Evening Star Newspaper, November 10, 1929, Page 93

THE . SUNDAY STAR,’ WASHING TON, D. . C, NOVEMBER 10, 1929. * “Over There” Soon tor Gold Star Mothers BY JAMES W. BOOTH. S another Armistice day arrives 5 thousands of gold star mothers and 57 4 widows are looking expectantly across the sea toward the war cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. This is especially true this year, inasmuch as the pilgrimages of these gold star mothers and widows to the graves of the hero dead in France, Belgium and England, at the expense of the United States Government, will begin in the Spring. - Just before the Seventieth Congress adjourned last March it passed a law enabling the mothers and unmarried widows of our hero dead who have not previously visited the graves of their sons and husbands in Europe to do so without expense to themselves. Under the law the visits wlil be made at such times between May 80, 1930. and October 31, 1933, as may be designated by the Secretary of War. An amendment to the gold star mother law extending the time of their visit to October, 1934, in order to give these mothers and widows an opporiunity to see all cemeteries, chapels and monuments when fully completed, is now before Congress. Another bill is pending to take care of the mothers not included in the original bill so as to make it possible for all mothers of service men to share in the benefit of the law—to include all mothers of soldiers who died at sea or were buried overseas. Soon after the war the Federal Government established eight mnational cemeteries in Europe—one in England, not far from London; one in Belgium and six in France. Nowhere else in the world can cemeteries be found more beautiful, more restful, more thoroughly cared for. Flowers, trees and shrubbery laid out by skiliful and sympathetic hands of trained land- scape gardeners and nutured with tender .care lend a quiet beauty to these final resting places of our hero dead. The American flag, symbol of the glorious- tradition which inspired these men in life to offer themselves in their country’s cause, floats in silent tribute over the graves. At each cemetery is.an American care- taker, himself a veteran of the war, cne who knows through what these men went and whose heart is in his work. In addition to his other duties he extends a welcome to those who come to the cemetery seeking information and aids them in locating individual graves or obtaining other desired information. THE wooden grave markers originally erected in these cemeteries have been replacea oy white marble headstones—a cross for those of the Christian faith, a shield of David for those of Jewish- faith. On these headstones are engraved the name, rank, organization and date of death of the heéro as well as the State from ' which he came. These héadstones are more than 3 feet high and stand as individual and imperishable monuments to those who gave - their lives. Here and there is a grave of one who remains unknown, the headstone bearing the inscription, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” Because thousands of gold star mothers and widows are planning to take advantage of the generosity of the Government and visit the national cemeteries abroad during the next few years, there is, quite naturally, deep interest: as to what progress has been made on the memorial chapels which are being -erected in the cemeteries by the American - Battle Monu- ments Commission, of which Gen.. John J.. Pershing is chairman. - "These memorial chapels are imposing struc- * tures, having been designed by some of the most prominent architects in the United States and the designs approved by the National Com- ‘mission of Fine .Arts. ‘The chapels . will be monumental in nature, beautiful, restful and lmpressi\e the relafives of our hero dead may go for shelter, meditation and ‘prayer. .On the walls of the chapels, will be inscriptions to the.men who gave their Hves.. They will also bear indi- Théy will be sanctuaries where" The litile cemetery at Neufchateau, where the American graves are given special care. Armistice Day Finds United States Govern= ment Completing War Memorials in the National Cemeteries Abroad in Anticipa= tion of Pilgrimages, Which Start Six ~Months Hence, to Graves o f Hero Dead in France. vidual ixm'crlptlom giving the nuhc, rank, organization, date of death and State of the men who still sleep in unknown graves. THI Battle Monuments Commission in Paris reports officially that it is expected that the chapel in the Flanders Fleld American Ceme- tery, near Waereghen, Belgium, and the Brook- wood American Cemetery, .near Brookwood, . England, will be completed by May 30 of next year. The chapel in the Meuse-Argonne American © Cemetery, near Romagne-Sous- Montfaucon, France, is expected to be com- pleted May ‘30, 1932; that in the St. Mihiel American Cemetery, near Thiacourt, France, by May 30, 1932; that in the Oiss-Aisne American Cemetery, near Fere-en-Tardenois, Prance, by May 30. 1931; that in the Aisne- ‘Marne American Cemetery, near . Belleau, France, by the Spring or Summer of 1931; that in the Suresnes. American Cemetery, near Paris, by May 30, 1931, and that.in the Somme American Cemetery, near Bony, France, by the. - _same date. The largest of the overseas cemeteries is the Meuse-Argonhe American Cemetery. It has 4‘184 graves. ~ The soldiers who rest t,here come from almost every division in" the Ameri- ..can Expeditionary Forces, most of them having given their lives in the Meuse-Argonne offen- . sive, one of the most decisive batfles of the. war. - Bodies were brou ofm thére fiom ‘the- area im- 2 medhtdy west the Argonne Forest, from the general vicinity of the Vosges Mountains, from occupied Germmy and from Archmnl. Russia. Thecemeteryhaboutzsmnumnhmto! Verdun. ; 3 ‘The chapel now being erected there is.an adaptation of the Romanesque style of archi- tecture and consists not only of the chapel proper, which forms the central part of the edifice, but also of two flanking arcades, the entire building being more than 200 feet in length. This memorial will arise from a beauti- ful terrace site and stand at one end of a long, wide avenue that runs through the cemetery, : IN the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery there are buried 2,212 doughboys, the majority of whom fought in the immediate vicinity.and along the Marme. The cemetefy lies at the foot of a hill upon which stands Belleau Wood. It is six ‘miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry. . A number of bodies buried in this cemetery were concentrated there in 1922 from the gen-. " eral vicinity of Lyon and Clefmont, in Oenhl France. . .The memorial chapel will be of the traai- tional French-Romanesque style of architecture. In external appearance it will give the impres- sion of a massive tower. With its retaining walls and terrace the entire edifice will be some " 110 feet In height and wijl stand on the slope . of the hill that rises toward Belleau Wood. g The somme American Cemetery is the rest- ing place of 1,830 soldiers. Members of the 27th and 20th Divisions who fell in the vicinity are buried here, as well as those of the 1st Division who gave their lives in the operatioms near Cantigny, and of the 23d and 18th Divi- sions who fell in the operations along the Somme while serving with the British. In addition, all American soldiers who died on or behind the British front in France and who were not removed to the United States in 1922 now sleep here. The site is about 11 miles northeast of St. Quentin. The chapel at the Somme American Cemetery is an adaptation of the Romanesque style of chapel architecture. In general form it will be like a massive shaft with a low, somewhat pyramidal covering, being 50 feet in height and 25 feet in length and breadth. The Flanders Field American Cemetery is about half-way between Brussels and Ypres and contains 367 graves. It is on ground cap- tured by the 91st Division. The soldiers buried there are mainly of the 37th and 39th Divisions who died in this part of Flanders and of the 27th and 30th Divisions who fell in the fighting around Ypres. As the graves in this cemetery are arranged on the four sides of a square, leaving a space in the center, the chapel now being erected there will stand in the center of the cemetery. * An added beauty will be given to its setting by encircling it with a shallow sunken garden. The chapel will be octagonal in shape. T(m general exterior of the chapel being builg at the Suresnes American Cemetery, on the slope of Mount Valerien, about 3 miles west of the walls of Paris, gives a feeling of American Colonial architecture. One enters the building by way of a colonnade porch, the porch being approached from two sides by short flights of stairs. The chapel, including the stairs, will be about 42 feet high and about the same length and breadth. There are 1,507 graves in this cemetery. Spread fanwise on the broad slope of Mount Valerian, from where a magnificent view of Paris may be obtained, the Suresnes Cemetery is typical of the beauty and grandeur of the last resting places of those Americans who are interred in France—broad, spacious, open to the fair sky above and to the winds. No note . of depresion or sadness marks its classie beauty. ' This is no musty churchyard, but & vast open-air cathedral, where lamentation gives way to pride of deeds well done. Gripped by a feeling of spiritual elevauan. many American veterans who have visited this resting place of their comrades have expressed a desire to be lntcrred here when their fino comes. The Brookwood American Cemetery, 28 miles southwest of London, forms a part of a very large and beautlful British cemetery established many years ago:° The American section, in which there are 437 graves, adjoins one used for British war burials. The American bodies buried in this cemetery were concentrated after the armistice from various parts of England, Scotland and'Ireland and consist of those mem< bers of the A. E. F. who lost their lives in Great Britain or surrounding waters during . the war. ‘The chapel, now nearing completion, is an adaptation of the Greek Doric style of archi- tecture. It is-about 34 feet square, with small projecting wings on each side and a portico in front. It is umunded by a seml-clrcular ; 3 p.th and hedge. 'Tm: St. Mihiel Américan Cemetery is in the - area"of the -St. Mihiel operations of the .American Army Here le 4,134 soldiers, the majority of whom were members of the Amer= _ican divisions attacking when the great offene sive action of our 1st Army resulted in the ° reduction of the St. Mihfel salient. Others buried here were among those who died while " Coniinuéd on’ Seventh Page: . W N