Breakfast at the same hour. Then we opened up the canteen. We sold grape juice and made fudge on a stove made of stones and sheet iron. We also had grapes, apples, and tomatoes. My the boys ate like mad. We made molasses candy and had loads of fun. Capt. and Envoy left to go to another place. It rained all day, but between times we made taffy. Staff Capt. and Adj. helped. My it was fun. At the hut in the evening the boys told us we did not have enough and only tormented them. It was very cold when we went to bed, but we had a feather bed over top of us and thus we managed to keep warm.
More Information
The following section provides historical context and is not part of the original diary entry.
Likely location: Demange-aux-Eaux, Meuse, France
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In October 1917, the AEF was establishing its training camps in the Meuse department of Lorraine. Margaret and Helen Purviance set up one of the first Salvation Army huts near Demange-aux-Eaux, serving soldiers of the U.S. 1st Division. This was the beginning of the famous donut-making tradition.
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 