Brief Activities and Sketch of Base Hospital No. 108, During W.W. I.
All contents copyright (C) 1998. Lloyd Pearson. All rights reserved.
( Background )
Welcome to this main page about my father's, Charles Harvey PEARSON, 
service in the U. S Army during WWI with the
Ameriacan Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.). He was a hospital Corpsman serving with the Base Hospital 108
assigned to the Evacuation Hospital No. 16 in Mesves-Bulcey, France from November 9, 1918 to June 17,
1919.
Here, I have condensed the History of Base Hospital No. 108, hopefully giving the highlights of the unit's history. The complete history as written and published in 1920 by H. A. FISKE, Major Medical Corp., is some 30 pages in length. I have divided the history into two parts. Part One gives the history and interesting activities of the unit and is at base hospital 1. Part Two presents the Chronological Resume of Personnel, Base Hospital No.108 and can be viewed at base hospital 2. This part 2 text makes for dry reading as it lists names, places and dates of personnel assignments.
For those interested, Dad's Army pay book can be viewed at paybook. It includes Rules and Regulations relating to the pay book of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Also, at ship regulations are the Instructions for Troops which includes General Information, Restrictions, Police Regulations and Daily Routine for the soldiers being transported on board the troop steamers on their outbound journey to France.. This was interesting reading for me as I can better visualize what rules my father had to follow on board the ship as the unit steamed toward the continent of Europe and the country of France.
The pictures presented here were scanned directly from the Unit's History Booklet published in 1920. It may not be up to quality standards as the pages have turned a brownish color with age over the past 80 years.
( Introduction ) Charley was married to my mother, Cora Ella (LAYTON), at the time he was
drafted on July 23, 1918. She was pregnant with the first of their ten children. Dad worked
as a section foreman for the KATY R. R. (Kansas, Atchenson and Topeka) in northeastern
Oklahoma. They lived in rail house cars as Dad's work took them all over the area doing
rail bed repair and rail replacement.
( Brief History )
Charley, as Dad was called, was drafted into the National Army on July 23, 1918, reporting to the Pryor, OK induction center. He was sent to Fort -------, ARK for basic training, then on to Camp Greenleaf, GA for assignment to Base Hospital 108 and training as a Medical Corpsman. Dad's pay book showed that he received $36.60 in monthly base pay with $15.00 withheld for Class A allotment to his family and $6.90 for a $10,000 life insurance policy. He entered the Army as a Private and was promoted to Private First Class (Pvt 1/C) on March 1, 1919.
From Camp Greenleaf, the unit was sent to Fort Snelling, MN for further training. While at Fort Snelling, the terrible world-wide influenza hit the training center, causing a number of illnesses and deaths among the encampment.
The influenza epidemic of 1918 caused millions of deaths world-wide before it subsided with the onset of winter. My mother Cora, pregnant with her first child, was very concerned for the safety of her unborn child during this epidemic period as "soon-to-be" mothers were vulnerable to this illness.
Upon completion of their training at Ft. Snelling, they were sent by troop train on October 24, 1918 to Camp Upton, NJ to await shipment overseas to France. The soldiers marched to the troop train to the tune of "The Cat Jumped in and out the Window." Arriving at Hoboken, NJ, the soldiers of Base Hospital 108 walked the plank from American soil onto the deck of the troop steamer "George Washington."
My father, Charley, was assigned to Troop Space G-2, Bunk No. 235 on the troop steamer, George Washington. The decks are lettered from A to G; A being the uppermost deck, G being the lowest deck on which troops are berthed.
The steamer George Washington pulled up its anchor and departed the pier at about 3 p. m., October 31, 1918 and left the harbor. German submarines were active in the north Atlantic necessitating the steamer to chart a zig-zag course to avoid them. Lifeboat drills were a daily occurrence for this steamer and others in the convey of troop ships having protective Naval destroyers escorts.
November 9 dawned untroubled and found the steamer entering the narrows of the harbor of Brest, France. At about 10 a. m., the steamer came to anchor and the voyage was ended. The soldiers were marched 4 miles to their encampment to await transport to the forward hospital zone.
November 11, in the middle of the forenoon, the troops were startled from their quietude by a sudden tumult in camp which spread in a melange of yells, whistles, cheers, blowing of horns and sounding of klaxons throughout the camp and with it came the almost unbelievable news that the armistice has been signed.
The soldiers boarded troop trains for their forward base. The route included the cities of St. Brieux, Rennes and Le Mans. The trip was wearisome on the troops who had not received their complement of winter clothes and blankets. On November 20, the soldiers arrived at Mesves Hospital Center, Mesves-Bulcey at about 9 a.m. and marched in formation to their first permanent home in France, Base Hospital Unit No. 16.
On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, the soldiers were promised turkey for their festive dinner. But, no turkeys had arrived. The troops gathered together to find a suitable substitute bird for their Thanksgiving dinner. Through the graciousness of the U. S. Red Cross, 24 geese were procured from the local villagers at $8 each for the dinner table.
On Nov. 29, the first quota of patients arrived--five hundred in number. They were transfers from other units in the center, and included surgical and medical cases convalescing from all forms of disability, influenza, gas inhalation, burns and gunshot wounds predominating. Considerable difficulty was experienced in segregating and treating men infested with vermin and in disinfecting clothing likewise infested. There were no facilities for bathing and no delousing plant. However, one of the wards was set aside as a "cootie ward" in which all vermin infested cases were placed, and after having their hair clipped, were washed in water heated on the stoves in the wards and furnished with clean clothing.
The task of feeding the large number of men necessitated by the arrival of our patients before adequate cooking facilities had been secured was a point of serious reflection. There was a shortage of large cooking utensils and stoves. On some, the stove pipe was too large, on others too small; some doors would not open, and some would not close. The ingenuity of the cooks yielded workable stoves with parts scavaged here and there, a mix-match arrangement as you can imagine.
The Base Hospital 108 on Dec. 8, 1918 now had 1520 patients in their care. Recreation for the patients and the corpsmen was organized to put on plays, musicals and games of baseball and basketball. Short 3-day leaves were given to the soldiers to visit the local villages to relieve some of the stress encountered in taking care of so many ill patients.
During the months the B.H 108 soldiers were in France, they were visited on separate occasions by General John Pershing and the future president, Herbert Hoover.
On June 3, 1919 the unit received most pleasant news that the Base Hospital 108 was to be shipped to a rear area to await returning home to the U. S. A. Nothing of special importance marked the stay until the day the unit received orders to proceed to St. Nazaire, France on June 16. One of the enlisted men developing scarlet fever. He, with his companions, fifteen in all, were transferred out of the organization and into quarantine. One of the men so transferred into quarantine was my father, Charley Pearson. It was a moment of sadness for the men of Base Hospital 108 when they parted from their quarantine buddies. Tears stood in the eyes of the men as they said "Good-bye" to their ill comrades. The B.H. 108 unit of 206 enlisted men and three officers were shipped home on the U. S. transport, "Arizonan."
It was the parting of the ways but their regret was tempered by the thought that the hand of Death had not penned the order which had separated them. Two weeks later, the 15 men in quarantine with my father were sent home to be discharged.
On July 6, 1919, the Arizonan entered New York harbor bearing as happy a lot of men of B. H. 108 as could be found west of France. Upon disembarking, the men proceeded at once to Camp Merrit. The last battle of the war for Base Hopsital 108 was fought out at the delousing plant. The following day the organization was photographed.
After the ordeal of the camera the organization on July 9, left Camp Merrit for Camp Dodge. Camp Dodge was reached on July 12, and that night witnessed the demobilization and termination of the career of Base Hospital No. 108.
No finer set of men, no more patriotic, patient, faithful soldiers ever donned the uniform of their country. Home, business, love and life itself were thrown into the lap of Fate at their country's call. To some, happily. But to a few, Fate dealt the ace of spades. They slept the long sleep which we call Death, embosomed in the land they sought to secure. They shall arise at the Judgment Day, each with the golden star of honor blazing upon his brow to greet their no less honorable comrades who so sadly bore them to their last resting place.
Brave men and true gentlemen all. It is no error to write of each "He loved his fellow man," and when the great Book of Life shall be outspread it shall be said of them and those others who in like manner offered the great sacrifice.---'Lo, their names lead all the rest!' "
Go Base Hosp. History Part One
All contents copyright (C) 1998. Lloyd Pearson. All rights reserved.