Oct 14th, 2017: Doughnut Girls & Donut Dollies

[xoxoxoBruce]

Back in the War to End All Wars (WW I), The Salvation Army sent 250 volunteer women to France to give aid and comfort
against the enemy. They couldn’t bring Mom or apple pie, but they could bring doughnuts and hot coffee/chocolate.
A feminine smile don’t hurt none either.

The women traveled with their troupes to the front lines, piling their supplies into the ammunition train and moving through the night. Often, army generals weren’t fond of women being so close to combat, but the ladies were determined to dish out their donuts to the troops.

The first donut girl, Lt. Col. Helen Purviance, is quoted as saying “General Pershing wasn’t keen about women going close to the front lines. He said he didn’t want to take responsibility for us. We told him he wasn’t. We were taking responsibility to do this,” (The Salvation Army).

These women took their fate into their own hands, fighting hard just to support their troops in the best way they knew how. Despite many men’s doubts, the doughnut girls were far from helpless. They were outfitted with gas masks, helmets, and .45 caliber revolvers, which they were instructed to practice with. Despite warnings to stay back, they stayed at their posts, constantly in danger of gas or bombings.

Evidently some of the lassies were dominatrix and brought their boys along... not that there's anything wrong with that.

Salvation Army lassies, and their male assistants (doughboys) were not sent overseas simply to bake. Their primary function being to bring a piece of normalcy and home to troops, but they were essentially surrogates for wives or mothers and would serve hot chocolate or hand out clean socks– whatever it was that the troops needed.

When production began, their instruments were crude and they were only able to produce 150 doughnuts a day, twisting the shapes by hand. Because of limited space, the doughnuts could only be fried seven at a time.
Eventually Lt. Col. Helen Purviance went to a local blacksmith and asked him to nail together and empty condensed milk can and shaving cream canister to jerry rig a mold with the right shape.
Doughnut girls became a signature of The Salvation Army’s work in the 20th century and they played it up, raising money with doughnut games, and even hosting a beauty competition for “National Doughnut Queen” that lasted through the middle of the century.

Obviously a staged photograph, her looking him in the eye with earnest concern, while pouring hot coffee directly over his
lap. The message is true, but no woman is stupid enough to do that.

Come The Big One, WW II, the Red Cross said those Salvation Army bitches stole our thunder(read donations), but this time
we’ve got connections, we’ve got clout.

The American Red Cross created a Clubmobile Service, London Green Line buses converted to provide servicemen with food, entertainment and “a connection home.”
Women who volunteered for the Clubmobiles became known as “donut dollies,” required to be between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five, have some college education and work experience, and to be “healthy, physically hardy, sociable and attractive.”

Clubmobiles were kitted out with a built-in doughnut machine within a fully equipped kitchen. The rear of the Clubmobile had a “lounge” area with with benches that doubled as sleeping bunks for the volunteers. The bus service also offered books, candy, gum and cigarettes, and had a music player with loud speakers to play for the troops.
There were around 100 Red Cross Clubmobiles present for the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944, each of which was driven and staffed by three American women. After the invasion, eight Clubmobiles were around France, traveling with the rear echelon of the Army Corps, receiving their orders from the army.

Yeah, to the rear, march. Take care of those influential officers, away from the action, in the rear. Patton gets no donuts.



But during WW II those 25 to 35 year old, horny Red Cross Donut Lassies had to have armed escorts, or they would be taking
advantage of sedated GIs, skimpily clad, in bed. tsk tsk

They even got a song...


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