A wonderful day. Mail came. A letter from May, Capt., Geo. Robert Carmickle, and Adgie.
Col. Barker came and was glad he had Capt. Re and Miss Bannerlas, a Red Cross worker with him. They had two little kittens and they were the liveliest little things. Had a good visit. A very busy time making donuts. The afternoon was spent in reading mail.
At night some men came. They had been at the front for two months.
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 