Heard the bombarding during the night. It was at a place called Nancy. Sixty soldiers and twenty others were killed and some hurt.
A very pleasant day. Went to the tent and made applesauce and cleaned up. Made some coffee and was getting ready for dinner when Col., Major Anderson, Adj. Starber, and Ens. Hickey came. Was very glad to see them. Had dinner. They brought supplies and were pleased with the progress we had made. Col. was glad to find us in such good spirits and said it made him feel much encouraged. We assured him all was well.
Then Ens. and I cleaned up and made stew from the leaving of dinner.
A troop train came in with American troops on board. Two hundred soldiers from around Boston and from the Rainbow Division. They were only two weeks old in France. They stayed overnight. Twenty five slept over our room in the barn. They didn’t sleep much because someone was moving at all times. They came to get their horses.
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 