The Romance of the Red Triangle The story of the coming of the red triangle and the service rendered by the Y.M.C.A. to the sailors and soldiers of the British Empire   By: Arthur Keysall Yapp

[Illustration: Y.M.C.A. AND GERMAN OBSERVATION STATION IN THE TREES AT ACHIET LE PETIT]

THE ROMANCE OF THE RED TRIANGLE

THE STORY OF THE COMING OF THE RED TRIANGLE AND THE SERVICE RENDERED BY THE Y.M.C.A. TO THE SAILORS AND SOLDIERS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

BY

SIR ARTHUR K. YAPP, K.B.E.

Illustrations by W. P. STARMER, EDGAR WRIGHT AND OTHER ARTISTS

HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO

DEDICATION

THIS book is affectionately dedicated to Y.M.C.A. leaders and workers at home and abroad in grateful appreciation of their faithful and loyal service. Much of this work has been done out of sight, and endless difficulties have had to be surmounted. Names have not been mentioned in the book, but the writer would like to express his personal gratitude and appreciation to every one.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE THE COMING OF THE RED TRIANGLE 1

CHAPTER II BLAZING THE TRAIL WITH THE RED TRIANGLE 19

CHAPTER III FLOTSAM AND JETSAM 33

CHAPTER IV THE ROMANCE OF FINANCE 39

CHAPTER V THE LADIES OF THE RED TRIANGLE 63

CHAPTER VI 'GUNGA DIN' OF THE RED TRIANGLE 71

CHAPTER VII IN THE TRAIL OF THE HUN 80

CHAPTER VIII THE BARRAGE AND AFTER 108

CHAPTER IX 'LES PARENTS DES BLESSÉES' 118

CHAPTER X CELLARS AND DUG OUTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT 126

CHAPTER XI CAMEOS FROM FRANCE 133

CHAPTER XII STORIES OF 'LE TRIANGLE ROUGE' 146

CHAPTER XIII THE RED TRIANGLE IN THE EAST 162

CHAPTER XIV SIDE LINES OF THE RED TRIANGLE 175

CHAPTER XV THE RED TRIANGLE AND THE WHITE ENSIGN 191

CHAPTER XVI THE RELIGION OF THE RED TRIANGLE 195

CHAPTER XVII STORIES OF THE INVERTED TRIANGLE 211

CHAPTER XVIII THE RED TRIANGLE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION 236

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Y.M.C.A. and German observation station in the trees at Achiet le Petit Frontispiece

PAGE

Hut in the grounds of the ruins of the Hôtel de Ville at Arras 16

One of many Y.M.C.A. huts built under shell fire 17

The first Y.M.C.A. over the German trenches on the Somme battlefield 32

The Y.M.C.A. in the orchard at Albert 33

A refuge for the refugees 48

Y.M.C.A. marquee in the shell swept Somme area 49

Y.M.C.A. in a ruined parish hall in Flanders, June, 1916 64

Bapaume Cambrai road, with trees all cut down by the Germans 65

The Red Triangle in the support trenches 80

'George Williams House' in the front trenches 81

A half way house to the trenches 81

The Y.M.C.A. in a ruined warehouse. Shell hole in floor of canteen 96

A Y.M.C.A. cellar at Ypres 97

Hut in wilderness of destruction. Cutting the ice in shell holes for water for tea winter, 1916 17 112