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
At Headquarters they were becoming anxious about the non-appearance of
the truck and started out in the touring car to locate it. Commencing
at Jouey-les-Côtés they went from there to Boucq and Raulecourt, which
were the last places the truck was to visit. Not hearing of it at
Raulecourt, the search was continued out to Bouconville, again, by a
short road. Montsec was in full view. There were fresh shell holes all
along the road since the night before. Things began to look serious.
A short distance ahead was an army truck, and even as they got abreast
of it a shell went over it exploding about twenty-five feet away, and
one hit the side of the road just behind them. It seemed wise to put on
all speed.
But when they reached Bouconville and found that the truck they had
passed was the Salvation Army truck, they were unwilling to leave it to
the tender mercies of the enemy as everybody advised. That truck cost
fifty-five hundred dollars, and they did not want to lose it.
As soon as it was dark a detail of soldiers volunteered to go with the
Salvation Army officers to attempt to get it out, but the Germans heard
them and started their shelling furiously once more, so that they had
to retreat for a time; but later, they returned and worked all night
trying to jack it up and get a foundation that would permit of hauling
it out. Every little while all night the Germans shelled them. About
half-past four in the morning it grew light enough for the enemy to
see, and the top was taken off the truck so that it would not be so
good a mark.
That day they went back to Headquarters and secured permission for an
ammunition truck to come down and give them a tow, as no driver was
permitted out on that road without a special permit from Headquarters.
The journey back was filled with perils from gas shells, especially
around Dead Man’s Curve, but they escaped unhurt. That night they
attached a tow line to the front of the truck, started the engine
quietly, and waited until the assisting truck came along out of the
darkness. They then attached their line without stopping the other
truck and with the aid of its own power the old doughnut truck was
jerked out of the ditch at last and sent on its way. In spite of the
many shells for which it had been a target it was uninjured save that
it needed a new top. The knowledge that the truck was stuck in the
ditch and was being shelled aroused great excitement among all the
troops in the Toul Sector and it was thereafter an object of
considerable interest. Newspaper correspondents telegraphed reports of
it around the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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