By June 1919, World War I had come to a close, but substantial numbers of American servicemen remained stationed in France. While they eagerly awaited their discharge papers, they could pass the time reading the newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces.
The Mess Kit newspaper cost just one French franc. Much of the content was humorous. It was filled with poems and song parodies contributed by soldiers. One article titled “Naked Yanks Must March Through Cooties’ Inferno on Road to USA” was a comical take on the Army’s approach to dealing with the uncomfortable problem of lice.
In another article servicemen were warned of the dangers of drinking marce [pronounced mars], a potent beverage made by French housewives. The Mess Kit stated, “the safest plan to pursue in respect to marce is to leave it in the bottle.”
Half a page of the paper was dedicated to the reopening of French pastry shops and the return of chocolate eclairs. During the war, sugar had been rationed and pastry shops closed.
Learn more by reading a 1919 copy of The Mess Kit newspaper in the Ernest C. Miller papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.