The YMCA in WWI

A History of the YMCA in the Great War By Jay Callaham

These days, we think of the YMCA as a nice gym, maybe with a swimming pool, summer camps, and physical and religious activity. Unknown to many, “The Y” originated in the 1840s in the British Empire, came to America in the 1850s, and has been a part of every war involving American Soldiers from the War Between the States to the end of the Great War – World War 1, and beyond, when it became a founding body of the United Services Organization – the USO.*

During WW1, approximately 26,000 YMCA staff and volunteers performed Y work, providing comfort to US soldiers. American Detachment leaders in Europe had the title of “Secretary.” American Secretaries and other volunteers, male and female, under the sponsorship of the World Alliance in Geneva, had been sent to Europe at the beginning of the Great War to care for prisoners held by both sides. It is safe to say that YMCA efforts directly helped hundreds of thousands of POWs during the war. That was just the beginning.

When the US officially entered the war in 1917, the “Y” was ready, thanks to Mr. Edward Clark Carter, an American who was the General Secretary of the Y in India when the war began. Mr. Carter had come to France with troops from India early in the war. The right man was in place to organize the staffing and execute the planning of that organization before the US was officially involved.

For example, while organizational bureaucrats back in the USA were debating whether a Christian organization should provide tobacco products to the soldiers, Mr. Carter, knowing the desirability of “smokes” among the troops, was already scouring the neutral nations of Europe and other regions for every cigarette or package of pipe tobacco that could be procured, as well as establishing supply networks for the future. HE knew what was needed.

Mr. Carter was at work weeks before the War Work Council of the YMCA had even notified him that he was to be in charge.⁽¹⁾Mr. Carter started the process of organizing, literally months before the Council “three thousand miles away” in New York finally acted to start sending him people for staff, and actually giving the authority to negotiate purchases of all things necessary from building materials to sporting equipment.

The Y was the first such Welfare Service organization to offer its services to the US military when war was declared in April, 1917. There was a good deal of discussion in Army Command regarding the use of civilians in the combat areas, many opposing it. Also, many organizations were considered by some officers to be too likely to spread “progressive ideas” among the troops. Others feared that these organizations would become magnets for “slackers,” “shirkers,” pacifists, and religious zealots.⁽²⁾One of the most anti-service organization officers, Gen. Peyton March, declared: “No man should be permitted to enter or become a member of any noncombat organization who was capable of carrying arms!” ⁽³⁾

Later on, one of his complaints about the work done by the Y in the combat zones would be that: “Front line soldiers were more focused on getting goodies and treats, distracted by endless bickering over the cost of cigarettes instead of concentrating on the enemy in front of them – – – ^“⁽⁴⁾ This issue, interestingly, ultimately led to the US Army adopting a ration of four cigarettes per soldier per day, later upped to twelve per day. (This continued well into the later eras, as those of us can attest, remembering the 4-pack of cigarettes contained in C-Rations until into the 1970s!) At one point, the US Military bought out the entire production of Bull Durham tobacco products for one year!*

General Pershing was finally convinced of the value that the Y could bring. At first, he wanted Y people brought into the military, giving them actual military ranks. A Secretary would have the rank of Captain and so on. Mr. Carter, who had at first thought commissions to be a good idea, later nixed that notion, pointing out that making actual officers of his people would put a damper on relationships with the enlisted personnel. It could also lead to friction when issues arose between the organization and military personnel when someone might try to “pull rank” rather than do good-faith cooperating. It was agreed that YMCA (and all other welfare organizational personnel in the war zones) would fall under military regulations and be governed by military law, but would not hold military rank.

Uniforms were authorized. Female personnel had fairly specific uniform designs to differentiate canteen workers from hut personnel, transportation staff, entertainment division, nursing, education and other specializations. While the female volunteers tended to stick to the guidelines pretty closely, headgear varied wildly. Generally, the women’s uniforms consisted of a blue-gray skirt and jacket with lighter blue collar, white blouse with various colors of necktie, and a variety of headgear. Some uniforms were made from Army Olive Drab material similar to that used by officers.

Helmets and gas masks were mandated for wear near the Front, especially in the “Alert Zones,” generally within 5 miles of the Front. Many adopted the French “Adrian” style helmet, regardless of to what troops they were attached. Others wore the British Brodie or similar American M1917.

Photographic and artifact evidence indicates that the vast majority of helmets were worn “as issued,” though some have turned up with YMCA insignia custom-made or painted on,

The uniform for male personnel was laid out in an order from General Secretary Carter: A E F-Y M C A, Paris, October 16, 1917. To the Adjutant-General, A. E. F. Headquarters, France. “In reply to your letter. No. 3409, of October 11th, asking for the information of the Commander-in-Chief what we have prescribed regarding uniforms for Y M C A workers, I am to send the following: ‘All regular full-time secretaries of the A E F-Y M C A in France, should wear the regulation United States Army uniform with U. S. Army buttons. The cloth used in the uniform may be either that generally worn by enlisted men, or that worn by officers, according to the individual choice of the secretaries concerned.

‘Whenever desired, the secretary may wear the leather or web belt. The regulation service hat should be worn. All secretaries who are now wearing caps should replace them with service hats as soon as possible.

‘U. S. in bronze should invariably be worn on the right-hand side of the collar and the letters ‘Y M C A’ in bronze on the left-hand side of the collar; the Red Triangle, with the letters, ‘Y M C A’ embossed in red on a dark blue background, are to be worn on the right arm, just above the elbow.

‘Secretaries may wear either canvas or leather leggings or woolen puttees. Boots that lace through entire length are authorized only outside of French cities or in inclement weather. As you will remember, an inquiry has just been made from your office as to whether there would be any objection to YMCA Secretaries wearing on their campaign hats a hat-cord of red and dark blue intertwined. The wearing of the uniform by all full time YMCA workers who hold YMCA Identity Books is obligatory

‘The full details of the YMCA women workers’ uniform have not been finally worked out. Information as to what we decide finally to prescribe in this regard will be forwarded to you in a few days. Sincerely yours, E. C. Carter.” ⁽⁵⁾

Photographic and artifact evidence demonstrates that the male uniforms varied widely. Some wore the Model 1910 or 1916 blouse with the standing collar, others a more British style of tunic with lapels and collared shirt with necktie. The Campaign Hat was specified, but Overseas caps and visor caps were also quite common. They weren’t supposed to wear the shoulder strap with the Sam Browne belt, but some did. Very few images or artifacts show a hat cord of any type being worn.

Variety is the spice of life! The fellow in the helmet with the Small Box Respirator is wearing the patch of the Entertainment Division.

The Y Commission from General Pershing:

On August 28, 1917, the Y received its commission under General Orders no. 26-II-1, “to provide for the amusement and recreation of the troops by means of its usual program of social, physical, educational and religious activities.” On September 6, 1917, it was granted authority under General Orders No. 33, “to establish exchanges for the American troops in France” . . . “operated along the lines of post exchanges whose places they were intended to fill.” ⁽⁶⁾

By this order, the YMCA was given the job of oversight of the US Military Exchange and Canteen System, as well as coordinating the supply system for other volunteer support organizations like the Salvation Army, Jewish Welfare Board, Knights of Columbus and similar charities. The Y established more than 1,500 canteens and post exchanges, and with thousands of “Huts” attached to specific units, fed and entertained more troops during World War 1 than did any other welfare organization. Y volunteers even went into the front lines to support “their Boys.” At least eight were Killed in Action, one by a German sniper. Two were “killed by brigands.” Two female YMCA volunteers were among those killed in action due to bombing and artillery.⁽⁷⁾

Some of the friction that caused soldier complaints about the YMCA came from their operation of the exchanges and canteens. By agreement with the Army, the Y was supposed to have exclusive rights to operate canteens within a given area. This didn’t always work, because the Army continued to establish its own, often in relatively close proximity to those of the Y. Army canteens had the advantage of not having to pay transportation costs and other overhead that were imposed on the Y.

So a soldier buying a pack of cigarettes for a nickel at the Army canteen would be quite upset at the Y canteen just a short distance down the road for charging seven cents! Often, soldiers felt that the goodies should have been given to them at no charge, not understanding that the Army expected a certain return on the items provided by it to the canteen system. A great deal of material, like hot chocolate, other treats, and especially paper, envelopes, etc., WAS given away, but the charged-for stuff is what was remembered. Cocoa, sandwiches, and other food was regularly given away to troops on the move. Another Y service was that of sending money back home from soldiers’ pay

There were also some unfortunate situations where a soldier would purchase a carton of cigarettes or a box of candy, and would find a nice note inside from someone at an organization back home that had donated the item for free distribution to the troops. Such cases always resulted in refunds, and the incidents were investigated by the Army. In every documented case, the items were among those provided by the Army, and had come in cases that were not marked as being sourced from donated goods.⁽⁸⁾ The fact that the Army never came through with more than 30 – 35% of the transport promised, by sea or ground, caused additional strain on the system, and friction in the field. The chart shows the required tonnage of material vs what was actually allotted by sea. The ground transport situation was no better.⁽⁹⁾

Being a Christian organization, it was to be expected that a goodly number of Y men were ministers, deacons, etc. Naturally, there was a desire to bring religious activity to the troops, especially in attempts to distract them from the readily available vices of the Zone of Combat. Mr. Carter’s directives on this were quite explicit. Of course, religious activity was to be made available to troops of ALL Faiths, with equal accommodation to the needs of a particular belief system so far as was practical. There were to be no deceptive practices, like delivering a Sermon when some other entertainment was advertised. Katherine Mayo points this out quite well in her excellent book That Damn Y, while describing the excellent work of Dr. Maitland Alexander on page 285: “He did not spring a sermon or a prayer meeting on the men, under a smoke-screen of movies or vaudeville, as some lamentable dodo elsewhere would occasionally break loose and do; and this in spite of Carter’s most absolute prohibition, in spite of the men’s unfailing resentment — of the unfailing shock to their native good taste.”

Ms. Mayo’s book is a good read. She came to it from a very anti-Y perspective until she actually got to see the organization in action and became an unabashed admirer. She highlighted the good and the bad and often used the terms “Dodo” or “Human Lemon” to describe substandard Y people. She also made the point that even the most mediocre volunteers still rendered better service than having NO service would have done.

Religious work was very important to the Y, and religious activities were quite popular with the troops. The Y handed out pocket Bibles and songbooks, and published hundreds of thousands of religious pamphlets on topics ranging from Profanity to Gambling, Alcohol Abuse to Womanizing, and other vices. At the various Huts, massive efforts were made to ensure comfortable, affordable alternatives to the seedier activities that soldiers all too often engaged in.

The Y volunteers who were assigned to specific regiments and divisions, often travelled with them and in some cases, not only delivered goodies into the front lines, but sometimes even went “over the top” with the troops in attacks. One sterling case was: “The commanding officer of the 9th Infantry, 2d Division, wrote to the Chief Secretary on September 19, 1918, in part as follows: “In the recent operations of September 12th to 16th Mr. _____ went over the top with the assaulting battalion of the regiment, took care of the wounded on the field, and when the battalion was halted to re-form at its first objective, took possession of a German kitchen, reorganized it with four German prisoners as kitchen police, and fed over four hundred men with coffee, steaks, rice and potatoes. Meanwhile he was ministering to the wounded and spent the night with those who were not evacuated until the next day. The following day he went on with his usual work of supplying troops with cigarets (sic) and other articles.” ⁽¹⁰⁾

The photo is of Billy Levere, author of My Hut, A Memoir of a YMCA Volunteer in World War One, who became something of a legend among the troops that he served in the 26^th “Yankee” and 3^rd “Rock of the Marne” Divisions.

Another mention: “A major of the 101st Infantry, 26th Division, recommending a secretary for the Distinguished Service Cross wrote: “During the fierce fighting at Molleville Farm, Houppy Bois and Beheu Bois, October 23d to 21st inclusive, Mr._______ , a Y M C A man, although wounded by a shell fragment, refused to leave his boys, as he called them, and stayed with them during the intense artillery and machine gun fire. He brought them cigarets (sic) and hot chocolate, each trip being made under continual hail of shells and bullets. He ministered to the men of the battalion in every way possible, giving great assistance in rendering first aid. His courage and devotion to this entirely voluntary duty, his utter disregard of his personal safety, that he might be of help to others, merits the highest praise.”⁽¹¹⁾

There were other cases of Y volunteers accompanying troops on patrols into No-Man’s-Land and engaging in other front-line activities. While there were surely some “dodos” among the 26,000 Y volunteers who served in Europe, it’s clear that in most cases, the vast majority of troops were quite appreciative of the efforts of the Y on their behalf. This is demonstrated by the fact that, after the Armistice, when the US Army adopted various shoulder sleeve insignia for the different units, they allowed the supporting YMCA volunteers to actually wear the unit patches. If you look at the photos of female volunteers, you’ll see that even the women of the Y were allowed that privilege.

Also, the sheer valor of the YMCA frontline personnel did not go unrewarded in other ways. At least 319 Citations and Decorations were rendered to US YMCA Personnel during the war, including four Distinguished Service Crosses, two Distinguished Service Medals, forty one Croix de Guerre, and many others. ⁽¹²⁾

The cost in life wasn’t cheap. Some 92 Y volunteers died in service overseas, including six men and 2 women who were listed as Killed in Action. 123 men and 5 women were disabled, listed as Wounded and Gassed. Many others died of disease and accidents in service overseas and in home camps. Two men were “killed by Brigands.”⁽¹³

Other services rendered by the Y included basic education for the approximately 30% of AEF soldiers who were illiterate. The Y hosted language lessons, athletic events, and myriad other activities and services. Entertainments, anticipating “Bob Hope” type shows, were arranged.

The Army Educational Plan had impressive results. “The results of this ambitious plan, as initiated by the YMCA and later operated by the Army reached the following proportions: Soldiers attending lectures in France aggregated 1,440,000, including 750,000 at general educational lectures, 300,000 at agricultural lectures, 230,000 at lectures citizenship, 160,000 at lectures on business subjects.”

“Soldiers regularly attending schools: Post Schools, 130,000; Divisional Schools, 55,000; Army Schools, 362,300 ; Agricultural Schools, 100,000; Farm School, Allerey, 2300; Vocational Schools, 5800; American University, Beaune, 6000; French Universities, 7000; British Universities, 2100; a grand total of nearly 700,000 men enrolled for systematic instruction. 800 officers and 1300 other ranks were placed in 38 British institutions. They represented about 100 American universities and colleges.”⁽¹⁴⁾

This was, unfortunately, the height of “Jim Crow” in the United States, so the Negro Troops were in segregated units and consequently had their own YMCA organization. The biggest problem for the Y in this regard was finding competent black personnel to serve in the various leadership positions. Fortunately, they had an able administrator in John Hope, President of Morehouse College who headed the “Colored Secretaries Department.” He made a special trip to the US and placed Mr. William L. Anderson in charge of Negro Leave Centers in France, assisted by Mrs. Helen L. Curtis, widow of a former American Consul in Liberia.⁽¹⁵⁾

The Y did superhuman work stateside in camps, railway stops, at ports of embarkation, and points in between. They did the same in all theaters of the war, and POW camps – on both sides – were beneficiaries of their services. They employed staffs of volunteers, paid staff, local hired workers, volunteer and assigned soldiers, even Central Powers POWs, who were generally glad of the chance to get out of the camps and have access to better food! The total number of people involved in Y efforts throughout the war will never be known.

The logistical accomplishments were nothing short of miraculous. The Y took over factories in France to manufacture food items, tin cans for jam, boxes for shipping and storage and other materials. They acquired huge garage operations for the thousands of vehicles of all types that were employed. To quote from War Work of the American YMCA pg. 194: “Eagerly grasping whatever cars could be secured in its great need, the Y found itself operating twenty makes of touring cars, 22 makes of trucks and five of motorcycles. This made the problem of furnishing supplies and spare parts a very serious one. The total motor equipment purchased was about 2200 vehicles of all descriptions, costing $1,647,000.”

The Y wasn’t alone in providing services to the troops during the Great War. The American Red Cross sent 23,822 nurses and hundreds of canteen workers to the War Zones. The Knights of Columbus sent 1075, the Jewish Welfare Board, 189 workers. The YWCA and other organizations were also represented. Needless to say, it created chaotic situations with so many groups competing for limited resources.

The Salvation Army, which gained well-deserved credit for the work of its “Doughnut Lassies” had a total of only about 254 workers in France! An interesting note is the following: “We have sold ninety per cent of all the doughnuts we ever fried,” laughed Major Barker, head of the Overseas Salvation Army, as reported. “But the ten per cent we gave away are the ones you hear about.”⁽¹⁶⁾

Speaking of doughnuts, Y Secretary Billy Levere in his book My Hut claims to have been the first of the American service organization people to make doughnuts for the troops of the AEF! That probably happened spontaneously in several places as materials came available, but it’s interesting, just the same.

A fascinating read is the Diary of a YMCA Canteen Worker, Mary Paxton Keeley’s Diary – July 3, 1918 – June 29, 1919. It’s available online in its original typed form. She was a professional journalist, the first to graduate from the University of the Missouri School of Journalism, and so has a very readable diary. She makes frequent mention of making doughnuts for the Y and has some fantastic stories. An online link is provided in the Bibliography.

Here’s part of the recipe page from Ms Keeley’s Diary.

An interesting fact is that some of the service organization volunteers were armed. It makes sense. They were driving around through an active War Zone with cars, trucks, motorcycles, carts, and wagons laden with things like tobacco, chocolate, coffee and other valuables. Some carried large sums of cash that they had gotten via sales of goods, as well as payroll money that the Y would wire home to families of Doughboys on request. The accompanying photo is of a Salvation Army officer, and was kindly provided by the National Headquarters of the Salvation Army in Washington, D. C. Remember, the Salvation Army is a church and all SA officers are ordained Ministers. This fellow is clearly wearing a sidearm along with his helmet and Small Box Respirator (aka Gas Mask).

Even Dogs were sometimes used by the Y to carry cigarettes and other goodies to the boys at the front.

Well, I haven’t even touched on the massive work of the Y in other theaters of operations around the world. Four American Y volunteers were taken prisoner by the Bolsheviks while serving our troops in Russia! I’ve avoided the statistics regarding the enormous amount of money that was collected and spent on behalf of our troops. It was staggering. The logistics, I’ve barely touched on. There were also many hostels established by the Y. Some were opened to provide affordable housing for Doughboys in Rest Areas, others to provide FREE lodging near medical facilities for families of wounded troops. The Y did a LOT!

Other nations had their own YMCA organizations that were at work not only in the European theater, but also, quite literally, around the world.

The British Y did gargantuan service in all theaters. There was a great deal more to the service of those fine men and women than meets the eye. The American Y had no monopoly on Valor and Sacrifice. In the words of Sir Arthur Yapp, K.B.E.: “Twelve members of the Y. M. C. A. have won the Victoria Cross, 3 the D.S.O., 25 the D.C.M., 33 the M.C., and 53 the M.M., whilst registered at headquarters are the names of 1,223 who have made the supreme sacrifice. We think of many whose war work for the Y. M. C. A. has earned the title of ‘Gunga Din.”⁽¹⁷⁾

The YMCA was a lot more than a recreational entity back then, and the true value of its service to the American military in the latter part of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries cannot be calculated. It’s an incredible story of service and sacrifice.

Tour Truck for sightseeing operated by the YMCA for Doughboys who had leave in Paris. One of many types of vehicles acquired by the Y. The dog seems unimpressed.

The Y, near and at the FRONT!

END NOTES:

*The Asterisk* Okay, when you see an Asterisk * as a notation, it means that this is something that I read somewhere at some-time since I started researching the YMCA in the Great War several years ago, but didn’t note it at the time, and could not find it while doing more detail research for this article. Not great scholarship, I know, so take it at face value. Also, I’ve accumulated photos, mostly online, over a period of years and, regrettably, in only a few cases am able to give a proper attribution. My bad. I was researching for my own use and hadn’t considered actually publishing the fruits of my research until recently. I meant no infringement on any copyright, and most of these photos are in the public domain at any rate.

Mayo, “That Damn Y.” A Record of Overseas Service, Houghton Mifflin Company, Pages 14, 15
Copeland and Xu, The YMCA At War, Lexington Books, pg 26
Ibid.
Ibid.
Taft, Service with the Fighting Men, An Account of the Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations in the World War, Vol. 2, pg. 499, 500
Bibliolife, Summary of World War Work of the American YMCA, pg. 26
Taft, Service with the Fighting Men, An Account of the Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations in the World War, Vol. 2, pg 579
Ibid. Vol. 1, pg 571
Ibid. Vol. 2 Plate VIII, facing page 291
Ibid. Vol. 2, pg 140
Ibid. Vol. 2, pg 138
Bibliolife, Summary of World War Work of the American YMCA, pg. 149
Ibid. pg 148-149
Ibid. pg 152
Ibid, pg. 197
Mayo, “That Damn Y.” A Record of Overseas Service, Houghton Mifflin Company, pg 386
Yapp, The Romance of the Red Triangle, Hodder & Stoughton, New York, George H. Doran Company, 1918, pg 68

Bibliography:

“That Damn Y,” A Record of Overseas Service, Katherine Mayo, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York, c. 1920 (THE best single reference on the Y in the Great War! Good read.) Online at: https://ia800908.us.archive.org/22/items/thatdamnyrecordo0000mayo/thatdamnyrecordo0000mayo.pdf
Service with the Fighting Men, An Account of the Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations in the World War, vol I and II, Ed. William Howard Taft, Chairman, Association Press, New York, c. 1922. Online at: https://archive.org/details/servicewithfigh00harrgoog/page/n8/mode/2up?q=free
Summary of World War Work of the American YMCA, Bibliolife Reproduction, Public Domain. Online at: https://archive.org/details/summaryworldwar00commgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
My Hut, A Memoir of a YMCA Volunteer in World War One, by William C. Levere, Ed. Jenny Thompson, iUniverse, Inc, Lincoln, NE, c, 2006 by Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation
The YMCA At War, Collaberation and Conflict during the World Wars, Ed. Jeffrey C. Copeland and Yan Xu, Lexington Books, Lanham Md, c. 2018 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
The War Romance of the Salvation Army, Booth and Hill, 1919, J. P. Lippincott Company. (Yeah, not the YMCA, but a good read) https://www.gracelivingstonhill.com/etexts/8warm10h/8warm10h.htm
Diary of a YMCA Canteen Worker, Mary Paxton Keeley’s Diary – July 3, 1918 – June 29, 1919 (Some GREAT reading and fascinating anecdotes!) Keeley, Mary Paxton Papers | Collections | Missouri Over There
Yapp, Sir Arthur K., K.B.E., The Romance of the Red Triangle, The Story of the Coming of the Red Triangle and the Service Rendered by the Y.M.C.A. to the Sailors and Soldiers of the British Empire, Hodder & Stoughton, New York, George H. Doran Company, 1918 The romance of the red triangle; the story of the coming of the red triangle and the service rendered by the Y. M. C. A. to the sailors and soldiers of the British empire : Yapp, Arthur Keysall, Sir, 1869- [from old catalog] : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Jay Callaham is a former armor and cavalry officer in the US Army, NC Army National Guard, and US Army Reserve. He studied history at North Georgia College and has been a long-time reenactor specializing in WWI, the Civil War, and the American Revolutionary War.