Heard that the French had lost 3 million men and that in the winter of 1915 sixty men were found frozen to death in one line of trenches; and at present they haven’t enough men to guard the front and keep a few men at different posts and change them at night to fool the Germans.
The 26th and some of the 16th went in on October 15. They went in at night, and when the Germans came out to look for the French there was the Stars and Stripes. What a surprise.
Some men from the Swiss front came in on autos and told us some of their experiences. They belong to the Artillery Train.
More Information
The following section provides historical context and is not part of the original diary entry.
Likely location: Demange-aux-Eaux, Meuse, France
📍 View this location on Google Maps
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 