A hysterical woman threw herself on my back...

The name Agnes Nicholson appears several times in Grant's diary and letters. Born in New Jersey in 1894, she was a friend of his fiancée, Dorothy. She sailed to France in October 1916 to volunteer as an auxiliary nurse with the American Hospital in Paris. When she came out to the front, Grant went to see her.

Friday, September 28, 1917:
 

Bill Sloan and Art Jacob took me over to Landrecourt this A.M. at 4 o’clock where I took the train for Bar-le-Duc to see Agnes Nicholson who was there on a tour of inspection of refugee work before returning to America. I arrived in Bar at 10:30, got a hair cut and went immediately to 99 Boul. de la Rochelle where Agnes was staying. The French maid informed me that she knew no Miss Nicholson. Miss Alexander would see me in the afternoon.

I ate lunch alone, went to Hôpital de la Gare and was directed to an English canteen for further information. There I was told that Miss Nicholson had left the day before. A call on Miss Alexander later verified the fact that Agnes had departed. I was somewhat crest fallen. Inquired about return trains. A train leaving Bar at 4:30 arrived at Landrecourt about 7 P.M. Preferring to spend the night at Bar I reserved a room in Hôtel de la Gare right near the depot planning to take the 6 o’clock in the morning. Took a hot bath and went to bed.

At 12:30 I suddenly woke up to the most awful racket I ever heard. Sirens and steam whistles were going full tilt. Machine guns were blazing away close by and the hum of Boche motors told me right away that we had visitors. It was as light as day out. Then the swish of a falling bomb and the accompanying crash sent me out of bed and into my clothes. The hall ways and stairs were crowded with hysterical men and women. I made my way to the main floor and was just at the mouth of the cellar when a bomb hit close by and the old building rocked on it foundation. A hysterical woman threw herself on my back with such force that the two of us went with exceeding speed into the cellar. I proved to be a good cushion for her for she was undamaged and I only slightly mussed up. The abri was crowded with excited people. No more bombs were dropped so I went back to my bed, which, by the way, was the best bed I have slept in over here in France.

Saturday, September 29:

The excitement of last evening was too great for these people--they forgot to call me so I awoke too late to catch my train. Not wanting to stay over another day I decided to take a chance on bumming rides to Sommedieue. I picked up a ride as far as Naives when the camion had a blow out so I started walking on. When I had walked about 8 miles and was beginning to feel pretty much discouraged a Ford car with four Section 26 (A.F.S.) men headed toward Bar stopped and after talking a minute I decided to return to Bar with them and as far as Ancemont in the evening if none of our cars showed up. At 3:30 we five started to return. We called on Sect.29 on our way home. We got to Ancemont about 6:30 and they fed me there and then sent an ambulance over to Sommedieue with me. Very decent of them.

My turn will come soon

As August 1917 rolled on, Grant Willard went from the bucolic to the downright dangerous. Section Sixty-One moved to a base hospital just south of the city of Verdun known as the Surgical Center of Beaulieu. It was located at a cavalry barracks called Casernes de Bévaux. Today the old barracks buildings are part of a vocational high school and the only remnants of World War I lie in the national cemetery of Bévaux opposite.

Friday, August 10, 1917:

National Cemetery of Bévaux in 2008

8 o’clock found us on our way to our new base. We passed back over part of the same territory on which we came the other day. Reached our base about 5:30. At 6 o’clock three big German shells tore up the ground about ¼ of a mile off. We thought at first they were trying for us, but I think they were shelling one of the main roads near here. It caused a great deal of excitement anyway. The screams of the shells was terrific. They came about 1 minute apart and in approximately the same place. They certainly ripped up the sod. I foolishly watched two of them land from the fender of my car. The third one found me flat on the ground with the rest of the gang.

We have five posts to make with this hospital as a base. We are one mile from Verdun almost directly south. Our furthest post is up near Fort Douaumont about 1,000 yards from German lines. The rest are further south, but still near the lines and very exciting. This base is called Caserne Beaulieu or more familiarly Bévaux. It is a combination hospital and barracks and quite frequently shelled by the Boche. We are living in tents just out of the hospital walls – 14 in a tent. Our cars are parked about 100 yards from here under a big red cross flag. Aeröplanes are passing over continually.

This evening a German plane attacked an observation sausage right near here. The observer saw him coming and left the balloon in a parachute. Regardless of continual shelling from the ground the German made a beautiful swoop for the sausage, like a hawk swoops on prey, and burned it with an incendiary boom before the French could take it down. The German then went after a second sausage a short distance off. The observer left in a parachute, the French planes drove the German back over the lines before he did any more damage. It was extremely exciting to watch and we rooted like at a foot-ball game. The German was exceedingly clever and did his work beautifully. Later we saw an air battle in which a German plane was brought down inside the French lines.

Went to bed early after a hard day. Three of the boys went out with an American Field Service man tonight to learn the roads. We are to cover these 5 posts in conjunction with Section #1 of the American Field Service. We work on 24 hour shifts and they have already been here about 3 weeks. They are showing us the roads before the big offensive starts. Our work is most all done at night with no lights. My turn will come soon. The Field Service men say this is a particularly heavy district to cover.