My first bath since I reached Montiers. It was taken in a place fashioned off with canvas, and the tub was a wash basin but I got clean.
Had meeting this morning with a few of the soldiers, a very good meeting. The 15th Psalm.
Gave a sick soldier a cup of tea and he said God surely sent me here.
The Major received a letter from a soldier who was saved here a few days ago. He says, “I am doing fine. God is helping me to be good and to help others.”
There is a little village over the hill called Belvieu. A small but pretty place. A few refugee families live there. One woman has five children and lost her husband and oldest son at Verdun. Another one who lost her husband and has three children. It is a sad place.
Had a very good meeting. A large number asked for prayer.
Two months since I left Chicago.
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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By November 1917, the AEF training zone was fully established. American soldiers were learning trench warfare from French veterans while Margaret and the Salvation Army workers provided food, comfort, and morale support from their hut near the training area.
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 