Base Hospital 22 was organized in 1917 by the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Red Cross and was lead by Dr. Curtis A. Evans, Thomas J. Kirkpatrick, and Thomas Gore; the hospital was located near Bordeaux, France at Camp Beau Desert. BH-22 was a 1,000 bed hospital which, at the height of its service was home to 5,100 patients. Soldiers stationed at the hospital treated casualties from numerous battles including Chateau-Thierry and epidemics like pneumonia and Spanish flu. Soldiers reached France and BH-22 in July of 1918 and were relieved from active duty on January 25, 1919, the hospital staff returned to the United States aboard the U.S.S. Henderson and reached New York on April 2, 1919. The group held annual reunions on the anniversary of their call to active duty, with the first in 1919.
