Inside the town hall.

Plaque

A rectangular gray plaque that has a commemoration message for the Base Hospital No. 4 known as The Lakeside Unit, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces that arrived in the town on May 25, 1917. At the top of the plaque is a Caduceus insignia with the inscribed words written in English. Destroyed during World War II, the plaque was replaced in 1978 to honor the unit's contribution.

Base Hospital No. 4, also known as the Lakeside Unit from Cleveland, Ohio, was the first American Expeditionary Force detachment to arrive in France during World War I. The hospital unit, comprising 26 medical officers, 64 nurses, 156 enlisted men, and a few civilians, was mobilized on May 6, 1917, just a month after the U.S. declared war on Germany. Upon reaching Rouen on May 25, 1917, they were stationed at the British Expeditionary Forces Hospital No. 9. Their role was to provide medical care to the wounded soldiers of the Allies.

The unit, organized by Dr. George Crile of Lakeside Hospital, had previously been involved in medical preparedness and humanitarian missions, such as working in the American Ambulance Hospital in Paris during the early years of World War I. Their experience helped them handle over 82,000 cases during their 20-month stay in France. Despite the war's demands, the unit suffered no fatalities among its members.

Source of information: clevelandmagazine.com, ech-dev.case.edu

Source of photo: francevoyager.com

MAY 25, 1917          MARCH 31, 1919

BASE HOSPITAL NO.4

UNITED STATES ARMY

THE LAKESIDE UNIT

CLEAVELAND, OHIO

THE FIRST DETACHMENT

OF THE AMERICAN

EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

TO ARRIVE IN FRANCE

LANDED AT ROUEN

NEAR THIS PLACE ON THE

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY OF MAY

IN THE YEAR NINETEEN

HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN

Destroyed in world war II. remade

and placed here may 28, 1978.