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
One beautiful moonlight night the girls had just started out from the
hospital to go to their cave when they heard a German airplane, the
irregular chug, chug of its engine distinguishing it unmistakably from
the smooth whirr of the Allies’ planes. The girls looked up and almost
over their heads was an enemy plane, so low that they could see the
insignia on his machine, and see the man in the car. He seemed to be
looking down at them. In sudden panic they fled to a nearby tree and
hid close under its branches. Standing there they saw the enemy make a
low dip over the hospital tents, drop a bomb in the kitchen end just
where they had been working five minutes before, and slide up again
through the silvery air, curve away and dive down once more.
The scene was bright as day for the moon was full and very clear that
night, and the roads stretched out in every direction like white
ribbons. One block away the girls could see a regiment of Scotch
soldiers, the famous Highland Regiment called “The Ladies From Hell,”
marching up to the front that night, and singing bravely as they
marched, their skirling Scotch songs accompanied by a bagpipe. And even
as they listened with bated breath and straining eyes the airplane
dipped and dropped another bomb right into the midst of the brave men,
killing thirty of them, and slid up and away before it could be
stopped. These were the scenes to which they grew daily accustomed as
they plied their angel mission, and daily saw themselves preserved as
by a miracle from constant peril.
We had about eight or ten German prisoners here, who were employed as
litter bearers, and very good workers they were, tickled to death to be
there instead of over on their own side fighting. Most of the
prisoners, except some of the German officers, seemed glad to be taken.
These German prisoners were sitting in a row on the ground outside the
hospital one day when the Salvation Army girls and men were picking
over a crate of oranges. The Germans sat watching them with longing
eyes.
“Let’s give them each one,” proposed one of the girls.
“No! Give them a punch in the nose!” said the boys.
The girls said nothing more and went on working. Presently they stepped
away for a few minutes and when they came back the Germans sat there
contentedly eating oranges. Questioningly the girls looked at their
male coworkers and with lifted brows asked: “What does this mean?”
“Aw, well! The poor sneaks looked so longingly!” said one of the boys,
grinning sheepishly.
There in the hospital the girls came into contact with the splendid
spirit of the American soldier boys, “Don’t help me, help that fellow
over there who is suffering!” was heard over and over again when they
went to bring comfort to some wounded boy.
When the supplies in the canteen would run out, and the last doughnut
would be handed with the words: “That’s the last,” the boy to whom it
was given would say: “Don’t give it to me, give it to Harry. I don’t
want it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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