Tristen Hudson

Keep ‘em Smiling: American Efforts to Support Soldier Morale in World War One

Ms. Janis's love and appreciation for the United States military is evident throughout the article. She dances with the soldiers, she dines in officers' homes, and she befriends just about everyone she meets. Her patriotism practically jumps off the page as she recounts her Saturday visit to a camp in which the conditions were so terrible that the officers slept in tents: "I had such a fearful grouch when I arrived, but when I saw our boys arriving, having marched ten miles from the depths of the woods, smiling, singing, and cheering, I felt so glad to be able to be there, and I think I gave one of the best shows I've ever given. . ." (Janis, "Oh! For a Young Chateau").

Looking at this article in the context of Elsie Janis's life is necessary for properly placing it into our understanding of World War One. Born in 1889, Elsie Janis began her career as a vaudeville performer at only four years old (Trickey, "The Sweetheart of the A.E.F."). Right after the outbreak of the Great War in the fall of 1914, she performed for British soldiers. From the beginning, she advocated for United States involvement in the war. Once the United States entered the war in 1917, she resolved to serve her country's soldiers. As described in, “Oh, for a Young Chateau!” she financed her own tours of France. While there, she became so popular among the soldiers that she earned the title of "Sweetheart of the American Expeditionary Force" (Trickey, "The Sweetheart of the A.E.F.")

Elsie Janis was among the first in a long line of patriotic entertainers who have used their talents to show appreciation for soldiers fighting overseas. Without her work, it's entirely possible that the now-robust infrastructure of USO tours and Armed Forces Entertainment that brings performers to foreign service members would not exist.

The organization even went as far as to partner with local churches to have soldiers invited to dances and other social events to meet girls, given soldiers' limited exposure to the opposite sex. These events would be closely monitored to ensure their wholesome character and the girls in attendance would be carefully selected to ensure that only those who would be a good influence on the soldiers would attend (Lee, “War Camp Community Service”).

The United War Work Campaign, closely related to the War Camp Community Service, was a one-week fundraising drive, authorized by President Wilson, in November 1918 with a goal of $170,500,000 to be allocated to seven charitable organizations, including the War Camp Community Service (The United War Work Campaign, The United War Work Campaign, What it is and What It Means, November 11-18, 1918). These organizations sought funds to do work similar to the War Camp Community Service, with the motivation of keeping soldier morale high (The United War Work Campaign, The United War Work Campaign). The War Camp Community Service and the United War Work Campaign represent a very early attempt on the part of Americans to meet the social and enrichment needs of soldiers. Similarly, to the history of entertainers performing for the military, the now-common idea that soldiers should be cared for in a holistic fashion can trace its ancestry back to the first World War.

The opportunity to look at some of the archived materials in the West Virginia and Regional History Center has been one of the most unique academic experiences I have ever had. Standing in a room full of letters, newspapers, magazines, and posters that are all over 100 years old, nothing stood out to me as particularly interesting. It was only in researching Elsie Janis and the War Camp Community Service that the materials' significance as pieces of the broader puzzle of World War One history revealed itself and they became intensely interesting.

Overall, I have a much better understanding of the importance and function of archives than I did previously. Both Elsie Janis and the War Camp Community Service are mostly forgotten pieces of our country's history, and that makes some amount of sense. Especially in a period that doesn't receive all that much attention, like World War One, a lot is going to get buried in the sands of time. But if no one is actively making an effort to preserve records of these pieces of history, they are going to be forgotten forever. I also found that archived materials provide an excellent springboard for researching a topic you otherwise wouldn't have. If I decided to write an essay on World War One and sat down to decide a topic, the probability that I would have chosen either Elsie Janis or the War Camp Community Service is almost zero. For that reason, I am very grateful for the opportunity to look through these archives and to Dr. Miriam Cady for facilitating our visit.