Follow Margaret Sheldon’s journey across France and into Germany by location. Click any location below to see the diary entries written there, or click the map link to view the location on Google Maps.
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1. New York City, USA
September 13, 1917 — Margaret departed New York harbor aboard a troop transport, beginning her journey to France.
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2. Bordeaux, France
Late September 1917 — The convoy arrived at the port of Bordeaux after crossing the Atlantic. Margaret traveled by train to Paris.
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3. Paris, France
September 1917, January 1919 — Margaret passed through Paris on arrival and again in January 1919 during her post-war tour.
Diary entries from this location:
- Monday, September 24, 1917
- Tuesday, September 25, 1917
- Saturday, January 4, 1919
- Sunday, January 5, 1919
- Monday, January 6, 1919
4. Demange-aux-Eaux / Gondrecourt, Meuse
October 1917 – January 1918 — The AEF training area where Margaret and Helen Purviance established one of the first Salvation Army huts and invented the famous wartime donut.
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Diary entries from this location:
- Monday, October 1, 1917
- Tuesday, October 2, 1917
- Wednesday, October 3, 1917
- Thursday, November 1, 1917
- Friday, November 2, 1917
5. Bure, Meuse
December 1917 — Where Margaret spent Christmas 1917, providing holiday cheer to soldiers in the cold winter.
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6. Menaucourt / Ligny-en-Barrois, Meuse
February 1918 — Margaret served near Menaucourt, close to the front lines, and visited the town of Ligny-en-Barrois.
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7. Lorraine Sector
March – April 1918 — During the German Spring Offensive, Margaret was in the Lorraine sector. American units were deploying to combat for the first time.
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8. Noyers-Saint-Martin / Picardy
May – June 1918 — Margaret moved to the Picardy/Aisne sector as the crisis on the Western Front deepened. American forces fought at Cantigny and Belleau Wood.
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9. Marne Sector
July 1918 — The turning point of the war. The Second Battle of the Marne halted the final German offensive.
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10. Varennes-en-Argonne, Meuse
September 1918 — Margaret was here when the Meuse-Argonne Offensive began on September 26 — the largest battle in American military history.
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11. Château-Chéhéry / Fléville, Ardennes
October 1918 — The heart of the Argonne fighting. Nearby, Sergeant Alvin York performed his legendary feat on October 8.
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12. Cornay / Châtel-Chéhéry, Ardennes
November 1918 – January 1919 — Where Margaret was when the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. She remained here through the start of 1919.
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13. Soissons / Chemin des Dames, Aisne
January 8, 1919 — Margaret visited the devastated city of Soissons and the infamous Chemin des Dames during her post-war motor tour.
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14. Reims, Marne
January 9, 1919 — Margaret visited the badly damaged Reims Cathedral, one of the great masterpieces of Gothic architecture.
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15. Verdun, Meuse
January 11, 1919 — Margaret toured the Verdun battlefield, including the heights of Le Mort Homme, scene of the longest battle of the war.
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16. Cochem / Koblenz, Germany
January 13–16, 1919 — The final destination of Margaret’s tour — crossing into occupied Germany via the Mosel Valley to the American headquarters at Koblenz.
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Diary entries from this location:
Diary of a World War I Donut Girl 