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
The woman officer who was in charge was perplexed. She had nothing
cooked ready to eat, the fire was out, her detailed helpers all gone,
and she was just beginning a meeting and hated to disappoint the men
already gathered, but she told the messenger that if she might have a
couple of soldiers to help her she would do what she could. The
soldiers were supplied and the fire was started. At ten minutes to nine
the meeting was closed and the earnest young preacher went to work
making biscuits and chocolate with the help of her two soldier boys. By
ten o’clock all the men were fed and gone. That is the way the
Salvation Army does things. They never say “I can’t.” They always can.
In Raulecourt there were several pro-Germans. The authorities allowed
them to stay there to save the town. The Salvation Army people were
warned that there were spies in the town and that they must on no
account give out information. Just before the St. Mihiel drive a
special warning was given, all civilians were ordered to leave town,
and a Military Police knocked at the door and informed the woman in the
hut that she must be careful what she said to anybody with the rank of
a second lieutenant, as word had gone out there was a spy dressed in
the uniform of an American second lieutenant.
That night at eleven o’clock the young woman was just about to retire
when there came a knock at the canteen door. She happened to be alone
in the building at the time and when she opened the door and found
several strange officers standing outside she was a little frightened.
Nor did it dispel her fears to have them begin to ask questions:
“Madam, how many troops are in this town? Where are they? Where can we
get any billets?”
To all these questions she replied that she could not tell or did not
know and advised them to get in touch with the town Major. The visitors
grew impatient. Then three more men knocked at the door, also in
uniform, and began to ask questions. When they could get no information
one of them exclaimed indignantly:
“Well, I should like to know what kind of a town this is, anyway? I
tried to find out something from a Military Police outside and he took
me for a spy! Madam, we are from Field Hospital Number 12, and we want
to find a place to rest.”
Then the frightened young woman became convinced that her visitors were
not spies; all the same, they were not going to leave her any the wiser
for any information she would give.
Several times men would come to the town and find no place to sleep. On
such occasions the Salvation Army hut was turned over to them and they
would sleep on the floor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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