Tuesday, October 23, 1917

Had breakfast and then made fudge and washed towels and dishes. Adj. came with some things, a stove and other necessaries. Had dinner for five.

            Then staff went to Paree with him, and we made donuts all afternoon. The gas plate caught on fire, and some of the boys gave first aid. No harm was done. Made one hundred and fifty donuts. We had supper at seven and commenced to serve coffee and oh they surely did go fast. By eight the donuts looked sick.

            The Germans were shooting, and very loud reports could be heard. They kept it up all night and about four it started to rain.

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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.