We were to have breakfast at eight, but first we went to have our measure taken for our dress. They have a strange method of taking your measure. They fit it to you then cut it around and sew it. That takes a long time. Then we went back to the hotel and to wait. Ten days was too long, and we would go to another place. So we went to the best store in France. It’s called the “Bonne Monde,” where we had to be refitted and measured, which took till about 2 o’clock. While eating we saw, through the window, a waitress running after one of our men. He had had his lunch but had not give the waitress anything. After lunch we went to the hotel. Tried on our hats and helped the men put the ribbons on their hats. Went for a walk to the Napoleon building and saw many things of interest. Some mines and submarines, airplanes and some great armories. Went to our hotel for dinner very tired but happy. At eight o’clock we went to our rooms, washed our clothes, took a bath and went to bed at twelve-thirty. Slept like a soldier until seven, which was getting up time.
More Information
The following section provides historical context and is not part of the original diary entry.
Likely location: At sea / Bordeaux / Paris, France
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Margaret Sheldon departed New York in September 1917 with the first contingent of Salvation Army workers bound for France. After crossing the Atlantic in a convoy system designed to evade German U-boats, she arrived in Bordeaux and traveled to Paris before heading to the AEF training area in Lorraine.
Research Links for Further Study
- Library of Congress. (n.d.). The American Expeditionary Forces. Library of Congress Digital Collections.
- Boissoneault, L. (2017, April 12). The women who fried donuts and dodged bombs on the front lines of WWI. Smithsonian Magazine.
- Cantwell, C. (n.d.). Doughboys & doughnut girls: The Salvation Army and WWI. National WWI Museum and Memorial.
Diary of a World War I Donut Girl 