AMBULANCE WORK
Ambulance work in the French Army comes under the heading of what is
known as the Sanitary Service. To each division there is attached a
Sanitary Section which serves that division only. Although subject
to the orders of the Staff Officers, it is looked upon as a part of
the Medical Department, and is directly under the supervision of the
Medical Staff. The Service, like everything else in the war to-day, has
undergone radical changes.
In the early days of the war, the Sanitary Section of the French Army
proved most inefficient. It could not cope with new conditions. Speed
in conveying the wounded soldier to the proper hospital was vital;
so also was the transfer of cases from the front-line trenches and
dressing stations to hospitals where complete service and attention
could be given. To facilitate development in this all-important work
took time and careful thought to determine just which course would meet
the increased demands with greatest efficiency.
While the reorganization was being evolved in the minds of the men
who had these matters in charge for the French Government, the German
Armies were most actively engaging the French all along their frontier,
and it was necessary, for the time being, to meet the situation
in whatever make-shift way it might be possible until the desired
perfection in this branch of service could finally be attained.
The French were fortunate with the sanitary sections they had organized
up to that time and which formed a regular part of their medical
service in connection with the army. In order to take care of a great
portion of the extra work that was thrown upon them, it must be
acknowledged that, with the equipment they had, they carried on the
work in a wonderful way.
In Paris lived many people who were able to render service to the
French Government during these days, and among them was Mr. Harjes
of Morgan & Harjes Company, Bankers. Quick to see the need of expert
ambulance work in connection with the army, he equipped his own
automobile and donated it to the French Government.
Through his example other people in Paris were induced to make
donations of a similar character, and thus, through the generosity of
a small group of Mr. Harjes’ immediate friends, Sanitary Section, Unit
Five, was formed and became a permanent and famous feature in ambulance
work, setting the pace followed later on by the French Government. Mr.
Harjes became responsible for the efficiency of this service, spending
most of his time in the field personally conducting the operations,
and, by his untiring efforts, made it the standard of all other units.
About this time Mr. Richard Norton also realized the ever-increasing
demand upon the sanitary section service of the French Army. He got
into communication with his very close friend, Mr. Arthur Kemp, who
was at that time residing in England, and induced him to equip his own
private car and bring it over and enter the work with him. Mr. Norton
formed Sanitary Section Unit Seven, and himself went into the field as
its head. He drove one of the cars himself and lived with the boys at
the front, as also did Mr. Kemp.
The wonderful work that was carried on by the volunteer ambulance
services quickly attracted the attention of the French authorities.
Letters written by the boys of these sections, describing in detail
to friends in America the work they were carrying on, resulted in a
large number of requests for a chance to serve as volunteers. These
enthusiasts proposed not only to donate automobiles equipped for
ambulance work, but also to drive them themselves without cost to the
French Government. Soon there were enough of these applicants to
form Sanitary Section Number Eleven, and, at the termination of the
Volunteer Ambulance Work in October, 1917, these volunteer sections
constituted the finest and most efficient ambulance service in the
world.
By this time recognition had been given to this service from all
corners of the globe, and the American Red Cross now became the
principal financial support of the service, which enabled it to expand
into a vitally important factor of the French Army. Equipment and funds
in abundance were placed at the disposal of the organization.
Eliot Norton, a lawyer in New York City, and a brother of Richard
Norton, played a large part in the success of that organization. It
was he who personally supervised the enlistment of men for service in
France as ambulance drivers. No one was permitted to enter this service
without having first satisfied Mr. Norton that he would be unafraid,
under any conditions, to carry the work of the American Red Cross to
the battlefields of France in a creditable way.
Untiring was his devotion and unerring his judgment. A very high
official in the Medical Corps in the English Army is quoted as having
said: “I have never seen a cleaner, more intelligent crowd of boys than
the ones who are serving with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps in the
French Army.”
The organization was now taking on such proportions that it was
necessary to establish central headquarters. This was done at No. 7
Rue Francois Premier in Paris. Messrs. Norton, Kemp and Havemeyer were
compelled to give up the active work in the field and take charge of
the offices. Other sections were equipped and sent out; section leaders
and assistants called chef and sous-chef, respectively, were chosen
from the older men that had been on active duty in the field.
This organization was now continually attracting prominent people
to it, one of these being Mr. Robert Goelet, who turned over his
estate at Sandricourt, twenty miles outside of Paris, to be used as a
cantonment for the American Red Cross, and as a base for training men.
Twenty automobiles were donated to this section, which became known as
the “Goelet Section.”