OCR Text |
Show xffi captain shot DEAD JYJI5 SIDE George Chandler, on Front Line, Escapes While Officer Offi-cer is Hit by Shell. 1 IN THICK OF FIGHT Salt Laker Has Interesting Experience During Evacuation Evac-uation of Soissons. J. A. Groesbeck, of Salt Lae City, for the past eiffht months connected with the transportation department of the Red Cross, has just returned from another in-' in-' terestins and thrilling trip along the i front, where the most recent attack of the Germans was launched. This information ia contained in a let-j let-j ter to The Tribune from B. F. Stelnel, 79 Rue Laugier, Paris. Mr. steinel adds: 1 :hile out on his trip he met Cor-' Cor-' V yoral George Chandler, son of George f E. Chandler of Bingham, and well-V' well-V' known in Salt Lake City, who came I over here to join the American field Cross camions gave the tired-out lnglish soldiers a lift down the road, and they heard many interesting tales of the soldiers' experiences in the big battle. One soldier, who was given a ride, said he was the last of his machine gun company left, amd that he was through and would not stop going until he reached Africa. When asked about the percentage of Germans Ger-mans killed to those of the allies, the British soldier said he thought it was fully five to one. He says j his company alone fired forty full roilncls of ammunition before they withdrew and that they saw hundreds hun-dreds of Germans fall during the attack. service, but who was selected to work with the artillery as buck private In the United States army, Instead of joining the ambulance service. Mrs. Chandler, who came over with her husband at the same time, has been working in conjunction with the Red Cross ever since. Mr. Chandler, after he had undergone considerable training, train-ing, was with the first American troops to get into the front lines, where early in the winter he remained re-mained for thirty-two consecutive days, after which he was given a ten days' "permission," which he spent with his wife at Nice. For some time past he has been In the sector of Somme. where all the heavy fighting took place. Chandler was promoted to a corporal and was in the brilliant attack when Cantlgney was captured by the American forces. Killed by Shell. While out at the front Corporal Chandler was standing with his captain, cap-tain, who was instantly killed by a shell, while Chandle nimsetf escaped without injury. Several days after the brilliant attack Corporal Chandler Chand-ler received a visit from a messenger out in the front line trenches, calling ! him to headquarters, where he was informed that he had been selected to take the course ot training at the officers' school, and this means that he will shortly be in line for a com- I mission. f Mrs. Groesbeck assisted in the evac- ua':on of Soissons during the recent Toattle, the refugees and material taken to Chateau Thierry, from where the poor people and material ,r , had to be taken a few days later. . Mr. Groesbeck was all through the big push, and will have many interesting inter-esting tales to tell when he returns home, which wiU be some time in July or August. On one of his trips "Pop" drove out from a Red Cross headquarters with a big camion load of supplies and a soup kitchen trailing on behind. The news was bad that morning, and it was decided to give away all the foodstuff at once to the soldiers, in order that the truck might be used for evacuation ivork. There were thousands of reCigees to be taken care of at once, and Mr. Groesbeck and the other drivers assisted in this work for several days. Thrilling Tales. While driving along a crowded country road Mr. Groesbeck came across a woman about 70 years of age, carrying her belongings on a wheelbarrow. Mr. Groesbeck stopped his machine, put the woman and her wheelbarrow in the auto. He tried to shoo off the dog, but when the woman began to cry. he relented, and picking up the animal, tied him to the top of the soup kitchen and drove to the next station, where refugees were being taken. While on another trip Mr. Groesbeck Groes-beck witnessed a thrilling sight. All camion and ambulance drivers oftentimes often-times see hundreds of guns and munitions muni-tions wagons drawn along the roads, but he saw about 200 T.Vs, the French favorite gun, being taken at full speed to a hill near Chateau Thierrey. The cavalrymen came down the road on a dead run, in order to beat the Germans Ger-mans to the heights. Soon afterwards, after-wards, when Mr. Groesbeck drove near the hill, be saw the entire squadron wheeled in position, and hard at it, firing as fast as they could load. Many times the drivers of the Red |