At six we heard Reveille and the six fifteen call (mess) and the six thirty call (first fatigue).
We got up and coffee, bread, and butter at the house. Then went to the Post Office. Such a time we had getting our mail. At least we got it. I received a letter from Mrs. Estill and was very happy. Estill was just reading about the time when they imprisoned people of our religion. In 1773 and now in 1917 we are here trying to bring hope and comfort to our people in France.
You would laugh if you saw us trying to keep warm outside the tent. I have all my clothes on that I can get, my face and my hands are blue, and I can hardly talk. I wash the dishes, Ens. wipes, and Cova he puts them in the tent. Really it looks like finishing right. The big tent is down and everything is wet. The men are cold and so are we. Life isn’t all it seems. God’s smile is with us and He will deliver our frames, for today is a good one, no temptations save those common to man and they are all in the Guide.
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 