CAMP WELFARE COMMITTEE
made four trips. The officers were delighted with the ‘lift’ and were outspoken in their praise of the War Relief work.”
Says another Worker:
“While visiting the base hospital, a telephone message came to the convalescent building, saying that two of the soldiers who were to have been taken for an automobile ride had been disappointed. I volunteered to take them out in our car. The boys were delighted. One of them had never seen Washington before and was much pleased with the White House, Government buildings, the beautiful speedway drive and the various points of interest.”
The automobile proved itself useful in an unusual way during a sand storm in Oklahoma. Our Worker had called to help the boys prepare for the Sunday service. The storm being at its height, it was impossible to seek the usual secluded outdoor nook. The men, however, drove the car near an observation tower, placed it with its back to the wind, put up all the curtains and found the interior an ideal place in which to study the lesson.
On one occasion at least, the good deeds done by the camp car were returned in kind. Our Worker, upon visiting a patient in the base hospital, found him in the best of condition. “How do you get around the camp?” asked the soldier. The Worker answered that he had a Ford. The boy's face brightened, as he said: “I am a Ford expert. Let me fix the machine when it gets out of repair.” This was his way of expressing gratitude for benefits received.
Of our “Welfare Fleet,” which was the grandiose designation of our two launches, more will be said in the chapter devoted to work in the navy.
The Christian Science War Relief Committee also maintained a Home Service Department, although it
95
