The War Romance of the Salvation ArmyHill, Grace Livingston
History
The War Romance of the Salvation Army
Hill, Grace Livingston
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Salvation Army
Most of the travelling had to be done at night. Silently, without a
light over roads as dark as pitch, where the only possible guide was
the faint line above where the trees parted and showed the sky; over
rough, muddy roads, filled with shell-holes, the trucks went nightly.
Just fall in line, keep to the right, and whistle softly when something
got in the way. No claxon horns could be used, for that was the gas
alarm. A man could not even wear a radiolight watch on his wrist or a
driver smoke a cigarette.
One very dark night a truck came through with a man sitting away out on
the radiator watching the road and telling the driver where to go. The
only light would be from shells exploding or occasional signal lights
for a moment.
To get supplies from where they were to where they were needed was an
urgent necessity which often arose with but momentary
warning—frequently with no warning at all. The American front was a
matter not of miles, but of hundreds of miles, and the call for
supplies might come from any point along that front. Sometimes the call
meant the immediate shipment of tons of blankets, oranges, lemons,
sugar, flour for doughnuts, lard, chocolate and other materials, to a
point 200 miles distant. At times a railroad may supply a part of the
route, but always there is a long, dangerous truck haul, and usually
the entire route must be covered by truck.
During the winter there were many thrills added to the already
strenuous task of the Salvation Army truck drivers. One of them driving
late at night in a snowstorm, mistook a river for the road for which he
was searching, and turned from the real road to the snow-covered
surface of the river, which he followed for some little distance before
discovering his mistake. Fortunately, the ice was solid and the truck
unloaded-an unusual combination.
Another missed the road and drove into a field, where his wheels bogged
down. His fellow-traveller, driving a Ford, went for help, leaving him
with his truck, for if it had been left unguarded it would have soon
been stripped of every movable part by passing truck drivers. Here he
remained for almost forty-eight hours, during which time there was
considerable shelling.
A Catholic Chaplain told the Salvation Army Staff-Captain that he
thought the reason the Salvation Army was so popular with his men was
because the Salvation Army kept its promises to the men.
When the Salvation Army officer went to open work in the town of
Baccarat it was so crowded that he was unable to secure accommodations.
He was having dinner in the cafe, but could get no bread because he had
no bread tickets, The local K. of C. man, observing his difficulty,
supplied tickets, and, finding that he had no place to sleep, offered
to share his own meagre accommodations. For several nights he shared
his bed with him and the Salvation Army officer was greatly assisted by
him in many ways. The Salvation Army is popular not alone among the
soldiers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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