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
A Salvation Army woman Envoy sailed for France with a party of
Salvationists about the time that the epidemic of influenza broke out
all over the world. Even before the steamer reached the quarantine
station in New York harbor a number of cases of Spanish influenza had
developed among the several companies of soldiers who were aboard, a
number of whom were removed from the ship. So anxious were others of
these American fighting men to reach Prance that they hid away until
the steamer had left port.
Land was hardly out of sight before more cases of the disease were
reported—so many, in fact, that special hospital accommodations had to
be immediately arranged. The ship’s captain after consulting with the
American military officers, requested the Salvation Army Envoy to take
entire responsibility for the hospital, which responsibility, after
some hesitation, she accepted. Under her were two nurses, three
dieticians (Y.M.C.A. and Red Cross), a medical corps sergeant (U.S.A.),
and twenty-four orderlies. She took charge on the fourth day of a
thirteen day voyage, working in the sick bay from 12 noon to 8 P.M.,
and from 12 midnight to 8 A.M. every day. She had with her a mandolin
and a guitar with which, in addition to her sixteen hours of duty in
the sick bay, she every day spent some time (usually an hour or two) on
deck singing and playing for the soldiers who were much depressed by
the epidemic. To them she was a very angel of good cheer and comfort.
Many amusing incidents occurred on the voyage.
Stormy weather had added to the discomforts of the trip and most of the
passengers suffered from seasickness during the greater part of the
voyage.
On board there was also a woman of middle age who could not be
persuaded to keep her cabin porthole closed at night. Again and again a
ray of light was projected through it upon the surface of the water and
the quarter-master, whose duty it was to see that no lights were shown,
was at his wit’s end. His difficulty was the greater because he could
speak no English, and she no French. Finally, a passenger took pity on
the man, and, as the light was really a grave danger to the ship’s
safety, promised to speak to the woman, who insisted that she was not
afraid of submarines and that it was foolish to think they could see
her light.
“Madam,” he said, “the quartermaster here tells me that the sea in this
locality is infested with flying fish, who, like moths, fly straight
for any light, and he is afraid that if you leave your porthole open
they will dive in upon you during the night.”
If he had said that the sea was infested with flying mice, his
statement could not have been more effective. Thereafter the porthole
stayed closed.
When the first man died on board, the Captain commanding the soldiers
and the ship’s Captain requested a Salvation Army Adjutant to conduct
the funeral service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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