Today was spent in putting things in order and making fudge. Was kept busy. In the evening the boys came and enjoyed themselves very much. Had a very pleasant call from Colonel Murphy. He came to see the hut and spoke very good of it and said he would help all he could.
We made coffee at evening, and the boys were glad and drank all twelve gallons in an hour. We had cake to serve with it.
Put some curtains up. Some of paper, some of canvas, and some of dotted calico. It looked real picturesque.
Four of the bugle boys rode down the Rue on horseback and blowing their bugles. It frightened the natives. They thought it was and air raid.
Good night.
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 