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 Mesnil-St.-Firmin one of the lassies, a young woman well known in
New York society circles, but a loyal Salvationist and in France from
the start, drove a little flivver carrying supplies for several nights,
accompanied only by a young boy detailed from the Army. Every mile of
the way was dark and perilous, but there was no one else to do the
work, so she did it.
Here they were under shell fire every night. The girls slept in an old
wine cellar, the only comparatively safe place to be found. It was
damp, with a fearful odor they will never forget—moreover, it was
already inhabited by rats. They frequently had to retire to the cellar
during gas attacks, and stay for hours, sometimes having only time to
seize an overcoat and throw it over their night-clothes. They were here
through ten counter-attacks and when Cantigny was taken.
There seemed to be big movements among the Germans one day. They were
bringing up reinforcements, and a large attack was expected. The
airplanes were dropping bombs freely everywhere and it looked as if
there would not be one brick left on the top of another in a few hours.
Then the military authorities ordered the two girls to leave town. When
the boys heard that the hut was being shelled and the girls were
ordered to leave they poured in to tell them how much they would miss
them. They well knew from experience that their staunch hardworking
little friends would not have left them if they could have helped it.
Also, they dreaded to lose these consecrated young women from their
midst. They had a feeling that their presence brought the presence of
the great God, with His protection, and in this they had come to trust
in their hour of danger. Often the boys would openly speak of this,
owning that they attributed their safety to the presence of their
Christian friends.
One young officer from the officers’ mess where the girls had dined
once at their invitation, brought them boxes of candy, and in
presenting them said:
“Gee! We shall miss you like the devil!”
The lassie twinkled up in a merry smile and answered: “That sure is
some comparison!” The officer blushed as red as a peony and tried to
apologize:
“Well, now, you know what I mean. I don’t know just how to say how much
we shall miss you!”
They left at midnight on foot accompanied by one of the Salvation Army
men workers who had been badly gassed and needed to get back of the
lines and have some treatment. It was brilliant moonlight as they hiked
it down the road, the airplanes were whizzing over their heads and the
anti-aircraft guns piling into them. They started for La Folie, the
Headquarters of the Staff-Captain of that zone, but they lost their way
and got far out of the track, arriving at last at Breteuil. Coming to
the woods a Military Police stationed at the crossroads told them:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account