November 1918

Written at a later date: November 1st is another date I will never forget. It was on this day that the big drive started. The evening before, we had given a Halloween party for the boys, and the fun was just at its height when the command came “Lights out,” a visit from “Jerry” again. We had just started again when a guard came in and asked us if we would give fifty boys, all that was left of two companies, some supper. We said we sure would; we asked some of the boys to help and there were many willing hands. When the boys came, they were a sad sight. Their clothing were all rags; their faces covered with dirt, but brightened with smiles; and when we gave them eats, the gave three cheers for the Sallies. After a good meal they went on their way rejoicing.

At two o’clock the next morning the barrage started. The house shaking and shivering with the terrible roar, and for hours it never ceased. All through the morning I could hear our boys tramping by, and it seemed as if all the boys were coughing. Some of them had just come over, for I could hear them asking one another how to use this or that. I prayed God to have pity on them, and oh, the joy in  thinking that we would be of help to that came back and that our coffee and chocolate had cheered them before they went. There is no joy like the joy of service.

It was at this place that Maj. sent a messenger and asked if we would make donuts for the artillery. We said we certainly would. So we made 2 thousand, and that evening he sent a couple of runners for them. I told the runner to tell him to send a note of thanks. That night a courier came with a message which stated that all the boys had enjoyed the donuts and that they gave them more courage, and that they were going to do something for me. They wanted to know if I would come and pull the string and start the barrage. I said that my duty was to prepare food for boys who were returning at that hour. The next morning this message came. “Each boy had put an extra round of ammunition in the guns and had sent it over to Fritzy in the name of the Donut Queen.” This barrage (Nov. 2) put the Hun on the run.

While in this place we also had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Hugh, who cheered us much. He is one of our men who has a wound stripe; he has done much to help win the war.

When the 78th Div., the one we were attached to at that time, went back for a few days’ rest, Col. Denherdt of the 3rd Corps Art. requested us to follow his outfit of 1,500 men, and we cheerfully consented to do so. We had one hour’s notice to pack and get everything on the truck. We proceeded up the lines in convoy till we reached the French village of Thenorgues, where we landed at three o’clock in the morning after traveling for hours without any light on the truck. We rested there for a few hours in a large hall, with soldiers passing in and out looking for a place to sleep. We have passed through experiences we that we never thought we could.

After staying there several days, our outfit went to a place called Chatel, where we were when the Armistice was signed. That night we will never forget because of the rejoicing among the boys and ourselves. Our boys had a wonderful bonfire, and we had a program of speaking and singing, which we touched up by serving refreshments. There were several soldiers. We were the only American women in that area. There were hundreds of small bonfires around us. What a contrast with the night before, when all was shrouded in tense darkness. Thank God for the peace that again reigns. If we only had the ability, we could write volumes on our experiences of the last three or four months.

Here in Cornay (we have returned after having been farther up the lines) we have been doing our best to serve the boys. Some people may think our work is over, now the Armistice is signed, but we find our work all the more necessary, for the boys must be entertained, and more than ever they are longing for home and the home touch which we try so hard to give. In this town there are no civilians, so it is necessary for the boys to have the kind of association that The Salvation Army gives them. Some think that the boys’ work is done; that they are resting and having a good time. But if they could see the boys as I do, working every day, they would see the difference. All around here the sector is full of mines and ammunition dumps and all the machines of war, which they have to guard and blow up. It is very easy to imagine we are still at war because of these explosions. So heavy are they that some of the buildings are falling, and we feel none too safe in the old chateau where we are staying, as it rocks and quivers on its foundation so often. No indeed, if anyone thinks that cleaning after a world war is easy just ask the boys who have been here.

There is a wonderful old chateau in our neighborhood in which we were quartered for some time. It was started in the 11 century and finished in 1576. It was owned by a Marquis who visits us often. It is an old stone building covered with vines and built on a high hill; the scenery is very beautiful. The military life with reveille in the morning and taps in the evening is a fine setting for a story. In June 1914, the Crown Prince had his headquarters in this chateau, and from the height he directed the battle of Verdun, where over half a million French soldiers are buried.