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She stood majestically at the head of the line and pointed straight at him: "You! With the red head down there! Get out of the line!" "She's got my number all right!" said the red-headed one, grinning sheepishly as he dropped back. The town of Raulecourt was often shelled, but one morning just before daybreak the enemy started in to shell it in earnest.
Nothing but shot-down houses, dugouts and camouflages, Y.M.C.A., Salvation Army and enlisted men. Dead Man's Curve was between Mandres and Beaumont. The enemy's eye was always upon it and had its range. Before the St. Mihiel drive one could go to Bouconville or Raulecourt only at night.
The shells were whistling overhead, and the doughboys dropped into nearby shell holes when they heard them coming, but the lassies paid no heed and made doughnuts all the morning, under constant bombardment. Bouconville was a little village between Raulecourt and the trenches. In it there was left no civilian nor any whole house.
Mihiel drive seven Salvation Army huts were established on the territory. Three days before the drive opened twenty Salvation Army girls reached Raulecourt, which was a little village half a mile from Montsec. They had been travelling for hours and hours and were very weary. The Salvation Army hut had been turned over to the hospital, so they found another old building.
The supply truck, driven by two young Salvation Army men, one a mere boy, was making its rounds of the huts with supplies and in order to reach Raulecourt, the boy who was driving decided to take the shortest road, which, by the way, was under complete observation of the Germans located at Montsec.
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.
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-Cotes 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.
The next day the girls followed in a truck, stopping a few days at Pagny- sur-Meuse for rest. The Saint Mihiel Drive The hut in Raulecourt was an old French barracks. Outside in the yard was an old French anti-aircraft gun and a mesh of barbed wire entanglement. The woods all around was filled with our guns. To the left was the enemy's third line trench.
Back of Raulecourt the woods were full of heavy artillery. Raulecourt was the first town back of the front lines. The men were relieved every eight days and passed through here to other places to rest.
The next morning as the firing gradually died away, Salvation Army people hurried up to Raulecourt from near-by huts to find out how these brave women were, and rejoiced unspeakably that every one was safe and well.
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