 
 ligious night, educational work, and on Saturday nights there was 
 always a big dance up town at the Officers' Hotel, where the enlisted 
 men were invited and scores of "Y" girls came down from Le Mans to 
 add joy to the weekly function. 
 
 A unique treat which the soldiers of Parigne L'Eveque enjoyed each 
 morning and evening, that possibly no other Y. M. C. A. could afford, 
 was hot cakes and coffee or doughnuts and coffee. It appeared as if 
 the old Belgian Barracks which housed the "Y" had been especially 
 built for this purpose, for just to the rear of the stage and in an 
 adjoining room, was a huge fireplace, a fine place for a big kitchen 
 range. It was from this kitchen that the proverbial hot-cake was 
 eagerly sought each morning after reveille. 
 
46 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SALVAGE CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 O. J. HICKS .....Camp Secretary 
 
 MARY LOUISE HOLMES -- Canteen 
 
 KATHERINE HOLMES... Canteen 
 
 ETWEEX a huge pile of discarded Army shoes on one 
 side and a small mountain of old khaki uniforms on the 
 other, the big Y. M. C. A. tent at Salvage Camp of the 
 A. E. C. was a veritable oasis in a desert for the hun- 
 dreds of doughboys employed in the monotonious work of 
 salvaging soldiers' wearing apparel. 
 
 The Hut-tent was set up when the Salvage Camp was opened late 
 in March, 1919, and it was at once popular with the men. The environ- 
 ment of the camp, except for this one center of activities, was more 
 sombre and commonplace than usual, because of the character of the 
 work to be done. Camp headquarters for the Arni}^ was but a short 
 distance away and the command kept liaison with the Y. M. C. A. in 
 looking after the welfare of the men. 
 
 The tent was equipped with reading and writing rooms, canteen 
 quarters, and a small library, which added to the pleasure of the men 
 and afforded opportunitj^ for a quiet hour in reading and study. 
 
 Plenty of entertainment was also provided by the "Y" — a feature 
 of which was frequent soldier shows. These shows and movie pictures 
 helped to fill up the otherwise dull evening and give inspiration and 
 pleasure to men who had no other amusement. The canteen which was 
 in charge of the two Holmes sisters was a conspicuous success, and 
 was so popular that lines of men were almost always in the vicinity. 
 
 The canteen workers decorated the hut very attractivelv, and they 
 were awarded a prize in the area contest. Nowhere in the region 
 was the "Y" work more appreciated hy the soldiers, than at this hut. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 I, 3, 4 anrl 5 Showing Adaptability and Attractiveness of the "Y" Tent at the Salvage 
 Camp. 2, 6 and 7. Hut No. 1 at Spur Camp 
 
48 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SPUR CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 GEORGE W. FARR Camp Secretary 
 
 THOMAS B. DIETS _ .....Hut Secretary 
 
 ROBERT M. HOOD Religious Secr.etary 
 
 W. R. PEMBERTON Athletic Secretary 
 
 MARION HAYES Canteen 
 
 MARYE. GLEASON Canteen 
 
 ROBERT W. McCREERY ......Hut No. 2 Secretary 
 
 JESSE B. WATSON... ...Hut No. 3 Secretary 
 
 ELIZABETH MYERS... Canteen 
 
 THOMAS WATKINS...... .......Secretary 
 
 A. C. RICHE Y Secretary 
 
 OVERING IS;') acres of ground which in the early days 
 of July, 1918, was a thick forest, the Spur Camp — 
 temporary home of 7,500 American soldiers, was among 
 the most interesting camps in the area. The site of the 
 camp was selected by the Army because of its proxi- 
 maty to the railroad lines^ and the possibility of expansion, as needs 
 made it necessary. It was really the hub of the great wheel of the 
 Embarkation Center. There were 25 iron and steel warehouses having 
 a combined floor space of 500,000 square feet, S5 barracks, 8 stables 
 with a capacity of 100 horses each, and corrals for several thousand. 
 There were three miles of railway lines, big electric light and gas 
 plants and a bakery that turned out 62,000 loaves a day. Army sup- 
 plies aggregating many millions of dollars were stored and guarded 
 at this camp. In addition, Spur Camp had the distinction of having 
 the only soldiers' gymnasium in the area. 
 
 The Y. M. C. A. had four hut centers at Spur Camp. Coincident 
 with the opening of the Spur, came the "Y" which erected one large 
 comfortable hut as soon as possible after the men arrived for duty. 
 
 Huts Nos. 2, 3 and i were built in March, when the camp reached 
 its maximum strength. Building sites were selected so that the men of 
 the camp might be the more easily and promptly served. The huts 
 were of the same general type as those found in other large camps 
 in the area and were well adapted to caring for the varied needs of 
 the men. 
 
 In addition to the above, the equipment included a large hangar 
 used as a dancing pavilion and amusement center. As the field of activi- 
 ties was extended, two smaller tents were also utilized in the work. 
 
 Along the river bank near the camp, and set in picturesque and 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 19 
 
 beautiful environment, was a large chateau which was rented by the 
 Y. M. C. A. and used as a billet for the girl welfare workers. This 
 spacious "niaison" was the rendezvous for social parties, dances, and 
 impromptu teas arranged by the young women for the benefit of the 
 officers and men. These features were heartily enjoyed and were 
 looked forward to with eager anticipation by the men at the camp. 
 
 The Spur Weekly, a mess paper devoted to camp activities and 
 published under authority and supervision of camp headquarters, in its 
 final issue had the following testimony to the efficiacy of the "Y" 
 work : 
 
 "The 'Y' and its corps of workers with its diversified program — 
 religious, educational, athletics and various forms of service^ has been 
 a very useful agency to the Army in keeping up the morale and cheer- 
 fulness of the men at the Spur Camp. 
 
 "The 'Y' canteen was an indispensible unit in the camp life of the 
 men. It was usually well supplied with biscuits, cigarettes, candies and 
 other things so necessary to the comfort of the soldier. After April 1 
 the wet canteen was started and it has been very popular at all times. 
 During the cold, wet days of April "hot dogs" and butter sandwiches 
 were served. Hot chocolate was always to be had at certain hours. 
 Later as the weather grew warmer, delicious lemonade and cold milk 
 chocolate were served. In June ice cream cones were added to the 
 menu and. of course, were eagerly consumed and relished by everyone." 
 
 ENTRAINING AT THE FORWARDING CAMP 
 Serving Hot Chocolate to 1400 in Fifteen Minutes 
 
50 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 OVERHAUL PARK PERSONNEL 
 
 M. R. WILLIAMS - Camp Secretary 
 
 WILLIAM LATTIMORE __ Religious Secretary 
 
 JOSEPH BLACKMER Activities Secretary 
 
 W. R. LLOYD — - Athletic Secretary 
 
 RACHEL PUGH._ -- Canteen Secretary 
 
 MARGARET ANN STEWART ..Canteen Secretary 
 
 ALICE TURNER.__ - - Colored Secretary 
 
 MARY E. SUAREZ Colored Secretary 
 
 ,VERHAUL PARK was where the wheels were made to 
 go around. Acres of rolling stock belonging to the Army 
 were here overhauled and repaired, when it became nec- 
 essar}^ to haul them in from the roadside. Great, heavj'^ 
 five-ton trucks, speedy touring cars, roomy Cadillacs 
 and Whites, to say nothing of camionettes, and last but not least Ford 
 "tin Lizzies," that vied with big trucks in importance to the service. 
 It required more than a thousand men to keep these hundreds of 
 motor cars in condition, and the men worked hard and long. They 
 would come in from their labors at night covered with grime and dirt, 
 weary in body and soul. That was the time the Y. M. C. A. had the 
 opportunity to do them a real service, and they did it. 
 
 Two well-manned huts to supply the necessar}^ entertainment and 
 comfort, provided a haven of rest. One hut, the largest and best, was 
 manufactured from sections of three separate structures, which was 
 salvaged from the camp, and put together under the personal super 
 vision of the "Y" man in charge of the Park Welfare Service. This 
 hut was so attractive that it secured a prize in the division contest in 
 April, for novel treatment and material. 
 
 A full program of activities was put on by the Y. M. C. A., stress 
 being laid upon outdoor activities and entertainments. Three baseball 
 leagues were formed, out of which came one of the strongest teams in 
 the area. How these mechanics could play ball ! In addition two suc- 
 cessful field meets were held, besides numerous individual and group 
 contests. 
 
 In addition to the main hut which proved to be of so much service 
 to the men, there was also a smaller one especially for the negroes, 
 of whom there were several hundred at the camp. This hut was a large 
 room}^ and comfortable place, and was in charge of two colored women 
 of education who made a conspicuous success in managing the hut 
 and caring for the hundreds who patronized the place. Entertain- 
 ments, athletics and religious services, with an occasional lecture com- 
 prised a comprehensive and well rounded program. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 51 
 
 THE YORK HARBOR HUT PERSONNEL 
 
 MRS. G. M. WARDEN Hut Secretary 
 
 MISS R. ULLIAN Financial Secretary 
 
 MISS E. FLANSBURG Religious Secretary 
 
 MISSE. CAHOON Canteen 
 
 MISS LOUISE CLARK __ Canteen 
 
 MISS G. R. DEFINE Canteen 
 
 MISS E. PRYOR Canteen 
 
 MISS P. ROPES .Cantee-n 
 
 MISS E. M. WILLIS Canteen 
 
 A. C. JONES Athletic Director 
 
 C. R. WAGGONER Night Man 
 
 MRS. GERTRUDE GILMOUR Shopping Bureau 
 
 HE Y. D., or "York Harbor" Hut was situated on Place 
 Des JacobinSj at mention of which immediately comes 
 into one's mind a picture of the wonderful St. Julien 
 Cathedral, with its splendid flying buttresses and Gothic 
 towers, which dominates the Place. It seems a little in- 
 congruous that within 500 yards of this old cathedral, American dough- 
 boys should gather in what General Pershing pronounced to be one 
 of the most attractive Y. M. C. A. huts in all France. 
 
 This hut was made possible because of a fund solicited by Miss 
 Grace Thompson of New York City from the people of York Harbor, 
 Maine. To a crack company of engineers, of the 26th (Yankee) Di- 
 vision, was assigned the task of constructing the building, which was 
 accomplished in what was then the record time of thirtj^-three work- 
 ing hours. The hut is designed to accommodate 2,500 people and con- 
 tains a large lecture and amusement hall, rest and wash room with 
 cot accommodations to sleep fifty men in an emergency, a large and 
 splendidly equipped canteen, a recreation and "quiet" room in charge 
 of the religious secretary, where books and current magazines are on 
 
52 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 file; a shopping bureau for the benefit of the American soldier, which is 
 unique in itself, and last of all, a guest room where personal friends of 
 the boys may be entertained. 
 
 A broad, open fireplace of natural brick at one end of the amuse- 
 ment hall, on either side of which stand high-backed wooden benches, 
 gives to this room a most inviting air. Above the fireplace, in letters 
 of quaint design, appears the following inscription: "Y. D. Memorial 
 Hut Dedicated Through the Y. M. C. A. by the People of York Harbor, 
 to the 26th Division and by tliat Division to the American Soldiers 
 in France." 
 
 The "Y. D." Hut has made many records, and why should it not.'' 
 It is manned entirely by women, who have done so much to make Y. 
 M. C. A. service to the A. E. F. the wonderful success it has been. 
 It is to this fact that "Y. D." owes the atmosphere of home, which 
 seems to greet one the moment they cross the threshhold. The interior 
 side walls are hung with artistic decorations executed by one of the 
 most famous artists in Le Mans, and include a series of panels in 
 colors, on which are the insignia of all the units of the Yankee Divi- 
 sion. 
 
 The entire structure, wings and all, is covered with a green lattice 
 over a white background, which in turn supports roses and ivy vines. 
 Boxes of flowers and trailing vines greet you at everj^^ window and 
 doorwa^Y, and it is really a treat to walk up the narrow, crooked streets 
 which so suddenlj^ open out upon the towering cathedral, with this 
 flower-bedecked hut nestling at its feet. 
 
 And the rest rooms ! There is scarcely a doughboy who has come 
 into Le Mans, his plans all awry, possibly disappointed in that early 
 sailing date for home, which they all crave — dusty, weary, not know- 
 ing where to turn, who has not found the "Y. D." Hut rest room exactly 
 the place he was looking for. The counter is always covered with 
 interesting magazines; the chairs are big, easy and restful; there are 
 attractive pictures on the wall, and somehow or other they take you 
 out of France and across the "pond" home; the only thing that you 
 are asked to do in the rest room is to keep quiet, and once in the rest 
 room you don't want to talk. It is enough to sit down, rest, and take 
 it all in until you feel all made over again, and ready to go on with 
 the game. 
 
 ^^S 
 

 i 
 
 54 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 CENTRAL HUT PERSONNEL 
 
 DR. J. L. TAIT - .- - Hut Secretary 
 
 MRS. J. L. TAIT - - - Hostess 
 
 MISS RUTH L. BROOKS Canteeti 
 
 MISS FLORENCE M. JOHNSON. _ Shopping Bureau 
 
 MISS ANNA PARRY -.- - Canteen 
 
 MISS FRANCES PERKINS Sightseeing 
 
 MISS MARGARET POTTS - Canteen 
 
 MISS FERNANDE ROBERTSON.. Librarian 
 
 MISS JEANNETTE SPENCER - Canteen 
 
 E MANS is the center of the great Sarthe Region of 
 France and the Central Hut was the center of Le Mans, 
 as its name implies. Into this central town and therefore, 
 also, into this Central Hut poured the men of the Em- 
 barkation Center. 
 
 The hut occupied an old building which was at one time one of the 
 many imposing chateaux of this section of P'rance. All about the hut 
 within easy reach of walking parties were the places notable not only 
 in the historj^ of the city, but also which played a part in the history 
 of the country at large. The majestic cathedral only three blocks 
 away, keeping ecclesiastical watch over the town, looked down in a 
 paternal fashion at the groups of men from the land of the Great 
 West gathered in the square and in and about the hut where they were 
 made so welcome, while the other points of interest, such as the Queen's 
 House and the Musee, a block away, completed the setting for this 
 most important and interesting military center. 
 
 For Mr. Wiest, Regional Director at the time of the opening of this 
 hut, the problem was like that of the Great Roman, who wrote in his 
 commentaries "For Caesar all things were to be done at once." The 
 hut was at first headquarters for the whole of the area activities, but 
 the rapid development of this section as a military base soon made 
 an overflow condition that removed the headquarters to Rue Chanzy 
 and gave over the whole building to purely hut activities, which were 
 conducted by the limited staff under all the difficulties incident to such 
 rapid development. No fully adequate facilities for the housing of the 
 throngs of men could be furnished either by the military or the Wel- 
 fare bodies and referring to this, one of the early staff", has written 
 thus, "They were sleeping on chairs, tables, stairways, floors, in 
 draughts and quite often without blankets or overcoats. I have been 
 profoundly thanked many times by the boys for permitting them to 
 stay all night. They would often say that if it had not been for this 
 place they would have had to sleep out in the weather." 
 
In the Le Mans Area 55 
 
 When Mr. Bookwalter became Regional Director it was decided to 
 extend the functions of the Central Hut and Dr. and Mrs. J. L. 
 Tait^ at that time Field Secretaries for social centers in England, were 
 called to this area and were given charge of this work. The large 
 building was renovated and quickly assumed the appearance of a 
 pleasant and attractive home in which the men felt they were truly 
 welcome. The enlarged staff spared neither time nor pains to make this 
 impression a glad reality to the lads, their guests, who quickly found 
 themselves adopted into the home, and poured their troubles into the 
 willing ears of "Mother." 
 
 The hut activities were manj^ and varied, branching into lines of 
 work little realized by the on-looker. "Say, where can I get some 
 money for this?" The speaker held an Army check in his hand. "Here 
 you are, Buddie," from a man at the desk in the Financial Department, 
 and in a minute he was arranging with the big brother for the transf- 
 of a part of the cashed check to the folks at home. Thousands of dol- 
 lars were sent thus by the financial man and the records show that it 
 went to all parts of the Union and hundreds of boys have testified their 
 warmest commendation for this service of the Y. M. C. A. rendered 
 without the charge of one centime to the man. 
 
 Perhaps it was Monday or Wednesday or Friday, and if so the 
 reconnaisance cars were arriving and stood in a long line in front of 
 the hut. At a signal the men were "loaded" on the cars and the}^ were 
 off to the country for one of the sightseeing excursions organized to 
 meet the demands of the boys who had become interested in the point 
 of historical interest in which the Department of Sarthe abounds. Lunch 
 was on one of the larger cars with a man in charge whose business it 
 was to see that this part of the program was properly carried out, so 
 that body, spirit and mind were all fed and the day closed with a 
 sense of pleasure and profit — that "something accomplished, something 
 done" had "earned a night's repose." 
 
 All about the information desk, inside of which the daintv little 
 "lady-secretary" from "back home" sat there was a constant buzz of 
 questions, "Where is the Cathedral.?" "When can I get a train to 
 Tours.''" The time cards came out and the boy goes away happy. 
 "Where can I get something to send home to Mother.?" Out went the 
 Shopping Secretary and soon the packet, bought with discretion and 
 at the most reasonable price, was on its way to the States. "Say, can a 
 feller get his chevron sewed on.?" Needle and thread were soon at 
 work and a happier and smarter soldier said his thanks to the smiling 
 hostess or assistant. 
 
56 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Upstairs the writing rooms ^ quiet^ comfortable, with plenty of 
 material for the most voluminous letters, and an atmosphere well- 
 fitted to "composition/' helped the most backward of the men to send 
 back the messages so much longed for, and the reading room with good 
 light and plenty of papers and magazines, lifted many a fellow above 
 the plane of his worries. During the long winter months, long after the 
 roar of battle had died away — months of patient waiting — it was a 
 popular place for our soldier boys. It then was the only library of the 
 A. L. A. in Le Mans and proved too small to accommodate the large 
 number of boys who found enjoyment in good reading, so plans for an 
 enlarged library in the Jacobins Gardens were made. When this build- 
 ing was opened, the little library at Central Hut was used as an annex, 
 but although relegated to a position of secondary importance, it never 
 lost its attractiveness and still was visited by many boys who found 
 enjoyment in the large assortment of the best work in history, fiction 
 and verse. 
 
 And there were other rooms. In came a dozen fellows from a long- 
 trip on the train, bending under their heav}^ packs, and grimy from 
 travel. Their baggage was quickly removed and put into the com- 
 modious check room, and the washroom furnished soap, hot water, and 
 clean towels which took care of the rest, the men emerging clean and 
 ready for the coffee and rolls that completed their comfort. 
 
 "The home is the thing" as one of the boys put it, and that is the 
 sort of atmosphere that was sought. The men were all "boys" to the 
 chief secretary and all his co-workers and the office was almost 
 c>)nstantly in use as a consultation place where boys were helped in 
 their personal problems, aided in official requests, in the getting of 
 passports and a hundred and one other things which were constantly 
 arising. 
 
 But the story of Central Hut cannot be closed without mention of 
 the Night Canteen and Midnight Frolics which made the hut known 
 wherever there were A. E. F. men in France. The afternoon always 
 brought a program from the Entertainment Department, and in the 
 early evening a lecture, "sing" or a dance, followed by movies. But 
 the late canteen, running from 1 1 until 3 the next morning, made the 
 Central Hut a Mecca for men on leave, waiting for trains, doing night 
 shifts in their work, or merely passing through the area. And all the 
 while the long coffee line moved toward the canteen, where the frag- 
 rant fluid and good, fresh sandwiches were dispensed witli a free hand, 
 the Midnight Frolics were providing the best entertainment in the area 
 in the assembly room. One didn't know what was meant bv "a sound of 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 57 
 
 revelry b}^ night" unless he attended the Frolics— and the best part of 
 it all was the informality. The best talent in the area, as they dropped 
 in from their stunt somewhere in the field, did their bit to entertain 
 the waiting crowd and found an appreciation that brought forth their 
 best efforts. It was all laughter and fun-jazz music and joy, bubbling 
 spontaneoush^ forth and creating an atmosphere of riotous good cheer 
 which dispelled the gloom from the sourest-faced, most down-hearted 
 doughbo}^ who came within its reach. Many a man held his renewed 
 spirit to "stick it out and win all along the line" to the cheer of the 
 Midnight Frolics. 
 
 CENTRAL H["'r 
 
 1. Court Showing Movie Screen. 2. Information Counter. 3. Wet Canteen. 4. Games 
 
 Room. 5. Street Entrance, (i. Mother's Room. 7. Porch and Garden 
 
58 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 
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 THE KANSAS HUT PERSONNEL 
 
 W. W. WEBER - - Hut Secretary 
 
 C. F. PARKER -- - - Financial Secretary 
 
 W. R. STONE Activities Secretary 
 
 J. CORNELISON Activities Secretary 
 
 HAROLD J. BROTHERS - - Rations Secretary 
 
 NE OF the largest and finest of the many cafeterias 
 opened and financed by the Y. M. C. A. for the Ameri- 
 can soldier in France opened for business in March and 
 at once filled a long-felt want. This cafeteria was lo- 
 cated in one of the most historic spots of the city of Le 
 Mans, in the famous Jacobins Gardens, which were excavated for use 
 as a gladatorial arena by the Romans before the time of Christ. 
 
 The structure was originally designed as a "Y" activities hall; how- 
 ever, the need of a large cafeteria in this centrally located section 
 of the city was apparent before the original plans were carried out, 
 and they were changed and adapted to its present use. The building 
 was the combination of two A type huts, and had ample accommoda- 
 tions to seat at table 250 men at one time. Thousands were served very 
 expeditiously. The kitchen equipment was of the latest, with large 
 ranges, modern dish-washing apparatus, sinks and adequate sanitary 
 garbage disposition. 
 
 The food was cooked and served in plain sight of all, and its white- 
 ness and cleanliness reminded all Americans of the famous Childs' type 
 at home. One large section of the building was given over to a modern 
 American ice cream plant, with daily capacity of 1000 gallons of the 
 whity coolness that furnished to thousands of doughboys their first 
 taste of real ice cream since the}^ left American shores. 
 
 So much for the matter-of-fact description of one of the finest bits 
 of "Y" service to the A. E. F. in France. But let us wander into this 
 huge building and see for ourselves what it is that so appeals to the 
 dovighboy and brings him back — and back — and back. AVe enter the 
 grounds — large, wide spaces, lovely, shad^^ trees — a sense of coolness 
 and cleanliness very soothing to the tired, dusty doughboy who has just 
 covered weary kilos with his pack weighing heavily on his back. Just 
 a fitting setting for the cafeteria itself. We cross the threshhold and 
 see a huge room, high ceiling, cool and clean, a sense of good cheer 
 which then analyzed, is easily traceable to the masses of light yellow 
 and blue used in decorating the interior. And those tables ! Row on 
 
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60 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 row, white and clean — a flowering plant in the center of each one — 
 while the delectable odor of coff'ee — American coifee ! and pies baking 
 to the home-loved crispness and brownness — creeps into the senses. 
 Without a thought the pack drops from the doughboy's back — a sigh 
 of contentment comes from his very innermost being — and the tired 
 lines smooth out to an appreciative grin as he flies past the counter 
 and takes his seat — only one of several hundred like him- — his tray 
 laden with good, wholesome, home-like food which just touches the 
 spot ! 
 
 Hunger satisfied he begins to take stock of what is going on around 
 him; it's funny — ^but he just begins to realize that that orchestra on 
 the platform is playing some pretty good music ; what was that last 
 piece they played? He leans over and asks his "Buddie." — Oh, yes! 
 That was the piece his sister used to play back home. Gee ! These 
 French know some pretty good stuff", don't they ? And so on — And back 
 of all this a work done willingly, tirelessly, and well ! 
 
 A "Y" secretary acts as special buyer for the raw materials which 
 taste so good when they have been prepared by the "Y" chefs ; his 
 Ford Camionette rambles many miles each day, the "Y" man laden 
 with many, many francs — to return each night, the Ford groaning 
 under the load, the "Y" man "sans francs." And the next day it is all 
 to be done over agian. 
 
 The "Y" girls at the counter give the finishing home touch with their 
 smile of good cheer to the lads filing by. The menu and prices charged 
 for meals were those established by the general supply committee of 
 the Y. M. C. A., and were those prevailing in all "Y" hotels and res- 
 taurants of the A. E. F. — namely, breakfast, one franc fifty centimes; 
 noon luncheon, two francs fifty centimes ; dinner, three francs. The 
 average number of meals served daily was 2000 and while open to 
 both officers and enlisted men, there was no embarrassment in serving 
 both alike at its attractive tables, without question the service rendered 
 by this splendidly organized and working cafeteria, was one of th:- 
 most appreciated activities in this region, from the standpoint of the 
 Army Headquarters. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 61 
 
 LIBRARY PERSONNEL 
 
 MISS AGNES LATIMER BACON Chief Secretary 
 
 MISS ESTHER JOHNSTON Assistant Secretary 
 
 OVEMBER 8, 1918, saw the opening of the first little 
 library in a corner room of Army Headquarters Build- 
 ing in Bourse de Commerce, Le Mans. It was a general 
 meeting place and bureau of information, open to offi- 
 cers and enlisted men alike, one of the few warm places 
 in Le Mans, where one was free to read, smoke and visit with friends. 
 
 In a muddy courtyard a file of men waited to come into the reading 
 and writing rooms. Many were from remote parts of the area, and by 
 way of celebrating their leave from camp, spent the night sleeping on 
 the stone floor here. They came into the small, crowded, smoky read- 
 ing room, as many as could crowd in, to security and warmth and 
 forgetfulness of their monotonous life. 
 
 "Books ! Haven't seen 'em since we hit the trenches ! Didn't have 
 time to think of 'em there, but its awful to be without them now the 
 fighting's over." The eagerness and complete absorption with which 
 they lost themselves in novels, in magazines, in technical books — in all 
 subjects but those of war — is one of the compensations for the monot- 
 onous grind of the librarian encamped in France. From the library, 
 magazines were distributed by mail to the various places in the area — - 
 comparatively easy until in December the points of distribution sud- 
 denly jumped in two days from 30 to nearly 100. This necessitated 
 moving the base of general distribution, and in the late afternoon of 
 January 3, the Army order came that the library must be moved the 
 following day as the space it occupied must be used for militar)'- 
 purposes. 
 
 It seemed almost impossible to find a place suitable, but the library 
 could not be given up. Some canteen women offered the use of their 
 little private room" on the second floor of the Central "Y" Hut, and 
 the library moved in. It was a tiny back room, with old-fashioned 
 furniture, a quaint old mirror, a cosy open fireplace and three of the 
 most comfortable chairs in France, and it very soon became a clearing 
 house for half the men in khaki — whether they wanted to see the head 
 of the Architectural School or the Army Post School or the officer who 
 could best direct them for entrance to the numerous French and Eng- 
 lish universities. For the library was the incentive and beginning of 
 the Army Post School, and played a most important part in the edu- 
 
62 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 cational interest of the A. E. F. It was here that an architect from 
 San Francisco met an architect from Minneapolis and succeeded in 
 interesting several members of the Chicago Art Institute and the New 
 York Art League in forming a class out of which developed the Archi- 
 tectural School 
 
 Discussion with men as they were taking out books often led to the 
 discovery that they were fully qualified as teachers for groups which 
 tlie librarian had gathered together — men to whom the war had meant 
 leaving college, or other schools and who were eager to catch up their 
 dramatic ability as best they might. Several men were also found with 
 real dramatic ability, and care was taken that they were referred to the 
 Y. M. C. A. Entertainment Department, where they found the proper 
 outlet for their talent and relief from the deadly monotony. 
 
 The stories that this tiny room could tell ! For the daily round of a 
 librarian includes all activities from trying to supply the latest imagist 
 poetr}^ to mending kit-bags. She sees from morning to night a constant 
 stream of wet, tired, home-sick, bored, disconsolate men — men suffer- 
 ing from a sudden let-down in tension and from lack of occupation for 
 their minds. Tonight is a good night for reading, the light, cold rain 
 outside increasing the feeling of comfort and security roused by the 
 burning logs. The room has a blue haze of smoke from pipe and ciga- 
 rettes, and there is the glow from the fire and the sheen of holly in the 
 bowl on the mantel. To the left of the desk is seated a burly man, 
 rather old for the draft army, and he had been of late rather low in 
 his mind until he was asked to give a course on Building to the men in 
 the camp school — and what a change ! Arranging his lectures, work- 
 ing out calculations from a treatise on masonry construction — his heav}?^ 
 face almost animated as he exclaims, "Even the fellows who don't 
 think of going into the contracting business are fixing to get married 
 when they go home and want to know something about houses. So they 
 come to my school." 
 
 A man has just come in for light fiction to take his thoughts from 
 gloomy things. He is a musician and the chief duty of his band now 
 is playing for five or six funerals every morning. "It gets on a fellow's 
 nerves," he says, "knowing the way those chaps got through the Ar- 
 gonne and were taken b}' the 'flu' on their way home." And as he 
 takes the most diverting novel the librarian can find, another dismal 
 visitor arrives. He is the official photographer of the funerals, and 
 wants the "Y" girl to choose which of the jahotographs should go to 
 the mothers. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 63 
 
 In spite of the urgent need for greater space, it was not until April 
 that the library was moved to a separate building in the Jacobins 
 Gardens. The building erected upon the site indicated by the Army, 
 was given by the Red Cross ; the Y. M. C. A. furnished the chairs and 
 the tables, and the greater share of the interior decorations, while the 
 American Library Association furnished a large and adequate supply 
 of books. While the library was from this time under the supervision 
 of the A. L. A., the Y. M. C. A. continued to suppl}^ the personnel and 
 to take a kindly interest in the work which liad grown to such propor- 
 tions under their tutelage. 
 
 The development of this work to the point of transfer to the Amer- 
 ican Library Association is only one more instance of the spirit of the 
 Y. M. C. A. organization. Its personnel, overseas for service, realized 
 a demand and its vital importance — and met it. growing as it grew and 
 carrying the work along until other organizations more slow to get into 
 the field could take it over. Service of this kind finds its greatest appre- 
 ciation in the hearts of those served and needs no further com- 
 mendation. 
 
 DOUGHNUTS FOR THE A. OF O. 
 
 Personnel, Fifteen Girls in Charge of Miss Honore McNamara 
 
 "Well, if here isn't Sis !" 
 
 "Who said the Y. M. C. A. had gone home!" 
 
 "Hello, Sis." 
 
 "Here's a girl we can fraternize with !" 
 
 "Hello, Miss Y. M. C. A.; verstehen sie English.? * * * You bet I 
 can understand doughnuts !" and he reached for the big string of 
 doughnuts that a Y. M. C. A. girl was holding up outside the car door. 
 
 T WAS JULY, in the year 1919, that memorable year 
 when the A. E. F. returned to the U. S. A. so P. D. Q. 
 The stories of the whimsical shuffles of Fate or G. H. Q. 
 (which is all the same to khaki) in getting the Yanks 
 home will make conversation around firesides for years 
 to come ; but the loudest and longest story will be of those buddies up 
 on the Rhine at whom R. Me Rumor shook a persistent finger and 
 hissed villainously, "You'll be left here for five years to grease the 
 Watch on the Rhine." For blue moons, Rumor got by with his wretched 
 jest; all the high-numbered divisions went home, first by ones, then in 
 twos, then by threes and fours, and finally by pieces of eight, but the 
 Regulars stayed "Settin' Jake" on the bridgeheads of the Rhine. All 
 the A. E. F. had moved out of France, with the exception of a few bare 
 
64 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 traces. Little was left in life that was worth the living. 
 
 Then shuffle No. 1001, and the order came for the Regulars to go 
 home. Stakes were pulled up without any music, and the long line o 
 -t9-Hommes-per began to pull out of Germany at the rate of three a 
 day. Again French "permissionaires" deflected the course of straight- 
 forward Yanks, and the heavy trains of boxcars, bearing their precious 
 American freight, were sent to Brest by devious and circuitous routes. 
 The journey from Coblenz to Brest lasted four or five days, and there 
 were eats but twice a day ! 
 
 Imagine the surprise of the American soldiers when at Alencon, a 
 day and a half from Brest, during a six-minute stop of the train, there 
 suddenly appeared at the door of the "A. E. F. Pullman" Y. M. C. A. 
 girls and soldier details with heavy baskets of doughnuts or sandwiches 
 or home-made fudge. Anticipating the short duration of the six min- 
 utes, the girls had strung the doughnuts together in mammoth loops, 
 one for each car ; or they had tied the sandwiches — big, generous ones 
 — and the fudge — huge, slabby squares of it — up in packages which 
 could be handed to the sergeant in charge of each car; then there was 
 the girl with the truckload of today's papers which were handed into 
 the cars in bunches ; and if any time was left, the busy girls, who must 
 work the full length of the train in the short time, paused for the 
 volley of questions and banter hurled at them from the revived buddies, 
 to whom the sight of an American girl in her blue canteen apron with 
 its fresh white collars and cuffs, smiling merrily or sjanpathetically 
 as she handed out her strings of golden doughnuts, was as an oasis in 
 the desert of the long, tedious, uncomfortable journey. 
 
 The Y. M. C. A. did not undertake to feed the three trainloads of 
 men a day during their few minutes' stop at Alencon; all it could at- 
 tempt was to pass out a bite along the road, and to break the monotony 
 of the long journey to the coast with a "Hello, Buddie, we're with 
 you." Even this bit was accomplished under strenuous difficulties, for 
 had not the militar}^ authorities said, "Get the welfare workers home," 
 and had not the area been cleared by a wholesale sweeping into Paris 
 of the canteen girls of the Le Mans area.^ The scheme involved many 
 complications, for it meant the holding out of equipment just when 
 everything was being salvaged and turned in ; it meant a securing of 
 enormous supplies just when all arteries were being cut from the base; 
 it meant a call for volunteer soldier detail, just when all the men were 
 most interested in getting home. But the plan was put into effect and 
 carried out with a success beyond expectation. The minimum number 
 of girls were carefully selected who could put out the maximum number 
 of doughnuts, fudge, and sandwiches, with the greatest amount of 
 
In the Le Mans Area 65 
 
 cheerfulness over a lake of boiling grease under an August sun, who 
 were willing to tackle a second time the tub of fudge that had failed 
 the right consistencj^ at the first cooking, and who were swift at 
 changing into a fresh apron and who could carry a still happier smile 
 when time came to "work" the troop-train in its tantalizingly short 
 stop. Some qualifications, these! Y. M. C. A. girls must needs have 
 qualifications at any time, but ordinarily they work under the inspira- 
 tion of the companionship of the men whom thev are serving. Every 
 girl will tell you that when the buddies are around any amount of work 
 or managing of irons in the fire becomes easier. But at Alencon all the 
 fim and inspiration of the personal touch existed only in the imagina- 
 tion. The glorious end of the fatiguing routine was the few minutes at 
 the train, when the appreciation and thanks of the soldiers on the 
 troop trains sent the girls back to their hot, grinding task with fresh- 
 ened -courage. Because the hours for the arrival of the trains were 
 irregular and uncertain hence causing long waits at the station with the 
 baskets of food, only three girls and one soldier met each train — which 
 meant that each girl in the crew met only one train a day. And the rest 
 of the day was work^-long hours of hard, hot work, Sundays, birth- 
 days, and all ! 
 
 The doughnut-sandwich-fudge factory was in an old French dwell- 
 ing whose chief asset was a back yard big enough to accommodate the 
 numerous hot water boilers, the dough-table, the various grease blotting- 
 pads all covered with doughnuts ready for the stringing. In the 
 kitchen, the dining room, the reception room, and the hallways were 
 Dixie platters of fudge in their various stages of cooling. On the 
 second was the sandwich factory — dishpans full of mayonnaise dress- 
 ing; piles of hams that had been boiled in the kettles in the back yard; 
 buckets and buckets of cheese being melted to a spreadable consistency. 
 
 At a long table in the corner where none other dared intrude, pre- 
 sided Jack, the bread-cutter, who exhausted vocabularies trying to ex- 
 press his opinion of the instability and jazziness of Army bread that 
 the girls demanded should be "nicely cut." Jack was a brave soldier 
 out of the Second Division, and in days still further remote he was a 
 star skater at the Metropolitan in New York. Now he had cast his 
 fortunes with the crew of merry, willing girls who were staying over 
 and working with lights under a hot bushel "all for the boys ;" and 
 Jack, who was a good sport and a bon comrade of tlie buddies from the 
 Rhine, stayed over with them, hoping to get home only in time to fill 
 his engagement for the first of September. Then there was Lewis out 
 of another Division — the willingest soldier that ever helped a "Y" 
 girl lift a G. I. can of chocolate. Lewis always had the kevs to the 
 
66 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 situation at his finger tips, and he never missed a trick. He did big 
 jobs and little — the point was, he always did them. Then there was 
 Brindle who did the hauling from the base of supplies, who was 
 mechanic for everything that might break down, whether the five-ton 
 track that hauled stuffs out of Le Mans or the meat-chopper that 
 ground up the big, juicy hams. As is the usual story of the Y. M. C. 
 A. canteen girl, the girls of this crew could not possibly have gotten 
 along without their soldier detail. 
 
 At Alencon was stationed some two hundred of the engineers who 
 pulled the American troop trains through the Sarthe district on their 
 way to the coast. Who wonders that in their idle hours they wandered 
 into the doughnut "foundry," where there was the added attraction of 
 a bevy of American girls ! Then it was that the soldier detail came 
 into its own, and it was Jack who usually named the price in tasks for 
 each "hand-out." 
 
 The work at Alencon lasted from July 7 to August 10. The personnel 
 of the girls who stayed on the job throughout the time is as interesting 
 as the pursuits from which they came in civil life is varied or as the 
 sections which they represent in the States are diversified. Three 
 domestic science teachers were quite in thier elements at the com- 
 pounded mixing, whether they were skillful with the primitive cook- 
 ing equipment or not. An illustrator of a certain well known magazine 
 and an artistic photographer of no small degree of success occasionally 
 gave suggestion that they still had a temperament by a bit of raving- 
 over the apricot-colored creaminess of the cheese filling or over the 
 golden-brown of the doughnuts (much to Jack's disgust) ; a business 
 woman of a breezy western town and a school woman from a southern 
 state occasionally interposed poise to the situation when an actress 
 with a keen sense of humor and Jack were swinging their badinage 
 too high for the good of the work. 
 
 But the jokiest joke that ever flew in the banter was the joke which 
 was the truest words of all — what they did was "all for the boys !" 
 
In the Le Mans Area 67 
 
 HUT CONSTRUCTION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 W. D. Skinner, Regional Director George Emsley 
 
 William Wrights Wm. E. Mix 
 
 George W. Garloch John F. Worth 
 George F. Keith 
 
 HE HUT construction work in the area of Le Mans 
 began in October with the erection of a Berger B. Hut 
 at Forwarding Camp. Since then 26 structures were 
 completed, of types divided and described as follows: 
 Five Class A Huts, four Class B Huts, ten Class C 
 Huts, seven buildings of special construction. 
 
 Technically, standard Y. M. C. A. huts are as follows: Type A, or 
 Class A, 9x43 meters with extension at side; Type B, double building 
 with adjustable partitions in centers and extensions on end and side, 
 size overall 27x50 meters ; Type C, 9x30 meters. The cost for con- 
 structing such huts have been on an average, respectively, 64,373 
 francs, 86,560 francs and 33,060 francs. 
 
 Number and location of Class "A" Huts — Jacobins Gardens, 1 ; Foi*- 
 warding Camp, 2; Camp Etat, 1; Belgian Camp, 1. 
 
 Number and location of Class "B" Huts — Classification Camp, 1 ; 
 Forwarding Camp, 1 ; Belgian Camp, 1 ; Place des Jacobins, 1. 
 
 Number and location of Class "C" Huts — Bonnetable, 1 ; Conlie, 1 ; 
 Chateau de Loire, 1 ; Spur Camp, 1 ; Forwarding Camp, 2 ; Le Mans 
 Warehouse (15 trusses in length), 1; Belgian Camp, 1; Jacobin Gar- 
 dens, 1 ; Overhaul Park, 1 . 
 
 Number and location of special construction — Le Mans Station (15x 
 21 feet), 1; Belgian Camp Theatre, addition (13x90 feet), 1; For- 
 warding Camp Auditorium (39x17 meters), 1; Jacobins Gardens addi- 
 tion to "A" Type Hut (30x80 feet), 1 ; Spur Hangar (20x28 meters), 
 1; Belgian Camp Hangar (20x28 meters), 1; Belgian Camp Athletic 
 Dressing Room (12x50 feet), 1- 
 
 In addition to the huts, 129 tents were stretched in the area, of the 
 following types and values : 
 
 Eighty-four Abri tents 6x18 meters, costing 10,200 francs each. 
 
 Twenty-five Henry tents 6x18 meters, costing 10,200 francs each. 
 
 Twenty Oval tents 25x50 meters, costing 5000 francs each. 
 
 In the erection of most of the huts of this area "Soldier Details" 
 were secured from the camps where the huts were to be built, but in 
 
68 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 some instances details were secured from labor battalions, at Spur 
 Camp, which were used to construct buildings at other points. The 
 labor situation and the transportation problem were, as everywhere 
 else, the most serious to solve. The delays often caused by lack of 
 transportation are a thing always to be regretted. 
 
 In the erection of some particular huts the heartiest cooperation was 
 accorded by men of certain units. The two outstanding examples of 
 such cooperation are the Berger B Hut, which was built in Place des 
 Jacobins, Le Mans, by a detail from the 26th Division under the direc- 
 tion of Mr. Mix, in the remarkable time of thirty-three working hours. 
 This is the hut which has been dedicated to the Yankee Division, and 
 is known as the "Y. D. Hut." The real record for hut construction, 
 however, was that made by the men from the 28th or Keystone Divi- 
 sion. A hut of Standard Type A was constructed in the Forwarding 
 Camp by the Engineers of this Pennsylvania Division in the world- 
 record time of 17V2 working hours. It was befitting that this hut 
 should be christened the "Keystone Hut." 
 
 H A^ 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 ()9 
 
 1. Indiana Hut at Belgian Camp on Derlieation Day. 2. Following- Ceremony of Derlica- 
 tioii, Auditorium Forwarding Camp, from Left to Right, Front Row. A. (\. Bookwalter, 
 Regional Director; General Jackson. Commanding Forwarding Camp: General Johnston, 
 Commanding 91st Division; "Gen." Mead, Head of "Y" (iirls in France; E. C. Carter, 
 Chief Secretary Y. M. C. A.; W. D. Skinner, Director of Construction, Le Mans Region. 
 H. Keystone Hut at Forwarding Camp and Soldier Detail of 28tli Division that Erected 
 it in Record-Breaking Time of Seventeen and One-half Hiitrs. 
 
70 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 HUT DECORATION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 BLANCHE C. GRANT Regional Decorator 
 
 FRED G. DAY.. Assistant Regional Decorator 
 
 HERRICK BRADLEY..... Driver and Assistant 
 
 OREN WAGGONER ..Assistant 
 
 N JANUARY, when Le Mans area was bracing itself 
 for the concentration here of thousands of men pouring 
 through on their waj^ to the coast, the Y. M. C. A. huts 
 were springing up like mushrooms over night. Miss 
 Blanche C. Grant of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sent down 
 from Paris as Regional Decorator. She found that in the whirlwind 
 of building, decoration had been in a vague way considered, but was 
 after all more or less a fifth spoke in the wheel. No office, supplies 
 scattered in various places, and no transportation showed a situation 
 which meant that she must build from the ground. 
 
 A small, very small room, about four feet square was found in the 
 rear of the courtyard of Headquarters. A broom and some brown 
 paper were brought into play and a "warehouse" was ready to receive 
 the few materials available. Some paint and four sets of curtains 
 proved to be the "wares." The discovery that an Army camion started 
 once in a while from the Place de Republique for the various camps 
 began a solution of the Transportation problem. The house for the 
 women at the Forwarding Camp had just been completed and here the 
 decorator began with yellow and grey. 
 
 Soon it was realized that badly as transportation and supplies were 
 needed, personnel for the Department was needed worse ; and still 
 more was it necessary to arouse an interest in decoration. At home the 
 "Y" stood for the best that could be afforded. And now that the days 
 of the front line emergencies were passed, cheer and courage were 
 needed by the men who waited; and color was one means of giving 
 them that. 
 
 Persistent appeals for transportation won now and then a short 
 ride. One day a man who frankly admitted he had no training in the 
 art of mixing colors, matching of cretonnes or judging of designs, 
 reported as additional personnel. He was not an artist, but he was of 
 much service in the way of buying and begging for transportation. 
 -February 17, a driver of a camionette, reported to the department for 
 duty. Soon he was asked, "Just what does the lady do?" The answer 
 was werj definite, and from then on transportation was assured. 
 
 Since the professional personnel was not forthcoming and since 
 
In the Le Mans Area 71 
 
 the color cheer was needed so direly over all the area, something must 
 be done to speed up the work. A hint was dropped and the idea grew. 
 A contest was put on throughout the region. Announcements and 
 speeches aroused curiosity, but the real interest came with the comple- 
 tion of a hut or two in towns where heretofore the men had accepted 
 the dirty hall which had fallen to their lot. The decorator's office soon 
 came to be flooded with calls. The assistant did a thriving business in 
 paint, and the cretonne supply was soon exhausted. Personal trips to 
 Paris brought a load of flags and beautiful cretonne which soon found 
 its way to the huts of the area. The men were really interested in 
 the contest and took a keen pride in their respective huts. 
 
 A report from the hut decoration department shows something 
 accomplished every day during its existence ; the report for February 
 reads "Ten places started and office supplies given to 24 places." Since 
 then the number of places reached and decorated totals 140. But no 
 mere record could tell the whole story of the advice and encourage- 
 ment given, the interest and appreciation on the part of the men them- 
 selves, and the esprit de corps of the several groups of soldier details 
 who handled the paint in the various huts. 
 
 A run out into the area brought one to the little dark hall at Yvre le 
 Boliu, where a decorator transformed the place into a veritable 
 theatre by painting the walls with light yellow, browns and purple, to 
 resemble heavy curtains drawn back to display the well known insignia 
 of the 80th Division. A woodland scene added to the small stage. In 
 another direction one found an old-time market place with huge beams 
 and posts made into a "Y" by use of broom and brush ladened with 
 blue and yellow. Not far awaj^ was a warehouse with gay curtains of 
 yellow and green, and walls clean with soft yellow and brown water 
 color. A tent was interesting for its decoration. The furniture had 
 been painted a bright blue and a group of. five allied flags gave snap 
 to the place. At another place a "Y" woman dispensed good chocolate 
 pver a counter painted black while the walls were a lovely rose ; at the 
 windows against the black woodwork hung curtains of yellow with 
 rose and black design. This "tea room" was the ante-room to the 
 theatre, where blue and white predominated. 
 
 Nearer the larger cities were the huge huts. A few miles away from 
 Le Mans was the Forwarding Camp, where two decorators vied with 
 each other. The cafeteria or the "Green Hut" at the Jacobins Gardens 
 showed what big masses of light yellow and blue could do in the way of 
 cheer, while one ate a good meal. The Etat Camp hut was cool in gray 
 and blue with splashes of color borrowed from the flags of many 
 
72 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 nations. The Central Hut was an example of what could be done with 
 an old French house, with warm red curtains and yellow as a back- 
 ground for stunning posters. It must be kept in mind that no attempt 
 was made to make homes out of places that could never be such, but 
 rather to try with big poster designs and bright colors to tell the boys 
 that someone had been thinking of them, that someone cared not only 
 back home, but also in France, that someone was calling courage 
 through the color and hoping the "Y" would hold more for them than 
 the bar not far awa}^ That the men appreciated all this cannot be 
 doubted. Talk for a while to the fellow who had come back from the 
 land where the "Y" could not go. Let him tell his story. Watch him 
 as he looks around. All this work had its subtle appeal for good. 
 
 The credit for the vision and the designing of the decoration for the 
 huts in the Le Mans area is demonstrated by the following tribtite: 
 "You have done one of the finest pieces of "Y" service in France." 
 This credit belongs primarily to Miss Grant, but she, as is so often the 
 story of a "Y" girl, attributes the success of the work to the soldiers 
 of the local huts, who so willingly and so eagerly followed her every 
 suggestion in the brightening up of their Y. M. C. A. Their efforts 
 and faithfulness made possible the hut decoration. 
 
 DECORATION OF HUTS 
 
 Number of places decorated in some manner 140 
 
 Materials Furnished 
 
 Money Expended, Cretonne 9. ()()() francs 
 
 Flags, 1200 - 9,000 francs 
 
 Posters Furnished 250 
 
 Paint 16,900 francs 
 
 Stage Curtains 13,300 francs 
 
 Special Decorations and Signs 1,500 francs 
 
 Flower Boxes 3,000 francs 
 
 Grounds 1,000 francs 
 
 Hut Decoration — Contest March 15, April 30: Niuriber of 
 
 Huts, Tents, Halls, Rooms in Contest 100 
 
 Special Undertakings 
 American Cemeteries Decoration Day, Athletic S. O. S. Meet, A. E. 
 C. County Fair, A. E. C. Athletic Meet, A. E. F. Competitions, Inter- 
 Allied Competitions, Franco-American Fete. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 73 
 
 HUT EQUIPMENT, SUPPLY AND SALVAGE DEPARTMENTS 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 H. O. MADDOX Regional Salvage Secretary 
 
 G. H. WATSON ...Chief Associate Salvage Department 
 
 ILA DIXON .....Secretary Salvage Department 
 
 VIRGINIA D. LEACH .....Stenographer 
 
 F. C. AGNEW - - Warehouse Superintendent 
 
 A. C. ALLEN ...Billing Clerk 
 
 S. E, HARVOUT ...Musical Instruments 
 
 JOHN F. WORTH Te'nts 
 
 J. O. FISH - V Field Secretary 
 
 HARRY C. GREEN Field Secretary 
 
 GEO. F. HARBIGE - - .Field Secretary 
 
 GEO. EMSLEY - Chauffeur 
 
 HEN the Y. M. C. A. was org<anized in Le Mans, there 
 were two departments from which supplies were ob- 
 tained, one known as the Supply Department, and the 
 other the Hut Equipment. The Suppl,v Department 
 furnished all necessar}'^ wet and dry canteen supplies, 
 such as cigars, cigarettes, biscuits, jam, milk, cocoa, chocolate, dental 
 cream, soap, etc. This was one of the busiest departments in the 
 Y. M. C. A. For instance, during March, 531 truck loads of mer- 
 chandise were sent out of the warehouse to the different Divisions in 
 this area, totaling in value -1,596,769.80 francs. 
 
 The Hut Equipment furnished all equipment necessary for a com- 
 plete Y. M. C. A.; hut, tables, benches, tents, pianos, chairs, phono- 
 graphs and records, lanterns, lamps, cots, mattresses, blackboards, and 
 all kinds of kitchen utensils. On April 1, 1919, the Y. M. C. A. had 
 equipped and supplied, in the Le Mans area, 24<1 huts and tents. 
 These Y. M. C. A. activities centers were also constantly changing with 
 the entraining and detraining of troops, so this department had to 
 keep on the job to supply them all and meet the many emergencies. 
 
 All kinds of stationery was also furnished by the Hut Equipment 
 Department, as well as pens, ink and pen holders. 
 
74 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 The total amount of merchandise as shown by records for the 
 months of December^ January, February and March was over 12,- 
 000,000 francs, and welfare work for this period to the end of March, 
 1919, was approximately 7 per cent of the total or about 85,000 francs. 
 The proportion for April was more than double because of the large 
 number of wet canteens operating, and the Y also gave away hot 
 chocolate and biscuits from two to three days a week. 
 
 At the end of April, in addition to 71 tents, the Y. M. C. A. had a 
 large number of h'.its, theatres and rented quarters of various knids, 
 in the aggregate amounting to over 300. These huts and buildings 
 ranged in size from single rooms to the regular Army hangar, requir- 
 ing from 800 to 1,000 benches and a car-load of flooring. 
 
 On April 1, 1919, the Army took back the dry canteens and the Hut 
 Equipment and Supply Departments were combined, and known as 
 the Supply Department. Every day a constant stream of secretaries 
 poured into the office calling for various kinds of supplies, that were 
 usually in the warehouse to be issued, but when they were not, the old, 
 old story, "A carload of supplies is on the way from Paris, or a truck 
 is coming from Paris tonight," was enough. 
 
 Out of the Supply Department developed the Salvage Department. 
 The purpose of this was to keep the property and equipment of the 
 Y. M. C. A. in active service, and dispose of the same when it became 
 certain that it would no longer be needed for Y. M. C. A. purposes. 
 The Salvage Department was organized by the authority of the Execu- 
 tive Committee of the Paris office, and operated under the general 
 supervision of the head of the General Supply Division of the Paris 
 headquarters. 
 
 On May 1, an inventory of all hut equipment and supplies was taken 
 by a field secretar}^, and then the big shift began. Supplies were trans- 
 ferred from one "Y" activities center to another to meet the urgent 
 demands, as the thousands of troops came and went through this area. 
 
 When supplies were no longer needed in the various huts and tents 
 they were immediately salvaged and brought into "Y" headquarters. 
 In one day 20 Army and "Y" trucks were sent out, with 85 detail men, 
 and 23 Y. M. C. A. centers salvaged and the supplies brought to our 
 warehouse. 
 
 Salvaged supplies were disposed of through a regular sales depart- 
 ment, and some were sent back to Paris, to be disposed of there. 
 
In the Le Mans Auka 
 
 75 
 
 DRY CANTEEN SERVICE 
 January, February, jNIarch 
 
 January 4,307,680. 1 5 francs 
 
 February - 3,601,489.05 francs 
 
 March 4,164,858.15 francs 
 
 On March 31 merchandise invoiced to the Army amounted to 4,- 
 318.350.48 francs. 
 
 Distribution of Dry Canteen Service in part as follows 
 
 DRY CANTEEN SERVICE 
 
 January 
 
 Cigars 4,750,000 
 
 Cigarettes 7,245,136 
 
 Biscuits 120,767,500 
 
 Jam 12,239,800 
 
 Milk 1,707,600 
 
 Cocoa 41,784,375 
 
 Chocolate 
 
 Chewing Tobacco 26,130,960 
 
 Candles 7,872,024 
 
 Eaisins 560,000 
 
 Sundries 5,065,400 
 
 Chocolate Dainties 
 
 Razors 27,000,000 
 
 Peanuts 22o',000 
 
 Soap 2,730,000 
 
 Handkerchiefs 1,872,000 
 
 Towels 3,300^000 
 
 Chewing Gum 5,880,000 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Lemon Droiis 
 
 Candy 
 
 Fruit 
 
 Smoking Tobacco 
 
 Dental Cream 
 
 Matches 
 
 Fruit Syrup 
 
 Ex. Matches • 
 
 February 
 
 1,325,000 
 39,150,500 
 121,513,500 
 23,585,490 
 15,458,400 
 13,592,100 
 33,653,660 
 34,705,800 
 200,000 
 
 11,882,600 
 10,000,000 
 
 100,000 
 3,666,000 
 
 24,260,000 
 1,200,000 
 
 11,580,000 
 
 22,302,000 
 
 554,000 
 
 1,404,000 
 
 March 
 
 9,752,000 
 .50,815,750 
 97,242,500 
 42,877,700 
 21,071,480 
 
 2,813,-500 
 48,464,500 
 
 4,791,660 
 
 42,400 
 
 200,000 
 
 9,034,720 
 10,835,000 
 
 7,160,000 
 
 480,000 
 
 3,756,000 
 
 3,880,000 
 
 1,66.5,000 
 
 5,136,000 
 
 963,600 
 
 426,600 
 
 11,892,800 
 
 4,662,400 
 
 21,716,000 
 
 878,400 
 
 5.625.000 
 
 FIXED HUT EQUIPMENT 
 
 Tents 
 
 Pianos 
 
 Phonographs 
 
 Tables^ 
 
 Chairs 
 
 Benches 
 
 Pens 
 
 Paper 2,500,000 
 
 Envelopes 1 ,350,000 
 
 Post Cards 
 
 Dec. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 March 
 
 30 
 
 45 
 
 56 
 
 65 
 
 35 
 
 51 
 
 63 
 
 7S 
 
 50 
 
 62 
 
 80 
 
 93 
 
 800 
 
 1,000 
 
 1,500 
 
 1,500 
 
 50 
 
 100 
 
 200 
 
 300 
 
 1,200 
 
 2,000 
 
 3,000 
 
 3,000 
 
 3,500 
 
 5,000 
 
 7,500 
 
 7,500 
 
 )00,000 
 
 1,150,000 
 
 4,350,000 
 
 3,750,000 
 
 150,000 
 
 603,000 
 
 3,953,000 
 
 2,530,000 
 
 
 
 1,077,000 
 
 1,000,000 
 
76 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 April 
 
 Tents 91 
 
 Pianos 85 
 
 Phonographs • ■ • 10^ 
 
 Tables 2,000 
 
 Chairs 300 
 
 Benches 4,000 
 
 Pens 7,500 
 
 Paper 3,250,000 
 
 Envelopes 1,750,000 
 
 Post Cards 35,000 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 85 
 
 68 
 
 83 
 
 70 
 
 101 
 
 85 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,500 
 
 400 
 
 400 
 
 4,500 
 
 4,500 
 
 7,500 
 
 3,000 
 
 2,850,000. 
 
 1,050,000 
 
 1,700,000 
 
 500,000 
 
 300,000 
 
 125,000 
 
 The Following List Shows Miscellaneous Items of Htit Equipment 
 \Mith Which Most Stations Were Adequately Equipped. 
 
 Blackboard chalk, box, eraser 
 
 Blankets, boiler, 25 gal., 10 gal. 
 
 Broom, bristle, push, corn 
 
 Candlestick, can opener 
 
 Carbide, 10-pound can 
 
 Casserole, with cover 
 
 cleansing cloth 
 
 Cot, folding, telescope, mattress 
 for same. Pillow for same 
 
 Cup and saucer (Officers' Club) 
 
 Dish drain, wire, fire extinguisher 
 
 Fork, table 
 
 Furniture for Officers' Clubs : 
 Chair, wicker arm, chaise 
 lounge, table, wicker. 
 
 Lamp, carbide; lamp, tip; lantern, 
 carbide 
 
 Mirror; mop, dish; mug, triangle 
 
 Oil cloth; organ, folding (for 
 mobile areas only) 
 
 Pail ; pan, dish, large ; pan, fry ; 
 pan, stew ; percolator 
 
 Piano (stationary' areas only) 
 
 Piano cover 
 
 Pitcher, 2-quart ; plate, dinner 
 
 Phonograph, needles, records 
 
 Safe, portable, small; strong box 
 
 Signs, triangle, enamel, arrow, 
 enamel. 
 
 Spoons, mixing, large; tea 
 
 Table, folding 
 
 Games : Baby billiard set (boxed) , 
 
 checker set, complete, domino Stove, complete w. ,5 m. pipe, 
 set, complete. poker, shovel 
 
 Knife, cook; knife, table 
 
 Tea kettle ; towel, dish ; wash basin 
 
In the Le Mans Area 77 
 
 ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 A. E. MARRIOTT Athletic Director 
 
 A. W. PEEL Associate Director 
 
 COE HAYNE Director of Games 
 
 A. C. JONES Assistant Director of Games 
 
 F. L. DAUGHERTY Director of Boxing 
 
 J A. DENNIS Assistant Director of Boxing 
 
 W. V. C. NELSON Director of Supplies 
 
 Salvage and Transportation 
 MISS ALICE E. LEE Business Secretary 
 
 ARLY in the Welfare game the Y. M. C. A. realized the 
 important part which athletics would of necessity play 
 in keeping the great American doughboy as contented 
 and physically fit as possible for him to be while quar- 
 tered in foreign lands with natural home-land restric- 
 tions and limitations more or less removed. "Of necessity" because 
 these men came from a land which believed first and foremost in phy- 
 sical fitness; where athletic exercises and games had played an im- 
 portant part in their life from the "pom-pom pull-away" and "scrub 
 baseball" of grammar school, through high school and college athletics, 
 to the big league baseball, inter-collegiate meets and national com- 
 petitive events, and whose sons had won so high a place in international 
 athletics. It was the aim of the Athletic Department of the Y. M. C. A. 
 to keep a maximum number of men engaged in the various forms of 
 athletics for a maximum period. 
 
 The functioning of the Athletic Department, Y. M. C. A., A. E. C, 
 began in earnest about January, 1919, thirteen "Y" secretaries labor- 
 ing under three great handicaps — poor weather, lack of equipment and 
 lack of transportation — to provide athletic amusement for 250,000 
 men at that time located throughout the newly opened area known as 
 the American Embarkation Center. Those were the great days — when 
 the game of starting an athletic program against the almost unsur- 
 mountable odds, was a game which had a pecliar appeal to the type of 
 "Y" Athletic Secretaries who had undertaken it. Hardened athletes 
 themselves, they got into the game with but one possible end in view — 
 to win all along the line. One pine table and one rickety chair in one 
 room at "Y" headquarters started their office: one room about 25 
 
78 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 
 TYPICAL ATHLETIC OCCASIONS 
 1. Boxing Bout, Forwarding Camp. 2. Football at Ecommoy. 3. Boxing in Town Square 
 at Ecommoy. 4 and 5. Baseball at Cla.ssification Camp 
 
In the Le Mans Area 79 
 
 feet square containing about enough athletic equipment for one brigade, 
 WJ5 the first warehouse: there was one wheezing Ford touring car 
 which could be coaxed to run part of the time — and walking was far 
 from good. But the rest of the equipment was best of all — a lusty, 
 healthy ambition to promote the maximum amount of athletics in the 
 A-. E. C, with the slogan "Every doughboy booting the ball!" 
 
 The first step was to secure Army cooperation and assistance — G. O. 
 No 241 made it necessary for the Athletic Director to work through 
 and with the Athletic Officer of the A. E. C, before any substantial 
 program in athletics could be promoted. A call at Army Headquarters 
 brought the discovery that no athletic officer had ever been appointed, 
 and the Y. M. C. A. was unable to take any action until this was done. 
 Captain C. C. Childs, now Major, of the 37th Division, was at last 
 secured in this capacity, and he reported for duty March 7. Much of 
 the success of the Y. M. C. A. athletic program was due to the co- 
 operation of the Army and the willingness to help which was shown 
 at all times. Praise is also due to the fifteen soldiers detailed from the 
 Army, who did such excellent work as drivers, warehouse men and 
 assistants in various departments. 
 
 The game was now on in earnest. The Athletic Department had 
 begun to make itself known in the region, the demands for supplies 
 grew rapidly, and the working quarters and equipment proved very 
 inadequate to meet the demand. For a time the second floor of 73 Rue 
 Chanzy acted as headquarters for the department, but the warehouse 
 problem led to a search for quarters which could accommodate the 
 entire athletic staff under one roof. This was finally located — a defunct 
 wine distillery which gave a large office space, two large rooms for 
 warehouse purposes, and a large court yard to house transportation. 
 This last matter had been solved quite satisfactorily by adding to the 
 "wheezy" Ford touring car of early winter, a one-ton truck, five cam- 
 ionettes, five Ford touring cars and one Fiat touring car. Thanks to 
 the never ceasing activity of the athletic secretaries, the athletic equip- 
 ment had also grown in proportion — at an expense of energy and time 
 of manufacture hard to realize. But at last the Athletic Department 
 was "all set" to play the game to a finish, with an organization capable 
 of handling any quantity of men that might come into the area, up 
 to 500,000. 
 
 But the solving of the problems had only begun. Athletic pr-Q;rams 
 had to be mapped out — the problem to be faced being to arrange: j, 
 program which could be put up in a hurry, carried through and broken 
 up at a moment's notice. Many programs were mapped out and started 
 
80 History of thk Y. M. C. A. 
 
 only to be smashed by the hurried movements of the troops, and the 
 most successful program which was finally adopted promoted as many 
 spectacular events as possible in the time, but put special emphasis 
 upon informal games. It was finally decided to place particular em- 
 phasis on the two most popular sports, baseball and boxing; the rapid- 
 ity of troop movements — certain units of some divisions moving out 
 before the last units of that division had moved in — making it impos- 
 sible to push other sports. 
 
 Throughout the area, 2 13 bas(iball fields have been in almost constant 
 use. That is a bald statement of facts — behind which lurks days of 
 grinding, sweaty toil on the part of the Y. M. C. A. athletic secre- 
 taries who made these fields possible. It had been the aim of the Ath- 
 letic Department to secure athletic fields in every town and village 
 where troops were quartered — and to their credit be it said that the 
 only places where fields were not obtained were those in which the 
 topographical conditions did not grant space enough. The finest ath- 
 letic field outside of Paris was built at Classification Camp, Le Mans, 
 under the direction of a "Y" athletic secretary, who on his first visit 
 to the field, discovered it to be about eight acres of ground covered 
 with mud shoetop deep and water from six inches to a foot. It resembled 
 Hog Island. With Army detail help, averaging 100 men per day, they 
 had finished at the end of the twenty-first day, a track, football and 
 soccer field, baseball field, basketball court, two tennis courts, a twenty- 
 foot boxing ring; covered and fixed the camp roads, erected five large 
 tents and ten small ones for use of the athletes, and built eleven grand 
 stands. It was a struggle with wind and weather, the soldier details 
 working the greater share of the time in hip boots and raincoats. 
 
 Again, when the "Y" athletic secretary endeavored to promote an 
 athletic meet for the permanent personnel of Forwarding Camp, of 
 which he was athletic director, a field had to be built. His own words 
 will best describe how this was done: "Promises were secured from 
 military authorities to handle the grounds and engineering, but up to 
 the last day nothing was done except to rake the ballfield and fill in 
 some holes in the track. If the meet were to continue, some action was 
 necessary, so the "Y" athletic director had to get busy. I got the line 
 and measured and marked the nine lane tracks, the quarter-mile track, 
 and marked all the distances. I laid out and dug the jumping pits, 
 shot-put circle, baseball diamond, playground diamond, volleyball court, 
 and quoit fields ; also the baseball throw, tug-of-war, and manufac- 
 tured the equipiTient needed for same, just as if the Army did not 
 exist. I did not do this, however, until it was self-evident that details 
 
In the Le Mans Area 81 
 
 from the Army could not be secured." In the face of such determina- 
 tion, it is not to be wondered that the Athletic Department put over so 
 fine a program for the Y. M. C. A. in the American Embarkation 
 Center. 
 
 There came a time in the early spring when sunshine ceased to be a 
 novelty, and the great American doughboy was seized with a bad case 
 of baseball fever. Games were played in every conceivable place, 
 mostly informal, and the divisional and camp Y. M. C. A. athletic 
 secretaries found themselves very busily engaged in organizing and 
 directing this great desire of the American youth in France. Sched- 
 ules had to be short, because of the rapid movements of the troops, but 
 Company, Regimental, Brigade and Divisional championships were 
 staged in the area and some very good baseball was promoted. But the 
 promotion of leagues was found necessary and all the camps in the 
 area were organized under supervision of the camp directors. Detached 
 units scattered about the area were also organized into leagues under 
 the permanent directors of the areas in which their camps were sit- 
 uated. The A. E. C. League was composed of teams from the larger 
 camps and played a schedule in which each team played nine games. 
 To represent the A. E. F. in the Inter-allied Games was the honor 
 which fell to the American Embarkation Center team, known as the 
 "Black Hawks," which was one of the first teams organized in this 
 area. It was originally intended to make this an all-star team, but 
 many of the camps disputed its right to represent the A. E. C. without 
 clearly demonstrating that it was the best team in the region. Some of 
 the best baseball promoted in the A. E. F. has been fought on the 
 Class Camp field, and as game after game was won, many star players 
 were added to the "Black Hawk" line-up. Victorious at home, the 
 "Black Hawks" entered the lists for the baseball honor of the A. E. F. 
 in the Inter-allied Games, and won the "Over Seas" flag. 
 
 But the crowning feat in baseball was the promotion of a league 
 among the colored troops in the Le Mans region. By dint of much 
 hunting, eight camps of negro troops were found scattered in the 
 towns around Le Mans, which were organized into a league known as 
 the "Dixie League." Now this league wasn't the ordinary kind of a 
 league — but don't think because it was a colored league that they 
 couldn't play baseball, for they could. Almost every team in the Dixie 
 League had one or more famous colored players in its line-up — men 
 who had once starred on such clubs as "Rube Foster's American Giants" 
 of Chicago, and other equally famous colored teams in the States. 
 Some of the most enjoyable and interesting games in the Le Mans 
 
82 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 region were put on by these colored boys, which served not only as 
 recreation and sport for them, but as entertainment for the white 
 spectators. There was one Sunday in May which will ever stand out 
 in the memory of the fortunate white boys who were located within 
 walking distance of Class Camp, for the athletic secretary in charge 
 of the Dixie League arranged to transport his entire eight teams to 
 the Class Camp field to play off their final games. Now, when it 
 comes to playing baseball, no matter how good he may be at the sport, 
 the negro is a comedian par excellence. He has his own inimitable way 
 of making funny remarks and doing funny things and whether he's 
 rooting or whether he's playing, he's always fuimy and always original. 
 This Sunday was no exception and for many a week after, the white 
 population of Classification Camp were still chuckling at the memory 
 of one of the most unique and mirth-provoking carnivals ever staged in 
 the historj^ of the Yanks in France. 
 
 While there is no question but that baseball will ever remain the 
 sport nearest the American doughboy's heart, boxing, good boxing, has 
 a strong appeal to the American soldier. The Athletic Department, 
 realizing this, and working under G. O. No. 241, began early in the 
 season to promote bouts purely for entertainment. 
 
 During the inclement weather, matches were held indoors, in huts, 
 barracks, auditoriums and theatres — many under the most difficult 
 conditions. There were a number of places where no boxing could be 
 held because of no available space, but an opportunity was never lost 
 to put on either formal or informal bouts wherever possible. Gradu- 
 ally, however, the weather opened up and the sunshine drove the boys 
 into the open air. The matter of building out-door platforms — many 
 times against the greatest odds — was taken up by the "Y" officials, 
 and twenty-five boxing rings were established in the various centers 
 where the largest number of troops could be reached. This was not 
 done easily. The Y. M. C. A. as a welfare organization found itself 
 severely handicapped in promoting this sport by a bitter competition 
 with other welfare organizations, but notwithstanding this attitude was 
 able to promote an amount of boxing which has never been surpassed 
 anywhere. Concessions were granted which should have been unneces- 
 sary, but the "Y" had the interest of the soldier at heart, and desired 
 only that they might have the maximum amount of entertainment. All 
 this time the eliminations for the A. E. F. championships were starting, 
 and boxing increased almost miraculously. Eliminations were held 
 everywhere. In the divisions the matches were held in the platoons, 
 companies and regiments, and in a big meet the divisional champion- 
 
In the Le Mans Area 83 
 
 ships were decided. In the camps, the same system was worked to 
 determine the best men in the area — all these being conducted by the 
 united effort of the Army officers and the "Y" athletic directors. No 
 other welfare organization had any part in these elimination events 
 because a careful study of the conditions proved that the "Y" was the 
 only organization with a sufficient number of men in the field to pro- 
 mote such a program. 
 
 Perhaps the most spectacular and entertaining boxing events were 
 those staged in the bandstand in the Park des Jacobins where every 
 Friday night the finest boxing program of the area gave the boys 
 stationed in Le Mans and their visitors something to remember and 
 talk about until the next show. No one could attend one of these 
 bouts without realizing their exceptional value as a means of enter- 
 tainment and diversion to the soldier. Park des Jacobins, once a part 
 of a Roman ampitheatre, with its wonderful arching high above the 
 terraces, so arranged that thousands could witness the boxing events 
 without obstructing the view of the others, was a most interesting 
 sight. As many as 18,000 men at one time have witnessed the boxing 
 entertainment in this park, which should be sufficient testimony to the 
 popularity of boxing among the A. E. F. 
 
 The reader might readily gather from the foregoing paragraphs 
 that the Y. M. C. A. Athletic Department was pajdng attention to 
 nothing but baseball and boxing, but this war far from the truth. It is 
 a little bit difficult to realize that these athletic secretaries were han- 
 dling a situation which had never before been equalled in the number 
 of participants, spectators, and variety of athletic sports demanded. 
 One is accustomed to believe that the yearly athletic program of our 
 biggest colleges at home embraces the expenditure of a huge amount 
 of money to say nothing of the time and training necessary to prepare 
 for the events. In this connection also, the athletic fields and stadiums 
 are a part of the college equipment and one is not likely to figure them 
 except in the general overhead column. Imagine then, if you can, a 
 body of men twice outnumbering the total enrollment of our six big- 
 gest colleges combined, who, unlike the students referred to, had no 
 regular schedule of work into which their athletics fitted as a recrea- 
 tion, but for whom time was something which hung heavily on their 
 hands. They were bored, tired, disgusted and discouraged men, and 
 they had to be kept busy physically or their mental condition would 
 grow rapidly worse. Even then, the problem would not have been so 
 complex had there been ready the necessary athletic fields and equip- 
 ment. But this had to be provided at the expense of time, labor and 
 
84 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 money not to be reckoned in words. The promotion of the baseball 
 and boxing alone was a huge task, but in addition there were some 
 very much worth-while events in the track and field, soccer and Rugby 
 football, basketball and wrestling. Hut secretaries and women work- 
 ers were impressed into service as potential athletic directors and the 
 Athletic Department is much indebted to them for the amount of games 
 they were able to promote. No group was too small nor conditions 
 too hard but some form of activity was promoted. No matter what 
 part of the area was visited, it was impossible to travel very far with- 
 out finding boys engaged in some recreational activity. Here, two boys 
 playing catch, pitching quoits, or tossing the basketball. Further on, 
 larger groups at volleyball, indoor baseball, etc., in the village squares, 
 streets or yards, boxing, and such activities going on in the billets and 
 barracks. It is very hard to record this form of activity, but the 
 Athletic Department made it its business to see that every hut secre- 
 tary included athletic supplies in his equipment, and from the condi- 
 tion in which this equipment was in when salvaged, it is safe to assume 
 it was used almost continuously. 
 
 It was left to the 26th Division to put on one of the most unique 
 athletic meets ever staged in this area — unique in that the events were 
 entirely of a mass type with the exception of the boxing, football and 
 tug-of-war. All other events were squad, platoon or company. Of the 
 purely military events nothing was left out which a soldier was sup- 
 posed to know or do, in which events nearly 3,000 men were com- 
 peting at one time. There was an eight kilometer company march, 
 equipment race, gas mask race, mental alertness race and ten pitch- 
 ing, while relay races, football passing and other purely athletic 
 stunts added an interesting note. Great care had been taken in organ- 
 izing the athletic work of the Division and in choosing the officials, 
 whose work had to be accurate and speedy, as only three days' train- 
 ing was given the men who were to compete. The morning of the meet 
 dawned with everything set to start the schedule of the meet, which 
 called for three days of competitions to end at a certain hour on the 
 third day. The meet closed two minutes ahead of schedule, and a 
 clock could not have run with greater smoothness, and 30,000 spec- 
 tators pronounced it the snappiest and most interesting athletic spec- 
 tacle so far produced in the area. 
 
 Just before the close of February, word was received that the 
 American Embarkation Center was to be represented in the A. E. F. 
 championships by a team of its own instead of being part of the S. O. 
 S., as was originally planned. Less than five weeks was the time given 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 85 
 
 DIVERSIFIED ATHLETICS 
 I' ^A ^r.- S. Championship. 2. General Pershing Trap Shooting at Belgian Camp. S and 5. 
 S. O. S. Championship. 4. Basket ball, Class Camp. 6 and 7. Boxing, Jacibins (hardens 
 
86' History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 in which to pick teams in soccer and Rugby football, basketball, boxing, 
 wrestling and track, and in which to run the elimination events. It was 
 actually March 10 before any real action could be taken for getting 
 men and materials together, owing to the fact that there was no athletic 
 officer and the Y. M. C. A. organization was in its infancy. Time was 
 short and topnotch speed was required to put the job across. The "Y" 
 had 23 athletic secretaries, out of which 12 gave practically their full 
 time to the working up of the A. E. C. meet. The Army had eight 
 officers who were giving all the time they could spare; the K. of C. 
 had one athletic secretary, giving his full time, and the other welfare 
 organizations had no one to help. 
 
 Classification Camp Athletic Field, now the finest in the entire 
 region, had to be built ; materials of all kinds were needed, the biggest 
 share of them being manufactured for the occasion ; a French mechanic 
 at the eleventh hour manufactured a fairly good hammer; javelins 
 were ordered made and after great difficulty in securing hard wood for 
 the javelin stick, bamboo poles were discovered and made into very 
 satisfactory implements ; several trips to Paris secured running shirts, 
 track shoes, soccer uniforms, vaulting poles, etc., and preparations for 
 the meet began to shape up. One of the welfare organizations had 
 promised to supply a certain number of shirts, running pants and 
 shoes, but when called upon to deliver same, were unable to do so, and 
 the Y. M. C. A. made up the deficiency. More than 95 per cent of all 
 equipment used at this meet was furnished by the Y. M. C. A. But the 
 three days of the meet, March 27, 28 and 29, were wonderful days 
 which more than repaid the extraordinary eif ort which had to be made 
 to make this meet possible. There were 11 bands competing; ten in- 
 fantry companies drilled, and seven squads pitched tents against time 
 as side attractions to the regular athletic events in football, baseball, 
 basketball, boxing, track and field. For two days the rain poured and 
 the men toiled under most adverse conditions. The third day saw the 
 sun occasionally breaking through the heavy clouds, but when evening 
 closed over the muddy, rain-soaked field, there was a huge sigh of 
 relief from all participants. Major General Read, Commanding Officer 
 of the A. E. C. at that time, presented medals furnished by the Y. M. 
 C. A., to the winning athletes of the various events, saying in his ad- 
 dress to them: "The A. E. C. athletic and military tournament was a 
 triumph. I am proud of the spirit shown by the contestants. When I 
 saw the men competing in the drizzle and slush, I felt a thrill I shall 
 never forget." 
 
 Too much thanks cannot be oft'ered to the French people, especially 
 
In the Le Mans Area 87 
 
 the military authorities, for the manner in which they cooperated with 
 the Athletic Department of the Y. M. C. A. in the promotion of all 
 kind of athletics. Early in the season, when the Americans were strug- 
 gling to find space on which to build their athletic fields, the French 
 came forward with the offer of the Velodromede Beaulien or, as it 
 was commonly called, French Field, for the use of our troops. The 
 "Y" was permitted to use the field every week day, and, in conjunction 
 with the French, on Sunda3^s. It consisted of a concrete bicycle track, 
 -iOO-metre cinder track, 100-yard straight-away, jumping pits, weight 
 circles, two tennis courts, football field, and baseball diamond with 
 grand stand and dressing rooms — an ideal field beautifully located, and, 
 coming as it did, it was a boon to the Americans. In addition to this 
 field there were three other French fields used by the Americans, dur- 
 ing their stay in this region, for local sports. The good spirit thus 
 started between American and French in the athletic field led to the 
 first Franco-American meet ever held in the A. E. F., which took place 
 on Sunday, April 20. At the invitation of the French the Americans 
 joined in a dual athletic meet, being more than glad of this oppor- 
 tunity to try their skill against that of the French. The meet was 
 confined to track events, the Americans winning every heat but one, 
 and taking all medals except one second place. In spite of this appar- 
 ent one-sidedness, however, the spirit of the occasion was one of clean 
 competition and good sport, while a friendly and appreciative French 
 audience did much to help the visiting Americans to a better under- 
 standing of this side of their French ally. All American officials at 
 this meet were Y. M. C. A. Athletic Directors. 
 
 It is a matter of fact that the courtesj^ of the French officials has 
 made the work of the Athletic Department in the A. E. C. much 
 pleasanter than could be possibly expected. The relationships with 
 both the civil and military French authorities have been most cordial, 
 and perfect harmony has existed at all times. The debt of gratitude is 
 one which has been repaid in but a small way. The French officials 
 have given everything they possessed to make the athletic program a 
 success — the use of their fields, their theatres and their parks; they 
 have loaned us athletes and the French boxers have entertained many 
 thousands of our soldiers. To repay these favors the "Y" has supplied 
 athletes, equipment and music to the French events, putting on base- 
 ball and football matches for the French on their holidays and Sun- 
 days. Nevertheless, the score stands in their favor — and no courtesy 
 should be overlooked in demonstrating the Y. M. C. A.'s appreciation 
 of the treatment received while on French soil. 
 
88 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 The Athletic Department of the A. E. C. withoat doubt put over the 
 biggest program in its line in the whole A. E. F. Beginning, as it did 
 in January, 1919, with hardly enough equipment, personnel, etc., to 
 take a long breath, it gathered momentum as time went on until there 
 was no other organization which had as many men engaged or en- 
 tertained as the "Y." During its six months of operation over 3,000,- 
 000 men were engaged in athletics; 7,000,000 were entertained; 12 
 different nations received benefits from the athletic programs ; approxi- 
 mately 80,000 pieces of athletic material, valued at $175,000, was 
 issued, etc. 
 
 But figures cannot tell the stor}-. It will be told for years to come 
 by boys who were kept occupied, who were equipped to participate in 
 the athletic programs, whose weary wait for the big trip home was 
 made a bit less boresome by the interesting events he could take part 
 in or witness. By boys whose minds and bodies were kept wholesomely 
 occupied, and who found that the athletic secretaries had a freindly 
 interest in them and their tastes and desires. Men who returned to 
 their homes clean and physically fit, because of the opportunity given 
 them to play in congenial surroundings. No, figures do not count in the 
 summing up of this service — but the Red Triangle never stood for a 
 better or broader work, a work productive of more far-reaching results, 
 than this ; a work which taxed every member of its personnel, which 
 drew from them the very best they had to give, but which was given 
 with a spirit of earnest service, with a vision of the splendid citizenship 
 awaiting these men in the homeland, and for which they must be kept 
 strong and clean. 
 
 ATHLETIC STATISTICS 
 
 PARTICIPANTS 
 
 Jan. Feb. March April May June 
 
 Baseball 404 1,008 56,849 195,014 388,822 232,293 
 
 Indoor Baseball 1,076 5,643 26,437 35,498 53,115 31,869 
 
 Basketball 2,600 1,750 13,404 15,817 17,441 10,464 
 
 Boxing 1,600 3,000 4,183 2,148 5,806 3,483 
 
 Football .59,600 107,100 65,487 17,182 32,892 
 
 Quoits 4,911 19,457 40,812 24,481 
 
 Setting Up 94,720 276,935 153,325 38,345 45,150 
 
 Tennis 3,690 2,125 8,114 6,491 
 
 Track and Field Vollev 
 
 Ball .'. 2,800 5,500 17,867 42,228 46,681 18,672 
 
 Wrestling 1,650 1,567 953 106 741 
 
 Informal 33,784 95,469 153,325 269,156 121,2.59 97,007 
 
 Swimming 46,460 63,000 
 
 Gymnastics 3,700 1,480 
 
 Totals 198,234 497,972 508,371 640,271 818,130 491,680 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 89 
 
 SPECTATOES 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Baseball 2,424 
 
 Indoor Baseball . . 2,394 
 
 Basketball 3,490 
 
 Boxing 192,000 
 
 Football 119,200 
 
 Qiioits 
 
 Tennis 
 
 Track and Field 
 
 Volley Ball 1,760 
 
 Wrestling 5,400 
 
 Informal 
 
 Feb. 
 
 March 
 
 April 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 7,056 
 
 339,630 
 
 569,548 
 
 1,030,560 
 
 618,.306 
 
 10,967 
 
 39,645 
 
 54,520 
 
 89,415 
 
 53,649 
 
 1,963 
 
 15,671 
 
 18,875 
 
 17,505 
 
 10,503 
 
 360,000 
 
 488,745 
 
 257,370 
 
 347,045 
 
 314,340 
 
 214,200 
 
 130,974 
 
 23,040 
 
 7,893 
 
 
 
 6,743 
 
 22,800 
 
 37,307 
 
 186,653 
 
 
 22,140 
 
 14,506 
 
 26,900 
 
 21,520 
 
 
 31,760 
 
 13,150 
 
 26,090 
 
 13,040 
 
 2,563 
 
 3,472 
 
 49,025 
 
 48,940 
 
 16,312 
 
 15,760 
 
 3,472 
 
 4,050 
 
 16,700 
 
 
 
 19,345 
 
 82,350 
 
 84,965 
 
 50,979 
 
 Totals 
 
 326,668 602,509 1,101,597 1,108,934 1,034,640 1,017,302 
 
 ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT ISSUED 
 
 Item 
 
 Baseballs 
 
 Baseball Bats 
 
 Baseball Masks 
 
 Catchers' Mits 
 
 Body Protectors 
 
 First Basemen's Mits 
 
 Indicators 
 
 Indoor Balls 
 
 Volley Balls 
 
 Nets,' Volley Ball 
 
 Volley Ball Bladders. 
 
 Basketballs 
 
 Basketball Goals .... 
 Rugby Footballs .... 
 
 Soccer Balls 
 
 Fielders ' Mits 
 
 Boxing Gloves (sets) 
 
 Medicine Balls 
 
 Tug of War Ropes . . 
 Boxing Ring Ropes.. 
 
 Iron Quoits 
 
 Cage Balls 
 
 Play Ground Balls... 
 
 Tennis Balls 
 
 Tennis Racquets .... 
 
 Tennis Nets 
 
 Tennis Shoes 
 
 Basketball Uniforms. 
 Football Uniforms . . 
 
 Baseball Pants 
 
 Baseball Shirts 
 
 Track Pants 
 
 Track Shirts 
 
 Track Shoes 
 
 Bases 
 
 Jan. 
 
 36 
 10 
 
 260 
 
 2,710 
 
 270 
 
 75 
 
 80 
 
 28 
 
 Feb. 
 
 72 
 20 
 14 
 10 
 14 
 10 
 
 175 
 
 325 
 
 4,755 
 
 600 
 
 2.50 
 
 150 
 
 65 
 
 15 
 
 25 
 
 March 
 
 2,160 
 590 
 575 
 775 
 625 
 
 1,576 
 5.50 1,840 
 250 1,420 
 
 1,510 
 
 1,820 
 
 1,910 
 
 1,725 
 
 375 
 
 240 
 
 150 
 
 35 
 
 110 
 
 100 
 
 Totals 3,824 7,382 17,586 24,005 11,758 3,592 69,150 
 
 50 
 
 April 
 
 15,072 
 954 
 239 
 239 
 2.50 
 225 
 
 435 
 
 285 
 285 
 
 140 
 
 435 
 
 572 
 
 381 
 
 3,000 
 
 1,707 
 
 101 
 
 25 
 
 11 
 
 25 
 
 15 
 
 92 
 
 87 
 18 
 15 
 
 20 
 64 
 64 
 60 
 60 
 29 
 
 May 
 
 7,790 
 980 
 256 
 203 
 157 
 187 
 
 51 
 108 
 56 
 12 
 34 
 
 811 
 
 172 
 
 38 
 
 11 
 
 27 
 
 258 
 57 
 30 
 22 
 16 
 76 
 8 
 70 
 70 
 25 
 25 
 
 June 
 
 1,564 
 468 
 49 
 66 
 12 
 49 
 
 42 
 
 
 18 
 
 350 
 45 
 30 
 20 
 11 
 63 
 
 125 
 60 
 50 
 25 
 50 
 40 
 10 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 12 
 20 
 
 Total 
 
 26,694 
 3,022 
 1,138 
 1,300 
 1,063 
 478 
 
 3,261 
 
 3,058 
 
 2,115 
 
 108 
 
 2,149 
 
 2,632 
 
 9,952 
 
 2 279 
 
 4^861 
 
 2,394 
 
 412 
 
 106 
 
 157 
 
 215 
 
 15 
 
 .383 
 
 209 
 
 167 
 
 65 
 
 81 
 
 116 
 
 221 
 
 184 
 
 184 
 
 135 
 
 135 
 
 41 
 
 20 
 
pM^-=^Wfr.W^«l!— -JH 
 
 w 
 
 90 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 MADISON COREY — Regional Director 
 
 H. A. HUDSON ..General Manager Activities 
 
 V. O. WINKENWEDER___ - Publicity 
 
 GLEN VORE - Personnel 
 
 HE HISTORY of "Entertainment" for the American 
 soldier by the Y. M. C. A. must necessarily be a com- 
 bined rei3ort of Y. M. C. A. and Army service, due to 
 the fact that the A. E. F. Show World was so closely 
 combined in the two factors serving. 
 In telling the growth of entertainment in the A. E. C, it is neces- 
 sary to include a period which precedes the actual date which the his- 
 tory is intended to cover and furnish a synopsis of the first candle 
 circuit in the A. E. C, with booking offices on the top floor of the A. E. 
 C Headquarters Building or the Senior Chaplain's office which acted as 
 a clearing house for both Army and "Y" entertainers. This booking 
 office had its inception immediately after the signing of the Armistice 
 and although its wheel of houses was small indeed, it was the nucleus of 
 the greatest amusement forces which served the A. E. F. Each week 
 found several Y. M. C. A. concert parties in from Paris and talent was 
 being recruited and formed into additional Army shows from the per- 
 sonnel which then formed the A. E. C. 
 
 Just three days before Christmas the A. E. C. Central Booking Office 
 was moved to 67 Rue Chanzy, Le Mans, which became widely known 
 as "Entertainment House," an a spot which actually became historic 
 from a newsj)aper angle. Assuming as it then did, a single separate 
 unit. Entertainment House became suddenly the vendor of one of the 
 most essential activities of a soldier's life, whose mind had suddenly 
 been averted from an objective which had been accomplished. The 
 highest Army officials have commended the theatre as being the greatest 
 single factor in maintaining the morale in men. 
 
 Although the personnel of Entertainment House was still small 
 when the home was founded, gigantic plans were laid which rapidly 
 materialized. Christmas Day found all forces ready to furnish abund- 
 ant amusement to the hungry soldiers. There was a continuous program 
 at Base Hospital No. 52 and a continuous show at the Salle des Con- 
 certs, one of Le Mans' larger theatres which became historic as one 
 of the first French theatres occupied by the Americans. 
 
 With the first of 1919 a newer and more comprehensive program for 
 
In the Le Mans Area 91 
 
 amusing the thousands of homegoing men was laid. Hundreds of 
 entertainers were arriving from the States to tour the A. E. F.. for 
 the Y. M. C. A. and O. T. T. L. and the U. S. Army had instituted a 
 systematic program for organization of additional show troops from its 
 talented personnel. 
 
 y. M. C. A. Headquarters at Paris realized that the Le Mans Region 
 was the largest in the A. E. F., and that here there must be a concen- 
 tration of effort. On January 15 Madison Corey, a New York City 
 theatre manager, arrived at Entertainment House to manage the 
 program for the Y. M. C. A. Appreciating not only the heavy re- 
 sponsibilities but the great possibilities which entertainment held in 
 the life of the soldier, Mr. Corey immediately laid the foundation for 
 what S. O. S. Headquarters of the American Army at Tours reported 
 as being the largest producing machine of the A. E. F. A report 
 for the month of January stated four Y. M. C. A. playing troupes and 
 about a half-dozen Army shows. These, with transient groups of 
 players from the various home-going divisions played about six hun- 
 dred shows during the month to a total audience not exceeding a 
 hundred thousand men. The value of the words, amazing growth in 
 the A. E. C. Show World, may be appreciated when the figures men- 
 tioned for the month of January are compared with those for the 
 month of April, when there were ^250 performances given to a com- 
 bined audience of more than 3,500,000, and in May when there were 
 .'591 i performances to an attendance of over 2,800,000. 
 
 Of course, this remarkable feat was attended with many interesting 
 tales of trouping the gasoline circuit by the fliver route. Theatres were 
 scarce and shows were played in huts, tents, on trucks, in the open on 
 tables and possibly even in the loft of some French barn or stable. 
 What professional actor or actress ever thought as they leaned over 
 the glistening footlights of a metropolitan theatre, to an audience 
 robed in tulle and lace, that their's was to be the privilege of trouping 
 France in rain and mud, mimicking and making merry for the victorious 
 soldiers of our country ! It is a tribute to the professional entertainer, 
 that his experience in the American Show World doing one night 
 stands after this metropolitan engagement, enabled him to with- 
 stand the hardship of a French Winter of rain and go on continuously. 
 Sickness among the professionals was rare and it was an indomnitable 
 spirit which many times sent them in their ride of miles to a flapping 
 tent in wind or rain, where they sang and danced behind candles on a 
 rickety stage for boys who might otherwise not have been able to write 
 home and tell mother, "It's a long wait, but everything's fine, shows 
 
92 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 every night, with girls and all." 
 
 In Le Mans proper there were more than a dozen show houses open 
 to the American soldier after April 1, whereas the French could at 
 no time have boasted more than three. It was about the middle of 
 March that the magnificent Municipal Theatre was thrown open to the 
 soldiers with the best productions and at all times free. The first Amer- 
 ican show to grace these boards was the Argonne Players of the 77th 
 Division, a show which itself has a historic record. 
 
 Entertainment House was not, however, just a clearing house or 
 booking agency for traveling shows of the Y. M. C. A. and Army. It 
 became known as the largest "Play Factory" in the A. E. F. Three 
 of the most successful shows which have toured the A. E. F., and the 
 largest single production were staged in that home of fun. The "Lc 
 Mans Players" in "Under Cover," was one of the best stock companies 
 in France. These players were recruited from the ranks of the O. T. 
 T. L., and Canteen workers of the Y. M. C. A. and soldier talent. 
 Later "Wildfire" was presented, which was the most remarkable at- 
 tempt at American play production, due to the extreme care required 
 in picking a cast to qualify for the parts and situations. Both of these 
 shows enjoyed long runs over the A. E. F. circuit. The "Le Mans All 
 Star Frolic," the name adopted by a caste of "All Star Acts," com- 
 prised one of the most novel bills of amusement afforded anywhere and 
 was a show which might easily have graced the boards of our best 
 vaudeville houses in America. There were, of course, many other all- 
 soldier shows which were produced under the direction of Y. M. C. A. 
 assistants and were equipped for presentation by the Y. M. C. A. 
 Several of these shows comprised the oldest soldier units in the A. E. 
 F. and received commendory citations from commanding officers at 
 various points for the excellency of their efforts. The biggest under- 
 taking of this sort was a pageant, "The Funeral of Athelstane," given 
 by Battery A, 304th Field Artillery, 77th Division, at Pirmil, a great 
 medieval pageant in which every man of Battery A, 304 Field Artillery 
 of the 77th Division participated, and was staged in a snug valley 
 of the rolling hills surrounding Pirmil, France, on Tuesday, March 25. 
 Just after noon, with the sunglancing from the shining spears, the pro- 
 cession presenting the entii'e tourgae for the funeral of Athelstane 
 swung down the road from the Chapel of Copenhurst to the Castle 
 of Coningsburg, where the regular rites of funeral ceremonies and 
 the barbeque were to be held. There were over three hundred American 
 soldiers in the parade representing in order of march, Acieric Knights, 
 Archers, Horsemen, Ladies of the Household, Norman Footmen, and 
 
In the Le Mans Area 93 
 
 Saxons^ all arrayed in the garments of the day with accoutrements. 
 
 Upon arrival at the Castle Coningsburg, the body of Athelstane was 
 placed in state and in honor of the late deceased, a great conclave en- 
 sued, in which every native in the countryside came to pay homage to 
 the death of the noble hero. 
 
 As the program for the funeral of Athelstane announced the "Order 
 of ye Events" was as follows: 
 
 Procession. Combat Dance of Ferric Men at Arms. Manouvres of 
 Norman Foot Troops. Dance of Ye Saxons, Combats of Stannic 
 Knights and Men at Arms. Sports of Ye Yoemanry. Adjourn to Ye 
 Castle. Eating of Ye Baked Meats and Drinking of Ye Meade. 
 Music and Entertainment in Further Honor of Ye Deceased. Inter- 
 macion de Cadaver de Athelstane. 
 
 Armor, helmets, coats of mail, visors and swords borne by men in 
 medieval costumes, clashed and glittered in the afternoon sun and 
 "Ivanhoe" seemed to be re-enacted before you by a lot of doughboys 
 whose homes were in great old New York City, where the clash and 
 clang of the busy streets were the only sounds of their stage. With tin 
 of packing boxes, armor and helmets had been smithed. Monks' robes 
 were made from shelter halves, rafia formed the wigs and the American 
 rifle was affected into crossbars. 
 
 This entire production was made possible through the cooperation of 
 the Y. M. C. A. and the numerous costumes and equipment which were 
 secured and furnished with great effort due to the care required in 
 assuming the proper interpretation of the period. 
 
 That there was an excellent morale among the entertainers them- 
 selves may be seen from a tale which came from the Central Hut, Le 
 Mans, which was the scene of the famous "Midnight Frolics." A clip- 
 ping from the Le Mans Theatre Magazine "Life," reads as follows: 
 "The occasion was commonly known as the 'Midnight Frolics' at 'Y' 
 Central Hut, uptown, and it was the actors' little get-together just 
 before catching the necessary forty winks. 'Midnight Frolics' became 
 quite the thing and you weren't in it unless you were known by your 
 first name in the 'Garden of Fun and Frolic' Each night found 
 Muggeridge, Jenkins, Anne Lucky, Winnie, Hinda Hand, Joyce, 
 Rappleye, Pantzer and many other favorites vamping nightly for the 
 pleasure of those who dared the midnight drops of rain. 
 
 "Soon the Frolics outgrew the crowded hut and Saturday nights 
 found them at the Salle des Concerts. Here all the live wires gathered 
 for the Saturday night's fun, which had covered the usual round when 
 back on Broadway. Rooftoppers were topped and Ziegfield might 
 
»^^iMBi»- 
 
 
 
 1. Playing to a Packed House: Taken at 7:30 P. M. 2. Miclnight Frolics at Central Hut. 
 4. Entertainment, Double Hangar, at Belgian Camp. 5. Olrl Theatre at Belgian Camp 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 95 
 
 have chosen some new stars to twinkle atop the Amsterdam, could he 
 have caught one of these doughboy frolics. And just then Mr. Weath- 
 erman changed his program, the sun does duty until almost three- 
 quarters day and we all went in for the wilds and the great outdoors." 
 
 Entertainment House is, of course, the recognized name which covers 
 the home of the "Y" and Army Theatre. Both the Y. M. C. A. and 
 Army had its well organized details in charge. Madison Corey acted as 
 Director for the Y. M. C. A., and Lieutenant C. C. Young, Entertain- 
 ment Officer for the Army. There was a perfect coordination of 
 forces and to say the least Entertainment House formed a model com- 
 bination of an up-to-date "Play Factory" and booking office. 
 
 Without question entertainment was one of the most valuable forces 
 in the life of the soldier after the signing of the Armistice. The A. 
 E. F. Theatre has been commended as being the greatest builder of 
 morale available. The benefits, however, have been manifold. The 
 American stage has profited greatly by its experiences abroad and 
 much new talent has been brought out by the encouragement it re- 
 ceived. The American was taught a new appreciation for that which 
 was refined and classic and the stage was elevated to a new and higher 
 plane. 
 
 ENTERTAINMENT STATISTICS 
 
 No. of No. Entertain- Attend- 
 
 Months Stations Expense ments ance 
 
 December 75 Fr. 5,130.10 225 200,000 
 
 January 75 3,705.20 1,000 680,000 
 
 February 110 8,172.50 1,307 800,000 
 
 March 175 61,601.51 2,554 1,750,000 
 
 April 175 83,278.45 4,250 2,044,000 
 
 May 175 129,436.15 3,914 2,040,000 
 
96 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES 
 
 Headquarters Entertainment Officer, A. E. C. 
 
 Le Mans, France, June 19, 1919. 
 
 From: Captain W. H. Faulk, Entertainment Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: The Commanding General, A. E. C. (through channels). 
 
 Subject: Consistory report entertainment activities in detail. 
 
 1. Fifteen road shows have been produced and routed from this 
 section since July, 1918, those being major performances and going 
 on circuit. In addition to these approximately 150 lesser units, such 
 as orchestras and two, three, four and five-men acts, have been formed 
 from time to time for inter-area activity and some of these have been 
 given inter-area routings. 
 
 2. In the following summary of activities "show" is taken to be 
 road show, or unit larger tlian five persons. 
 
 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES 
 
 Month Year 
 
 July 1918 
 
 August 1918 
 
 September 1918 
 
 October 1918 
 
 November 1918 
 
 December 1918 
 
 January 1919 
 
 February 1919 
 
 March .' 1919 
 
 April 1919 
 
 May 1919 
 
 June (two weeks) 1919 
 
 Totals... 15,401 15 9,646,425 
 
 REPORT OF ACTIVITIES— BASE SECTION— LE MANS 
 
 No. No. Stations 
 
 Stations Enter- Soldier Y. M. C. A. Attend- 
 
 Month in Section tained Shows Shows ance 
 
 January 75 75 400 300 650,000 
 
 February 110 110 450 366 800,000 
 
 March ". 175 175 1,000 800 1,750,000 
 
 April 175 175 1,500 950 2,044,915 
 
 May 175 175 1,492 1,375 2,540,816 
 
 To June 15th 95 95 900 796 1,225,900 
 
 Number 
 
 Number 
 
 
 
 Stations 
 
 Perform- 
 
 New Shows 
 
 Attend- 
 
 Entertained 
 
 ances 
 
 Formed 
 
 ance 
 
 6 
 
 30 
 
 1 
 
 20,000 
 
 10 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 50,000 
 
 16 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 85,000 
 
 30 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 93,000 
 
 50 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 130,000 
 
 75 
 
 225 
 
 1 
 
 800,000 
 
 75 
 
 1,000 
 
 4 
 
 680,000 
 
 110 
 
 1,507 
 
 3 
 
 200,000 
 
 175 
 
 2,564 
 
 3 
 
 1,750,000 
 
 175 
 
 4,250 
 
 1 
 
 2,044,915 
 
 175 
 
 3,914 
 
 3 
 
 3,540,815 
 
 95 
 
 1,696 
 
 
 
 1,225,000 
 
In the Le Mans Area 97 
 
 CINEMA IN THE A. E. C. 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 S. W. FRIES - - Director 
 
 EDNA MOSS-- ..Exchange Secretary 
 
 W. B. HOPKINS - Supervisor 
 
 D. M. BUTLER Belco Inspector 
 
 M. L. LAWTON _ Belco Installator 
 
 E. P. LEONARD Transportation 
 
 CHAS. BAUMBACH- _ Assistant Supervisor 
 
 NE of" the most valuable and interesting phases of Y. M. 
 C. A. work in the A. E. C, and indeed among the entire 
 American forces, was that carried on bj^ the Cinema 
 Department. The Cinema forces consisted of scurrying 
 bands of movie men who carried congealed comedies, 
 
 dramas, and thrillers on celluloid to the lonesome men at the most 
 
 outhdng area. 
 
 The growth of the Cinema Department presents one of the mazing 
 accomplishments for which the A. E. C. became famous. In November, 
 1918, after the Armistice was signed, the first reels of American 
 pictures, and two projectors arrived in Le Mans. At that time there 
 was no special Y. M. C. A. Cinema Department and the responsibili- 
 ty of showing these pictures in the area devolved upon the Entertain- 
 ment Director. A force of six men was detailed to the "Y" by the 
 xlrmy, and the actual directorship of bookings was carried on through 
 the Senior Chaplain's Department on the top floor of what was later 
 the A. E. C. Headquarters Building. It was at that time that the 
 now historic Salle des Concerts of Le Mans became the first American 
 movie house in the A. E. C, and with the thousands of moving troops, 
 men lined for blocks each afternoon and evening to see their old 
 favorites of "Maries" and Chaplins" cavorting in romance and comedy. 
 
 With the advent of Entertainment House at 67 rue Chanzy, Le 
 Mans, a special Y. M. C. A., directorship of movies was established, 
 with Mr. Chas. Fox Rich in charge. It was on this same date that the 
 first delcos arrived from Tours and outlying points were assured of 
 their movie treat. 
 
 In January, 1919, there were forty stationary projectors in the 
 area and a total of sixty-five programs which were so booked that the 
 maximum number of troops were allowed to enjoy them. Records 
 show a total of 13 i performances for the month with an attendance 
 of more than 75,000. 
 
98 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 There was continuous improvement of the Cinema equipment until 
 in May, 1919, the central booking office of the Cinema Department in 
 Le Mans had equipment consisting of 53 stationary projectors, 29 
 portable machines with delco, and a hundred programs. With these 
 facilities, a total of two thousand performances were presented to a 
 combined attendance of 76,500. The banner week for movie shows in 
 the A. E. C, was for the week of June 8 to June 14, when 464 shows 
 were given. 
 
 With the cessation of the rainy season in the spring of 1919 advan- 
 tage was taken for outdoor movies, and what was known as the "Flying 
 Squadron" came into evidence. This was a string of cars with delcos 
 which nightly carried picture shows to the most remote areas where 
 screens were placed on the side of a hut, or billet or possibly a frame 
 held intact with a large army truck. At these shows every man in the 
 area would gather around on the ground and get his treat of thrillers. 
 In Le Mans there were out-door pictures on the Place de Repub- 
 lique where they were projected on the Hotel Dauphin, and thousands 
 of both Americans and French enjoyed them nightly. Other shows 
 were given in the Pare de Jacobins, not to mention the performances 
 in the many huts. 
 
 The Cinema Department was under the direction of Mr. S. W. Fries 
 since April 15th, who formerly was an inspector of the Delco service 
 for the Y. M.' C. A. The concentrated endeavor to furnish the most 
 and best was successful, and throughout the last three months almost 
 perfect efficiency was attained. 
 
 Many nights after a scheduled run of shows and a truck with portable 
 delco would be returning to Le Mans, marching troops would be en- 
 countered on the road. If arrangements could be made with the com- 
 manding officer of the men, troops were halted, heavy packs were 
 thrown aside and the men were given the same show which had already 
 been given to other stationery units. A screen was fitted between trees, 
 or against a truck and the portable delco backed away to play its cel- 
 luloid actors. 
 
 At other times a portable might draw up to a town where the voltage 
 was entirely too high and it looked at first as though the personnel 
 must go without their movie treat. Each truck, however, had its elec- 
 trical expert and even though the extreme had to be resorted to, movies 
 were shown. Possibly the pair of wires was run down the outside of 
 a building, cross irons used and currents reduced, but in any event 
 results were obtained. 
 
 On one occasion the Cinema Department sent an S. O. S. Portable 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 99 
 
 on a flying trip to every town between Le Mans and Paris where there 
 were M. P. stations but' no regularly organized facilities for oflPering 
 shows. In this way these outlying points all received their evening 
 merriment delivered to the company street. 
 
 CINEMA STATISTICS 
 
 Jan. Feb. 
 
 Stationary Machines . 40 45 
 
 Portable Machines 3 
 
 No. of Performances. 300 481 
 
 Attendance Combined. 316,000 275,000 
 
 Feet of Film Used 325,000 240,000 
 
 Cost of Equipment ...$ 17,300 $ 20,350 $ 17,400 $ 53,800 $100,000 $100,000 
 
 For month of June investment in films was 90 programs at $2.50 
 
 each, or $22,500. 
 
 March 
 
 April 
 
 May 
 
 June 15 
 
 51 
 
 52 
 
 81 
 
 44 
 
 2 
 
 13 
 
 29 
 
 36 
 
 754 
 
 1,800 
 
 2,047 
 
 913 
 
 585,000 
 
 762,000 
 
 954,000 
 
 408,366 
 
 275,000 
 
 325,000 
 
 100,000 
 
 100,000 
 
 ACTIVITIES IN LA SUZE AREA 
 
 1. Theatre at Malicorne. 4. Reading Room. Malicorne. 2. Colored "Y," La Suze. 
 
 3. Cocoa Boilers in Battle Array. 5, 6, 8. Mass Singing in the Open; "Y" Girl Leader. 
 
 5. Preparations for Refreshments at Divisional Review 
 
100 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 E. C. ALDER -- ..Area Adviser of Education 
 
 JOHN C. COULTER _ 
 
 Area Adviser of Agricultural Education 
 
 O. N. SMITH Assistant Area Adviser of Education 
 
 ROY FUNDERBURK.__ Magazines and Periodicals 
 
 A. B VOSSLER Sight-seeing Trips 
 
 FRANCIS J. PERKINS Sight-seeing Trips 
 
 ERNEST YOUTZ Secretary 
 
 AGNES LATIMER BACON Library 
 
 MABEL OTIS Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 C. E. COSAND ...Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 D. O. ^^llAAiKUT ...Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 H. C. OSTIEN... Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 J. H. McBANE Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 O. C. BAKER Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 RUSSELL ]:>sFjLSO^ ..Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 J. W. McGINNIS----^**i*<ani Divisional Adviser Education 
 SAMUEL L. EBY... Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 D. L. THOMAS---- Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 E. KARLSON ...Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 A. J. FRY --- Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 A. B. COPE---- - ...Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 ROY ^ICiaOl^^.— Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 C. L. LEE Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 H. W. LANGWORTHY Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 J. S. WRAY --.- Divisional Adviser of Education 
 
 W. E. WFjhl.OlS S....Assistant Divisional Adviser Education 
 
 HORTLY ofter the signing of the Armistice^ when the 
 Le Mlans region began to grow in importance and be- 
 came the center for thousands of soldiers whose business 
 in life had changed from active warfare to the monotony 
 of awaiting transportation, the "Y" faced an unusual 
 opportunity and challenge. Under the supervision of J. W. Powell of 
 the University of Minnesota, later Field Supervisor for the Army 
 Education Corps, G. H. Q., this challenge was taken up and through 
 much hard labor, successfullv worked out. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 101 
 
 There were usually difficulties to be overcome; in inaugurating an 
 an educational programme of any value in this region — first, because 
 of the constantly changing personnel of the troops ; second, because of 
 the apathy shown at the start by many members of the army personnel ; 
 and thirdly, because of the lack of proper text books, school rooms and 
 teachers. 
 
 There was, however, no question with regard to the craving of the 
 men for mental improvement — there was daily growing stronger among 
 the soldiers a mental unrest, which could only be satisfied by employ- 
 ment that would lead to self advancement both here and back home. 
 
 The establishment of an Educational System which would embrace 
 the work of Grade, Grammer, High School and include Business and 
 College courses as well, was the problem which the Educational De- 
 partment undertook to solve. In late December there was secured from 
 the Mayor of Le Mans the privelege of using the Ecole Pratique for 
 evening classes. Women members of the Y. M. C. A. Educational Corps 
 were in charge and the response to their efforts was astonishing and 
 gratifying. 
 
 The "Y" was finding an eagerness on the part of the men to enter 
 into studies of all kinds. The school expanded rapidly until it became 
 the Army Post and Divisional School, with a faculty of 15 teachers, 
 and offering courses in 25 subjects, which included Arithmetic, Algebra, 
 Trigonometry, Accounting, French, Spanish, Shorthand and Type- 
 writing and Business Correspondence, Theory, (Music,) Harmony, 
 (Music,) Public Speaking and Journalism — and there were even calls 
 for classes in Economics and Law which, fortunately the "Y" was able 
 to meet. 
 
 But it was soon discovered that there was a branch of educational 
 work for which there was an unusual demand and which the "Y" had 
 not as yet touched. Ernest Coxhead announced the establishment of a 
 School of Architecture at Le Mans on December 10, 1918. Registration 
 was purely voluntary and the school opened on January 6, 1919 with 
 a class of twenty men who reported on detatched service from their 
 respective organizations by special orders from Divisional Head- 
 quarters. 
 
 The rooms in which these classes were held were located in theMu- 
 nicipal Ecole de Dessin placed at the disposal of the school through the 
 Mayor of Le Mans. 
 
 One more phase of the educational challenge had been met by the 
 "Y" but the promoters of the Architectural Branch were not satisfied to 
 
102 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 confine their efforts to a class room in a land so full of opportunity 
 for first hand study of all types of architectural interest such as Char- 
 tes, Chateau du Loir and Paris. Trips were made to those points which 
 served a double purpose — a means of gaining knowledge and a pleas- 
 ant change from the monotonous grind of soldier life. 
 
 With the opening of Spring, the thoughts of many men turned to 
 agriculture. The question "What are you going to do to help us make 
 up our lost time ?" was continually being put to the educational " Y" 
 secretaries by hundreds of American doughboys recruited from the 
 soil. To meet it there was organized in the Le Mans area a School of 
 Agriculture. Practically all the men in the 91st Division then located 
 in the area were reached. Classes were held, lectures given, and as the 
 movement grew, a successful series of Farmers' Institutes was conducted 
 in the large camps about Le Mans, which was attended by about 
 8,000 men. Ten clubs in agriculture were formed and Army reports 
 show that by these drives, 15,000 men were reached; 500 men were 
 enrolled in Farmers' Clubs, and at least 500 men taken to visit the 
 noted French farms in the Department of Sarthe. 
 
 No service which the Y. M. C. A. secretaries have rendered to the 
 A. E. F. in France has apparently been more worth while than this 
 agricultural movement. In view of the action taken by our government 
 to furnish a way for these returning soldier boys to take up farm lands, 
 the Y. M. C. A. can feel justly proud of the part it played in stimu- 
 lating their interest and desire to take advantage of the opportunities 
 offered. 
 
 The Army personnel was gradually won over to full cooperation and 
 it is certain that without their loyal support much of the force of this 
 work would have been ineffective. In the early part of the game, the 
 Army mimeographs were used to manufacture text-books, and tar 
 paper and asbestos sheets served as black-boards ; tents were used as 
 school rooms where college-bred buck privates directed classes in trig- 
 onometry or taught illiterate soldiers to write their letters home. 
 
 But the time came when the A. E. F. was free to take over the con- 
 trol and responsibility from the Y. M. C. A. for the work of the Army 
 Educational Commission. In this connection it is well to remember 
 that the "Y" undertook the responsibility of establishing an Educa- 
 tional system for the A. E. F., at a period when the Army itself had 
 to dedicate its entire personnel and resources to the winning of the 
 war. How well the Army considered that the "Y" had performed its 
 task may be judged by the fact that when the Army Educational 
 
Tn the Le Mans Area 103 
 
 Corps was established to relieve the "Y" of the educational respon- 
 sibility, an urgent invitation was extended to the entire "Y" educational 
 personnel to become members of this organization. And although each 
 member of the educational staff originally enlisted in the Y. M. C. A., 
 so eager were they to continue their service to the American soldiers 
 that practically all became members of the Army Educational Corps. 
 
 To supplement the strictly educational work in class and club, the 
 Paris "Y" Headquarters sent forth a number of historical and popular 
 lectures. In the last days of February, the urgent needs of this area 
 were brought to the attention of the Y. M. C. A. Lecture Service 
 Bureau and the best men available were sent into the field. During the 
 six weeks from March 1 to April 15, about 500 lectures were given on 
 all subjects from strawberry culture to potato bugs, and practically all 
 the occupied points in the area were reached. 
 
 This article must not close without special mention of what was 
 perhaps the smallest branch of the "Y" educational programme, but 
 one with far-reaching results. On March 1, the distribution of maga- 
 zines and periodicals was placed under the direction of the "Y" Edu- 
 cational Department. Immediate results followed, truck loads of the 
 latest American and British magazines came into the area weekly, and 
 through the establishment of a daily newspaper and magazine route 
 were distributed into the hands of the doughboys. Bare tables in "Y" 
 huts became thickly covered with magazines in their colorful bindings, 
 but they did not stay long, for boys so long starved for this sort of 
 reading, read them from cover to cover. Between 6,000 to 10,000 
 copies of the Paris editions of the New York Herald, the Chicago 
 Tribune and the London Daily Mail were distributed to the soldiers 
 within two hours after their arrival from Paris. 
 
 The educational challenge made by the American doughboys to the 
 "Y" was successfully met. The value of the work done by this depart- 
 ment will never be completely known, for it will reach into future 
 generations. Hundreds upon hundreds of men who in normal circum- 
 stances had never had either opportunity or desire for educational 
 advantages, learned to appreciate their value, and were roused to a 
 willingness to earn these privileges. This is one feature of the Y. 
 M. C. A. overseas service that will bear fruit beyond the reach of 
 statistical compilation, and which will return again and again to 
 strengthen the organization. 
 
104 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE SERVICE 
 Feb. 
 
 Newspapers Jan. Feb. March 
 
 New York Herald . . 25,000 35,000 50,000 
 Chicago Tribune . . . 15,000 18,000 25,000 
 Daily Mail 15,000 18,000 25,000 
 
 These papers are distributed free. 
 
 In addition to these the ' ' Stars and Stripes 
 
 April May June Total 
 
 75,000 155,000 105,000 385.000 
 
 37,500 77,500 58,000 198,000 
 
 37,500 77,500 58,000 198,000 
 
 'Embarkation News" 
 
 and ' ' The Forwarder ' ' have been for sale at all " Y " stations. 
 
 MAGAZINES 
 
 Total distributed of the following list: 
 Jan. Feb. March April May 
 
 3,000 3,000 22,000 32,500 20.000 
 
 June 
 
 15,00(1 
 
 Total 
 
 95,500 
 
 SATURDAY EVENING POST 
 
 COLLIERS 
 
 WORLD'S WORK 
 
 McCLURE'S 
 
 COSMOPOLITAN 
 
 ALL STORY 
 
 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 
 
 GRAPHIC 
 
 PUCK 
 
 LIFE 
 
 SYSTEM 
 
 GREEN BOOK 
 
 ILLUSTRATION 
 
 THE OUTLOOK 
 
 '1 HE TIMES 
 
 BUSINESS DIGEST 
 
 PHOTO PLAY 
 
 POPULAR MECHANICS 
 
 LITERARY DIGEST 
 
 EVERYBODY 'S 
 
 POPULAR SCIENCE 
 
 ATLANTIC MONTHLY 
 
 MUNSEY 
 
 SNAPPY STORIES 
 
 LONDON ILLUSTRATED NEWS 
 
 ASSOCIATION MONTHLY 
 
 JUDGE 
 
 SUNSET 
 
 RED BOOK 
 
 AMERICAN 
 
 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 
 
 REVIEW OF REVIEWS 
 
 THE BYSTANDER 
 
 ARMY AND NAVY JOURNAL 
 
 LESLIE'S 
 
 EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS 
 
 January February March April May Total 
 
 Books Circulated . 325,762 360,870 418,320 308,760 287,590 1,701,302 
 
 Ed'ctnal Lectures. 150 150 160 125 152 737 
 
 Attendance 56,000 35,000 i0,000 36,000 45,000 213,000 
 
 Agricultural 10) 
 
 Institute ) 
 
 Farmers' Club 500) March 20th to April .5th 
 
 Members Reached. 15,000) 
 
 Visits, Stock Farms 500) 
 
 Travel Courses ... 1,080 1,080 1,080 1,080 4,320 
 
 Walking Attend. . 720 720 720 720 2,880 
 
 Buildings 35 95 99 (After April 15-Educational 
 
 Dept. conducted by Army) 
 
 Teachers 92 229 277 
 
 Different Studies. 28 87 104 102 
 Combined Days in 
 
 Session 94 142 152 112 
 
 Students on Roll. 1,556 7,407 11,060 3,491 
 
 Combined Attend. 131,638 946,515 1,413.008 3-53,464 
 
In the Le Mans Area 105 
 
 RELIGIOUS DEPARTMENT 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 ARTHUR U. HILTON Area Secretary 
 
 R. D. ACHESON ...Associat? Area Secretary 
 
 STEPHEN K. NEWHALL Office Assistant 
 
 A. C. GILMORE Religious Literature Secretary 
 
 C .C. GLEASON Mass Singing 
 
 M. P. McCLURE :. ...Economy Area 
 
 J. F. D. HOUCK .. La Suze Area 
 
 H. N. RONALD Belgian Camp 
 
 C. I. RAMSEY Classification Camp 
 
 D. E. KELLEY — Fortaarding Camp 
 
 R. M. HOOD .....Spur Camp 
 
 MISS ELEANOR FLANSBURG "YD Hut" 
 
 PAUL TURNER .....Central Hut 
 
 WM. LATTIMORE ..Overhaul Camp 
 
 
 O BRING to the men of the army, so far as the peculiar 
 circmnstances and conditions would allow, the moral and 
 spiritual influences that normally surround them at home 
 was the aim of the Religious Department of the Y. M. 
 C. A. in the Le Mans area. That the "Y" put over the 
 programme successfully is evidenced when it is noted that from Jan- 
 uary to June 15, 1919, a grand total of 81()i religious meetings were 
 held with an attendance of 577,4-97; war roll decisions numbered 1545 
 and three hundred and four Bible classes were held, with an attend- 
 ance of more than 4700 men. 
 
 The department gave every assistance and hearty cooperation to 
 Army Chaijlains, who were the authorized religious leaders in the Le 
 Mans Region. In one instance, a whole batallion of men was served 
 bv a secretarv from the Department at the request of the Chaplain in 
 charge of the religious work of the regiment. In another instance, two 
 Chaplains were ordered to another Division and the "Y" was requested 
 to care for their work. Substitutes for Chaplains, when on their vaca- 
 tions, and in sudden emergencies, such as sickness, were provided. In 
 one hut 700 copies of literature were placed on tables and 24 hours 
 later over two-thirds of it had been taken away. 
 
 The "Y" placed at the disposal of each Army Chaplain a library of 
 20 volumes, which was highly appreciated. In addition, the whole of 
 the religious literature of the department was at all times accessible 
 
106 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 to Chaplains, as well as to the men. The service was not limited by 
 denominational bias. Jewish, Roman Catholic, Christian Science as 
 well as Protestant Denominations were furnished space in "Y" huts and 
 other centers of activity, and song books, music, communion services 
 and other supplies were placed at their disposal. 
 
 This department had as its goal the holding of, at least, two religious 
 services each week in every place in the area where personnel and 
 equipment allowed. One service was planned for Sunday and one on 
 some night during the week. 
 
 Tt was believed that the men would welcome a service definitely an- 
 nounced as "Religious" and it was insisted that no subterfuge be used 
 to entice the men to these services. Good music was secured when 
 possible, vital Christian hymns sung and the message was of a defi- 
 nitely religious nature. The meetings were advertised without cam- 
 ouflage. At one service when the speaker had mistakenly used the occa- 
 sion as an opportunity for telling some laughable stories, one of the 
 young men expressed his disappointment because he had come with the 
 expressed purpose of attending a religious service. 
 
 In several cases where the advisability of holding such services 
 was questioned, the matter was put to the men as to whether they de- 
 sired an entertainment or a religious service and ninety per cent voted 
 for the latter. 
 
 In one place, permission was reluctantly given for one man to speak, 
 but when the service was over he was invited to return and the men in 
 the camp petitioned the officer in charge to see that he be returned 
 for the second address. Many speakers averaged as large audiences 
 as did the entertainers. 
 
 Bible Classes 
 .NE of the most worth-while services of the Religious Department 
 was the organization of Bible Study Classes. In spite of the 
 difficulty of a shifting population, many of these classes were organ- 
 ized, in most cases with leaders from among the men themselves. 
 
 A large number of camps were also conducting Sunday Schools with 
 the secretaries as teachers. In one camp a class of Jewish men was 
 taught from the Old Testament by a "Y" secretary. 
 
 Hospital Work 
 
 4T HOPSITAL No. 52, the department conducted a successful 
 work for some time. On one Sunday, over 800 men promised to 
 write letters home because of the urgent suggestion of the "Y" 
 secretarv. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 107 
 
 One day a young officer, who had had a numbei of Chinese soldiers 
 under him in France, came to a "Y" secretary to find out how he might 
 prepare himself to go to China as a missionary. Similar incidents have 
 been frequent in the experience of the workers. 
 
 Special Lines of Activity 
 
 THE cooperation of the Activities Department of the Army and the 
 Entertainment Department of the Y. M. C. A., made it possible 
 for more than 200 services, attended by 27,000 men, to be held Friday, 
 Saturday and Sunday of Easter week. A large number of special 
 speakers and singers were provided and many men for the first time 
 since they left home partook of the Lord's Supper. A uniform service 
 was used. The total number of men partaking of communion was 4,124. 
 Many men were confronted during the last weeks with problems 
 concerning their moral lives and of the thousands of personal inter- 
 views of Y. M. C. A. secretaries, none were reported in any way, yet 
 they formed a large part of the service rendered to the men, which is a 
 contribution that is really worth mentioning. 
 
 Many inquiries came from America concerning men in this area and 
 for some time one man from the department looked up men asked for, 
 and got them in touch once more with the folks at home. Letters of 
 appreciation from the people in America concerning this phase of the 
 work were gratifying. 
 
 The general program for the dedication of 20 huts in this area 
 March 30 was a thing for which the department may be especially 
 proud. 
 
 Another feature of this department was to arrange for the presence 
 of a group of Y. M. C. A. secretaries at all of American soldiers' 
 funerals at Le Mans cemetery. 
 
 Mothers' Day was an outstanding success with special meetings, 
 afternoon parties, flower tokens in remembrance of mother and souve- 
 nir postals by the thousands for the mothers of boys everywhere. 
 
 One religious secretary in the La Suze area makes the following 
 significant report of his experiences: "About 40,000 troops of the S. 
 O. S. v.ere sent out into 40 towns for billeting viathout entertainment, 
 without reading matter, without lights, without tobacco or candies, or 
 almost anything that men wanted. At this time a large supply of army 
 song books came within my reach and as transportation was available, 
 I drove into these villages for a week, called the men around me, gave 
 them song books— we all sang popular, patriotic and religious songs— 
 and then I preached a short, plain, pointed sermon, closing with 
 prayer." 
 
108 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 "It was no uncommon thing for 75 per cent of the men to ask for 
 prayer — sometimes as high as 95 per cent. I then gave the song books 
 away — reading matter^ if I had it — writing paper and envelopes, and 
 pulled into another town (repeating the process). I made as high as 
 three towns after supper and four and five in a day. At one camp, we 
 got in at 9:30 p. m., and before we could put on a service, taps were 
 blown. The Colonel told us to take all the time we wanted — and three 
 or four hundred stood listening attentively. At one town soldiers were 
 asking for cigarettes to be sent and one young man came up and said: 
 "Come back and preach to us; we need preaching worse than we do 
 cigarettes." At the end of a week a folding organ and a good man 
 to play it was added — and the work was made easy. I counted it the 
 most religious opportunity of my lifetime. This was all open-air work 
 — riffht in the street in the center of towns." 
 
 RELIGIOUS WORK DEPARTMENT 
 
 Jan. Feb. March April May June 
 
 Eegular Service 250 637 1,098 624 650 470 
 
 Itinerant Service 10 22 20 15 22 
 
 Attendance 40,000 135,665 225,468 78,642 65,000 60,000 
 
 Bible Study Class 57 156 99 85 24 
 
 Attendance 4,070 7,201 5,091 4,063 1,832 
 
 Literature Circulation 85,941 272,587 81,333 92,000 64,240 
 
 Bibles Distributed 9,000 9,000 9,645 9,500 9,400 1,600 
 
 Features — 
 
 Easter 
 
 Mothers ' Day 
 
 AVar Eoll Decisions Signed. . . 
 
 Other Decisions Signed 
 
 Personal Eeliaious Interviews. 
 
 200 Services 
 27,000 in Attendance 
 
 70 Services 
 15,000 in Attendance 
 
 440 
 
 64 
 
 425 
 
 MASS SINGING 
 
 WOKK OEGANIZED MAECH 20, 1919 
 
 March April 
 
 Number of books (small) 15,000 
 
 Number of books (large) 50 100 
 
 Number of Song Music ". 500 
 
 Number of Sing Songs 30 180 
 
 Number of Men Beached 19,000 46,000 
 
 Leaders 4 3 
 
 Accompanists 4 2 
 
 Voluntary Leaders (Soloists and Ac- 
 companists) 4 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 25,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 200 
 
 50 
 
 1,000 
 
 300 
 
 180 
 
 60 
 
 45,000 
 
 75,000 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
In the Le Mans Area 109 
 
 WOMEN'S BUREAU 
 
 PERSONNEL AS OF JUNE 1 
 
 MRS. MAUD MacDOWELL KOYLE..Regional Directress 
 
 MISS MILDRED P. ROGERS, ...Asst. Regional Directress 
 
 MISS LUCILLE COUCH Business Secretary 
 
 MISS EDITH ROBERTS.. Manager of Dancing 
 
 Distribution 
 
 Lc Mans (Regional) 44 
 
 Le Mans (Depot Division) _ no 
 
 Northeast Area 10 
 
 Northwest Area 13 
 
 Southwest Area __ gg 
 
 Southeast Area 19 
 
 Rolling Canteen 3g 
 
 Entertainers _ ^4 
 
 Total 329 
 
 EFORE the days of the A. E. F. the Y. M. C. A. was 
 considered strictly a men's organization, and it can be 
 easily understood why, back in the States, there had 
 been no vital need for women's cooperation. Overseas 
 service proved to be, however, an entirely different mat- 
 ter. The "Y" was not long in realizing the vital necessity of injecting 
 into the service in France the atmosphere which only women can 
 create, and invited them open-heartedly to join them. To the fact that 
 they did come into this organization with all the enthusiasm and desire 
 for service to their brothers so characteristic of their sex, is due fullv 
 one-half of the wonderful success of the welfare work which the Y. 
 M. C. A. put before the A. E. F. in the Le Mans Region. 
 
 The story of the Women's Department from date of origin in De- 
 cember of 1918 to its close in July, 1919, is intensely interesting. 
 December of 1918 found 18 representatives of the fairer sex scattered 
 over the huge Le Mans Region. It was at this time that the Paris 
 office sent a Regional Directress to Le Mans in an effort to organize 
 the work of these women and see what could be done to help lighten 
 the burden of our fighting force. Many of those who will read this can 
 picture what December meant — mud to the ankles, rain and sleet 
 daily and nightly; cold, biting winds; transportation over the area 
 
 
110 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 meant riding on trucks — and even the stalwart buddies were ready to 
 sleep of nights after a day's ride in those huge motor caravans that 
 bumped and jostled their way through the mud and ice of France's 
 battered highways. At that time 75,000 men were quartered at the 
 Forwarding and Class Camps. Conditions were at their very worst — 
 men standing up day and night — ^or sleeping in pup tents wallowing in 
 mud ; and more men were coming in every day to share their fate. These 
 were some of the difficulties under which the work of the Women's 
 Department was inaugurated. 
 
 The spirit with which this new work was undertaken can best be 
 shown by the simple statement that the American and French soldiers 
 stationed in the Le Mans Area had a Christmas celebration which 
 began at 3 o'clock December 24 and ended at 9 p. m., December 25. 
 During this time there were served 60,000 cups of chocolate, 60,000 
 packages of cakes and 10,000 packages of cigarettes, free of charge. 
 There was a wonderful tree in the Place de Republique square ; motion 
 pictures in the open air, and a band concert — and despite the rain 
 which fell almost continuously, the Y. M. C. A. brought Christmas 
 cheer and much comfort to the tired and homesick lads whom the for- 
 tunes of war had brought so far from home. 
 
 The closing of the Le Mans Area found 329 women personnel on 
 duty. These women were active in every branch of work conducted by 
 the men, besides which there were special workers. These activities 
 included canteen experts, hut secretaries, area activities leader, danc- 
 ing manager, visitor of the sick, club hostesses, song leader, enter- 
 tainers, office manager, stenographers, sight-seeing guides, etc. 
 
 The "YD" Hut in Le Mans was run entirely by women. On this 
 staff there were a social leader, experienced woman accountant, athletic 
 and dramatic promoters, information clerk, religious leader and can- 
 teen workers. Women did religious work, athletic, educational, finan- 
 cial management, library, canteen, entertainment, shopping with the 
 men, driving cars, etc. For the colored troops there were two splendid 
 colored "Y" women. Some of the women secretaries had classes in 
 spelling, reading and writing before the school program was intro- 
 duced. Indeed the work was so varied to meet the demands that it is 
 difficult to tell more than a few instances to show how emergencies 
 were met, and comfort and pleasure given. 
 
 There was a certain Y. M. C. A. man secretary in the Le Mans 
 region who will never cease being grateful to the "Y" women who 
 made the opening of the Masonic Club a success. The Masons arranged 
 
In the Le Mans Area HI 
 
 to take over an old French home, formerly belonging to the Mayor of 
 Lille, situated near Y. M. C. A. Headquarters, and turned it into a 
 club house for both enlisted men and officers who were entitled to wear 
 the emblem. The idea of service was a splendid one — the house was 
 well fitted up, the location ideal, but when the opening was planned, 
 the men in charge suddenly discovered that something vitally necessary 
 was lacking. It was the "Y" girls who supplied the deficiency. A 
 detail of these women took the club rooms in charge, planned and 
 executed the decorations, arranged for the refreshments and turned the 
 high, gloomy rooms with their dignified and "mannish" fittings, into a 
 charming home with a truly American atmosphere. No one who was 
 present at this opening night will soon forget it. There was a punch 
 bowl in the hall, served by " Y" girls in their pretty canteen uniforms ; 
 coffee, cocoa, sandwiches and cake were dispensed by more of these 
 smiling women in blue; they danced to the music of the orchestra and 
 band and talked and visited with the men — turning what had threat- 
 ened to be a cold, formal party into one of the most charming and 
 ])]casant events in old Le Mans. 
 
 The Classification Camp, situated at the outskirts of Le Mans, gave 
 a County Fair and Athletic Meet which held sway for three days, 
 opening on Memorial Day. Thousands of men witnessed the events 
 and Le Mans was overrun with khaki-clad boys brought in from all 
 over the area, who were crowded into tent quarters pitched on the 
 Class Camp Athletic Field, and others around the city. The welfare 
 work which the "Y" women did in connection with these two meets is 
 deserving of special mention. In addition to the huge "Y" hut, which 
 was operated entirely by women, the "Y" maintained a welfare tent 
 in "Welfare Row." Here for three days the women held court and dis- 
 pensed welfare of all kinds to row upon row of boys as they filed 
 through the tent. There was ice cream in cones — the delicious kind 
 that the folks back home buy at the corner drugstore; there were 
 doughnuts, powdered with sugar, and punch or "red lemonade," which 
 went trickling down the throat in an ice-cold stream. There were pack- 
 ages of cakes and even hot chocolate for those who wanted it, but June 
 had crept upon the country-side and brought a hot sun which some- 
 how or other made hot drinks unpopular. During the three days, 34 
 girls were on duty in this welfare tent and dispensed welfare to 30,000 
 men. 
 
 It would appear that their share in the celebration had been big 
 enough, but the most interesting feature has not been told. When this 
 
112 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 County Fair and Race Meet was planned, the Army proposed to hold 
 special equestrian events for the ladies if sufficient contestants could 
 be found among the women personnel of the various Welfare organiza- 
 tions. It was discovered that there were many "Y" women who had 
 had considerable experience in this sport, and ten girls in gray and blue 
 uniform entered their names to compete with their sisters from the 
 Red Cross and the Jewish Welfare Board. It was a pretty sight — and 
 to the spectators so used to contestants clad in the inevitable khaki, an 
 especially pleasing one. The closing day of the meet found the "Y" 
 girls winners in all events, i. e. 
 
 Egg and Spoon Race — Miss Helen Estee of Buffalo, N. Y., winner; 
 Red Cross contestants taking second and third places, respectively. 
 
 Ladies' Mounts — Mrs. Gertrude Gilmour of New York City, winner; 
 Miss Helen Pedrick of Philadelphia, second honors. 
 
 Needle and Thread Race — ]Miss Jane L. Rowson of Patterson, N. J., 
 won first honors. 
 
 Space will not permit a complete account of the wonderful service 
 of the Women's Department. One of the most vital services it per- 
 formed — the extensive dancing programme — has been judged so im- 
 portant as to deserve a special write-up in itself. Women successfully 
 operated "Y" huts, attending to every branch of the work without the 
 aid of men. Early in the records of the area, the Y. M. C. A. operated 
 an all-night service canteen at the station, the night service being 
 covered by two "Y" women. This building was later turned over to 
 the Red Cross and was operated by them until the closing of the area. 
 Later such a station canteen was in most successful operation at Rennes, 
 the midpoint between Le Mans and Brest. Twenty "Y" girls helped 
 serve chocolate and coffee for two days at a Franco-American fete; 
 twenty-five girls reported between the hours of 5 imd 8 p. m. at a K. of 
 C. Carnival for six days and made possible the enjoyment of the 
 dancing programme by the doughboys — all in addition to their regu- 
 lar duties which could not be allowed to suffer. In this connection, a 
 word of praise must be said for the twenty-five odd business women 
 who reported in the offices of the Le Mans "Y" headquarters from 
 9 to 5, and then made it their business to dance or do welfare work of 
 some sort until the late hours of the night. 
 
 The romance of the rolling canteen could never have been made pos- 
 sible but for the forty "Y" girls who have served it so faithfully and 
 v/ell. Their canteens touch two and possibly three points per day 
 where there were no "Y" huts, and reached an average of 500 men at 
 
In the Le Mans Area 113 
 
 each point. Free chocolate and doughnuts or cookies were distributed. 
 Two "Y" girls served 27^000 soldiers in one of the areas during the 
 month of March — making doughnuts in the forenoon and going out 
 in the afternoon and evening and distributing them. The immense 
 amount of labor devolved upon the women who undertook this canteen 
 work and which they carried through so successfully^ cannot be over- 
 estimated. 
 
 The Y. ^I. C. A. opened a Girls' Club in March at 92 rue de Flore, 
 primarily for the housing of the "Y" secretaries. This club was 
 entirely managed by women, in charge of a charming hostess, and was 
 a very attractive home-like place. An estimate of the extent of service 
 rendered may be gained from one of the weekly reports which show 
 81 girls accommodated with sleeping quarters with 236 meals served 
 to them. 
 
 Against heavy odds, the "Y" girl has proven that there is no field 
 of welfare work vindertaken by the largest welfare organization in the 
 world which she cannot enter and "carry on" successfully. She merits 
 all praise which can be given her for tlie manner in which she handled 
 a situation never before paralleled in the history of the world. 
 
 ICE CREAM FACTORY 
 
 HE manufacture of real American ice cream b}^ the Y. 
 ?« M. C. A. in the Le Mans area commenced early in June. 
 ^1^ A modern plant was installed in the Cafeteria Building 
 ^^d which was run by electric power supplied by the Army. 
 ^^ This plant had a capacity of 1000 gallons of cream 
 daily, but owing to the inability to secure ice, but a half of this was 
 actually manufactured, in any one day. 
 
 For the week ending June 23, the following jngredients were used 
 in the manufacture of 1727 gallons: 5260 cans of milk, 215 pounds 
 of starch. 172 bottles of vanilla, 1375 pounds of sugar, 19,000 kilos 
 of ice and four tons of salt. 
 
 Ice cream was supplied to 33 separate places in the area during that 
 one week. Thousands of doughboys were served from the rolling can- 
 teens or welfare huts in the area, until the area closed. 
 
114 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 THE STORY OF ONE CANTEEN WORKER 
 By Herself 
 
 IF EVERY woman who has worked in a canteen in 
 France would write her story and those stories could be 
 collected into a volume^ the value and interest of such a 
 book in the years to come could scarcely be overesti- 
 mated. Since the dawn of history, there is no page or 
 line v.'hich suggests that women have ever accompanied combatant 
 forces into their camps in such a relationship as the Y. M. C. A. and 
 J. W. B. women have accompanied their American soldiers into the 
 very heart of military camps on a foreign battlefield. Somebody has 
 said that the idea of sending women workers to France for canteen 
 service was a stroke of genius ; there were those who said that it was 
 foolhardy, unwise and contrary to the laws of nature, and all the world 
 has watched with inquiring eye for the outcome. A volume made up of 
 the individual stories of the "Y" girls themselves, told in the simple, 
 straightforward, girlish language such as might be found in their own 
 diaries, would forever settle all inquiries. These girls were chosen from 
 the young womanhood of America for such qualities as health, educa- 
 tion, culture, ingenuity, good spirits and willingness to serve. The 
 soldiers themselves have dubbed them "good scouts" and "good sports," 
 and the buddies quickly fall into calling a real "Y" girl, "Sis." A 
 veteran French colonel of the war of 1870 once eyed a "Y" girl who 
 was billeted in his room, rather askance, then he said pointedly: "I 
 have been a soldier a long time, but I never have had any women friends 
 in the Army like you ;" and the next day the old colonel was invited by 
 the "Y" girl to go with her to the station from which the troops with 
 whom she had been serving for four months were entraining for home. 
 It was noticed that he studied the situation carefully, and at the last, 
 when the long line of box cars loaded with the "59" Hommes" per 
 was pulling out, and the grinning Yanks were crowded in the doorway 
 of every car to call a last word to "Sis" while the train gathered speed 
 with every revolution of the wheels, the old man was seen to nod his 
 head as if some comprehension of the new meaning of the word 
 "soldier" as it will be written in American history henceforth, was 
 beginning to enter his mind. 
 
 The girl who came to France with the A. E. F. knows that to her 
 has fallen one of the richest experiences that has ever come to women 
 of any age of the world's history. She has seen the men of her land 
 under the most trying temptations to which men can be subjected, and 
 
In the Le Mans Area 115 
 
 she knows better than any other women on earth that the gold in the 
 American soldier's heart is just as pure as his steel on the battle line 
 was sure. She has seen the doughboy, who has been systematically 
 toughened for war for three years, pulled out of the lines where he had 
 fought like a laughing demon, and sent to some miserable, muddy, win- 
 ter quarter there to await months of slow dragging away of poisonous 
 days whose only advent were morning, noon and night, the cognac 
 joint, the crap games, and the loose women of the village; she saw 
 those men honestly try to entertain themselves witli the pitiful available 
 resources which the Y. M. C. A. was able to get in, bit at a time; she 
 knew the heartaches of the tragedies that happened in the far-away 
 homeland that was growing almost like a dream to them, and how they 
 kept their nerve through it all; and she knew that her coming into 
 their midst was the greatest event of their whole stay in France ! She 
 was the reminder of home, and mother, and the women whom they loved 
 and fought for, and had seen their buddies die for! Never was a 
 golden-haired baby toddler guarded more carefully than was the regi- 
 ment's most prized possession — its "Y" girl; never was a mother more 
 honored than through those American sons' respect for their "Y" girl; 
 never was a sister more beloved and teased and confided in than was 
 the "Sis" at the Y. M. C. A. canteen. And there isn't a "Y" girl who 
 came to France who wouldn't like to write across the skies of America, 
 "Mothers of our Nation, proud indeed you may be of your sons They 
 proved themselves heroes in the trenches, and we "Y" girls know that 
 they proved themselves just as great heroes behind the lines. If the 
 gas and shell of the Hun was frightful to life, so were the temptations 
 of wine, women and song, the environments of a foreign land, the 
 loneliness, the feeling of being forgotten, the monotony of being tied 
 under military weights, deadly to the soul. Henceforth the meaning 
 of the word "soldier" must be changed in the vocabulary of history. 
 Your American son is as proud of being clean of life and limb as of 
 being brave and strong in battle, and his criterion demands the same 
 record of a comrade to whom he would accord the term of "a good 
 soldier." He carries in his heart a shrine so sacred that military hard- 
 ening and the horrors of war and the temptations of a foreign land can 
 only make him long the more for home— Fom.' All of these things he 
 has revealed in his wholesome,cordial, adoring treatment of us— the 
 women of the A. E. F. So long as the mothers of America are like you, 
 our nation will never know the downfall of a Sodom, nor a Rome, nor 
 a Berlin!" 
 
116 History of the Y. M, C. A. 
 
 Just as each canteen worker in France humbly feels that all the im- 
 poverishings of the lives of the men whom she served while they were 
 fighting the bitter battle of Waiting to Go Home, were poured into 
 the enriching of her own soul, so does she also know that there are 
 hundreds and thousands of American girls who would have eagerly 
 grasped her opportunity to be of service to our soldiers in the great 
 crisis. She realizes that she is blessed above mortals in her experience, 
 and that she is many times a better and broadei woman for having 
 come to France with the A. E. F. — an everlasting tribute to the man- 
 hood and womanhood of America ! 
 
 The following is the simple, true story of a canteen worker, Miss 
 Louise Clarke. If all the stories of all the canteen workers could be 
 told, they would be, paradoxically, all alike and all different, since each 
 girl was thrown on her own resources to meet her own situation, to 
 brace her own nerve, to be her own guiding star; for there were weeks 
 at a time when the "Y" girl did not. see another of her kind: 
 
 On the 19th of January, 1919, one lone "Y" girl was bundled on a 
 "Y" camionette, whisked over country roads, and deposited at the little 
 village of Ige' Orne. Previousl}'- she had been ashered into the inner 
 sanctum of the "Y" district headquarters at La Ferte'-Bernard, where 
 a man of business-like brevity of speech had pointed to a small map 
 upon the wall. "You see this dot here. That is the villege of Ige', 
 where the 347th Machine Gun Battalion of the 91st Division is located. 
 No "Y" secretary is stationed there— man or woman. They have no 
 Y. M. C. A. Go out and start one." And with inner tremblings, this 
 being her first assignment in France, the "Y" girl went out to "start 
 one." 
 
 She arrived at Ige' to find that she had not been exjjected so soon. 
 However, while one nice captain entertained her by a little grate fire in 
 a two by four room containing one or two bare tables, a couple of 
 spluttering candles, and a rickety chair or two, another captain de- 
 parted in quest of lodgings. The major was absent; she was quartered 
 in his room with promise of permanent accommodations the next da3^ 
 
 The morning afterward, as she came out of her room, she said good 
 morning to a couple of boys who were "policing up" the street. They 
 stopped and stared in amazement. "Parlez-vous Americain.^" said one 
 of them. "Je suis Americaine," was the answer. The astonishment of 
 these men was typical of the attitude of the whole battalion. The 
 majority of the men had not seen or talked to an American woman for 
 months. wSome weeks later one of the bovs said: "Did it seem to vou 
 
In the Le Mans Area 117 
 
 that we held a little aloof at first, and were a bit slow to get acquainted? 
 We hadn't talked to a woman who spoke the English language for so 
 long, that we were afraid of what we might say — I don't know whether 
 you have noticed it or not, but many a time I have seen a fellow stop 
 in the midst of what he was saying, and clap his hand over his mouth 
 just in time. We fellows get pretty rough when we are alone with each 
 other and it doesn't matter how we talk to the French, because they 
 don't understand what we say." 
 
 The "Y" canteen was started in a small, dark room in a vacant 
 French house — one window, stone floor, smoky fireplace, horrible red 
 and green wall paper and great patches of bare plaster where the 
 paper was no more, two long narrow tables against the wall, and three 
 benches that looked to be veterans of all the wars since the creation 
 of man. In one corner by the window was the canteen counter, where 
 all manner of things were sold, from shaving soap to sweet chocolate. 
 One came to be an authority on the many brands of "chewin," and 
 happy was the da^^ when there was a sufficient supply of Camels to sell 
 them by the "cartoon!" 
 
 There were many funny experiences that came to the saleswoman 
 in that little "Y" canteen. One day a doughboy came in quest of a 
 toothbrush. With sorrow of soul, the "Y" girl informed him that they 
 were all sold. "Aw, well. Miss, it don't matter much, I never use one 
 myself, but we have to have 'em for inspection. Guess I kin borrow 
 one off of my bunkie." 
 
 During those cold winter days the little canteen was jammed with 
 men. At first there was no reading matter whatever, but after a week or 
 two a blessed sackful of magazines arrived — and then men sat on the 
 benches and read ; men leaned on the counter and read ; men even 
 stood in the middle of the floor and read. Oftentimes a man stood in 
 one spot for an hour at a time — because there was no place to sit down, 
 because he wanted to read, because the "Y" was the only place in the 
 little village where he could keep even reasonably warm One night 
 two of the three dilapidated benches rebelled, and refused longer to 
 serve as support for the human frame. The next da}^ the carpenter 
 mended benches while the men sat on tables. The day afterward the 
 carpenter mended tables while the men sat on the rejuvenated benches. 
 
 Bit by bit conditions improved — curtains went up ; magazine pictures 
 were tacked on the walls; the Chaplain secured books for the war 
 library, and scouted the neighboring villages for x piano; the "Y" sent 
 out more benches and tables and a couple of stoves, whicli made pos- 
 
118 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 sible the opening up of a tiny back room and a little room upstairs, 
 which relieved the congestion somewhat. The "Y" also sent out games 
 and a grafonola. From the time of its arrival until its inner workings 
 collapsed, the grafonola was never silent. Often it and the piano 
 entered into a contest to see which could drown out the other. The 
 resulting din was tremendous, but the manipulator of each instrument 
 seemed to be enjoying himself too much to admit of any remonstrance. 
 
 A little way down the road a big Army tent had been set up, with a 
 crude stage at one end, and straw on the ground, and this was the 
 theatre of Ige'. Sometimes once, sometimes twice, sometimes three 
 times a week the "Y" sent out entertainments which held forth in the 
 tent. On nights when there was no entertainment, the little canteen 
 was crowded, and the "Y" girl sat on the counter swinging her feet 
 and playing her mandolin, or "pounded the ivories" all evening long, 
 while the men sang ; and oh ! how they did sing ! It is something never 
 to be forgotten. Often impromptu programmes took place, where 
 special stars of the battalion happened to drop in — clog dancers and 
 soloists and "sick-like." 
 
 And sometimes the "Y" girl just talked. Someone said once that it 
 must take a person of unusual conversational talent to be able to en- 
 tertain so many men. It is quite the contrary. When one is the only 
 American woman within some miles to whom 800 men can talk, all one 
 has to do to make a success of it is to smile and to listen — the men 
 will talk. 
 
 The canteen piano was a long-suffering instrument. On cold winter 
 evenings it took many a walk down the road to the entertainment tent 
 on the shoulders of strong soldier boys. Sometimes it traveled a 
 couple of kilos out into the country to the chateau where Company A 
 was stationed. On one of these excursions it collided with the lamp 
 that hung from the center of the wall and was drenched with coal oil. 
 But still it played on. It seemed to have grasped the idea that it 
 must do its best for the boys, and to have resolved to defy anything 
 which threatened to destroy its usefulness. Of course Ige' was on the 
 kerosene and candle circuit. It boasted some 200 inhabitants. 
 
 There are numerous unique experiences that come to a girl in a 
 French village of that size. One day a lieutenant was telling with glee 
 of the genius of his orderly — how the latter had discovered a half a 
 hogshead of generous proportions, how on certain nights he deposited 
 said hogshead before a roaring grate-fire in the Lieutenant's room, how 
 
Jn tjie Le Mans Area II9 
 
 he brought a marvelous supply of hot water and how the Lieutenant 
 enjoyed the luxury of a real bath! The "Y" girl expressed extreme 
 envy, and spoke in terms of contempt of the little saucepan in which 
 she heated hot water in the fireplace. The next day the following note 
 was handed to her-'Trivate-proprietor of the local swimming 
 t^nk, says that if you wish, he will bring the same to your billet on 
 any night you may name, accompanied by beaucoup hot water " The 
 offer was accepted with alacrity and the hogshead arrived. A few min- 
 utes afterward, the orderly and one of the guards on duty that night 
 appeared, bearing a great G. I. can full of hot water; and with beatific 
 smiles the happy recipient of all these favors splashed about in front 
 ot the fireplace. 
 
 If it had not been for the wonderful cooperation on the part of the 
 officers and men of the battalion, the work of the "Y" secretary would 
 have been very strenuous. She was certainly a jack-of-all-tradJs-gen- 
 eral canteen manager, bookkeeper, saleswoman, maker of curtains 
 sewer-on of everything from buttons to service stripes, performer upon' 
 the piano at all hours of the day or night, teacher of the French class 
 m the Army school, and even substitute for the Chaplain one Sundav 
 evening when he was away. But the cooperation was wonderful' A 
 permanent detail of one sergeant and two privates attended to all the 
 Wder labor about the canteen, and relieved her behind the canteen 
 wanted t 7 '' —kitchens m,ade chocolate when she 
 
 wanted to give it away, and had no other means of serving it. The 
 officers made her one of their family and procured for her everything 
 which was within their power to procure. everything 
 
 home'sf '^ T^'"" '"^'?^ "^"^ ''^"^^ ^^^^^^^-^ *° b^ necessities at 
 home, seemed very worth while. For the little "Y" canteen was the 
 only competitor of the red-curtained cafe down the road. In "l 7t 
 crudeness it may have been a poor reminder, but it was a remind 
 nevertheless, of home and all the things for which home stands ' 
 
 €¥ 
 
120 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 DANCING IN THE A. E. F. 
 
 From the "Y" Girl's Standpoint 
 
 "Are _vou going to be busy tonight?" 
 
 OW MANY times the girls in the Le Mans region have 
 heard that question and known that it meant they were 
 needed for a dance? Yes^ the dancing fever struck the 
 American doughboy hard. There was alwaj'^s one dance 
 each night — usually four or five — and, as there was no 
 dancing unit to meet the demand, the canteen workers and office force 
 had to take upon themselves one more duty. With the cooperation of 
 the Red Cross and Jewish Welfare Board, a regular schedule of dances 
 was arranged for this region, giving the larger centers one dance a 
 week with special dances for the smaller camps and towns. 
 
 The dances in Le Mans proper were always interesting, but it was 
 the dances in the little towns that provided the variety. When the girls 
 started from their canteens and offices for one of these, they never 
 knew what kind of a place they were bound for. There was always 
 the question of the right road, and the American pronunciation of the 
 place where the dance was to be held did not make it eas}^ to get direc- 
 tions from the French. And when the destination was finally reached, 
 the girls were likely to find their hosts awaiting them in a barn, a 
 French dance hall, a "Y" hut or even a fine old Chateau. The music, 
 too, varied from a -iO-piece band to a baby organ or accordian — but 
 while a few would frankly admit that they had never before been on 
 a dance floor, the majority of the men proved to be excellent dancers. 
 No girl expected a pair of shoes to last longer than one week without 
 repairs, for the dance floor was always an uncertain quantity — perhaps 
 cement, both smooth and rough, uphill and downhill, or planking so 
 hurriedly put together that hopping over the cracks was in order, and 
 one could fairly feel the leather wearing off the soles of one's shoes, 
 while the hobnails played havoc with the uppers. 
 
 No one was ever so popular as the American girl at an enlisted man's 
 dance in France. Her entrance into the dance hall was always the 
 signal for appreciative applause, and the minute the music began she 
 was surrounded with partners. 
 
 Did you ever dance a tag dance? They will never be forgotten by 
 the girls in the A. E. F. The whistle blows — (and every boy seems to 
 have a whistle) — there is a mad rush from the side wall, a struggle as 
 
In the Le Mans Area 121 
 
 to who is to be the lucky man, and you whirl madly away with a new 
 partner. Small wonder the boys have applied the term "shock troops" 
 to these girls. 
 
 In the bigger halls, such as the huge auditorium at the Forwarding 
 Camp, a strict system had to be followed to prevent the girls from 
 being absolutely swamped, and only as many men as there were girls 
 were allowed on the floor for each dance. Sometimes a system of 
 colored ribbons was used, men who had been given red, white or blue 
 ribbons dancing in turns — but outwitting the American doughboy is a 
 difficult task and a glimpse into the pocket of many an innocent-faced 
 lad who somehow seemed to dance too often, would reveal each color 
 ready for instant use on demand. But no matter what system was fol- 
 lowed, there were never enough girls and when the dance was over, 
 they were always glad to pile into the car provided by the Army, wait- 
 ing to take them back to their billets. 
 
 The Dance Bureau in the Regional Office exijected a canteen worker 
 to dance twice a week, once in her own hut and once at the request of 
 the Bureau; but the office girls and "casuals" often had a record of six 
 nights a week to meet the never-ending request for dancers. No sunday 
 dancing was permitted and the girls refused to attend dances where 
 liquor was served. 
 
 In the ten weeks from its beginning on April 6 to June 1 i. the 
 Bureau sent girls to lii dances, 26 of which were for officers and 
 118 for enlisted men. The total number of girls provided for dancing 
 during these weeks was 136-i, and of these 1171 went to the enlisted 
 mens' dances. 
 
 It was often difficult to fit the dances in with other work, and many 
 personal sacrifices have been made to meet the demand — but no girl will 
 ever regret the effort she made. She was always rewarded with the 
 knowledge of unparalled appreciation, and the oft repeated remark 
 by the doughboy: "You don't know how glad I was to see you! For 
 this is the first dance I have had with American girls since I came to 
 France." These boys had been trained for two years to an active out- 
 of-door life, and the dancing was an outlet to their exuberant spirits. 
 To meet this demand by providing good music, well-lighted halls and 
 American girls to join in American dances was a work well Avorth 
 while. 
 
122 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 REPORT OF DANCES FROM APRIL 6 TO JUNE 14 
 
 Camps 
 
 Class.. Camp 
 
 Hdqtrs. Troop, Le Mans 
 
 Forwarding Camp 
 
 Economy 
 
 Parigne 1 'Eveque 
 
 Hotel de Paris 
 
 Camp near Mayet 
 
 Franco-Amer. Meeting. . 
 
 Yvre le Polin 
 
 J. W. B.— Le Mans 
 
 Mayet 
 
 Spur 
 
 Spur Picnic 
 
 Courcemont 
 
 Central Hut 
 
 K. of C— Le Mans 
 
 K. of C. Carnival 
 
 Y. D. Hut 
 
 Le Grande Luce 
 
 Overhaul Park 
 
 Camp Etat 
 
 La Flesche 
 
 Masonic Club 
 
 Souligne 
 
 Hotel Dauphin 
 
 Yvre le Polin 
 
 Colombiers 
 
 Bourge le Roi 
 
 Masonic Club 
 
 Belgian Camp 
 
 Chateau du Loir 
 
 Ballon 
 
 Monce 
 
 Salvage Camp 
 
 Malicorne 
 
 Sable 
 
 Yvre 1 'Eveque 
 
 Sarge 
 
 Restaurant du Tusculan 
 
 Total No. No. Dances 
 Dances Enlisted Men 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 6 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 5 
 4 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 6 
 1 
 7 
 1 
 1 
 7 
 5 
 5 
 6 
 1 
 4 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 
 "Y" 
 
 No. 
 
 Dances 
 
 "Y" 
 
 G-irls 
 
 Officers 
 
 Girls 
 
 113 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 159 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 38 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 37 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 78 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 
 88 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 55 
 
 
 4 
 
 31 
 
 34 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 6 
 6 
 
 15 
 9 
 
 50 
 
 11 
 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 26 
 
 42 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 Totals 
 
 108 
 
 86 
 
 Total number of dances for enlisted men. 
 Total number of dances for officers 
 
 999 
 
 22 
 
 86 
 22 
 
 179 
 
 Crand total 108 
 
 Prior to the date of this record dances were handled by local units 
 without reports to Headquarters, and during February and March by a 
 dancing unit of 16 girls as a "Flying Squadron," who put on a dance 
 twice a day at different points throughou.t the area. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 123 
 
 ROLLING CANTEEN PERSONNEL 
 
 FRANK E. LUTES : Director 
 
 HONORE McNAMARA Assistant 
 
 The Rollers 
 
 Dorothy Arnold 
 Mary Arthur 
 Anna Blanton 
 Grace Bouve 
 Anne Bridgers 
 Helen Mar Coates 
 Anna Cornich 
 Constance Crawford 
 Mildred Eiler 
 Catherine Faulkner 
 Amy Greene 
 Josephine Hammond 
 Rachael Higgins 
 Freddie Hilp 
 Catherine Hopkins 
 Mary Irwine 
 Winifred Jones 
 Sara Joyce King 
 Margaret Lincoln 
 Ruth McClelland 
 
 Sara McDonald 
 Gertrude Marvin 
 Eleanor Merritt 
 Clara Morris 
 Olive Moss 
 Stella Nelson 
 Mary Paxton 
 Eileen Patterson 
 Ruth Patrick 
 Alma Plumb 
 Claudine Rodgers 
 Eleanor Sheldon 
 Elizabeth Simonton 
 Sallie Simonton • 
 Jane Singer 
 Mary Small 
 Natalie Turner 
 Myrtle Weaver 
 Louise Wilcox 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF THE ROLLING CANTEEN 
 
 PERFECT June sun shone down upon the countryside 
 lying green and sparkling in its rays. The fields of 
 clover were a wonderful wine color, through which was 
 woven the scarlet of poppies and the blue of the corn- 
 flowers, making a tapestry man could never imitate. In 
 
 the cooling shade of the slim forest trees, so carefully pruned and 
 cared for, the birds were chirping lazily in mild content, only the in- 
 cessant whir-r-r-r and peck-peck-peck of the woodpecker urging the 
 necessity of toil upon a sleepy world. To the right a grassy roadway 
 through a lane of poplars led to a Chateau centuries old, still sturdy 
 and strong, with a tiny artificial lake dotting the park like a spot of 
 silver amid the green. Ahead on the main highway, a little, old 
 village clustered at the edge of the cobbled pavement — old stone 
 houses which had been built for generations leaning against one another 
 for support, their red-tiled roofs a cheerful tone against the bright 
 blue of the sky. An old, bent woman, gnarled and leathery of coun- 
 
124 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 tenance, wearing a spotless white cap, dozing in the doorwa}^ to the 
 village inn, was the only sign of human habitation. 
 
 A spiral of dust swirled to the horizon in the distance, while a dull 
 thud-thud-thud came to the ear, the fall of thousands of feet growing 
 louder and louder until it swelled into the steady tramp, tramp, tramp 
 of marching men. The dust grew chokingly thick as it eddied around 
 them, settling in layers upon heads and shoulders, powdering faces a 
 dull grey and making grotesque layers on eyebrows and wrinkles, 
 while the perspiration trickled down channels long since worn through 
 the dirt. Fifteen thousand American soldiers in full marching order 
 were wearily wending their way along the main road a few miles out 
 of the historic city of Le Mans, from the big Forwarding Camp of the 
 American Embarkation Center, to the La Suze Area, there to rest up 
 a bit and prepare to entrain for the sailing port home. Fifteen long- 
 kilos had been covered, with as much more to go ; tongues were thick 
 with thirst and dust; bodies were tired and weary from the unaccus-. 
 tomed packs ; feet were lumps of lead to the tired muscles forcing 
 them step by step on their way, while spirits were at their lowest ebb — 
 the sleepy, sunshiny countryside and the indifference of the few who 
 turned to note them had become almost a torture — one more con- 
 vincing evidence that there was no one who cared whether the}'^ ever 
 got home or not — a state of mind which overwhelmed many a dough- 
 boy during the weary wait for that passage hom^;. 
 
 The cobbled village streets re-echoed to their step, a short rest from 
 the blinding dust. Suddenly the boys in the front rank spied a blot of 
 vivid blue at the edge of the village road — a blue that resolved itself 
 into moving figures. One, more quick of comprehension than the rest, 
 snapped his weary body to the right-about and called lustily to his 
 comrades : 
 
 "Hey, you fellows! Straighten up — d' yuh see what's ahead? A 
 whole flock o' Bluebirds, and I hope to die if they ain't got their 
 canteen !" 
 
 An electric thrill ran along the entire line. There was much craning 
 of necks, wiping of sweaty faces, and as if by magic broad grins of 
 anticipated enjoyment went down the line. In the center of the road 
 stood two Ford camionettes, far enough apart for two rows of dough- 
 boys to pass between, while two more rows passed by the outer side 
 of the trucks, permitting the service of four boys at a time without 
 breaking ranks. Each camionette was painted the inevitable khaki, 
 but bore in huge letters across front and sides the words, "Rolling 
 Canteen, Y. M. C. A." 
 
In the Le Mans Area 125 
 
 It was not the signs which had identified the outfits^ however ; it 
 was the blue-clad canteen girls, to whose ears had come word of this 
 long^ dusty hike^ and who had hurried their cars with their cooling- 
 contents to a half-way spot, where they could help the boys over the 
 road. As the line came on they were ready and waiting, and each man 
 unhooked his tin cup, holding it up to the serving window to have it 
 filled with deliciously cool milk shake while he helped himself with 
 generous hand to the cookies heaped in a big box. What a treat ! 
 
 "Gee !" came from the throat of one husky, broad-shouldered lad, as 
 he threw back his head to let the liquid refreshment gurgle down; 
 "Gee! I wuz about all in! This heat is sumpin fierce!" 
 
 "How'd you know we was comin' this way.^" inquired another lad 
 as he filed by — but the only answer was a smile and a flash of white 
 teeth — Miss Canteen Girl was too busy to answer. 
 
 A slim southern boy, with dark eyes and a shy smile murmured, 
 "You-all ah shu-nuff angels, Miss !" and received an extra full cup 
 for his pains. 
 
 It was all over quickly. No time could be wasted — formation must 
 not be broken — but officers were only too glad to allow the men to stop 
 long enough for the drink that meant new life and better feeling for 
 the rest of the hike. Soon they, too, last in line, received their share, 
 expressed their hearty thanks and pressed on to overtake the toiling 
 column. Miss Canteen Girl breathed a sigh from ihe very depths of her 
 being, and climbed down from the stuffy camionette to stretch and 
 rest. With her three sisters she watched the boys disappear in the 
 dust, tried in vain to brush stain and dirt from what had been a spotless 
 blue and white apron, then turned to the task of cleaning up and 
 returning to headquarters for another load of good cheer for the 
 bored and weary boys who were continually on the move. Here was a 
 seemingly endless task, but it was a singularly gratifying one — work 
 did not count, for there was plenty of it, hard snd grinding — it was 
 the deep feeling of "something accomplished, something done" that 
 kept her smiling and earned for her the endearing name "Bluebird" 
 among the boys. The engines came to sudden life under the hand of 
 th soldier drivers — ^the Rolling Canteens whirled away. Once more 
 the sleepy countryside settled peacefully at rest — the sun still shone 
 on the old woman sleeping in the doorway to the village inn — the 
 
 Americans had passed. 
 
 * * * -s 
 
 The Rolling Canteen history is one of the romances of "Y" service 
 in France — a romance as full of interest and heart throbs as any ever 
 
125' History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 penned. Starting in February, 1919, with two one-ton Ford trucks, it 
 grew in the Le Mans Region to 26 one-ton trucks operated by a crew 
 of one soldier driver and two "Y" Canteen girls each, in June, 1919. 
 These trucks were equipped with a caterer's boiler and grate in which 
 to heat water for the hot drinks; several containers for carrying choco- 
 late mixtures; tanks, one or two with spigots for. serving; a table; 
 trays for holding cakes, and any other little supplies which helped to 
 make the work lighter or the tables more attractive. According to 
 season they served chocolate, lemonade, punch, ice cream, coffee, milk 
 shakes, cookies, apples, doughnuts and cigarettes. Never were there 
 more than enough Rolling Canteens in the field to answer the demand. 
 It was the duty and privilege of the "Bluebirds" to go where others 
 could not. The entire area grew to be as familiar to them as their own 
 home town. Scarcely an M. P. but recognized the Rolling Canteen 
 Girls at a glance, for out of their peculiar work they developed an 
 individuality of their own. It was not easy. It meant night service — 
 sometimes weeks at a stretch with less than four hours' sleep out of 
 the twenty-four, while thousands of U. S. boys were passing through 
 the area on their way home. It meant long rides into the edge of the 
 area, touching the small, isolated towns and carrying cheer to the 
 small outfits quartered there, who never had the chance to meet Ameri- 
 can girls in the bigger places. It meant breakdowns coming and going, 
 mending tires by the light of the moon, sleeping with clothes on, on the 
 bench-like seats of the old trucks. It meant hurry calls across stretches 
 of rough roads with "beaucoup" chocolate to be mixed, tons of water 
 to be gotten, firewood to be brought in, and after all the effort a smil- 
 ing face and word of fun to the doughboys who crowded around 
 them. It meant the seizing of opportunities to help our boys keep 
 the best side uppermost — with little but originalitj^, food and the wide 
 out of doors to do it with. Sometimes this meant borrowing a huge 
 barn, trimming it with evergreens and candles, appealing to the band 
 for music, and holding an impromptu dance on pay night. Or it might 
 mean a jolly picnic by the bank of a pretty stream, cheering up the 
 boys whose sailing orders had just been cancelled. But one thing it 
 was sure to mean, and that was work. 
 
 The Rolling Canteen was quickly dubbed the S O. S. of the Region 
 by the "Y" Secretaries in the field. Calls were continually coming in 
 to the Headquarters Office to send the Rolling Canteen to tfiis and 
 that point to cover emergency situations, which the regular "Y" force 
 could not leave their stations to take care of. The Twenty-ninth Divi- 
 sion arrived in the little town of Souligne days ahead of the Army 
 
In the Le Mans Area 127 
 
 kitchens, but the Rolling Canteen girls were on the job and cooked 
 mess for them until their own outfits caught up. Road battalions living 
 on cold chow for two days at a stretch were taken care of by a Rolling 
 Canteen which heard of their plight and came to their rescue with hot 
 drinks, returning to care for them daily until the Army could make 
 arrangements to do so. Truck trains were stopped on their long over- 
 land trips to the debarkation points and the drivers cheered with coffee 
 and doughnuts, often served in the drizzling rain and cold. Troop 
 trains were met at all hours of day and night and many a sleepy, 
 chilled, half-sick soldier boy has been roused by a cheery "Here 
 Buddie ! Get this hot coffee into you quick — it will help warm you up 
 a little." And awakened to find a smiling American girl offering a big, 
 thick sandwich and patiently waiting for him to unhook his tin cup 
 to pour out the liquid. 
 
 Perhaps this extract from a soldier's letter will help the reader to 
 comprehend more clearly just what the Rolling Canteen service meant 
 to these thousands of boys; the letter is headed "Homeward Bound," 
 directed to the Y. M. C. A. Headquarters at Le Mans, and reads: 
 "Yesterday my outfit was hiking to the westward bound train, a hike 
 of twenty kilos through the worst dust I ever saw, and that is some 
 dust because I was one of the men in Mexico in '16, and know what 
 Chihuahua alkali is. Well, we had ruled off about twelve kilos when we 
 ran into a bunch of "Y" girls dishing out ice cold orangeade in large 
 quantities. 
 
 Say, that one cup of orangeade was like the nectar of the Gods, and 
 only one more evidence of how the "Y" looks after the boys. From 
 now on I'm for the "Y" strong. I don't know who those girls were, but 
 we were on the road from the Belgium Camp, close to Change, and if 
 you know the ladies thank them for me, for that drink came like the 
 good Samaritan of Holy Writ." 
 
 Again, perhaps this little tale of service to the Seventh Division 
 boys who detrained at Evron one chilly morning in May will help to 
 picture the hard work which these girls fresh from their homes in 
 America undertook by way of doing their bit. This is not a tale of any 
 special heroism, just an incident in the day's work. 
 
 A certain Rolling Canteen had been advised that these Seventh Divi- 
 sion boys would detrain some time during the night at Conlie and had 
 prepared a service of hot chocolate and cakes for I6OO men. All was 
 in readiness, the hot liquid bubbling in the containers, cakes piled 
 ready for instant distribution, while the electric lights shone down upon 
 
ROLLING CANTEEN IN ACTION 
 
 1. Entiaining Service. 2. Making Doiigrhnuts. 3. At Rifle Range. 4. Beyond Reach of 
 
 All Other "Y's.'" 3. Kitchen at Connerre. 0. Ice Cream in Place rle Republique. 
 
 AMONG THE ALLIES 
 
In the Le Mans Area 129 
 
 the girls wrapped in their capes awaiting the signal that meant the 
 train was in sight. The hours dragged slowly along; sleep could not be 
 thought of for any instant might bring the glad word that the boys 
 were nearing Conlie and the fire had to be kept going. Trip after trip 
 to the R. T. O. brought no message — it was always, "We haven't any 
 word where the train is. Miss, but we'll let you know just as soon as we 
 find out." Did you back home in your comfortable chairs, ever picture 
 your girls tramping up and down the platforms of these tiny stations 
 in France, shivering and sleepy, waiting the chance to serve your boys 
 equally tired and cold from their journey, cramped in the cold cars 
 en route to the debarkation point? I wonder if you, as 3^ou read this, 
 can see the romance of it all as they saw it, a long deserted platform, 
 half shadow, half light ; the shrill shrieking of the French whistles as 
 their tiny locomotives scuttled to and fro; the office of the R. T. O. with 
 the khaki-clad boys huddled over their desks or sound asleep curled up 
 on the hard cots ; the instinctive seeking for companionship during 
 those long night watches as the boys sought the girls to talk to them 
 and tell them all those things which the American boy takes to his 
 mother and sister at home. It was a service that repaid the servers. 
 
 But things did not go smoothly that night. After a long waiting, 
 word was received that the Seventh Division boys would detrain at 
 Evron, S'y kilos away, and their train was due there just two hours 
 from the time the message was received. For an instant the job 
 seemed impossible — the girls had been up all night; the Army trucks 
 which had brought their supplies to the depot had long since been 
 dismissed ; all that was left to depend upon was the one-ton camionette 
 to transport supplies to feed I6OO men, the two canteen girls, their 
 soldier driver, and kitchen utensils. Then the Army stepped in and 
 through the kindness of the laiason officer a touring car was secured, 
 precious minutes spent in repacking, and they were whirled away to 
 the new scene of operations, to do over again all they had been so 
 eager to do the night before. 
 
 The Seventh Division boys had had a hard pull on their way 
 from Germany, and while the very fact that they were headed for 
 home meant light hearts, even the most light-hearted doughboy can 
 get decidedly uncomfortable physically. Already two days late, packed 
 in the train like sardines, unshaven and living on light rations, they 
 were a pretty disgusted and tired lot of boys when they finally de- 
 trained at Evron. They liad had no breakfast that morning, for it had 
 been planned that breakfast time would find them 20 kilos further on 
 where a hot meal was awaiting them. But it was then 10 o'clock and 
 
130 History of the Y. M. C. A, 
 
 the twenty kilos were still to be covered. No;, I don't think we can 
 blame those boys for growling a bit as they adjusted their packs prepa- 
 ratory to the long hike. 
 
 But something had happened. The canteen had reached Evron and 
 the order came to line up and file past the tables where the tired^ 
 dirty but very happy "Y" girls^ with muscles that ached were ladling 
 out the hot^ steaming chocolate that put new life into every man. I 
 don't think a more grateful crowd of boys could be found, some of 
 them sheepishly filing by with an apolgetic grin for the two days' 
 growth of stubbly beard on his face. But, bearded, dirty, wrinkled 
 and all, the smile of appreciation and the atmosphere of "Gee ! ain't 
 this great !" which filled the place was pay enough for the Rolling 
 Canteen. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 Tales of this sort could be told indefinitely, rind for long years to 
 come will live in the hearts and minds of men and women to whom the 
 war becomes only a memory. 
 
 The Rolling Canteen gave the letters "Y. M. C. A.," a new force, a 
 living power of service. Of all the departments of overseas work under- 
 taken by this huge organization, none has stood for harder work, longer 
 hours, or more difficulties overcome than this. It is easily understood 
 why those women who have served the Rolling Canteen are proud of 
 their record and would not exchange it for any other kind of service — 
 while those who were less fortunate frankly envy them their op- 
 portunity. 
 
 SERVICE BY ROLLING CANTEEN 
 
 No. Canteens 
 
 No. Girls 
 
 No. Extra Help . . . 
 Kilometers Trav'ld 
 No. Places Served. 
 No. Hours Served. 
 No. Hours PreiJar- 
 
 paring to Serve 
 No. Men Served., 
 No. Gallons Cocoa 
 
 and other Drinks 1,200 3,000 4,200 9,000 97,200 105,000 
 
 No. Cakes and 
 
 Doughnuts 450,000 1,125,000 1,170,000 3,375,000 3,925,000 4,575,000 
 
 Ice Cream Cones ' 90,000 235,000 
 
 Jan, 
 
 Feb. 
 
 March 
 
 April 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 
 18 
 
 26 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 14 
 
 30 
 
 45 
 
 60 
 
 6 
 
 15 
 
 21 
 
 45 
 
 60 
 
 75 
 
 950 
 
 2,375 
 
 3,325 
 
 7,125 
 
 8,750 
 
 6,500 
 
 120 
 
 300 
 
 420 
 
 900 
 
 1,080 
 
 2,000 
 
 240 
 
 600 
 
 840 
 
 1,800 
 
 2,160 
 
 3,115 
 
 300 
 
 750 
 
 1,050 
 
 2,250 
 
 2,700 
 
 3,250 
 
 90,000 
 
 225,000 
 
 315,000 
 
 675,000 
 
 785,000 
 
 875,000 
 
In the Le Mans Area 131 
 
 SHOPPING BUREAU 
 
 From Paris Edition "The New York Herald," July 2, 1919 
 "Helping Soldiers Shop" 
 HE BUYING for American soldiers to enable them to 
 take back gifts to mothers, sisters, wives and sweet- 
 hearts, is one of the many unique features of the wel- 
 fare work in France. Mrs. Gertrude Gilmour assisted 
 by five American girls, helped in conducting soldiers on 
 their shopping trips, and helped them to choose the proper gifts, 
 which included everything from drumsticks to gold fillings for teeth. 
 One soldier said he wanted to take a souvenir of France to his 
 brother, and he thought he would like to have a pair of drumsticks ; 
 another asked for help to buy some gold fillings for his teeth; another 
 sent a franc in a letter and asked to have produced "a Frenchy lace 
 collar," and to have it sent by post to his sweetheart; another asked 
 for a bridal veil, and still another sent 100 francs for a selection of 
 seven gifts for his family — and if there were anything left, to buy 
 "a cheap rosary for a brother I do not like." These are a few of the 
 thousands of requests that were received and without exception, all 
 requests were complied with satisfactorily. 
 
 The best work was done in the hospitals, whence the sick men were 
 to be sent directly to the ships. As none of them wanted to leave 
 without a gift for the "folks at home" samples were taken to them of 
 the objects in the shops, and the purchasers were helped to select 
 things according to the photographs which soldiers would show them. 
 The nurses always reported the men much improved after the anxiety 
 of remembering the "home folks" was off" their minds. 
 
 SIGHT-SEEING AND SHOPPING— LE MANS 
 
 Shopping 
 
 Rural City Trips 
 
 January ; 
 
 February 225 825 
 
 March 650 1875 150 
 
 April 725 1750 175 
 
 May 750 1680 200 
 
 June 650 975 250 
 
 Totals 3000 7105 775 
 
 Sight-seeing — Walking trips in and about Le Mans. Motor trips 
 
 into surrounding areas. 
 
 Shopping Bureau — Experts in art and lace at disposal of officers and 
 
 men for purchases in local markets. 
 
132 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 THE STATION CANTEEN 
 
 T IS true, indeed, that great things often have small 
 beginnings. And again it is true that the failure or suc- 
 cess of the Y. M. C. A. in the A. E. F. has depended 
 upon the initiative and energy of the individual secre- 
 taries. To see the tremendous Y. M. C. A. operations of 
 dispensing welfare to tired and hungry men at the station or at the 
 arrival or departure of trains in the Le Mans area during the months 
 when hundreds of thousands of troops passed through the A. E. C, 
 one would never guess the humble origin of the scheme, nor the 
 obstacles that had to be cleared before the machinery for the extensive 
 scale could be put into motion. 
 
 In december of 1918, a "Y" secretary created his own job of meet- 
 ing trains of troops bound for the ports. The average number of men 
 passing through Le Mans then was about 3500 a day. 
 
 The secretary reported conditions to headquarters, recommending 
 thai a canteen be established at the station to dispense hot coifee, 
 cookies, cigarettes and tobacco free to the soldiers passing through 
 Le Mans. Since such a move would be tresspassing upon the rights 
 of the Red Cross, the Army objected to the establishment of the Y. M. 
 C. A. Canteen, and the Y. M. C. A. was powerless for a time. There 
 was obviously work for all, however, and the determined secretary 
 never gave up hope until he had won permission from the "Y," the 
 Army, the Chef de la Gare, and had the consent of the Red Cross to 
 install his station canteen. The little space allotted him by the station 
 master was 16x25 feet out on the platform. Meanwhile the secretary 
 and his assistant had instituted the plan of steering the soldiers who 
 came in late at night up to the central hut for hot coifee and chocolate. 
 After the canteen at the station was opened, its diminutive size still 
 made necessary the caring for all the soldiers who had time, at the 
 Central Hut. This midnight visitation of the soldiers from the trains 
 was the beginning of the "Midnight Follies," at Central — one of the 
 most unique institutions of the A. E. F. Here thousands of boys were 
 able to leave the uncomfortable, cold box cars in which they were mak- 
 ing their miserable trip to the coast, and go to the big warm canteen, 
 get a good hot meal, see a clean, wholesome show, and get back to the 
 train in the allotted time for the "Y" secretaries made it their business 
 to know how many minutes were to spare. 
 
 The success of the Le Mans Station Canteen later called for the 
 establishment of an equally successful and important canteen at the 
 station in Rennes. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 133 
 
 DIARY OF A DIVISIONAL SECRETARY 
 
 Copied from Diary of C. W. Ashcraft, Divisional Secretary. 
 Stationed at Chateau Gontier. 
 
 AD NOTICE that 136"th Reg. 62nd Brigade, 37th 
 Artillery would arrive Chateau Gontier 6:30 tonight 
 (Feby. 5th, 1919). Had arranged with Chef de la Gare 
 to set two canteen boilers outside station and make and 
 serve hot chocolate to the soldiers detraining, so Mr. H. 
 M. Bing, Mr. E. H. Price, Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Earl, Mrs. Scriven and 
 Miss Schimmelfeng and I got very busy to get ready for their arrival. 
 Had only 30 minutes' notice. I went way up the track and got about a 
 bushel of coke in sack and brought it on shoulder to use in boilers, 
 avoiding smoke. At 6:30 train reported three hrs. late. At 9:30 re- 
 ported 6 hrs. late. At 12:30 reported to arrive at 1 a. m. Arriving time 
 moved forward one or two hours at time. Had hot chocolate ready at 
 6:30 at night by getting first hot water from hotel. Kept it hot right 
 on through night and until 9:30 Thursday night (Feby. 6) when train 
 pulled in. All soldiers allowed to march by and get mess cup full hot 
 chocolate, cigarettes and cakes. Cold rain falling and soldiers marched 
 to billets in barns, attics, etc. Ladies worked until all troops detrained 
 3 a. m. Friday, then they went to bed and we men cleaned up the things, 
 helped soldiers find billets or hotels until daylight. Tlien began to 
 load boilers, tables and other equipment and move to Segre, where the 
 135th Reg. was to arrive about noon. 
 
 Met troops at Segre. Bing and Earl remained at Chateau Gontier in 
 charge of hut. Godfrey, Price, Mrs. Scriven and Miss Shimmelfeng 
 and I rushed to Segre to set up and be ready. Began serving hot 
 chocolate, cigarettes and cakes at 2 p. m. Friday (Feby 7) in basement 
 of Catholic school room. Finished serving at 10 p. 
 
 m. 
 
 Rec'd notice that 134th Reg. had arrived Segre en route to Le Lion 
 d' Augar, li k. away. Wlould lie in train in Segre several hours and 
 arrive Le Lion 7 o'clock morning, Saturday, 8th. Very much disturbed 
 about cars to move equipment from Segre to. Le Lion. No gasoline in 
 Segre, or any other nearby town. Had only one Ford car and one 
 camionette. All gas out in cars. Took ladies' to Le Lion to hotel and 
 Price and I rushed back to Segre arriving little after midnight. God- 
 frey had remained in Segre to take care of things. Just as reached 
 school room oar stopped, gas out. Terror-stricken, Godfrey said Fords 
 hot would run on K. oil. Loaded both caterers' boilers back seat of 
 
134 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Ford. G. I. cans and pans on them, with sugar, chocolate and milk. 
 Tied tables on sides, then took K. oil from three lamps and small stove, 
 in all about three pints, poured into Ford, Godfrey cranked her up, 
 Price and I bounced in and pushed our faces thru the night toward 
 Le Lion. Godfrey remained with things in Segre. But as we left, 
 Godfrey said (and I'll never forget it) Bro. Asheraft, I know you will 
 get there for I know what's in your heart. And just then I was saying, 
 "I'll do my part the best I can and God will do the rest. Oh, God, as 
 you let not the oil fail once before, now magnify this while we make 
 this trip." We landed at the station in Le Lion 2 :30 Saturday morning, 
 8th. Engine stopped dead and out of oil right at the depot in Le Lion 
 d' Angers. High fence around station and gate locked. Oh, so cold 
 and ground covered with snow. Price and I put furnaces, boilers, 
 tables, cans, sugar, cocoa, etc., over fence and thru cracks. Climbed 
 fence, set up boilers, found fagots and made fires, found well, drew 
 water and had it hot at 5 :30, when the ladies were awakened at hotel 
 and came to make chocolate. At 7 :00 Saturday morning all ready for 
 train due. Train 1 hr. late, 2 hrs. late, etc. Finally arrived 11a. m., 
 but chocolate hot and ready all time. Mr. Stimson, who had served 
 with this reg. when in training, came to be their secy here and assisted 
 today. It was bitter cold all day, but wonderful day nevertheless 
 Finished about 5 p. m., and hurried to Chateau Gontier, tired and 
 sleepy, but very happy. Had gone three nights and three days without 
 sleep and only three meals. Particularly happy because this Brigade 
 trained at Montgomery, Ala., my home state, where had "Y" service. 
 Then separated for their division and no more "Y" service until 
 given it by me and things they said about Ala., very gratifying. Surely 
 no other Div. Sec. ever had such fine men and women assigned him. 
 Such wonderful work and such endurance and happy all time. All 
 commanding officers came and expressed deep appreciation for service. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 135 
 
 SERVICE FOR ALLIES 
 
 THE POLISH CAMP PERSONNEL 
 
 EDWARD J. OBERHOLSER Camp Secretary 
 
 J. S. ANDRESON Athletic Director 
 
 HE Y. M. C. A. did practical and efficient service with 
 the Polish Camp, which for months contained a thou- 
 sand or more soldiers, more than one-half of whom were 
 American citizens. Besides having one of the most com- 
 plete canteens in the area, an efficient educational work 
 was carried on consisting of picture shows, instruction and interesting 
 talks, many with talent supported by Y. M. C. A. headquarters. 
 
 Edward J. Oberholser, camp secretary, proved so valuable to the 
 work among the Poles that he was asked to accompany the troops to 
 their mother country, to aid in forwarding "Y" work in Poland. Be- 
 fore his departure he was presented with a handsome present by the 
 appreciative Poles, who patronized the "Y." 
 
 J. S. Andresen, athletic director at the camp, had the unusual experi- 
 ence of working with the soldiers of three different countries, Ameri- 
 can, French and Poles. In addition to his duties as athletic director, 
 Mr. Andresen compiled a manual or handbook of exercises which he 
 translated into the Polish language, and which will be officially adopted 
 by the Polish Army. 
 
 WITH CHINESE 
 Y. H. PENG ,.. Secretary 
 
 THE scope and adaptability of the Welfare Service of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association abroad is notably illustrated in the 
 splendid results achieved among the Chinese soldiers, about 400 of 
 whom were located at Le Mans in three camps, as wards of the French 
 Army and working for that organization in a Labor Battalion. 
 
 The social welfare of the men in this area was in charge of Y. H. 
 Peng, a brilliant young Chinese student, a full feldged American 
 Y. M. C. A. secretary, who directed entertainment work in the three 
 camps. 
 
 The secretary introduced into the camps many activities, social, 
 recreational, and educational. He gave lectures every evening. In each 
 camp thei^e was a reading room in which were found Chinese peri- 
 odicals, magazines and papers. Chinese, English and French classes 
 were organized. For recreation, the Chinese were taught to play soccer 
 
136 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 ball, volley ball, running, jumping, baseball, throwing and tug-of- 
 war. 
 
 With the object of encouraging athletics among his compatriots Mr. 
 Peng started the so-called Triangular Meet or Athletic Competitions 
 between the three Chinese camps. Banners were awarded to cham- 
 pionship teams, and many individual prizes to the best runners and 
 jumpers. The Cinema show was a very popular entertainment among 
 the Chinese. 
 
 FOYER DES SOLDAT 
 
 JOHN T. MOORE Secretary 
 
 A PECULIAR bond of fellowship was always manifest between 
 the French Polui and the American doughboj^ The polui coveted 
 the doughboy, and the Y. M. C. A. and the French command saw the 
 necessity for it. Hence the Foyer des Soldat, which was nothing more 
 nor less than a Y. M. C. A. for the French soldier. 
 
 While an interchange of courtesy permitted a polui in the doughboys' 
 "Y," still in Le Mans, where both were found in such large numbers, it 
 was found more practicable to maintain seperate huts and the French 
 work was directed bv an American secretary. 
 
 3. JF ■ -TS! ^■ 
 
 1. Polish Camp "Y." 2. "Y" at Chinese Labor Battalion. 3 and I. Foyers des Soldat. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 137 
 
 MEMORIAL DAY 
 
 "Les fleurs pour les soldats Americanes !" 
 
 THERE- was a murmuring of little voices from the streets and the 
 pattering of many sturdy little boots upon the cobble stones. The 
 children of France were mobilizing, armed with big bouquets of bright 
 blossoms, to do honor to the graves of American dead. Patter, patter, 
 patter — the tramping of many feet over the bridge, like Roman soldiers 
 of old in regular formation, division by division, each led by his school 
 master for a commander — the young soldiers of France marched 
 steadily on. The bright bouquets were held proudly in their hands, 
 their eyes were glowing and their faces beaming with happiness. 
 
 It was Memorial Day in Le Mans. Just the sort of Memorial Day 
 one might expect back home — soft breeze, sunshine, the pleasant per- 
 fume of flowers — the city astir in preparation for the services of the 
 day. Market women in their stiff', white caps stood at street corners 
 with big baskets of flowers, and the passers-by stopped in their hurried 
 walk and bought, then laden with their purchases started on again 
 past the old Roman wall to join the Americans. For France was cele- 
 brating, too. Hand in hand with her Ally from across the sea she was 
 off'ering her finest to show her appreciation of "les soldats Americanes" 
 who had fought and died and whose graves were now entrusted to her 
 care. 
 
 Back at Y. ]M. C. A. Headquarters there was much quiet hurrying 
 to complete the final tasks in preparation for the part the "Y" was to 
 take in the services, for at the request of the Army the "Y" had full 
 responsibility for the decorations. 
 
 Promptly at 9:30 huge autos unloaded their burden of men and 
 women secretaries in strict uniform at the gates of the Le Mans Ceme- 
 tery, where soldiers of the Seventh Division were drawn up in a double 
 line to form entryway through which the American portion of the ceme- 
 tery was approached. The children of France were drawn up enmasse 
 at one side of a hollow square formed by more soldiers of the Seventh 
 Division standing at attention, in the center of which stood the huge 
 flag pole from which the Stars and Stripes floated at half mast. A 
 platform had been built around this pole, now covered with floral 
 pieces and wreaths, tributes from French friends, various welfare or- 
 ganization, and the Army. 
 
 The strains of "Nearer My God To Thee" broke the silence. To the 
 listening Americans it brought a renewed faith through the saddened 
 atmosphere, as their thoughts went out to the •juff'ering parents, the 
 wives and sweethearts across the sea, who had given their loved ones 
 
138 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 in the cause of humanity. Verse by verse the hymn rolled on — majestic, 
 powerful in its sway of human emotions — while tears coursed un- 
 ashamed down the cheeks of men and women alike. Patriotic addresses 
 delivered by Hon. Henry Morganthau, former American Ambassador 
 to Turkey, and by Mr. M. C. Blet, Prefet du Mans, were fitting trib- 
 utes to American heroes who slept their last sleep row upon row on this 
 hillside of France ; the burial service of the diiferent faiths — Jewish, 
 Protestant and Catholic — were read with reverent solemnity, all united 
 now into a simple service of love and memory ; and the children of 
 France stood in the hot sun waiting without murmur or complaint dur- 
 ing these services they could not understand, to take their part. 
 
 Once more the strains of a hymn came floating upon the air, softly 
 at first, then louder and clearer sending its message of hope and cheer 
 to the troubled hearts of its hearers. "How Firm a Foundation, Ye 
 Saints of the Lord" — surely, surely, these boys had not died in vain ! 
 But had builded by their deeds and death the very "foundation" for 
 an eternal "peace upon earth, good will toward men." Then followed 
 the salute to the dead, the unfurling of the colors, and the bugler 
 stood forth to play "Taps." Clear and strong went forth the call — a 
 serene and calm benediction which brought Heaven very near, but 
 would not permit of sadness for these lads who had answered their last 
 roll-call, but brought rather a calm conviction that all was well with 
 those whom He had seen fit to call unto Himself. 
 
 An instant of solemn hush followed — then the band swung into the 
 martial music of "Onward Christian Soldiers" and 5000 French boys 
 and girls broke ranks and marched across that field of sleep, each child 
 dropping his tribute of blossoms at the foot of the white crosses which 
 marked the American graves. It was an unusual moment — for to the 
 watching Americans came the conviction that here was a feeling 
 time nor tide could not break, a mutual understanding between the two 
 races, united in a common cause. 
 
 Our Memorial Day was over. The soldiers marched back to their 
 quarters; the French lingered a while for a last expression of their 
 sympathy, then quietly departed; the children had long since gone 
 clattering back to their schools; the Americans were scattered about 
 the cemetery seeking the particular graves of relatives or friends which 
 they desired to honor; even then the flowers so recently placed on the 
 graves had begun to droop in the heat ; but over all there still lingered 
 the spirit which had been so lavishly poured forth, expressed by the 
 children of France and their touching tribute of flowers. 
 
 "Les fleurs pour les soldats Americanes .?" 
 
1. Welfare Workers Gathering Flowers for Memorial Day. 2. At the Grave of Miss 
 
 Gertrude Valentine. 3. Memorial Day at Le Mans 1919 Address by 
 
 Hon. Henry Morganthau 
 
140 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 3n iWemorian 
 
 GERTRUDE CRISSEY VALENTINE 
 
 Canteen Worker, Camp Etat 
 
 Died in Line of Duty, June 11, 1919 
 Respiratory^ ParaWsis Following Contusion of Spinal Cord 
 
 HARRY G. FISHER 
 
 Entertainment Director, Ninety-first Division, La Ferte' — Bernard 
 
 Died in Line of Duty February 19, 1919 
 
 Pneumonia Following Influenza 
 
 Buried in Officers' Row With Full Military Honors in American Section 
 
 of Le Mans Cemetery, Where Rest Nearly One Thousand Other 
 
 Members of the A. E. F. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 141 
 
 SECTION III 
 
 NORTHWEST AREA 
 
 CONLIE HEADQUARTERS 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 THOMAS H. FRANCISCO ...Area Supervisor 
 
 WILLIAM C. MOORE _ Business Secretary 
 
 W. D. HIGGINS- Field Secretartj 
 
 W. H. B. LYON Warehouse and Salvage 
 
 MISS JEM SHERMAN Hut Secretary 
 
 MISS MABEL D. BROWN.. Hut Secretary 
 
 EIGHTY-FIFTH DIVISION 
 JOHN S. SCULLY Division Secretary 
 
 A. J. HILLHOUSE Business Secretary 
 
 JAMES B. ANDRESEN Athletic Director 
 
 R. M. WOOD Religious Director 
 
 OLIN W. WEBSTER Cashier 
 
 AMZIE E. JORDAN Warehouse Manager 
 
 M. A. STEWART Secretary 
 
 B. T. STONE ...Secretary 
 
 W. P. CARNEGIE ...Secretary 
 
 T. H. FRANCISCO .Secretary 
 
 O. A. PRICE Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Stella Nelson Estelle Pryor 
 
 Mabel Brown Florida Kountz 
 
 Gem Sherman Elizabeth Wood 
 
 Mrs. May Wells Mary Holmes 
 
 Elizabeth Bowie 
 ONLIE Area was the home of two full Divisions^ the 
 8.)th, which arrived January l6 and departed for home 
 in March, and the Seventh, which came in from near 
 Germany on Ma};^ 13 to remain until the first week in 
 June. The "Y" had its trials and tribulations in the 
 Conlie Area, in common with the other sections of the region. On the 
 whole, however, the Welfare work accomplished was of a liigh order 
 and was efficient. 
 
 January was a difficult month for service; rain fell almost continu- 
 ously, it was cold, supplies were insufficient and transportation prob- 
 lems hindered and at times forbade the movement to the area of any- 
 thing like the needed equipment and supplies. The self-sacrifice of the 
 personnel at Conlie and the utter devotion to duty of all saved the 
 situation. 
 
142 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SEVENTH DIVISION— CONLIE 
 HACKETT BARBEE Divisional Secretary 
 
 Jesse Elliott 
 L. M. Francis 
 Calvin Faris 
 Wayne H. Johnson 
 Eric B. Sikes 
 W. L. Truden 
 
 F. S. Osgood 
 E. L. Fox 
 H. C. Green 
 W. H. Metcalf 
 W. L. Freeman 
 E. L. King 
 
 B. S. Binford 
 
 G. L. Nyquist 
 Geo. Cossemas 
 W. H. Hargrave 
 H. A. Roerig 
 Jesse Martin 
 Norman Stewart 
 
 C. R. Martin 
 Lloyd R. Calkins 
 Margaret Bean 
 Luella H. Adams 
 Elizabeth Beyer 
 Eugenia Bradshaw 
 Edith S. Buck 
 Marjorie Campbell 
 Susan Clark 
 Dorothy Croaksdale 
 
 Flora Eloise Creech 
 Eugenia Diven 
 Eunice Dogett 
 Antoinette Doughty 
 Jane C. Elliott 
 Effie Fiscus 
 Rena Fowler 
 May Francies 
 Elizabeth Hammett 
 Elizabeth Hazelhurst 
 Flora Howe 
 Cora Lee King 
 Anna McCollum 
 Mrs. Martha Miller 
 Annie Myers 
 Frances Newell 
 Daphne Selden 
 Bessie Stewart 
 Gertrude Valentine 
 Grace Walker 
 Margaret Wood 
 Jane MacLaren 
 Ruby Howe 
 Mrs. Wayne Johnson 
 Margaret Law 
 Mrs. Harriet Nutter 
 Mary Paxton 
 Mrs. Jessie Amos 
 Katherine Welles 
 
In the Le Mans Area I'iS 
 
 WJien the Seventh Division started to enter the Conlie area, the 
 region had been entirely "washed out" of equipment. Inside of three 
 days the men in charge of the work had set up Y. M. C. A. centers in 
 49 towns. Buildings were taken over, tents pitched, contracts drawn 
 and every hamlet that contained 200 men or more had "Y" activities 
 of some kind the same day it was occupied by troops. Five rolling 
 canteens were hastily brought into the area for supplementary service 
 and six cinema machines were supplied. It was a record in itself. 
 
 The matter of saving time in serving a company of men with hot 
 chocolate and cakes by the Y. M. C. A. as they detr ined was so 
 important to the Army officers that frequently not all the men in the 
 ranks could secure anything. This was obviated when the following 
 plan was thought out and put into practive. As the men retrained 
 and formed in columns of four they approached the Y. M. C. A. tent 
 and were served without waiting longer than to lift their tin cup from 
 their belts and hand it out to be filled, and without losing their forma- 
 tion. This was accomplished by having two long tables stationed with 
 each other and apart far enough so that two lines might be served 
 from each table as they passed through the tent. The lines alternately 
 were served first with chocolate and secondly with cakes, no stop being 
 necessary to reform as they continued on past the tent. This system 
 was subsequently used by many canteen workers and was officially com- 
 mended by Army officers. It was efficiently worked out in the Ballon 
 area, at Beaumont and at Conlie with the Seventh Division. 
 
 An unusual honor was conferred upon the 28 Y. M. C. A. women 
 canteen workers with the Seventh Division, when the troops moved 
 from Colombey-les-Belles to Conlie, in appreciation of the splendid 
 service rendered by -the "Bluebirds" to the men. Major J. R. Miller, 
 chief Welfare officer, gave the group of young women a personally 
 conducted excursion from base to base in five large reconnaissance 
 trucks which made the three hundred miles without mishap. Hotel 
 accommodations and picnic lunches were provided for the "Y" girls 
 under the personal direction of Major Miller, who expressed the senti- 
 ment that they were entitled to even more courtesy because of their 
 excellent records in Welfare work for the boys. 
 
 How THE "Y" Works 
 
 OW. VOORHEES, religious work secretary with the Conlie con- 
 • tingent, and for some time at Laval, gives a pen picture of "Y" 
 work in the area, which is based on actual conditions at the time: 
 
144 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Captain X comes bustling into "Y" headquarters at Laval for he has 
 an important errand — a pocket full of francs to hand over to the 
 business secretary, from the canteen operated in the tovrn where his 
 outfit of colored engineers is billetted. In a day or two the "Y" will 
 relinquish responsibility for the canteen to the Quartermaster's Depart- 
 ment of the Army, and when the last reports are in this connection 
 with the "Y" will be severed. So at least thinks Captain X. 
 
 The money is paid over to the man in charge, and Captain X is 
 about to depart, well satisfied with a duty well performed. But he 
 hears a query: 
 
 "Captain, how is the educational work going in your outfit.^" 
 
 "Educational work.^* We have none." 
 
 "Did you not know of the order that educational advantages were 
 to be offered to all the soldiers, and that all who cannot read and 
 write are under orders to attend the schools that are set up? We have 
 found illiterates in every detachment of colored men we have met." 
 
 "That is news to me. The order must have failed to reach me." 
 
 "^Vlell, that's the fact. Now can we help you put the program over?" 
 
 "But we have no place for classes." 
 
 "We will supply a tent if you will find a place for it and furnish a 
 detail to put it up." 
 
 "That is good as far as it goes, but we have no tables and benches." 
 "We will supply them also. We will also furnish books and a man 
 to organize the work and instruct some of your non-coms as teachers. 
 In some camps the men are required to learn to write their names at 
 least. They cannot receive their pay until they learn to sign the pay 
 roll. Issue such an order in your outfit, and you will have no trouble to 
 get men into your school." 
 
 "That's good. How soon can we begin?" 
 
 "We will give the order for the tent and equipment at once if you 
 promise to do your part." 
 
 "That is fine. Now, let me see. Can't you send a live wire out to 
 talk to our boys? I rather think they need a little preaching." 
 
 "Surely. Meet the religious secretary. And be sure that the service 
 is well advertised. Anything more we can do for you?" 
 
 "I wonder if there are any other colored outfits around here. Our 
 men would like to challenge them to a baseball game. Something of 
 that sort helps keep the men occupied." 
 
 "Surely! We have all the information here. Come and look at our 
 
In the Le Mans Area I ir) 
 
 map. There are colored troops there and there (pointing). See the 
 athletic secretary. He will be glad to help you make the arrangements, 
 and secure any additional athletic equipment you may need. Captain 
 X, let me introduce you to Mr. A. I think you and he can arrange this 
 matter to your satisfaction." 
 
 The interviews with the athletic and religious secretaries were prompt 
 and businesslike, and Captain X went away a little later than he had 
 expected, but with a supply of information that set him thinking. He 
 had imagined that the canteen was the big end of "Y" work. Here he 
 had come in one short hour into contact with its educational, religious 
 and athletic activities and had found them all offering valued and val- 
 uable aid for his men. 
 
 In one camp many colored men had practically their first schooling 
 under the "Y" secretary, and were proud indeed when they could sign 
 their names to the pay roll, and could send their first letters in their 
 own handwriting to the folk back home. 
 
 The northwest area had a large problem in the service of many 
 widely scattered units; engineers, labor batallions, etc. Large units of 
 colored batallions centered at Mayenne Forest and at St. Denis d'Orques 
 and were served by colored secretaries. An important unit was the 
 Polish regiment located at Sille Guiame. 
 
1. Afternoon Tea; Officers at Ballon. 2. Improvised Cafe in Sixteenth Century Building, 
 
 Used as "Y" Reading Room at La Ferte-Bernard. 3. Canteen Service at cbnley Hut. 
 
 4. Michigan Hut at Conley. 5. Hostess House at Ballon. 6. Sixteenth Century Town 
 
 Hall at La Ferte-Bernard, used as "Y." 
 
In the Le Mans Area 147 
 
 NORTHEAST AREA 
 BALLON HEADQUARTERS 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 C. R. HENCH Area Supervisor 
 
 I. L. PUTNAM Business Secretary 
 
 THOMAS FRIEND , Accountant 
 
 MABEL E. SHERIDAN Activities Director 
 
 ROLAND BATSON Athletic Director 
 
 A. L. BIXLER Religious Director 
 
 H. W. HYDE Assistant Athletic Director 
 
 ELEANOR A. KETCHUM Office Secretary 
 
 ERNEST KNIGHT Transportation Director 
 
 D. A. SLOAN Assistant Athletic Director 
 
 MISS SALLIE MASSEY Hostess House 
 
 THIRTIETH DIVISION— BALLON 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 J. NORMAN PATTERSON Division Secretary 
 
 WALTER L. MATTIS Transportation Manager 
 
 STEPHEN O. GIBBS Accountant 
 
 CHARLES R. HENCH Assistant Accountant 
 
 JESSE J. DODD Wiarehouse Manager 
 
 MARTIN H. DOANE 4thletic Director 
 
 JOHN E. DUNN Religious Director 
 
 ELLIOTT C. ROGERS Educational Director 
 
 MARCUS E. NELLUMS Accountant 
 
 GEORGE R. BAYNTAIN.. Warehouse Secretary 
 
 DAVID A. SLOAN Associate Athletic Secretary 
 
 HOMER F. PRICE Motor Transport Secretary 
 
 HOMER F. PIERCE Driver 
 
 EUGENE G. REXFORD Driver 
 
 HENRY BAKER Secretary 
 
 R. C. KINKAIDE S,ecretary 
 
 W. S. ROUNDS Secretary 
 
 A. H. LYCAN Secretary 
 
 R. J. RITTER Secretary 
 
 J- S- WRAY : Secretary 
 
 H-M. MILLS Secretary 
 
148 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 W. S. McBRIDE- Secretary 
 
 B. McCLEARY.... Secretary 
 
 W. C. CRONK Secretary 
 
 W. J. JENNINGS ...Canteen 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Miss Effie Shields Miss Sallie Massey 
 
 Miss Frances Cooper Miss Teresa McDavid 
 
 THIRTY-SEVENTH DIVISION— ALENCON 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 CRATE DALTON : Division Secretary 
 
 HERBERT S. GILKEY - Cashier 
 
 EDWARD E. BRIGGS Transportation Secretary 
 
 JOHN CALVIN BLACK.- Assistant Athletic Secretary 
 
 CHAS. E. GREASON.-_ ._ Athletic Secretary 
 
 CHAS. E. COSAND Educational Secretary 
 
 LOUIS N. CUSHMAN ....Entertainment Secretary 
 
 GEO. E. GREELEY ...Auditor 
 
 CHAS. W. KELLEY Religious Secretary 
 
 WALTER E. WELLMAN Educational Secretary 
 
 JOHN W. PRICE Entertainment Secretary 
 
 S. N. SELLERS Athletic Secretary 
 
 G. C. RANNE __ Athletic Secretary 
 
 ARTHUR LEONARD Transportation Secretary 
 
 S. C. WADMOND... __ _ : ...Hut Secretary 
 
 H. A. MELCHER Hut Secretary 
 
 JOS. HENY BLACKMER Hut Secretary 
 
 RICHARD WILSON Assistant Hut Secretary 
 
 AAVON RUBRIGHT... Hut Secretary 
 
 WM. O. FLETCHER .....Hut Secretary 
 
 ROY FAGALY Hut Secretary 
 
 GEO. B. ADAMS Hut Secretary 
 
 SHIRLEY REASONER Hut Secretary 
 
 J. KELLEY BROWN Hut Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Claudine Rodgers Anna McGlineh 
 
 Sarah H. Smith Myrtle Weaver 
 
In the Le Mans Area 149 
 
 TWENTY-NINTH DIVISION— BALLON 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 A. L. MALOTT Division Secretary 
 
 H. W. CONKLIN Transportation Secretary 
 
 ERWIN C. FUNK Athletic Secretary 
 
 J. F. BICKEL Secretary 
 
 E. E. SHRIVER Secretary 
 
 ROY J. HICKS... Secretary 
 
 L. A. WILSON Secretary 
 
 W. C. MOORE Secretary 
 
 E. S. McCARDELL ...Secretary 
 
 W. HOWELL Secretary 
 
 C. S. ALBRO. Secretary 
 
 MILO MURRAY Secretary 
 
 H. C. WHIPP Secretary 
 
 ROBERT PARSONS Secretary 
 
 GEO. WOODRING ...Secretary 
 
 H. C. JAMIESON Secretary 
 
 R. HUNTER ...Secretary 
 
 JOS. GOFFNETT Secretary 
 
 ROBERT STEWART Secretary 
 
 J. H. ARMBRUST Secretary 
 
 CARL TROUTWINE Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 
 Mrs. Effie P. Loomis Mary B. Jenkins 
 
 Louise Mclntyre Gertrude Marvin 
 
 Sara E. Hayes Mayo Massey 
 
 Sallie Simonton Mary E. Morris 
 
 Elizabeth Simonton Essie Roberts 
 
 Eleanor E. Shyne Helen Snyder 
 
 Louise Wilcox Mrs. Mainer Toler 
 
 Mrs. Catherine Holcomb Elizabeth Tuller 
 
150 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 EIGHTY-FIRST DIVISION— BALLON 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 W. PAUL MOBLEY Divisional Secretary 
 
 IRVING E. PATRIDGE. Business Secretary 
 
 JAMES H. RANKIN Religious Secretary 
 
 B. F. POLLARD Motor Transport 
 
 JAMES W. BALL Motor Transport 
 
 E. J. NEWBEGIN Athletic Secretary 
 
 FRANK WHITBECK Athletic Secretary 
 
 Secretaries and Canteen Workers 
 Helen R. Churchill Ralph C. Barnstead 
 
 Miss Cassett F. A. Harris 
 
 Eleanor Ketchum Curtis M. Harrison 
 
 Ona M. Rounds F. B. Howland 
 
 Janet Linehan G. A. Johns 
 
 Ethel Wright Charles Henry 
 
 Bertha Howell S. D. Leonard 
 
 Mary F. Jones F. R. Mitchell 
 
 Anne G. Brown George W. Blair 
 
 Gladys Wood E. C. Freese 
 
 Christine Pollock Bernard Peterson 
 
 Gladys Graham W. J. Allen 
 
 Bernice White G. E. Webster 
 
 Mary Garrett Frank W. Harrison 
 
 Mildred Severance M. D. Roberts 
 
 Alice Macy Calvin Ferris 
 
 Jean Davidson W. H. B. Lyon 
 
 Martha Allen T. T. Simmons 
 
 Ruth Lew G. W. Everett 
 
 Helen Woodman Cbas. A. Lloyd 
 
 Ella S. Molter E. W. Warrington 
 
 Dorothy Hiller E. F. Hecox 
 
 Constance Scudder F. W. Engle 
 
 Ireline DeWitt James G. Cairns 
 
 Henrietta Floney Thomas J. Thomas 
 
 Lilly M. Young H. O. McDonald 
 
 Kilbourne Cowles W. L. Grimes 
 
 F. Miriam Stowers F. A. Carmony 
 
 Florida Kountz M. C. Bullock 
 
 Mrs. Effie Loomis Hugh M. Mills 
 
 Archie Brown T. T. Simmons 
 
 W. C. Cronk 
 
In the Le Mans Area 151 
 
 HE Y. M. C. A. personnel who served the passing 
 troops in the Ballon area will long remember the old 
 Chateau de Ballon which stands on the brow of the 
 highest hill in the territory, with the beautiful shrine 
 of the calvary nestling at its feet. It is safe to assume 
 that few soldiers of the 30th, 37th, 29th or 81st divisions who occupied 
 this area on their homeward journey, missed the opportunity to climb 
 the winding stairway and drink in the beauties of the wonderful view 
 of France's beautiful countryside from the balconies of this old relic 
 of the Roman age. Built in the year 824 A. D., it stands like a sentinel 
 keeping tireless guard, still sturdy and strong, an enduring monument 
 to the patience and wonderful workmanship of its builders. 
 
 IT WAS in December, 1918, that the streets of the little village of 
 Ballon first echoed to the tread of American troops. The "Old 
 Hickory" or Thirtieth Division, boys recruited from the Sunny South, 
 were billeted in Ballon and the surrounding villages and towns — ap- 
 proximately 25,000 men and 900 officers — remaining here until early 
 March. The men were weary and nerve-shaken, just recovering from 
 the shock of the terrific battering they had received at the front. They 
 wanted to go home — and exile to the more or less uncomfortable billets 
 in this area for an indefinite stay did not add to their peace of mind. 
 It was evident that something had to be done, and the Y. M. C. A. 
 set to work to find the solution to the problem. 
 
 At this time the "Y" was beginning to get organized in the Le 
 Mans region, transportation was hard to get, and the bulk of the work 
 to be undertaken for "Old Hickory" boys fell upon the shoulders of a 
 few. Of course, there was the usual "Y" tent which served as a warm, 
 cheery gathering place for the men; there was the canteen with hot 
 chocolate and coffee, and even a piano with a few scattered sheets of 
 
152 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 music. But more than rest, the boys needed diversion. To a "Y" girl 
 belongs the credit of suggesting the first local talent show put over in 
 this area by soldier actors of the Second Battalion, 114th Infantry, 
 30th Division, who were billeted in the small town of Torce. Re- 
 hearsals began the Friday before Christmas and the actors found 
 themselves faced with the tremendous task of not only providing the 
 lines and action, but the costumes, scenery and stage. Rapid scout 
 work among the good-natured French with much resultant fun and 
 jollity secured a portion of the costumes; the platform was made from 
 tables borrowed from the village cafe; army blankets made splendid 
 curtains, and Christmas night the "show" made its initial appearance 
 before a large and enthusiastic crowd in the "Y" tent. 
 
 The keynote of diversion for the "Old Hickory" boys was thus 
 struck, and the rest of their stay in the Ballon area was largely spent 
 in the development and production of a soldier show which they 
 proudly called "Hickory Nuts." To present this, the Y. M. C. A. 
 secured the use of the only theatre in Ballon which had its entrance 
 through a French cafe and which was promptly dubbed "Old Htckory 
 Theatre." Trucks went out into the area on the nights on which per- 
 formances were to be given and brought into Ballon the bored, lone- 
 some boys so eager for this amusement. "Hickory Nuts" had a two 
 months' run, playing two and sometimes three nights of each week to 
 an ever-changing crowd. Performance over, there was alwa^'^s a rush 
 for the "Y," where the canteen was open and hot chocolate was waiting 
 to be served before loading the big trucks for the trip back to billets. 
 At this stage in the game, the Welfare Service was crude and unde- 
 veloped in comparison to what was later achieved, but the spirit of 
 service and the hard work done accomplished a feeling of friendship 
 and goodwill between the boys of the "Old Hickory" Division and the 
 "Y" representatives, which will linger long in the hearts of both. 
 
 THE COMING of the Thirty-seventh Division into the Ballon area, 
 December 24, 1919, distinctly marked a challenge to the "Y." 
 Over 25,000 men and about 800 officers occupied billets in Alencon 
 
In the Le Mans Ahea 153 
 
 and vicinity, coming into this area from Belgium, where they had been 
 resting after their test of service in the Argonne Forest. It was 
 claimed that up to that time the "Y" had done nothing for the Thirty- 
 seventh Division and the attitude of men and officers alike was dis- 
 tinctly that of "make good or quit." 
 
 The Division was first expected to occupy billets in St. Calais and 
 the surrounding towns, and the "Y" set busily to work establishing 
 canteens to meet the incoming troops. The work was well under way 
 when a sudden change in the Army's plans sent the troops to Alencon 
 and vicinity, and all the work of preparation had to be done over 
 again. Fourteen "Y" men and one "Y" girl left St. Calais December 
 23, arriving in Alencon the twenty-fourth, and started their work of 
 service by preparing a Christmas dinner for 64 enlisted men, the 
 advance guard of the Thirty-seventh Division, just arrived cold, tired 
 and hungry — and it is safe to state that for once the Red Triangle sign 
 looked most comforting to at least a few boys who wore the Buckeye 
 insignia. But the battle had just begun. 
 
 It was a difficult proposition which the "Y" was facing that cold, 
 wintry weather. The "Y" Headquarters — Le Mans, was fully 45 
 kilometers away ; the troops were billeted in over 40 different towns, 
 distant from five to twenty-five kilometers from Alencon; it was neces- 
 sary to truck all supplies from Le Mans, and deliver them to the 
 different huts and canteens — and there were only twenty "Y" men and 
 four "Y" girls to put over the job. But the spirit with which these 
 twenty-four undertook their difficult work would not be denied. Bit 
 by bit the task was put over — for weeks and months they covered 
 the territory under most disagreeable weather conditions, serving free 
 to the boys good hot chocolate, good advice and cheer, until huts and 
 canteens became more thickly established, a rolling canteen made its 
 appearance and relieved them of the more arduous trips, and they were 
 free to turn their minds and hands to greater plans for welfare. 
 
 Sincere thanks must be extended to the officers and enlisted men of 
 the Thirty-seventh for their cooperation. Once convinced that the "Y" 
 intended to give the utmost possible in service to the "Buckeye" boys, 
 they rendered every possible assistance. It was not long before educa- 
 tional classes were formed and supervised in Alencon and writing and 
 reading rooms were furnished. A theatre building was leased and the 
 Entertainment Department supplied entertainment and motion pic- 
 tures. The Athletic Department furnished athletic events and when 
 February 20 came and the boys of the Thirty-seventh departed for 
 
154 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 home, their commanding officer, General Farnsworth, repaid all the 
 sacrifices that had been made and all the pains that had been taken 
 when he said: "The Y. M. C. A. has always given good service, but 
 never has this Division been so well cared for as during its brief stop 
 in the Ballon area." The "Y" had met its challenge. 
 
 THE BOYS of the "Blue and Gray" made a flying visit to the 
 Ballon area in April, 1919, but they found the "Y" ready and 
 waiting to give them the best service they had ever had from this 
 organization. After subsisting upon hardtack and "bully beef" for 
 68 hours, practically 16,000 men stepped off the troop trains at 
 Beaumont to be met by a "Y" man and a detail of "Y" girls, who had 
 fully prepared to furnish that nourishment for the inner man so neces- 
 sary to his mental well being. They were ushered in lines of four into 
 a big "Y" tent, where a steaming cup of chocolate and a package of 
 cakes was given to every man. "The Y. M. C. A. put it over strong this 
 time," said Captain Louis B. Walker, Army Detraining Officer with the 
 Twenty-ninth Division, to the hustling "Y" man as he scurried around 
 to see that no one was overlooked, "and they proved a life-saver for 
 these thousands of men who have just been through one of the most 
 unpleasant experiences of their service — riding several days on cold 
 troop trains, standing up most of the time, and with cold rations only. 
 They surely needed something hot." 
 
 It took five days for these men to reach the Ballon area, during 
 which time the "Y" girls worked on eight-hour shifts that the canteen 
 might always be ready for emergency with plenty of chocolate ready at 
 all times. But the end was finally reached and the boys settled very 
 comfortably into their billets while the "Y" played the game of God- 
 father to them all. There were entertainments and motion picture 
 shows, chocolate barrages and dances — ^while the weather had so 
 beautifully cleared up that the countryside was delightfully fresh and 
 
In the Le Mans Area 155 
 
 green, with glorious sunshine which proved the title "Sunny France" 
 not so far wrong after all. But the Twenty-ninth Division boys were 
 in luck. Only five days after the last man had arrived at his billet, 
 orders were given to pack up and move on toward that magic land 
 across the sea. Once more the "Y" girls went into eight-hour shifts 
 of canteen service, while the old "Y" tent at the entraining point 
 hummed with activity. It was a strenuous time getting these happy 
 lads started on one more lap toward home — but not a member of the 
 "Y" personnel will ever regret any sacrifice made, or any of the back- 
 aching work which kept the boys in smiling humor. 
 
 SIXTEEN THOUSAND men and 500 officers of the Eighty-first 
 or "Wildcat" Division were the next troops to occupy the Ballon 
 area. Fortunately the busy "Y" workers had a few days' rest between 
 the leaving of the Twenty-ninth and the entry of the first troops of 
 the Eighty-first, and were refreshed and ready to receive them. With 
 rapid despatch the detraining troops were fed with lemonade and cake, 
 if arriving by day, and hot chocolate and cakes if by night, given a 
 hearty and smiling welcome as they passed on to the towns where they 
 were to be billeted. At this time, the "Y" organization had reached a 
 high point of efficiency and was able to put on welfare programmes 
 which had not before been equalled in this area. 
 
 The canteen, around which much of the comfort of man centers, was 
 always running; supplies in abundance were delivered into the area 
 daily; athletic goods, movies, lectures and entertainments found their 
 way into the tiniest village, and the Y. M. C. A. personnel was always 
 on the job. That their work was of the highest type and much appre- 
 ciated by those whose business it was to follow same closely can best 
 be shown by the following excerpt from a letter written by Major- 
 General C. J. Bailey, Commandant of the Eighty-first Division, 
 
156 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 directed to Y. M. C. A. Secretary in charge of the welfare work. He 
 says: "On the eve of the departure of this Division for the United 
 States, the commanding general desires to express his thanks and 
 appreciation for the splendid work of the Y. M. C. A. secretaries and 
 helpers who have served with the Division in France. 
 
 "Probably the most valuable work which has been done by the 
 Y. M. C. A. was in the areas which the Division occupied after the 
 signing of the armistice. During this period the men did not have the 
 same incentives which had kept up their spirits before the armistice; 
 they realized their work was done and they were only awaiting their 
 turn to go home; and it was only natural they should be somewhat 
 homesick and that their morale would suffer. 
 
 "But the Y. M. C. A. set out with determined efforts to counteract 
 these tendencies. Huts with canteen service were established in every 
 station; local entertainments were encouraged by the secretaries and 
 costumes provided. Moving picture machines were brought in and a 
 schedule established that gave every station two picture shows in a 
 week; a library was established, so there was no lack of reading 
 matter. 
 
 "There can be no doubt that the high state of morale which exists in 
 the Division today, is, in a large measure, due to the excellent work of 
 the Y. M. C. A." 
 
 It was the object of the "Y" personnel to keep the "Wildcats" so 
 busy that the frequent postponing of the home trip could be borne 
 almost with a smile. But the time came at last when Arnw orders 
 said "Pack up and go" and all energies were turned toward the last 
 lap of the journey to the big ships. The area was gradually closed 
 out, supplies salvaged and the personnel — those who did not return 
 with the Division which they had served so well — drifted into other 
 regions and other work. The Americans had come and gone, and the 
 old Chateau de Ballon on. its hilltop high, is guarding the quiet village 
 streets and pleasant countryside as it was before the American invasion. 
 It has viewed many a strange scene since its erection, but there will 
 long remain memories of the stalwart buddies from across the sea who 
 passed so hurriedly, but left such a lasting impression. 
 
 1 
 
In the Le Mans Area 157 
 
 LA FERTE-BERNARD 
 Sub Base of Northwest Area 
 
 NINETY-FIRST DIVISION 
 
 CLIFFORD W. HAIG Division Secretary 
 
 O. L, FERRIS - Assistant Division Secretary 
 
 WILLIS H. WARD _ _ ....Office Executive 
 
 LAMAR H. WjATERS Business Secretary 
 
 J. W. CADLE Accountant 
 
 H. G. BROTHERS Cashier 
 
 HARRY G. FISHER ......Entertainment Director 
 
 C. C. HAMILTON Religious Director 
 
 ROLAND BATSON Athletic Secretary 
 
 O. RAUDABAUGH Athletic Secretary 
 
 O. E. BAKER Educational Director 
 
 J. L. COULTER Educational Secretary 
 
 A. C. MINEAR Educational Secretary 
 
 RUSSELL NELSON ..Educational Secretary 
 
 C. M. SMALL Educational Secretary 
 
 L. L. BROWN...... Hut Secretary 
 
 J. H. BRUGGERS Motor Transport 
 
 NEIL CAMPBELL .....Hut Secretary 
 
 C. A. DRUMMOND Hut Secretary 
 
 N. A. EDMONDS Hut Secretary 
 
 G. M. FULLER Hut Secretary 
 
 H. INBUSH Hut Secretary 
 
 G. W. JOHNSON. Motor Transport 
 
 R. H. McCULLAGH Hut Secretary 
 
 J. H. McGILL Hut Secretary 
 
 J. W. McGINNIS Hut Secretary 
 
 H. B. STECKER Motor Transport 
 
158 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 J. W. YOUNG Hut Secretary 
 
 E. H. WILLIAMS Hut Secretary 
 
 W. G. WJNN ...Hut Secretary 
 
 H. J. WILLIAMS Telephone Director 
 
 L. E. HATHEWAY Hut Secretary 
 
 J. A. CHRISTIAN Hut Secretary 
 
 W. W. REID Hut Secretary 
 
 PAUL TREPLE Hut Secretary 
 
 G. I. SOVERIGN Hut Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 
 Elizabeth Cahoon Mabel Sheridan 
 
 Louise Clarke Gertrude Brady 
 
 Charlotte Crane Miss Lesley 
 Mrs. E. Lewis 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 A FERTE-BERNARD, a sub-base of the Northwest 
 area, occupies the extreme northwest section of the Le 
 Mans area. In general characteristics it is not unlike 
 other French villages in this part of France. The same 
 main thoroughfare, stretching from one end of the town 
 to the other, the familiar public square and market place, with smaller 
 open spaces in other local centers of congregation, the ever-present 
 stone cathedral which looms large as one approaches the town, and the 
 narrow cobble-paved streets- — all these and more comprise the typical 
 French city of La Ferte-Bernard. 
 
 The town itself is on a hill from which may be seen some distance 
 away an ancient castle. This structure is really situated in a swamp. 
 It was defended by a double circle of walls, separated by deep moats 
 filled with running water from two rivers. Big and Little Perch, it 
 being possible to strengthen the defenses by flooding the swamps adja- 
 cent to the castle. The city was surrounded by walls with moats. It 
 was entered by three great gates ; the gate of Paris, the gate of Orleans 
 and the gate of Le Mans. This region is notable as the home of the 
 Percheron horses, of world-wide fame. 
 
 Into this area and in this environment the Ninety-first Division 
 moved during late December, 1918, and early January, 1919, and this 
 Division was the only complete one that ever occupied La Ferte, 
 
In the Le Mans Area 159 
 
 though many scattered units passed through the region and were 
 quartered for different periods of time in its villages and hamlets for 
 miles around. 
 
 The Y. M. C. A. in this area was notable for the devotion of its 
 personnel and the efficiency of the service rendered. The work started 
 in the midwinter, under the most trying conditions and in the face of 
 almost insurmountable obstacles. 
 
 The Ninety-first Division remained in the area from January until 
 the last week in March and all this time the "Y" was on the job. 
 
 Major-General Johnston, in command of the Division, at the dedi- 
 cation of the Y. M. C. A. huts at the Forwarding Camp, March 30, 
 spoke substantially as follows in appreciation of the work of the 
 Association : 
 
 "We of the Ninety-first appreciate the Y. M. C. A. thoroughly, for 
 from the time the Ninety-first Division arrived in France the Y. M. 
 C. A. have added much to the entertainment and the supplies furnished 
 the Division while fighting and while waiting for the fighting. The 
 Y. M. C. A. secretaries were on the fighting line at the Argonne woods, 
 dressing the wounded men regardless of the danger to themselves and 
 placing themselves at the mercy of snipers from the German lines. A 
 number of "Y" men have been recommended for the D. S. C. At a 
 time when the ambulances were insufficient at the front the Y. M. C. A. 
 and the Red Cross could be found along the roadside feeding the 
 wounded and binding up their wounds, thus saving many lives. The 
 Army is especially indebted to the Welfare organizations for not only 
 supplying physical wants of the men, but for furnishing the best kind 
 of entertainment and boosting up the morale of the soldier. The 
 American soldier has been taught to command and to obey, but they 
 have also had a spiritual elevation born of their experiences at the 
 front. And to the Y. M. C. A. the Division owes more than to any 
 other Welfare organization for the reason that the Association has a 
 larger personnel." 
 
 Almost all the men of the Ninety-first Division were from the 
 Pacific Coast, and the majority great big fellows, with singularly low 
 speaking voices. They were a talented lot of men, too, and singers, 
 players of various instruments. So that if a show failed for some 
 reason to appear, it was almost always possible to organize an im- 
 promptu vaudeville from the audience. 
 
 The Division departed the last week of March, the last troops leav- 
 ing Nogent March 31. They were served hot chocolate and cookies at 
 
160 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 the station, by the rolling canteen workers who took charge; the men 
 had magazines and cigarettes, and departed in high spirits. Since then 
 until June 9, when the "Y" Hut at La Ferte passed out of existence, 
 the town was never full, but was occupied by companies of two 
 different battalions of M. P.'s, by members of Sanitary trains, and the 
 Town Major's Staff. With the giving up on April 1 of the dry canteen, 
 the work became different. It was chiefly to amuse the boys in their 
 leisure hours during the day and in the evenings, and owing to the 
 small number of men was far more personal. One came to realize more 
 than ever what a lot of homesick children they are, responsive and 
 appreciative. 
 
 There were still dances and hardly was one over before they began 
 clamoring for the next. There were also "shows" in the theatre, al- 
 though less frequently, and several times movies in the public market 
 square, where the French populace also enjoyed them. 
 
 Typical canteen service by the Y. M. C. A. in this area is well illus- 
 trated by the following experience of a "Y" girl who relates it in her 
 own words: 
 
 "The Sunday following my arrival I was despatched on ten minutes' 
 notice to Nogent-le-Rotrou to make coffee for three thousand arriving 
 soldiers of the Ninety-first Division and to remain for two or three 
 days. The two or three days became nearly five months. I had no 
 equipment for this, but was told to apply to the Army. 
 
 "The 'Y' secretary took me down to his mess, with a company of 
 Supply Train already arrived. There the Army cooks, fortunately for 
 me, took charge of things. It was a rainy day, the spot which was 
 pronounced most suitable was a muddy road near the railway station, 
 and with the green wood at our disposal I wondered how a fire could 
 ever be kindled. But the Army cooks were not to be daunted. A tar- 
 paulin shelter was quickly set up on two poles and tied between trees, 
 two huge thirty-gallon containers were set over paving stones, bor- 
 rowed from the roadside, the green wood was induced to burn by liberal 
 dashes of gasoline and kerosene and sooner than it seemed possible 
 water was boiling, the coffee well under way. The troops had been 
 expected at Sunday noon, but the first train load did not arrive until 
 late that night, when they had been given up and everyone had re- 
 tired. The next morning we were on the job for the trains, and all that 
 day and the next they kept coming. A large G. I. can was set out 
 in the middle of the muddy road, the men filed past on each side, and 
 a soldier and I dipped out the coffee all sweetened and with milk. 
 
In the Le Mans Area l6l 
 
 and poured it into the outheld mess cups, the rain drizzling down 
 steadily. It was fun to hear the comments: 'An American woman.' 
 'Say, Miss, are you really American.?' and 'Gee, it's good to hear an 
 American woman speak.' 
 
 "After those two days there were only occasional trains, although 
 more than half the Division passed through Nogent, besides the 2,000 
 or more quartered in the town itself, and detail from the last train 
 supplied the companies with coffee, while the "Y" secretary and I 
 busied ourselves moving into the new hut rented because of the in- 
 creased demand for space. It was a large building intended for recre- 
 ation purposes, and a dry canteen was installed at one end; at the 
 other was a billiard table and writing tables, while the center space 
 during the winter served the following purposes : Reading and writing 
 room, basketball court (and many were the games played there), dance 
 hall, and twice a ring was erected and boxing matches held, place for 
 Sunday evening religious services, and on three occasions a dormitory. 
 Once for soldiers returning from German prison camps, once for a 
 large number of casuals for whom it was impossible to find billets in 
 the crowded town. 
 
 "The dry canteen was most amusing in spite of the work. Of course, 
 the boys growled and grumbled if they could not buy their favorite 
 brand of cigarette, which so often was the one it was impossible for us 
 to obtain, whether from "Y" sources or trips to the nearest commis- 
 sary. But they could usually be 'jollied' out of this mood, and usually 
 ended by going away in a cheerful frame of mind or tarrying to play 
 the piano, billiards or lean over the counter and talk. 
 
 "The 'Y' entertainments and the Sunday morning services were 
 held in the French theatre, and every night but Sunday, when the 
 French had movies, there was something. Some of the most amusing 
 shows were those gotten up by the boys themselves, and the 31 6th gave 
 a number of these. 
 
 "Early in January the writer became Hut Secretary in full charge, 
 and although it meant more than 12 hours a day work almost every 
 day, it was so interesting that one hardly thought of fatigue. About 
 this time we gave our first dance, with a few 'Y' girls available and two 
 or three French girls who were persauded to do the unheard of thing 
 and come to dance with American soldiers. When they saw how v/ell 
 conducted the men were, and when they heard Am.erican dance music 
 played by the regimental band, they must have enjoyed themselves. 
 
162 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 for after that at each dance, and we gave them fortnightly, the num- 
 ber of nice French girls increased. 
 
 "In January the wet canteen was opened, and we hoped to serve 
 hot chocolate three times a week, but alas, owing to the arrangement 
 by which whenever the cocoa boiler was moved to be washed, the 
 chimney pipe which also was the chimney pipe of the canteen stove, 
 fell down, it was impossible to do this and we usually limited ourselves 
 to free cocoa and "cookies" as the boys called the sweet crackers, on 
 Sunday afternoons. They praised the cocoa, even when we did not 
 think it quite up to the mark, and one evening it did happen to be 
 especially good, one man amazed me by saying: 'This is as good as 
 I could make in America,' and then explained that he was a profes- 
 sional cocoa cook." 
 
 Another Welfare woman worker. Miss Leslie, who arrived in Le 
 Mans about one o'clock on Christmas morning, went two days later to 
 La Ferte. She, with Mrs. Lewis, whose story appears above, were the 
 only two American women in their respective towns. Miss Leslie stated 
 that on the Sunda}'^ before New Year's Day, she with two "Y" men 
 and the Army Chaplain, spent all day at the station of La Ferte wait- 
 ing for a troop train which was bringing in outfits of the Ninety-first 
 Division. They were to serve them hot chocolate. The 8-40 (Shorses 
 and 40 men) train did not arrive until 9 o'clock in the evening, but the 
 men were served chocolate. This "Y" woman arranged a complete and 
 varied programme of activities. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 
 nights, moving pictures, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, 
 entertainments, and once in a while a dance. On Sunday there was a 
 service in the morning and a band concert at night. Inter-company 
 basketball games, stunt nights and an indoor field meet were features. 
 Next to the building used for the dry canteen and entertainment, was 
 the reading and writing room, and subsequently a wet canteen was set 
 up and operated. 
 
In the I.e Mans Area 
 
 163 
 
 1. Le Chateau — Bonnetable. 2. The Eternal Stone Home of the Roadside. 3. A Lonely 
 
 By-way. 4. Wine Grower's Home Near Connerre. 5. Typical Brittany Thatched Roofs. 
 
 6. In Old Rennes. 7. Gateway to La Ferte-Bernard 
 
164 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SOUTHEAST AREA 
 
 ECOMMOY HEADQUARTERS 
 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 H. A. EASTMAN - Area Supervisor 
 
 H. E. DIXON - -— - Accountant 
 
 M. P. McCLURE Religious Secretary 
 
 W. A. WILDING Entertainment Secretary 
 
 J. C. KING - - - Athletic Secretary 
 
 HERBERT RAMSEY _ Transportation Secretary 
 
 W. M. SHEWRY - -- Warehouse Secretary 
 
 LOUISE SAVARESE. Hut Secretary 
 
 TWENTY-SIXTH DIVISION 
 
 PAUL L. EVANS Divisional Secretary 
 
 R. A. BASHAM Business Secretary 
 
 GUY F. PONDER .....Accountant 
 
 WALTER LOOMIS -- Warehouse Manager 
 
 D. M. THOMAS Educational Secretary 
 
 W. W. HOWELL ...Athletic Secretary 
 
 C. I. RAMSAY - - .....Religious Secretary 
 
 A. E. SHORT Cashier 
 
 HERBERT RAMSAY .....Transportation Secretary 
 
 L. L. WOODS - - Hut Secretary 
 
 W. D. TAYLOR _. _ Hut Secretary 
 
 T. L. SPEIDEN Hut Secretary 
 
 R. H. WHITE : Hut Secretary 
 
 A. F. CARLYLE.... Hut Secretary 
 
 H. E. DERR ...Hut Secretary 
 
 W. J. BAKER _ _ ...Hut Secretary 
 
 B. V. JOHNSON __ Hut Secretary 
 
 M. A. CASSIDY Hut Secretary 
 
 C. W. COIT ...Hut Secretary 
 
 J. B. MORRIS - _ ......Hut Secretary 
 
 B. WHITMAN Hut Secretary 
 
 ISAAC PATCH... Hut Secretary 
 
 J. J. CARRINGTON ..Secretary 
 
 C. C. YERKES.. Secretary 
 
 WM. C. GORDON Secretary 
 
 MR. KARLSON Secretary 
 
In the Le Mans Area 165 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Miss Louise Savarese Miss Ann Elliott 
 Mrs. L. W. Fleming Miss Ellen Hines 
 
 Mrs. Augusta Haring Mrs. Georgia E. Hobbs 
 Miss Jane Singer 
 
 EIGHTIETH DIVISION 
 
 PAUL L. EVANS Divisional Secretary 
 
 H. A. EASTMAN Business Secretary 
 
 H. E. DIXON— - ^ Accountant 
 
 M. P. McCLURE Religious Director 
 
 L. U. KING Transportation Director 
 
 C. T. BROWN Warehouse Director 
 
 J. S. DEAN.. Hut Secretary 
 
 M. W. COATES Hut Secretary 
 
 J. E. DICKERSON Hut Secretary 
 
 CHAS. GUY Hut Secretary 
 
 L. E. ALLEN Hut Secretary 
 
 J. L. STILL.. Hut Secretary 
 
 CHAS. CLARK Hut Secretary 
 
 BENJAMIN WHITMAN Hut Secretary 
 
 A. R. MERRITT... Hut Secretary 
 
 H. D. SMITH Hut Secretary 
 
 R. H. WHITE Hut Secretary 
 
 J. B. MORRIS Hut Secretary 
 
 W. J. McLaughlin Hut secretary 
 
 B. K. HAY Hut Secretary 
 
 ETENRY J. PECK. Hut Secretary 
 
 J. K. HOWARD Hut Secretary 
 
 T. L. SPEIDEN Hut Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Edith Davidson Elizabeth P. Myers 
 
 Clara E. Stoup Rachel Higgins 
 
 Marion Moore Elizabeth Arnold 
 
 Olive Moss Jane Singer 
 
 Sarah McDonald Elizabeth Snyder 
 
 Amy Green Catherine Hopkins 
 
 Louise Savarese Mary V. Osborn 
 
 Josephine Hammond Mrs. E. B. Cartwright 
 
 Ruth McClelland Constance Crawford 
 
 Anne F. Elliott 
 
166 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 EFORE LE MANS became an official embarkation cen- 
 ter, the town of Ecommoy was one of those used as a 
 forwarding point. The Y. M. C. A. hut was started 
 in an abandoned French dance hall on November 16, 
 1918. There was the usual wet and dry canteen, then 
 later a rough stage was built to accommodate the shows put on by the 
 talent of the 3 29th Infantry. This troop remained with the town, 
 and did much toward helping the secretary. Miss Louise Savarese, to 
 amuse the men of the companies going through Ecommoy. In Decem- 
 ber, Laura Sherry of the "Wisconsin Players" arrived in Ecommoy to 
 help put on a Christmas party. This took the form of an old Christmas 
 Festival of the English Court days, with carollers, jesters, king and 
 queen attendants, etc., with the soldiers as actors and the French 
 people as audience. Needless to say, this proved one of the most inter- 
 esting programs put on for the soldiers in France that memorable 
 Christmas time, for it was a celebration of Yule-tide, and it included 
 the soldiers themselves as actors. Christmas Day, a huge Christmas 
 tree for 600 French children in the neighborhood formed as great a 
 piece of interest to the American soldiers as of delight to the children 
 themselves. The men had raised the mony for the presents to the 
 kiddies; Miss Savarese had done the shopping in Paris and had made 
 the children's stockings, which the men of the 329th Infantry, Colonel 
 McDermott, General Glenn, Mary Roberts Rhinehart, Miss Sherry and 
 Miss Savarese distributed among the throng of children. To the men 
 themselves the Y. M. C. A. gave Christmas gifts of candy, cigarettes 
 and tobacco. 
 
 After Le Mans became an embarkation center, and Ecommoy became 
 a headquarters town of one of the many areas which made up Le Mans 
 region, two divisions passed successively; the 26th and 80th Divisions. 
 
 THE Twenty-sixth Division arrived in Ecommoy area January 27 
 from the training area in Northeastern France. The Y. M. C. A. 
 had not been able to reach these men at the front, hence their attitude 
 towards the Association was far from friendly. The secretaries, two 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 167 
 
 women and fifteen men were quick to recognize the difficulty, and 
 threw their utmost energies and resources into the serious task of 
 affecting a belated compensation. 
 
 Canteens were established, even though the accommodations were 
 often distressingly poor, and kept open from 8 :00 a. m. to 9 :00 p. m. 
 Each man was allowed to buy his limit, which, of course, meant that 
 supplies ran short very quickly. But any restrictions or regulations 
 upon their buying were those tacitly understood among the men them- 
 selves, for the "Y" gave freely of all it could get, and each day sent a 
 French horsecart to town to haul supplies from the Army Commissary 
 and from the Y. M.. C. A. warehouse. Through persistent effort, 
 cocoa was served in many of the canteens every day, instead of the 
 usual three times a week. The "Y" secretaries were studiously diligent 
 in their efforts to be of general service wherever possible ; in sort, they 
 tried to make the Y. M. C. A. the S. O. S. of favors and little acts of 
 accommodation as well as for sweets and supplies. 
 
 In January and February, twenty-three Y. M. C. A. canteens of 
 more or less attractiveness, were in operation over the Ecommoy area. 
 
 The situation of entertainments during the stay of the Twenty- 
 sixth Division in the Ecommoy area improved from ten in January to 
 260 in March; the athletic events from to 120; the religious services 
 from 14 to 78; the educational classes from none to 1200, and the 
 cinema shows from to 62, in the corresponding length of time. 
 
 As was the case in every area in the A. E. F., the months of January 
 and February especially were drab and empty to the soldiers waiting 
 to go home, but certainly the personnel of the Ecommoy area made 
 every effort to tender Y. M. C. A. service to the Twenty-sixth Division. 
 
 THE Eightieth Division was in the Ecommoy area about six weeks — 
 from April 1 to May 16. This division fell heir to the canteens 
 established for the Twenty-sixth Division, in addition to new ones 
 which were made possible by the better equipment of the Y. M. C. A. 
 in France by this time. A personnel of 49 secretaries was able to 
 serve the men while in this area with some degree of satisfaction. 
 
168 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 F,COMMr>Y .AREA. IN PICTURE 
 1. St. Ouen en Belin "Y" Quarters Through Courtesy of Parish Priest. 2 and 3. Canteen 
 Service at Military Tournament at Econimoy. 4. Set for Road Service to Passing Troops. 
 5. Tent at St. Biez. 6. "Y" Tent Adjoining Church in Town Square of Miserey. 
 7. Splendid Quarters at La Fleche. 8. Welcome "Y" Sign Through a Back Door. 
 9. Sometimes the Rooms Were Spacious. 10. Alley Entrance to "Y" at Ecommoy. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 169 
 
 The Entertainment Department handling this Division had become 
 particularly well organized. During the stay of the Division in the 
 Ecommoy area 509 vaudeville and movie shows were "put over." To 
 say that the men appreciated the splendid showing is putting it mildly. 
 The officers also were well pleased with the excellent results attained. 
 General Kronkhite, the commanding general, wrote the Entertainment 
 Department as follows: "Your work was entered into in the spirit of 
 cooperation, and was constant, intelligent and bore excellent results. 
 The manner in which you aided us in securing musical instruments was 
 splendid. It was in no small measure due to your efforts that the 
 Eightieth Division became one of the very best entertained Divisions 
 in the A. E. F." 
 
 The Ecommoy area was luckily provided with men who made it a 
 point that the boys were to get the entertainment provided no matter 
 what the conditions were. For instance, on April 4 Corporal Clemens 
 and Sergeant Rhodes were ordered to Comant to put on a movie. There 
 was no "Y" hut or tent in the town and it was raining steadily. The 
 orders had been "put on the show or bust." Sergeant Rhodes asked tie 
 C. O. to locate a place for the show even if it were a hole in the ground 
 The suggestion bore excellent results for the Captain remembered there 
 was a cave under his billet and asked the boys if they could show there. 
 
 "Lead us to it," said Rhodes. 
 
 And thus it came that in a cave 107 feet long, 14- feet wide and 14 
 feet high the 313 F. A. had their movie that rainy night. 
 
 Other stories might be told of the persistence and ingenuity of the 
 entertainment men and of the appreciation of the soldier of their suc- 
 cessful efforts to give them shows. The Eightieth Division was sent 
 away, on its first lap toward home with the usual chocolate barrage, 
 served by permanent personnel of the Division and the Ecommoy area 
 secretaries. 
 
170 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 MONTFORT AND CONNERRE 
 
 TWENTY-SEVENTH DIVISION PERSONNEL 
 
 JOHN BARNES .Divisional Secretary 
 
 WILLIAM O'GRADY Business Secretary 
 
 WILLIAM VAN DYKE Cashier 
 
 NORMAN WANN _ Athletic Secretary 
 
 ROSCOE C. SMITH Secretary 
 
 EDWARD L. GRACE __ ...Secretary 
 
 WILFORD C. GORDON Secretary 
 
 HERMAN OSTIEN .....S.ecretary 
 
 HAROLD B. THOMAS Secretary 
 
 OLIVER ANDERSON Secretary 
 
 CHARLES YERKES Secretary 
 
 FRANK C. WARD .......Secretary 
 
 CLAUDE D. SeCHEVERELL Secretary 
 
 LEWIS IRVING .....Secretary 
 
 HENRY ARMSTRONG... .......Secretary 
 
 GEO. B. ARMiSTRONG Secretary 
 
 ERNEST WELLMAN .Secretary 
 
 JAMES A. CAPPS Secretary 
 
 CARL KILPATRICK Secretary 
 
 DAVID WALKER ...Secretary 
 
 HOMER N. BOWMAN... ..Secretary 
 
 OLIVER WEBSTER Secretary 
 
 RAYMOND TALCOTT. Secretary 
 
 Canteen WTorkers 
 Edith Becker Laura Heath 
 
 Charlotte Kreinheder Kate Greenlaw 
 Annie Lee Emelie A. Plume 
 
 THIRTY-FIFTH DIVISION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 ABRAM R. REEVES Divisional Secretary 
 
 GEO. F. HOWARD Athletic Secretary 
 
 FRANK D. PARENT Asst. Athletic Secretary 
 
 WM. B. STEVENS Religious Secretary 
 
 JOHN R. WYND Business Secretary 
 
 H. P. BURD Asst. Business Secretary 
 
 CHAS. C. YERKES Cashier 
 
 ROBERT GOOD Entertainment Secretary 
 
In the Le Mans Area 171 
 
 B. M. STEVENS Religious Secretary 
 
 S. L. EBY Educational Secretary 
 
 JAMES CORNEILSON Transportation Secretary 
 
 RAYMOND TALCOTT Asst. Transportation Secretary 
 
 R. C. SMITH Secretary 
 
 P. T. McFEELEY Secretary 
 
 H. B. THOMAS Secretary 
 
 L. C.NICHOLS Secretary 
 
 E. E. WELLMAN Secretary 
 
 G. B. ARMSTEAD Secretary 
 
 W. A. RICE... Secretary 
 
 CHAS.O.PATE Secretary 
 
 SAMUEL DOWNER Secretary 
 
 L. A. GILBERT ..Secretary 
 
 A. F. JOHNSON __Secnetary 
 
 J. H. THOMAS __.____Secretary 
 
 ^- C. REED Secretary 
 
 H. M. STEWART Secretary 
 
 GEO. W. CASTANIEN Secretary 
 
 HUGHS. McKEE Secretary 
 
 A. T. WATERS Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 
 Marguerite Rose Annie Lee 
 
 Helen Pedrick Winifred Jones 
 
 Elizabeth Marshal Sarah King 
 
 Mabel Lind Emilie A. Plume 
 
 Ada Brittingham Mrs. Kate Greenlaw 
 
 Charlotte Kreinheder Edith O. Clark 
 
 Edith Becker Reba Ullian 
 
 Rachel Higgins Irene Dayton 
 
 Laura Heath Frances Herring 
 
 THIRTY-SIXTH DIVISION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 J. GARFIELD KING Divisional Secretary 
 
 E. A. STRAWBRIDGE ....Business Manager 
 
 A. D. WHITTLE .......Accountant 
 
 F. E. WILLIAM'S Cashier 
 
 ARTHUR TAYLOR Wlarehouse Superintendent 
 
 C. S. MARCH Educational Director 
 
 r. M. DAVIS Entertainment Director 
 
172 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 J. H. STITT - Religious Director 
 
 G. H. HAYES Athletic Director 
 
 J. D. VANCE Cinema Director 
 
 L. N. CUSHMAN - - Song Leader 
 
 HERMAN KELLEB Song Leader 
 
 JEFF REYNOLDS - Secretary 
 
 H. B. JENNINGS Secretary 
 
 J. H. EDGAR - - - Secretary 
 
 J. F. EGGLESTON Secretary 
 
 A. D. STROUD _ ______ ....Secretary 
 
 J. E. JONES , Secretary 
 
 W. A. RIPLEY _ _-_ Secretary 
 
 D. L. SADLER _ _ _ Secretary 
 
 H. W. KNOX _ Secretary 
 
 C. C. STEWART ....._ _ Secretary 
 
 J. R. PRYOR - _ Secretary 
 
 WM. G. SINGLETON Secretary 
 
 H. B. WILLIAMS Secretary 
 
 L. W. DRAKE__ _ Secretary 
 
 E. W. THORNBERRY _ _ Secretary 
 
 F. A. SPENCER _ Secretary 
 
 GEO. F. HARBRIDGE __ ___ Secretary 
 
 W. C. VAN HORN __ __ __ Secretary 
 
 S. H. SMITH __ ______ .....Secretary 
 
 CHAS. MORGAN _ _.__ _ _ Secretary 
 
 J. S. STONE _ _ .._ __ Secretary 
 
 J. B. KOONCE _ Secretary 
 
 LEWIS STONE ______ Secretary 
 
 MRS. BERTHA L. CARNEY Office Secretary 
 
 MISS PATTIE SOUTHHALL_ Accompanist 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 
 Mrs. J. M. Hunn Miss Julia E. Sperry 
 
 Miss Mary Deland Miss Martha Kinsey 
 
 Miss Carolyn Emerson Miss Barbara Waldo 
 
 Miss Hallie Jameson Miss Louise B. Eubank 
 
 Miss Lucile M. Tom Miss Catherine Faulkner 
 
 Miss Maud Walker Miss Anne McCague 
 
 Miss Dorothy L. Potter Miss Vista Black 
 
 Miss Rebecca Stewart Miss Eleanor Leonard 
 
 Miss Cynthia Knowles Miss Mary G. Paxton 
 
 Miss Amie Cornick Miss Anna T. Blanton 
 
 Miss Maud Morris Miss Mary Goetchius 
 
^M%1 
 
 ^^ 
 
 In the Le Mans Area 173 
 
 'HE CONNERRE section was successively occupied 
 by three Divisions, the Twenty-seventh, comprising 
 men from New York State; the Thirty-fifth, the Na- 
 tional Guards of Missouri and Kansas ; and the Thirty- 
 sixth, also National Guards from Texas and Oklahoma. 
 
 THE Twenty-seventh Division occupied the area by far the long- 
 est period. It moved from the front about Thanksgiving, and 
 remained until forwarded to Brest in February. As was true of nearlv 
 all of the A. E. F. history, in the battle of Waiting to Go Home, these 
 were the darkest and most discouraging days. Then billets were un- 
 comfortable and scarce, mail was deranged, "flu" was raging at home, 
 entertainments and movies were not available in a systematized circuit, 
 the delcos had not arrived, Y. M. C. A. tents were scarce, the rooms 
 rented from the French were discouragingly small and unattractive ; 
 in short, the cognac joints had little competition. Eventually four- 
 permanent movies were installed in the area, and pictures three times 
 a week at these places were made possibl.e The first Y. M. C. A 
 tents came in about Christmas. Not many girls had been sent over here 
 then, and most of the canteens were operated by one man. Difficulties 
 in coordination between the Le Mans office and the outlying districts 
 often resulted in audiences without pictures and pictures without audi- 
 ences, the latter happening because poor transportation brought the 
 entertainment to the towns after the soldiers had gone to bed. Those 
 were the darkest days of the Connerre area, literally as well as fig- 
 uratively. 
 
 The arrival of the women workers was, as usual, a Red Letter Day 
 of the Division. Women had not been allowed in the British area in 
 which the Twenty-seventh did its fighting, thus one can easily imagine 
 what it meant to the American men to see American women arriving 
 for work among them in their Y. M. C. A. huts. 
 
 The Twenty-seventh Division was sent away with the usual choco- 
 late barrage, and the appreciation of the men indicated that much ot^ 
 the hardships and privations of the previous weeks were forgotten in 
 the earnest effort of the "Y" men and women to send them away with 
 this service. 
 
THE MOST UNIQUE "Y" IN LE MANS REGION. OLD FISH MARKET 
 
In the Le Mans Area 175 
 
 THE Thirty-fifth Division moved into the area in March and re- 
 mained there three weeks. Although canteens operated for the 
 Twenty-seventh were promptly reopened and new ones added wherever 
 possible the question of entertainment was still a staggering one, 
 since billeting space for Y. M. C. A. as well as the men's sleeping 
 quarters, and the problem of transportation was still unsolved. Pitifully 
 inadequate as were the efforts of the Cinema Department to entertain 
 the men, the soldiers hungrily seized upon everything that was offered. 
 Often when no room large enough to accommodate a movie show could 
 be secured, the pictures were thrown on a screen nailed to some build- 
 ing in the Town Square and the boys stood out in the open rain and 
 sleet, eager spectators of the silent drama depicting scenes and people 
 back home. Often the reels were broken, and the crowds of men must 
 wait while they were mended, only to be run another few turns, and 
 then another break. And still the audience stood patiently through to 
 the end of the picture. 
 
 Athletic .supplies were inadequate, too, but they were passed out to 
 the best advantage possible, and truly served a splendid purpose. 
 
 A real service possible by the Y. M. C. A. to this Division was the 
 cashing of the French money of the soldiers into American at 5.15 
 francs per dollar, as the Army had made no arrangements at that 
 time for the exchanging of French money. 
 
 Toward the close of the stay of the Thirty-fifth Division, appre- 
 ciable quantities of Y. M. C. A. equipment had begun to arrive. Pianos 
 became more plentiful, Victrolas and records, canteen equipment, sheet 
 music, indoor athletic stuff, books and magazines, etc., made life in 
 the Connerre area much more livable to the soldier than when thij 
 Twenty-seventh Division was in the same area, or indeed when the 
 Thirty-fifth was in its own winter quarters in Northeastern France. 
 
176 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 THE Thirty-sixth Division moved into the Connerre area in early 
 May, and was distributed to thirty-nine small towns, all of which 
 were touched by the Y. M. C. A. The Thirty-sixth brought its own 
 personnel of 21 women and 18 men, and despite the fact that the area 
 had been salvaged, (since the Thirty-sixth had been assigned to an- 
 other quarter originally), the Y. M. C. A. speedily furnished an in- 
 credible amount of chocolate, canteen equipment, lemonade ingredients, 
 delcos, pianos, Victrolas, outdoor games, and the things which go to 
 make a "Y" hut. 
 
 The Thirty-sixth Division remained in the Le Mans area for about 
 ten days, and the two biggest features of the stay were the chocolate 
 barrages put over by the "Y" Connerre area secretaries, upon the 
 arrival of the Division and the chocolate and lemonade served at the 
 different entraining points by the Division personnel with the assist- 
 ance of the rolling canteen personnel of Connerre at the departure of 
 the Division. The energy and generosity of the Y. M. C. A. upon these 
 occasions will long be remembered by the soldiers of Texas and 
 Oklahoma. 
 
 Entertainment provided during one week while the Thirty-fifth 
 Division was in the area showed that contact was made with 26 of the 
 36 points where the men were billeted. At most of the points there 
 was something going on every night. During the week three enter- 
 tainment companies and one mobile cinema outfit were under the direc- 
 tion of the "Y" secretary and gave entertainments each night. Five 
 other companies gave entertainments on one or more nights each week 
 and six stationery cinema outfits were kept supplied with film programs 
 which were used on nights when other forms of entertainment could 
 not be provided. The entertainment office of the Army, Lieutenant 
 Myers and the other Army officers heartily cooperated with the '.'Y" 
 secretary in putting over these entertainments. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 177 
 
 AT MONTFORT 
 
 1. Chateau at Vitre. 2. Saint Ceneri Near. Ballon. 3. Two Bluebirds in a Typical 
 
 Village Street, i. Village Scene. 5. Roadside Scene 
 
178 History of the Y. M. C. A, 
 
 M' 
 
 Letters of Commendation 
 
 "AJOR S. D. RIDINGS, commanding the 132nd Machine Gun 
 Battalion of the Thirty-sixth Division, in token of appreciation 
 of the excellent service which the Y. M. C. A. put over with his outfit, 
 made this significant statement in a letter addressed to C. C. Stewart, 
 "Y" secretary, before the departure of the Division for home: 
 
 "I wish at this time to make a written expression for the members 
 of the 132nd Machine Gun Battalion and myself of your (the Y. M. 
 C, A.) service with us. It is with hearfelt appreciation that I thank 
 you for your work and I can conscientiously say that you have done 
 more to maintain and sustain the high morale of this Battalion than 
 anyone else. We thank you, one and all, for your personal work and 
 we wish you Godspeed on your return to America. 
 
 "S. D. RIDINGS, 
 "Major, 132nd M. G. Bn." 
 
 Franklin L. Winter, First Lieutenant, Chaplain, U. S. A., wrote the 
 following frank letter to the Divisional Y. M. C. A. secretary of the 
 Thirty-fifth Division under date of March 30: 
 
 "Knowing that there is considerable adverse criticism of the Y. M. 
 C. A. in the Thirty-fifth Division, I wish, in all fairness, to supply 
 you with the following list of benefits that the 128th Machine Gun 
 Battalion, Thirty-fifth Division, has received from the Y. M. C. A. in 
 France, between November 13, 1918, and March SOth, 1919. Everyone 
 of these benefits has come under my personal observation. If you 
 wish to use this testimony to support the fact that the Y. M. C. A. 
 has been of value to the 128th M. G. Bn. you are free to do so. 
 
 "Between the dates specified the Battalion has almost continually 
 had an abundant supply of writing paper and envelopes, 200 library 
 books, about 300 magazines, many religious booklets, enough New 
 Testaments to supply the demand, 25 hymn books for church services, 
 30 pieces of sheet music for the piano and the complete orchestration 
 of six songs, and the music for four quartettes. 
 
 "About December 21, 1918, each man received, as a Christmas gift, 
 bar chocolate, pipe tobacco, cigars and cigarettes. 
 
 "The Battalion has had almost all of the athletic material it has 
 needed in the shape of boxing gloves, footballs, volleyballs, indoor 
 baseballs, basketballs, volleyball net, ball bats, and rule books. 
 
 "In the line of amusement, the Battalion has had six entertainment 
 groups and seven moving picture performances. 
 
Tn the Le Mans Area 179 
 
 "When leaving the Commercy area, just before entraining^ the 
 Battalion was served with hot cocoa and cookies without charge; and 
 upon arriving at Tresson hot cocoa, cookies and cigarettes were served 
 without charge. 
 
 "Also the Y. M. C. A. has been of great service in the exchange of 
 American money and paper francs of other departments than the 
 Battalion was in at the time and cashing of cheques and post office 
 money orders. The cheques and post office money orders cashed 
 amounted to at least 8,000 francs. 
 
 "Possibly the greatest service the Y. M. C. A. has rendered our 
 Battalion has been in canteen supplies. During the time specified, I 
 have organized and managed a canteen for the Battalion, and have 
 receipted bills to show that I purchased supplies from the Y. M. C. A. 
 to the amount of 28,255.80 francs. Most of these supplies were abso- 
 lutely unobtainable from the sales commissaries. Also, the Y. M. C. A. 
 furnished me liberal credit ; and it is a fact that had it not been for this 
 credit it would have been almost impossible to maintain the canteen. 
 
 "If I am given an opportunity to testify in the investigation of 
 welfare organizations in the Thirty-fifth Division, the above is the 
 evidence I shall offer regarding the benefits of the Y. M. C. A. to the 
 128th M. G. Bn. There are also other benefits which I have had per- 
 sonally, but which are in no way connected with the Battalion. 
 "Sincerely yours, 
 "(Signed) FRANKLIN L. WINTER, 
 
 First Lt. Chaplain, U. S. Army. 
 
 "P. S.: My connection with the 128th M. G. Bn. began on Novem- 
 ber 11, 1918." 
 
180 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SOUTHWEST AREA 
 LA SUZE HEADQUARTERS 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 HORACE M. BING - ....Area Supervisor 
 
 OLIVER W. RHODES- - ...Business Secretary 
 
 J. F. D. HOUCK - ...Religious Secretary 
 
 CHARLES D. BRINDLE .....Transportation Secretary 
 
 WHITFIELD ROGERS .Athletic Secretary 
 
 W. F. GEISSMAN Asst. Athletic Secretary 
 
 JAMES A. PATTILLO- - - Accountant 
 
 SHIRLEY E. HARVORT Activities Secretary 
 
 JOHN F. ULLOM._ _._ Y. M. C. A. Mess 
 
 SEVENTY-SEVENTH DIVISION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 ALFRED T. MORRILL Divisional Secretary 
 
 F. W. GARLOUGH Business Secretary 
 
 C. B. SPEER Associate Business Secretary 
 
 A. B. COPE Educational Secretary 
 
 W. J. BRAMAN Assistant Educational Secretary 
 
 C. B. FISH ...Warehouse Manager 
 
 A. L. GODFREY Religious Secretary 
 
 F. E. HENDERSON Accountant 
 
 THOS. KELLEY Athletic Secretary 
 
 ALVA L. LONG Cashier 
 
 LEROY NICHOLS- Educational Secretary 
 
 R. E. SPRINGETT Transportation Secretary 
 
 DAN TOBEY _ ....Athletic Secretary 
 
 E. B. JACK Entertainment Secretary 
 
 H. H. TODD- __. .Religious Secretary 
 
 HARRY DANGERFIELD Associate Business Secretary 
 
 H. WILLIAMS _ Athletic Secretary 
 
 E. T. PACA___ __ ..Secretary 
 
 O. L. BOWEN_ ...Secretary 
 
 W. J. WEIR...... ...Secretary 
 
 HARRY HALFACRE Secretary 
 
 A. J. CLARK... Secretary 
 
 H. L. THOMPSON Secretary 
 
 W. A. STIMSON Secretary 
 
 F. M. BELDEN Secretary 
 
 J . C. RUGG — _ Secretary 
 
In the Le Mans Area 181 
 
 S. R. LELAND__ Secretary 
 
 L. C. HAYES - Secretary 
 
 H. W. BLAIR — - Secretary 
 
 PERCY NEWBERRY Secretary 
 
 A. G. GILMER Transportation 
 
 ELIZABETH WOOD... Women's Work Secretary 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 
 Marjorie Tompkins Mary Weeks 
 
 Elizabeth Hazelhurst Leonore Flansburg 
 
 Helen Hazelhurst Julia Fulton 
 
 Julia Fulton Frances Jones 
 
 R. Nell Blodgett Mary Belle Small 
 
 Natalie Turner Tevan J. Bowman 
 
 EIGHTY-EIGHTH DIVISION 
 PERSONNEL 
 
 ALFRED UPTON Divisional Secretary 
 
 LEIGH L. BROWN Hut Secretary 
 
 R. B. VAN WINKLE Hut Secretary 
 
 H. H. GREEN .Hut Secretary 
 
 BRUCE WRIGHT ...Hut Secretary 
 
 WM. VENNART Hut Secretary 
 
 WESLEY J. WEIR Hut Secretary 
 
 JAMES S. STONE _ Hut Secretary 
 
 H. L. THOMPSON Hut Secretary 
 
 WM. A. STIMSON Hut Secretary 
 
 C. W, ROGERS Hut Secretary 
 
 ROBT. CAMPBELL Hut Secretary 
 
 JAMES ROBERTSON Transportation Secretary 
 
 J. E. CHAMBERS Secretary 
 
 R. E. DUDDLES Secretary 
 
 A. E. LYBELT Secretary 
 
 F. MILLER Secretary 
 
 BERT E. MITCHNER Secretary 
 
 W. Y. MORGAN Secretary 
 
 F. B. REESE _ Secretary 
 
 R. R. RICHARDSON Secretary 
 
 FLOYD E. RISLEY Secretary 
 
 H. P. SAVAGE Secretary 
 
 F. T. STEELE _ Secretary 
 
 PAUL S. STRONG Secretary 
 
182 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 J. W. STREET 
 
 H. C. BARDEN 
 
 H. H. GREEN - - 
 
 W. B. JACKSON...-_ - 
 
 C. G. TALCOTT ___ .- 
 
 Canteen Workers 
 Gertrude Kirk Frances Herring 
 
 .Secretary 
 .Secretary 
 .Secretary 
 .Secretary 
 .Secretary 
 
 Abbie Evans 
 Elsie Geitz 
 Mary A. Carroll 
 Lucille Watters 
 Alice Logan 
 Mary Paxton 
 Anna Blanton 
 Elizabeth Wood 
 Virginia Gogswell 
 Imogene Hart 
 Edith K. O. Clark 
 
 Luida K. Miller 
 Leila Nelson 
 Katherine Terrill 
 Sara E. Buck 
 Esther Dunshee 
 Margaret Reid 
 Mildred Terrett 
 Mave C. Olds 
 Ruth Lindsay 
 Nellie Beach 
 Nelle Blodgett 
 
 N CONSIDERING the operation of the Y. M. C. A. 
 work in La Suze area, it should be remembered that 
 like others of the Le Mans region, first, the troops 
 served here were in transit; each organization stayed 
 only a short time, rendering impossible the building up 
 of any sort of permanent work. In many cases an outfit was no sooner 
 located than it received orders to pull up stakes and go. Ask any 
 soldier, officer or enlisted man, how much work moving involves, then 
 remember that at moving time of troops, the Y. M. C. A. work is 
 nearly doubled. Second, the irregular numbers of men and divisions 
 often meant that one full Division overflowed into another area. 
 Especially is this a feature of La Suze history, and with division 
 headquarters operating in another area as was often the case, the Y. 
 M. C. A. work was much more inconvenient. For instance, the Fifth 
 Army Corps Headquarters stopped in the town of La Suze one week 
 during the stay of the Seventy-seventh; units of the Fifty-second 
 Pioneer Infantry, also attached to the Seventyseventh, occupied the 
 northern part of the area for a short space of time ; portions of the 
 Twenty-sixth Division overflowed from the Ecommoy area into the 
 town of Roize, Spay, Fille, Faulletoute and Guecelord during March, 
 and left ahead of the Seventy-seventh ; and casual units of the Eighty- 
 ninth and Ninetieth Divisions touched the area at several points, as 
 did other small units not remembered. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 183 
 
 Prior to the signing of the Armistice there were no "Y" activities 
 in the La Suze country, although the area was heavily occupied by 
 troops. The first "Y" hut was located at La Suze late in November, 
 in charge of Mr. Moore. This consisted of a small canteen and writ- 
 ing room. When the Le Mans region was decided upon as the A. E. C, 
 the La Suze area came into existence with La Suze, a town of 3000 
 population as headquarters and center of activities. Soldiers of the 
 Seventy-seventh Division filled every village in the surrounding coun- 
 try, billeted in houses, barns, tents, sheds or any other place that could 
 be called a billet. 
 
 The more comprehensive work of the Association was begun early in 
 January with F. J. Mcintosh of St. Louis, Mo., installed as secretary. 
 Beginning with the one hut at La Suze, he soon had located "Y" 
 quarters at thirteen different points, sometimes under the supervision 
 of a secretary, sometimes with huts in charge of Army details. That 
 these men converted impossible little holes-in-the-wall into fairly com- 
 fortable cozy homes for the lonely soldier where he could come at all 
 times and read, write and have fellowship with the other fellows and 
 a friendly word and smile from an interested secretary, with occa- 
 sionally a concert or some form of entertainment, is probably the worst 
 that can be said of their efforts. 
 
 By February three girls had come to work in the area. At the can- 
 teens turned over to them they had soon, with bits of junk — curtains 
 for the windows and some well placed decorations — given the place the 
 touch of home, to which was added that cheery word and smile, no mat- 
 ter how long the hours or how weary the body, that made the "Y" one 
 bright spot in the dull, waiting life of the restless Yank. At places 
 where there were no canteens, the Hill-Roberts-Geitz combination — 
 the three "Y" girls — visited often, serving hot chocolate, cookies and 
 fudge, and dispensing good cheer in general as only this trio could 
 do. WJien not on hut duty these girls were always visiting out of the 
 way places or trying to borrow girls for dances, etc. And interesting 
 these dances were — hundreds of men to dance with some half-dozen 
 girls. One dance at a famous old chateau near Courcelles for the 
 Seventy-seventh Division men is worth mentioning; also, another at 
 Etina in March for the Fifty-second Pioneer Infantry boys, where the 
 music was furnished by a baby organ and two accordians, which 
 afforded great amusement for the dancers and the lookers-on. By and 
 by other girls were sent to the area and the work became proportion- 
 ately more satisfactory to the men. 
 
184 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 One by one new huts were opened up or "created" and the family 
 of secretaries grew. At Holding Camp, for instance, a gloomy, cor- 
 rugated iron barracks with no floor was transferred into one of the 
 most attractive and completely appointed huts in the area. The inside 
 was painted, the floor graded, a stage with a roll curtain and re- 
 movable wings built, allowing space for boxing bouts and other athletic 
 shows, a systematically arranged canteen installed, a lounge and read- 
 ing room furnished with wicker furniture, a comfortable kitchen, delco 
 plant for lights and movies installed, piano, Victrola and stringed in- 
 struments secured after much persistence — and the Aladdin lamp stunt 
 was accomplished. The slogan of the hut was — "something doing every 
 night "^ — and it was carried out even if the local talent had to be used; 
 indeed, some of the aff"airs put on by the soldiers themselves were the 
 best yet. A notable instance was the writing, staging, costuming, and 
 acting of "Oh ! Oh I Mademoiselle," a regular musical comedy put 
 on by the members of the 304 F. A. of the Seventy-seventh Division, 
 and run for a week to packed houses. The play was written and 
 directed by Sergeant Hamp of New York City and the music com- 
 pared very favorably with many of the shows put on in the States. 
 
 The canteen just described was typical in a more or less degree 
 of others in the area, whose success was due to the untiring efforts of 
 the secretaries and the "Y" girls, to the splendid spirit of the men 
 themselves, and the hearty cooperation of the officers. The Seventy- 
 seventh Division boys were a live bunch, and there was action all 
 the time they were in the area. Being largely from the metropolis 
 of Yank Land, they lived amidst bright lights and big doings, and 
 no soft-soap stuff" would hold them a minute. Therefore, it put every 
 secretary on his mettle to interest and entertain them. This was 
 especially true of the religious work where it took a real man with a 
 vital message and straight-forward delivery to keep his audience from 
 walking out. This was also true with the entertainment end of the 
 game. 
 
 From the athletic standpoint the Seventy-seventh Division was 
 probably one of the best organized outfits in the A. E. F. and large 
 credit for this should go to their officers, who cooperated magnificently 
 with the "Y" men to put this part of the program across. Notable 
 track meets, mass play events, football and baseball games kept the 
 men busy with something they liked to do, oftentimes this line of 
 activity being substituted for drill. It all culminated in a great victory 
 for the Seventy-seventh at the Le Mans Meet of March 27-29, in 
 v/hich all Divisions in the A. E. C. participated. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 185 
 
 The happiest hour of their stay was when the Seventy-seventh 
 shouldered their packs and marched to the train that would carry 
 them back to the "old girl with a lamp in her hand," whose image they 
 so proudly wore on their shoulders, and April 20 saw the Seventy- 
 seventh all gone from the La Suze area. 
 
 After the Seventy-seventh several casual outfits, already mentioned, 
 flowed through the La Suze area ; then for a time no other troops moved 
 in and the "Y" got a breathing spell, the only men to serve being the 
 permanent outfit — standbys and friends of long standing, coopera- 
 tion and comradeship — such as the R. R. & C. outfits, Sub-Deport No. 
 7, 110th Hospital Corps, 418 Telegraph Batallion, 370 Baking Com- 
 pany, and units of the 21st Engineers, 208th, S92nd, 255th, and 
 282nd Military Police Trains. 
 
 Orders came out to close the area, the permanent outfits being 
 attached to a neighboring area; the "Y" personnel left, many of the 
 huts were closed and the contents salvaged, when suddenly the order 
 was rescinded and the area enlarged to take in parts of the Ecommoy 
 and Sable areas. The 88th Division moved in. This was the only 
 entire Division which ever occupied the La Suze area and it caught the 
 "Y" the least prepared to handle the situation of any time since the 
 work was fairly launched. Divisional Secretary hurriedly started the 
 necessary machinery rolling for receiving the incoming troops. Huts 
 that were closed and salvaged were reopened where releases had not 
 been given up ; new places were secured where possible ; rolling delco 
 and picture machines arranged for ; and an entertainment center 
 located at headquarters and other things done to make the "Y" useful 
 to the soldier. The arrival of Bing, with the Eighty-eighth's corps 
 of secretaries, put the business on the hum. The beautiful valley of 
 the Sarthe was just bursting into the height of its spring-time glory, 
 which fact had a tremendous psychological effect on the men and the 
 officers of the Eighty-eighth Division. They declared with one accord 
 that they had taken a new lease on life after the grouch rut naturally 
 inflicted by the muddy camp of the unsightly Gondicourt country 
 where they had been stuck for six months. 
 
 Banners displaying the word "Welcome," with the clover leaf, the 
 Division emblem, on either side were placed over the doors of each 
 "Y" hut, practically every man was served with hot drinks and cookies 
 and in some cases sandwiches on their arrival; a comprehensive enter- 
 tainment, religious and athletic programme put on immediately with 
 
186 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 the arrival of each unit. Open air religious meetings were thronged, 
 movies thrown on an improvised screen — side of building or tent — 
 some open plot of ground, from a machine in a truck "juiced" by 
 a delco along side of it; baseball games galore — with equipment 
 brought along or rushed out to each unit as needed, and worlds of 
 informal games started; rolling canteens with hot chocolate or lem- 
 onade and cookies manned by honest-to-goodness, cheerful American 
 girls visiting the boys billeted in isolated chateaus on picturesque 
 plateaux where kings and nobles had frequented centuries ago — all com- 
 bined to make the stay a happy one. The Eighty-eighth were a well- 
 organized lot of real, red-blooded, appreciative Western American 
 fellows. The "Y" personnel with the outfits, too, were all on the job, 
 doing a good work, having and generating the true Eighty-eighth 
 spirit. 
 
 For a few days the area was practically empty and then by thousands 
 came various and sundry units of the S. O. S. on their way home, and 
 rested here for a week or ten days, more were now in the area at one 
 time than at any period of its history. Every village was filled to the 
 crowded limit and new places "opened," many little impromptu camps 
 were hurriedly erected and troops stationed there. Every department 
 was at its height of activity. The Entertainment Department sent 
 out the S. O. S. call to Le Mans for help and they resjjonded with 
 additional personnel, more portable movies, new variety of entertainers, 
 equipment and everything available for use to interest the men. Sing- 
 song leaders gathered great throngs of doughboys in the public squares 
 of villages, and with a "Y" girl sitting on the footboard of a Ford 
 pumping and playing the tiny but powerful lunged folding organ, 
 another one with a winsome smile, sweet voice and graceful wand, 
 led them in singing their favorite songs. Often these songs would 
 precede a lecture or sermon by an accompanying "Y" man, and some- 
 times they would furnish the evening's entertainment. Daily papers 
 and at times magazines were carried to every part in the area every 
 day, the record being broken one day when the two Fords delivered 
 2800 Paris papers of current date to 30 points by 5:00 o'clock — 
 giving the men the day's news while it was hot. More movie and 
 entertainment groups were doing service at this time than at any 
 previous period and more athletic events — principally the summer 
 games — baseball and more equipment in use. 
 
 With the departure of the S. O. S. units the work of the area came 
 to a close and the order to salvage the area on June 12 and this 
 time it was not rescinded; the last of the "Y" personnel leaving 
 June 15. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 187 
 
 1. Officers' Dance at Hotel De Paris. 2. Fourth of July Felicitations to Mademoiselle 
 Beaumont, Great Great Grand Daughter of General La Fayette. 3. Sisht Seeing: 
 
 Party in Le Mans 
 
188 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 
 COMMENDATORIES 
 
 THE following excerpts from letters of commendation from Mil- 
 itary authorities are here given in addition to those already quoted 
 elsewhere in the summary as further demonstrating the satisfactory 
 relationship that existed. 
 
 From: Geo. S. Simonds, Brig. Gen. U. S. Army, Commanding A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A., July 1, 1919. 
 
 1. Upon the breaking up of these Headquarters and the closing 
 of this office I desire to make of record my high appreciation of the 
 devoted and efficient service you, as the present head of the Y. M. C. 
 A. here, and your predecessors have given to the American Embar- 
 kation Center. 
 
 2. The work accomplished by your organization has been charac- 
 terized by excellent organization, efficient operation and satisfactory 
 results. This has been in a large measure due to the cordial coopera- 
 tion of your organization with the military authorities and the earnest 
 efforts of your personnel, and the highest credit is due to those who 
 have participated. 
 
 3. Will you please express to those who have assisted you the grati- 
 tude and satisfaction the military authorities feel for the assistance 
 they have rendered the American Embarkation Center in the accom- 
 plishment of its work. Particularly to the women of your organization 
 I would like you to deliver a message of appreciation and gratitude 
 for what they have done. The long hours they have toiled, the earnest- 
 ness of their efforts, together with the inspiration of their presence, has 
 all been in keeping with the traditions of our American womanhood 
 and is an exemplification of the spirit of the A. E. F. which has made 
 its success a thing of which every American should be proud. 
 
 4. To you personally and to your organization I extend the thanks 
 of the military authorities and their congratulations upon the success 
 of your undertakings. 
 
 GEORGE S. SIMONDS, 
 Brig. Gen. U. S. Army Commanding. 
 
 American Embarkation Center, Welfare Office, June 20, 1919. 
 My Dear Mr. Ferris: 
 
 It is with a great deal of personal regret that I leave the American 
 Embarkation Center and more especially on account of the termination 
 of our official relations. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 189 
 
 During my term of duty as Chief Welfare Officer at the American 
 Embarkation Center we have all noted the efficiency and the business- 
 like management of the Y. M. C A., under your administration, caus- 
 ing the most favorable comment on the part of the Commanding Gen- 
 eral and the officers and enlisted men of the United States Army, who 
 have been so faithfully served by the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Both the United States Army and the Y. M. C. A. have been most 
 fortunate in having had you as the Regional Director of the Y. M. C. 
 A. during the critical period in which 500,000 American troops have 
 passed through this Embarkation Center en route to the United States. 
 
 Trusting that Fate may be so kind as o permit us to serve together 
 again sometime in the near future, I am. 
 
 Very cordially yours, 
 
 (Signed) F. B. HENNESSY, 
 Col. F. A., U. S. A., Chief Welfare Officer. 
 
 Mr. O. L. Ferris, Regional Director, Y. M. C. A., Le Mans. 
 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Maud McDowell Koyle. 
 
 Mrs. Kyle has supervised many complex problems regarding the 
 care, distribution and performance of duty of more than 450 Y. M. 
 C. A. women workers throughout the American Embarkation Center 
 in such an efficient manner as to cause many complimentary remarks 
 by visiting officials of high rank and it is believed that a generous 
 portion of the success attained by the Y. M. C. A. was due directly 
 to the inspiration and influence of Mrs. Koyle. 
 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Mrs. Tait. 
 
 Many thousands of weary soldiers who have reached Le Mans 
 during the "wee small hours" have been entertained and comforted 
 by the personnel on duty at the "Central 'Y' Hut." 
 
 Mrs. Tait deserves special credit for the inauguration and mainten- 
 ance of the sight-seeing trips in Le Mans and vicinity, which have 
 been of great educational value to many of our soldiers. 
 
 Mrs. Tait is enshrined in the hearts of many American soldiers, who 
 have benefited by the most efficient administration of the "Central 'Y' 
 Hut." 
 
190 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Mrs. Warden. 
 
 On behalf of the Commanding General and all the officers and the 
 enlisted men of the American Embarkation Center, it is desired to 
 espress their appreciation of the unusually efficient administration of 
 the "Y. D. Hut" since Mrs. Warden has been in charge. 
 
 The whole atmosphere has changed since Mrs. Warden took charge 
 with the result that many thousands of soldiers have considered it as 
 a "little corner of home" and the place she has won in the hearts of 
 the enlisted men will survive long after other memories of the A. E. F. 
 are forgotten. 
 
 It is requested that an official copy of this letter be forwarded to 
 your Paris Headquarters for transmission to Mrs. Warden. 
 
 June 15, 1919. 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Miss Honore McNamara. 
 
 Your special attention is invited to the unusually efficient and faith- 
 ful performance of duty of Miss Honore McNamara, your Y. M. C. A. 
 representative who had charge of the two most difficult and important 
 welfare propositions with which the undersigned is acquainted, viz, 
 the S. O. S. Athletic Championship on May 2, 3, and 4 ; and the A. 
 E. C. County Fair on May 29, 30, 31, June 1. 
 
 Miss McNamara was directly responsible for the great success of 
 these two important Y. M. C. A. Welfare propositions and is entitled 
 to the highest commendation for the manner in which she organized and 
 maintained the Welfare organization which resulted in the happiness 
 and contentment of many thousands of members of the United States 
 Army. 
 
 June 21, 1919. 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Miss Blanche Grant. 
 
 It is desired to express the appreciation of the Commanding Gen- 
 eral and all the officers and enlisted men of the American Embarka- 
 tion Center of the efforts of Miss Grant, who has been so successful 
 in the artistic decoration of the various Y. M. C. A. huts scattered 
 throughout the American Embarkation Center. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 191 
 
 As a result of the efforts of Miss Grant the Y. M. C. A. huts in 
 the American Embarkation Center have proved more attractive than 
 any others of the A. E. F. 
 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To: Young Men's Christian Association. 
 
 During nearly 18 months' service in the A. E. F. it has been the 
 good fortune of the undersigned to have been thrown in close contact 
 with your organization in different parts of France, and I can cheer- 
 fully say that the services rendered by your organization throughout 
 the S. O. S. Championship were distinguished by most efficient admin- 
 istration, which resulted in the greatest happiness and contentment of 
 many thousands of soldiers who enjoyed your hospitality during the 
 period. May 2, 3 and 4, 1919. 
 
 From: Chief Welfare Officer, A. E. C. 
 To : Young Men's Christian Association. 
 
 In the name of the Commanding General it is desired to express the 
 appreciation of the members of the United States Army, who were so 
 handsomely entertained by the Young Mbn's Christian Association 
 during the A. E. C. County Fair and Race Meet, held at La Ferte- 
 Bernard, May 29, and at. Le Mans, May 30, 31 and June 1. 
 
 The installation of your Welfare activities, upon the dates in ques- 
 tion, have been pronounced by visiting officers as the most complete they 
 have ever seen in France. 
 
 Due to such intelligent cooperation by the Young Men's Christian 
 Association the morale of our Army has been maintained to a high 
 degree during its presence in the American Embarkation Center, while 
 preparing for embarkation to the United States. 
 
 May 11, 1919. 
 From: Commanding General Fifty-fourth Artillery Brigade. 
 To: Miss Betty Simonton and Miss Sally Simonton. 
 
 It has been a real pleasure to have had you with us, and you have 
 added enormously to the contentment of officers and men by your cheer- 
 ful and buoyant disposition and by your manifest desire to assist any- 
 where that your services would be of the most benefit. 
 
 From: Chief of Staff, A. E. C. 
 
 To: A. G. Bookwalter, Regional Director, Y. M. C. A. 
 
 1. Upon severing your official connections with these Headquarters 
 
192 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 I desire to express to you my appreciation of the highly creditable and 
 efficient character of your work and the work of your organization in 
 this matter. 
 
 2. The character of the problems involved in preparing the large 
 number of troops which have passed through this Center for return to 
 their hom.es and civil pursuits has been such that your organization has 
 had opportunity to fulfill to the highest degree the functions for which 
 it was intended. 
 
 3. The cordial cooperation you have always given the military au- 
 thorities, the earnest and faithful work performed, and the efficient 
 results produced are worthy of commendation and emulation. It is my 
 desire that you know of our appreciation of the work of the Y. M. C. 
 A., and I am pleased to make it of record at these Headquarters. 
 
 May 17, 1919 
 From: Chief of Staff, Thirty-sixth Division. 
 To: Commanding General, A. E. C. 
 
 Welfare work in the Thirty-sixth Division during the stay of that 
 organization in the Embarkation Area, I wish to thank you in behalf of 
 the Commanding General and of the members of the Thirty-sixth 
 Division for the excellent work accomplished. With those who have 
 had the opportunity to observe the effects of this welfare work, there 
 can be no question as to its benefits. 
 
 The entertainments furnished have been of excellent character, the 
 campaign having in view the continuance of athletic work while in this 
 area and the many other little things done along this line have resulted 
 in keeping thousands of the men of this Division entertained and has 
 had excellent beneficial results on them all around. 
 
 The entire Division leaves this area with the kindliest feelings for 
 the efforts made in its behalf. 
 
 From: Charles Keller, Col., 317 Inf. 
 To: Mr. E. C. Carter, Y. M. C. A. 
 Subject: Warren J. McLaughlin. 
 
 By his untiring energy, coordination and cheerful business-like man- 
 ner, he has so firmly established within the circle of respect, admiration 
 and friendship of all officers and men of this regiment, that he has 
 clearly become identified with the spirit and life of the regiment, to 
 such an extent that he is now accompanying us on our return to the 
 States. 
 
I.N TiiK I.E Mans Ahka 193 
 
 From: Lieutenant Marcum. 
 To: Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Subject: Chas. E. Lenon. 
 
 It would be impossible to arrive at a full appreciation of services 
 Mr. Lenon, Y. M. C. A. secretary, has rendered, both to the officers 
 and men, while stationed at Spur Camp. He was always first to greet 
 new arrivals with open hospitality ; he literally gave his time and 
 attention, whether to the arranging of public entertainments, or to 
 the giving of kindl}^ counsel; he exhausted the recourse of the organiza- 
 tion he represents for the comfort and advantages of the men, whom 
 he seemed to consider his personal charges. During his stay, the popu- 
 lation of the camp increased from a few hundred to several thousarid, 
 necessitating the opening, under his direction, of two other huts and 
 under this increased work, he was indefatigable, sacrificing his per- 
 sonal convenience and comfort to the service of the men. 
 
 It can be truthfully said that no man has done more to convince our 
 men of the altruism and sincerity of purpose of the Y. M. C. A. than 
 has he and every officer and every man in this camp will feel a^ 
 personal loss at his transfer. 
 
 From: Commanding Officer, 132 Machine Gun Battalion. 
 To: C. C. Stewart, Y. M. C. A. 
 
 You have labored faithfully and untiringly at j^our work, striving to 
 satisfy every whim and desire of the members of this organization, 
 and I can say, at this time as I look back over your work, that you 
 have succeeded eminently. 
 
 I wish, at this time, to make a written expression for the members of 
 the 132nd Machine Gun Battalion and myself of your service with us. 
 It is with heartfelt appreciation that I thank you for your work and I 
 can conscientiously say that you have done more to maintain and sus- 
 tain the high morale of this Battalion than anyone else. We thank you, 
 one and all, for your personal work and we wish you Godspeed on 
 your return to America. 
 
 May 9, 1919. 
 From: Geo. P. Hawes, Colonel, U. S. A. 
 To: Mr. M. W. Coates, Y. M. C. A. 
 
 This command leaves Chateau du Loir, after a stay in the area of 
 over a month, tomorrow, May 10, and before leaving I desire to ex- 
 press to you and Mr. Dickerson my appreciation, as well as that of 
 
194 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 the individuals of the command, for your many kindnesses and cour- 
 tesies throughout our stay here. You have both worked conscientiously 
 and hard and have done much to make pleasant a very trying period 
 in the history of this command. 
 
 From: Wm. J. Buck, Major, M. C, U. S. A., Commanding. 
 To: Y. M. C. A. 
 
 This is to certify that W. A. Billings, Y. M. C. A., has been at this 
 hospital since March 19, and has rendered valuable service to patients 
 and enlisted men of this hospital. His efforts have been untiring and 
 his genuine interest and devotion has won the admiration and hearts 
 of those men. 
 
 From: Commandant d'armees de la Place de la Fleche. 
 To: Monsieur S. Bruce Wright, Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Let me tell you how we admired the wonderful organization of the 
 Y. M. C. A. The taste with which the hall was kept up. You are leav- 
 ing ; you will soon be very far away, but believe me, we shall never for- 
 get the Y. M. C. A., and its splendid directors ; and if some day the 
 hazards of time should bring you here again, be assured that you 
 shall always find friends here. 
 
 I am proud of the honor of being able to express to you my gratitude 
 and to assure you that the troops of La Fleche will never forget the 
 stay of the American soldiers in La Fleche. 
 
 From: W. Paul Mobley, Divisional Secretary, Eighty-first Division. 
 To: Regional Director, Y. M. C. A., Le Mans. 
 
 We feel that nothing has been left undone by you and your able 
 workers to make our stay here just as pleasant as it could possibly be. 
 
 I am sure I express the sentiment of the Y. M. C. A. men and women 
 as we have met here. 
 
FAMILIAR FIGURES 
 1. Big Joe, Transportation Chief, and the Little Grant of Forwarding Camp Arsruingr 
 Over Disposition of a Camionette. 2. The Ice Cream Kid at Le Mans Plant. 3. Music 
 Hath Charms. 4. French Widow and Orphans. 5. American Machinery, but French 
 
 Operators 
 
196 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Roster of the Y. M. C. A. Personnel 
 in the Le Mans Area 
 
 WOMEN PERSONNEL 
 
 ADAMS, LUELLA M Cresco, Pa. 
 
 ALLEN, MARIE ^8 Beach Street, East Orange, N. J. 
 
 ALLEN, MARTHA Arlington, Iowa 
 
 AMOS, MRS. JESSIE 817 Sheridan Road, Chicago, 111. 
 
 ANDERSON, HELEN....__ _....Colorado Springs, Colo. 
 
 ARNOLD, BETTY_ _ Wartrace, Tenn. 
 
 ARNOLD, DOROTHY TREAT 465 State Street, Albany, N; Y. 
 
 ARNOLD, S. ELIZABETH 107 Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, Pa. 
 
 ARTHUR, MARY ARGALL .385 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 BACON, AGNES LATIMER 3316 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 BAIRD, MARGARET N 213 Scotland Road, South Orange, N. J. 
 
 BAKER, FANIDA ...Royston, Ga. 
 
 BAKER, RACHEL C .'.Bola, Pa. 
 
 BAKEWELL, EUPHEMIA Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 BEACH, NELLIE ...Ridgwav, Pa. 
 
 BEAKES, KATHERINE 133 W. Main Street, Middletown,'N. Y. 
 
 BEAN, MARGARET 330 Bryn Mawr Road, Cvnwyd, Pa. 
 
 BECKER, EDITH 260 Richmond Avenue, Buffalo" N. Y. 
 
 BEMENT, NORMA MAIE..... 309 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca, N. Y. 
 
 BERRY, DOROTHY Emmons, Apts., Huntington, W. Va. 
 
 BEYER, ELIZABETH 6103 Kenwood Avenue, ^Chicago, III. 
 
 BIDGOOD, LETITIA 810 Argyle Road, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 BLACK, IDA McL ..303 Grace Street, Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 BLACK, VISTA 333 Grand Building, Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 BLACKNEY, FRANCES Angola, N. Y. 
 
 BLANTON, ANNA, WARD BELMONT Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 BLODGETT, RACHAEL NELL. Orleans, Nebr. 
 
 BOLWAY, HELEN M 173 Fourth Street, Oswego, N. Y. 
 
 BOOTH, MYRTLE THEADORA 34 W. 38th Street, New York City 
 
 BOUVE, GRACE ELIZABETH 80 Harvard Avenue, Brookline, Mass. 
 
 BOWMAN, TEVAN J Spencer, W. Va. 
 
 BRADLEY, HELEN ALDIS 316 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 BRADSHAW, EUGENIA .......(Care Chicago Title & Trust Co., Chicago, 111. 
 
 BRADY, GERTRUDE ELIZABETH 158 Mammoth Road, LowelCMass. 
 
 BRIDGERS, ANNE PRESTON -. 1306 Hillsboro, Raleigh, N. C. 
 
 BRITTINGHAM, ADA S 133 E. Lincoln Avenue, Mt. Vernon, N. Y. 
 
 BROOKS, RUTH LOUISE 1617 Dills Street, Burlington, Iowa 
 
 BROWN, MABEL D 608 Spence Street, Marquette, Mich. 
 
 BROWN, MARY 504 Peach Tree Street, Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 BROWN, PAULINE 17Bronson Place, Toledo, Ohio 
 
 BROWNE, ANNE Vaughan, N. C. 
 
 BUCK, EDITH S 59 Branford, Jamaica, N. Y. 
 
 BUCK, SARA E 343 Plover Street, Sturns Point. Wis. 
 
 BUCKLEY, KATHERINE R..... .....13 West 98th Street, New York City 
 
 BURD, MRS. PERCILLA 3130 Troost Avenue, Kansas Citv, Mo. 
 
 BUTLER, Mary 935 South 14th Street, St. Joseph, Mo. 
 
 BUTTS, M. LUCILE 730 Union Street, Brunswick, Ga. 
 
 CADY, BEATRICE 310 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 CAHOON, ELIZABETH 1333 Wisconsin Stieet, Racine, Wis. 
 
 CAMPBELL, MARJORIE 511 Euclid Avenue, Syracuse N. Y. 
 
 CARNEY, MRS. BERTHA L Geneva House, Geneva, N. Y 
 
 CARROLL, ALICE 93 Grand Street, Newburgh, N. Y. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 1^7 
 
 nATjRT^TT HOPF 32 Wakefield Street, Lewiston, Maine 
 
 S^S^^rS? MRS EDNA B 51 Butler Street, Lawrence, Mass. 
 
 n^?Sy Fn?rH K O 4 Mission Apts., Cheyenne, Wy. 
 
 CLARK, EDITH K. U ^^^^^^ 3^^,^^ Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 Si^^SS'T. VnmSF' "C ^03 Lake Avenue, Racine, Wis. 
 
 rnA???'HELEN MAR '364 Upper Mountain Ave., Upper Mountain, N.J. 
 
 rorSWELT^ VmcfNIA ■ '. - 31 Clinton Ave., Jamaica, N^ Y. 
 
 PoSsTOCk' ALICE M T6 Humboldt Avenue, Providence R. I. 
 
 Pnn? ^OrWeLIA 40T Vista Avenue, Portland Oregon 
 
 rnnf ^sJbELLE B 34^ Spring Street, Portland, Maine 
 
 nnnv t!vf -1001 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 rnnpi.'^ fringes" H 5746 Howe Street, Pittsburgh Pa. 
 
 ^^^^blSif'S^^^Z^J.SS Boylston Street, C^st^t Htll, ^^. 
 
 rnn?H ^'U^S^ H :::Z4:6 SouthB^oa^way, Nyack, N. Y. 
 
 g^5^iS^^A^cE:i::=^^ -.f^^rk^rit'STf;,?.^: 
 
 ES^virELiz^B^™"^' ::;:::303wiitnrs\S^^^ 
 
 gSRifs^'sARAH^THEADORA 106 E. ^^-^^^^^f^^glf^^^^^^^^ 
 
 S^?^"RS^ZZZZZZZZ:^30^-X^d;ews -X^enue, N. ^ W 
 
 S?f AND^Sy''^^'''^ ;:::i4 Potter- Place, Fairp.rt, N. Y. 
 
 KSwTT^'TRFfmE 4000 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 
 
 SS?5^ Jl^fSiJ^ SZZZZI 4336 Delmar Bl^d S. ^i^^^. 
 
 SlgS^T'^AS?'''^ ^ :Z060 Honvwood- A.^nue, Chicago lU. 
 
 niVF?? ET?G]^NIA 503 W. Church Street, Elmira, N. ^. 
 
 dSoN fLA ZZ 335 Augusta Street, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 SSS^t¥; EUNICeZ:Z...6.8 East Twenty.j.th^S1jee^ I^njoldy^ 
 
 S^SsSee' EST™Er\^™ ZZ.^ ctsS'u^ttrS Wi^^^^^^^^ 
 
 SSfRMIDRED grace' ...351 S. Rebecca Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 Sc: ?T OR^NCF ^^"^ 134 South Elm Street, Centraha, 111. 
 
 5t / TOT ADF?I Aldnie Hotel, Philadelphia Pa. 
 
 1SS?T^?N^--E::=::::=::Z3 Reservoir Street,^a^d^, Ma.. 
 
 IlOS^JvI^^ Z:3923-Ha;r^onZtre^:^aiLs C^ly^.^. 
 
 ?mVr SON CAROLYN 31 Arlington Street, Rochester, N "Y. 
 
 EnSSIsS,' MARgSRiTEZZ: .,^659 f «-! Avenu^ Deti.^, Micl.. 
 
 ^^?^k^^^N- P::::::::==-100 AsWand Avenue, Bv^alo^N^. 
 
 ???NS ^BbJe H ''^''™'' ■ ZZ^F^ee St;ee^,clden, M^e 
 
 FVaS's' META :Zl7i5" Tenth Avenue, Huntington, W. Va. 
 
 FWFN HEIEN 302 N. Jefferson Street, Saginaw, Mich. 
 
 EWmG GrTcE :::::: 54 west 48th street. New York City 
 
 FrULKVERtSTHERINE 31 Talbot Street, loweU, Mass. 
 
 FAY, ALICE OBER 115 Olympia Place Seattle, Wash. 
 
 — SCUS EFFIE 200 Washington Avenue, Vandergritt, Pa. 
 
 .ANSBURG, ELEANOR 3501 The Pa«-«l Sf ^l^^ity ^o. 
 
 FI 
 
198 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 FOWLER, RENA Farmington, Maine 
 
 FRANCIES, MAY Western Penitentiary, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 FRIERSON, MRS. ANNA H .' Athens, Ala. 
 
 FRICK, ETHELWYNNE 100 South Church Street, Westchester, Pa. 
 
 FRITSCH, SUSAN 5475 Cabanne Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 FULLERTON, PAULINE 303 West 74th Street, New York City 
 
 FULTON, JULIA Pleasant Valley, Wheeling W. Va. 
 
 GAGE, KATHERINE L .....29 Wedonah Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 GARDEN, GERTRUDE 441 Main Street, Wheeling, W. Va. 
 
 GARDNER, HARRIET B 71 Beverly Road, Upper Montclair, N. J. 
 
 GARDNER, JANE Clinton, N. J. 
 
 GARRETT, MARY A West Holm, Tutford Yak, England 
 
 GARVEY, ANNABEL A 515 Buchanan Street, Topeka, Kansas 
 
 GEITZ, ELSIE K 263 Rich Avenue, Mt. Vernon, N. Y. 
 
 GERNON, AUDREY- 195 Washington Street, Norwich, Conn. 
 
 GILMOUR, MRS. GERTRUDE....Palisade Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y. 
 
 GILSON, MRS. SARA SUMNER Highland Street, Holliston, Mass. 
 
 GITTINGS, ISABELLE 1342 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 GLEASON, MARY E 145 South Street, Northampton, Mass. 
 
 GOETCHIUS, MARY 405 Third Avenue, Rome, Ga. 
 
 GOODWIN, MARY F Ashland, Va. 
 
 GORMLY, ELEANOR Sewickley, Pa. 
 
 GRAHAM, GLADYS _ Evanston, 111. 
 
 GRANT, BLANCHE C 22 Prospect Street, Taunton, Mass. 
 
 GREEN, HELEN S 105 Grape Street, Morrison, 111. 
 
 GREEN, IDA Dalton, Mass. 
 
 GREENE, AMY 21 West Street, Worcester, Mass. 
 
 GREENLAW, MRS. KATE O.. Eutaw, Ala. 
 
 GRINNELL, MRS. KATHERINE 32 Maple Street, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 GROSS, ESTELLE 620 South George Street, York, Pa. 
 
 HAMMETT, ELIZABETH..... 919 Heberton Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 HAMMOND, JOSEPHINE 427 Center Avenue, Butler, Pa. 
 
 HANNA, MARY E... 4934 N. 12th Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 HANSON, HARRIETTE 316 Cumberland Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 HARING, MRS. AUGUSTA 19 West 31st Street, New York City 
 
 HART, IMOGENE 5547 Dorchester Avenue, Chicago, 111. 
 
 HATCH, ESTHER Bryn Mawr Avenue, Cynwyd, Pa. 
 
 HATCH, LAURA 36 Bedford Terrace, Northampton, Mass. 
 
 HAYES, PAULINE 28 Einhorn Road, Worcester, Mass. 
 
 HAYS, FRANCES B JeflFerson City, Mo. 
 
 HAYES, MARION 28 Einhorn Road, Worcester, Mass. 
 
 HAYES, SARA E ...Brielle, N. J. 
 
 HAZELHURST, ELIZABETH 1021 Greenwood Blvd., Evanston, 111. 
 
 HAZELHURST, HELEN K 1021 Greenwood Blvd., Evanston, 111. 
 
 HEATH, LURA IDA R. F. D. No. 5, Monroe, N. C. 
 
 HEPFORD, MINERVA 220 Pine Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 
 
 HERRING, FRANCES Natural Bridge, Va. 
 
 HIGGINS, RACHEL 41 Mt. Vernon Street, Melrose, Mass. 
 
 HILL, MARTHA 1012 N. 12th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 
 
 HILLER, DOROTHY 2921 Washington Street, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 HILP, FREDDIE 405 Elm Street, Reno, Nev. 
 
 HINE, ELLEN LOUISE State and Abbey Streets, Girard, Ohio 
 
 HOBBS, MRS. GEORGIA E Y. M. C. A., Denver, Colo. 
 
 HOLCOMB, MRS. CATHERINE 453 Cedar Street, Manistee, Miich. 
 
 HOLMES, KATHERINE R 24 High Street, Orange, N. J. 
 
 HOLMES, MARY LOUISE 24 High Street, Orange, N. J. 
 
 HOPKINS, CATHERINE 28 West 12th Street, New York City 
 
 HOPKINS, CHARLOTTE Groton, Mass. 
 
 HORTON, AMY 33 West 74th Street, New York City 
 
 HOWE, FLORA Miles City, Mont. 
 
 HOWE, RUBY 409 South Union Street, Burlington, Vt. 
 
In the Le Mans Area J 99 
 
 HOWARD, BESS ...Chester, Pa. 
 
 HOWELL, BERTHA Catonsville, Md. 
 
 HUBBELL, MARGUERITE Elgin, 111. 
 
 HUNN, MRS. J. M 119 Blair Street, Ithaca, N. Y. 
 
 INGELSE, PATRE Boulder, Colo. 
 
 IRVINE, MARY AGNES 016 Elysian Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 JACKSON, EDITH M 5835 Circle Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 JAMES, ADA G.. 330 Columbia Ave., Palmerton, Pa. 
 
 JAMESON, HALLIE '. 1424 N. Fifth Street, Waco, Texas 
 
 JASPER, NELL Fulton, Mo. 
 
 JENKINS, MARY B Wellesley, Mass. 
 
 JOHNSON, CAROLINE C 87 High Street, Yonkers, N. Y. 
 
 JOHNSON, FLORENCE MARY 475 E. Seventh Street, Fulton, N. Y. 
 
 JOHNSON, SUSANNE Z Weston, Mass. 
 
 JOHNSON, MRS. WAYNE Sheffield, Mass. 
 
 JOHNSTON, ESTHER 2328 Broadway, Logansport, Ind. 
 
 JONES, KATHERINE 1212 S. 14th St., Springfield, 111. 
 
 JONES, MAY F Asheville, N. C. 
 
 JONES, WINIFRED N Suisun, Cal. 
 
 KALEY, MADGE 151 Montgomery Street, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
 
 KEEFE, LOUISE 4625 "n. Racine Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 KENNEDY, MRS. CORA C 222Memorial Ave., Grove City, Pa. 
 
 KETCHUM, ELEANOR West Roxbury, Boston, Mass. 
 
 KEYSER, ANNE F 1121 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 KING, CORA LEE 5257 Westminster Place, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 KING, SARA JOYCE 311 Second Ave., Rome, Ga. 
 
 KINSEY, MARTHA Wyoming, Ohio 
 
 KIRK, GERTRUDE H Placerville, Cal. 
 
 KNOWLES, CYNTHIA Corinna, Maine 
 
 KOUNTZ, FLORIDA S 516 Wallace Ave., Wilkensburg, Pa. 
 
 KOYLE, MRS. MAUD McDOWELL 145 West 12th Street, New York City 
 
 KREINHEDER, CHARLOTTE 249 Norwood Avenue, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 KUNZ, KITTY Delafield, Wis. 
 
 KUNZ, JANET Delafield, Wis. 
 
 LAW, MARGARET 5449 Greene Street, Germantown, Pa. 
 
 LAW, RUTH 816 N. Weber Street, Colorado Springs. Colo. 
 
 LAWTON, WILHELMINA Cortland, Geneva, N. Y. 
 
 LEACH, VIRGINIA 81 Sterling Place, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 LEE, ALINE S Westbrook, Conn. 
 
 LEE, ANNA E Highmore, So. Dak. 
 
 LEE, ANNIE. 5015 Church Street, Monroe, N. C. 
 
 LEONARD, ELEANOR 1729 N. Sixth Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 
 
 LESLEY, VICTORIA 1411 North 16th Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 LEWIS, DORA Movlan, Pa. 
 
 LEWIS, MRS. ELISE L Large Ave., Hillsdale, N. J. 
 
 LINCOLN, MARGARET R 9 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Mass. 
 
 LIND, MABEL 1723 W. Teoga Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 LINDSAY, MARTHA 56 Eaton Place, East Orange, N. J. 
 
 LINDSAY, RUTH 347 Prospect Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 
 
 LINEHAN, JANET 681 Gholson Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 LOGAN, ALICE Real Estate Trust Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 LOOMIS, MRS. EFFIE P ; 320 W. Grace Street, Richmond, Va. 
 
 LOVELL, MARGARET Pen-y-Bryn, Scranton, Pa. 
 
 LUCAS, HELEN 615 Carleton Ave., "Portland, Oreeon 
 
 MACY, MRS. ALICE 20 Seventh Street, New Bedford, Mass. 
 
 MacDONALD, LUCY (No record address) 
 
 MacEACHRON, HARRIET 422 Vermont Street, Waterloo, Iowa 
 
 Mackenzie, Harriet Ypsiianti, Mich. 
 
 MacLAREN, jane 120 E. Arrellage Street, Santa Barbara, Cal. 
 
 MacLeod, GWENN 412 W. 20th Street, New York City 
 
 MacNAMARA, HONORE 64 St. James Place, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
200 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 McCAGUE, ANNE D - Pine Road, Sewickly, Pa. 
 
 McCain, LEODA 804 S. Kenilworth Ave., Oak Park, 111. 
 
 McClelland, ruth M 656 N. Pralrle Street, Galesburg, 111. 
 
 McCOLLUM, ANNA R. F. D. No. 3, Durand, Mich. 
 
 McCORMACK, EDITH 4522 Westminster Place, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 McDAVID, THERESA -113 Toy Street, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 McDonald, SARAH 7700 Penn. Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 McGLINCH, ANNE A ...- Minto, N. Dak. 
 
 McINTYRE, LOUISE Newman, 111. 
 
 MANN, WINIFRED..... 8444 120th Street, Richmond Hill, N. Y. 
 
 MARTIN, KATHERINE A 308 Stuyvesant Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 MARTIN, RUTH 5728 Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 MARVIN, DORIS.. (No record address) 
 
 MARVIN, GERTRUDE. 359 Wyoming Street, Kingston, Pa. 
 
 MARSHALL, ELIZABETH 546 Madison Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 MASSEY, CLARA ESTHER 236 S. Massey Street, Watertown, N. Y. 
 
 MASSEY, SALLIE LOU ' 1523 22nd Ave., Meridian, Miss. 
 
 MASSIE, MAYO Lawrenceville, Va. 
 
 MERRITT, ELEANOR 2024 Orange Street, Bakersfield, Colo. 
 
 MILLER, ANNA 311 Maple Street, Manistie, Mich. 
 
 MILLER, LUIDA K Stanford, Ky. 
 
 MILLER, MRS. MARTHA Stonington, Conn. 
 
 MOLTER, ELLA S Excelsior, Minn. 
 
 MOORE, MARION SARAH Avondale, Pa. 
 
 MORRIS, CLARA 200 Lexington Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 xMORRIS, MARY E 241 West Eighth Ave., Columbus, Ohio 
 
 MORRIS, MAUD E Alva, Okla. 
 
 MORSE, KATHERINE "Grey Rocks," Amherst, Mass. 
 
 MOSS, EDNA PAULINE Mainville, Ohio 
 
 MOSS, OLIVE M 1730 Williams Street, Denver, Colo. 
 
 MYER, ANNIE Carthage, Tenn. 
 
 MYERS, ELIZABETH PAUL 129 East Tenth Street, New York City 
 
 NELSON, LELIA 63 Scott Street, Monroe, Mich. 
 
 NELSON, STELLA E 220 West Olive Street, Stillwater, Minn. 
 
 NEWELL, FRANCES Wolfe Hall, Denver, Colo. 
 
 NUNN, MRS. LAURA J .3 Bird Street, Dorchester, Boston, Mass. 
 
 NUTTER, HARRIET 12 Cornell Ave., Yonkers, N. Y. 
 
 O'BRIEN, MARGARET 301 S. Fifth Street, Grand Haven, Mich. 
 
 OHMERT, HAZEL 6423 Planada Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 OLDS, MAVE C 55 Broadway, Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 OSBORN, MARY 309 Clark Street, Clarksburg, W. Va. 
 
 OTIS, MABEL 10 West 11th Street, New York City 
 
 PARKER, ESTHER Winchester, Mass. 
 
 PARK, MISS KATHERINE Warren, N. H. 
 
 PARRY, ANNA M ...24 Estrella Ave., Oakland, Cal. 
 
 PATRICK, RUTH 31T S. Grove Ave., Oak Park, 111. 
 
 PATTERSON, EILEEN 412 West 20th Street, New York City 
 
 PAXTON, MARY Roanoke, Va. 
 
 PEABODY, MAY E .....Salem, N. H. 
 
 PEDRICK, HELEN Cynwyd, Pa. 
 
 PERKINS, FRANCES J Seventh Ave., Laurel, Miss. 
 
 PIKE, LUCILE PERLEY.. 164 Kent Street, Brooklins, Mass. 
 
 PLUMB, ALMA ....Fairview, Kan. 
 
 PLUME, EMILIE A 706 West End Ave., New York City 
 
 POLLOCK, CHRISTINE ..210 South Eighth Street, Fargo, N. D. 
 
 POPE, ANNA ELIZABETH 806 Sixth Street, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 POTTER, DOROTHY LOUISE 229 Vine Street, Tyler, Texas 
 
 POTTS, MARGARET R 8 Congress Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 PRATT, C. ELMA 333 Central Park West, New York City 
 
 PRICE, KATHERINE G 124 Main Street, Westerly, R. I. 
 
 PRYOR, ESTELLE B 801 E. Court Street, Flint, Mich; 
 
In the Le Mans Area 201 
 
 PUGH, RACHAEL 503 N. Ninth Street, Independence, Kan. 
 
 QUAYLE, MRS. THOS. R 713 South St. John's Ave., Highland Park, 111. 
 
 RANDALL, IVY MAY 1864 Mar Vista Ave., Pasadena, Cal. 
 
 REEVE, ALICE L 39 Oakland Road, Brookline, Mass. 
 
 REID, MARGARET 521 South Story Street, Boone, Iowa 
 
 RICE,' ETHEL F 3619 James Street, Eastwood, E. Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 RICHARDS, BELL 5806 Howe Street, Pittsburgli, Pa. 
 
 RICHARDS, IRMA 143 61st Ave., East Duluth, Minn. 
 
 RICHMOND, MARJORIE 74 East Main Street, Fredonia, N. Y. 
 
 RITCHIE, LILLIAN Lake-of-the-Isles, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 ROBERTS, ANNIE M. M 435 Madison Ave., New York City 
 
 ROBERTS, EDITH 8 Tennis Court, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 ROBERTS, ESSIE- Fairburn, La. 
 
 ROBERTSON, FERNANDE -36 Perry Street, New York City 
 
 ROBINSON, HELEN RAYE ...1033 N. 2nd Street, Rockford, 111. 
 
 ROBINSON, MARGARET 335 Morris Ave., Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 RODGERS, CLAUDINE 626 S. Gore Ave., Webster Groves, Mo. 
 
 ROGERS, MILDRED PRESCOTT 14 Brimmer Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 ROPES, PHOEBE. 252 Locust Street, Danvers, Mass. 
 
 ROSE, MARGUERITE T Tuckhoe, N. Y. 
 
 ROUNDS, ONA M 96 South Tenth Street, San Jose, Cal. 
 
 ROWSON, JANE M 464 15th Ave., Patterson, N. J. 
 
 RUSSELL, JOSEPHINE 3662 Pine Grove Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 SAUNDERS, RUBY 200 E. Deming Street, Roswell, N. Mex. 
 
 SAVARESE, LOUISE E 73 Charlton Street, New York City 
 
 SCHIMMELFENG, MARION F ...210 Fourth Street, Warren, Pa. 
 
 SCOTT, MARION STURGES 1214 Astor Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 SCRIVEN, MRS. MiARJORIE W 64 Charlesgate, East Boston, Mass. 
 
 SCUDDER, CONSTANCE 4063 Washington Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 SEARS, MISS ANNA 330 W. 47th Street, New York City 
 
 SEELEY, MISS M 304 Clairmont Ave., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 SELDEN, DAPHNE....: - - Deep River, Conn. 
 
 SEVERENCE, MILDRED 150 Jewett Ave., Buflfalo, N. Y. 
 
 SHARPE, MARY B Chambersburg, Pa. 
 
 SHELDON, ELEANOR - Free Hall, Normal, 111. 
 
 SHERIDAN, MABEL E 43 Asbury Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 SHERMAN, GEM -- Marquette, Mich. 
 
 SHIELDS, EFFIE L ...4326 Saline Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 SHYNE, ELEANOR 16 Folow Block, Norwood, Mass. 
 
 SHIPPERD, MARJORIE 1212 Jefferson Street, Duluth, Minn. 
 
 SHUTTLEWORTH, ESTHER Springfield, N. Y. 
 
 SHUMAN, LENA. 2801 Benvenue Ave., Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 SIDNEY, MRS. VIDA 135 Waverly Place, New York City 
 
 SIMONTON, ELIZABETH Spencer Arms, New York City 
 
 SIMONTON, SALLY Spencer Arms, New York City 
 
 SINCLAIR, HELEN Lysander, N. Y. 
 
 SINGER, JANE R 5463 Penn, Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 SINGLETON, MRS. EMMA G 530 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 SMALL, MARY BELLE Main Street, Washington, N. C. 
 
 SMALL, RUTH 483 Vista Ave., Portland, Oregon 
 
 SMITH, GLADYS.... 160 Park Ave., Brockport, N. Y. 
 
 SMITH, SARA 96 North 18th Street, East Orange, N. J. 
 
 SNYDER, ELIZABETH Ardmore, Pa. 
 
 SNYDER, HELEN 11 Bentley Ave., Jersey City, N. J. 
 
 SPEAR, HELEN MAHLON 6 William Street, Newark, N. J. 
 
 SPENCER, JEANETTE ...2133 Jackson Blvd., Chicago, 111. 
 
 SPERRY, JULIA 1001 Dewey Ave., Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 SPICER, MRS. ALICE San Diego, Cal. 
 
 ST. CLAIR, ELSIE 435 Gilbert St., Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 STERLING, MRS. MARY H La Grange, Ga. 
 
 STEWART, MRS. BESSIE Elizabeth City, N. C. 
 
 STEWART, MARGARET ANNA Hotel Miami, Miami, Okla. 
 
202 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 STEWART, REBECCA 152 Dickson Ave., Ben Avon, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 STOUP, CLARA E 638 Fifth Street, Oakmont, Pa, 
 
 STOWERS, F. MIRIAM 121 Narcissus Street, West Palm Beach, Fla. 
 
 SUAREZ, ERNESTINE Tuskegee Institute, Ala. 
 
 TAIT, MRS. JOHN L 1914 Summit Street, Columbus, Ohio 
 
 TERRETT, MilLDRED Clinton, N. Y. 
 
 TERRILL, KATHERINE..... _ Grand Junction, Iowa 
 
 THOMPSON, GRACE 2111 De Lancey Place, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 TODD, LISA 824 West End Ave., New York City 
 
 TOMPKINS, MARJORIE Nyack, N. Y. 
 
 TORRISON, MARGARET 1745 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 111. 
 
 TOLER, MRS. MAINER HARDIN 590 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 TOM, LUCIA MAE Runge, Texas 
 
 TRAYLOR, MRS. RUTH L Hotel Traylor, AUentown, Pa. 
 
 TULLER, ELIZABETH 42 West North Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 TURNER, LILLIAN A 51 Lawshe Street, Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 TURNER, NATALIE S 1201 Sunset Ave., Asbury Park, N. J. 
 
 TYSON, PATRICIA 25 Lincoln Street, Glen Ridge, N. J. 
 
 UHL, MARGARET 215 South Franklin Street, Wilkes Barre, Pa. 
 
 ULLIAN, REBA 152 Franklin Street, New York City 
 
 VALENTINE, GERTRUDE (Deceased). ...80 Chestnut Street, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 VALK, ELLA 137 East 66th Street, New York City 
 
 WALDO, BARBARA Bridgeport, Conn. 
 
 WADDEN, MARY Madison, S. D. 
 
 WALKER, LILLIAN GERTRUDE Woodbury, Conn. 
 
 WALKER, GRACE 61 Valley Road, Montclair, N. J. 
 
 WALKER, MAUD WINSTON 1500 Bluff, Wichita Falls, Texas 
 
 WARDEN, MRS. SARA Beaver Road, Sewickley, Pa. 
 
 WARD, EDNA M 2050 East 83rd Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 WATTERS, LUCILE E 603 West Seventh Street, Rome, Ga. 
 
 WEAVER, MYRTLE Bradford, Ohio 
 
 WEEKS, MARY Babylon, L. I., N. Y. 
 
 WELDON, MINNIE 201 California Street, Newton, Mass. 
 
 WELLES, KATHERINE 27 Washington Square, North, New York City 
 
 WESTON, ISABELLE B 22 Summer Street, Bangor, Maine 
 
 WHEELER, PAULINE LANSING 2012 Broadway, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 WHILEY, OLIVE PEARL 129 E. Wheeling Street, Lancaster, Ohio 
 
 WHITE, BERNICE 1429 Belmont Street, Washington, D. C. 
 
 WILLARD, MARY F 1506 Fargo Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 WILLIAMS, OLIVE 54 Irving Place, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 WILLIS, REBA 256 East Seventh Street, Colton, Colo. 
 
 WILLS, ELIZABETH M Gilroy, Cal. 
 
 WILCOX, LOUISE 193 Inwood Ave., Upper Montclair," N. J. 
 
 WOOD, ELIZABETH A Claremont, Cal. 
 
 WOOD, GLADYS 195 High Street, Greenfield, Mass. 
 
 WOOD, MARGARET 162 Cleveland Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 WOODMAN, HELEN 185 Bailey Street, Lawrence, Mass. 
 
 WOODS, DOROTHY L 1806 Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 
 
 WOOSTER, MISS RUTH Seymour, Conn. 
 
 WRIGHT, ETHEL Dexter Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 YOUNG, LILLY MAE Sharon, Wis. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 203 
 
 MEN PERSONNEL 
 
 ACHESON, R. D Eagle Grove, Iowa 
 
 ACKER, WALTER Masonic House, Fort Worth, Texas 
 
 ADAMS, G. B 60 Mercer Street, Jersey City, N. J. 
 
 AGNEW, F. C Plattsburg, N. Y. 
 
 AKIN, C. ARTHUR 501 North Avenue 65, Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 ALLEN, A. S Y. M. C. A., Seattle, Wash. 
 
 ALDER, E. C 183 Steuben Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 ALLEN, WM. J 17 N. Irvington Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 ANDERSON, J. R (No record address) 
 
 ANDERSON, J. S 3210 Arthington Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 ANDERSON, O Hammond, Ind. 
 
 ARMSTRONG, ORLAND K 1914 N. Jefferson Street, Springfield, Mo. 
 
 ARMSTEAD, G. B New Haven, Conn. 
 
 ASHBROOK, J. P Lumberton, N. J. 
 
 ASHCRAFT, CYRUS W 501 Wood Ave., Florence, Ala. 
 
 ALEXANDER, FRED B Crawfordsville, Ind. 
 
 ALLEN, LUTHER E Aurora, 111. 
 
 ATKINSON, S. D Orange, N. J. 
 
 ATKINSON, W. D Grove City, Ohio 
 
 A VERITT, DONALD (No record address) 
 
 BABCOCK, R. W 600 N. Pine Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 RAGGETT, GEO. S Liverpool, N. Y. 
 
 BAILEY, J. W 32 Grace Street, Montgomery, Ala. 
 
 BAILEY, ORVILLE S R. R. No. 6, Morrowvilk, Kan. 
 
 BAKER, O. E 3025 Leverett Ave., Alton, IlL 
 
 BAKER, H : 10 Erie Street, Oak Park. 111. 
 
 BAKER, THOS Spring Valley, N. Y. 
 
 BAKER, W. J 77 Elmont Ave., Port Chester, N. Y. 
 
 BALCOM, H. A 516 West 184th Street, New York City 
 
 BALDWIN, ARTHUR C Montclair, N. J. 
 
 BALES, W. E McMinnville, Ore. 
 
 BALL, JAMES W Logansport, Ind. 
 
 RALMOND, F. J Greensburg, Pa. 
 
 BANKS, E. T 410 Bank Street, Davton, Ohio 
 
 BARBER, HACKETT Owensboro, Kv. 
 
 BARNES, GEO. J The Lenox, 131 Spruce Street, Philadelnhia. Pa. 
 
 BARNES, JOHN 2104 Walnut Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 
 
 BARTON, L. S 817 South Barton Ave., Tulsa, Okla. 
 
 BARDEN, H. C Attleboro, Mass. 
 
 BARNES, ALEX J 2035 James Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 BASHAM, R. A Akron, N. Y. 
 
 BASSETT, JOHN Rush Citv, Minn. 
 
 BATSON. ROLAND 10 Adams Street, Medford, Mass. 
 
 BATES, ROSS 1800 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis. Minn. 
 
 BAUMBACH. CHAS. C Bryant, S. Dak. 
 
 BAYNTUN, G. R 1114 W. Park Street, Butte, Mont. 
 
 BE AL, FP ED N WalviUe, Wash. 
 
 BECKWITH, FLOYD 1 3355 W. Monroe Street, Chicaa-o, 111. 
 
 BET>DEN. F. M Plandome, N. Y. 
 
 BELL, HUGH H 140 Bolmas Ave., San Ansf>lmo. Cal. 
 
 BE/VVEN, A. W 52 Burr Street, Rochester. N. Y. 
 
 BERINER, PAUL... (No record address) 
 
 BERTHIAUME, S. M.. 7223 Taft Street, Seattle, Wash. 
 
 BTCKET,, J. F 313 S. Washington Street. Tavlorville, 111. 
 
 T^Tr>DT,E. HOWARD Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 BILLINS, W. A 232 Dearborn Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 BINFOPD, DR. B. S 704 W. North Street, Greenfield, Ind. 
 
 BING, H. M 31 Van Deman Ave., Delaware, Ohio 
 
 BINGHAM, GUY M Vine Street, Libson, Ohio 
 
 BIXLER, ANDREW L 536 Hanover Street, Carlisle, Pa. 
 
204 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 BLACK, JOHN CALVIN.._ R. R. No. 3, Parnassus, Pa. 
 
 BLACKMER, J. H 638 Piatt Street, Toledo, Ohio 
 
 BLAIR, H. W Cartage, Mo. 
 
 BLOOM, IRVING 1143 Tiffany Street, Bronx, New York City 
 
 BLUE, A. B Phillipsburg, Kan. 
 
 BOGARDUS, HARRY Mansfield, Pa. 
 
 BOOKWALTER, A. G 564 Evanswood Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 BOWEN, A. J Hibernian Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 BOWEN, O. L El Paso, Texas 
 
 BOWLES, W. F ..1300 Logan Street, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 BOWMAN, H. N Canton, Ohio 
 
 BRADBURY, JOHN W 6036 Drexel Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 BRADLEY, HERRICK 501T Queen Ave., S., Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 BRANDS, RUSLING S Columbia, N. J. 
 
 BRAMAN, W. J Monroe, N. Y. 
 
 BRAMMER, OTTO C 183 Ditmass Ave., Long Island City, N. Y. 
 
 BRANDON, J. C 434 North Main Street, Butler, Pa. 
 
 BRIDGES, ELLERY N.... 57 Alliance Ave., Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 BRIGGS, E. E 73 Tracv Street, Buflfalo, N. Y. 
 
 BRILLHART, D. O ...1189 Arch Street, Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 BRINDLE, CHAS. D 95 West First Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 
 
 BROTHERS, S. C 304 Leroy Ave., Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 BROUGH, R. NORMAN 53 Westminster Road, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 BROUGHER, JAMES W.. 1331 West Fourth Street, Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 BROWN, C. T 835 Fletcher Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 BROWN, F. E 1059 37th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 BROWN, HENRY T Lubec, Maine 
 
 BROWN, JOHN K 13436 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 BROWN, L. L Owasco, N. Y. 
 
 BROA¥N, ARCHIE 55 White Street, Red Bank, N. J. 
 
 BRUGGERS, J. H R. R. No. 4, Cawker City, Kan. 
 
 BULLOCK, M. C 51 River Street, Salamanca, N. Y. 
 
 BULLOCK, M. W .....30 Sarsfield Street, Roxburv, Mass. 
 
 BURCAW, EDWARD E 383 East Elm Street, Kent, Ohio 
 
 BURD, H. P :..... 113 North Seventh Street, Bethlehem, Pa. 
 
 BURKHART, FRANK C 3108 Marcy Street, Omaha, Neb. 
 
 BURRESS, D. T .....Carroll, Neb. 
 
 BURRILL, WM. L 307 Eighth Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 BUSH, M. S Portsmouth, Ohio 
 
 BUTLER, DAVID M ....309 Houston Street, Augusta, Ga. 
 
 BUTZ, P. F 301 North Jefferson Street, Newcastle, Pa. 
 
 CADLE, J. W 36 Alexandra, Apts., Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 CAIRNS. JAMES G 5 Oakhill Road, Cliftondale, Mass. 
 
 CALDWELL, H. E 338 West Biddle Street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 CALKINS, LLOYD R Olivet, Kansas 
 
 CAMPBELL, JOHN NEIL.. 3104 Lyndale Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 C \MPBELL, ROBERT Millerton, N. Y. 
 
 CANTWELL, C. A 331 34th Street, Oakland, Cal. 
 
 CARNEGIE, W. P 939 Leland Avenue, Chicaon, m. 
 
 CA.RRINGTON, J. J Huntington,^ Tenn. 
 
 CARLYLE, A. F 603 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 CARMAN, J. EARNEST. 17 Twelfth Ave., Columbus, Ohio 
 
 C BROTHERS, E. S .Concordia, Texas 
 
 CARTY, CHAS Bozeman, Mont. 
 
 CASSIDY, M. A Ada, Okla. 
 
 CA.STANIEN, G. W Dodge City, Kan. 
 
 CAPPS, J. A Bessemer City, N. C. 
 
 GATES, OFFERT Lvnchberg, Tenn. 
 
 CHAMBERS, J. E 114 Kirwin Street, Salena, Kan. 
 
 CHASE, H. A 1107 North 18th Street, Boise, Idaho 
 
 CHRISTIAN, J. A Oxford, Miss. 
 
 CLARK, A. J 643 Gracy Street, Utica, N. Y. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 205 
 
 CLARK, DR. CHAS Boston, Mass. 
 
 CLARK, JAMES 1223 St. John's Place, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 COCKRELL, EWING 2083 Market Street, Warrensburg, Mo. 
 
 COATES, M. W - 142 Harkness Ave., Pasadena, Cal. 
 
 COCHRAN, FRED Flats, N. C. 
 
 COIT, C. W 1019 Park Ave., Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 COLLIER, T. F..... 38 Keene Street, Providence, R. I. 
 
 CONE, J. H 2400 Grandview Ave., Cincmnati, Ohio 
 
 CONKLIN, H. W 84 Rider Ave., Patchogue, N. Y. 
 
 COOPER, CHAS. F 32 Tyler Place, Athol, Mass. 
 
 COPE, A. B 1021 Walnut Street, Emporia, Kan. 
 
 CORNEILSON, J. M - Pendleton, Oregon 
 
 COREY, MADISON N. Y. A. Club, Pelham, N. Y. 
 
 COSAND, CHAS. E 412 North A. Street, Oskaloosa, Iowa 
 
 COSSENAS, GEO 308 West 93rd Street, New York City 
 
 COULTER, JOHN L 94 Beverley Ave., Morgantown, W. Va. 
 
 COURTWRIGHT, WM. L Larkspur, Cal. 
 
 COUSINS, WAVERLEY H West Main Street, Danville, Va. 
 
 COUSTER, ED (No record address) 
 
 COX, W. M - - Fairfield, 111. 
 
 COXHEAD, ERNEST Hearst Bldg., San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 CRENSHAW, JOHN W - Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 CRONK, W. C - - ...Beaumont, Cal. 
 
 CROW, CHAS. W - 2457 Lawn Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 CROWDER, EDWARD 1404 Favette Ave., Springfield, 111. 
 
 CULBERTSON, SASHA... : .....Imperial Street, Oif City, Pa. 
 
 CUMMINGS, JOHN WILSON 406 Cooper Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 
 
 CURRY, A. B. JR 541 Lexington Ave., New York City 
 
 CURTISS, O. M 18 Curtis Place, Staten Island, New York City 
 
 CUSHMAN, L. N 45 Merrimack Street, Lowell, Mass. 
 
 DALLING, JAMES R Everett, Pa. 
 
 DALTON, CRATE 1926 Ethel Street, Waco, Texas 
 
 DANA, MALCOLM Charles City, Iowa 
 
 DANGERFIELD, HARRY 4737 Bayard Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 DANIEL, CLEM B Tate, Tenn. 
 
 DARLING, D. P 4801 College Ave., Indianapohs, Ind. 
 
 DARSIE, CHAS .....7365 Sprague Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 DAUGHERTY, F. L 1039 E. Vernon Ave., Los Angsles, Cal. 
 
 DAVIDSON, EMMETT La Monte, Mo. 
 
 DAY, FREDERICK 65 Madison Ave., New York City 
 
 DAYMONT, LESTER N Chestnut Street, New York Mills, N. Y. 
 
 DEAN, J. S Fulton, Ky. 
 
 DEER, H. E 350 Nold Ave., Wooster, Ohio 
 
 DENNIS, J. A 1610 East State Street, Rockford, 111. 
 
 DICKINSON, JOHN H Pocatello, Idaho 
 
 DICKSON, HENRY D 1324 Grand Ave., Dayton, Ohio 
 
 DILLON, PAUL S Mound City, Mo. 
 
 DIETS, THOS. B.. 508 Roher Street, Greensburg, Pa. 
 
 DIXON, H. E 109 South St. Louis Blvd., South Bend, Ind. 
 
 DODD, JESSE J Montclair, N. J. 
 
 DONALDSON, C. A Columbia, S. C. 
 
 DOWNER, S. W Downer, N. J. 
 
 DRAGOO, ROY R Sauk Rapids, Minn. 
 
 DRUMMOND, CHESTER A 29 Central Street, Sommersville, Mass. 
 
 DUDDLES, RALPH' E Okabena, Minn. 
 
 DUNN, CLARK 1406 Linden Ave., Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 DUNN, HENRY 104 Perry Street, Kinston, N. C. 
 
 DUNN, J. E Irving, Texas 
 
 DURANT, F. F 1367 Edwards Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 Dye, CLARKSON 2595 union street, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 EARL, W. L 926 Delaware Ave., Toledo, Ohio 
 
 EASTMAN, ENOCH S R. R. No. 7, Manchester, N. H. 
 
206 History of the Y. JNI. C. A. 
 
 EASTMAN, H. A Colrain, Mass. 
 
 EBY, SAMUEL L R. R. No. 1, Columbus Grove, Ohio 
 
 ECKELS, A. R 140 Lockwood Ave., Yonkers, N. Y. 
 
 EDMONDS, NEWTON, A Hattiesburg, Miss. 
 
 EGGLESTON, J. F Franklin, Tenn. 
 
 ELLIOTT, JESSE (No record address) 
 
 ELIOT, W. A 1011 Thurman Street, Portland, Oregon 
 
 ELSEY, C. C 803 McNatt Ave., Aurora, Mo. 
 
 EMSLIE, GEO 56 North Ave., New Rochelle, N. Y. 
 
 ESMY, FERNANDE Paris, France 
 
 EVANS, P. L 1518 Paru Street, Alameda, Cal. 
 
 EVERETT, GEO. W 122 Kealing Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 FABER, LEO FLOYD Ashland, Ohio 
 
 FAGALY, ROY 2218 Iowa Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 FAIRCHILD, DALLAS 53 Kingston Street, Port Jervis, N. Y. 
 
 FARIS, CALVIN 423 North Seventh Street, Mitchell, Ind. 
 
 FARR, G. W Onekama, Mich. 
 
 FERRIS. O. L 117 Paloma Ave., Long Beach, Cal. 
 
 FINCH, ARTHUR J 245 South Gilpin Street, Denver, Colo. 
 
 FISH, C. B 248 Norwood Ave., Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 FISH, JAS. O Little Hocking, Ohio 
 
 FISHER, HARRY G. (Deceased) Washington, D. C. 
 
 FISHER, H. T Bernardston, Mass. 
 
 FISME'R, A. W 99 Beach Street, Bloomfield, N. J. 
 
 FLETCHER, W. 3809 19th Ave., Seattle, Wash. 
 
 FOX, EDW. L New Haven, Conn. 
 
 FRALEY, C. F San Bernardino, Cal. 
 
 FRANCIS, L. M (No record address) 
 
 FRANCISCO, T. H Martinsville, Va. 
 
 ERASER, WM 1371 Commonwealth Ave., AUston, Mass. 
 
 FREEMAN, W. L 625 Liberty Street, Corpus Christi, Texas 
 
 FREESE, E. C Tulsa, Cal. 
 
 FRENCH, NEIL S 871 Turk Street, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 FRIES, S. W Chestertown, Ind. 
 
 FRIEND, THOMAS Dumbarton, Va. 
 
 FRY, AMBROSE T Beach City, Ohio 
 
 FULLER, GEO. M 269 Hamilton Street, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 FUNDERBURK, RAY Wake Forest, N. C. 
 
 FUNK, ERWIN 612 South Sixth Street, Rogers, Ark. 
 
 GALE, A 1009 Michigan Ave., Albion, Mich. 
 
 GARDINER, J. L 831 W. Colfax Street, South Bend, Ind. 
 
 GARNETT, J. 3400 Leet Street, Greenville, Texas 
 
 GARLOUGH, FRED W 32 College Street, Hillsdale, Mich. 
 
 GAY, ALVA _ Ashland, Nebr. 
 
 GEORGE, CLARENCE W 320 East 15th Street, Lincoln, Nebr. 
 
 GERNON, AUDREY Norwich, Conn. 
 
 GERSUCH, J. E .(No record address) 
 
 GIBBS, GEO. E 864 Madison Street, Santa Clara, Cal. 
 
 GIBBS, S. 115 N. Shelby Street, Greenville, Miss. 
 
 GIBSON, HARRY W 1914 Geyer Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 GIDEON, HENRY 278 Highland' Street, Dedham, Mass. 
 
 GILHAM, L. S 105 St. John Street, Schuykill Haven, Pa. 
 
 GILLESPIE, J. H. B 6647 Bedford Ave., Omaha, Nebr. 
 
 GILLESPIE, WM. B Morgan Hill, Cal. 
 
 GILBERT. L. A 846 Lincoln Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 GILKEY, H. L ' Oakland, Cal. 
 
 GILMER, A. G 925 Highland Ave., Bristol, Wis. 
 
 GILMORE, AUBREY C Vinyard Haven, Mass. 
 
 GLEASON. C. C East Greenwich, R. I. 
 
 GLEESMAN, W. F 28 North Yinest, Hinsdale, 111. 
 
 GODFREY, A. L 631 Benton Ave., Albia, Iowa 
 
 GOOD, ROBERT Cawker City, Kan. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 207 
 
 GOODRICH, A. S Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 
 
 GORDON, W. C 1038 E. Marquette Road, Chicago, 111. 
 
 GRACE, E. L 704) Oak Street, Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 GRANGER, A. H Correll, Minn. 
 
 GREASON, CHAS 238 E. Main Street, Middletown, N. Y. 
 
 GREELEY, GEO. E Hudson, Mass. 
 
 GREEN, H. C 812 Monroe Street, Topeka, Kan. 
 
 GREEN, HOMER H Cartersville, Ga. 
 
 GREENE, CHAS. H 191 Bird Ave., BuflFalo, N. Y. 
 
 GREER, H 720 Seventh Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 GRIFFIN, A. V 270 Main Street, Port Washington, N. Y. 
 
 GRIMES, W. L Spartansburg, S. C. 
 
 GRIZELLE, A. RAYMOND Springfield Center, N. Y. 
 
 GUGEL, CHAS. F 1346 Summit Street, Columbus, Ohio 
 
 GUTHRIE, W. C 146 South Street, Newburg, N. Y. 
 
 GUY, CHAS 91 Clove Road, New Rochelle, N. Y. 
 
 GWYNN, L. T Springfield Center, Otsego, N. Y. 
 
 HAIG, CLIFFORD W Buena Vista, Fla. 
 
 HALDEMAN, O. C 3800 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 HALFACRE, HARRY Ten Ecyk Hotel, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 HALL, HARRY H Calipatria, Cal. 
 
 HALL, ROBERT D Columbiana, Ohio 
 
 HAMILTON, CLARENCE C 41 Mt. Vernon Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 HAMPTON, GEO. W Boulder, Colo. 
 
 HANLEY, J. FRANK 747 Lemeke Annex, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 HARBRIDGE, GEO. F 101 Cunning Street, Irvington, N. J. 
 
 HARGIS, RICHARD. 852 East 56th Street, Seattle, Wash. 
 
 HARGROVE, W. F Malta Band, Mo. 
 
 HARRISON, FRANK W 2940 Cottage Grove Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 HART, JAMES S 200 Irwin Ave., Bellevue, Pa. 
 
 HARTLEY, R. A 801 Broadway, Quincy, 111. 
 
 HARTMAN, NAYLOR : (No record address) 
 
 HATHAWAY, L. E Hubert, Minn. 
 
 HAY, B. K Mt. Jackson, Va. 
 
 HAY, E. S 3059 Jackson Bldg., Chicago, 111. 
 
 HARVUOT, S. E 3348 Bonaparte Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 HAUCK, C. E Westville, N. J. 
 
 HAYS, FRANK R 21 Smedley Street, Oil City, Pa. 
 
 HAYES, L. G 353 Third Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 
 
 HAYNES, COE 357 Waldo Ave., Pasadena,^ Cal. 
 
 HAZENBURG, A 466 Thomas Street, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 HECOX, E. F Arnett, Ohio 
 
 HEICHER, M. K. W 910 Main Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa 
 
 HELDERMAN, O. C (No record address) 
 
 HENDERSON, A. S 40 West 47th Street, New York City 
 
 HENDERSON, F. E Revnoldsburg, Ohio 
 
 HENCH, CHAS. R 117 North 36th Street, Camden, N. J. 
 
 HILLS, HORACE T 415 Ellsworth Ave., New Haven, Conn. 
 
 HILLHOUSE, A. J Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 HINTON, ROBERT T Jackson Street, Georgetown, Ky. 
 
 HICKS, ROY J ...Monon, Ind. 
 
 HTGGINS, W. D ^Chestnut Ridge Road, Mt. Kisco, N. Y. 
 
 HILTON, DR. ARTHUR 6373 Stanton Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 HOLLIDAY, M. R Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 HOLMES, A. L Flat Rock, N. C. 
 
 HONEYWELL, I. E 707 North Kenilworth Ave., Oak Park, 111. 
 
 HOOD, R . M Stites, M^ho 
 
 HOPKINS, GEO. W 415 Jones Street, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 HOPKINS. W. B Fruitland, N. Y. 
 
 HORN, HERSCHEL 310 South Fifth Street, Lamar Colo. 
 
 HORNBERGER, CARL S 1522 Wooster Road, Barberton, Ohio 
 
 HOUCK, J. D. F Marshall, Texas 
 
208 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 HOUSTON, HARRY 162 Willard Street, New Haven, Conn. 
 
 HOWARD, J. K Patterson, Cal. 
 
 HOWELL, W. W 64 Hill Street, Morristown, N. J. 
 
 HOUSER, GEO. S (No record address) 
 
 HOWARD, L. R Whitewater, Wis. 
 
 HOWARD, GEO. F 91 Ashland Street, Melrose Highland, Mass. 
 
 HUBBARD, ARTHUR DeVERE South Bend, Ind. 
 
 HUDSON, HAROLD Estherville, Iowa 
 
 HUNNEMAN, JOS. A 8 Filson Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 HUTCHINS, HARRY 1951 East 66th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 HYDE, H. W (No record address) 
 
 ICE, W. E -. Versailles, Ohio 
 
 INBUSH, H. S — - 459 Juneau Place, Milwaukee, Wis. 
 
 IRELAND, F. B 208 Jefferson Street, Washburn, III. 
 
 IRVING, LOUIS M Malone, N. Y. 
 
 JACK, E. B..... 130 West 44th Street, New York City 
 
 JACKSON, WAYNE 1613 Rock Street, Little Rock, Ark. 
 
 JACKSON, W. B New Buffalo, Perry County, Pa. 
 
 JEFFERSON, THOMAS H... 336 Farrington Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 JENNINGS, A. K _ Cleveland, N. Y. 
 
 JENNINGS, H. B 1014 Clay Street, Lynchburg, Va. 
 
 JOHNS, G. A - -1328 East 125th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 JONES, H. A 115 East Grand Blvd., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 JONES, ARTHUR C - --23 North Chapel Street, Elgin, 111. 
 
 JONES, JOHN EDWARD .Cambria, Wis. 
 
 JONES, J. S - (No record address) 
 
 JONES, M. V - .(No record address) 
 
 JOHNSON, A. G — 32 Cummings Ave., Wallaston, Mass. 
 
 JOHNSON, B. V 2981 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 JOHNSON, S. Z - - - Weston, Mass. 
 
 JOHNSON, WAYNE - (No record address) 
 
 JOHNSTON, GLEN W 201 California Ave., Avalon, Pa. 
 
 JORDAN, A. E 503 North Campbell Street, Beliot, Kan. 
 
 JUDD, E. W Hilton, N. Y. 
 
 KARLSON, ERIC - - Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 KEITH. GEO. H .....2136 Grande Boulevard, Spokane, Wash. 
 
 KELSEY, O. W Great Valley, N. Y. 
 
 KEINSTON, W. R - (No record address) 
 
 KELLEY, D. E Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 KELLOGG, 6. G -41 West 16th Street, New York City 
 
 KELLEY, C. W Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 KELLY, THOMAS. 149 Manhattan Ave., New York City 
 
 KENYON, GEO. C 1522 Kemble Street, Utica, N. Y. 
 
 KILBY KARL E .....Room 229 Beacon Bldg., Wichita, Kan. 
 
 KINKAID, R. C €44 West Seventh Street, Marysville, Ohio 
 
 KING, E. A. ; T3 South 15th Street. San Jose, Cal. 
 
 KING, E. L 1096 President Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 KING, L. U Eau Noire, Wis. 
 
 KLINE. A. D 36 Rugby Road, Schenectady, N. Y. 
 
 KNIGHT, ERNEST ' .....Bayers, Colo. 
 
 KNIGHT, E. M Stirling City, Cal. 
 
 KNIGHT. W. W .;.... 5419 Union Ave., Birminarham, Ala. 
 
 KOCH, CHAS. L.....: 717 Fifth Ave., Peoria, 111. 
 
 KONKLE, NOLAN H 28 Tumlin Street. Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 KRAKOVER, JOSEPH 2901 Center Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 KULL, ROY Shelbyville, 111. 
 
 LA FOLLETTE, WM Koyoee, N. Y. 
 
 LANGWORTHY, H. W Madison Ave., Spring Valley, N. Y. 
 
 LA ROSE, L. F.. 386 Webster Street, Auburndale, Mrss. 
 
 LAMONT, WM. G - Russell, Kan. 
 
 LATSHAW, DAVID 53 Summer Street, Forest Hills, N. Y. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 209 
 
 LATTA, ALFRED S 1926 Grove Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 LATTIMORE, WM 502 Fourth Ave., Lewiston, Idaho 
 
 LAWRENCE, THOS. N Hertford, N. C. 
 
 LEACH, RAYMOND H Box No. 13T2, Honolulu, Hawaii 
 
 LEE, CHAS. L Dorset, Vt 
 
 LEE, JAS. A 1528 Gaty Ave., E. St. Louis, 111. 
 
 LELAND, S. R 901 Ogden Ave., New York City 
 
 LEONARD, E. P 503 Wyatt Street, Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 LENON, CHAS. E 1242 E. Harrison Street, Portland, Oregon 
 
 LIKES, P. H Pittsville, Wis. 
 
 LINT, PERRY 222 "K" Street, Dayton, Ohio 
 
 LITCHESON, CHAS. J 109 Lexington Ave., Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 LOOMIS, W. T 2426 Maple Street, Omaha, Nebr. 
 
 LOVEJOY, J. E 507 Grand Street, Troy, N. Y. 
 
 LLOYD, WINSLOW R 54 Eden Street, Chelsea, Mass. 
 
 LONG, A. L Danville, Ind. 
 
 LUCE, E. H (No record address) 
 
 LUTES, FRANK E 1024 Chapin Ave., Beloit, Wis. 
 
 LYBOLT, A. E 913 Commerce Trust Bldg., Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 LYCAN, A. H Paris, 111. 
 
 LYON, W. H. B Plattsburgh, N. Y. 
 
 MacCULLAGH, R. H Custer, S. Dak. 
 
 MACKEY, WM 1057 Madison Ave., Columbus, Ohio 
 
 McAFEE, C. B 10 Chalmos Place, Chicago, 111. 
 
 McBANE, J. H 217 South Euclid Ave., Oak Park, 111. 
 
 McBRIDE, B. R 917 East Fifth Street, Columbus, Ind. 
 
 McBRIDE, W. S 771 Everett Street, Portland, Oregon 
 
 McCARDELL, E. S Braddock Heights, Md. 
 
 McCLEARY, B 7 Canandaigna Street, Palmyra, N. Y. 
 
 McCLESKEY, HERBERT L Normal College, Hattisburg, Miss. 
 
 McCLURE, MARCUS P Hollywood Street, Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 McCREARY, R. W 168 Bank Street, Fall River, Mass. 
 
 McCROSKEY, WARD C Sterling, Kan. 
 
 McFEELEY, P. T Bogota, N. J. 
 
 McGILL, EDGAR J .Montserrat Road, Beverley, Mass. 
 
 McGINNIS, J. W 909 West 36th Place, Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 McGregor, JAMES 1014 Ludlow Ave., Utica, N. Y. 
 
 McGREW, C. W 401 South Ash Street, North Platte, Nebr. 
 
 Mclaughlin, W. J 1031 W. Elm street, Lima, Ohio 
 
 McGAFFIN, ALEX 11415 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 McINTOSH, FRED J 1326 Clara Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 McLAURIN, D. G 146 Center Street, Canton, Miss. 
 
 McROY, CHAS. D P. O. Box 747, Oakland, Cal. 
 
 MADDOX, H. 1301 Western Ave., Topeka, Kan. 
 
 MAGARGAL, J. C 1230 Chew Street, AUentown, Pa. 
 
 MALOTT, A. L 1708 Vinewood Ave., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 MONROE, R. M Packford, 111. 
 
 MANSON, W. C 82 Huntington Ave., Boston, Mass. 
 
 MARESCH, LAWRENCE 1723 Porter Street. Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 MARKWARD, G. H 1821 Monroe Street, Washington, D. C. 
 
 MARLETT, JOHN S 1126 Illinois Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 MARRIOTT, A. E 67 16th Street, Wheelins, W. Va. 
 
 MARSHALL, E. L St. Charles, 111. 
 
 MARSHALL, B. E Mobile, Ala. 
 
 MARSOLF, C. S Leon, Iowa 
 
 MARTIN, C. R 720 Main Street, Worcester, Mass. 
 
 MARTIN. IRA T 1116 Second Ave., Oakland, Cal. 
 
 MATHIESON, ROBERT Irvington, N. J. 
 
 MATTIS, W. L 62 Reasor Ave., Dayton, Ohio 
 
 MAURICE, R. L 2522 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 McCOY, CHRISTOPHER C Evansville, Ind. 
 
 MERRITT, A. R East Aurora, N. Y. 
 
210 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 MERRITT, WM. T Easley, S. C. 
 
 MELROSE, WALTER 304 Blanche Ave., Tropico, Cal. 
 
 METCALF, W. H 2425 Spencer Street, Omaha, Nebr. 
 
 MILAM, DAN W 213 North Church Street, Charlotte, N. C. 
 
 MILES, A. J 70 Main Street, Binghamton, N. Y. 
 
 MILLER, F Main Street, Sea Cliif, N. Y. 
 
 MILLS, HUGH M Gore, Ga. 
 
 MINEAR, A. C 660 West 35th Place, T^s Angeles, Cal. 
 
 MITCHNER, BERT E Hutchinson, Kan. 
 
 MIX. W. E Linden Hotel, El Paso, Texas 
 
 MOORE, JOHN T 105 East Ash Street, Normal, 111. 
 
 MOORE, W. C 417 East 57th Street, Portland, Oreo-on 
 
 MOOK. H. B 258 West 23rd Street, New York City 
 
 MOBLEY, W. PAUL 2711 Accomae Street, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 MORGAN, CHAS. W 85 Sagamore Ave., Chelsea, M^ss. 
 
 MOR GAN, W. Y Hutchinson, Kan. 
 
 MORRILL, A. T 76 Main Street, Skowheban, Maine 
 
 MORRIS, H. S - Oakland. Cal. 
 
 MORRIS, J. B Scott City, Kan. 
 
 MORRISON, BENJ 1517 Eleventh Ave., Greeley, Colo. 
 
 MOUNGER, W. H Charleston, Miss. 
 
 MOYE, JOHN C 221 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, N. J. 
 
 MURCH, CHAS. H .Canton, N. Y. 
 
 MURLAND, C. S West Hempstead, Long Island, N. Y. 
 
 MURRAY, MILO C Michigan City, Ind. 
 
 MLTRRELL, B. N 638 Anthony Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 MYTTON, LEONARD V. C 335 Clifton Ave.. Newark, N. J. 
 
 NAYLOR, HARTMAN 325 Amsterdam Ave., New York City 
 
 NEFF, I. E 5819 Bl^H^^ton- Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 NELLUMS, M. E Ward-Belmont, Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 NELSON, F. C (No record address) 
 
 NELSON, F. H 332 East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 NELSON, RUSSELL McConnelsburg, Pa. 
 
 NELSON, W. C. V 3536 Adams Ave., San Diego, Cal. 
 
 NEWBEGIN, E. J Redlands, Cal. 
 
 NEWBERRY, PERCY Carmel-by-the-Sea, Cal. 
 
 NEWHALL, STEPHEN K 697 JeflFerson Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 NICHOLS, LEROY C 300 College Street, Winfield, Kan. 
 
 NICHOLS, ROSS J Barry, 111. 
 
 NOLIN, WM. W Pullman, Wash. 
 
 NORTH, EARL R , Michigan City, Ind. 
 
 NYQUIST, A. G 567 Park Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 OBERHOLZER, EDWARD J 118 Montague Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 OCAIN, LEWIS Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 O'GRADY, WM 17 Chapman Place, Irvington, N. J. 
 
 OLIVER, BENJ. H 1725 Wilson Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 OREM, HERBERT H 1218 Welsh Street, Houston, Texas. 
 
 OSGOOD, FREDERICK S 5446 Ferdinand Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 OSTIEN, HERMAN C , Monmouth, Oregon 
 
 OWEN, W. T? 1854 N. 16th Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 OWENS, ROY 413 W. North Street, Kokomo, Ind. 
 
 PACA, E. T 104 Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Md. 
 
 PADDOCK. M. B Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 PAMENTER, A. M 1718 S. Water Street, Wichita, Kan. 
 
 PARENT, FRANK D 104 South Market Street, Inglewood, Cal. 
 
 PARKER, CHAS. F Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 PARTRIDGE, I. E E. 41 King Street, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 PATCH, ISAAC Gloucester, Mass. 
 
 PATE. CHAS. 218 LaFayette Street, Water Valley, Miss. 
 
 PATTERSON, J. N Milwaukee, Wis. 
 
 PATILLO, JAS. A Fordyce, Ark. 
 
 PAUL, F. M., JR Meade, Kan. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 211 
 
 PECK, HENRY J Warren, R. I. 
 
 PEEL, A. W 29 LaFayette Street, White Plains, N. J. 
 
 PERCY, JOHN G 1368 East 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 PENG, YAO-H SIANG (Chinese) 
 
 PERKINS, G. LAWRENCE Pomfret, Conn. 
 
 PERKINS, B. A Hotel Morse, Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 PERRY, E. R Pocantica Hills, N. Y. 
 
 PERSON, S. H 16 North Jerome Street, Lansing, Mich. 
 
 PETERSON, BERNARD 419 Salem Street, Woburn, Mass. 
 
 PHIPPS, H. M 1108 College Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 PLAIN, W. A 44 North Street, Binghamton, N. Y. 
 
 PIERCE, H. F 7711 Cannon Street, Swissvale, Pa. 
 
 PEMBERTON, WYNN R 237 West Penn Street, Whittier, Cal. 
 
 PIATT, B. C 344 Northern Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 POLLARD, AARON B Wanamaker, Ind. 
 
 POLLARD, BERNARD F Studley, Va. 
 
 POE, NELSON Fostoria, Ohio 
 
 PONDER, GUY F Town Creek, Ala. 
 
 PRETTYMAN, W. B., JR 649 Maryland Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 PRICE, E. H 493 Kenoak Drive, Pomona, Cal. 
 
 PRICE, J. W 4331 Park Ave., New York City 
 
 PRICE, ORA South Weymouth, Mass. 
 
 PRYOR, S. P 2115 Grandland Ave., Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 PURDY, WM 24 Sherman Ave., New York City 
 
 PUTNAM, I. L Grass Range, Mont. 
 
 RAIGUEL, W 735 Terrace Ave., Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 RAIT, ROBERT (No record address) 
 
 RALSTON, JOHN G Dixon, 111. 
 
 RAMSAY, CHAS. I Bridge Street, Berwick, Maine 
 
 RAMSEY, HERBERT 6 Colon Street, Allston, Mass. 
 
 RANNE, G. O Waukegan, 111. 
 
 RAUDABAUGH. ORVILLE 3-37 E. Wayne Street, Celina, Ohio 
 
 RAWLINGS, R. B 935 Minn. Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 REASONER, S. W New Brighton, Minn. 
 
 REED, R. C Nevada, Iowa 
 
 REESE, F. B 199 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 REID, JAMES S 158 N. Parkside Ave., Chicago. 111. 
 
 REID, W. W Albany, Ohio 
 
 REEDER, GEO. L 829 Fourth Ave., Williamsport,. Pa. 
 
 REEVES, A. R 408 South L. Street, Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 RENISON, WM. T 5 W. Willow Street, Stocltton, Cal. 
 
 REXFORD, EUGENE G 2107 N. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 RHOADES, O. W 25 17th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 
 
 RICE, W. A 900 State Stre-t, Alton, 111. 
 
 RICH, CHAS. F 451 Walsworth Ave., Oakland, Cal. 
 
 RICHARDS, ROGER Monessen, Pa. 
 
 RICHARDSON, R. R Fredonia, Kan. 
 
 RIGHTS. W. F 2227 N. Alabama Street, Indianapolis. Ind. 
 
 PmT,KV. TT-T ovr) F R. F. D. No. 1, Whitesboro, N. Y. 
 
 RITTENHOUSE, E. M Cairo, W. Va. 
 
 RITTER, R. J... Plant City, Fla. 
 
 ROBERTS, HAROLD J Pensacola, Fla. 
 
 ROBERTSON, JAMES McGregor, Iowa 
 
 ROBINSON, EUGENE H Fort Morgan, Colo. 
 
 ROE, CHAS. E - Morgan Park, Duluth, Minn. 
 
 ROERING, H. A 2634 W. 27th Ave., Denver, Colo. 
 
 POGERS, CHAS. W Bowling Green, Ky. 
 
 ROGERS, WHITFIELD 1201 Columbus Ave., Waco, Texas 
 
 ROOD, LEE W Fulton, Miss. 
 
 ROUNDS, W. S Portland, Maine 
 
 ROWE. HARLAN P 543 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 RONALD, HUGH N Thorntown, Ind. 
 
212 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 ROQUS W.; (No record address) 
 
 RUBRIGHT, AARON 414 Nash Street, Akron, Ohio 
 
 RUGG, J. C _ 130T East Fifth Street, Pueblo, Colo. 
 
 RUSSELL, E. R 3030 Federal Street, EI Paso, Texas 
 
 SAMPSON, WM. H Lake Worth, Fla. 
 
 SANDRED, DAGFIN Stavanger, Norway 
 
 SAVAGE, H. P .2614 Hoyt Ave., Everett, Wash. 
 
 SCOFIELD, RUSSELL .'. Columbus, Miss. 
 
 SCROGGINS, J. H 2T South Ruby Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 SCULLY, J. S., JR 326 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 SELLERS, S. N 211 South Fifth Street, Clinton, Ind. 
 
 SHARP, SAMUEL Columbus, Ind. 
 
 SHERMAN, GEO. H 141 Speedwell Ave., Morristown, N. J. 
 
 SHEWRY, WM. M 7016 Greenview Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 SHIELDS, DONN J State Capitol, Sacramento, Cal. 
 
 SHIPPEY, H. L Kansas, Mo. 
 
 SHORT, A. E... 407 Highland Ave., Beliot, Wis. 
 
 SIKES, ERIC B Birmingham, Ohio 
 
 SHRIVER, E. E Pittsfield, 111. 
 
 SHUMWAY, A. J 2017 R. D. W. Y., Scottsbluif, Nebr. 
 
 SIMMONS, T. T 412 C. C. Ave., Columbia, Mo. 
 
 SINCLAIR, A. G 23 Park Place, Bloomfleld, N. J. 
 
 SKINNER, R. McK 1616 Ave. U., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 SLOAN, DAVID A Bloomfleld, Mo. 
 
 SMAIL, CLARENCE M 1158 50th Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 SMEADE, (Archdeacon) (No record address) 
 
 SMILEY, E. L : 5 Pleasant Street, Ashburnham, Mass. 
 
 SMITH, REV. E. H Chico, Cal. 
 
 SMITH, HORACE D .1413 Fourth Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 
 
 SMITH, OLIVER H 3006 Victor Street, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 SMITH, OSCAR N Lebanon, Tenn. 
 
 SMITH, R. C 2808 Ruckle Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 SMITH, T. W 46 New Street, East Orange, N. J. 
 
 SNOW, R. C. .: 1122 River Street, Hyde Park, Mass. 
 
 SNYDER, E. L Monroeville, Ala. 
 
 SOVEREIGN, G. 1 5210 11th Street, N. E., Seattle, Wash. 
 
 SPARKS, R. W 58 N. Division Street, Auburn, N. Y. 
 
 SPEIDEN, T. L 1721 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 SPEER, C. B Ill East 44th Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 SPRINGETT, R. E Lowell, Mich. 
 
 STAPLES, JOHN L Evergreen, Va. 
 
 STECKER, H. B 2128 Carlisle Ave., Racine, Wis. 
 
 STEELE, A. R Paducah, Ky. 
 
 STEELE, F. T 95 Clinton Ave., Jamaica, N. Y. 
 
 STEVENS, W. B Nickerson, Kan. 
 
 STEWART, B. M Camp Bowie, Texas 
 
 STEWART, C. C 2224 State Street, Alton, 111. 
 
 STEWART, MANSON A Yankton, So. Dak. 
 
 STEWART, NOMAN H Lewisburg, Pa. 
 
 STILL, J. L 637 37th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 STEINFELD, M 169 Boyd Street, Newark, N. J. 
 
 STIMSON, W. A Urbana, Ohio 
 
 STITT, J. H 4223 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebr. 
 
 STOKES, ALFRED.... 43 Hillcrest Ave., Stamford, Conn. 
 
 STONE, H. 325 Rogers Ave., Olympia, Wash. 
 
 STONE, JAMES B Ventura, Cal. 
 
 STONE, JAMES S 532 Park Road, Ambridge, Pa. 
 
 STONE, LEWIS 532 Park Road, Ambridge, Pa. 
 
 STONE, B. T 423 Russellwood Ave., McKees Rock, Pa. 
 
 STONE, L. S 1144 N. San Joaquin Street, Stockton, Cal. 
 
 STOVER, F. A 609 W. Rex Street, South Bend, Tnd. 
 
 STRAWBRIDGE, B. A Seattle, Wash. 
 
In the Le Mans Area 213 
 
 STREET, J. W : Nashville, Ind. 
 
 STROUD, A. D 43 Church Street, Hudson, Mass. 
 
 STRONG, PAUL S m....m Bellingham, Wash. 
 
 SWEET, E. A 191 Main Street, Binghampton, N. Y. 
 
 SWISHER, LEONARD A 251 East Washington Street, Huntington, Ind. 
 
 SADLER, B. L Chapel Hill, Texas 
 
 TAIT, JOHN L 1914 Summit Street, Columbus, Ohio 
 
 TAIT, LEONARD G Care Judge C. Williams, Columbus, Ohio 
 
 TALCOTT, C. G 1609 30th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 TALOOTT, G. S New Britain, Conn. 
 
 TALCOTT, R Riverside, 111. 
 
 TAYLOR, A. E Denver, Colo. 
 
 TAYLOR, G. J Molalla, Oregon 
 
 TAYLOR, O. N 6556 Normal Bldg., Chicago, 111. 
 
 TAYLOR, W. D 249 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, Mass. 
 
 TAYLOR, WALTER S 315 Calder Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 
 
 THOMAS, DANIEL M 251 North Third Street, Danville, Ky. 
 
 THOMAS, JAMES HAROLD 509 E. Caruthers Street, Portland, Oregon 
 
 THOMAS, G. H Oakland, Cal. 
 
 THOMAS, G. W (No record address) 
 
 THOMAS, THOMAS J 2126 Marker Street, Youngstown, Ohio 
 
 THOMPSON, A Thompson Ridge, N. Y. 
 
 THOMPSON, H. 1 530 Macon Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 THORNBERRY, D. W .309 Thornburg Street, Laramie, Wy. 
 
 TOBEY, DAN 1220 South Union Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 TOBIAS, M. S 2444 Clay Street, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 TODD, H. H Adel, Iowa 
 
 TOWERS, W. K 193 California Ave., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 TRACY, JAMES E 120 Ledge Road, Burlington, Vt. 
 
 TRIPPLE, P. R 627 15th Ave., N., Seattle, Wash. 
 
 TRUDEN, T. A Woodlawn Inn, Pittsfield, Mass. 
 
 TURNER, PAUL Heyworth, 111. 
 
 TURNEY, ARTHUR M .....187 Dakota Street, Bellevue, Pa. 
 
 TWITCHELL, B. P 241 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 TYLER, DALLAS... (No record address) 
 
 ULLOM. J. T.... 14 Ashland Ave., Methuen, Mass. 
 
 UNDERWOOD, J. W 1335 Jackson Street, Anderson, Ind. 
 
 UPTON, ALFRED H Frankfort, Mich. 
 
 UROSELL, R. F (No record address) 
 
 VANCE, J. D 7425 Weld Street, Oakland, Cal. 
 
 VAN DYKE, W. E ...Smethport, Pa. 
 
 VAN HOESEN, L. B 1224 Ninth Street, Des Moinss, Iowa 
 
 VAN SCHAICK, LEMUEL W Carman Ave., Scarsvile, N. Y. 
 
 VAN WINKLE, R. B 434 North Spruce Street, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
 
 VENNART, WM 47 Brownell Ave., Hartford, Conn. 
 
 VOORHEES, OSCAR McM 315 E. 146th Street, New York City 
 
 VORE, GLEN 614 N. Courtland Ave., Kokomo, Ind. 
 
 VOSLER, ARTHUR B 165 Hudson Terrace, Piermont, N. Y. 
 
 WADMOND. SAMUEL C 305 Washington Street, Delavan, Wis. 
 
 WAGGENER, O. R 55 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 W ATX A CE, CALVERT Cadiz, Ky. 
 
 WALRATH, EDWIN M 2711 Hoyt Ave., Everett, Wash. 
 
 WANN, NORMAN G 1374 W. Decatur Street, Decatur, 111. 
 
 WVRD, F. C ...2318 South 35th Ave., Omaha, Nebr. 
 
 WARD. W. H 853 South 16th Street, Newark, N. J. 
 
 WARNER, E. G 56 Montgomery Place, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 WARREN, W. H 1107 E. Alder Street, Portland, Oregon 
 
 WAR R INGTON, E. W Roseburg, Oregon 
 
 WATERFIELD, CLOUGH A 1 Queenland Street, Brownsville, Tenn. 
 
 WATERS, L. H Pensacola, Fla. 
 
 WATERS, A. T Lookout Mountain, Tenn. 
 
 WATERS, RAY K 1143 Lincoln Road, Columbus, Ohio 
 
214 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 WATKINS, ED N 1711 N. Fife Street, Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 WATKINS, THOS. D Huntsville, Texas 
 
 WATSON, GEO. H 2 Hickock Street, Burlington, Vt. 
 
 WATSON, JESSE B Box 234, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
 
 WATSON, RALPH C The Englewood, Winona Lake, Ind. 
 
 WEBER, WALTER W 2007 Ocean View Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 WEBSTER, G. E 115 R. R. Ave., Rye, N. Y. 
 
 WEBSTER, O. W Richford, Vt. 
 
 WEIR, W. J 291 Brackett Street, Portland, Maine 
 
 WEIST, D. W 2200 Prospect Street, Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 WELLMAN, E. E 312 Van Buren Street, Jamestown, N. Y. 
 
 WELLONS, W. E 2215 S. E. Sixth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 WERNSDORGER, GEO 313 Stagg Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 WESTBROOK, CRUGER 401 Bd. Street, Albany, Ga. 
 
 WEYAND, CHAS. M 46 Forsythe Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 WHEATLEY, ARTHUR B Annapolis, Md. 
 
 WHITBECK, FRANK 125 Delevan Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 WHITE, F. D - Robbinsdale, Minn. 
 
 WHITE, R. H GunnisTO, Colo. 
 
 WHITE, W. H ...2124 Marion Street, St. Joseph, Mo. 
 
 WHITMAN, BENJ 1224 N. Second Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 
 
 WHITWELL, E. O - Norman, Okla. 
 
 WIGGINS, G. N Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 WILCOX, G. H 471 Oakland Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 WILDING, W. A Harrison Ave., Harrison, N. Y. 
 
 WILKINSON, EDWARD S 164 Church Street, North Adams, Mass. 
 
 WILKINSON, R. N Huntino;ton, W. Va. 
 
 WILLARD, CLARENCE 896 Asylum Ave., Hartford, Conn. 
 
 WILLIAMS, CHAS. H ! Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 WILLIAMiS, F. E Bridgeport, Nebr. 
 
 WILLIAMS, HERBERT .....833 Fourth Ave., Altoona, Pa. 
 
 WILLIAMS, H. B 3 Franklin Street, Lynn, Mass. 
 
 WILLIAMS, H. P 1912 North Prospect Ave., Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 WILLIAMS, J. V Hotel Indian, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 WILT,IAMuS, PALPH J 1424 K Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
 WILLIAMS, W. R R. R. No. 1, Delaware, Ohio 
 
 ^VTT,MER, C. B .-700 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 WILLY, S. G -- (No record address) 
 
 WILSON, L. A Helena, Mont. 
 
 WINCHESTER, B. H 509 South Jackson Street, Jackson, Mi'^"'-'. 
 
 WILSON, A. C - Bellows Falls, Vt. 
 
 WINE, JOHN C 854 Webster Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 WINKENWEIDER, V. 67 Van Buren Street, Naperville, 111. 
 
 WINN, W. G 4012 Berteau Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 WINSLOW, HAROLD Hotel Liberty, Glasgow, Ky. 
 
 WINTER, WM 77 West 101st Street, New York City 
 
 WILSON, CLIFFORD A 302 B. Street, Hot Springs, S. D. 
 
 WILSON, RICHARD L Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 WITTS, MILFORD 437 N. Tenth Street, Madison, Wis. 
 
 WOLFE, O. HOWARD Radnor, Pa. 
 
 WOODS, L. L 486 Beale Street, E. Milton, Mass. 
 
 WOOD, W. S 4821 Greer Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 WOODS, E. B : South Broad Street, Glassboro, N. J. 
 
 WOODWORTH, G. W 108 Kent Street, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 WORTH, JOHN FRANCIS 149 West 21st Street, New York City 
 
 WRAY, JOE S 110 E. Third Ave., Gatonia, N. C. 
 
 WRIGHT, S. BRUCE 3934 14th Ave., Oakland, Cal. 
 
 WYND, JOHN R Main Street, New Paris, Ohio 
 
 YERKES, C. C 121 Mt. Vernon Ave., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 YOUNG, B. F Warren, Ind. 
 
 YOUNG, H. H 100 Rowe Ave., Hartford, Conn. 
 
 YOUTZ, E. F Honolulu, Hawaii 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 215 
 
 ARMY DETAIL MEN ON DUTY WITH Y. M. C. A., JUNE 1, 1919 
 
 Abbott, Robert W., Pvt. 
 Adkins, Gordon L., Cook 
 Bentzel, Jacob, Cpl. 
 Blake, Jacob, Cpi. 
 Blake, Edmond, Pvt. 
 Branch, John R., Cpl. 
 Bridges, Otto G, Pvt. 
 Brown, J. R., Cpl. 
 Cahalan, Albert, Cpl. 
 Corbin, Anton, Sgt. Icl 
 Chandler, James Z., Pvt. 
 Clements, Don C, Pvt. 
 Cronea, Charles, Pvt. 
 Carey, Frank P., Sgt. Icl 
 Deschin, Gustave, Sgt. 
 Dickey, Leslie J., Sgt. Icl 
 Drier, Walter A., Pvt. 
 Dyer, Charles H., Cpl. 
 Earnshaw, Edvi'ard P., Pvt. 
 Finch, Robert W., Pvt. 
 Fleitz, B. L., Pvt. 
 Fletcher, Harry R., Pvt. 
 Fotuski, Anthony E., Sgt. Icl 
 Ginzberg, Henry, Pvt. 
 Goodman, I^awrence A., Sgt. 
 Gray, Marvin A., Sgt. 
 Gwinnup, Carl, Sgt. Id 
 Hamersmith, Robert H., Pvt. 
 Hankison, Robert W., Pvt. 
 Harris, George W., Pvt. Icl 
 I'-Tai-n, Thomas B., Pvt. 
 Hedington, Alva E., Sgt. 
 Hess, Hans, Pvt. 
 Hunerberg, Nathan, Pvt. 
 Huntley, Raymond, J., Pvt. 
 Jackson, William T., Pvt. 
 Johnson, Lloyd H., Wag. 
 Johnson, Edward, Pvt. 
 Johnson, Oscar J., Sgt. 
 Joines, Walter D., Sai. 
 Jorgansen, Marcus K., Wag. 
 Kaiser, Gilbert S., Pvt. Icl 
 King, Archier P., Pvt. 
 Knudsen, James A., Cpl. 
 LaPlante, Lionel, Pvt. 
 Ledoiix, Wilfred, Pvt. 
 
 Lee, Leslie L., Sgt. 
 Linscome, Graydon, Pvt. 
 Livingston, Duncan, Cpl. 
 Lynch, Frank, Pvt. 
 Martin, William H., Sgt. 
 Mattheyer, E., Sgt. 
 McDonald, John W., Sgt. 
 McHan, John H., Pvt. 
 Mechin, Vance W., Sgt. 
 Menglo, Adam J., Pvt. 
 Merck, Clyde, Pvt. 
 Merrill, Leo Foss, Sgt. 
 Nixdorf, Edward A., Pvt. 
 Moulton, Walter E., Bug. 
 Mockbee, Jack D., Sgt. 
 Murray, Francis, Sgt. 
 Noble, Allen G., Sgt. 
 Novak, Frank X., Sgt. 
 North, Frank A., Sgt. 
 Odom, Don C, Wag. 
 Ohlman, George R., Pvt. 
 Payne, Dewey, Pvt. Icl 
 Phair, Martin, Pvt. 
 Phillips, Otho, Pvt. 
 Pulsford, Alfred L., Pvt. 
 Ripple, Frank C, Pvt. 
 Roose, Brian H., Cpl. 
 Sampler, Samuel. L., Sgt. 
 Sandville, L. F., Pvt. 
 Scott, James H., Pvt. 
 Schnitzer, Harry E., Pvt. 
 Smith, Clifford Austin, Pvt. 
 Spiro, Ralph B., Pvt. 
 Steflfanus, Emil E., Wag. 
 Swieringa, Andrew, Wag. 
 Svmonds, Walter P.. Pvt. Icl 
 Utman, Clyde R., Wag. 
 Unrath, Carl, Se-t. 
 Vorides, Spyridon, Pvt. 
 Voss, Georoje. Wag. 
 Wagner, Theodore, Pvt. Icl 
 Wel1inq:hiff, Joseph, Cook 
 Werble, Herman, Pvt. 
 Wysong, Ray R., Pvt. 
 Whitney, Carl C, Pvt. 
 
216 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 CATALOGUE OF PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 TAKEN under direction of Blanche C. Grant, Lincoln, Nebraska, 
 by Army Signal Corps Photographers George Shock, Alliance, 
 Ohio, and Clarence Sper, New York City, and by Wm. Rugg, Y. 
 M. C. A. 
 
 Note: All negatives of photographs listed m this catalog were 
 turned over to the historical department of the Paris Headquarters 
 properly numbered and indexed. All records of that office were sent to 
 the New York office and requests for prints from any of these neg-atives 
 should be sent to Historical Bureaus Y. M. C. A. — A. E. F., 347 
 Madison Avenue, New York City. Numbers given here correspond 
 with the numbers of the respective negatives. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS GROUP 
 
 1. Regional Directors' Office 
 
 2. Regional Business Director's Office 
 
 3. Headquarters at 71 Rue Chanzy 
 
 4. Doorway of Headquarters 
 
 5. Yard With Small Group 
 
 6. Yard With All Hdqrs. Autos and 
 Drivers — June Only 
 
 7. Transportation Office Exterior 
 
 8. Office of Women's Bureau 
 
 9. Women Welfare Workers With 
 General Pershing 
 
 10. Cinema Office 
 
 11. Cinema Director 
 
 12. Entertainment Director and Staff 
 
 13. A. L. A. Library 
 
 Y. D. HUT GROUP 
 
 14. Cathedral View 
 
 15. Fire Place With Large Group 
 
 16. Fire Place With Small Group 
 
 17. Information Desk 
 
 18. Shopping Bureau 
 
 19. Stage and Canteen View 
 
 20. Y. D. With the Sign 
 
 Also see Miscellaneous Group. 
 
 CEMETERY GROUPS 
 
 21. Funeral of Miss Valentine. Group 
 of "Y" Girls at Grave. 
 
 23. Funeral Procession With Faces 
 Front. 
 
 23. Funeral Procession With Faces 
 Right. 
 
 24. The Three Ministers at the Grave 
 
 25. The Casket at the Grave 
 
 26. Harry Fisher's Grave 
 
 CENTRAL HUT 
 
 30. Front Door 
 
 31. Front Door Yard ' 
 
 32. Fire Place Group With Mrs. Tait 
 
 33. Information Desk 
 
 34. Ping Pong Table Group 
 Sight-Seeing Group 
 
 35 
 
 2 Exterior 
 2 Interior 
 
 SPUR CAMP 
 
 36. Exterior With "Y" Personnel 
 
 37. Interior With Chocolate Line No. 1 
 
 38. Interior With Chocolate Line No. 2 
 
 39. Interior With View of Stage 
 
 FORWARDING CAMP 
 
 40. Harrah Hut 
 
 41. Harrah Hut Stage 
 
 42. Harrah Hut Fire Place 
 
 43. Women's Dormitory 
 
 44. New Mexico Hut; No. 
 
 45. New Mexico Hut; No 
 With Stage 
 
 46. Keystone Hut 
 
 Also see Miscellaneous Group. 
 
 FORWARDING CAMP GROUP 
 
 47. Serving Sandwiches Under Tree's 
 
 48. When Officer 666 Came to the 
 Camp; Time 9:30 P. M. 
 
 49. Swimming Pool 
 
 50. Boxing Bout No. 1 
 
 51. Boxing Bout No. 2 
 
 52. Boxing Bout No. 3 
 
 CHINESE Y. M. C. A., LE MANS 
 
 54. Exterior With Plain Sign 
 
 55. Exterior With "Y" Sign Partly 
 Hidden 
 
 56. Interior With Mr. Peng Reading 
 
 57. Interior With Mr. Peng Look- 
 ing Up 
 
In the Le Mans Area 
 
 217 
 
 FOYER DU SOLD AT 
 
 58. Secretaries on Stage 
 
 59. Practice Boxing at Noon 
 
 MONTFORT "Y" 
 
 60. Exterior (Old Fish Market) 
 
 61. Interior (Old Fish Market) 
 
 LA SUZE 
 
 62. Exterior Holding Camp With 
 Personnel 
 
 63. Exterior With Darkies, Holding 
 Camp 
 
 64. Interior With Personnel and Stage 
 
 65. Interior With Full Length View 
 
 66. Interior With Two Figures 
 
 67. Interior Toward the Door 
 
 68. Rolling Canteen at La Suze 
 
 69. La Suze Personnel 
 
 70. Serving Chocolate at La Suze 
 
 71. Cinema Outfit at La Suze 
 
 72. Soldiers Listening to an Address 
 Out-of-doors 
 
 73. Soldier Actors' Group 
 
 MALICORNE 
 
 74. Interior of Hall 
 
 75. Anteroom of "Y" 
 
 76. Street Singing No. 1 
 
 77. Street Singing No. 2 
 
 BELGIAN CAMP 
 
 78. Old Belgian Hut 
 
 79. Hangar Through the Trees 
 
 80. Cinema Box at the Belgian Hut 
 
 81. Blue Ridge Hut Interior 
 
 83. Entraining Near Belgian Camp, 
 Champagne 
 
 83. Entraining at Champagne (Large 
 Figures) 
 
 84. Officers' Club, Interior 
 
 85. Library at the Officers' Club 
 
 86. Porch at the Officers' Club 
 
 87. Indiana Hut, Interior 
 
 CLASSIFICATION CAMP 
 
 88. Exterior Delaware Hut 
 
 89. Interior 
 
 90. Interior With Mrs. Lewis at the 
 Piano 
 
 91. Mother's Corner With Mrs. Sterling 
 
 92. Ball Game, Bleachers 
 
 93. Ball Game 
 
 94. The Library 
 
 95. The Long Settee 
 
 SALVAGE CAMP, LE MANS 
 
 96. Interior Toward Stage 
 
 97. Interior Writing Room 
 
 98. Interior With "Y" Girl in Fore- 
 ground 
 
 99. Sister's Corner 
 
 CAFETERIA, LE MANS 
 
 100. Interior Toward Canteen 
 
 101. Interior Toward Canteen No. 2 
 
 102. Canteen Orchestra 
 
 103. Cafeteria Personnel at Counter 
 
 104. Cafeteria Personnel Group Out- 
 doors 
 
 105. Cafeteria Cooks 
 
 106. Cafeteria Interior Toward Stage 
 
 107. Cafeteria Lunch Line 
 
 Also see Miscellaneous Group. 
 
 PAGEANT GROUP 
 
 123. Banner Bearers 
 
 124. Monks With Pet Dogs 
 
 125. Mounted Knights 
 
 126. Knights With Shields 
 
 127. In Front of the Chateau 
 
 ECOMiMOY GROUP 
 
 128. A Chance Group at St. Quen "Y" 
 
 129. Canteen at St. Quen 
 
 130. Stage at St. Quen 
 
 131. Tent at St. Biez 
 
 132. Exterior of Tent at St. Biez With 
 Personnel Seated 
 
 133. Exterior of Tent at St. Biez With 
 Personnel Seated 
 
 134. Stage at Yvre le Polin 
 
 135. Interior of "Y" at Yvre le Polin 
 
 136. Interior of "Y" Hut, Ecommoy 
 Division 
 
 137. Interior of Hut No. 2 
 
 REGIONAL SECRETARIES 
 
 138. Regional Secretaries (Hats On) 
 
 139. Regional Secretaries (Hats Off) 
 
 140. Regional and Divisional Secre- 
 taries, etc. (Hats On) 
 
 141. Regional and Divisional Secre- 
 taries, etc. (Hats Off) 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 27. Dance at Hotel Paris 
 
 28. Rolling Canteen at the Place de la 
 Republique 
 
 29. First A. L. A. Library at Le 
 Mans 
 
 108. Detail Who Built Indiana Hut 
 
 109. Indiana Hut 
 
 110. Soldiers in Y. D. Hut No. 2 
 
 112. A. L. A. Interior No. 1 
 
 113. A. L. A. Interior No. 2 
 
 114. A. L. A. Interior No. 3 
 
 115. A. L. A. Interior No. 4 (Many 
 Figures 
 
 116. Forwarding Camp Auditorium, 
 Exterior 
 
 117. Y. D. Hut Under Construction; 
 Later 
 
218 
 
 History of the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 118. Auditorium Full of Soldiers; 
 Forwarding Camp 154. 
 
 119. Y. D. Hut Construction Detail 155. 
 
 120. Y. D. Under Construction, Early 
 
 121. Lunch Line Inside Cafeteria 156. 
 133. Polish Canteen 
 
 U3. Cafeteria Detail Group 157. 
 
 143. Keystone Construction Detail 
 
 144. Keystone Construction Detail 158. 
 No. 3 159. 
 
 145. Lunch Line in Front of Cafeteria 
 
 146. Soldier Actors in Le Mans 160. 
 
 147. Welfare Workers Group at A. E. 161. 
 C. Championship Class Camp 162. 
 
 148. Under Cover Company 163. 
 
 149. Caste for Lender Cover Company 
 
 150. 137th at the Y. D. Hut 164. 
 
 151. Mother Warden and Her Detail 165. 
 153. Soldiers at the Georgia Hut; Ex- 166. 
 
 terior 167. 
 
 153. Y. D. Hut Personnel— Woman 168. 
 
 Personnel 
 
 Transportation Tent in Le Mans 
 
 Entraining at the Forwarding 
 
 Camp 
 
 Y. D. Hut Group of Soldiers; 
 
 Interior 
 
 Army and Y. M. C. A. Personnel 
 
 in Le Mans 
 
 Actor Group 
 
 Medals Awarded in Decoration 
 
 Contest 
 
 Reverse of Two Medals 
 
 Winners in Tennis Doubles 
 
 Rolling Canteen at the Rifle Meet 
 
 Rolling Canteen at the Rifle Meet 
 
 No. 2 
 
 La Fleche; Exterior 
 
 La Fleche; Interior 
 
 Mezeray 
 
 Chemerie 
 
 Bazouges 
 
 l^ini 
 
FRENCH HELPERS 
 
 SPECIAL recognition is here accorded to the many splendid French 
 people of Le Mans who so faithfully served the Association there. 
 These lists would not be complete without a record of the following 
 four^ who in their capacity as interpreters, made possible the fine 
 feeling and understanding which developed between the French and 
 Americans : 
 
 Prof. Luzy P. Bizeray, 19 Rue des Plantes, Le Mans, Sarthe. 
 
 Rene Bourgade, 15 Rue des Fontaines, Le Mans, Sarthe. 
 
 S. E. Ernest Didot, care Dr. Ness, 99 Bedford Court Mans, Lon- 
 don, W. C. 1. 
 
 Gilberta Define, 15 Bates Avenue, West Qincey, Massachusetts. 
 
Contents; 
 
 This compilation of the Summ'ary of Service falls into four 
 main sections. 
 
 Section One — Beginning with page 3 is by way of intro- 
 ductory and is entirely general and regional in its scope, show- 
 ing plan of organization, and general summary of statistics 
 in tabulated form. 
 
 Section Two — Beginning with page 19 deals with work 
 in and about Le Mans proper. The Forwarding Camp, the 
 Belgian Camp and ten separate camps and units which made 
 up what was known as the Depot Division. Also the various 
 departments, bureaus and activities handled on a regional 
 basis. 
 
 Section Three — Beginning with page 141 carries the 
 stories of the outlying billeting areas with the high lights on 
 the particular Divisions or Army units that at various times 
 occupied the area. 
 
 Section Four — Beginning with page 188 contains some 
 commendatory letters from military sources together, with an 
 alphabetical list of personnel of secretaries serving in the 
 region and a catalog of the photographic record of the work. 
 
^ 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 015 910 845 4