Interview of Marion E. Marriman on her service with the YMCA in Europe during WWI Interviewer #1: This tape is part of the Women’s Overseas Service League oral histories project. Marion E. Marriman: Mm-hm. Interviewer #1: And um, Mary Myers and Betty Booker are doing the interviewing of Marion… Marion E. Marriman: E. Interviewer #1: Marion Marriman from the Pittsburgh unit of the Women’s Overseas Service League. So Marion we’re just gonna ask a few questions and uh, look for informal uh… Marion E. Marriman: Uh-huh. Interviewer #1: …answers. Marion E. Marriman: Well [inaudible 00:47] connected with the Overseas – or the… Interviewer #1: Okay. Marion E. Marriman: …Overseas League. Interviewer #1: So… Marion E. Marriman: [inaudible 00:43]. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. [00:55] I think we’d like to know um, uh, what organization sponsored you, with your… Marion E. Marriman: YMCA. Interviewer #1: …the YMCA – with your overseas service? And first we want to look at some of the background before you uh, uh, went over for this service. [01:17] What prompted you to volunteer for… Marion E. Marriman: Well, as I said… Interviewer #1: …this service? Marion E. Marriman: …for the adventure. Interviewer #1: Adventure. Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: That was about it. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Interviewer #2: And the excitement. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: I was young. [laughter] Interviewer #1: [laughter] Interviewer #2: Yeah. Interviewer #1: [01:36] Had you been connected with this organization before you did this [inaudible 01:39]? Marion E. Marriman: No. It was a men’s organization. YMCA. Interviewer #1: Oh, it was the YMCA. Marion E. Marriman: Oh yes. Interviewer #1: That’s right. Marion E. Marriman: They had me at the convention [YW 01:48]. That was the Hostess House [work 01:51] and I didn’t have anything to do with it. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: It was the YM-, … Marion E. Marriman: YMCA. Interviewer #2: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: They sent the women overseas. Interviewer #1: Oh, okay. [02:03] Um, after you volunteered, did you have any special preparation for going overseas? Marion E. Marriman: Well we had to take um, we had to take certain things with us. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: We had to take a year’s supply of sugar. We had to take a year’s supply of toilet paper. Interviewer #2: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: We had to take a year – we had to take canned heat. Interviewer #1: Oh dear. Marion E. Marriman: Well they didn’t have anything over there in time – in those days. And – oh, we had to take heavy underwear. But we used always to swap for things when we go over there. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Soap… Interviewer #2: Barter. Marion E. Marriman: Soap – you could buy anything in Paris for a cake of soap. Interviewer #1: Is that right. Interviewer #2: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They were so shorthanded. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: But we had to take all those things. We were allowed a steamer trunk and we had to fill it up with cocoa. We had to take cocoa. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember all the things. Interviewer #2: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: The toilet paper – we could get anything in Europe for that. Interviewer #2: [laughter] Interviewer #1: Is that right. Oh. [03:13] Could you tell us a little about your trip overseas? Marion E. Marriman: Yes. We went over on the [inaudible 03:19] Chicago, the French liner, and we had no escort because we carried the German mail. Interviewer #1: Oh. Marion E. Marriman: The Swiss mail. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: It took us 18 days. We zig-zagged but we didn’t go with any group. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Any – no, no escort at all because we were carrying the Swiss and the German mail. Interviewer #1: So you didn’t have to worry about the submarines then. Marion E. Marriman: We saw plenty of them. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: No, we didn’t have to worry. Interviewer #2: [03:52] And you weren’t… Marion E. Marriman: They wouldn’t have worried me anyway. Interviewer #2: …you weren’t attacked at all? Marion E. Marriman: No. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. [03:58] Do you remember the date that you went overseas? Marion E. Marriman: Well, it was… Interviewer #1: Approximate? Marion E. Marriman: …in July. July but I don’t know the day. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: 1918. Interviewer #1: 1918. Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: [Inaudible 04:12]. Oh. Part of this you did answer for us about the pay. [04:28] Uh, the assignment – if you had to wear a uniform. Marion E. Marriman: Yes. We had to – they furnished the uniform. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. But you didn’t… Marion E. Marriman: Except that we had to buy extra when we got over there because the uniform wasn’t long enough. Interviewer #2: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: We bought other coats. Interviewer #1: Did the – uh-huh, uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Uh-huh. Allowed to wear them. Interviewer #2: [04:48] And the pay, though. You said that you had to pay two hundred dollars. Is that right? They didn’t pay you. Marion E. Marriman: To put out… Interviewer #2: They didn’t pay you. Marion E. Marriman: …oh no, no. We paid them. We had to put up two hundred dollars. Interviewer #1: [inaudible 05:00]. Interviewer #2: [05:02] And when you got over there, what kind of housing did you have? Marion E. Marriman: Well, we were lucky. We were willing to sleep four in a room so we could stay at the Hostess House – the YWCA Hostess House. Interviewer #2: So you’re… Marion E. Marriman: It was… Interviewer #2: …accommodations were good, then. Marion E. Marriman: Well, they were the best we could get. Interviewer #2: [05:28] And did you have specified times of work? You know – hours of working? Marion E. Marriman: Well… Interviewer #2: You know, like… Marion E. Marriman: …all the time. Interviewer #2: All the time. There was just now seven to three and [laughter] three to eleven? Marion E. Marriman: No. Interviewer #2: You were on call 24 hours. Marion E. Marriman: The canteen was open from eleven in the morning until eleven at night. But we had to make all our sandwiches and our cocoa for 3,000 people, which was a leave area, [inaudible 06:01]. Interviewer #2: It was in France. Interviewer #1: It was in Paris. [06:07] Did you stay in Paris most of the time? Marion E. Marriman: Yes. We stayed in Paris until after the Armistice. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: And um, then we went up – I was – then after that I was up to the 110th Engineers of the 35th Division. Interviewer #1: Oh. Marion E. Marriman: Kansas and Missouri troops has a canteen up there. And then from there I wound up at the Army of Occupation in Germany – Koblenz. Interviewer #1: Ah. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Met my husband up there. Interviewer #1: Oh well that was nice. Interviewer #2: [06:42] What service – what – who was he with? Engineers? Marion E. Marriman: Machine gun… Interviewer #2: Machine gun. Marion E. Marriman: …battalion. He wasn’t with them up there, he was detached service… Interviewer #2: …detached… Marion E. Marriman: …and this was after the war. And up there, there was no need of canteen so they put me in the entertainment department, sending out entertainers to the different units. I had done some of that in Paris. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: Somebody found out that I was good at figures so I had to take care of all the entertainers’ expense accounts. Interviewer #2: Huh. [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: That was extra work. We went over in the morning for that. Interviewer #1: [07:28] This was entertainers for the troops? So [inaudible 07:31] … Marion E. Marriman: Yes. Mostly vaudevillians. In those days, vaudeville was… Interviewer #2: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: …very popular. And they were easy to handle. We didn’t need to have any scenery or anything at all. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They put on… Interviewer #2: No background. Marion E. Marriman: …they just put on their acts. They were a circus. They were a lot of fun. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. [07:51] Did you have any um, uh, social activities other than your canteen work? Marion E. Marriman: Not, not until after the Armistice. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: After that every outfit in the place had dances. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: And I wore out 14 pairs of shoes. Interviewer #1: [laughter] [inaudible 08:12]. Interviewer #2: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: My father sent me a pair every month. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: [inaudible 08:16] And I came home with my – with the sole of my shoe fastened to my foot with a rubber band. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: I danced all the way across the Atlantic coming home. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Interviewer #2: I think that is precious. Marion E. Marriman: Oh dear. Interviewer #1: [08:35] Do you remember any uh, special experiences that were… Marion E. Marriman: Oh, so many. Interviewer #1: So many, huh? Anything…? Marion E. Marriman: We were treated royally by the men. Never had any trouble with them at all. They did… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: They had a lot of respect. Marion E. Marriman: Yes. I think it was quite different than they – they just were so glad to see us, you know? Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: But um… Interviewer #1: [09:04] Do you remember any other humorous uh, experiences? Besides your shoes wearing out? Marion E. Marriman: No. I think – not that I know of. Interviewer #1: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: We didn’t take anything home we took over. We had swapped everything over there. Interviewer #1: Oh you did, huh? Marion E. Marriman: And it was – we were full of souvenirs and stuff coming home. Interviewer #1: [09:28] So did – your trunks had different things in coming home. Marion E. Marriman: Yeah. They went to different places. Part of them went to New York. We landed in Norfolk, Virginia. We came home on a destroyer. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. [09:43] Did you have to provide your own transportation then from Norfolk to home? Marion E. Marriman: Where? Interviewer #1: You say you landed in Norfolk? Marion E. Marriman: Oh yes. No, [inaudible 09:54]. Interviewer #1: They took care of you then, huh? Interviewer #2: They took care… Marion E. Marriman: We came home on – we came up to New York. Interviewer #2: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: ‘Cause I had to pay for New York. But they brought us up on a troop plane. See, I went in from New York instead of Boston. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: Oh. Marion E. Marriman: ‘Cause I could get in earlier there. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. [10:15] Were you aware of uh, at all of what was going on at that time as far as the battles were concerned and the countries that were… Interviewer #2: [inaudible 10:26]. Interviewer #1: The Allied troops? The different Allied troops? I, I just… Marion E. Marriman: I don’t quite understand. Interviewer #1: Well I was, I was trying to see if, you know, as a volunteer over there working with the troops, you know – the American forces were part of the Allied forces… Marion E. Marriman: Mm-hm. Interviewer #1: And uh… Marion E. Marriman: Well the only connection we had – one night a week we would stay up all night… Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: …and go into the station and meet the wounded coming in… Interviewer #1: Ah. Marion E. Marriman: …from the battlefield. And they would be French, British, Australian, or American. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: But they were the badly wounded and they’d be laid out on the uh, platform. And in those days you could give them a cigarette or a drink of water, you know? Nowadays they wouldn’t let you do that. But… Interviewer #1: Okay. Marion E. Marriman: …we could give them a drink of water or a cigarette and talk to them, take their home addresses and write letters to their… Interviewer #2: Families. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: This was one night a week. That’s all they’d let us do because we didn’t go to bed. We had to go to work right from there. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Oh we worked, we really did. Interviewer #1: You cert-, it certainly sounds like it. Marion E. Marriman: There weren’t that many girls over there Interviewer #2: Yes. Oh no. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: There were a lot of nurses but very few others. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: [11:51] And you already, I think, addressed this but you were never threatened by being a female amongst many males? Marion E. Marriman: Oh no. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They were wonderful to us. Interviewer #1: [12:06] Um, does it – do you know, does the YMCA provide the same type of service today? [inaudible 12:19]. Marion E. Marriman: No, but it didn’t in the Second World War, either. Interviewer #1: Okay. Interviewer #2: [inaudible 12:22]. Marion E. Marriman: The army had something to do with that I think. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They, they don’t – you see there were a lot of services in the First World War. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Jewish [inaudible 12:33], the um, uh, Irish [inaudible 12:41]. Well they all, all different kinds of [inaudible 12:47]. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: American Library Association that [inaudible 12:50] was with… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They combined everything in the Second World War. Interviewer #1: Yeah. Yep. Marion E. Marriman: It was easier for them to keep track of them. Interviewer #1: You’re right. Interviewer #2: Today, you know, after World War Two they had a pension [inaudible 13:03] World War One. [13:05] Did you have any benefits at all? Marion E. Marriman: No. We had no connection with the army whatever. Interviewer #2: Nothing with the government, as far as benefits? Marion E. Marriman: We had to get, we had to get passes from them on the railroad. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: We paid for them but they – we had to get them – and billets. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: And the billets were not so [hot 13:27]. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: Sure. [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: We had one up in um, Kobl-, – up in Cologne. They gave us one. It was over a saloon. [laughter] And we stayed up all night guarding the doors. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: There were two girls – two women upstairs. We moved all our furniture over in front of the doors. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: They were all trying to get in. But that was not the American troops. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: These weren’t troops at all. They were just civilians… Interviewer #1: Natives. Marion E. Marriman: …so to speak. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: But that was the only trouble – trouble we ever had. But um – no, they just treated us royally. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: Appreciated every little thing you did for them. Interviewer #1: [14:15] Do you have any friends from that time living? That… Marion E. Marriman: Not at all. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: I outlived them all. There were four of us that went over but we met on, we met on the boat in one stateroom. And uh, we kept in track until – the other three were a lot older than I was. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Mm-hm. [14:43] When you came back, um, did you continue any type of service like this here after the war? Marion E. Marriman: Uh-uh. Interviewer #1: [14:53] Do you remember where you were when the Armistice was signed? Marion E. Marriman: Hm? Interviewer #1: Do you remember where you were when the Armistice was signed? November 11, 1918? Marion E. Marriman: Oh, yes. In Paris. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: Wouldn’t have been anywhere else. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: They – at 11:00 the church bells began to chime and everybody rushed out in the streets. Those streets were just packed. And um, the uh, opera house – they were rehearsing there for an opera and all these stars came out on the balcony and sang La Marseillaise. Interviewer #1: Mm. Oh. Marion E. Marriman: And it was picked up by everybody in the streets, you know? And then that night the lights came on in the first time in four years. Interviewer #1: Ah. Marion E. Marriman: And that was a thrill. Interviewer #1: Dramatic, huh? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: I wouldn’t have been anywhere else for that one. Interviewer #1: [15:51] But you stayed a while after that, didn’t you? Marion E. Marriman: Oh yes. Interviewer #1: ‘Cause you went with the… Marion E. Marriman: I didn’t get out until – I didn’t come back until October the next year. Interviewer #1: Oh. Interviewer #2: Oh. Marion E. Marriman: [inaudible 15:58] the Army – [inaudible 15:59] the Army of Occupation. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: Oh. Interviewer #1: [16:03] Were your services similar after that? You still had canteens… Marion E. Marriman: Well with no fire – with no shooting… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …it was the same thing but… Interviewer #2: More of a citizen. Interviewer #1: But it… Marion E. Marriman: …up in, up in Germany they were sending the troops home. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: And there was no need of the canteens. They… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …they had one but there was no need of the other ones with the troops. So that was when I went in with the entertaining department. Mm-hm. Interviewer #1: With the entertaining. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: We had a lot of famous entertainers. Interviewer #1: [16:33] Who did you – who do you remember? Marion E. Marriman: Elsie Janis. Interviewer #1: Elsie? Marion E. Marriman: Elsie Janis. Interviewer #1: Janis? Marion E. Marriman: She was famous … Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: There were a lot of them I don’t remember. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Mostly vaudevillians… Interviewer #1: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: …but there were… Interviewer #1: [16:47] Do you remember any famous songs from that time? Marion E. Marriman: Yeah. They – the Second World War adopted [inaudible 16:52]. Interviewer #1: The [inaudible 16:53]. Interviewer #2: They said – she said Marseillaise. Interviewer #1: Yeah, well that’s their [inaudible 16:57]. Marion E. Marriman: Well that’s the French national anthem. Interviewer #2: I know, but that’s… Interviewer #1: “Over There?” [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: Well, that was one of the troop songs. Marseillaise in Paris was the… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …French national anthem they played. So [inaudible 17:12]. But that was quite a night. Yes, but the Second World War took over most of the most of the World War One songs. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: There weren’t much difference. Interviewer #1: Yeah, yeah. Marion E. Marriman: They had a – we didn’t have any air – air force songs ‘cause there wasn’t much of an air force. Interviewer #1: That’s right. Uh-huh. There wasn’t. Marion E. Marriman: Well they had airplanes… Interviewer #2: But not… Marion E. Marriman: …but they could only fly at night when there was a full moon ‘cause they had no – you see there were no lights in… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …the cities at all. And we had one bomb that fell in our courtyard of our hotel but it didn’t go off. Interviewer #1: Oh. [laughter] Oh my God. Marion E. Marriman: But they could only come over in the full moon. Interviewer #1: Well, that’s interesting. Marion E. Marriman: ‘Cause they couldn’t see the city. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: No lights. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: So it – and those airplanes that they flew in you wonder how they stayed up. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: There was no – only just place for your feet underneath it… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …but look right down. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: [inaudible 18:17]. Interviewer #2: Is that right? Marion E. Marriman: There were [inaudible 18:21] planes that had a roof and just boxes. Interviewer #2: Oh. Marion E. Marriman: And the aviators were drunk all the time… Interviewer #1: [laughter] Interviewer #2: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: Well they said that you wouldn’t go up in one of those things unless you were. Interviewer #1: If you weren’t. I’ll be darned. Marion E. Marriman: They were a pretty wild crowd. Interviewer #2: They were worse than the helicopters. You know, when she says you look down. Marion E. Marriman: Well, they were just [inaudible 18:41]. Interviewer #1: Right, right. Marion E. Marriman: Just put together [inaudible 18:44]. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: No – hitched in. Interviewer #2: Right. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: You wonder how they ever [inaudible 18:50]. They had a lot of fighting up there too in the daytime. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: But… Interviewer #1: [10:01] You have any other thoughts you’d like to share with us? Marion E. Marriman: Mm-mm. [You said it 19:06]. Interviewer #1: Well I… Marion E. Marriman: I don’t think of it now. I don’t think of anything now. Interviewer #1: Okay. That’s very… Marion E. Marriman: So many incidents… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: …that – of interest. You’d meet somebody, you know on the street, you know… Interviewer #1: Right. Marion E. Marriman: …they look like old friends… Interviewer #2: Right. Marion E. Marriman: …even if you hadn’t known them. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Interviewer #2: That continued in World War Two. So… Marion E. Marriman: Mm-hm. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: So it continues anywhere you go. It does – in civilian life we met somebody down in Panama that we knew. We were almost neighbors, even though we’d never seen them, you know? Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: That happens everywhere. Interviewer #1: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: But… Interviewer #2: [19:44] When you came back, Marion, did you have a hard adjustment back in the States ‘cause you were gone like… Marion E. Marriman: Mm-hm. Interviewer #1: …it was hard, wasn’t it? Marion E. Marriman: Mm-hm. Interviewer #2: But the return back… Marion E. Marriman: You know I missed all of the excitement. Interviewer #2: Right, right. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: [19:57] And what were the news – you know, media like that at that time? Did they write all these big stories and – you know, here… Marion E. Marriman: Well. No… Interviewer #2: No? Marion E. Marriman: …I don’t remember too many of them. Interviewer #2: Now… Marion E. Marriman: Not like now. Interviewer #2: Now that’s what World War Two – the media I think played a big part into the… Marion E. Marriman: We didn’t have a radio. We didn’t have television. Interviewer #2: Yeah. Well that’s why it’s [inaudible 20:23]. Marion E. Marriman: There was… Interviewer #2: …news. Yeah. Interviewer #1: Newspapers. Marion E. Marriman: There was some communication by radio – very little, in the army. Interviewer #2: [inaudible 20:31]. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: We didn’t have automobiles, you know? Interviewer #2: No. Marion E. Marriman: They, they uh – all of the ammunition – the heavy ammunition was pulled with horses. Interviewer #2: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: You don’t – you can’t realize the difference. Interviewer #2: Yes. Marion E. Marriman: They had taxis and they had a few taxis. You could get one there except at noontime when you wanted them. [inaudible 20:55]. They had to have lunch for two hours. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Interviewer #2: I do think that some of the reactions today in the army – it’s caused by a lot with the media gives over the [inaudible 21:07]. Marion E. Marriman: Oh I think they – I think they influence everything. Interviewer #2: That’s why I asked, you know. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: We had telephones, of course. Interviewer #2: Yes. Marion E. Marriman: But – of course television was way in the future. Interviewer #2: [laughter] Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: That’s right. Marion E. Marriman: Nobody ever would dream of it now. And um… Interviewer #2: I was, I was in France too. I served in France – our unit. So when you say “Paris” I could’ve envisioned it on Armistice at night. You know? Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: Well it was quite a… Interviewer #2: Arc of Triomphe… Marion E. Marriman: So they didn’t have any lights at night and when we came home from the canteen we had to come home in the dark. You know every brick. Interviewer #1: Sure. Interviewer #2: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: You know brink in the road and you know every bump in the street. You couldn’t see ‘em… Interviewer #2: Sure. Marion E. Marriman: …but you got used to them. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: But it’s quite a city. I loved it. Interviewer #1: Mm. Marion E. Marriman: Part of our work there was – it was a leave area after the Armistice and part of our work was showing the men the city. Interviewer #2: Oh. That was interesting. ‘Cause you had learned through – from the minute you came, adjusting. Marion E. Marriman: Well if we hadn’t, we’d have… Interviewer #2: Self survival, huh? Marion E. Marriman: Yeah, yeah. So – but we really did work awfully hard. It was fun. It is fun to work hard if you enjoy it. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: Never a dull moment. Interviewer #1: [22:42] Do – were, were – did you speak French at that time? Marion E. Marriman: Well I had been to school over there. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: I did know some but… Interviewer #1: So you didn’t have the… Marion E. Marriman: …I don’t know any now. I haven’t had any practice for 60 years and [inaudible 22:56]. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Interviewer #2: I had my high school French, which was very limited. But I… Marion E. Marriman: It doesn’t do you much good over there. Interviewer #2: The only thing I learned to say were “eggs,” and “food.” I learned that to survive when we were out in the country. We were in a staging area. Marion E. Marriman: [laughter] Interviewer #1: But you’re right. If you just know a few words, but… Marion E. Marriman: Well now I guess you don’t need very much. Interviewer #1: Mm-hm. Marion E. Marriman: My husband knew two words and he ate a lot of eggs. Interviewer #1: [laughter] [inaudible 23:25]. Interviewer #2: Oeuf! Oeuf! Marion E. Marriman: Les oeufs! Les oeufs! Interviewer #2: That’s what I’m saying. That was my first word… Marion E. Marriman: [laughter] Interviewer #1: …in the country [for a change 23:31]. Marion E. Marriman: Deux oeufs. Two eggs. Interviewer #2: Uh-huh. [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: We lived on two eggs. Interviewer #2 That’s right. That’s right. Marion E. Marriman: Oh dear. We tried it out in Montreal and it didn’t work. Interviewer #2: [laughter] That’s French [inaudible 23:45]. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: The waiter said, “Two eggs?” Interviewer #1: Well that – that’s very good, Marion. Marion E. Marriman: It was. Interviewer #1: We appreciate this time and this lunch. [Inaudible 24:00]. Marion E. Marriman: Well, glad to do this [inaudible 24:01]. Interviewer #2: I uh… I feel I gained. I learned as much as anything. You know, I had no idea. Marion E. Marriman: Well there’s so much difference in the two wars. Interviewer #1: Yeah. Marion E. Marriman: Was 20 years apart but so much different in life. Everything was different. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: She’s right. Marion E. Marriman: Communications. Interviewer #1: Well, it changes over the years. Marion E. Marriman: Besides it was new sending women over. Interviewer #2: Sure. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Marion E. Marriman: It was, it was the first time it had been done and… Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: Now in this – you know, any conflicts, it would be a feminist movement as opposed to a male – you know? Then you dind’t think – but now… Marion E. Marriman: I think that some women are crazy. Why would they want to do things. Interviewer #1: Uh-huh. Interviewer #2: I still want people to open the door for me. Interviewer #1: [laughter] Marion E. Marriman: Well I still like to be a woman instead of a… Interviewer #2: [laughter] That’s what I’m saying! Interviewer #1: Okay. Marion E. Marriman: Some things that are ridiculous. /ks