Evening Telegraph | Aug. 26, 1918 Yesterday afternoon, twenty stalwart soldiers and sailors jumped from [the train] and, with a leap and a bound, were in the Canteen Station. One boy carried a tobacco can wrapped in a Red Cross magazine cover and, followed by the other boys, approached the Canteen workers and, with a … little speech, presented the can, contents and all to the workers. The can was filled with money and tinfoil. The boys were mostly British recruits from San Francisco going back to help their mother country. Among them were a number of our own American soldiers and sailors. Thru the gratitude of their hearts for the Canteen service … they made up the purse presented to the local organization. Tied around the can was the following note: Aug. 25 1918. — This money, tinfoil collec- tion from the passengers, American, British Soldiers and Sailors on train … Let the people of your city give to you for your good work till it hurts.
Evening Telegraph | Aug. 31, 1918 San Pedro, Cal., Aug. 26. — To the Sammy Girls of the Old North Platte. Just a line to thank you for the sweater and comfort kit you presented me before leaving. … You folks at home are surely doing your bit in helping to make things nicer for us in service, and I am sure we all appreciated it probably more than you realize. … CLARK R. PAULSON, U.S.N.R. Training Station, San Pedro, Cal. P.S. I am also glad to say that [Red] Cross Canteen at North Platte is the best in the states. I have met several soldiers that have made that remark to me.
In connection with this, [the] Canteen will add a stack of stationery, stamps, post cards and soft drinks to be sold to the passer-thru, which will also be a great convenience to the boys who are in want of such articles and who may have a few minutes to secure them. In conjunction with the above, the old round house has been donated to the Canteen manage- ment for an exclusive shower bath quarters and will be equipped at once with all the very lat- est and best methods available for the use of the soldier and will be provided with a regular atten- dant furnished by the railroad company, and all expenses will be paid by the [rail]road, even to the laundry work and all other necessary cost.
The Red Cross Canteen wasn’t even two months old when railroad officials upgraded it.
Telegraph | Sept. 4, 1918 Supt. [William] Jeffers was in North Platte the other day, and thru his encouragement, the managers of the Canteen here have been empow- ered to make the new extensive improvements now being made in the way of painting, papering and the furnishing of the vacant rooms not being in use at the Canteen building. The additional rooms will be supplied with tables, chairs and of- fice stationery, and a piano will be installed which will provide a rest room for the soldier boy as near homelike as possible.
Claude Piers, Corporal of British and Jewish Battalion for Palestine. C. Piers, Union Bank of Scotland, 62 Cornhill, London, England.
This letter of gratitude further reflected the NPHS Sammy Girls’ Canteen involvement and made a declaration about the World War I Canteen that would be repeatedly applied to its successor.
This ode to North Platte's Red Cross Canteen workers appeared on the Evening Telegraph front page of Oct. 8, 1918. The North Platte Telegraph
1918–19 13
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting