most famous pleasure resorts of Europe were thrown open to the enlisted men. Many casinos became their clubs. Sight-seeing trips, dances, tournaments, concerts, plays, and motion pictures were provided, and more than a million men were given decent and wholesome enjoyment while on leave.
Though French classes and lectures were provided at the perma- nent camps by the Association little educational work was done be- fore the Armistice. An educational plan for the whole army, however, was then ready. It included classes for all grades from illiterates to university students, and made use of teachers found in the ranks as well as those brought from the United States for the purpose. It also included privileges at French and English universi- ties. In March 1919 the entire educational work was turned over to the Army Educational Commission. Though demobilization went on too rapidly to permit a full test of this work, it showed itself to be so practical and valuable that it was adopted as a regular part of the U.S. army system.
A special feature of the Association work overseas taken over by the U.S. army was the use of women as welfare workers in the camps. Women were accepted in order to save men for military service, but their duties were supposed to be confined to preparing and serving food. Distinctions of sex in service, however, disappeared under the pressure of work, and women managed cafeterias or concerts, religious meetings or " hikes," led dances or maintained " mother's corners," were decorators or scrubbers, as need arose. So evident was the acceptability of service by women that not only have women been included among the welfare workers under the U.S. War De- partment, but the Associations in the armies of Greece and Poland and the French foyers include them in their personnel.
The Soldier's Remittance Bureau was established to meet the difficulty the soldiers had in reaching the army post offices. By this plan any secretary, anywhere, could send a soldier's money home for him free of charge. Money was thus taken not only at the sources of supply but at the front, where days might pass before it could be handed in at the local headquarters, and many more pass before it could reach Paris, by the usual channels. These remittances num- ';' bered 351 ,468, and were sent to destinations in many countries. Only I 92 remained undelivered by reason of wrong address or the dis- appearance of the payees. The soldiers sent home in this way, free 1 of charge, 1,558,339, the average length of time from acceptance to i delivery being 62 days.
The favourite athletic recreations of the A.E.F. were informal
baseball and group games until after the fighting was over. The
lAssociation's part in such activities before the Armistice was
mainly in supplying equipment. But before Nov. II 1918 the
physical directors of the Association had proposed an inter-allied
meet to celebrate victory. This plan was laid before the commander-
in-chief, and, shortly after the close of hostilities, was approved and
a committee appointed consisting of two officers and two Association
, men. The invitations to the Allies were sent out by Gen. Pershing,
| and the training of teams throughout all the armies went on during
( the winter of 1918-9. In the meantime a large stadium was building
near Paris, the laliour being given by the army, the land by the
French, and the plans and the material supplied by the Association.
For a fortnight in June and July 1919 1,500 contestants competed,
representing 18 countries, all fellow soldiers in the World War.
As the result of an increasing volume of criticism, much of which, as already noted, was concerned with the conduct of the canteen service, the Y.M.C.A. in Dec. 1918 invited a committee composed jf George W. Perkins, Mortimer L. Schiff and F. S. Brockman, none jf whom had been connected with the Y.M.C.A. before the war,
- o go to France and make an investigation. Subsequently the War
Department also undertook an inquiry. In the meantime the at- itude of returning soldiers made it evident to the people of America
- hat in France, at least, the Y.M.C.A. was held in less regard by the
A.E.F. than certain other welfare organizations. Apart from the anteen question, soldier opinion seemed to point first to an un- lortunate selection of some of the Y.M.C.A. personnel, and second
a well-meaning but sometimes officious effort to promote the moral md religious welfare of the A.E.F. It is clear that the validity of uch criticisms will depend somewhat on the point of view. In his eport on the work of the Y.M.C.A. Mr. Perkins, as chairman, said hat in civilian life an organization that is 90% efficient is regarded .s satisfactory. " If 10% of the 11,229 people operating in France or the Y.M.C.A. were inefficient," he continued, it would mean hat there were 1,122 men and women who were more or less of a ailure. I do not believe anything like this number of people were .nsuccessful." While Mr. Perkins found a number of instances of listakes and bad judgment in the conduct of the Y.M.C.A. work, lis general conclusion was that the organization deserved high .raise for the manner in which it had accomplished a difficult task.
1 similar conclusion was reached by the War Department, and on [sveral occasions Gen. Pershing expressed the opinion that the i'.M.C.A. had been unjustly blamed for circumstances over which i : had no control. , , _ ,.
I Although with the return to the United States of the Expedi- 1 unary Forces the welfare work for the army and navy was taken ver by the War and Navy Departments, at the request of the fficers the Association was retained for service with the Army ot pation in Germany. This work continued with a personnel ot
about 1 20, half being women. Huts were continued also for the navy and for the merchant marine in various foreign ports. Another outgrowth of the war work was the Soldier Scholarships. Under grants from the Association some 55,000 ex-service men continued their studies, in colleges, technical schools, or correspondence courses.
Service to prisoners continued throughout the war, and as late as 1921, when there were still Russian prisoners in Germany and Poland. Y.M.C.A. secretaries were with the Czechoslovak troops during their journey across Russia after their internment in Siberia. Association workers also met the thousands of German, Austrian and Hungarian prisoners when they at last reached eastern Siberia; and secretaries either went with them on the transports that finally bore them to their homes, or supplied motion picture outfits, paper, books and comforts for the men's use during the long voyage.
Perhaps the best comment on the war work of the Association is found in the requests from certain of the Allied Governments, whose officers saw the work in France, for its introduction into their armies. In answer to such demands the Association was organized in the armies of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Greece and Portugal, and American workers remained with the foyers in France.
See also Katherine Mayo, That Damned Y. (1920). (V. L. K.)
YPRES (see 28.941). Pop. (1914) 17,497. The town, though never taken by the Germans, was systematically bombarded from Nov. 1914 to May 1915, and it remained a " salient " of the Allied armies throughout th World War. The terrific attacks to which the town was exposed during the war resulted in its almost entire obliteration. The famous Cloth Hall became a scarcely recognizable ruin; of the cathedral of St. Martin, only part of the eastern doorway remained intact, and most of the works of art in the church were destroyed.
YPRES AND THE YSER, BATTLES OF. Under this head-
ing, accounts are given of the main battles in this area of the
Western Front: those of 1914, 1915, 1917 and 1918.
I. BATTLES OF OCT. 12-Nov. 20 1914
General Situation. The Belgian army, after its unsuccessful defence of Antwerp, had retired by way of Ghent and Bruges to the line of the Yser, between Dixmude and the sea, where it had established itself by Oct. 12. It consisted of six infantry and two cavalry divisions, in all about 48,000 rifles, with 300 guns; the 2nd, ist and 4th Divs. in that order from the N. held the front from the coast as far as Dixmude, with two brigades of the 3rd Div. and the 2nd Cav. Div. in reserve behind. A brigade of the 3rd Div., a French Fusilier Marine Brigade, which had been sent up to the N. to assist the Belgian army, and the 5th Div. continued the line from Dixmude to Boesinghe, while the ist Cav. Div. screened the whole front of the army. Farther to the S. the 87th and 8gth French Territorial Divs. were coming into line E. of Ypres, on the left of the British IV. Corps (7th Div. and 3rd Cav. Div.) which was falling back from Ghent, where it had been posted to cover the right flank of the retiring Belgian army, by way of Thielt and Roulers to the S. and E. of Ypres.
To the right rear of the IV. Corps the remainder of the British army was advancing. The II. Corps, detrained at Abbeville, had pushed forward to the line of the Aire Bethune canal, and was on the 12th advancing further to the line Givenchy-Merville, meeting with stubborn resistance from the German XIII. Corps. To the left front of the II. Corps the French I. and II. Cav. Corps and the British Cav. Corps were driving before them the German IV. Cav. Corps and had reached the area of Vermelles, and Estaires to the S. of the Lys and Merville, Merris, and Cassel to the N. of that river. Behind the British cavalry the- III. Corps, detrained at St. Omer, had reached the region of Hazebrouck. The I. Corps was not yet up from the Aisne; in fact its leading units were only entraining on this day and its transport to Flanders was not to be completed till the igth.
In face of these forces the right wing of the German VI. Army, under Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, consisting of the XIII. and XIX. Corps, and covered on front and flank by the I., II. and IV. Cav. Corps, were moving into position on both sides of Lille, extending as far N. as the Lys, and beyond. To the N. of this army a new one was moving forward with the object of forcing back the Allied left and securing possession of the Channel ports. This Army, the IV., under the command of Duke Albrecht of Wiirttemberg, consisted of the newly formed XXII.,
