HISTORY
of
THE 308th INFANTRY
By
L. Wardlaw Miles
1927
The 308th Infantry Association
THE 3o8TH INFANTRY ASSOCIATION
The 308th Infantry Association was organized at the
suggestion of Colonel Averill two weeks previous to the
sailing of the Regiment for France. On March 27th, 1918,
the wives, mothers, and sisters of officers in the
Regiment met for the first time in the Ladies Annex of
the Metropolitan Club, where the Colonel spoke to them on
the aims and purposes of the proposed association. We are
all convinced that the inspiration of Colonel Averill's
address on that occasion, which remained with the women
of the association, was responsible in no small degree
for the success of their efforts.
The first officers selected for the Association were:
Mrs. Averill, president; Mrs. Snowden A. Fahnestock,
vice-president; Mrs. Allen Lindley, secretary, and Mrs.
George McMurtry, treasurer. Owing to the subsequent
resignation of Mrs. Averill. and Mrs. McMurtry, the
following officers were later appointed and served until
the return of the Regiment: Mrs. Fahnestock, president;
Mrs. Lindley, vice-president; Mrs. Lucien Breckinridge,
secretary, and Mrs. Belvidere Brooks, treasurer.
An advisory committee was formed consisting of Mr. S. R.
Bertron; Mr. Adrien Larkin; Mr. Joseph McAleenan, and Mr.
Frank K. Sturgis. The executive committee, in addition to
the officers of the Association, included Mrs. Bertron,
Mrs. George Blackwell, Mrs. McAleenan, Mrs. Charles N.
Schenck, Mrs. George Harvey, Mrs. Francis M. Weld, and
Mrs. William F. Whitehouse.
It was decided that the relatives of the entire Regiment
should constitute the membership of the 308th Infantry
Association-the women relatives of the officers being the
active members responsible for the direction of the
Association,
A "Guaranty Fund" of $5,000 was pledged by five
supporters of the Association to cover all expenses for
the year; needless to say this amount was more than
sufficient, and we therefore had the satisfaction of
using all the contributions which we received directly
for one of three purposes: the sending abroad of comforts
to the Regiment,-the helping of needy relatives of the
men, and the setting aside of a fund with which to erect
in New York a bronze memorial tablet to the dead of the
Regiment.
Rooms for the use of the Association was secured at 15
East 40th Street, and on April 1st, the office was
opened. Every man in the Regiment was notified that such
an organization had been formed, and was told to place
its services at the disposal of his family. As a result,
the relatives began coming to us the day our office was
opened-and it is our earnest hope that we may never have
failed them when they needed us,
A Supply Committee and a Welfare Committee were
organized-the former to consider the needs of the men in
the Regiment, and the latter to consider those of the
relatives here at home. In addition, there was formed a
Brooklyn Auxiliary under the chairmanship of Mrs. Charles
N. Schenck, and this Auxiliary was at all times of the
greatest Possible help and support to the main
association.
Mrs. McAleenan, who was chairman of the Supply Committee
sent out to our mailing list an exceedingly effective
appeal, which brought in a large number of contributions
for the purposes of this committee, and from July 1st,
1918, to January 1st, 1919, five thousand, three hundred
and eighty-five knitted garments were shipped from the
Association to the Regiment, through the agency of the
American Red Cross. These socks and sweaters were
collected by the Supply Committee, and a large proportion
of the whole Association devoted itself to the making of
them; in fact, garments were contributed from all over
the United States. Owing to the stringent regulations
made by the government, it was impossible for the
Association to ship its cases direct to the Regiment, and
so we were obliged to leave the matter of transportation
entirely to the American Red Cross; but when we entered
into this arrangement, it was with the assurance from Red
Cross Headquarters that every effort would be made to
insure the delivery of our cases to the 308th Infantry in
France.
For the first four months after the Regiment sailed, the
Association sent monthly a draft of five hundred dollars
for the purpose of tobacco for the men, but in August we
received the information that it was impossible to
procure tobacco in sufficient quantities for this money
to be used; so our drafts were then discontinued, but
with the understanding that we would hold these funds on
hand ready to be used for "smokes" whenever
they might be needed.
The Welfare Committee, of which Mrs. Bertron was elected
chairman, undertook the direction of all relief work
which was necessary among the families of the Regiment,
and a professional Social Service Worker, who was also a
trained nurse, was engaged to visit every home which
required our care and attention. As the Home Section
Service of the American Red Cross already existed for the
purpose of aiding the needy relatives of soldiers, the
Association was in many instances able to obtain the
necessary assistance by appealing to this branch of the
Red Cross, and without recourse to the funds of the
Association itself. But of course in a great many other
cases, upon the decision of the Welfare Committee
-financial aid was given directly by the Association in
the payment of rent and in the purchase of food, coal,
clothing, and other necessities.
We were fortunate in obtaining the cooperation of a number of doctors
and of several hospitals, and were thus able to provide medical
examination and treatment for many cases of illness of all kinds; we
also urged and arranged dental care for a number of those who needed it.
All the mothers who desired it, were offered exceptional opportunities
for care and comfort at the time their babies were born; and a complete
"baby kit," sufficient to last six months, was given to the infants
whenever we were informed of their expected arrival. Our Social Service
Worker kept in continuous touch with all these sons and daughters of the
Regiment, whose development was a matter of the greatest interest to the
ladies of the Welfare Committee-and in the autumn each of
these children received a warm coat. In addition, a large
amount of clothing was collected and distributed among
children of all ages, who were related to the men of the
308th and who had need of these garments.
As is well known, one of the chief causes of distress
among the families of soldiers everywhere was the
frequent long delay in the payment of allotments by the
government. When the allotment became months overdue,
there was uneasiness, discomfort, and sometimes-actual
want in a case where the soldier's wife or mother was
totally dependent upon this money. The Association soon
came to know that this was one of the most pressing
questions, which it had to meet-and we were wonderfully
fortunate to discover in Washington a valuable friend and
ally in Mr. John Cravens of the Council of National
Defense. Mr. Cravens constituted himself our personal
representative with the government departments which had
this matter in charge,-he brought to their attention
every instance of delayed payments which we sent him, and
was instrumental in straightening out three hundred and
one allotments for families of the 308th Infantry.
There is much to be said of all these practical
activities to which the women of the Association gave
their time and thought-but there is also a great deal
concerning another side of our work, that could never be
told in full. During those long and anxious days of
fighting through the summer and autumn, when the 308th
was continuously in the worst sectors of the front, an
unending stream of visitors came to our rooms in search
of information, encouragement and cheer. How often
needless anxiety was relieved, and misinformation
corrected, no one could well remember. And in the days
when the worst tidings came more quickly by word of
mouth, or by a "buddy's" letter than from
official source, women of the Association had often the
tragic task of breaking bad news to other wives and
mothers of the Regiment. But there was also the cheerful
side to be considered-the comfort which those whose
letters were overdue might obtain from all the other
letters which were kept posted on the bulletin boards at
the office, and sometimes the consolation of knowing that
we were all in the same state of uncertainty, with no
news less than six weeks old!
Every Monday evening from June 1st to December 1st, the
rooms of the Association were open till after 9 o'clock
to any of the relatives who cared to drop in for news and
congenial company. There were always knitting teachers,
surrounded by their pupils, and interesting letters from
the Regiment to be read aloud. Wives and mothers of
officers were always in charge on those evenings, and it
is also a noteworthy fact that during all the long strain
of the summer, there was never one day when Willing
volunteers were not " on duty " in the office.
It would be utterly impossible for any one not connected
with this work to realize the value and the importance to
the Association of Father Halligan's letters; written as
they were in the scant moments of leisure at his disposal
and at times under conditions of the greatest difficulty
and strain, they brought to us all a sense of comfort and
reassurance which is indescribable. As soon as we
realized what these letters could do to stimulate the
morale of the families, we determined to publish them-and
in June there was issued the first number of our little
Bulletin; through the kindness of the Harvey Press
Company, the printing was contributed as a gift to the
Association, and from June, 1918, through April, 1919,
the Bulletin was sent monthly free of cost to three
thousand, nine hundred and twenty relatives and friends
of the Regiment. It contained, in addition to the
Chaplain's letters, items of interest such as the award
of decorations -and always the Roll of Honor for the
month, as complete as our imperfect knowledge of
casualties would permit. It is a pleasant fact to
consider that wherever there was a home which had sent
its soldier overseas with the 308th Infantry, there the
Bulletin was regularly received. This, of course, was
unfortunately an impossibility in the case of the men who
came to the Regiment as replacements-for of these we had
no record, nor did we know the address of their relatives
except when notified by the soldiers themselves from
France.
At Christmas time, the Association endeavored to provide
the best celebration possible under the circumstances by
sending five thousand dollars as a gift to the Regiment.
Every returned wounded soldier who could be located in a
hospital here received from us a Christmas box,
containing a pair of gloves, two handkerchiefs, a box of
candy, a pad and pencil, and five packages of the
inevitable "Camels." At the hospitals in or
near New York, the distribution of these boxes was made
personally by the officers of the Association, and of all
the pleasant memories which we have retained of this
memorable year, there is none which we will more gladly
recall than that of Christmas Eve in the big military
hospitals, with the cheeriness and appreciation of the
wounded men from "our regiment" and the
satisfaction of wishing each one of them a "Merry
Xmas. "
The Association also participated in the " 77th
Division Christmas Party" which was held in the 71st
Regiment Armory on the afternoon Of December 25th. Here
there was a huge tree, beautifully trimmed, and
brilliantly lighted-a military band, various side shows,
and a toy and box of candy for every child. Two hundred
and fifty-three children represented the 308th at this
celebration, and two hundred grown-ups related to the
Regiment also were present,-some with the children, and
some admitted to escape a sad or lonely Christmas in
their own homes.
With the signing of the Armistice, and the return to the
United States of so many wounded officers and men of the
308th Infantry, the Association entered upon a new phase
of activity. During the summer, the officers and men who
came home to instruct almost without exception called at
the Association rooms when an opportunity was afforded
them of meeting the relatives of men in their own
companies and of delivering innumerable messages. But
when the wounded of the Regiment began to return in large
numbers, we were of course eager to get in touch with as
many of them as possible here. There was no official way
in which we could be informed of these arrivals, but
thanks to the interest of so many of the relatives, to
the communications from the men themselves, and to the
tireless study of lists in the various Debarkation
Hospitals, we were soon able to hear from a large number
of these wounded men from the 3o8th. From that time on,
many of those who were able began to drop in at the
office and scarcely a day passed when veterans of the
Regiment did not meet in the Association Rooms--meeting
for the first time since they had parted in France. In
the matter of men who were assigned to hospitals at a
distance from New York, we were able to be of some
assistance, for by appealing to the War Department we
obtained a transfer to a hospital near home for every man
who asked this favor of us.
The intense interest felt by all these men in meeting
each other and their former officers convinced us that
some way should be found of providing for this desire on
their part, as their loyalty to their Regiment seemed far
too fine a thing to be ignored. So, at the suggestion of
one of our re-turned officers, it was decided to hold a
"smoker" for officers and men every Saturday
afternoon in the rooms of the Association-and the
providing of coffee, cake, and cigarettes was a small
measure of the Association's enthusiasm for the plan.
These "smokers" started under the direction of
Lieutenants Harold Bache, John Flood, and Alexander L.
Barbour, proved a remarkable success, and clearly
demonstrated the existing demand for some sort of
Regiment Veteran Association to perpetuate the spirit of
the 308th.
No account of the Association would be
complete without mention of the big "Family
Meetings, "-with an attendance of over a thousand
people at each one-which were held from time to time in a
large auditorium secured for the occasion. We arranged
for these meetings an entertainment of music and moving
pictures, but the climax of the evening came with a talk
by some recently returned officer of the Regiment, which
was invariably greeted with enthusiasm by the audience.
There are two officers of the 308th who are endeared for
all time to the families of the Regiment by their appeal
of both personality and address-Captain L. Wardlaw Miles
and Lieutenant John Flood.
It would be impossible to call by name all of the devoted
and enthusiastic women who contributed their time and
their interest to the " carrying on " of the
308th Infantry Association. Among them, there existed
always an extraordinary degree of congeniality and
cooperation, and it is their spirit which was so largely
responsible for the success of their undertaking. The
year of waiting and anxiety which they shared was made
more bearable by the very fact of sharing it-and the
experiences which they faced together were of those which
create a firm and lasting bond. They realized, every one,
that the Association was a responsibility which the
officers of the 308th had entrusted to their keeping-and
their single desire was to fulfill that trust with a
faithfulness and a sincerity worthy of the glorious
Regiment which they had the honor to represent.
ELIZABETH BERTRON FAHNESTOCK.