WITH THE A. E. F. IN FRANCE
Nantes, Pioneer Infantry, Engineers, Marines, the Quartermasters' Corps, and there was an aviation field at St. Jean de Monts.
In a suburb of Nantes an American hospital center was established consisting of five units accommodating about ten thousand men. At Savenay, in the Nantes area, was the largest hospital center in France, said to care for between eighty and a hundred thousand men. These were base hospitals and provided for fracture, neuropathic, tubercular and contagious cases as well as convalescents.
There were eight permanent Y. M. C. A. huts in or near Nantes—all rather small by comparison with those in other places. The American Red Cross had three huts in the city, one at Clisson for a short time and several at the hospital at Savenay. The Knights of Columbus did not open rooms at Nantes until January, 1919, although they tried several times to find a satisfactory location, and the Jewish Welfare Board did not come until the latter part of February, 1919, while the Salvation Army had no building at all. This made the Christian Science War Relief Rooms of singular importance. When the Christian Scientists arrived in September, 1918, only four of the Y. M. C. A. huts had been opened, and the War Relief Rooms, completely and comfortably furnished, were therefore especially welcome.
The Depot was located in the center of the city, at the junction of two of the most important streets, one leading to the Y. M. C. A. city hut, and the other to what was later the headquarters of the Knights of Columbus. Just around the corner were the American Post Office and the headquarters of the American
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