After breakfast, Ens. and I took a walk through the village into the country. Saw some fine scenery and an old-fashioned separator and got some flowers. Arrived home in time for dinner very tired and muddy. After dinner went and got Madam Callo and daughters and took them to our tent; showed them pictures and treated them to fudge.. We went for a walk and had a very interesting time; got home in time for supper.
A man came to our tent and got saved. He seemed to be a real good case.
Some of the men got drunk in the kitchen and had a terrible fight and one is in the guard house.
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 